Everyone was always on their feet, always around the place.

It often got noisy – people talking here and there, pans clanging at the back, plates being placed on tables

It frequently gave her headaches and blisters on her feet but she loved every single bit of it.

                Sooyoung stood there, blocking the entrance leading to the kitchen, as she silently watched the three chefs work in perfect synchrony as if whatever routine they had had been practiced over and over again… which was true, in a sense. She wasn’t donning her apron and her hair wasn’t tied yet. She would enter chef mode later. Right now, she was the owner and the boss of the small but very sought-after restaurant, where this certain kitchen she was standing in was located.

“Yah, Sooyoungie.” Ryeowook looked up from the two or four pans under his watch. “Are you just going to stand there?”

“I’m on boss duty tonight, remember?” She smiled, turning her head to glance outside the small round window on the kitchen door. “I’ll send Taemin and Onew oppa in to help.”

“That’d be great.” Hankyung smiled back at her before he went back to cooking, relieved that the two waiters-slash-chef trainees were going to be around soon.

Sooyoung swung the door open, looking back at her team of chefs before she completely stepped out. “I’ll be back as soon as I can after I check things up in front.”

“Thanks, Soo!” Victoria managed to say in between her vegetable cutting.

                Sooyoung stepped out of the kitchen, finding herself soon face to face with the dining area. Her restaurant wasn’t big at all, holding only ten to fifteen tables, but that didn’t mean she and her staff had it any easier than other restaurants. The place was always packed regardless if it was breakfast, lunch, tea/coffee/snack time or dinner. It was always full of people and they often had more customers queued outside, waiting for their turn in the small but homey restaurant. Sooyoung had always attributed the success of her business to three things – food, ambiance and staff.

                Her restaurant was all about serving well-prepared dishes made from the freshest and highest grade of ingredients. Not to mention the fact that they were made by the best chefs in her opinion. She really honestly couldn’t find chefs better than Hankyung, Victoria and Ryeowook, who suited her work ethic and who got along with her perfectly whether personally or professionally. She had always admired how they had managed to work as a cohesive team after knowing each other for such a short period of time. They were really the secret to the good food customers got to eat every day.

                Back when all she had was an idea of starting a restaurant of her own, Sooyoung was sure of one thing – she wanted her restaurant to remind customers of home. Thus, she transformed her little business into a rest house-looking place, complete with high ceilings with wooden beams and panels, a large ceiling fan in the centre of the said ceilings and a fireplace seeming to be carved out of the wall, proving to be the place’s focal point and the warm welcome that greeted customers when they stepped in.

                Her eyes roamed all over the place, looking for each of her front of the house staff. As always, she found Heechul seated in front of the cash register over at the counter. Henry and Amber were there as well; the two assigned to be in charge of the drinks and the desserts respectively. Moving towards the entrance of the restaurant, she found Tiffany assisting newly-arriving customers; her eye-smile never leaving her face. It took quite a while for Sooyoung to find all of her waiting staff; Junsu, Yoona, Onew, Taemin, Sulli and Yesung dispersed throughout the restaurant.

“You’re Boss Soo today? Not Chef Soo?” Heechul’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

The tall brunette greeted him with a smile, heading off to stand by the side of the counter. “You know what day it is, oppa.”

“Yes, Boss.” He replied as seriously as he could though his eyes reflected some amusement and much more amazement for the young woman, who had built the restaurant practically on her own.

“Oppa, don’t–” Sooyoung really meant to say something more but soon found herself unable to when a cough got her attention, turning her head to find Junsu standing before her. “Junsu oppa, is there something wrong?”

The restaurant’s manager shook his head though a look of confusion clearly remained on his face. “This certain customer asked to see you. I asked if there was something wrong with his food but said he said that there was none and he actually already paid. But he’s really asking to see you.”

Heechul let out a low whistle. “Must be one of your too many admirers, Soo.”

“Oppa.” She rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to the younger man. “Which table, oppa?”

Junsu nodded discreetly towards the table in the corner of the restaurant. “Table fifteen.”

“I’ll handle it.” Sooyoung took in a deep breath, entering her Boss Soo mode in almost an instant. “Junsu oppa, can you send Onew oppa and Taemin into the kitchen? They need their help inside.”

“Sure.” He made a move to head over to where Taemin was standing but paused in mid-step. “If that guy is one of those annoying ones, just send him my and Heechul hyung’s way.”

“We’ll teach him a lesson.” Heechul added; his usual devil-may-care attitude gone, being replaced by his protective nature towards the young brunette beauty.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine… but thank you.” Sending them a grateful smile, Sooyoung headed off towards table fifteen, not wanting to keep the customer waiting for too long.

                From what she could see given her distance from the fifteenth table, there was only one customer seated there – a man wearing a thick scarf around his neck, a pair of surely designer-labelled sunglasses and a cap. He was staring out the window, obviously deep in thought. Biting her lower lip slowly, many possibilities ran into her mind as to why he wanted to speak to her. Reaching table fifteen and putting a warm yet professional smile on her face, she coughed softly to get his attention.

“Good afternoon, sir. I’m Choi Sooyoung, chef and owner of Casa.” Her tone was friendly, approachable yet very professional. “I was told that you are asking for me. What can I do for you?”

If he noticed that she was relatively young to own a restaurant of her own, he didn’t show it… His half or three-fourths covered face could probably be thanked for that. “Bacon, olive oil, garlic, onion, button mushroom, cherry brandy, thyme, salt, black pepper, ground pork, chicken, pistachio, parsley, egg…”

Sooyoung blinked; her surprise mirroring in her features. Though his plate was now empty, she knew he had ordered a Pork and Chicken Terrine, if the sudden enumeration of the ingredients in the recipe wasn’t enough indication of that. “What…”

“I know there’s one more ingredient… I just can’t put a finger on it.” The stranger fell silent, racking his brain for the last missing ingredient.

“It’s nutmeg.” She offered softly. “I’m sorry but how did you know the ingredients for my terrine?”

“Let’s just say I have a lot of experience with food.” He smiled… or at least she thought he was, considering how covered his face was. Much to her surprise yet again, he held out a hand. “Kim Jaejoong. It’s nice to meet such a young and talented woman like you, Sooyoung-ssi.”

The brunette shook his hand, hoping and praying that she wasn’t blushing. “It’s nice to meet someone who knows a lot about food, Jaejoong-ssi.”

Jaejoong got up, smiling at the young restaurateur. “I better get going. Your food is great. It’s not easy to cook a terrine but yours is really good.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.” She replied, walking in step with him as he headed for the exit, wordlessly telling him that she was going to accompany him on his way out of the restaurant. “Thank you for dining with us.”

He nodded, stepping out once Sooyoung had opened the door for him. The cap-wearing man smiled; the kind of smile that could make her knees weak if she wasn’t holding on to the door. “My pleasure.”

“Who was that guy, Soo?” Tiffany was by her side as soon as he was out of eyesight and earshot. “He’s so covered and all but I’m sure he’s hot!”

“He’s… different.” She offered lamely as she closed the door; her vocabulary apparently lacking the right words to describe him. “He listed all the ingredients of my terrine in a single breath, missing only one. He knows a lot about food.”

“Oh?” The older woman giggled. “He sounds a lot like you, then.”

                That lunchtime wasn’t the last time Sooyoung and her staff saw Kim Jaejoong. He was in the restaurant every other day or so, appearing on a variety of time. They didn’t know absolutely when to expect him – sometimes he came during dinner, brunch or even weird hours of the day. But if any, there were two things they could expect from him. One was that he always came wearing a scarf, sunglasses and a hat even if the sun had already disappeared. Second was that he had always managed to have Sooyoung’s attention; the brunette insisting that whenever he asks politely to talk to her, all they conversed about was food and his uncanny ability to name the ingredients of every dish he ate in Casa.

                It had come to a point wherein the staff knew who Kim Jaejoong was and had fallen into a sort of friendship with the mysterious man. He was a regular customer and no one knew much about him, even Sooyoung. What they all knew was that he shared the same amount of passion that Sooyoung had, causing the female members of the staff to swoon over how they were so compatible. They could all only roll their eyes when they insisted that they were just friends of sorts, bonded together by food. And they soon learned that they had every right to not believe her when time passed and Jaejoong no longer had to call for the young owner simply because she went to his table on her own every time he was around. She and the mysterious sunglasses, scarf and hat clad man had gotten to know each other more and obviously enjoy each other’s company.

“I don’t think you could do anything wrong in that kitchen.” Jaejoong said with all seriousness as he finished off the remainder of his White Chocolate Cheesecake; having stopped by for snacks that day.

“I still have so much to learn, you know.” She shook her head. “Besides, most of the props of my cooking go to the other chefs. They help me so much.”

“Now that you mentioned learning…I have something to show you.” He suddenly stood up just as Junsu reached their area. “Junsu-ah, would it be okay if I take Sooyoung with me?”

Considering the look of shock on the young woman’s face, his shoulders lifted in a hesitant shrug. “If she wants to go with you, I guess why not, hyung?”

“That’s settled then.” Jaejoong properly handed him the payment for what he had eaten, absently telling the younger man that they could keep the change before gently pulling Sooyoung to her feet.

“Jaejoong-ssi, I still have work.” She protested; a part of her still in disbelief with how her staff called him either hyung, oppa or Jaejoong-ah as if they had known each other forever.

“You’re supposed to be calling me oppa by now. Anyway, you’re on Boss duty today, right?” Waiting until she had given him the affirmative, he gently held her wrist and began leading the way out of the restaurant. “That means you can do whatever you want and you don’t have to work in the kitchen anytime soon.”

“Yah, take care of her!” Heechul managed to call out from the counter as the pair left Casa.

                All her protests fell on deaf ears and Sooyoung soon found herself in the passenger’s seat of Jaejoong’s car. Still with his hat, sunglasses and scarf in their right places, Jaejoong drove off to somewhere only he knew, refusing to give any clue the brunette has been asking for. It took minutes before Sooyoung gave up, realizing that she wasn’t going to win this one and choosing instead to fold her arms over her chest, pouting and focusing on the passing scenery. Sunset had long since ended and there were only traces of sunlight left in the otherwise darkness-ruled sky. She was mainly curious as to where this guy was taking her; a part of her wondering if coming with him was the best choice.

Her curiosity and confusion spiked to higher levels when she noticed that they were approaching a two-floored building that half-resembled a restaurant. “What is this place?”

Jaejoong waited as he parked his car right in front of the closed establishment. “Take a good look at it.”

Sooyoung turned her attention back to the place, struggling to get a closer look thanks to the fact that it was already night. A gasp escaped her lips as she noticed the very, very familiar signboard. They were right outside the formerly glorious, critically-acclaimed five-star restaurant, Cassiopeia. It had dampened her mood the day she found out it closed down; the brunette having eaten there a few times and instantly loved the food. Sooyoung opened to ask what they were doing there when she realized that Jaejoong was no longer in the car. Instead, he was standing outside; his figure illuminated by a nearby streetlamp. His hands were in the pockets of his jeans as he stared at Cassiopeia. Sooyoung hurriedly exited the car, nearly stumbling as she did so, rushing over to stand by his side.

“Why are we here?”

                Much to her confusion, surprise and annoyance once again, he didn’t say anything in reply. Instead he walked over to the glass door entrance of Cassiopeia. He stood there for a moment before he pulled out a key from his pocket, opening the door much to Sooyoung’s complete shock. His face was unreadable as held the door open for her, partly due to the sunglasses he still wore even if it was already night time. Hesitantly, Sooyoung stepped inside and he closed the door. She felt momentarily scared of the darkness surrounding her but it soon disappeared when light radiated throughout the place; Jaejoong having the light switch nearby.

                Sooyoung stayed in stunned silence as she looked around. It looked very much like how she remembered it to be except that the chairs  were all on put on the tables; the said furniture all being covered by white cloth. The counter was empty and the cash register was also covered. It very much looked its part – a deserted place. Everything only added to Sooyoung’s puzzlement, especially the very fact that Jaejoong had a key of the place.

Turning her body to find Jaejoong standing by the door, she found difficulty in trying to say something. “How… Why… Key.”

“This place means the world to me.” It was the only thing he said before he slowly took off his hat, sunglasses and scarf.

                An astonished gasp escaped Sooyoung’s lips; her hand flying up to cover her parted mouth. Standing before her was the Hero Kim, the celebrity chef who had risen to fame both in Japan and Korea. He had always been very known for keeping personal information of him himself very private, which was why she didn’t realize that Kim Jaejoong and Hero Kim were just one person. He had been always known as a talented, charismatic chef, who served the best dishes to his customers but his celebrity status had swallowed him and he had lost the desire to cook, resulting to the fall of his restaurants and career.

“When everything spiralled out of my control and I was slowly losing my career to alcohol and all those late nights, I didn’t know what else to do but to give up. I couldn’t look at cooking the same away again.” He spoke softly and for the first time, she saw how broken he must have had felt when he went through all of those. “Then, I met you.”

“I-I.. What…” She mentally smacked herself for being so incoherent. This was definitely not the time to stutter.

Jaejoong walked to where she stood frozen; his hand coming up to caress her face. “You’re so full of life and the way you talk about food is just so breath-taking. I couldn’t help but wish I had the same fire again. I came to Casa as often as I could without freaking you out because that place felt like how it was named to be… home. For the past months that I’ve learned more about you and everything else, I could feel my love for cooking come back. And I want to thank you for that.”

He took in a sharp breath; his thumb softly rubbing against her cheek. “I thought I permanently lost my desire to cook and then you came along, giving me inspiration. Choi Sooyoung, I’m falling in love you.”

                She was sure her face was crimson red as he stared intently into her eyes, looking for something he didn’t name. Knowing just what it might be, Sooyoung did her best to stare back at him, wordlessly communicating her answer. He slowly began to lower his head towards hers; a questioning look crossing his handsome features. Sooyoung met him halfway, pressing her lips softly against his. Her movement surprised both of them and she soon pulled back, blushing even more than before.

“I-I think… No. I am falling in love you too, oppa.”

                Jaejoong stayed silent for a moment, chuckling softly before the most breath-taking smile that she had ever seen reached his lips. He kissed her again, keeping his hand against her face and tilting it into a more suitable angle as she kissed him back. His free arm rounded her slim waist as both her arms found their place around his neck.

                It was really no surprise when their relationship was announced to the public a few months later that Choi Sooyoung and Kim Jaejoong became the golden couple of the culinary world. True to his word, Jaejoong slowly but surely rebuilt his career and before they all knew it, Cassiopeia was up and running once more as if it hadn’t closed in the first place. The couple had then gone to open a restaurant a year after they had gotten together that was joint venture between them, Amore.

Amber exchanged a look with Henry as the pair found themselves seated around a long table with the rest of the Casa staff. No one was saying a word, especially with how Sooyoung’s face remained blank as she stood by the head of the table silently with Jaejoong just as silent somewhere behind her. It was already late at night and dinner service was over. It was that time of the week for their staff meeting. “Unnie…”

“There is something you all have to know.” Sooyoung finally spoke, taking her purse. A powder blue envelope soon emerged from the purse and was handed to Heechul.

Heechul arched an eyebrow before he began to open the envelope, taking the rather hard piece of paper inside and reading out loud what was written. “You are being cordially – OH MY GOD.”

“What is it, oppa?” Yoona asked; her doe eyes wide.

He dropped the envelope and its contents and pointed a finger at the couple. “YOU TWO ARE GETTING MARRIED?!”

Jaejoong let out a laugh as he stood directly behind Sooyoung, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “Yes. Yes, we are.”

“ABOUT GODDAMN TIME!” And at Heechul’s words, the staff erupted into screams and cheers, getting off their seat to congratulate the newly engaged couple. Hankyung, Ryeowook and Victoria rushed back to the kitchen with Taemin and Onew in tow to prepare a late night dinner celebration.

Sooyoung couldn’t help but laugh as her staff went about preparing for the impromptu celebration. “If this is a sign of what’s to come, then I can’t wait.”

“Me too.” Jaejoong spun her gently in his arms until she was facing him. “I love you.”

“As I love you.”