“Ughhhhh,” Yeonhee groaned and turned to stare at Donghae shuffling a group of 7 into the private dining room, “What is he doing?!”

Luhan huffed and leaned against the wall arms crossed in frustration, “Beats me, boss, he’s told me repeatedly that it’s fine because they’re friends and can wait a bit longer for food to arrive. And so, I said to him that we still had 15 unaccounted resos coming in less than 20 minutes and yet he’s just seating walk-ins left and right. But oh no can’t listen to little ol’ me and my lil’ ol’concerns because he’s the GM and he can do whatever he wants.”

Yeonhee clapped Luhan on the back apologetically before taking over the tablet in front of them. Opentable was up and running and it looked like only 8 tables were left open. The problem was that 4 of those tables were two tops and within the next thirty minutes an influx of three tops and four tops would be coming in. She clicked on the sidebar to reveal the tables who were already on the dessert course. Five tables? Are you kidding me, there’s no way we can turn the other six before the resos arrive in thirty minutes. Donghae you bumbling idiot it’s a flippin’ Saturday night and you choose today to showoff and abuse your power. Yeonhee grunts and rolls her eyes. She notices that the bar was kind of thinning out except for the bachelorette party that was still occupying the crest of the bar top and that a few of the bar booths had been cleared. A few seconds later, she had rearranged the floorplan so that there would be some semblance of a flow once the cusomters with actual reservations walked in.

She turned to Luhan and filled him in on the new plan before walking off to the kitchen to let the Soo Chef know about the incoming madness.

Inside the kitchen everyone and everything was bumbling and bustling about. Three female servers were busily polishing silverware and setting up the side condiments and bread baskets while Hyoyeon was wiping down the pass and setting up the garnish station for Kyungsoo. Chanyeol was groaning, wait no, more like ? Whatever he was doing his voice was low and gruff and the pitch was wavering in and out as he held out extended notes of what sounded like aching sadness and pain. The female servers eyed him warily as they continued their tasks, whispering to each other and asking Is… is Chanyeol okay? He seems fine? But he’s moving really fast but not talking? What’s wrong with him? He’s usually talking up a storm with Minah and Baekhyun before service. One of the girls looked around a quizzical expression worn upon her face, wait where is Baekhyun? The other two looked around too and didn’t see the blonde-haired server anywhere. Minah came rounding around the corner with a tray of breaded chicken and a jug of canola oil haning off her arm and just barely made it pass the walk-in before the door swung open with BANG as it hit the side of the wall. Tao came out with a huff hugging a huge styrofoam chest of oysters waiting to be scrubbed. “Sorry!” he yelled, “I tried to knock to signal I was coming out, but my hands were full.” He then shuffled awkwardly down the metal ramp on the floor and swiftly twisted his way past the others and back behind his station. Kyungsoo poked his head out from around the back prep station and narrowed his eyes at him, “Don’t kill anyone before service! We’re already short staffed as it is.”

“I’m not trying to!” Tao called back, “Also, Chef, Baekyun’s in the cooler. I don’t really know why? I think he’s looking for something, he seemed really invested in the caviar labels.”

Kyungsoo nodded and made his way round to the front of the pass. Wiping his hands on the sidetowels hanging off his aprons, he said, “I’ll check on him, it’s 7:15 the next few tables should be sending in their first courses soon. Make sure Hyoyeon fires table 40 before 32.”

“Heard!” Tao and Hyoyeon respond.

Kyungsoo glides by the dishwashers carrying the various pots and pans back to their designated places and enters the walk-in refrigerator. The blast of cold air was welcoming, and he nodded to Kris who was picking through the herb drawer and moved back towards the meat cooler in the back of the fridge. He knocked three times before pulling the bolt open revealing a nervous and jittery Baekhyun with shifty eyes. Looking anywhere but at Chef, he cleared his throat and laughed, “ Ha ha, heyyyy Chef Soo, or should we call you Soo Chef. Ya know because you’re the Sous Chef but your name is also Soo. Ha ha.”

Baekyun began fidgeting with the strings of his apron while Kyungsoo’s eyebrows arched in question.

“Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo started, the boy staring back at him and laughing sheepishly.

“Yeah chef?” Baekhyun replied.

“What are you doing in here?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Uh. Familiarizing myself with the vegetables?” Baekhyun stated.

Kyungsoo laughed at his reference before responding, “Dude, you’re in the meat cooler. There are no vegetables here.”

“Oh,” Baekhyun said, “Well uh. I mean the caviar. I was just double checking where the caviar was sourced.”

“Mhm,” Kyungsoo hummed, “Well now that you know, why don’t you tell me where they’re from?”

Baekhyun gaped at him and said, “Iceland?”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and grabbed Baekyhun by the arm and dragged him out of the meat cooler, out into the main part of the walk-in past Kris, knocked loudly on the fridge door before pushing both himself and Baekhun back into the warm air.

“Chef! Chef wait, please, I can’t go back out there right now.” Baekhyun whined.

The rest of the kitchen pretended to be busy while perking their ears towards Baekhyun and Kyungsoo.

“Why not?” Kyungsoo questioned.

“Because, well because I can’t!” Baekhyun stressed.

Chanyeol turned towards the commotion and watched a helpless Baekhyun plead with the Sous Chef to not send him back out onto the floor. His goofy smile broke across his face as he yelled out, “Isn’t Taeyeon at table 52? That’s your section tonight isn’t Baek?”

Baekhyun shot Chanyeol a look urging him to shut up.

Kyungsoo held back a chuckle as he recognized the situation.

Taeyeon had been a frequent guest this past summer. Whenever she came in Baekhyun had always asked pastry Chef Hyeri for purple micro flowers on her dessert plates. Chef Hyeri would always comply for the boy since he looked so smitten every time Taeyeon’s name escaped his lips. Ah, return of the ex he thought bemusedly.

“Ah, I see. Your ex is here.” Kyungsoo confirmed.

Baekhyun let a small squeal out and fervently shook his head no, “She’s not an ex. We weren’t even dating. I mean we got coffee once or twice, but it never got anywhere beyond that.”

“Then why are you so nervous?” Hyoyeon piped in.

Baekhyun turned towards the expo and huffed, “Because she thinks or rather thought we were in a relationship and is mad that I apparently ghosted her or something like that.”

Hyoyeon rolled her eyes and continued, “Dude, you did ghost her. I warned you! I told you to be better at texting . It’s your own fault for being such a flirt.”

Baekhyun feigned hurt as he held his hand up against his chest, “Excuse me, a flirt? Since when have I ever been such a heart breaker?”

Chanyeol’s booming laugher filled the air accompanied by sizzling and the scrape of a metal spoon in the sauté pan. “Dude, you’ve been a flirt since you could talk.”

“Hey!” Baekhyun yelled.

The others laughed at Baekhyun’s denial and the conversation went on for a few more minutes. In the end Kyungsoo had ushered Baekhyun back out into the dining room with hands filled with entrees for the eagerly awaiting customers.