Chapter 10 One Kiss

Title: One Kiss

Author: Chiiryu Jung

Date created: December 22nd, 2013

Date posted: January 5th, 2014

Genre: PG / Yunho’s POV

Pairing: Yunjae

“Yunho,”

I look up as the Store Manager calls me to his office. “What’s up, Chun?” I close the door as I step into the cozy square room. The shorter man with black smooth hairs stands from his seat immediately and bows to me.

“G, good afternoon,”

‘Oh, such a sweet voice too’. My eyes scan the new boy caused him to look down nervously. My fist slowly finds its’ way in front of my lips. ‘Hm… what a cutie...’

“Yunho, meet your soon to be cook assistant, Kim Jaejoong,” Park Yoochun the store manager smiles to me. “So please train him well in his probation months,”

“Uh huh,” I nod with my eyes still on the boy.

“Kim Jaejoong,” Yoochun turns to the boy who immediately looks up. “This handsome guy over here is your soon to be your boss before me, Jung Yunho,” Yoochun shrugs to my direction.

This raven boy Kim Jaejoong looks up to me and smiles politely and bows a little.

“My name is Kim Jaejoong, Sir. I'm a fresh graduate from Kyunsang University. I was called for a cook assistant position. Please guide me well,”

A smirk forms on my lips. “Kyunsang University, huh? That famous culinary university, isn’t it?” The boy nods enthusiastically. “You are a fresh graduate so I think you are around… 23?”

“I'm 22 years old this Spring, Sir,” Jaejoong straightens his back with serious face.

Oh, so cute. He looks like just answered a math question.

“So young,” I believe I just beam him my charming smile because his shoulder slumped a little with pink tints on his cheeks. “So I hope you can learn fast, Kim Jaejoong. Because you see, this JHolic Café has the fastest profit growth in our first opening semester in Seoul,”

“Yes, Sir!” Jaejoong nods fiercely.

“I'm Jung Yunho, the chief chef here. I will train you in your probation months before me and store manager here—” I nod to Yoochun. “—evaluate you and decide whether you could get chief assistant position or not,”

“Understood, Sir!” Jaejoong bows too deep for my liking caused me to rolls my eyes.

“Stop bow like a servant and don’t call me Sir,” I retort, lean my back on the wall. “Just call me Yunho and I will call you Jaejoong,”

“Uh, al-alright, Yunho sshi…” Jaejoong uncomfortably answers. His expression is so funny.

“So! Welcome to JHolic restaurant, Jaejoong,” Yoochun shakes the boy’s hand which taken by the boy surprisingly and bows while they are shaking hands. “There are staffs and waitress on the hall. Don’t feel bad to ask them a help if you need one. You can come to me if you need something too. Don’t feel to tense, okay? We are a whole family here,” Yoochun hits the poor boy’s back playfully and laughs.

“Al, alright, Sir,” Jaejoong bows a couple of time.

So the next minutes I was walking back to the kitchen with Jaejoong tailing me behind. He keeps glancing around and bows to everyone we are passing by. When we are in the kitchen the waitress and the junior chiefs are gathering while joking with breakfast in their hands. It is 20 minutes before the café opening.

“Morning, guys,” I greet with my usual lazy voice.

“Good Morning, Yunho sshi,” They turn their back and greet me politely. Even they are my subordinates, they knew I dislike rules and formality. But they keep their politeness around me even we chats like friends. I just shrug away and take my morning coffee and toast. I don’t notice that Jaejoong has been hiding behind my back and glancing at the crowd shyly.

“Omo, who is this cutie?!” One of senior waitress, Hyorin, squeals when she notices Jaejoong’s presence.

“Aigoo so cute! Chief, he is with you?” The other waitress, Hara, runs to my side and drags Jaejoong to everyone eyes. The junior cooks, Junsu and Suho, greet the new comer cheerfully.

After a short introducing and chit chats, Hyorin and Hara are being hyper to take Jaejoong around. I tell them to show where the stuffs and ingredients placed so he can help up later on. I watch as the confusing boy was dragged away and the girls keep pinching his cheeks when they have a chance. I noticed how Jaejoong reacts from the touch and the expression he wears when he surprised or shy. I have to say that Yoochun did the very good job in filtering those applicants.

“Are you a ?” Jaejoong gasps in surprise and looks up at me as if I just committed that I prefer guy over girls. We are in the kitchen of the café, a couple of ovens away from Junsu and Suho who diligently make some Cheese Ooze Roll and Croissant Cream Berry.

“P, pardon?” He asks, confused and… Oh, his expression is just too funny.

“Nothing,” I look away, hold back my laughter. Kim Jaejoong has this kind of expression that makes me want to even more. “Let continue to bake. I wanna see how you make the pastry,”

“Yes, Yunho sshi,” Jaejoong nods in determination. I can't help but smile seeing how hard he tries to learn. I think I understood why he got the good grades from his study.

Jaejoong is creative in decorating sweets I can see that. He is clever in making dough and creates appealing colors for the appearance. It was the main point in selling. Products have to be appealing in forms so people and most children were tempted to buy them. And on top of that JHolic Café is focusing on sweets and coffee as our main selling goods. So Jaejoong wins the crucial part for this. And Jaejoong has that value of creation. And the taste is awesome. I can say he loves to make sweets cause they are tasty and great in shape too.

But one of his lack is he is so clumsy. I frown as I watch him stumble around the single kitchen counter when he wants to grab a bowl of milk. It's spilled out on the counter and the floor a little. He bites his lips as he looks at me. But I make a gesture for him to continue. He keeps turning and his steps create a huge room that it reduces the sufficient time. I make a note for his gesture and my frown getting deeper. In the end I lost my patient when he dropped the bottle of the sugar.

“Jaejoong, stop,” I hold his sleeve. He looks up with a ‘I'm-sorry-Master’ puppy eyes and some dough stains on his nose. My anger was dimmed immediately and I only heaved a sigh. I explain his fault and how to evaluate his mistakes later on. I sigh as I order him to go back to bake. I put my fist on my lips as my eyes following his every movement. This really need a time.

---------------------------------------------------

“I'm sorry?” Jaejoong looks up at me from his lunch. I decided to take a break and take him to a nearest restaurant for us grab a lunch. He stares at me after I announce a completely declaration of war.

“I want you to learn how to maintain your space. I don’t like how you move around the kitchen like ghost is chasing you and you are too clumsy. You need to know where are those stuffs you put instead wavering like ‘where? where?’ and stop dropping things,” I say, takes my fork and knife and start eating my steak. I glance up to meet his adorable sad face.

“Even though your sweets are tasty, and they have selling value I am looking for, I can't accept your clumsiness. If you keep going like this, I can't assure you able to stay a month in JHolic. I may ask Yoochun to fire you immediately,”

Jaejoong flinches. “I…I'm sorry…”

“No, It's not your place to say sorry because you can fix it,” I say sternly. Jaejoong nods to me. “So I want you to come to my house this weekend,”

“Eh?” His doe eyes widen impossibly beautiful. “Y, your house...?”

“I want to see you practicing to maintain your space. Space, remember. Clumsy, remember,” I points my fork to him and he gulps in anxiety. What a cute face, he has.

Weekend comes more soon than I thought. Or is it just me. To be honest Jaejoong hasn’t much overcome his lack in maintaining his space and clumsiness. I'm not pushing him to rush out since it's only three days of him working in JHolic Café. He is such a love heart, I suppose to say. He steals everyone’s heart because of his sincere and innocence. In three days, Jaejoong, Junsu, and Suho were singing while baking together. In three days, Hyorin and Hara were dragging Jaejoong to their pajama party. And in the third day I found myself can't stop staring at his lips.

“Yunho sshi?”

I blink my eyes. Oh, I did it again. “…Yes?”

Today is Saturday and yes, people, Jaejoong are in my apartment now. He wears an apron I gave him. A soft purple apron with a white little bunny tail on the back. Actually I bought that apron a couple of week ago for my future girlfriend in case we will cook together but who knows I break up with her a week after we were dating. The black haired boy stands in front of my kitchen counter while looking up at me with such beautiful eyes. My eyes travel down to the pinkish pout. Why he do that?

“I put my apron already like you said. Now what I should bake?” Jaejoong asks or… can I say he jus