This is supposed to be a part of a collective drabble piece like Cherished but I had written so much more for Yunhyeong's section compared to the others, so I decided to separate it. I mean, I posted a super short BobDong drabble so why not this AU YunDong piece?

And I know I said before I can't think of YunDong in the romantic sense but, here goes. In some degree... XD

(The title's so lame but I can't think of anything else. T^T)

“He’s here again.” Manager-on-duty Jinhwan whispers to him as he passes by with 2 plates of steak on both his hands.

“Who?”

“Your crush.”

Yunhyeong blushes, his hands pausing from arranging side dishes for a moment before he hurries with it. He clears his throat to himself as if to gather his wits then moves to his right to where the kitchen slit window is. He peeks at it and just like what Jinhwan had told him, there he is.

“He” being a guy around his age (maybe younger) with light blonde hair and almond eyes, sitting on the same two-person table by the windows. The guy has been frequenting the restaurant about two times a week since 2 months ago and though Yunhyeong shouldn’t be so fixated on a customer, he can’t help paying special attention to him.

Jinhwan had asked him why but he doesn’t know the exact reason too. All he could say is the guy looked too lonely in that two-seater table. He’s always alone whenever he comes in, during dinner time, not looking at a menu and always asking for the chef’s recommendation instead.

Yunhyeong is the chef, thanks to his good fortune.

He smiles at himself as he goes back to his station, asking an assistant to continue doing the side dish platter before he starts on a “chef’s recommendation” dish. He feels like making a pasta dish today, maybe that blue cheese recipe he had just developed 3 days ago.

But then, Jinhwan comes back in and tells him the guy has a different order for today. Black pepper roast chicken and garlic parmesan potatoes. For two.

He bites his lip before telling himself not to feel so disappointed. He nods at Jinhwan and abandons the blue cheese pasta to work on the chicken and potatoes, his mind half-filled with questions on why it’s for two and who the other person is.

When he’s done sprinkling parsley on top of the potatoes, he peeks again and sees that another person is already sitting across the guy. He can’t see the person’s face but the man is tall and has dark hair. A waiter comes in to take the order to them and Yunhyeong watches how his crush’s face lights up at the food, thanking the waiter and smiling so beautifully at the other male across him.

It’s the first time Yunhyeong sees him smile like that.

He sighs and shakes his head, shoulders hunching as he peels his eyes away from the slit window. Well, that’s as far as his onesided crush would go then.

Yunhyeong avoids the window for the next hour and a half. He intends to focus fully on his food, making sure the meat is grilled to perfection and the vegetables aren’t overcooked. That is until two waiters pass by. They’re whispering about the “window guy” sobbing by himself after his companion left. His body stiffens up at that and succumbing to curiosity and concern, he leaves his food again to look through the slit.

He feels his heart ache at the image. Though the guy is facing the window, the tears falling are still obvious. It doesn’t help that it’s currently raining outside and the city lights are dimmer than usual.

“I asked him if he’s alright and if there’s anything we could do, but he said he’s okay.” Jinhwan relates to him after checking on the current batch of orders. “I’ll give him complimentary coffee though.”

“Thanks hyung.”

Jinhwan looks like he wants to say something but stops himself. The manager instead pats his shoulder and resumes work.

Yunhyeong tries concentrating on his dishes again but he can’t stop checking on the guy through the slit window. His crush continues watching the people outside walk by and though he’s no longer crying, he still gives off a melancholic feel. When the final batch of orders finally arrived, he decides he needs to do something. He pulls Jinhwan aside as he enters the kitchen.

“I know this is against work hour policy but I really need to do this.” He says in a low voice, eyes serious. “I want to cheer him up. Just deduct the cost from my salary.”

Jinhwan chews the side of his cheek while he considers what Yunhyeong said. Some of the assistants seem to have heard and are glancing at the chef with knowing smiles, which causes pink to spread on his cheeks.

“Fine. He’s a regular customer anyway and he told me he’ll stay until closing.” Jinhwan finally answers with a helpless sigh and a sympathetic smile. “Do what you want but only when you’re done with the last main dishes.”

Yunhyeong grins and hugs him, whispering a big “Thank you”. Jinhwan laughs lightly and winks.

“Do your best and good luck.”

He cooks swiftly but is still careful in upholding the restaurant’s standards. His assistants are eager to help as well, assuring him that they’ll handle the rest so he could start on whatever special dish he wants to serve.

Even though he hasn’t spoken a word to him, Yunhyeong has a pretty good idea what his crush likes to eat. He quickly decides on a small dessert tray, whipping up cream cheese and slicing up some of the seasonal fruits. He even takes out that expensive chocolate brand they’re saving for the special menu items. A lot will surely be deducted from his salary but Yunhyeong doesn’t care.

It’s past 10 pm when he’s finally given the signal by Jinhwan. A couple exits the restaurant leaving only his crush, and Yunhyeong carefully takes the dessert platter into his hands. He feels his heart beat two times faster with each step made and when he’s finally at the guy’s table, he had to blink a few times to keep himself from staring and blushing.

“Hi. I’m the executive chef.” he says, voice slightly high pitched, as he places the tray on the table. He clears his throat. “We feel like coffee isn’t enough to cheer you up so here’s a dessert tray for you. It’s free so please enjoy without worries.”

“Wow. Is this a normal service you give to your customers? Thank you so much. I love sweets.” the guy says with a surprised but pleased smile. Just from seeing that, Yunhyeong’s already relieved.

“Not really. You just happened to be a regular. I’m glad you liked it.”

“Of course. I guess I’ll have to eat here more often now.”

His crush laughs, smiling at him again. Yunhyeong thought he did a good job until the guy’s shoulders slump and he sighs heavily.

“Actually, today is supposed to be the last day I come here. This used to be my favorite restaurant back when I was still together with my ex. I met him today, for the last time, before he gets married next week.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Yunhyeong didn’t expect that. He feels like he intruded into something he shouldn’t have so he bows and makes a move to leave.

But the guy reaches to hold the hem of his chef’s coat, a sheepish smile on his face.

“No need to feel sorry chef but hey, can you stay here?” The sheepish expression turns into uncertainty as he shifts gazes from the floor then to him. “I… I don’t want to eat these gorgeous desserts by myself.”

Yunhyeong’s so surprised he isn’t able to answer right away. His crush takes it as a “no” so he lets go of his coat and does a quick bow to him in apology.

“I’m so sorry for such an unreasonable request so please forget it, chef. It’s almost closing time too and you must be tired already…”

He starts to internally panic. He wants to stay. No, he needs to stay. This is a chance the world’s giving him, finally.

He does a quick glance towards the kitchen slit window to see if he could ask permission, only to be greeted by Jinhwan and most of his co-workers peeking through there and giving him a lot of thumbs up. He blushes at that and moves more to the left to block them.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll stay with you. I--” he clears his throat again. “I want to talk with you anyway. I want to get to know the one who kept ordering for my recommendations.”

He bites his lip a bit when his crush instantly lightens up with a big smile, pink coloring his cheeks and his eyes crinkling adorably.

“So you cook the dishes every time I order? That explains why this platter contains almost all my favorite desserts. Thank you so much, chef.”

“Yes, no problem.” Yunhyeong answers as his face warms up again. He discreetly wipes his hands on his pants before nervously offering his hand for a shake.

“And please don’t call me chef. My name is Song Yunhyeong.”

“Glad to finally know the great chef’s name.” His crush grins and shakes his hand. “I’m Kim Donghyuk; interior designer. Pleased to meet you Yunhyeong.”

Yunhyeong has never felt so giddy before that moment.

“Likewise, Donghyuk.”

.

.

.