The restaurant was a cute little home, a renovated house in the suburbs of Seoul. It was made of red brick with a rounded front, just on the corner. There were cute square windows and a blue door just up the small concrete steps. It looked like something out of a European city as opposed to Korea and it was just what Jongdae was looking for.

He climbed up the stairs and opened the blue door, the sign in the window saying “Open”. The inside was actually quite spacious, a large open room with lots of small tables spread out. Each was decorated with a solid colored table cloth, a candle, and a rose in a small vase. It smelled absolutely delicious and the few people who were seated all seemed to be rather happy while they ate and talked amongst themselves.

The maître d’ greeted him with a friendly smile and led him to a table just by a window. He had a wonderful view of the street and it brought a smile to his face. Withdrawing his notebook, he made a few notes. The maître d’ gave him a menu. Jongdae noticed his nametag read “Junmyeon.” He gave him a happy grin before opening up the menu. Junmyeon waited patiently to take his order, pouring him a glass of water.

“Well, this sounds absolutely spectacular. I’d like the saffron risotto with butternut squash and whatever wine the chef believes would go with it.”

“Right away, sir.”

Junmyeon left the man at the table and entered the small yet busy kitchen.

“Chef, someone ordered your special dish,” he said.

The cooks stopped and blinked in surprise.

“No one ever orders the chef’s special dish,” said the fish chef, a tall blond by the name of Yifan.

“Well, someone did today. I think he’s a food critic. He has a little notebook.”

The small head chef blinked some. “Someone wants to eat risotto here? Does he even know what risotto is?”

“I’ve no idea, Chef. He ordered it and asked for a wine that you recommended to go with it,” Junmyeon said with a small, frustrated smile.

The chef rose, cracking his knuckles before smoothing out his apron. “Well, I better get to work then. Can’t make a customer wait.”

“What will you be needing, Chef?” one of the kitchen assistants, a tall boy named Sehun, asked.

“A butternut squash, rice, chicken stock, saffron, white wine, pancetta, shallots, olive oil, parmesan, pepper, and butter,” the chef listed from his head.

The other cooks had returned to cooking but Sehun stared at the chef in disbelief.

“You’re so cool, Minseok-hyung!!” he said then.

“Thank you, Sehun. Now please get me those things so I can begin cooking.”

“Right away!”

Sehun scurried off quickly.

“And the wine?” Junmyeon asked.

“Chardonnay.”

“Yes, Chef.”

Junmyeon obtained a glass and bottle, leaving the kitchen to return to Jongdae’s table. Minseok wiped down his work station, smiling some. He hadn’t been able to cook for a customer in a few days because people so rarely ordered his special dishes. He couldn’t wait to prepare it and only hoped that this food critic would like it. He was a little concerned as to why they were being reviewed though. Their restaurant had only been open a few months. They had definitely not had time to draw the attention of critics.

Minseok shook his head, not needing to focus on it. He just needed to cook. Sehun brought him the supplies and he began to prepare the food. The kitchen hand watched from behind, entranced by Minseok’s skill. He had peeled and removed the seeds from the squash rather quickly before cutting it into cubes, covering them in olive oil, and putting it in the oven to roast.

“Please check those in twenty five minutes and remove them if they’re done,” he said to the vegetable chef, Yixing.

“Yes, Chef,” Yixing’s sweet voice responded.

Minseok then proceeded to preparing the saffron risotto, beginning to cook the rice. After about forty minutes, the saffron risotto was finished. He retrieved the roasted butternut squash and mixed it into the risotto while adding parmesan. Once it was mixed well, he spooned it into a white rimmed soup bowl. He carefully used a cloth to clean off the excess on the edges before smiling.

“Risotto is done,” he said.

“I’ll tell Junmyeon-hyung,” Sehun said, rushing to the kitchen door and opening it.

Junmyeon came in to obtain the plate. “He seems to be enjoying his wine.”

“Well, hopefully he’ll enjoy the food.”

The maître d’ carried the dish out carefully, heading for Jongdae’s table. He’d been waiting a while but didn’t seem to be bothered. His notepad had small things jotted down on it and quite a bit of smiley faces. He set the dish down for the other.

“We apologize for the wait. The chef makes it upon order.”

“Not a problem at all! I’m very excited to try it. Thank you,” Jongdae said with a smile.

He took his fork and scooped up some rice and a piece of squash. He ate it and felt his taste buds practically explode. It was flavorful and rich, positively delicious. Jongdae couldn’t think of the last time he’d eaten food that good, if he ever had in the first place. He hummed in pleasure as his eyes shut. It was then Jongdae remembered he should take a picture. He withdrew his phone and snapped a picture of his risotto before happily digging in.

Once he was finished, he felt positively stuffed. He sighed happily and rubbed at his belly as he jotted down his notes, which basically consisted of “DELICIOUS!” and “Why haven’t I been eating here my whole life?”

Junmyeon approached. “How did you enjoy the meal, sir?”

“It was absolutely delicious. My compliments to the chef.”

“Would you be interested in dessert?”

“Oh, no. I’m stuffed. That was absolutely delicious but filling. Just the check, please.”

“Right away,” Junmyeon said with a nod, heading over to print out Jongdae’s check.

Once he’d paid the bill, Jongdae slipped his notepad into his cardigan pocket and bid the maître d’ good day. He took a leisurely walk back home, stomach happy and full, as he thought about what to write in his review for his column.

~~~

Minseok had just opened his gate when he heard the other man’s voice.

“Evening, Minseok!”

The chef turned and laid eyes on Jongdae, clad in an oversized cardigan and his large black square framed glasses. He was getting his mail from the mail box, grinning at him. Minseok managed a smile and awkwardly waved.

“Hello, Jongdae. How was your day?”

“It was great! I ate at the best restaurant for lunch!”

“That’s great to hear.”

“Look for my review in the paper in a few days, alright? I know you’re fond of European food!” Jongdae said with a little wave, mail in one hand, before heading back inside.

Minseok took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

He and Jongdae had been neighbors for a little over a year. They lived in small townhouses beside one another, each with their own little yard and fence. Minseok had picked the place because the architecture had reminded him of Europe, where he’d spent the past four years studying in mostly Italian kitchens. Jongdae had greeted him on the first day with a pie from the store that wasn’t that good, but Minseok appreciated the gesture. Jongdae had told him how much he loved food and was actually a food critic with a column for their local newspaper and online. Minseok had decided not to divulge that he was a highly trained chef, but mentioned he’d be working in the food industry. Jongdae had been excited and said they should be friends.

While they didn’t exactly spend a lot of time together, they always greeted one another and they would occasionally get together to eat. Jongdae was a great neighbor and Minseok had fallen head over heels within the first two months of living there. He oddly felt embarrassed when he considered telling Jongdae about having his own restaurant, and hence hadn’t told him yet. He hadn’t even prepared an impressive meal for Jongdae when they got together. He was afraid the critic wouldn’t like it, even though he knew Jongdae was the nicest person and wouldn’t harshly tell him he was terrible. Regardless, he was afraid that if Jongdae tasted his food, their little friendship would end and his heart would be broken. When he’d told his best friend and sous chef, Luhan, that, he’d been told he was stupid.

Minseok wheeled his bike through before shutting his gate and securing the lock. He leaned it against the wall beside his door before unlocking the house with his keys. He went inside and shut the door, slipping off his shoes and going into the kitchen. Despite being a trained chef, he rarely cooked for himself. He got himself some cereal and sat down at his small table to eat. Glancing out the window, he caught sight of Jongdae watering his flowers in his planter box on his windowsill. He couldn’t help smiling at the sight. Just seeing Jongdae made his heart flutter.

Maybe he’d work up the courage to make him something delicious next time they had dinner together.

~~~

“The review is out!” Chanyeol, the roast chef, called as he held open the paper.

The other line cooks—Kyungsoo, the sauté chef, Baekhyun, the pantry chef, and Jongin, the fry chef—gathered around Chanyeol to look at the column.

“Read it out loud!” Tao, the other kitchen assistant, yelled from his place on a stool, peeling potatoes with Sehun.

“We have to wait for Chef to be here!” Kyungsoo chastised.

“No! What if they wrote something bad? Read it first, so we can know if we have to prepare him,” Sehun said.

“He has a point,” Jongin agreed.

“Fine, fine,” Chanyeol said, opening up the paper fully and laying it on the counter for everyone to look at.

“Bellissimo Giardino is a quaint little restaurant in a renovated house. It has a relaxed atmosphere that works perfectly with the small space and neighborhood. The staff seems small, but they are very well mannered. This was my first visit to Bellissimo Giardino, but it was definitely engaging as soon as I stepped foot inside. I ordered the chef’s special, which apparently changes with the day. I was served a saffron risotto with butternut squash and a Chardonnay. While there was a bit of a wait for the dish, I could tell as soon as it was placed in front of me, it was fresh from the chef himself. Without getting into too many grandiose descriptions, this was maybe one of the best things I have ever eaten. To not be eating at Bellissimo Giardino is definitely a mistake,” Baekhyun read, “There’s five stars after it.”

“Wait…Really?” Jongin said in shock.

“Yeah! There’s a few other comments after that include a photo of the food and some descriptions of the taste, but that was basically it.”

“Chef will be so happy,” Sehun said from his stool.

“Why were we even worried? Chef is obviously very talented. I mean he trained in Italy. Of course he makes great Italian food,” Tao said, nicking his finger with the peeler and whimpering right after.

“Don’t bleed on the potatoes,” came a voice. It was Yifan, who had just arrived. “What’s all the commotion about?”

“The review from the food critic who was in just the other day is out,” Tao said as he got a Band-Aid for his finger.

“What does it say?” Yifan asked, crossing over to the counter with the paper on it.

“Good things. Go get changed first. Chef should be here any minute,” Chanyeol said.

Yifan sent him a glare, but walked toward their small staff room so he could change. The door to the kitchen opened again and Yixing and Luhan entered, still dressed in their normal clothing. They removed their coats, eyeing the other cooks.

“What’s up?” Luhan said.

“The review in the paper is out,” Jongin said.

“Oh, good. Does it say good things? I don’t think Minseok can handle a bad review.”

“It’s all praise,” Kyungsoo said.

“Good. He needs that.”

“Who needs what?”

Minseok had just entered, already dressed for work aside from the fact that he still wore his coat. Yixing bowed to him some before excusing himself to the staff room to change as well. Luhan just shook his head and took Minseok’s coat for him.

“Do you really ride to work in your uniform?” he said.

“What do you expect me to do? It’s too annoying to have to change.”

“But you’re all sweaty.”

“I’ll cool down before we open. Stop nagging me.” Minseok frowned.

Luhan rolled his eyes and left for the staff room. The line cooks all waited for their chef to settle in before approaching him.

“Chef,” Kyungsoo said gently.

“Yes, Kyungsoo?”

“The food critic’s review is out.”

Minseok raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Let’s see it then.”

Chanyeol held out the paper to him. Minseok took it and began to read, his face brightening at the text. Just as he was about to put it down, he caught sight of the author’s name. Kim Jongdae. Minseok’s cheeks automatically flushed. It couldn’t be.

“What is it, Chef?” Baekhyun asked in worry.

“Nothing,” he said quickly, folding the paper, “I’m happy it turned out well.”

They all nodded, confused by their chef’s sudden embarrassment. Luhan came back in then, dressed in his uniform, and took the paper.

“Let me read it.”

Minseok nodded. Yifan and Yixing came in, also dressed, and crowded around with the other line cooks. Tao and Sehun had finished with the potatoes and stood near the edge of the group. Luhan read over it silently. When he was finished, he handed it to the other two chefs who needed to read it. He smirked at Minseok, making the small chef retreat.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” he whispered.

“N-No…”

“You’re the worst liar. It is him. And he likes your cooking. What are you afraid of now?” Luhan said.

“He doesn’t know it’s me.”

“Tell him.”

“No.”

Luhan frowned at him. “You’re annoying.”

Minseok rolled his eyes. Junmyeon entered then, looking out of breath.

“Sorry I’m late. My car broke down.”

“That’s alright. We’re just about to open,” Minseok said, “Catch your breath.”

Junmyeon removed his coat as he did so. Minseok went to turn the sign to Open, smiling at his small restaurant. Needless to say, he was energized to work hard for the day.

~~~

Jongdae closed his umbrella before he opened the door to Bellissimo Giardino. He waited patiently at the front, noticing that there were more people than the last time he’d visited. He hoped it had been because of his review. More people needed to eat there and Jongdae had held off on coming back for almost a month because he had other places he needed to review. He couldn’t stay away any longer though. He’d invited Minseok to join him for lunch, but he had refused.

“Good afternoon. The wait will be about five minutes. We just need to clear a few tables,” Junmyeon said as he approached.

“Not a problem. It seems your business is doing well.”

“Yes. We were given a five star rating by a food critic recently. Our business increased quite a bit since then. Also, it’s rainy today and people seem to come in more on such days.”

“Days like these really do call for good, warm food,” Jongdae said with a little laugh.

Junmyeon smiled, then looked over his shoulder to see if the tables had been cleared. Sehun gave him a thumbs up before disappearing into the kitchen with the dirty dishes.

“I’ll take you to your table now, sir,” he said, grabbing a menu and leading Jongdae to a table.

Jongdae sat down, admiring the tablecloth. They were sporting a cute checkered pattern that day. Junmyeon handed over a menu before leaving to go attend to a few other customers. Jongdae looked over the menu carefully. He was just eating there for fun, but his food critic senses couldn’t help coming out as he tried to select a dish. Junmyeon was back just as quickly as he left.

“What would you like to drink today?”

“A soda will be fine,” Jongdae said, still considering the menu. “What would you recommend for today?”

Junmyeon crossed his arms, holding his order pad in front of his mouth as he thought. “Hmm…seafood would probably be good. The chef prepares good seafood on rainy days for some reason.”

“I see…” Jongdae’s eyes ran over the menu to find the seafood. “Oh. I’d like the mussels.”

“Lovely choice, sir. The chef hand makes that.”

The food critic grinned. “Really? I can’t wait.”

“I’ll go put your order in immediately and get you your soda.”

Junmyeon headed straight for the kitchen with the order. “Chef, order for mussels.”

Minseok looked up from the dish he was finishing up. He placed it on the serving tray and then took the order slip.

“Oh. I haven’t prepared mussels in a while. This will be fun. We just got some yesterday too,” he said with a smile.

“I believe the one who ordered it was the same food critic from a month ago. The first one that came by.”

A few other food critics had come in after Jongdae had written his initial review and they had also showered him with praise. The restaurant had grown in popularity, so their tables were full during certain times of the day. Sehun and Tao had been doubling as bus boys and waiters as needed.

Minseok’s cheeks colored. He went over to the door that was connected to the sitting room and opened it some. He popped his head out and caught sight of Jongdae sitting at his table, reading a paper he’d brought with him. His heart sped up at the sight of him. He retreated into the kitchen, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Junmyeon raised his eyebrows.

“Chef?”

“I’m fine. I’ll start on the mussels right away.”

Junmyeon shrugged and left the kitchen to obtain Jongdae’s beverage. Minseok took another deep breath, putting his hand over his heart as he closed his eyes. Luhan laughed nearby, making Minseok open his eyes and glare at him.

“Tao, would you bring me the mussels we got yesterday?” Minseok called.

“Right away, Chef!” Tao said, rushing to obtain the desired ingredient.

“Yixing, I’ll need some sun dried tomatoes. And Baekhyun, please get me red pepper flakes, white wine, and some minced garlic.”

The two line cooks went to do as they were told. Minseok went to get sopressata, an Italian dry salami. He sliced quite a bit off, chopping it finely into small pieces. Baekhyun left the ingredients beside the cutting board and Yixing brought him the sun dried tomatoes in a bowl, already finely chopped and covered in oil as needed. Minseok the heat, placing a saucepan over it, and filling it with olive oil and butter.

He added the sopressata, tomatoes, pepper flakes, and garlic into the pan once it was hot, turning the heat down. Tao brought the mussels then, already scrubbed for the chef. Minseok smiled.

“Thank you, Tao. Good job.”

Tao bowed half way before rushing off to assist one of the other line cooks. Minseok smiled after the young man. Tao and Sehun worked hard and he couldn’t be any prouder of them.

He turned back to the ingredients that were cooking, noting it had been enough time. He then poured in the white wine and waited for it to boil. As he did so, he thought about Jongdae. They had recently had dinner together as usual, but Minseok had been too nervous to bring up the review. Luhan had told him over and over to just tell him the truth. The small chef wasn’t sure why he was so afraid of telling Jongdae about his profession.

Minseok was so lost in thought, he almost didn’t notice the concoction beginning to boil. He caught himself though and took the mussels, putting them in before covering the saucepan with a lid. He turned the heat up and stepped back, observing the other cooks all hard at work to fulfill the other orders. Luhan was overseeing a few of the dishes since Minseok was busy preparing one.

After five minutes, Minseok shook the pan before lifting the lid to check on the mussels. Not all of them had opened yet, so he placed the lid back and waited for a few more minutes. Once all of them had opened, he removed the pan from the heat. The chef sprinkled parsley onto the food before spooning the mussels and broth into a new bowl. He smiled, cleaning the brim of the bowl, hoping Jongdae would like it.

“Mussels are finished,” he said, placing the bowl on a tray.

Tao came over. “I’ll take it.”

“Thank you, Tao.”

The blond haired boy smiled, taking the tray out the kitchen doors. Jongdae was waiting patiently. Tao placed the bowl in front of him with a smile.

“Please enjoy.”

“Thank you!”

Jongdae was impressed. The wait hadn’t been long this time around. He smiled at the dish, taking a photo on his phone before digging in. The slightly spicy flavor mixed with the seafood was perfect to him. He hummed in satisfaction as he took another bite.

“Would you like another soda, sir?” Junmyeon asked.

“Yes, please. This is absolutely delicious. Do you think I could pay my respects to the chef?”

“I will ask. I’ll be right back.”

The maître d’ headed straight for the kitchen, taking Jongdae’s glass with him. Minseok was assisting the other cooks in preparing varying dishes. The lunch rush had just kicked in and was their busiest time of the day.

“Chef, the critic wants to pay his respects to you.”

“Tell him thank you,” Minseok called over his shoulder as he mixed ingredients to make a sauce.

“He wants to do it in person.”

Minseok almost threw the pot he held. He turned around, arms cradling the pot and stared at Junmyeon. “What?”

“He’d like to pay respects to you in person.”

Minseok bit his lip. “Umm…alright. Just a moment.”

Junmyeon nodded and left the kitchen after refilling the glass with soda. Minseok put the pot down and paced back and forth. He then rushed over to Luhan, grabbing his shoulder.

“I need a favor,” he said.

“What?” Luhan said, stopping in his chopping of meat.

“Go out there to the table.”

“Oh my god, Minseok. Are you really that scared of him finding out you’re a chef?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Now isn’t the time for questions.”

Luhan rolled his eyes. He put his knife down and cleaned his hands on his apron. “Fine, but you owe me. You need to get over this fear. If you like him, you should be honest.”

“I don’t even know if he’s gay.”

“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” the sous chef grumbled, stepping away from his station.

He left the kitchen, looking around for a second to figure out where he was going. He spotted Jongdae a moment later, eating the last of his mussels. He walked over confidently, smile on his face.

“Good afternoon, sir.”

“Good afternoon. Are you the chef?”

“No. I’m the sous chef, Xi Luhan,” Luhan said, smiling wider.

“Oh…I asked for the chef.”

“I’m terribly sorry, but Chef Kim is very shy. He prefers to stay in the kitchen.”

“I see…Please give him my compliments. These mussels were absolutely delicious. The food here always tastes wonderful.”

“Thank you so much. He’ll be delighted to hear that.”

Luhan bowed to Jongdae before returning to the kitchen. Minseok was waiting expectantly, having been peeking out the door to watch the exchange.

“So?”

“He said that the food here is wonderful and the mussels were delicious,” Luhan said, passing him to return to his station. “He’s cute. You should hurry up and ask him out.”

Minseok’s cheeks flushed as he turned around to return to his own station. The line cooks were all smiling, having overheard the conversation. He blushed deeper, immersing himself in cooking.

~~~

Jongdae bit his fingernail as he sat at his desk, staring at his laptop screen. He’d loaded the picture of the dish he’d eaten earlier and had a whole paragraph typed about the experience. But Jongdae’s mind was preoccupied with another thought.

Why didn’t he come to get my compliments? Maybe he’s afraid of critics? The sous chef did say he was shy… he thought, chewing on his nail more.

His door was knocked on, startling him from his thoughts. He got up and went to answer, pulling it open to find Minseok.

“Oh, hi Minseok. What’s up?”

“I noticed one of your letters got into my mail box.”

Minseok held out an envelope. Jongdae smiled and took it.

“Thank you. That seems to be happening lately.”

“Good thing we’re friends, right?”

Minseok smiled brightly and Jongdae smiled back, feeling a lot better at the sight of the other man’s smile.

“Have a good evening,” Minseok said then, turning to leave.

“Do you want to have dinner?” Jongdae said quickly.

“I ate at work already. Sorry.”

“Oh, that’s okay.”

“Would you like the leftovers? I won’t be needing them anyways.”

“Sure.” Jongdae smiled.

“Be right back.”

Minseok left his doorstep, running next door. Jongdae waited patiently, pulling his sweater closer since it was a bit chilly out. His neighbor returned with a full Tupperware not long after and offered it to him.

“I’d suggest heating it up for about three minutes, so it’ll be warmed all the way through. I hope you like it,” Minseok said.

“Okay. I will. Thank you very much.”

“Have a good night, Jongdae.”

“You too, Minseok.”

Minseok gave a little wave, bundled up in his coat and scarf, before scurrying back to his own home next door. Jongdae watched him before shutting the door and going to heat up the food. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. He waited for the food to heat up and sat down back at his laptop.

“I have to meet this chef…I just have to…” he mumbled.

Jongdae was smitten with this food. It baffled him he couldn’t put a face to the creator of it all. His curiosity couldn’t be sated so easily. Jongdae went to get his food when the microwave beeped, his mind consumed with ideas on how he could meet the chef.

~~~

Minseok grinned at the second five star review from Jongdae. He was overjoyed the other had liked the dish. Luhan pinched his cheeks, bringing him out of his reverie.

“Just tell him you like him.”

“No,” Minseok whined, batting at Luhan’s hands.

Luhan let him go and sat down across from him. “He likes your food. What do you have to worry about?”

“Everything.”

The sous chef rolled his eyes. “I don’t understand you. You’re just afraid of telling someone you like them.”

“So…?”

“Why? He likes your food! That’s what you were afraid of, right? Now you can seduce him with your food.”

“No,” Minseok said with a pout, “That wouldn’t be polite at all.”

Luhan growled, covering his eyes with his palms in frustration. Minseok smoothed out his apron.

“Besides, I don’t know if he’s gay.”

“He’s gay,” Luhan said, “I could tell.”

“Don’t try to say it’s the gaydar thing again.”

“It’s totally gaydar. Just go for it. If you don’t, I’ll go after him. Then we’ll see how you’ll get him,” Luhan said, getting up and going to his station to clean it before they opened.

Minseok pouted after him. Yifan came in then, adjusting his scarf gently.

“You should ask him out,” he said offhandedly as he approached his station.

“You were listening?!” Minseok cried, looking embarrassed.

“Yeah. This isn’t because I rejected you all those years ago is it?”

“No…”

“It is,” Luhan said, “You totally broke his heart and made him unable to admit his feelings to anyone.”

Yifan glared at Luhan, who stuck his tongue out. Minseok shook his head.

“N-No. I mean, it did hurt to be rejected, but I barely had a crush on you then. I just don’t get crushes often.”

“So, what’s stopping you?” Yifan asked, pulling out a fish to descale.

“I don’t know…How do you tell someone you barely know you like them?”

“You have dinner together like once a week! How does that qualify as you barely knowing one another?” Luhan yelled in frustration.

Sometimes his best friend was really stupid and it annoyed him. Yifan frowned at Luhan, knowing that yelling wasn’t effective with Minseok. Minseok just lowered his head and didn’t respond, heading out of the kitchen to check if Junmyeon had opened the restaurant yet. He could hear the cooks arguing in the kitchen as soon as he left. Junmyeon was straightening some tables so Minseok went to change the sign. His phone rang in his pocket and he drew it out. Jongdae’s name was on the screen.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Hi, Minseok! I was wondering if we could have dinner tonight. I’ll bring something since you gave me food last time,” Jongdae said happily.

“Oh, sure. That sounds nice.”

“What time will you be home?”

“I should be home by 8:30. Is that too late?” Minseok asked, looking out the window.

“No, that’s fine. I’ll come over around then with the food.”

“Okay. I’ll see you then. Have a good day,” Minseok said, hanging up a moment later.

He changed the sign to “Open” before going back to the kitchen to start the work day.

~~~

Minseok let Jongdae in after he’d changed into some comfortable clothes. Jongdae grinned at him as he removed his shoes politely.

“I brought food from the restaurant you never go with me to!” he said.

Minseok stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back at the bag in Jongdae’s hands and recognized his own restaurant’s take out bags. He coughed awkwardly, gaining composure.

“Oh, cool. I hope it’ll be good,” he said, showing him to the table.

They often ate at Jongdae’s home so the food critic had only been over once or twice. He smiled at the decorations in the house, taking a seat and observing the kitchen.

“You have a wonderful kitchen. Do you ever use it?”

Minseok rubbed the back of his neck. “No, not really, honestly. Since it’s just me, I don’t really ever cook.”

“You should make me something sometime! You work at a restaurant anyways, right? You should know how to cook!” Jongdae said, opening up the bag to get out the food.

“Y-Yeah…Sure…”

Jongdae set out the food, opening up the to-go boxes. The food still seemed fresh and warm to Minseok’s delight.

“Sorry it’s not hot. They close around eight, so I had to go a little early to make sure I could get it.”

“It’s fine,” he said, taking a seat.

They began to eat and Minseok was more interested in Jongdae’s reactions than his own food. Jongdae took a bite, closed his eyes, and smiled, softly humming. Minseok had never thought he looked so cute and bit his lip.

“Is it good?”

“It’s fantastic,” Jongdae finally said. “I’ve never been to Italy, but I imagine this is what real Italian food tastes like. Everywhere else it’s a fusion of Korean and Italian, but at this place, it’s just Italian. It’s the best.”

Minseok flushed. “R-Really?”

Jongdae nodded, taking another bite. Minseok beamed, proud that Jongdae thought so highly of the food.

“Um, Jongdae…” he started.

Jongdae looked at him curiously, but the doorbell rang. Minseok deflated but got up and went to open the door. Luhan was outside.

“What are you doing here?”

“I need to borrow some stuff.”

“Like? Why couldn’t you ask Yifan?”

“Yifan is out on a date. I did ask him first. You’re the only other person I know that will have cooking wine and saffron lying around in their cabinet,” Luhan said, pouting some, “Why can’t I come over to see you?”

“I have a guest. Just give me a second.”

Minseok shut the door, leaving Luhan outside. He went towards the kitchen quickly. Jongdae turned in his chair to look at him.

“What is it?”

“My friend just needs some stuff. Give me a second,” he said, opening up a cabinet.

Jongdae waited patiently as Minseok rummaged around to get out what Luhan had asked for.

“So, this is why you didn’t invite me in.”

Minseok froze, staring towards the doorway to the kitchen. Luhan stood there, still bundled up. He was looking at Jongdae and Jongdae was looking right back at him. Minseok wanted to scream. He pulled down the cooking wine and bag of saffron. He went over to Luhan, pressed them into his hands, and then started pushing him toward the front door.

“Thanks for stopping by. Now go away.”

Luhan laughed. “You gonna get any?” he whispered, winking.

Minseok pushed him out the door. “Go away!”

He shut the door behind him, sighing in frustration. Luhan just had to come in. Jongdae had seen him. He had to remember Luhan from the restaurant. He was going to figure it out before Minseok could tell him. He’d just worked up his courage too and now it was gone. He almost felt like crying. The small chef proceeded back to the table. Jongdae was eating once again.

“Sorry about that.”

“Not a problem. It’s not like he did anything.”

Minseok waited for Jongdae to say something, anything, about the restaurant. He just kept eating. Minseok ended up pushing his food around in the container.

“Your flowers have been looking nice,” he finally said, unable to bear the silence.

“Thank you! You can see them?”

“Out the window.” He pointed to his window.

“Oh, so you can. I’m glad you like them. My old neighbor used to tell me I had too many girly hobbies.”

“Gardening isn’t that girly,” Minseok said.

Jongdae laughed some. “He said my choice of flowers and growing them in a box was more feminine or something. I don’t really remember. It was a long time ago.”

“Well, I like your flowers. You like food and gardening. That’s cute.”

Jongdae blushed a little. “Thank you…”

The two finished eating and Jongdae bid him good night. Minseok saw him out and smiled, waiting until Jongdae had safely entered his own home next door before going back inside. He sighed, wishing he hadn’t chickened out. At least he had gotten Jongdae to smile though. Not all hope was lost for him yet.

~~~

Minseok woke up feeling heavy and delirious. He sat up, hair sticking out every which way, and swayed a little. His face felt hot and his eye sight was pretty blurry. He dragged himself out of bed to find a thermometer and take his temperature. Once he checked, he confirmed his suspicions: he was running a fever. Minseok groaned, going back to bed. He texted Luhan that he wouldn’t be in that day and went back to sleep right after.

Minseok didn’t wake up until a few hours later. He didn’t feel dizzy anymore but he still didn’t feel perfect. He got up and went to find some food in the house. When he realized he had no leftovers, he began to cook himself something. His phone went off.

“Hello?” he answered, voice a little scratchy.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” came Yifan’s voice.

“I’m doing better. How is the kitchen running without me?”

“It’s alright. Luckily business has been slow today.”

“Tell him I said hi,” another voice said over the phone.

Minseok rose an eyebrow. “Is that Tao?”

“Yes,” Yifan responded, “He’s being annoying. Get back to work!”

“Meanie. I won’t kiss you later,” Tao said back before his voice faded out.

Minseok laughed. “You’re dating Tao?”

“Uhh…” Minseok knew Yifan was blushing. “It’s a new development.”

“As long as you don’t cause turmoil in the kitchen, it’s fine.”

Yifan laughed. “Thanks, buddy. Luhan hopes you’re feeling better as well. Will you be in tomorrow?”

“Maybe…Depends on how I’m feeling.”

“We’ve had to turn away a few orders because you’ve been out today. None of us know how to make some of your dishes.”

“Just use the recipes. They’re all in the box.”

“Luhan refuses to cook something you haven’t taught him or something,” Yifan said. He then lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’m starting to think he is mad with power though.”

Minseok laughed before coughing a bit, clearing his throat. “I’ll try to make it in tomorrow.”

“Okay. Feel better, buddy.”

“Bye Yifan.”

He hung up and finished preparing his soup, going to eat it. He lounged on his couch and watched TV for the first time in weeks. He usually just went to work and came home to go to bed when he didn’t have dinner with Jongdae. Minseok hated not being at work. It was his restaurant. He should be there regardless.

~~~

Minseok showed up to work the next day despite that he had a fever still. He promised to stay out of the kitchen and just oversee the restaurant’s running. He was seated outside the kitchen doors at a table, lower half of his face hidden beneath a mask.

“How does this look, Chef?”

Minseok looked at Sehun, who was holding out a tray with a dish on it. Minseok waved at him some.

“Sehun, you don’t have to check with me every single time.”

“But you’re the chef…”

Sehun pouted and went to deliver the food to the waiting customer. Minseok shook his head. The door jingled, signaling it had been opened and Minseok looked up to see Jongdae waiting at the entrance. He immediately grabbed a menu and put it up to hide his face, hoping the other had noticed him. Jongdae was seated by Junmyeon.

“What would you like today, sir?” Junmyeon asked.

“What’s the chef’s special today?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. Our chef is out today, so there is no special.”

“Oh…That’s too bad.” Jongdae looked down at the menu again. “I’ll have the rolled flank steak, please.”

“Right away.”

As Junmyeon came by with his order, Minseok whispered to him.

“Tell them to make me whatever it is he ordered.”

The maître d’ gave him a funny look, but nodded before going into the kitchen to place the order. Minseok waited patiently, watching Jongdae from over his menu. The other was reading a book all by his lonesome. Minseok sighed over how cute he was.

After about twenty minutes, the flank steak was brought out. The dish could take around two hours to prepare, so Minseok had made a system to have them premade and heated properly to still be fresh when ordered throughout the day. He smiled at the dish as it was placed in front of him before Junmyeon took the other plate over to Jongdae’s table.

Minseok removed his mask and took a bite. He almost dropped his fork after. Something was wrong. Sehun was walking by and Minseok reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

“Sehun.”

“Y-Yes, Chef?” he said, alarmed by the chef’s serious face.

“There’s something wrong with this dish.”

“T-There is?”

“Tell Luhan to come out here immediately.”

“Y-Yes, Chef.”

Sehun disappeared into the kitchen and Luhan came out a moment later, wiping his hands on his apron.

“What?” he asked, somewhat indignant.

There were times Minseok wanted to hit him for his sassy attitude, but now wasn’t the right time to do so. He huffed before speaking.

“What’s wrong with this steak?”

Luhan looked at the barely touched dish. “It looks fine to me.”

“Taste it.”

Luhan took a forkful and popped it in his mouth. He chewed a few seconds, then let out a small “oh.” He swallowed before speaking. “Someone used a pork rub instead of a beef rub. Probably Tao or Sehun was asked to prepare it and grabbed the wrong one.”

“How could you let this be served?”

“You wanted me to take a bite? I’m not the chef,” Luhan said, crossing his arms, “I didn’t have time to check it after it was made. I assumed it was right. My bad.”

“And it was fed to Jongdae, who is a food critic!” Minseok almost yelled.

Luhan looked towards Jongdae. “He seems to like it. There’s nothing really wrong with it. It’s just an off flavoring. If you weren’t trained to know, you wouldn’t notice. Calm down. Your little boyfriend isn’t going to dump you because we made one bad dish.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Minseok said immediately, returning his attention to the food. He took another bite. “I guess it isn’t so bad.”

“Don’t worry about it. I guess we’ll see how much of a food critic he really is.”

“Shut up.”

Luhan went back into the kitchen. Minseok ate the rolled steak, feeling somewhat depressed, as he watched Jongdae eat his own. He only hoped the other wouldn’t be too harsh.

~~~

Jongdae’s review the following week was praising, just like all his others had been. Minseok couldn’t believe it. Why did he not criticize the flank steak? He had to know it was wrong.

“See? I told you he wouldn’t notice,” Luhan said.

“No. That can’t be. I know why he did it.”

“Why did he do it, Minseok? Humor me.”

“Because he knows I’m the chef.”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “So?”

“He’s saying it was good so he won’t hurt my feelings.”

“Has he told you he knows you’re the chef?”

“No.”

“Then, why would he know?”

“Because you showed up to my house!” Minseok yelled, “What do you think it is?”

“Maybe he really doesn’t know it’s you and the food is good?” Luhan suggested.

“Maybe he doesn’t know it’s me…” Minseok repeated under his breath. “Does that mean he likes me then?”

Luhan stopped and looked at him. “What?”

“Maybe Jongdae is using the reviews like love letters. Writing good reviews because he likes me. Yeah, that has to be it,” he said, holding the paper to his chest like a love stricken girl.

Luhan raised an eyebrow and then rolled his eyes. “When will you stop being so dumb? Like, seriously.”

“Shut up, Luhan. You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to be in love with someone for a year.”

Luhan rolled his eyes again. “You’re seriously an idiot. I don’t know why I’m friends with you.”

“You’re just jealous I’ve found love before you.”

Luhan glared at him. “I’ve dated like half of our kitchen staff without you knowing, thank you very much.”

“Wait. What?!”

The sous chef walked away without answering. Minseok stared at him, looking down at Jongdae’s column, and then back up towards Luhan’s retreating form.

“You get back here! We’re not done talking about this!” he yelled, chasing after him.

~~~

Jongdae couldn’t handle it anymore. He had to know who the chef was. He had to. It had been keeping him up at night at this point. He wanted to know who it was. Whoever could make such delicious food had to be an equally amazing person. He had to put a face to this person.

Jongdae had gotten up early and gone to Bellissimo Giardino. He sat across the street, his eyes trained on the little restaurant’s front. The window still said “Closed.” It wouldn’t be open for another two hours, early enough that the chef would likely be coming in. He was patiently waiting.

Minseok rode up on his bike then, wearing his uniform. Jongdae couldn’t keep quiet.

“Minseok?”

Minseok froze, just getting off his bike. He turned slowly and looked at Jongdae, eyes wide. He gulped some.

“H-Hi Jongdae…”

“You work here?”

“Umm…yeah…”

Jongdae’s fingers pulled at the end of his sleeve. “I see…”

“Jongdae, I can explain,” Minseok tried.

Jongdae held up his hand. “No. It’s okay. We can talk over dinner tonight. Deal?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“I’ll come over once you get off work.”

“A-Alright.”

Jongdae nodded once before taking off, leaving Minseok to stare after him. He was nervous for their dinner that night. It plagued his mind as he went into the restaurant to prep for business hours.

~~~

Minseok arrived home around 8:30. He went inside and changed out of his work uniform, getting comfortable. Just as he had finished doing so, the door was knocked on. He answered to find Jongdae.

“H-Hey…” Minseok greeted weakly.

“Hi. Ready to talk?”

“Yeah…Come in.”

Jongdae came in and went to go sit at the dining room table. Minseok joined him, wringing his hands nervously.

“S-So…”

“So, you work at Bellissimo Giardino?”

He nodded. “I do.”

“So, are you like a bus boy or something?”

Minseok was almost offended. He knew Jongdae knew it was him. Why didn’t he just say it? He frowned some.

“No. I’m the chef.”

“The chef? No way. I don’t believe you.”

“I am!” Minseok argued.

“Prove it.”

“Fine. I will.”

Minseok got up and went into his kitchen. It had been a while since he’d actually used all of its functions, but he was going to prove to Jongdae that he was in fact the chef he adored. He rolled up his sleeves before looking at what he had in his fridge and cupboards for ingredients. He took everything he needed out, smiling smugly. He looked back at Jongdae.

“It’s going to be a little bit.”

“I’m willing to wait,” Jongdae said.

He opened a book Minseok hadn’t noticed him bring in. Minseok shrugged. He looked back at the ingredients. He had a lot of work to do.

Minseok quickly set in, preparing the tomatoes, onion, and basil with ease. Once they were all ready, he began to prepare the sauce. Once it was cooking on the stove in a large pot, he turned to the chicken. He opened up the package and trimmed off what excess fat there was. After, he set up his station for breading, a bowl filled with beaten eggs, a plate of flour, and a plate of breadcrumbs. Minseok then quickly breaded the pieces of chicken. He greased a baking sheet and threw them on, putting them in the oven to bake. He checked on the sauce, stirring it about and adding in what he needed to adjust the flavor before leaving it to continue cooking. Minseok got out angel hair pasta and selected how much he would need for two servings. He filled yet another pot with water and set it to boil. While he had to wait for all of that, he grated mozzarella cheese.

The oven dinged to signal it was done and Minseok removed the chicken with ease. He then went back to the sauce and found it was done, stirring it a few times just for good measure. He took the sauce over to a new dish, spooning it into the bottom until it was covered. He then put the chicken on top of the sauce. Using handfuls, he nicely covered the chicken with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. With that, he put it back in the oven to bake. The water was now boiling for the pasta, so he put the noodles in.

“It’ll be about twenty minutes,” he said, going to get the dishes out.

Jongdae didn’t respond, reading quietly and being patient. Twenty minutes later he was presented a dish full of al dente angel hair pasta and a piece of fried chicken with cheese on top of it, sauce draped over both just a tad. It looked beautiful, like a proper presentation at a restaurant. Jongdae blinked some and looked at Minseok.

“It’s chicken parmigiana. A classic Italian dish. For your eating pleasure,” he said, taking his own seat.

Jongdae cut a piece of the chicken and scooped it up with a few noodles. He plopped it in his mouth and hummed as the flavor hit his tongue.

“Oh, that’s so good,” he practically moaned.

Minseok smirked in triumph. Instead of asking if Jongdae believed him now, he just ate. Once they had finished their meal, they turned to each other.

“Why didn’t you cook for me before?” Jongdae asked.

Minseok rubbed the back of his neck. “Well…”

“I had figured it out, you know.”

“You did? How?”

“Hmm…lots of different reasons.” Jongdae shrugged. “I think I started thinking it when you refused to go there with me. But, I wasn’t too positive until you gave me those leftovers. I would recognize this taste anywhere. And, of course, your friend Luhan came to visit and I recognized him immediately. Then, to make sure I wasn’t just totally delusional and it had all been coincidence, I went to check at the restaurant before it opened.”

“Why didn’t you just confront me when Luhan came?” Minseok asked.

“Because I wanted you to tell me yourself.”

Minseok blushed. “Don’t laugh at me.”

The food critic waited patiently, just smiling at Minseok.

“I didn’t cook for you because I was afraid you wouldn’t like my food. And I was afraid that if you didn’t like it, you wouldn’t like me. I really like you, Jongdae, and I didn’t want to mess it up.”

Jongdae smiled warmly and let out a small giggle. “You’re silly, Minseok. I love your food. Couldn’t you tell from all the reviews I wrote?”

“I thought you were just being nice…”

“No. I think your food is the best. So, make me more next time, okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” Minseok managed out, face still bright red.

Jongdae leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. “I like you too, by the way.”

“D-Do you want to go out?”

“Of course,” Jongdae said with another big smile, “I didn’t think it would take you a year to ask me out.”

“Y-You could have made the first move!”

“I like to be chased rather than be the chaser.”

“Jongdae!” Minseok yelled in embarrassment.

Jongdae leaned in and kissed Minseok on the lips. The chef smiled, closing his eyes as he returned it. When they pulled back, Jongdae smiled a little once more, his cheeks tinted pink.

“You know, if your restaurant is named Bellissimo Giardino, you should really have a garden…”

“I was looking for a gardener…One who can grow things in window boxes.”

“I think I may be of some help,” Jongdae said.

The two looked at one another, smiling and blushing like two little kids in love, and Minseok took Jongdae’s hand under the table, squeezing and planning to never let go.