RPOV

    When they entered the dining area, he was surprised to see only Min and Hyuk out there chatting. As soon as Sungmin saw Ryeowook he immediately excused himself from the conversation and barreled over to him.

   “Ryeowook it’s so good to see you again!”

   He smiled, “it’s good to see you too Min! Are you alright? You seem to be a bit flustered.”

   Sungmin’s face suddenly turned apologetic, “I am so sorry, but my wife and kids can’t make it to tonight’s dinner. Last night, one of my kids wasn’t feeling well and then this morning the other one came down with the same symptoms, so my wife decided to stay home and take care of them. If the youngest wasn't so little, we would have asked a babysitter to look after them, but since he's only four, she decided she wanted to stay with him. I would have texted you earlier about all of this, but since all of this came up so last minute I didn’t want to ruin any of your dinner preparations. So I sincerely apologize…you cooked so much and I feel awful…

    Ryeowook cut him off before he could finish, “Don’t worry about it Min, Im much more concerned that your kids feel better. But I promise Ill pack you lots of leftovers to bring back to them. And Ill make sure there are lots of sweets-that way they have something to look forward to once they get better.

   Sungmin sighed, “You are seriously an angel. You have no idea how much my wife wanted to come tonight…I’ve never seen her curse so much about not being able to attend a dinner…”

   Kyuhyun couldn’t help but interject, “Min, it’s totally understandable, I think we’d all be pretty loathed to miss one of Ryeong’s dinners.”

   “Oh, you’ve finally had the honor of eating his food then Kyuhyun?”

    “Yes. And I can safely say it’s the best food I’ve ever eaten.”

     Ryeowook blushed, it meant a lot to him that Kyuhyun praised his food so highly. He knew that Kyuhyun traveled a great deal and had eaten at some of the best restaurants, so it was nice that his food had made a good impression on his boyfriend.

     “Guys, I hate to be a party pooper here, but im about to pass out if we don’t eat here” Hyuk interjected.

     Sungmin gasped, “Im so sorry! Im holding up this whole dinner, you all must be starving.”

    “Don’t be silly Min, Hyuk is always hungry and he tends to get a little dramatic about it…I swear…the guy is just one bottomless pit of hunger…” Ryeowook mumbled.

    Sungmin had to smile at this, “don’t worry, my kids act the same way”

  At this, both Kyuhyun and Ryeowook had to laugh. It was such a good comparison…Hyuk really did act like a child sometimes.

   And just like a child would, Hyuk pouted, “I do not act like a child! Now let’s go and eat for God’s sake!”

  The three of them looked at each other before looking back at Eunhyuk in amusement, whose patience was wearing thinner by the second. Ryeowook decided to put the poor guy out of his misery, “Alright guys, lets sit and dig in!”

   Eunhyuk gladly sat, but before he could scoop anything onto his plate, Sungmin suddenly screamed, “WAIT!”

   Everyone was startled, “What’s wrong Min?” Ryeowook asked, worry laced in his voice.

   “I need to take photos of the food!! It’s so Gorgeous!! I mean look at this chicken!!

    Ryeowook had to stifle a laugh when Kyuhyun face-palmed and Hyuk just sunk his head onto the table. But Sungmin didn’t notice any of their reactions, after all, it wasn’t everyday that he had the honor of eating at Joie and he would be damned if he passed up the opportunity to photograph this outrageously beautiful food.  He pulled out his phone and started snapping photos of each dish, shooting from different angles, even going so far as to stand up to get aerial views.  

     After Sungmin was satisfied with the photos, Hyuk wasted no time, scooping some of the roasted chicken and potatoes onto his plate. All three watched, entertained by the heaps of food piling on his plate. Sungmin sat there in awe, “Okay, I may have to rethink what I just said…my kids don’t nearly have that big of an appetite…”

   Hyuk smiled, “See I told you guys I don’t act like a child!”

   “You’re right Min. Hyuk definitely doesn’t have the appetite of a child, instead it resembles more along the lines of a teenage boy whose onset into puberty has caused his appetite to increase tenfold,” Kyuhyun teased

    “Hey! You try choreographing and dancing for 8 hours straight with only a few protein bars and then lets see whose appetite resembles the teenage boy!” Hyuk grumbled.

    “You choreograph?” Min asked in surprise, now scooping some food onto his own plate.

   Ryeowook took the chance to answer for Eunhyuk, seeing how the other was too absorbed into stuffing his face with all of the food. “Despite his looks, he happens to be one of the most sought after choreographers in the Kpop business.”

   “Why am I getting picked on so much here?!” Hyuk complained.

   Ryeowook smiled, “You know it’s done with love.”

  “Wow! That’s amazing! You must work with all of the new Kpop bands!” Sungmin gushed.

  “I do…it’s really a fun job, despite how much I complain about it. Nothing really makes me happier than dancing (except for seeing Hae of course), so to be able to do it for a living, makes me feel extremely lucky.”

  “Well, I think we can all agree that if you love your job, life becomes a lot easier doesn’t it?” Sungmin said thoughtfully.

  They all nodded in agreement. Ryeowook watched in amusement as both Kyuhyun and Sungmin finally took their first bites. Sungmin’s expression was absolutely priceless to watch. He looked as though he was going to cry any minute. As for Kyuhyun, he already had a taste of the chicken, but once he ate a bite of the Tartiflette, it was game over.

    “Oh My GAWD!! This chicken is amazing Ryeowook! How do you get it so moist? And the crispiness of the skin is absolutely perfect, and the herb butter is too DIE FOR! I have to get the recipe from you!” Sungmin ranted.

   “Of course Min! I’d be happy to send you the recipe. Im happy you like it.”

   “Ryeong…this tartiflette is Incredible!” Kyuhyun said, while taking another bite.

   “Wow Kyuhyun…Im surprised you know what a tartiflette is…” Sungmin said, astonishment laced in his voice.

   “Shut up Min! Ill have you know, I happen to love food, so Im not clueless when it comes to it!” Kyuhyun said indignantly.

   Eunhyuk was too busy piling and stuffing his face with food to really help diffuse Kyuhyun’s tension. He had worked off too many calories to give a damn at this point.

   “Calm down Kyu, I think Min is just impressed.” Ryeowook said, trying to ease the situation.

   “It’s okay dear, Kyuhyun’s just a moron sometimes and can’t tell when someone’s honestly just paying him a compliment. How someone as sweet as you can deal with someone like him is just a wonder.”

   Kyuhyun just mumbled something incoherently, while Sungmin just smiled at Ryeowook.

   “So while I have the chance, do you mind if I ask you some questions?” Sungmin’s eyes had that excited puppy dog look, which were just about impossible to deny.

   “Of course, what did you want to ask?”

And suddenly Sungmin went into full on fan boy mode. “What age did you begin learning to cook? What cooking schools did you attend? What made you study French cuisine? Good lord! I can’t believe I get ask you these questions! Someone pinch me!”

   To say Ryeowook was overwhelmed would be an understatement. He wasn’t used to this type of attention, though he was well known in the food world, he liked to keep a low profile, so most people didn’t even really realize who they were speaking to until later.

   “Wow Min, someone’s fan girling.” Kyuhyun said.

   Ryeowook stuffed a piece of chicken in his mouth, “Be nice Kyu!”

   Sungmin suddenly looked embarrassed, “Im sorry if Im being too intrusive, it’s just that I’ve always admired your career and once I came and tasted the food myself, I sort of became your fan.”

   Ryeowook patted Sungmin’s hand, which made Kyuhyun glare, but Ryeowook just ignored him. “Im flattered Min, just ignore Kyuhyun, he’s just a bit jealous right now.”

   “Am not!” Kyuhyun tried to defend himself.

   “Dude...it’s so obvious” Hyuk said, taking down another piece of chicken.

   “Just eat your chicken Hyuk.” Kyuhyun grumbled.

  Ryeowook turned back to Sungmin, “let’s see, I think I became interested in cooking from a really young age. While most boys were running around, playing soccer, I preferred staying indoors and helping my mom cook. Something my dad always found odd.” As soon as he said that, he felt a hand run soothing circles on his wrist underneath the table and immediately recognized it as Kyuhyun’s. He smiled, Kyuhyun knew the long story there and was thankful for the reassurance. He took a breath and continued telling Sungmin about his career, “But I loved making dishes and entered cooking competitions already from a young age, so by the time I was 16, I was offered the opportunity to go to school in Paris, studying under the tutorage of some really great chefs. I spent 6 years there, honing my skills, learning not just savory, but also how to make pastries. After that, I spent another 4 years in Italy learning their cuisine. But after spending so much time abroad, I missed home, so I came back to Korea and Joie seemed like the perfect place to put my skills to use. So here we are.”

   When he finished his story, Sungmin looked at him in awe and Kyuhyun looked at him with the same adoration he had when they first met.

KPOV

   He knew Ryeowook had spent 6 years in France and 4 years in Italy, but he also knew that Ryeowook had given Sungmin only the basics. He had left out the countless awards he received, the numerous amounts of recognition he gained while studying under the best chefs, this guy was way too humble. But that’s what made Ryeowook…well Ryeowook.

     He also knew that while Ryeowook was close with his mother, he and his father had a strained relationship, his father never quite got over his profession or ual orientation, but their relationship was on the mend and Ryeowook had told him, that after hearing about Kyuhyun’s close knit family, it had inspired him to reach out to his father. Kyuhyun had told Ryeowook about how his relationship with his father was also tense when he first came out, but eventually his dad came around and their relationship has never been better.

    It got Kyuhyun thinking, that he wanted to introduce him to his parents and sister as soon as possible. After all, Ryeowook had quickly become one of the most important people in his life, so it was only natural to set up a date where he could introduce the most important people in his life to one another. Plus, he hoped that his family would become a second family to Ryeowook. He knew that while Ryeowook’s relationship was on the mend with his dad, it would be a while before things fully healed between the two. And because Ryeowook was Ryeowook he didn’t visit his mother excessively in fear of putting her in the middle of any arguments or making her choose a side.

    He was one of the most caring people he had ever met and each day they talked, Kyuhyun fell a little harder and a little more in love with him. There was never a dull moment with him, he always had him on his toes and Kyuhyun had to admit, he kind of loved that.

    “Wait?! So you not only specialize in French cooking, but you also know Italian cuisine?!” Sungmin said, snapping Kyuhyun out of his thoughts.

    “Well, Im not sure I really specialize in it. Italian cuisine encompasses so much, most chefs specialize in a particular region of Italy…” Ryeowook answered thoughtfully.

    “Im sure you’re just being modest about it. If it’s half as good as your French cooking Im sure Id still enter food heaven…” Sungmin said dreamily.

   “You really love food, don’t you Sungmin?” Hyuk asked amused.

While Hyuk and Min entered into the “deep” conversation abyss of who likes food more, Kyuhyun felt someone playing with his fingers. He looked over to Ryeowook, who was smiling at him. And there it was again, this desire to monopolize that smile, to be the cause of that smile, to keep that smile on his face.

   “Do you like all of the food?” Ryeowook asked.

   “Like is an understatement. More like adore it,” he answered.

   “I don’t think you’re capable of making anything bad to be honest with you.”

   Ryeowook giggled, “Kyu, Ill tell you something right now, all chefs have a dish that they dread making because for one reason or another it just never comes out right.”

   Kyuhyun raised a brow, “and what dish happens to be your kryptonite?”

   “I can’t make Chocolate flan cake for my life”

   Kyuhyun had to laugh at this one, “Ryeong, I was talking about a savory dish not a dessert, besides just from the name, that sounds ridiculously hard to make.”

   Ryeowook sulked, “Hey! Sweet totally counts! and baking tends to be more difficult! Precision is key, savory is a lot more forgiving…”

   This snapped Sungmin out of his conversation with Eunhyuk, who looked happy to be freed from the potato vs sweet potato debate.

   “I at baking, nothing ever comes out well. My wife actually does the baking in our family. I just do the cooking.”

   “Oh! That’s nice that you have one person to do the baking and one person to do the cooking, I think that’s sweet.” Ryeowook cooed.

   Sungmin blushed, “yeah, we make a pretty good team.”

  “Speaking of baking…Ryeowook-ah, can we have dessert?” Hyuk asked.

  “I can’t believe you still have room for dessert after how much you ate” Kyuhyun mumbled, while staring at Eunhyuk’s empty plate.

  “I know, it’s a gift isn’t it?”

  “As long as you don’t gain weight, I consider it a total gift” Sungmin interjected.

  “I know…I seriously wish I had his metabolism” Ryeowook said in agreement.

  “More than a gift, I think it’s more scary than anything” Kyuhyun said.

   Hyuk rolled his eyes, “can we just have dessert?”

   “Sure! Do you guys want an éclair, or a piece of tart, I made one pear and one mixed berry. I can also make you a crepe.” Ryeowook answered.

   Everyone sat there thinking over the choices. “Do we have to pick just one?” Kyuhyun asked.

   “Of course not! You can have one of everything if you want, but I can’t be held responsible if you get a stomach ache.”

   “I want one of everything!”

   Ryeowook laughed, “Somehow I had a feeling you would say that Hyuk. What filling do you want in your crepe?”

   “Strawberries!! And chocolate!!”

   Kyuhyun watched as Ryeowook cut into the tarts with precision, getting the perfect slices from each. He then proceeded to carefully assemble Hyuk’s plate. “Okay here you go, one of each, but I need to go back to the kitchen to assemble the crepe, so just start on those. Does anyone else want a crepe, while Im there?”

  “Are you sure that’s not too much work?” Sungmin asked with concern.

   “Oh! Don’t worry about it Min, it’s really no trouble. I already made the batter ahead of time, and I already prepped a lot of fruit ahead of time, so it should take no time at all to assemble them. So would you like one?” 

   “I would love one...If it isn’t too much trouble, then can I get banana and chocolate in mine?” Sungmin asked.

   “Of course you can. Kyuhyun do you want one?” Ryeowook asked unconsciously tipping his head to the side.

  “I have no clue what to put in mine…”

  “How about you come with me to the kitchen and I can show you all of the toppings you can put on?”

   Kyuhyun smiled, he would never pass up an opportunity to have Ryeowook to himself. “I like that idea.”

   Both Sungmin and Eunhyuk scoffed.

  But Ryeowook was oblivious to it-happy he would have some company while he assembled the crepes. “Alright, let’s go.” Ryeowook said, pulling Kyuhyun by the wrist to the kitchen.

  Kyuhyun couldn’t help but flash a cheeky smile to Sungmin and Eunhyuk.

EPOV

   “Aish…that kid” Eunhyuk mumbled.

  “I know…Ryeowook is seriously too good for him…” Sungmin sighed.

  “You know, all joking aside, they really do make the perfect couple though. Just by watching them tonight, I can tell that Kyuhyun brings Ryeowook out of his shell more. He seems to know how to lighten his mood. And Ryeowook knows immediately how to settle Kyuhyun down. Plus…I’ve never seen Kyuhyun look at anyone with such adoration. And Ryeowook can keep up with Kyuhyun and vice versa. They seem to both just fit don’t you think? Besides… both of them have smart mouths…you haven’t seen Ryeowook at full blast…he has quite the tongue. ”

   “You really know them well don’t you?” Sungmin said.

   “Yeah…I’ve known both of them for a long time, both of them have supported me during my hardest and best times, so Im truly happy that they’ve found someone to share their lives with.”

   “Whoa! Slow down there! You make it sound like they’re getting married! They’ve only been dating for about a week. We don’t even know if they’ll stick it out.”

   Hyuk smiled, “But this was never a matter of if they’ll get together and it’s not a question of when they’ll end up married or if they'll end up staying together. It was only a matter of time before they ended up together and I know that those two will stick it out. They are some of the most loyal people I know. And they bring out the best in each other. There is an incredible amount of adoration and love between them already. You can see it when they look at each other.”

    “Wow, you really have faith that they’ll make it don’t you?” Sungmin said, half-stating, half asking.

   “I do. They’re smart kids, they know that when you have something precious, you don’t let go.”

   “Why do I feel like you aged like 20 years in this conversation,” Sungmin joked.

   Eunhyuk laughed, “Hey! I can be deep when I want to! Besides, they’re my best friends, I can’t help but get a little sentimental about it all!”

   Sungmin chuckled, “fair enough, let’s stop talking about them. On a different note, did you try the éclair!! My wife and kids are going to die when I bring one home for them!!”

   Eunhyuk sighed…here we go again. He just hoped that Ryeowook and Kyuhyun were almost done with the crepes and that the crepes wouldn’t lead to another make-out session.

*author’s note: This was going to be the last chapter, but then I got writing and no surprise it came out much longer….so this will be the 2^nd to last chapter (famous last words right?).  But I wanted to post what I had because I didn’t want readers to wait forever for another update…so I guess there’s nothing else for me to say, except thank you for reading and now Ill get back to writing the “last chapter” (for my peace of mind, I really hope this is the last chapter…) XD *