The next day was a warm one, without a cloud in the sky.  Chanyeol thought it was funny that when all the burners were firing, the kitchen could be a brutal, scorching, dangerous place to be.  But when it was empty, as it was now, there was no shortage of cool spots to lean on or hide in.

That was how the head chef found his friend, pressing the full length of his unbelievably tall body against an empty stretch of stainless steel countertop.

"Soo-yah, have you tried this?!  It feels amazing." 

"Gross.  Now I'll have to get Mark and Ten to steam clean all the surfaces before prep." 

"Just be glad I kept my clothes on.  And don't try and act like you haven't done it too." 

"Here."  Kyungsoo a tray holding four chilled glasses at him.  "Go give this to his majesty, the Sun King, and make sure he doesn't choke on it."

"Wait, why are you doing Taeminnie's job?" 

"He's not on duty yet."

Chanyeol grinned.  "Gotcha.  So Sehun-ah gets all of these?" 

"Pfft... he's lucky to get his cucumber water instead of dish water.  No, give the tangerine one to your friend."

"Huh?"

"That girl.  Baekhyun called me to say she's by herself again, at the pool this time.  It's warm out, so--" 

"Chef Do," the taller boy teased.  "Are you getting soft on us, actually caring about the guests?"  He would have poked his friend in the ribs if, one, his hands weren't full and, two, he had a death wish.

"Yes, I care.  I care about Junmyeon getting good reviews so we can keep our jobs.  Now if you don't want to deliver those drinks, give them back to me so I can shove them down your throat, wring your neck, and extract a new drink called 'Idiot juice.'"

Chanyeol dashed away in a flash, his voice trailing behind him.  "You're the best, Kyungsoo-yah!"

• • • • • 

He looked forward to these moments he had to himself.  In between the lunch and dinner rushes, Chef Do could be found wandering in the hotel's garden, perusing the variety of produce the land provided for his dishes.  He enjoyed the stillness out here, the only noises heard being the ones created by the birds or insects.  He could take the time to think about whatever was on his mind that day.  He could breathe.  He could relax.

Which is why he was less than pleased to see another figure invading his sacred space.  He took a second to soften the scowl on his face (truth be told, it wasn't by much) before turning to confront the interloper.

"Excuse me, this area isn't for the public.  What are you doing back here?" 

The figure, who had been hunched over the bushes, straightened up quickly.  He saw it was the VIP guest in room 1204... well, one of them.  You were alone, once again.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know!  I was just exploring the grounds, and I stumbled on this place."  You waggled your fingers under your nose and drew in the scent.  "Rosemary's one of my favorite smells in the world.  It's so soothing.  Something about the evergreen notes... makes me happy."

"I'm sort of partial to lavender and thyme myself."  He eyed you with regard.  "Are you unhappy?  Is your stay not living up to your expectations?" 

"You could say that."  You saw the male frown, making you realize how you sounded.  "No!  I didn't mean it like that!  I just--"  

He made you take a sip from the glass in your hand when you choked on your words.  After you could breathe again, you thanked him.

"That didn't come out right.  All the staff here have been wonderful.  I couldn't ask for anything more from them.  It's... other things that are the problem.  I swear." 

"Hmmmh," Kyungsoo grunted.  He bent over the bed of rosemary, snipped off several branches, then handed them to you.

"You didn't have to do that," you sniffed gratefully.  "I hope the gardener won't get too upset with you."

"He won't mind.  Yixing will be glad to know someone else appreciates his hard work." 

"Yixing?" 

"You haven't met him yet?  He's sort of our resident horticulturist, although it's not his official title.  He also helps out with the yoga classes."

"A grow guy.  Why does that make perfect sense?" 

"This hotel is owned and operated by our friend Junmyeon, so those with multiple talents pitch in wherever they can.  Chanyeol's one of them too."

"Him, I've met."

"Yeah, a person's not able to forget the misfortune of knowing him so easily."

Kyungsoo's deadpan tone and the stony expression on his face confused you a bit.  It didn't seem like he really disliked the helpful, happy giant, but you couldn't tell for certain.  You were intimidated enough to consider not asking him your next question, but you took a deep breath and went ahead anyway.

"And what about you?  Any other skills in your back pocket?  Secret plumber maybe?" 

"Unfortunately, no.  I'm just a one trick pony.  All I do is cook."

"."  The expletive escaped your lips before you could stop it.  By the time you had clapped your hands over your mouth, he was staring at you with the widest eyes you'd ever seen.

"Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry!  That just slipped out!  What I meant was-- !  You're the chef here?" 

He nodded.  "Head chef, yes.  Do Kyungsoo, at your service." 

"Sir... I don't..."  Flustered beyond reason, you lowered yourself to your knees and bowed your head to him.  "I am so, so sorry about the other night.  I can't tell you how sorry I am about that whole mess at dinner, with the duck and the--" 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Hold on."  He bent down to meet you at your eye level.  "Why are you apologizing to me?  You didn't do anything wrong." 

"But my-- he was so rude.  I tried to explain to him the effort that went into that dinner, but--"

Kyungsoo caught both of your flailing hands in his, and held them still until you calmed down.  "Hey.  Listen to me... you don't need to do this.  It's all fine.  You're fine.  I know it wasn't your fault, so don't give it another thought."

You stared blankly at him.  "Really?" 

"Really."  He gathered the scattered rosemary stalks, and placed them back in your hands once he got you standing again.  "So, you know the lore of the duck, huh?  Been studying the trumped up nonsense on the hotel's website much?" he chuckled.

You shrugged self-consciously.  "I like to do my research.  I'm kind of a foodie."

"Oh?  Do you like to cook too?" 

"I'm more of the learning and eating type.  But I focus on the eating part too much, some say."

"Whoever says that sounds like an .  What's wrong with eating good food and appreciating it?  What a crap thing to say.  ." 

"I try to stay away from actual cooking, but I enjoy prepping all the ingredients for a meal."

"Seriously?  You're so close to the finished product then!  Why don't you just--" 

"Nuh uh.  Too much pressure.  Too much skill required.  Not for me."

"Okayyy?  Knife skills are important too, you know.  If you ever get the crazy urge to prep a ton of stuff, my kitchen door is always open."

"Thanks Chef," you smiled.  "Not sure if I'd measure up to your standards.  Who knows though?  You could look up and find me peeling potatoes for you someday.  I also think that washing dishes is very soothing." 

He shook his head.  "I'd hire you right now if I didn't think you were insane." 

"By the way, you know what you might like in your garden?  A patch of lemon thyme.  It'd go great with so many of your recipes." 

"I'll put in a request with Yixing," he said, pleased.