Outside the Heat I
Chef Shenanigans
"I still don't get it," Kyungsoo scratched his head. "Tomorrow is Wednesday, but we have the day off?"
"That's right," Baekhyun said slinging his messenger bag over his left shoulder. "Apparently, statistics show that most people don't eat on Wednesdays because it's the middle of the week. Kris thought it would be a waste to open the restaurant to have such a slow business day."
"But..in the middle of the week?"
"Yeah," Luhan muffled as he tied the scarf around his neck. "Wuwu's logic doesn't make sense."
"..Wuwu?"
"That's what I call Kris," Luhan giggled. "It doesn't look like it, but he isn't older than me. Joonmyeon's the oldest out of all the staff members, but I'm the second oldest."
Kyungsoo was in a daze. This angelic-faced smartass was the second oldest? It was now confirmed that the world makes no sense anymore.
"Yo, hyung!" Chanyeol chirped at Joonmyeon who was still fixing up the kitchen. "Are you sure you're okay here by yourself? I still have room in my car if you need a ride!"
Joonmyeon lifted his head up from brooming the floor and kindly declined his dongsaeng's offer.
"Damn, I'm stuck with the two stupid youngyens again," Chanyeol muttered as he zipped up his jacket to his chin.
"Excuse you, we're right here," Jongin waved, directly standing in front of Chanyeol. "And Sehun's the only stupid one here."
"I am not!" Sehun raised his hand up in protest.
"YOU HAVE GOT TO STOP LIFTING UP YOUR ING HANDS!" Jongin shouts as he grabs his friend's arm and drags him outside to the freezing cold.
"I think the best part about getting out of the kitchen, is that we're not in a room full of sweating pigs.." Yixing confessed as all nine of them exited the kitchen.
"HOLY IT'S LIKE ING ANTARCTICA OUT HERE!" Jongdae screams. "SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, I'D RATHER BE A SWEATING PIG THAN A FROZEN PENGUIN!" He quickly runs to Yixing's car and pulls on the door handle as if his life depended on it.
"Actually, penguins are able to survive in the cold, so they don't actually freeze," Luhan punched Jongdae on the shoulder as he walked over this his own car.
"Wow, excuse me Mr.I-took-an-advanced-biology-course-at-my-univeristy."
"You're excused Mr.I-don't-have-a-culinary-degree-still."
Yixing unlocked his car and Jongdae furiously entered as his body began to shiver. Yixing took the driver's seat and immediately turned up the heat after he the engine. The two sighed in relief at the toasty warmth that filled the vehicle.
"Hey, Baekhyun," Luhan chimed as he opened the driver's seat. "Your sister texted me to give you a ride. So, hop in."
"It's actually really scary how close you are with my sister." Baekhyun said as he went towards Luhan's car. "Then again, I'm not surprised. You two DID go to the same univeristy."
"And now I'm close to you. Small world," Luhan laughed as they both hopped into the car. Yixing and Luhan pulled out of the parking lot and went on home.
Sehun slammed Chanyeol's car's trunk as he stared at the 'Baekhan' interaction with disgust.
"Oh, would you relax, please?" Jongin groaned. "You worry too much about this." He slapped the trunk to get Chanyeol to open the trunk again to put his belongings in.
"Hey, you'd do that too if your precious Kyungsoo was in the same situation," Sehun scoffed as he slammed the trunk shut before Jongin could even take off his backpack.
"RUDE!" Jongin yelled as his friend entered the car. He slapped the trunk again for Chanyeol to unlock it again.
Sehun sat in the back left seat of Chanyeol's car and sighed.
"You know, you didn't have to slam my trunk like that. This car is already old as it is," Chanyeol muttered as he flipped through radio stations in the front.
"Don't you feel my pain, hyung?" Sehun asked. "Knowing that the one you've been chasing after is with your enemy?"
"I swear, if you make one more 'enemy' reference, I'm going to barge into your apartment and throw that Xbox out the window," Chanyeol rubbed the sides of his forehead. "Plus, didn't you also insult 'the one I'VE been chasing after?"
"Oh, ! I didn't mean-"
"It's cool. It's cool. I got your drift." Chanyeol chuckled as Jongin sat in the front passenger seat.
"Hey! Why does he get to sit in the front?" Sehun lifted his arm up.
"Because I don't do that," Jongin said pointed at his friend's hand gesture. "Plus, I have the best music taste," he beamed as he switched stations.
'I lost my mind..너를 처음만났을때...'
"Oh my gosh, leave it on, I love this song!" Chanyeol grinned as he began to back up his car.
"See?" Jongin eyed Sehun in the back. "I have the best music taste."
Sehun scoffed and crossed his arms as he looked out the window. "The band's not even that talented.."
"WHAT!" Jongin and Chanyeol shouted in dismay. "Are you crazy?"
"Do you even know the band's name?" Jongin asks in shock.
"...No.."
"They're EXO, and they're a pretty popular boyband," Chanyeol commented as he signaled to turn left onto the main road.
"Yeah, they debuted about a year ago, but they've gained a lot of attention."
"Wait, Jongin, who's your favorite member in the group?"
"I'd say D.O. He has a really nice voice and it compliments the other vocalist's high range very well. Although I forgot what his name was.."
"I like Kai," Chanyeol added. "He's quite the dance machine. And he can rap. He's pretty talented."
"What if we were a band, hyung?" Jongin questioned. "What would we call ourselves?"
"Beats me," Chanyeol shrugged as he switched into the left lane of the road. "Oh, by the way, Jongin, I need your help with something.."
✧✧♚✧✧
"Hey, Kyungsoo!" Tao shouted.
Kyungsoo turned around as was heading over towards where he parked his bike this morning.
"Y-yes?" Kyungsoo stuttered. It was clear that he was still intimidated by the younger chef.
"Do you need a ride? I've still got room in the car."
"No, I'm g-good," Kyungsoo smiled faintly. "I can ride my bike ho- WHO THE TOOK MY BIKE?" Tao rushed to his hyung's side to see what the yelling was about. "I SWEAR I PARKED IT HERE THIS MORNING BEFORE I ENTERED THE RESTAURANT!"
"Did you lock the bike to something?"
"...."
"Well, now it's more of a reason to give you a ride," Tao smiled. "You can look for your bike when it isn't so cold out."
It's not that he wanted to find his bike back so soon, Kyungsoo really hated it when he lost things. In his primary years of school, he cried when he couldn't find his special Pororo pencil in his pencil pouch. The teacher gave him a new pencil to use, but it just wasn't the same.
He sighed and followed the younger one into his car. He was in complete shock at how Tao decorated his car. "Sorry it's a bit cluttered," Tao apologized as he threw the panda pillow from the front seat to the back. Kyungsoo was in awe at how much black and white was in the car. He fastened his seatbelt— that had a load of panda pins clipped onto it— and the two were off.
✧✧♚✧✧
"So you live here, huh?" Tao gazed out of the driver's window. "This is where Minseok lives."
"Really?" Kyungsoo asked. "So I probably met him before.." he muttered unfastening his seatbelt.
"Probably. He's a pretty social steamed bun."
The two chuckled and exchanged farewells. It was shocked how much the two connected on their way home. Like most first car rides, it was awkward as they asked how the weather was or how much Kyungsoo enjoyed his first day on the job. But as the ride continued, they found loads of things to talk about. Animals, for instance. It was Tao's first time to admit he really loved cute animals, especially pandas— as if it weren't noticable to anyone else. Their conversation went from how they could protect endangered species to who would survive in a lion's pit longer: Jongdae or Yixing. They both agreed Jongdae would since Yixing would probably look for a way to cook the lion's slab of meat.
Tao drove off and Kyungsoo stared at his apartment and sighed. "At least I don't have to drag a bike all the way up the stairs." He plodded upward as his sore and weak body dragged on. He was only on the second flight of stairs when he bumped into someone. He let out a groan as he lifted himself up. It's official, he's done with walking in public.
"Hey, sorry man, didn't see you there," the stranger apologized as he offered a hand up.
"Thanks," Kyungsoo brushed himself and took the strangers hand. He stood up properly and screamed. "MINSEOK?"
"Um.. stranger?" Minseok looked at him strangely as he backed up a bit.
"Oh, sorry.. sorry." Kyungsoo shook his head. "I'm a new employee at the Douzo Bistro and I—"
"Are you the new fresh meat Luhan's been texting me about?"
"Wow, is that my name now, or something?" Kyungsoo flailed.
"Actually, they call you 'mom' most of the time," Minseok correct as he whipped out his cellphone. "See, Kris calls you freshmeat. Everyone else calls you their mother."
Kyungsoo looked at his newly aquainted friend— or soon to be friend— in confusion.
"I'll explain it some other time." Minseok smiled as he placed his phone back in his pocket. "Did you just come back from the restaurant?"
"Yeah, Tao dropped me off a few minutes ago."
"Ah, yes. Panda boy," Minseok nodded. "I was just heading out to do a grocery run. Do you want to tag along?"
It wasn't often that Kyungsoo had the opportunity to 'tag along' with anyone to go anywhere. Especially people he just met minutes ago. He accepted the offer, and the two walked to the nearby grocery store.
✧✧♚✧✧
"Okay so which movie do we watch this time?" Jongin asked holding DVDs in his hands. "Baby and Me or Battle Royale?"
"We watched those too many times!" Sehun screamed as he waited for the popcorn to pop in the microwave. "Plus, Chanyeol said he'd bring a new DVD for us to watch." The boys were getting ready for their movie night with Chanyeol. As annoyed as Chanyeol was of the two, they were like brothers to him. Even if they were an annoying, immature, stupid, and uncoordinated pair of idiots, he didn't mind the company.
Jongin heard a knock on the door and rushed towards it. "What's the password?" he yelled.
"SINCE WHEN WAS THERE A PASSWORD?" Chanyeol screamed from the other side.
"Correct!" Jongin grinned as he opened the door for his hyung. He was confused— but not really surprised— that Chanyeol brought Luhan and Baekhyun with him tonight. Oh, Jongin was going to have fun tonight.
✧✧♚✧✧
"So how's the restaurant so far?" Minseok asked as the two shivered at the crosswalk of an intersection.
"It's...unique and...interesting."
Minseok laughed. "That's pretty accurate."
The light signaled they could cross and the two scurried into the grocery store.
"OH, THANK GOD IT'S WARM IN HERE," they both sighed in relief. Kyungsoo grabbed the nearest cart and followed behind Minseok who had a list in his hand. What Luhan said was true, Kyungsoo thought. As much as he hated skinship, he had this dire need to go up to Minseok and squish his cheeks.
"Okay, so we need cabbages, cheese, onions, spaghetti noodles, kimchi sauce—"
Kyungsoo stopped for a moment. The list of ingredients seemed all too familar. "Are you making kimchi spaghetti?" he asked.
The steamed bun turned around and nodded. "I'm not that great at it, but I saw another recipe online that seemed to get good feedback, so I'm trying it out."
At that moment, Kyungsoo swear he found his new best friend. "Dude, kimchi spaghetti is my dish," he beamed. He pushed the cart aside and looked over Minseok's shoulder to see the list and directions on the small piece of paper. "I could help you on this if you wanted."
"Seriously? It'd mean a lot. The owner at S.M.E is begging me to find a way to incorporate the dish on the menu over there."
"Hm.." Kyungsoo thought for a moment. "If I help you, techinically speaking, I'd be helping out the competition."
"Or a friend in need," Minseok laughed.
"Alright, I'll help you with your recipe perfecting, but you have to credit me."
"Kimchi spaghetti 2.0!" Minseok dramatically announced. "Patented by Kyungsoo!"
They shared a laugh and continued looking for ingredients. It was a happy night. Kyungsoo was happy to make a new friend. Minseok was happy to get a recipe.
And one mischivieous Jongin was happy to be a fifth wheel at their movie night.
I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED A LOT. HUHUHU. School's been a and everything. ; A ;
Anyway! I wanted to introduce stuff outside of the kitchen. THUS THIS CHAPTER WAS BORN. There will be a part two following this, as well as other chapters like this throughout the story. Happy reading!
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