Chopsticks

By the time Yunho had wrapped his meeting, his secretary had set up his lunch at the coffee table in his office. His wife’s generously packed doshirak sat in the middle of a neat table napkin. There were chopsticks, a fork and knife beside it. In the front, there was a plate in case he wanted to eat more comfortably. A bottle of water and a fruit salad for later were on the side.

Without thinking much, Yunho sat on the couch, turning on his private TV to the news and began lunch. He opened the lid of the lunchbox, expecting a visual feast of what he’s been waiting for since he left the house.

Jaejoong told him he made sweet and sour chicken just the way Yunho liked it. After they shared a good day kiss and he got in his car, Yunho kept imagining the contents of the box. He knew Jaejoong would have covered a mountain of rice with a layer of sauce and an egg. On one side, there’d be two lettuce cups with the chicken and salad. On the other side, a spread of kimchi and a few pieces of kimbap would complete the meal.

Except that when he opened the box, it wasn’t anything like it.

The rice had collapsed in a broken pile, the egg had visible puncture wounds, the lettuce cups were ripped apart and its contents got mixed with the rice and kimchi, and the kimbap was unravelled.

Yunho isn’t usually picky but when it comes to Jaejoong’s food, he eats with his eyes before he relishes it with his mouth. After all, Jaejoong could give professional chefs a run for their money.

“Hyeri!” Yunho hollered, willing himself not to pout. His assistant hurriedly stumbled inside the office, a little flustered that her boss dropped the honorifics to call her.

“Ne Sajangnim?” Hyeri stood at the door, keeping a safe distance just in case.

Yunho pointed at his lunchbox, “did you jostle my lunch?”

Hyeri took a few steps forward to eye the food, barely able to make out the scrambled mess in it from that distance. She looked at her boss innocently, “But Sajangnim, I just put the lunchbox from here” she used both her hands to gesture she’s holding something and pointed at the far end of the coffee table, “and put it on the napkin.” She moved her hands to where Yunho’s lunch now sat. “I barely held it for two seconds.

That makes sense. Yunho pouted and looked at the lunch again. His lunchbox barely moves even in the car. So it had to be messed up before he left the house. Question is, why would his wife mess his lunch.

“Sajangnim, if you want something else, I could get it for you.”

“It’s okay Hyeri. You can go.” Yunho waved her off, the young lady not missing the president sulking at his ruined lunch.

Well, not like it’s not edible anymore. But even she’s the type who wants her eggs a certain way and her pancakes with the whipped cream on the side, not on top. So she gets where he’s coming from. Hyeri can only bow and leave her boss to sulk some more.

When she was gone, Yunho pulled out his phone and took a picture. He then sent the picture to his wife.

~~~

Jaejoong was out grocery shopping with Changmin. He was too tired to cook lunch for his food monster baby. So he took his son out for bibimbap  and went to stock up for rest of the week.

While Jaejoong was busy deciding between the larger bottle of soy sauce or the two small bottles with half off, he got a text.

Absentmindedly, he dumped one of the soy sauce bottles in the trolley where Changmin was sitting, trying to reach for the jars of blueberry jam.

“Oh! it’s from Appa.” Hearing the word ‘Appa’, Changmin’s ears perked up. Ever the daddy’s  boy, he reached for the phone, but Jaejoong held it away.

Jaejoong frowned reading the message.

From Yunnie: *image attached*

My lunch TT_TT

Jaejoong remembers the messed up lunch. But he had no time to make something new or better. Not like one couldn’t eat it at all. of course Yunho has to make a fuss over the presentation too. Now he knows where Changmin gets it.

Jaejoong wrinkles his nose and looks at his four-year-old, the perfect picture of innocence. Changmin’s bambi is stuffed in his mouth and he’s drooling over it, a clear sign he wants food. “This is all your fault.” Jaejoong huffs before pointing the camera at him.

~~~

Yunho finished his lunch in record time today because he didn’t have to mix up the separate dishes. He has to admit, this arrangement is convenient if not attractive. Wiping his mouth with the napkin, he proceeded to get back to work.

Just as he sat on his chair, he got a text. His hand stilled over the papers he was reaching for and instead pulled his phone out of his pocket. He smiled a little seeing it’s a text from Jaejoong.

From BooJae: *video attached*

Sorry!!! Changmin got chopsticks out of nowhere and messed your lunch. I didn’t have time to fix it.

Yunho’s eyebrow quirked in amusement. He opened the three-second video of his son sitting in a shopping cart. His hands were curled above his head in a heart and his head tilted cutely to the side. But he had that usual deadpan expression he has whenever someone is  making him do something.

“Appa Salanghae~” Changmin squeaks in the video in apparent apology. Yunho doesn’t think the boy knows what it is about anyway. But it solves the mystery.

He had noticed a few days ago that Changmin had been keenly observing the adults eating. It was rare for Changmin to be distracted when Jaejoong fed him during dinnertime, but for some reason his eyes would always be on Yunho as he ate. Last week, Changmin had to be literally reminded to eat the kimbap because he kept staring at his teenage cousins eat theirs. Now that Yunho thinks about, the girls were eating with chopsticks and Changmin kept glancing at the piece in his hand.

Yunho thinks that Changmin wants to use chopsticks. And he’s pretty sure Jaejoong has caught on to it by now.

~~~

Yunho stepped out of his office an hour later to head to his next meeting. Hyeri stood up to follow before Yunho stopped her. “No need to come along Hyeri-ssi. I need you to call Kang Saeho and schedule a meeting for next week. And when you’re done, get me the usual coffee.”

Yunho didn’t wait for Hyeri to affirm his order as he rushed to the meeting. He wanted to finish it early so he can call for an impromptu meeting with his advertising team.

But who was he kidding. This meeting was running too long. By the time Hyeri entered, it was past an hour. She put his coffee in front of him and took her place on a chair behind him, silently updating his schedule.

It was while the young project head was talking about expanding a resort building vertically and use the adjoining land for a golf course when a song was heard. And not just any song, it’s the action theme song from Shrek.

The room was filled with absolute silence as everyone looked at each other wondering who it came from. It was an unwritten rule that all their phones would be on silent or turned off in meetings.

It was only when the music stopped that all eyes turned to the head at the table. The president’s secretary had suddenly sat down in her earlier place that moment. Yunho was stoic as ever, only his eyebrow cocked questioningly. “well? continue.” Came the blank order and the meeting resumed.

Yunho glanced behind him where Hyeri had just switched his phone to silent. He doesn’t know why he has that Shrek ringtone but he’s changing it after the meeting. For now, Hyeri will have to check his phone and text them back saying he