The apartment door could have been split in half (if it weren't made of solid wood) because of the force Baekhyun used to slam it shut. He seemed irritated.

More than that, actually.

Sehun hadn't seen the short one like this in a while, not since he couldn't buy the La La Land Blu-Ray on Black Friday.

It was the end of times.

The redhead walked straight from the hallway to the bedroom without saying a word to the older one who had been working with codes and programming languages for hours. The weight of his work was becoming increasingly heavy, and Sehun couldn't stand staring at meaningless lines and lines of code, jumbled on the screen.

He hated them so much.

But he loved them just as much.

Sehun took a deep breath before getting up and heading to the kitchen to make coffee. As he passed by the hallway where Baek's room was, he saw that the door was closed. Yes, they would need to talk. But the problem was: Sehun didn't really know how to handle these things. Giving advice and all that. Irene always told him how he should try to understand at least a little bit more of his friend's perspective sometimes. But he simply didn't know what to do. He was logical in everything, and that included feelings too.

Knocking on the door, he thought that maybe it would be better not to confront him now. Perhaps he could cool down a bit. But when he heard heavy footsteps approaching, he realized he had no choice.

The doorknob soon turned, revealing a very irritated Baekhyun, with his hair messy and shirtless. He was probably getting ready for a shower and angrily took off his shirt, which was now under his feet.

Sehun sighed.

It must not have been a good day for him.

"What happened?" he asked calmly and concerned.

He hated seeing his friend upset because, in a way, Baek was like his younger brother.

"That... ugh. I hate him. I hate him so much."

"Who?"

"That bald dwarf!" Sehun assumed the bald dwarf referred to Chef Do.

He had seen the chef when he still had time to go to the restaurant with Baekhyun. Sehun recalled his appearance and thought that perhaps Baekhyun didn't have much of an argument to make fun of Kyungsoo's height: they were practically the same height.

"I didn't spend years abroad for him to treat me like any amateur, Sehun. I'm not an amateur!" The taller one furrowed his brow in confusion. He wasn't fully grasping his friend's anger.

"What do you mean?"

"The position clearly said 'kitchen assistant.' And still, he keeps insisting that I don't have the skills to cook? What is he thinking? He read my resume!"

"Baek... you're not making any sense. Can you calm down and tell me what happened?"

The redhead sat on the bed with his arms crossed. Sehun didn't take long to sit beside him, putting his arm around his shoulders for comfort. He knew that, even if Baekhyun didn't ask for it, he felt better with physical comfort. It was like one of those puppies.

At least from Sehun's point of view.

"I thought this time would be different, you know. That I would do better in Korea." He was visibly upset.

"How so?" Baekhyun sighed.

"I spent seven years, hyung. Seven years in France. And all I heard was how much of a rookie I was and that I wouldn't do anything right. I had to prove myself in the kitchen, and eventually, it worked out. But every kitchen I walked into, it was the same thing. And I knew it wasn't just because I was freshly graduated. It was also because I'm a foreigner. And now, when I come back to Korea, and I think I can finally do what I love, I'm back to square one. Like all my effort over these seven years has been thrown in the trash. That's how I feel." Sehun already knew much of this information, but he had never really thought about it.

His friend had truly given his all for years and was now a highly experienced chef. If he were a chef, his resume would probably indicate that, right? It was mathematically impossible to have so many jobs without experience. Especially coming from France.

So, what could be happening? Was it some sort of prejudice from the chef himself? Did he want to prove something? Or was it some kind of initiation for newcomers?

Baekhyun was looking at Sehun, knowing that the other was probably processing the new information in his mind, trying to find an exact solution to his problem. He smiled. He loved the older one for that. He was the type of person who made an effort to help, even if most of the time he offered a logical and accurate response.

"Baekkie... maybe he wants to prove that you're the rookie."

"What?"

"In various tribes around the world, when a new member is introduced, there's an initiation ritual. Maybe it's something like that." Baekhyun smiled. Sehun was unbelievable. Where did he come up with that?

"Maybe..."

"It's... uh, maybe." He agreed uncertainly.

"I don't know, hyung." The redhead sighed. "I don't know what to think. He had me washing dishes all day long. That's all I did: clean, clean, and clean. I felt like Cinderella herself."

"Does he have a fairy tale ?" Baekhyun smiled weakly.

Sehun always cheered him up on bad days, even if he didn't realize it sometimes. But with the bond they had, whenever Baekhyun felt down, it directly affected the older one. No one could touch his best friend without dealing with him. Irene even called him overprotective, and perhaps he was. But he simply wanted to protect Baekhyun from the world; it was his greatest duty.

"Listen, Baekkie. I know you had high expectations for this job. But you can't let it bring you down. I know you'll overcome this phase."

"You're the second person to tell me that." The short one was now smiling wider.

"So, you've been asking for advice from another hyung?" Sehun frowned at the little one, who laughed at the older one's expression.

"What? No! He's just my colleague."

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, he seems to be right."

"Yes." Baekhyun smiled. "He's been there for a while, and he told me that the chef is tough at first, but eventually, it'll be like eating Princess Peach's cake. Something like that."

"Referring to Super Mario? Seriously? Oh... Who is this illustrious gentleman?"

"I knew you two would get along." The other laughed. "His name is Minseok. He's a bartender."

"Hmm... I guess his advice will be more useful then. I don't possess the advanced philosophy of bartenders."

"No. But you have my philosophy. And I'm grateful for that, Hunnie. Always."

"You know you can count on me. Just... be patient. And he'll see that you're the most precious cupcake on his shelf

"That was pretty gay, Sehun."

"I was just trying to speak like the youngsters..." Baekhyun smiled.

"You're young in my heart, and that's what matters."

"Thank you. Now, if there's nothing else to discuss in this brief consultation, I need to get back to work. Programs don't program themselves."

"Are you close to finishing the project?"

"Almost there. Just another 300k lines to go. Nothing a human can't handle, right?"

"You're crazy! Fighting, hyung."

"Thank you." He gave Baekhyun a bear hug before leaving him sitting on the bed.

"If you need anything, I'll be in the living room."

"Okay." The door closed as Baekhyun let out a sigh. It had been a long day, and all he wanted was to take a long shower and sleep. He needed strength to face the grumpy chef tomorrow.

Baekhyun really didn't understand. Even though his colleague explained it, it was a bit crazy for him to believe that he was being treated this way. In a way, he felt like he was wasting his time.

One of his dreams was to open a big bakery with all kinds of cakes and sweets imaginable. Of course, he would love to have patents and have shops all over the world, but if he could just open his own business, he would be happy. But for that, he needed money. Money that wouldn't be easy to come by, as he had no support from his family of lab coats.

Yes, Baekhyun was the only member of the family who had decided to pursue a career in the culinary field, the black sheep. His entire family was dedicated to health and humanity.

Or at least that's what they sold.

Most of them only cared about money, something Baekhyun never cared to receive or ask for. It was too much for him. Admitting that his dream wasn't easy would be like admitting that he was the failure they always expected him to be, and that Baekhyun would never admit. Because he had his pride and determination to fight for what he wanted.

He just hoped his strength wouldn't be in vain.

                                       🍴
 

The apartment was dark and lifeless, as it always was every night when Kyungsoo returned home.

Home.

Could he even call his apartment a home? He barely stayed here. He didn't have free time, let alone time to clean the place, always hiring someone to do it. He never formed a bond with the place the way he would have liked. The decoration was completely dull: standard brown, with white and a bit of gray. Like a generic house, in a generic apartment, belonging to a generic person. That was his life: entirely generic.

The truth was, the chef missed his true home: the one outside the city, away from the chaos and noise of urban life. The one where his parents still lived, alone.

After deciding to build Dyo's with his own hands, he was forced by his father to leave the residence. His father had said terrible things to Kyungsoo that day, things he would never forget. Being the sole direct heir of the Do Corporation (a well-known entrepreneur in the Korean business market), his father had accused him of betrayal when he refused to take on a position within the company.

Kyungsoo had to fight on his own with his studies, and with financial support from Chanyeol (his best friend since they were 5 years old), he managed to open a restaurant and prove his worth in the culinary world.

Chanyeol had always told him that Do was talented and that he could count on him for everything.

And Kyungsoo did.

For everything, really.

There wasn't a decision the small one made without consulting his friend and right-hand man. That's why they were always talking, sharing burdens.

Well, at least most of them, as Kyungsoo could also be a very reserved person when it came to certain matters. Matters of the heart.

He never had time for boyfriends or girlfriends or whatever those things were that humans felt the need to pursue. He always led his life through the restaurant, through cooking, so he rarely went out to bars or parties, which was a constant source of frustration for Chanyeol.

His best friend was the type who lived in bars, in the nightlife. In fact, his business practically revolved around that: he was a sommelier and took care of all kinds of drinks, specializing in craft beers (which were also the beers he sold at Dyo's, at his friend's request).

But this time, Kyungsoo just wanted to be able to rest a bit in his own home. And try to figure out how to deal with the new member of his team.

His future star.

He smiled.

This was getting out of control.

He made his way to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to find it empty, with some industrialized sauces and cold water, but nothing more. It was ironic that he, running one of the biggest restaurants in the city, didn't take proper care of his own meals. Since he was always busy, he ended up eating at the restaurant itself or ordering takeout.

He sighed, returning to the living room.

It was a great night for a glass of red wine.

He turned to the wooden cabinet with glass doors, opening it to fetch a bottle. Some were already open, others almost empty. He used to drink quite a bit when he felt sad.

He poured himself a generous glass and added a cube or two of ice to the warm liquid. As the liquid touched his lips, he relaxed. Or at least tried to relax.

His mind couldn't stop spinning around the harsh words he had said to the red-haired boy earlier. Had he been too harsh? Really? He couldn't say. He didn't even know how to act any differently; the other person simply awakened his defensive and cautious side.

He couldn't get close.

But he wanted to get close.

He wanted to be like Minseok, who immediately helped him with tasks, being friendly and joking with Baekhyun to lighten the atmosphere on his first day. But no, he had to play the idiotic chef.

He had to be afraid of being contradicted, constantly wanting to prove himself to someone.

He huffed as he finished the remaining red liquid in his glass.

He was being pathetic.

He was 24 years old and still crying in corners for others' approval.

This had to stop.

He couldn't continue with this ridiculous routine anymore. He was a chef now, and he could do whatever he pleased with his restaurant.

Or could he?

Suddenly, his phone started ringing, and he answered without even looking at the screen:

"What?"

"Wow! Is that how you greet your friends?" Kyungsoo smiled a little.

"Just tell me, Chanyeol, what do you want?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to know how you're doing."

Kyungsoo let out a bitter laugh.

"How am I doing?"

There was silence on the line for a good 30 seconds before Chanyeol spoke again.

"Soo... what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

The other sighed.

"You never open up to me like this. I never know what's going on with you, and I'm your best friend. I kind of feel useless in that regard." Kyungsoo stayed quiet.

Should he start opening up? Talking about his anxieties wasn't really the image he wanted to portray to his friend. He wanted Chanyeol to only know his good side, without insecurities. He wanted to be a strong and determined person, not someone who constantly felt worthless.

He swallowed hard.

"I'm fine, Chanyeol." It wasn't the answer the taller one expected, and he realized it by the frustrated sigh on the other end of the line.

"Alright then... how was your day?"

"I... uh... it was good." He hesitated.

"What did you do?"

"What?"

"You're talking with that guilty voice again. Like when you broke my 1850 wine." That was a fact that Park never let go of.

The wine story was always brought up in their conversations when the taller one got annoyed with something. Kyungsoo sighed again.

"Forget about that wine, I bought you another one."

"I went all the way to Italy for that wine, Do Kyungsoo!! It's very rare!"

"And I said I bought you another one... Look, if you're going to yell, I'm going to hang up. My head is already spinning a bit from the wine I had, and-"

"Wait

"Wait. You drank?"

"Well... yes, a little."

"How much is 'a little'?"

"Ugh! I don't have to explain myself to you, big ears! I'm hanging up."

"No, no. Just... tell me about the pastry chef. What did he do today? It was his first day, right?"

"Well... yes..." Kyungsoo hesitated again.

"Oh no, Kyungsoo, what did you do?"

But was it possible to be judged so harshly? He couldn't bear having to go over his actions from earlier in the day.

"I did what I had to do. I was a chef."

"You were an idiot."

"What? How can you be so sure?"

"I've known you since we were five. I ate your first pancake, filled with bits of wheat, and still said it was delicious. I know you." Kyungsoo couldn't believe it.

So he was pretending? That sneaky big-eared guy! He would never make pancakes for him again. They must never have been his favorite. He probably pretended that too.

"Idiot." It was a low and irritated murmur, but it was enough to make Chanyeol laugh.

"Call him. Apologize. You won't keep him at the restaurant acting like that."

"You're trying to tell me how to run my restaurant?"

"No. I'm telling you that you can be a real idiot sometimes."

The chef knew that more than anyone. But he couldn't control himself, and he didn't even know why.

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. But it doesn't matter now because you're going to call him."

"I'm not calling him."

"Yes, you are!"

And he called.

It was incredible how people only bothered Baekhyun late at night. It was 11 p.m. again, and someone was calling him.

He sighed with an annoyed groan, placing pillows over his ears in a futile attempt to drown out the noise. It couldn't be possible that his ringtone was that shrill!

Frustrated that he couldn't go back to sleep, he grabbed his phone to see who the unlucky person was who was disturbing him at this hour of the night.

The screen illuminated "Unknown Number" on the display.

Oh no.

He wasn't going to answer, not at all.

He blocked the phone and tossed it aside.

Whoever it was, they could call again tomorrow. He didn't care if it wasn't someone he knew.

He went back to sleep without even checking his device again.

The Dyo's restaurant was already filled with the aroma of food when the pastry chef arrived the next morning. And that was the best kind of welcome he could receive.

Baekhyun quickly made his way to the back, changing into his black apron and the characteristic chef's jacket that everyone wore. He felt good just by dressing like that.

It was a shame that all he was going to do was wash dishes.

He sighed.

Unfortunately, life never goes the way we want it to.

"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite little carrot." Baekhyun turned around in surprise to find a very cheerful Minseok looking him up and down from the doorway.

He was dressed in the typical bartender attire: a white shirt, black bow tie, a black waist apron, and sleeves rolled up to the elbows, with the bonus of black eyeliner and ear piercings.

Baekhyun had to admit, the guy was a feast for the eyes.

"Carrot...?" he repeated, confused.

"You know..." Minseok approached the redhead, looking directly at his orange-dyed hair. He smiled and gently pulled a strand of his hair, twirling it around his fingers. "I've always wanted to dye my hair this color."

He was getting too close again, and Byun thought maybe the bartender didn't know the meaning of "personal space." He could smell the same minty scent on his breath, probably from the same cigarette he almost inhaled to death the day before.

Baekhyun took three steps back, adjusting the strand that had been touched.

"It would look good on you... I think."

"Definitely. Not as good as it looks on you, though. It's like a natural light in your own space." Minseok said with a slight wink. "Come on, let's go. I want to show you something before we open."

The redhead was a bit too surprised to do anything, but ended up following the bartender down the hallway, arriving at the pantry.

Strange.

It had been ages since Baekhyun had been here, and yet it looked the same. Properly refrigerated in the right places, with all the food organized by category: grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. It seemed like a lot of work to replenish and clean this almost every day.

Minseok made his way to the back of the room, reaching a cooler area where he pointed to a small bench facing a countertop.

"Sit here, Baekhyun." And he did.

But he didn't expect the bench to be slightly cold. It wasn't bothersome, but it wasn't the best experience either.

The bartender soon returned with a type of cake on a white cake stand, beautifully decorated with strawberries around it.

A Fraisier?

Baekhyun smiled.

"Where did you get this?" Suddenly, Minseok seemed a little embarrassed.

It wasn't like him to act like this, as he was always bold and playful around Baekhyun. So Byun almost regretted asking him.

Almost.

"I-I made it... I made it myself."

"Oh..." He didn't expect that.

It was really beautiful, perhaps a bit uneven in some corners, but that was just Baekhyun being critical. The other person was visibly nervous with his inspection, so he quickly tried to switch to tasting mode. The redhead had a tendency to evaluate any kind of dessert, a habit he had acquired in culinary school.

"Say something," Minseok murmured to Byun, who was by now a little surprised.

Why did he want him to say something?

"About what?"

"Well, about the Fraisier. I want to know what you were looking at, how I did." Baekhyun smiled, disbelieving.

"And you think I'm a good judge? Shouldn't you be asking Mr. Do about this?"

"Well, you're the pastry chef, Baek. Not him." Minseok fell silent.

He was the pastry chef. Yes, he was. But that didn't mean he was a judge of Fraisiers or anything like that. He had learned what was good and what wasn't good enough, but that was it.

He swallowed hard.

Perhaps he should start speaking up. If his friend had brought him here seeking his evaluation, it was the least he could do.

"Do you want... a professional opinion, right?"

"Yes, yes." The expectation was visible, which only made Baekhyun more nervous.

"Well... visibly... it's... look, don't take this the wrong way, it's good. But it's not quite there. There are cracks in the cream, the decorated strawberries lack shine, and... the sponge cake seems a bit tough. Maybe you didn't balance the piping well, as the dots aren't so aligned. But other than that, I think it would be acceptable." Minseok was focused, listening to everything that Byun had just unloaded on him. After a while, he sighed and smiled at the other, a little sheepishly.

"It was my first, actually."

Baekhyun was a little shocked.

If it was his first time, then he would have to argue again, because no one makes an acceptable Fraisier on their first try. Unless they have talent.

"If it was really your first, then you're very talented. My first Fraisier went straight in the trash." He smiled, trying to ease the bartender's stress about the dish.

It seemed to work, as Minseok smiled sincerely at the redhead this time.

"So, you should try it."

"We should try it. A good cook always tastes his own food." Baekhyun corrected, smiling at him.

"Right, right. I'll remember that." Both of them were smiling now as Minseok cut a piece of the dessert for each of them.

But there was a problem.

Baekhyun realized that Minseok had only brought one fork. Minseok seemed to have noticed it too, as he widened his smile, this time with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh no. What a misfortune," he said with a drawn-out laugh.

"You planned this, didn't you?"

"Unfortunately, no, but I couldn't have done better. Actually, I brought this for you to try."

"Oh..." The bartender took a forkful and brought it to Baekhyun's mouth as if he were a child.

Baekhyun caught a whiff of mint again. He swore that one day he would learn to overcome it, but he felt affected every time. There was no way not to feel that way, either. Minseok was a very attractive and seductive guy. It required a good amount of concentration not to fall under his spell.

As soon as the Fraisier touched Baekhyun's tongue, he was in heaven. He couldn't help but let out a small moan.

It was fantastic.

Yes, there were some mistakes, but nothing that couldn't be corrected with a few more tries.

"This is amazing, Minseok." He said with delight, taking another bite of the Fraisier.

"Oh, yes..." Minseok's tone of voice was a bit peculiar, causing the redhead to look up.

A terrible idea.

It was all there in his eyes: lust. His gaze was darkened with desire, leaving the other person a little frightened.

"I'm sorry, Baekkie... But... don't do that again, okay?" Minseok adjusted himself in the chair, looking slightly uncomfortable.

What had he done? He had just tasted his dish.

"O-okay."

"Thank you." The other muttered under his breath. "What I wanted to... um, explain, actually... is that I've been thinking about learning how to cook."

"Oh..." So he didn't know how to cook?

"And I... I wanted you to help me with that." He wanted him to help? Wow. That was unexpected.

"Why don't you-"

"I'm not going to ask Kyungsoo about this." he said curtly.

"O-okay."

"Just... could we keep this between us? Could you help me in secret?"

Secrets.

That was the first thing he heard when he entered this restaurant. Baekhyun didn't understand why they liked secrets so much here. But it wouldn't hurt to help a colleague, right? Baekhyun had received a lot of help from his colleagues when he was learning the culinary life.

"Sure, I'd love to. It would be my pleasure."

And there was that sarcastic smile again.

"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine."

Kyungsoo was already turning the corner towards Dyo's as he mustered up the courage to deal with his new employee: Byun Baekhyun.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't tremendously embarrassed.

He had called his employee 15 times. Not once, not twice, not three times. But 15. That's a considerably large number for someone you barely know. And the worst part of it all? He didn't even know the reason. He just felt like he had to talk to him.

And he did something even worse.

He sent messages!

Messages that don't disappear anymore because, somehow, he knew that this was karma for people who drink too much.

There were 17 messages in the conversation with Baekhyun. 17. Well, at least that's almost a lucky number, right? So maybe he wouldn't think his chef was a crazy, out-of-control person.

Kyungsoo was definitely going to end Chanyeol once and for all because this was all his fault. If he hadn't advised him, drunk, to send messages to someone he had met the day before and who probably hated him... None of this would have happened.

None of it.

He was utterly devastated.

He wished he could turn back time.

As soon as he arrived at Dyo's, he immediately entered the kitchen, searching for an orange head everywhere. Until he remembered: he couldn't be in the kitchen. He had specifically instructed that not to happen.

Taking a deep breath, Kyungsoo made his way to the back where the dishwashing area was, but his employee wasn't there either.

Strange.

Hadn't he arrived yet?

He decided to go back to the kitchen in search of an explanation.

As soon as he entered, he spotted Taeyeon busily preparing the lunch dishes. She was so focused that she jumped when he called her.

"Taeyeon!"

"Yes, chef," she replied with a soldier-like voice. If the bald guy wasn't so nervous, he probably would have laughed.

"Where is that boy?"

"Who, sir?"

"The newcomer."

"Oh... Baekhyun... he's... in the pantry." What? Again, not doing what he was ordered to do.

"In the pantry? What the hell is he doing there?" Taeyeon started to get a little nervous, but Kyungsoo's look told her that she should tell him the truth if she wanted to keep her job.

"He's in there... with Minseok, chef."

It didn't take more than 2 seconds for the little bald guy to violently make his way to the place he valued the most.

Where he kept all his secrets.

Ironically, he realized that he probably wasn't the only one hiding things there.