Omg, guys! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update D:

I've been terribly busy with my classes and I've been having lots of tests and assingments so... that's my reason for being so damn slow this time :(

I hope you enjoy this and I promise I won't take so long with the second (and last) one ^^

<3

Nothing went the way Kihyun had expected to. After that first encounter with the new chef, he kept on giving him absurd tasks all along but his coworkers didn’t seem to have the same opinion as him. Changkyun was cute and enthusiastic. He had a lot of energy and never refused to help others, in fact, he did the opposite: offering help. At the beginning, everyone wanted to keep Changkyun as far as possible but, as weeks went by, they grew fond of him. The latter used to eat in the furthest corner of the counter and no one said anything about it. Though, the last three or four days, if Woohyun didn’t invite him to eat with them, Jihyun did it. Kihyun and Mingyu seemed to be the only ones able to see what the boy was up to. It was pretty obvious he wanted to climb positions and be a sou-chef too; the brunette was sure. Having Ryeowook under his spell was his first step and now he had the whole kitchen making sure he was okay. ‘This is ridiculous’ Kihyun thought, pouting unconsciously while cooking some meat.

The kitchen was busy that Saturday night. Usually, a lot of costumers went to the restaurant over the weekend and they had a lot of work to do. Orders kept coming and Ryeowook spent his time yelling commands at everyone. Kihyun’s head was about to burst and Mingyu didn’t seem to be in a better state. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and he was moving as fast as he could. “Sir, what can I do for you?” a familiar voice said.‘Great’ Kihyun growled, not wishing to deal with Changkyun at that moment.

“Don’t you already have anything to do?” the sou-chef asked and got even grumpier when the other nodded.

“I do have something to do b-but...” Changkyun shyly replied. “I just... you... you seem to be very busy and...

“Get to the point! Of course I’m busy!” Kihyun couldn’t stop himself anymore. The heat in that kitchen, Ryeowook’s loud screams, the noise the utensils made... everything was making him grumpy. The worst part was Changkyun managed to cause that feeling to grow inside his chest and it never happened before, not a single time. Not even when they had as many costumers as they did that night, not even when Ryeowook told him he needed to do a better job. Nothing except that kid.

“I’m sorry, sir!” Changkyun bowed. “I just want to be useful since you have so many tasks to do” he finally got to the point and, as much as Kihyun hated him, he seriously could use a hand.

“Cut those vegetables” the brunette muttered and he swore a tiny smile formed on Changkyun’s lips. “And do it quickly” he added and watched the new chef for a few seconds to make sure he got the right utensils to do it. Thankfully, he did, and let Kihyun concentrate on his own task. Once he finished making several steaks, he placed them carefully on the plates and grabbed some of the already cooked vegetables he made before starting with the meat. He gave the dish one last touch with Ryeowook’s special gravy and sent those orders away. Kihyun was satisfied but, when he turned around, Changkyun was only halfway. The brunette wondered how could that be until he saw the way the male was cutting the vegetables. Changkyun was slow. Extremely organized and neat; but still slow. Kihyun hadn’t noticed it before because he did his best to avoid any kind of eye contact in between them though he couldn’t do it that time. “What are you doing?! Hurry the hell up!” he shouted, startling the other.

“I’m sorry again, sir! I’ll try to go faster” Changkyun bowed slightly and he moved ‘faster’. Kihyun turned around and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He needed those vegetables but he decided to ignore his companion and search for other ingredients to prepare other dishes. ‘I shouldn’t waste my time scolding a boy’ Kihyun told himself, focusing only in his hands which moved expertly. When he finished his other orders, he turned back to Changkyun and he was finally done cutting. The younger gave the vegetables to Kihyun so he could cook them and flashed him a nervous look. “I hope they are okay... I did my best” he shyly spoke, and bowed before leaving to help other sou-chefs. The brunette was surprised to find every little piece exactly the same size as the other though he said nothing about it. Kihyun couldn’t compliment him, not even if he did a good job. He was still angry and he knew Changkyun’s true intentions.

“That little ” Mingyu whispered. “He thinks he can come here and help us... how funny” he added and Kihyun nodded, replying with one of his various y comments. Though, when he turned around to take one last look at Changkyun and found him doing a lot of things to help, he doubted his own thoughts just a tiny bit. The young man wasn’t lying when he assured him he had things to do but he couldn’t bring himself to trust him yet.

After their long and tiring shift, all the sou-chefs and chefs gathered around the locker room to change into their respective clothes before leaving to their respective homes. Kihyun's stress level was a bit lower at that moment of the night and he wished for his bed so badly. "Let's go have some drinks!" Woohyun yelled and a lot of them agreed. Mingyu stared at Kihyun, thinking maybe that time he would say yes though he didn't. Even if he hated having Changkyun there in the kitchen, drinking to forget wasn't something he did nor enjoyed. The tall one rolled his eyes at Kihyun and muttered a low 'see ya' before leaving with the others. Kihyun just sat there in his fresh clothes, letting his mind wander. He did that a lot lately and he knew it wasn't healthy but he couldn't help it. Getting annoyed, Kihyun stood up, feeling it was enough thinking for one day. He grabbed his coat and wore it before exiting the locker room.

Kihyun walked, checking if he had any calls or messages in his cellphone - which he didn't - and jumped in surprise when he saw someone was still in the kitchen. A single light was left on and there Changkyun was, slicing vegetables. "Hey!" Kihyun called as loud as he could, startling the poor boy. The latter looked as if he was committing some sort of crime though there were no rules written about staying late. The only problem was, Kihyun had a key to lock the restaurant and Changkyun obviously didn't. The sou-chefs had that kind of responsibility and the elder wanted to leave as fast as he could because they had to work again on Sunday. "What are you doing, kid?" Kihyun asked and waited for the other to say something.

"I was just... practicing" Changkyun replied and Kihyun could not believe what he heard. Was the younger doing it because the brunette told him to do a better job? That wasn't possible. No one had ever done something like that when he told them they weren't good. They mostly got mad and tried to show him he was wrong somehow. "Y-you told me I should do it faster so... I thought it would be useful to stay extra hours and..." he paused, earning no response from his superior. He was starting to get nervous. "...practice?" he kind of asked and Kihyun blinked a few times until he came up with something to say.

"W-well" the elder cleared his throat, still shook about what he'd heard. "Do it at home. I need to lock this place" he ordered and Changkyun quickly saved the vegetables inside some container - placing it carefully in the fridge -, cleaned the counter, and took off his chef shirt, placing it inside his huge backpack. "Obedient" Kihyun whispered to himself, not fully convinced the male was showing his true self.

"Ready!" Changkyun shouted enthusiastically and Kihyun couldn't help to wonder where all that enthusiasm came from. He was like a puppy, mixed with a kitty; something very cute in people's eyes. But not in Kihyun's... not at all. They walked together in silence and Kihyun could notice Changkyun's hands playing with the hem of his sweater. He was nervous and the sou-chef couldn't blame him. He hadn't been the sweetest person; he'd been pretty mean. "Let me help you, sir" Changkyun offered once they reached the main entrance though Kihyun shook his head.

"You don't need to help, go home. It's late and you are, what? 19 years old?" Kihyun said, taking his key out of his pocket.

"I'm not 19, sir. I'm 23..." Changkyun was trying to hold a giggle and Kihyun noticed it but decided to ignore it. "And I'll help" he started lowering the iron-bars structure which covered the restaurant's main door. Kihyun wanted to repeat his words and tell Changkyun to leave though he couldn't do it. He surrendered under the younger's cuteness and decided to help him in silence. Kihyun would never admit it, but closing the restaurant with someone else was way easier. They finished the job in less than 5 minutes and the younger flashed him a short smile. "Have a good night sleep, sir" Changkyun bowed and left. Kihyun realized they took the same night bus though he decided to wait for the next one. The younger was softening his strong character and he couldn't let that happen.

When he got home that night, Hoseok was doing some push-ups on the carpeted floor. He had only a pair of socks and his boxers on and Kihyun was wondering how he endured the cold in those clothes. "Hey, Kihyunnie" Hoseok stood up and finally put on a huge, gray sweater that covered his muscled torso. "How was work?" he asked and drank some of that awful protein shake he made every single day.

"It was fine. I'm just too tired" Kihyun went past his roommate. "I'll go to bed" he yawned. "And you should do it too" he said. "It's 2 in the morning, Hoseok-hyung" he rolled his eyes and Hoseok chuckled, following him through the hallway.

"Yeah, you are right" the elder circled an arm around Kihyun but earned a harsh punch in his stomach. He was all sweaty and the sou-chef couldn't stand that.

The next week, it didn't get any better. Changkyun was starting to believe he could approach him more often and Kihyun didn't like that. He was an authority and he knew that boy would make him fall in his trap as the other fools did. Kihyun tried to avoid him but he couldn't. Ryeowook saw them working side by side on Tuesday and made sure they were closer from that moment on. That Saturday night, when working, Kihyun noticed something horrifying. He turned to ask Changkyun for some ingredients he had been chopping and he had to stare at his fingers for a while before accepting it was real. "What on earth happened to your fingers?" Kihyun asked. The younger's digits were all covered in band aids and, even if it was obvious, he wanted to know what happened.

"Oh, this?" he moved his slender fingers and Kihyun nodded. "I was practicing the whole week and I accidentally cut myself twice... or maybe thrice... or maybe more" he scratched his nape. "It's okay, I can be a little clumsy sometimes... But at least I'm getting better!" Changkyun smiled brightly and kept on chopping. Kihyun watched him do it and it was a bit better, he had to admit, but his technique was poor. The sou-chef could clearly see why he cut his fingers that much.

"You need to be more careful, kid, you are doing it all wrong" Kihyun stepped closer to the chef, staring at his hands to memorize all his mistakes. "Let me teach you" the elder pushed Changkyun aside and grabbed the knife himself, leaving his tasks for a few seconds. He had to wait for the ingredients to cook anyway so he didn't mind telling him one or two things that were extremely important. "Pay attention, okay? I'm not repeating this" the brunette saw Changkyun nod and chopped a whole onion perfectly. "Could you recognize your mistakes?" Kihyun asked and the younger seemed pensive.

"I'm stretching my fingers and I should curl them so I don't cut myself?" the chef hesitated a bit, but when Kihyun nodded he seemed relieved.

"It's not only curling them, you have to make sure your fingernails are pointing downwards so, in case the knife goes near your digits, nothing happens" Kihyun showed him slowly this time. "And you have to move your other hand like this so you can go faster" the elder explained, showing his helper the correct technique. "And you have to hold the knife like this, see? You were doing it wrong" Kihyun said and Changkyun nodded. "Try it" he ordered and the boy did. As he grabbed the knife, Kihyun noticed he was left h