Sooyoung widened her eyes when she arrived at Yuri’s apartment and found Yuri at her kitchen. Yuri's kitchen was so messy like it had just been hit by a tornado. The floor was dirty and the remaining cooking spices were scattered everywhere. In front of Yuri, about 20 or more of the same fettuccini alfredo were lined up.

“What’s going on? What are you doing?”, Sooyoung asked in confusion.

“Soo, you have to help me tasting the food. Come on.”, Yuri waved her hand to Sooyoung, signalling her to get closer to the kitchen.

“Why you made so many pasta? Are you crazy?”

“I am learning and trying to make the perfect dish for Jessica. These all are my trial dish. I need to impress Jessica  about my pasta.”, Yuri then pushed Sooyoung to the front of 20 pastas and handed her a fork,  asking Sooyoung to taste it one by one.

“Err --- It taste the same to me.”, Sooyoung said after she tasted the first 5 plates.

“Arrghh --- it’s impossible that all taste the same, Sooyoung!! I used different ingredients for each of them!!”, Yuri groaned and ruffled her own hair. Leaving some cheese parmesan on her hair. Sooyoung cringed, seeing her friend seemingly becoming crazier because of Jessica.

“Have you take a shower?”, Sooyoung suddenly asked.

“Huh? What does that have to do with the pasta?”

“Even yourself already smell like food. I might as well just eat you instead.”, Sooyoung giggled. She looked at Yuri up and down and Yuri’s body was covered with pasta, butter, cheese, well basically all ingredients to make a fettuccini alfredo.

“Eat me? Eewwww! That sounds so wrong in my head!!”, Yuri covered her ears and shook her head repeatedly.

“That’s not what I meant! Stop thinking dirty!”, Sooyoung smacked Yuri’s head. “And look at this mess, have you lost your mind?”, Sooyoung pointed out the kitchen floor.

“I don’t care. I just want to make food that will blow Jessica’s mind.”, Yuri answered.

 “Well, I love food so I don’t really have much complain, Yul. For me all of these taste great. As long as I can eat it, I am good.”, Sooyoung laughed, which made Yuri even more frustrated.

“Come on, Soo! Help me here. I could not let her win this time!!”, Yuri said with fiery eyes.

“Gosh, you are really becoming obsessed with her!”, Sooyoung exclaimed. But no matter how hard she tried to feel any difference on each of the plates, she failed. For Sooyoung, it’s all tasted great.

Yuri was really determined to shut Jessica’s mouth by giving her the best of the best dish that she could possibly create. Jessica will have a business meeting abroad for 3 days and before Jessica comes back, Yuri had the time to perfect her dishes. Since yesterday, after finishing her work at the restaurant, Yuri directly went to the kitchen and spent her time on her kitchen, making (maybe) hundreds dishes over and over again.

“Yuri-ah, why don’t you just quit? You can go to any restaurant who wants you. They’re dying to give an offer to you.”, Sooyoung sighed while put a pasta on .

“No!”, Yuri replied sternly. “I will make that devil begging for me, begging and crying wanted me to stay as the head chef in her restaurant!”

Sooyoung scratched her head. “Err – maybe this one taste better than that one.”, she pointed to plate number 7 and then to plate number 15. “Eh --- which one is that--- I forgot already. I don’t know. Sorry, Yul.”, Sooyoung grinned innocently.      

Yuri just face-palmed herself. Apparently Sooyoung was completely useless.

**

“No! Tyler, I told you I don’t need you or other people to buy my shares! I can handle it! Stop offering my shares to other people!!! You’re no longer the shareholders here!”, Jessica’s voice can be heard when Yuri was out from the kitchen to check some dishes that will be arrived soon on the customer table.

Yuri turned her head and eyeing Jessica, a bit surprise since this is the first time she ever heard Jessica raised her tone when she was talking. Jessica just came back from her business meeting abroad, but she has not scheduled another food testing with Yuri. It seemed that Jessica went straight to the restaurant from the airport, maybe to have some little wine there alone. Yuri heard from the other employees that sometimes Jessica came to the restaurant to have some wine to relax when she stressed.  

“Our financial condition is fine! In any case I already hinting for a restructuring to the creditors! Stop meddling into my business!”, Jessica said again, then she hung up the phone abruptly.

Jessica let out a heavy sigh as she frowned. She was clearly trying to calm herself down. Yuri could see how tired Jessica was. Her eye-bag was clearly visible and she was seen spacing out even when her hand was holding papers. A line of stress was evident on her face and Yuri suddenly felt…. Pity?

Yuri quickly shook her head. Why would she felt pity for that heartless ? But then again, Yuri could see that Jessica was carrying a lot of burdens, and this was the first time Jessica’s face looked so tense.

Jessica cracked her head, leaned back in the chair and started drinking her wine. Her entertainment business suffered loss and there was a possibility that they would not be able to return the funds from investors. She flew abroad to meet some potentials new investors and banks to propose and negotiate on some alternative funding for her business. Tyler offered help to acquire the entertainment business but Jessica refused, she would not let that business go to Tyler.

When Jessica massaged her own forehead,  suddenly someone came and put a chocolate soufflé in front of her. Jessica lifted up her head and she found Yuri, smiling at her awkwardly while putting a fork next to the soufflé. 

“You look stress. I believe chocolate can help people release the stress. So I made one for you.”, Yuri said as she stood right next to Jessica.

Jessica’s jaw dropped for a second, before she quickly maintain her flat face back. “Just lack of sleep. That’s all.”, she responded.

“Well, whatever it is, I think this soufflé could help.”, Yuri supplied again.

Jessica looked at Yuri for a while, she was surprise yet felt touched of Yuri’s gesture to make a dessert to boost her mood. Jessica took the fork and tasted the soufflé. She could felt the soft texture of the soufflé after the first bite and when the chocolate lava melted in , Jessica suddenly felt calmer, more contented, as if her whole problem was gone with the chocolate she swallowed.

“This soufflé…”, Jessica mumbled. Although this was not a food testing, but Yuri has prepared herself to hear another Jessica’s sharp mouth commenting about the dessert.

“This soufflé is really really --- really good.”

“W---what?”,   Yuri's mouth fell open, she couldn't believe her ears at Jessica's words just now.

“I like it. The soufflé is really good and I do feel better. Thank you.”, Jessica repeated, then she did something that made Yuri stunned.

She smiled.

Yuri was speechless and she was sure that her heart skip a bit when she saw that smile. And it was eveything, as if Jessica’s cold façade shattered when her lips pulled into a cute smile and she sounded so… sincere. Yuri literally glued onto the floor, hoping that the time could stop, so she could enjoy the gorgeous view in front of her.
 

Sooyoung was right. She is really pretty when she smiles. – Yuri.  

“What do you think of when you made this?”, Jessica asked, she leaned forward to Yuri, folded her fingers together and placed them on her chin.

“W- what? Uh --- “, Yuri startled hearing Jessica’s questions. Unprepared as she was still lost in admiring Jessica.

“Hey! Stop spacing out! Did you hear what I ask you?”, Jessica titled her head and asked again.

“Uh – yes I hear you – Well uhm when I made the soufflé ---“, Yuri blushed. “I just thought of --- you know --- how to make you happy, how to wash your stress away and – yeah just need to make you happy.”, she finally muttered.

Yuri felt so embarrassed. The words that came out ended up sound so cheesy. But that’s the truth. Yuri was really hope that the dessert can at least, made Jessica a bit happier. Of course for a chef like her, there is nothing more satisfying than to see people happy because of the food she made.

“Eh --- I don’t know why it sounds weird when I said that --- But --- you know what I mean.”, Yuri quickly added and chuckled awkwardly. 

“Why your face look red?”, Jessica asked, seeing the change colors in Yuri’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

Yuri caught off guard. The rosy blush on her cheek must be too visible for Jessica to clearly notice it.

What the heck! Face, please hurry go back to your original color!! – Yuri.

“Uh --- it was quite hot today.”, Yuri pretended to feel hot and fanning her face with her hand.

Jessica actually had to hold her laugh. She knew that Yuri felt embarrassed and tried to hide it. Jessica couldn't help but feel delighted about Yuri thoughtfulness of her. She did not think Yuri could be this sweet.

“Anyway, I just think that you should use the same method for the food testing.”, Jessica said.

“What??”, Yuri asked, still in a daze.

“On the food testing, maybe you should use the same method on how you made this soufflé today.”, Jessica reiterated again.  

Yuri smiled. She felt that this time she could talk in a more relax manner to Jessica. “I guess it worth a try.”

“Okay. Then why are you still standing here?”, Jessica’s face suddenly changed back to her usual face, cold and flat. “You still have work to do. You should go back to the kitchen.”

Yuri mentally frowned. How come Jessica’s mood can change in merely a second? This woman really is a bipolar. But Yuri nodded and went back to the kitchen.

The kitchen carries an open kitchen concept so from the kitchen, Yuri took a peek and saw that Jessica has finished her soufflé. She seemed more relax and now were able to concentrate as she started writing down something on the papers in front of her. Yuri, subconsciously smiled at the sight.

“Congrats! I guess she liked your soufflé”, Victoria tapped Yuri shoulder.

Yuri giggled, unable to hide her happiness since Jessica showed that she was satisfied on something she made. “I think I’ve made progress with her. Hopefully it goes well when it comes to the next food testing.”

Victoria chuckled when she saw that there were flours on Yuri’s shirt and immediately helped Yuri to clean it up with her hand. “Aish, you have flour there. Here, let me help you.”

“Ah, thank you.”, Yuri replied, a bit awkward when Victoria touched her shoulder and her chest to get rid of the flour.

Jessica, who was still busy making some notes on the papers suddenly remembered something that she needed to convey to the chefs. She was about to stand up and went to the kitchen. But even before Jessica walk there, she could see Yuri and Victoria, giggling together while Victoria cleaned up something from Yuri’s shirt.

Jessica withdrew her step and fell silent. For some reason, she didn't really like that view, and she ended up sitting back down and reviewing the paper on her hand.