Room for Dessert? [1/2]
Title: Room for Dessert?
Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG
Length: 10.7k
Summary: Baekhyun only goes on dates for the free food. But that all might change when Jongdae sets him up with fellow-foodie, Chanyeol.
Notes: Originally posted in exoquartus. Cross posting with minor edits. Special thank you to the prompter and DM, who put up with all my whining while writing this.
Too outdoorsy.
Too boring.
Too much facial hair.
Used ‘YOLO’ in his bio.
Baekhyun’s fingers swipe left mindlessly, lips pursed in half concentration, half disappointment. He swears he’s seen some of these profiles before. Could he have already run the Tinder well dry?
“Hello? Earth to Baekhyun?” Suddenly there’s a hand waving between Baekhyun’s face and his phone screen, breaking his concentration.
“Yeah?” He lazily pulls his eyes from the screen to blink up at a visibly annoyed Jongdae.
“You do realize you’ve been sitting here staring at your phone and completely ignoring me for the past five minutes, right?”
“Oh,” Baekhyun shrugs. “I thought we’d reached that point where the conversation ran out and it was okay to pull out our phones until another thought hit us.” After all, Baekhyun and Jongdae meet for coffee in the small shop below their apartment building all the time. Between living in the same building and already being best friends, they see plenty of each other.
“Rude. Let me guess, you’re on Tinder again?”
Baekhyun hums in response, returning to his task of swiping left furiously.
“What’s the restaurant this time?” Jongdae knows full well what Baekhyun’s up to.
“There’s a new sushi place in Hongdae,” Baekhyun’s only ever on Tinder for one reason, “They have an all you can eat lunch special that is supposed to be wonderful. I really want to try it out before the queue gets too long.”
Jongdae can only nod in acknowledgement, “Any luck so far?”
“Not yet.” His thumb continues to make a series of split second rejections.
“Maybe if you weren’t so picky.”
Baekhyun looks up from his screen once again to poke his tongue out at Jongdae. Perhaps Baekhyun is a little picky when it comes to online dating, but not for the reasons most people are. Truth be told, he generally intentionally seeks out guys he knows he won’t hit it off with. He’s not looking for anything serious. Hell, he’s hardly even looking to properly date.
Essentially, Baekhyun goes on dates for the food, not the actual prospect of romance. It’s a practice Jongdae has told him is cruel, but Baekhyun can’t see the harm in meeting new people and sharing a meal. All Baekhyun wants is a little company over dinner -- hopefully someone to front the bill -- and no reason to ever see them again.
Furthermore, he defends, it’s difficult to dine alone in Seoul. Either he’s faced with the judgement of other patrons or, worse yet, simply told the restaurant won’t seat parties smaller than two. So, if Jongdae won’t tag along he’s left to find his own company, and that’s where Tinder comes in handy.
“Oh, look at this guy,” Baekhyun turns the device towards Jongdae excitedly. “He named his cats after the Three Musketeers.”
A groan is heard as Jongdae slumps, face down, into the table.
Despite Jongdae's opinions otherwise, Baekhyun likes to maintain that he can cook, he simply elects not to. His kitchen is equipped with all the standard wears, including a whisk and collinder. He has multiple sauce pans, a skillet, even a wok. He knows well enough how to keep himself fed; grate cheese, steam vegetables, boil eggs, he can do all the basics.
Yet, whenever Baekhyun tries to put together a meal, something always seems a bit off.
Worse yet, he’s never been great at keeping groceries in his house. After about the fifteenth unidentifiable vegetable mush to be removed from his produce drawer, Baekhyun wrote off cooking completely -- save a few weekend breakfasts and late-night snacks here and there.
And this is why Baekhyun finds himself two floors down in Jongdae’s apartment at least twice a week. Because, loathe he to admit it, Jongdae's roommate Kyungsoo actually can cook. Quite well in fact.
He’s already browsed the selection of leftovers in the fridge and decided on his meal for the night when Jongdae waltzes into the kitchen, completely undisturbed by the fact that Baekhyun is raiding his fridge. He takes a seat at the kitchen island and observes Baekhyun navigating the kitchen like he owns the place.
“Kyungsoo and I know a guy who you could go try out the sushi place with.”
Baekhyun looks over his shoulder from where he’s plating banchan on the counter to narrow his eyes at Jongdae. “You want me to go out with someone Kyungsoo suggested? It’s probably a hit man.”
“You seriously need to stop thinking Kyungsoo is out to get you,” Jongdae groans, already exasperated because he knows what’s coming next.
“Why do you have a roommate? You don’t even need a roommate.”
“Says the guy who’s greedily eating all the food he prepared,” Baekhyun hears a loud huff. “But anyway, I have a roommate because it’s nice to only have to pay half the bills, and to have a little company around. Not all of us are recluses like you who prefer limited human contact.”
“But why him?” Kyungsoo and Baekhyun have never managed to hit it off in the year and half since he moved into Jongdae’s apartment, despite Jongdae’s best efforts to bring the two closer.
“You seem to be under the false impression that Kyungsoo is all doom, gloom, and broody stares. When in reality, the guy still watches kids cartoons and he has yet to watch an anime that didn’t make him cry at some point.”
“But, he hates me!” Baekhyun turns around with a stomp. He earns another loud sigh from Jongdae, who has heard this complaint countless times already.
“Can you really blame him?”
“I thought it was you in the shower that one time! I never would have done that to a stranger!” Baekhyun defends, voice raising as he aggressively waves the spoon in his hand.
“And the balcony incident?”
“Okay, that was not my fault. He wears all black, the lights were off, and he was entirely not visible when I locked the door.”
“He was out there for two hours,” Jongdae says flatly, holding up two fingers. “Two.”
“I had headphones in!”
“You don't even live here. You had no reason to be locking doors in the first place!”
“Regardless,” Baekhyun chooses to move back to the original topic at hand, “You’re saying that Kyungsoo knows a guy that he thinks I would hit it off with. That’s not exactly promising, Jongdae.”
“Ugh, Baekhyun. I know him too, we play League together sometimes. He’s a cool guy. Very friendly. Likes food probably more than you do.”
“You want me to go out with someone who plays League?” The idea of such a nerdy hobby causes Baekhyun to scrunch his nose.
“Stop finding fault in everything. And, hello, I also play League, so stop acting so disgusted.”
“Yeah, but there’s never the potential of me taking you and your acorn head home to meet my parents. ‘Mom, Dad, this is Jongdae. He teaches middle school because he is still mentally 14.’”
Jongdae ignores the insult, “Look, you never give anyone a chance, you’ve probably forgotten how to actually date and not just eat and disappear at this point. Why not give Chanyeol a try? He’s really cool. If you don’t hit it off, you can go back to Tinder or whatever.”
Chanyeol? That’s the guy’s name? Baekhyun briefly wonders what his League username might be. (Knowing that he’s friends with Jongdae, it’s probably something wildly inappropriate.)
He mulls over Jongdae’s words for a moment before pointing the spoon his his hand at Jongdae authoritatively.
“Fine. Give him my number, and he better be free this Saturday.”
Baekhyun returns to his apartment an hour later, pleasantly full of kimchi radish, kkaenip namul, and curry rice. He rubs his belly and lets out a contented yawn as he wanders toward his bedroom. Yet, even with a full stomach, Baekhyun feels unsettled; Jongdae’s words from earlier lingering on his conscious. He knows it’s been awhile since he took dating seriously, but has he become to accustomed to dining and dashing that he’s forgotten how to actually date someone?
As if on cue, his phone vibrates in his pocket just as he begins to change out of his pants. He pulls out the device to see a text from an unknown number.
From: Unknown
Hi. This is Chanyeol. Jongdae gave me this number? He said something about sushi?
Well, this is his chance to prove Jongdae wrong. Blame it on habit or the fact that he’s never been great at conversing via text, he opts to cut straight to the chase.
To: Chanyeol
Hello! Nice to virtually meet you, I’m Baekhyun.
Are you free this saturday?
From: Chanyeol
I can be ;)
Normally, Baekhyun would break off all contact at the use of a winky face, but he reminds himself that he’s doing this for Jongdae and does his best to overlook the small faux pas.
To: Chanyeol
Great! Meet by Hongdae exit 3 at 1:30?
From: Chanyeol
I can do that! Looking forward to it.
To: Chanyeol
Likewise. By the way, what’s your League username?
From: Chanyeol
Uhh… ChAnniekkuma. Why? You play too?
To: Chanyeol
No, just curious ^^ See you Saturday!
Baekhyun emerges from the subway at 1:27, clad in a hoodie and jeans -- intentionally dressed down. It’s standard practice for all his dates: start off casual and comfortable. The minimal effort approach -- as he calls it -- serves many functions, the most important being It allows his natural charms to shine through. Another important function, for most of his strictly food-based dates, is that the casual approach gives off the air of nonchalance he strives for.
He stands off to the side of the sidewalk, and sends a quick text to Chanyeol letting him know that he’s waiting, in a red hoodie by the CU. He continues to play with his phone as he waits, barely paying mind to the throngs of people passing by.
“Baekhyun?” A deep voice asks suddenly. He looks up to meet the curious eyes of a man -- who he presumes to be Chanyeol -- smiling shyly down at him.
Chanyeol’s handsome, really handsome, with round eyes and a natural smile that looks like it belongs in a toothpaste commercial and not on the grimy streets of Hongdae. Unlike Baekhyun, he appears to have put some effort into getting ready -- hair coiffed in just the right way, and the collar of his shirt perfectly folded over the neck of his sweater. Baekhyun unconsciously tugs at the hem of his hoodie realizing that, since this is supposed to be a real date, maybe he should have put in a bit more time when getting ready.
He still hasn’t returned Chanyeol’s greeting, too busy blatantly checking Chanyeol out. Jongdae never said Chanyeol was hot.
“Or… not? Sorry, I’m supposed to meet someone,” Chanyeol chuckles nervously before he starts to turn away.
“No!” The words pull Baekhyun from his daze, his hand quickly reaching out to grip Chanyeol’s arm. “I mean it’s me, I am Baekhyun. You’re Chanyeol?”
“I am,” When Chanyeol smiles, one of his eyes squints slightly more shut than the other, and Baekhyun is doing his best not to look too stupefied by the sight. When he finally shakes Chanyeol’s extended and, the taller grins even wider.
“Nice to meet you.”
His hand is as warm as his smile.
The pair exchange general pleasantries as they make their way around the corner to the small sushi restaurant located on the second floor above a novelty shop. Thankfully, there’s no wait and they’re seated immediately. Baekhyun takes the liberty of ordering the unlimited special he’s been daydreaming about, while Chanyeol busies himself with pouring water for the both of them and setting the table.
Once everything is squared away with the waitress, Baekhyun turns his full attention to Chanyeol -- reminding himself once again that this is a real date and not one of his usual food dates. He's going into this with an open mind and not thinking about how to turn Chanyeol off completely while walking away with a free meal.
“So what do you do, Chanyeol?” He’s half expecting Chanyeol to say something along the lines of teacher or IT technician, since he runs with the likes of Jongdae and Kyungsoo, but Chanyeol appears to be full of surprises.
“I’m part of the kitchen staff at a restaurant in Gangnam,” When Baekhyun’s eyes light up, Chanyeol throws him one of the smiles that he’s learning are given quite easily.
“So you can cook?” Perhaps he’s a little too eager, but food is his everything -- and a man who can cook might actually be his dream come true.
Chanyeol nods, “I guess you could say that.”
Another question hits Baekhyun, “Then what are you doing eating out?”
His confusion must be obvious because Chanyeol chuckles as soon as the question leaves his mouth.
“Well, call me lazy, but I always think food tastes better when I don’t have to cook it.”
“See! That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to Jongdae for ages!” Baekhyun bounces in his seat. “It’s not that I can’t cook, I just don’t want to. There are too many wonderful foods in Seoul to try.”
“Exactly. Have to make the most of it.”
The first round of sushi arrives and Baekhyun swears he is in heaven. Each roll is more delicious than the last and he’s ready for the next round even before he’s finished half of what’s on the table.
Chanyeol, too, seems quite pleased with the meal. As Baekhyun throws all the table manners his mother ever taught him -- like setting down his chopsticks in between bites -- out the window, Chanyeol remarks on the plating and quality of the fish.
With Chanyeol’s easygoing nature, Baekhyun finds himself naturally volunteering small bits of information about himself as well. Chanyeol nearly snorts when Baekhyun narrates his failed attempts in the kitchen, and takes no offense when Baekhyun off-handedly calls League of legends “Jongdae’s most lame hobby.”
They quickly find common ground in their shared love of food. They’ve scoped out a lot of the same restaurants in the area and compare notes on the dishes they’ve enjoyed the most.
And Jongdae definitely wasn’t lying when he said Chanyeol might love food even more than Baekhyun does.
More than anything, Baekhyun learns that Chanyeol has a way of talking about food that makes it sound even more delicious than it already is. With that soothing deep voice of his and the way he talks to eloquently about cooking, Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol could make a killing narrating cookbooks. There might not be a market for that yet, but Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol could make it a thing pretty quickly.
There’s a richness in each of Chanyeol’s descriptions that extends beyond the words themselves and conveys a passion for all things culinary. Even Baekhyun -- a self labeled foodie -- doesn’t think his own passions could ever possibly compare to the appreciation Chanyeol holds for his craft. Chanyeol’s delectable words are -- essentially -- verbal food porn, and they wrap around Baekhyun, lulling him into contentment as his stomach gradually fills with rolls upon rolls of sushi.
That is, until Chanyeol sets his chopsticks down to look mischievously at Baekhyun, “You could say this place is very… sofishsticated.”
The pun takes a minute to register with Baekhyun, but once it does he grimaces.
“That… was really lame.” He says, eyes full of good-natured judgement.
“But, it made you smile didn’t it?”
And it’s true, even though he’s trying to pull his most offended face, he can’t fight the curve of his lips.
Lame jokes aside, Baekhyun decides it’s really nice to dine with Chanyeol. He’s surprisingly knowledgeable and can carry a conversation about anything and everything. He could definitely do this again.
Not to mention, he also hands the waitress his credit card before Baekhyun ever has a chance to glance at the bill.
“So,” Jongdae pops himself in the seat across from Baekhyun the following afternoon. “How was your date with Chanyeol?”
“Fine.”
“Don’t ‘fine’ me, Byun Baekhyun. If you hated it, you would have texted me immediately after demanding my head. So, you must have enjoyed yourself,” He concludes seconds later before wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
For the eyebrow wiggle, he deserves the slap Baekhyun reaches to give him from across the table.
“He’s… “ Baekhyun begins contemplating once he’s properly seated in his chair again, “... Nice. His jokes were awful, though.” Baekhyun doesn’t like the wickedly pleased look that’s spreading across Jongdae’s face.
“Oh Baekhyun, always so hard to please. But maybe now you’ll believe that Kyungsoo isn’t actually out to destroy you?” Jongdae tests.
“Wouldn’t go that far yet. The man was awfully knowledgeable about the knives used to slice sashimi, so I still can’t rule out hitman and or ulterior motives.”
Jongdae rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone to -- most likely -- gloatingly text Kyungsoo.
To: Channiekkuma
How do feel about BBQ this Friday?
From: Channiekkuma
So long as it’s not gopchang, I’m in.
It’s been awhile since Baekhyun has had a second date with someone, and he’s having a hard time remembering exactly what kind of conversation happens beyond the general pleasantries of the first date. Thankfully for him though, Chanyeol seems to have no issue keeping them engaged in conversation with everything from tales of his weird co-workers to the ahjumma he saw on the train this morning in a rainbow-patterned hiking suit.
Baekhyun gets so pulled into Chanyeol’s eccentric way of storytelling -- and the very animated hand gestures that accompany each tale -- that he burns three garlic cloves and two strips of pork belly before Chanyeol offers to take the tongs off his hands.
Much like the first date, Baekhyun feels remarkably at ease in Chanyeol’s presence. Baekhyun wonders if it’s the cackling of the meat on the grill, the aroma of sizzling pork, or simply Chanyeol that has him feeling so comfortable.
It’s about halfway through the meal -- and their discussion of The Himalayas -- when Baekhyun observes that Chanyeol’s cheeks have reddened significantly since they sat down at the grill. With further observation Baekhyun notes that Chanyeol’s been taking generous gulps of his water every few minutes. Chanyeol’s playing it off as coolly as possible, but when he begins to clear his throat after every bite, Baekhyun can’t help but giggle to himself, biting his lips to hold in the sound.
He can only restrain himself for so long though before he asks, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but maybe the ssamjang is a bit too spicy for you?” Amusement obvious in his voice.
“What?” Chanyeol practically coughs out, “No way. It’s just… the meat is very hot. Temperature wise.”
“Oh, really?” Baekhyun giggles outright, watching as Chanyeol continues to scoop generous amounts of ssamjang onto his lettuce wrap. Is that a tear forming in his left eye? “That’s why your cheeks are so red and your nose has been running for the past ten minutes?”
Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun in challenge -- knowing full well he’s already lost, but apparently not willing to let go of a small bit of his dignity. “Exactly. I love spicy food. Have yet to meet a spice I couldn’t stomach.”
Two can play at this game.
“Whatever you say,” he smiles as he scoops a huge dollop of ssamjang and several pepper slices to his own wrap. He makes a point of maintaining focused eye contact with Chanyeol as he takes a showy bite. The corner of Chanyeol’s eye twitches as he tries to control his expression. By the time Baekhyun is finished chewing, Chanyeol’s pain has peeked through into a fully pronounced grimace.
“You’re right, not spicy at all.” Baekhyun boasts after he’s done chewing, licking his lips for good measure.
Chanyeol gulps.
Chanyeol and his still-red face walk Baekhyun to the subway after the meal. The night is still young, and Baekhyun contemplates asking Chanyeol if he’d like to go for drinks. Alas, Chanyeol mentioned having to go into work the next morning and it’s probably best to end the second date at a reasonable hour.
He smiles up at Chanyeol as they reach the stairs of the entrance. Chanyeol’s nose is an adorable shade of red on the tip and Baekhyun can’t tell if it’s a lingering symptom of the spice or if his nose always reddens a little in the chill of the early spring breeze.
“I had a good time tonight,” The way Chanyeol’s says the words -- with his eyes focused so intently on him -- has Baekhyun’s own cheeks heating up a bit.
“Me too. Now go home and drink some milk to soothe that tongue,” Baekhyun advises with his own cheeky grin and a motherly pat to Chanyeol’s shoulder.
Chanyeol exhales playfully in frustration but says nothing more. Instead he leans in closer, placing a hand at the top of Baekhyun’s back. Baekhyun willingly lets himself be pulled against Chanyeol’s chest in a loose hug. It’s awkward, because he doesn’t know what to do with his hands, but -- like everything with Chanyeol -- it’s also pleasant and relaxing and it sends little tingles running down his spine from the place where Chanyeol’s fingertips dig in deepest. With one final brush of his palm against Baekhyun’s shoulder blade, Chanyeol pulls away, and Baekhyun instantly misses the warmth.
“See you soon?” It’s cute the way Chanyeol asks to tentatively, the way he tucks his lip under his teeth immediately after the question.
Baekhyun can only curl his lips into a half smile and offer a breathless “Yeah, I’d like that” before he bites his own lip and turns to disappear into the subway station. He doesn’t turn around to see if Chanyeol’s watching him, but he swears he can feel Chanyeol’s gaze as he descends the stairs.
Baekhyun returns home from a long day at work to an empty fridge (as expected). So, he drops his bag on the couch, changes out of his button-up, and skips the short distance down two flights of stairs to Jongdae’s apartment. Per usual, he doesn’t bother to knock and lets himself in.
“Hello Jongdae and… Kyungsoo,” His disappointment is barely concealed once he spots the pair on the living room couch: Jongdae on his laptop as usual, folders spread across the coffee table while Kyungsoo watches television.
“Hey Baek,” Jongdae doesn’t look up from the screen while Kyungsoo attempts a half-hearted wave. “There’s some kimbap on the counter.”
“Can’t I just stop by to visit?” Baekhyun catches the way Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You know I’d always choose you over free food,” He adds sweetly, more to annoy Kyungsoo than to tease Jongdae.
“Don’t worry, I’m not doubting your love for me,” With a cheeky grin, Jongdae finally turns his head up to look at Baekhyun. “I’m just saying, I could set my watch by your stomach and if it’s seven pm on a weeknight and you’re in my apartment, I know your motives.”
“Well, if you put it like that... my stomach says it’s time for kimbap.” And with that he skips off to the kitchen.
“Who said it’s free?” Baekhyun hears Jongdae challenge from the living room, “As compensation for the food, you’re going to help me grade all these math tests. So hurry up and eat and get your butt back out here. I have to input the grades by ten.”
Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo have fastened some form of an organized assembly line, with Jongdae correcting, Baekhyun talling the grades and, finally, Kyungsoo logging them all in Jongdae’s gradebook. It’s not a quiet affair -- as nothing is ever quiet when Baekhyun and Jongdae are involved -- but Baekhyun still finds it relaxing in a strange way. Probably because he’s snuggled up against Jongdae in the most platonic of ways, feeding off his body heat.
He’s just written a bright red “89” at the top of one exam when Jongdae gasps with a sudden realization.
“I almost forgot!” And suddenly Baekhyun is being pushed off of Jongdae’s warm shoulder, “I heard you and Chanyeol went out again the other night night. Safe to say you no longer think he’s a hit man?”
“You thought he was a hitman?” Kyungsoo asks -- his tone bordering incredulous, but mostly confused.
“Long story,” Baekhyun and Jongdae say in unison.
“Okay…”
“But anyway. Date number two: how was it?” Jongdae is entirely too excited about this, and Baekhyun doesn’t want to feed his ego -- but, he also longs to tell someone about how cute Chanyeol’s red cheeks were as he stubbornly gorged himself on too-spicy samgyupsal.
So he settles for, “The food was great. A bit too spicy for him, I think. But he was a trooper.”
“Ah yeah,” Kyungsoo pipes in, “Chanyeol’s not good with spicy food, but he’ll never admit it.”
Baekhyun had almost forgotten that Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are friends, and he feels the smallest ping of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. What else does Kyungsoo know about Chanyeol that he has yet to learn?
“So any chance of date number three?” Baekhyun’s getting really sick of Jongdae’s suggestive eyebrow wiggles, but the idea of date number three sounds… really nice.
“We’ll see…” Baekhyun smiles to himself. “Oh! But, there’s a new supposedly authentic American burger place that just opened in Hongdae. Are you free this Saturday?”
There’s a short pause before Jongdae scrunches his nose and shakes his head, “Sorry, Baek. Kyungsoo and I already have tickets for a musical. I guess you’ll just have to see if Chanyeol’s free.”
“Oh, okay. I guess that’s not a bad idea. I’ll do that.” Baekhyun tries not to be put-off by the fact that Jongdae is busy (with Kyungsoo), and instead focuses on the prospect of seeing Chanyeol again.
He misses the gleeful look Jongdae throws his roommate.
From: Channiekkuma
Did you hear about the famous Italian chef that died?
To: Channiekkuma
???
From: Channiekkuma
He pasta way, but his cooking will always be a great pizza history.
To: Channiekkuma
That’s awful. Even for you.
From: Channiekkuma
;) but it’s an excellent segue to ask if you’re free for dinner this Wednesday. Italian in Itaewon?
For being on the main drag, the Italian Bistro Chanyeol selected is remarkably quaint and cozy; there’s various wine bottles lining the wooden walls and flickering candles illuminating each small table. Though neither of them have ever dined there before, Baekhyun allows Chanyeol to choose the dishes while he selects the wine from the very extensive import menu.
“So this may be out of line for me to ask,” Chanyeol says halfway through the meal, “But with your love of fine dining and such, did you ever consider being a food critic?”
Baekhyun snorts outright. “I love eating, not reviewing food. There’s a huge difference.”
“Oh?”
“Yup,” Baekhyun assures. “I function purely on taste. I have no idea how flavors are supposed to work together, or what the perfect temperature to cook lamb is. All I know is if it makes my tongue happy, it’s doing the job right. Heck, I even love MSG and I’m pretty sure that’s a no-no when it comes to fine dining.”
“Well, you have a point there.” Baekhyun is growing very fond of the way Chanyeol laughs and talks at the same time.
“I like my day job. Eating is my hobby, my way to unwind and experience Seoul at the same time.”
“I can understand that.” Chanyeol nods to himself. “But I think you’d make a great food blogger if you ever chose to go down that path. I’d be a loyal reader.”
Turning the conversation towards Chanyeol, Baekhyun asks him how he got into cooking. Truthfully, he’s been tempted to ask since the first date, but now the moment is perfect to indulge his curiosity.
It takes Chanyeol a few moments of thought before he sets down his fork to meet Baekhyun’s imploring gaze.
“Well, my parents owned a few restaurants growing up, and when we weren’t at school, my sister and I were helping out at one of them. I guess cooking has always been close to me. I liked experimenting in the kitchen and watching patrons smile when they ate my mom’s cooking. It was a stressful environment to grow up in, but it was also really satisfying to see people enjoying the food my family worked so hard to prepare. Someday I’d like to open my own place, maybe.”
“Really?” Baekhyun imagines a miniature version of Chanyeol playing around in the kitchen in an oversized apron and the thought brings a smile to his face.
“Yeah, when I’m older. Something small, probably Korean fusion or something. But the market isn’t good for new restaurants right now.”
It’s a sad truth, Baekhyun knows. Half of his favorite places in Seoul have closed their doors since he moved to the city years ago.
Chanyeol nods solemnly at his own words before smiling gently, “Plus, I’m still learning.”
“Well, should you ever open your own place, I pledge to be your most loyal customer.” It’s cheesy and he almost cringes as soon as the words slip out, but they seem to bring joy to Chanyeol, who looks up with a fond glimmer in his eyes.
“Really?”
“I mean, if the food is up to par.”
Chanyeol kicks him from underneath the table.
(But immediately rubs his foot along the same patch of Baekhyun’s calf afterwards in a small apology.)
They’re walking towards the subway half an hour later, when Chanyeol suddenly pulls Baekhyun off the sidewalk and into a small enclave. Baekhyun is only able to make out the dingy sign of a tattoo parlor up the metal staircase near the end of the inlet before Chanyeol places the gentlest of kisses to his lips.
It’s unforgivably chaste, a little cheesy -- and entirely too short -- but the pleased smile on Chanyeol’s face when he pulls away more than makes up for it.
Baekhyun’s heart continues to hammer in his chest even after Chanyeol tugs him back out onto the sidewalk. Chanyeol doesn’t let go of his hand the entire way to the station.
Baekhyun is so caught in the juvenile thrill of the kiss that he doesn’t realize he was the one who offered to pay for dinner until he’s already on the train.
From: Jongdae
So when are you going to acknowledge that you and Chanyeol are an item?
AND that Kyungsoo isn’t out to murder you?
PART 2>>
Pairing: Baekhyun/Chanyeol
Genre: Romance
Rating: PG
Length: 10.7k
Summary: Baekhyun only goes on dates for the free food. But that all might change when Jongdae sets him up with fellow-foodie, Chanyeol.
Notes: Originally posted in exoquartus. Cross posting with minor edits. Special thank you to the prompter and DM, who put up with all my whining while writing this.
Too outdoorsy.
Too boring.
Too much facial hair.
Used ‘YOLO’ in his bio.
Baekhyun’s fingers swipe left mindlessly, lips pursed in half concentration, half disappointment. He swears he’s seen some of these profiles before. Could he have already run the Tinder well dry?
“Hello? Earth to Baekhyun?” Suddenly there’s a hand waving between Baekhyun’s face and his phone screen, breaking his concentration.
“Yeah?” He lazily pulls his eyes from the screen to blink up at a visibly annoyed Jongdae.
“You do realize you’ve been sitting here staring at your phone and completely ignoring me for the past five minutes, right?”
“Oh,” Baekhyun shrugs. “I thought we’d reached that point where the conversation ran out and it was okay to pull out our phones until another thought hit us.” After all, Baekhyun and Jongdae meet for coffee in the small shop below their apartment building all the time. Between living in the same building and already being best friends, they see plenty of each other.
“Rude. Let me guess, you’re on Tinder again?”
Baekhyun hums in response, returning to his task of swiping left furiously.
“What’s the restaurant this time?” Jongdae knows full well what Baekhyun’s up to.
“There’s a new sushi place in Hongdae,” Baekhyun’s only ever on Tinder for one reason, “They have an all you can eat lunch special that is supposed to be wonderful. I really want to try it out before the queue gets too long.”
Jongdae can only nod in acknowledgement, “Any luck so far?”
“Not yet.” His thumb continues to make a series of split second rejections.
“Maybe if you weren’t so picky.”
Baekhyun looks up from his screen once again to poke his tongue out at Jongdae. Perhaps Baekhyun is a little picky when it comes to online dating, but not for the reasons most people are. Truth be told, he generally intentionally seeks out guys he knows he won’t hit it off with. He’s not looking for anything serious. Hell, he’s hardly even looking to properly date.
Essentially, Baekhyun goes on dates for the food, not the actual prospect of romance. It’s a practice Jongdae has told him is cruel, but Baekhyun can’t see the harm in meeting new people and sharing a meal. All Baekhyun wants is a little company over dinner -- hopefully someone to front the bill -- and no reason to ever see them again.
Furthermore, he defends, it’s difficult to dine alone in Seoul. Either he’s faced with the judgement of other patrons or, worse yet, simply told the restaurant won’t seat parties smaller than two. So, if Jongdae won’t tag along he’s left to find his own company, and that’s where Tinder comes in handy.
“Oh, look at this guy,” Baekhyun turns the device towards Jongdae excitedly. “He named his cats after the Three Musketeers.”
A groan is heard as Jongdae slumps, face down, into the table.
Despite Jongdae's opinions otherwise, Baekhyun likes to maintain that he can cook, he simply elects not to. His kitchen is equipped with all the standard wears, including a whisk and collinder. He has multiple sauce pans, a skillet, even a wok. He knows well enough how to keep himself fed; grate cheese, steam vegetables, boil eggs, he can do all the basics.
Yet, whenever Baekhyun tries to put together a meal, something always seems a bit off.
Worse yet, he’s never been great at keeping groceries in his house. After about the fifteenth unidentifiable vegetable mush to be removed from his produce drawer, Baekhyun wrote off cooking completely -- save a few weekend breakfasts and late-night snacks here and there.
And this is why Baekhyun finds himself two floors down in Jongdae’s apartment at least twice a week. Because, loathe he to admit it, Jongdae's roommate Kyungsoo actually can cook. Quite well in fact.
He’s already browsed the selection of leftovers in the fridge and decided on his meal for the night when Jongdae waltzes into the kitchen, completely undisturbed by the fact that Baekhyun is raiding his fridge. He takes a seat at the kitchen island and observes Baekhyun navigating the kitchen like he owns the place.
“Kyungsoo and I know a guy who you could go try out the sushi place with.”
Baekhyun looks over his shoulder from where he’s plating banchan on the counter to narrow his eyes at Jongdae. “You want me to go out with someone Kyungsoo suggested? It’s probably a hit man.”
“You seriously need to stop thinking Kyungsoo is out to get you,” Jongdae groans, already exasperated because he knows what’s coming next.
“Why do you have a roommate? You don’t even need a roommate.”
“Says the guy who’s greedily eating all the food he prepared,” Baekhyun hears a loud huff. “But anyway, I have a roommate because it’s nice to only have to pay half the bills, and to have a little company around. Not all of us are recluses like you who prefer limited human contact.”
“But why him?” Kyungsoo and Baekhyun have never managed to hit it off in the year and half since he moved into Jongdae’s apartment, despite Jongdae’s best efforts to bring the two closer.
“You seem to be under the false impression that Kyungsoo is all doom, gloom, and broody stares. When in reality, the guy still watches kids cartoons and he has yet to watch an anime that didn’t make him cry at some point.”
“But, he hates me!” Baekhyun turns around with a stomp. He earns another loud sigh from Jongdae, who has heard this complaint countless times already.
“Can you really blame him?”
“I thought it was you in the shower that one time! I never would have done that to a stranger!” Baekhyun defends, voice raising as he aggressively waves the spoon in his hand.
“And the balcony incident?”
“Okay, that was not my fault. He wears all black, the lights were off, and he was entirely not visible when I locked the door.”
“He was out there for two hours,” Jongdae says flatly, holding up two fingers. “Two.”
“I had headphones in!”
“You don't even live here. You had no reason to be locking doors in the first place!”
“Regardless,” Baekhyun chooses to move back to the original topic at hand, “You’re saying that Kyungsoo knows a guy that he thinks I would hit it off with. That’s not exactly promising, Jongdae.”
“Ugh, Baekhyun. I know him too, we play League together sometimes. He’s a cool guy. Very friendly. Likes food probably more than you do.”
“You want me to go out with someone who plays League?” The idea of such a nerdy hobby causes Baekhyun to scrunch his nose.
“Stop finding fault in everything. And, hello, I also play League, so stop acting so disgusted.”
“Yeah, but there’s never the potential of me taking you and your acorn head home to meet my parents. ‘Mom, Dad, this is Jongdae. He teaches middle school because he is still mentally 14.’”
Jongdae ignores the insult, “Look, you never give anyone a chance, you’ve probably forgotten how to actually date and not just eat and disappear at this point. Why not give Chanyeol a try? He’s really cool. If you don’t hit it off, you can go back to Tinder or whatever.”
Chanyeol? That’s the guy’s name? Baekhyun briefly wonders what his League username might be. (Knowing that he’s friends with Jongdae, it’s probably something wildly inappropriate.)
He mulls over Jongdae’s words for a moment before pointing the spoon his his hand at Jongdae authoritatively.
“Fine. Give him my number, and he better be free this Saturday.”
Baekhyun returns to his apartment an hour later, pleasantly full of kimchi radish, kkaenip namul, and curry rice. He rubs his belly and lets out a contented yawn as he wanders toward his bedroom. Yet, even with a full stomach, Baekhyun feels unsettled; Jongdae’s words from earlier lingering on his conscious. He knows it’s been awhile since he took dating seriously, but has he become to accustomed to dining and dashing that he’s forgotten how to actually date someone?
As if on cue, his phone vibrates in his pocket just as he begins to change out of his pants. He pulls out the device to see a text from an unknown number.
From: Unknown
Hi. This is Chanyeol. Jongdae gave me this number? He said something about sushi?
Well, this is his chance to prove Jongdae wrong. Blame it on habit or the fact that he’s never been great at conversing via text, he opts to cut straight to the chase.
To: Chanyeol
Hello! Nice to virtually meet you, I’m Baekhyun.
Are you free this saturday?
From: Chanyeol
I can be ;)
Normally, Baekhyun would break off all contact at the use of a winky face, but he reminds himself that he’s doing this for Jongdae and does his best to overlook the small faux pas.
To: Chanyeol
Great! Meet by Hongdae exit 3 at 1:30?
From: Chanyeol
I can do that! Looking forward to it.
To: Chanyeol
Likewise. By the way, what’s your League username?
From: Chanyeol
Uhh… ChAnniekkuma. Why? You play too?
To: Chanyeol
No, just curious ^^ See you Saturday!
Baekhyun emerges from the subway at 1:27, clad in a hoodie and jeans -- intentionally dressed down. It’s standard practice for all his dates: start off casual and comfortable. The minimal effort approach -- as he calls it -- serves many functions, the most important being It allows his natural charms to shine through. Another important function, for most of his strictly food-based dates, is that the casual approach gives off the air of nonchalance he strives for.
He stands off to the side of the sidewalk, and sends a quick text to Chanyeol letting him know that he’s waiting, in a red hoodie by the CU. He continues to play with his phone as he waits, barely paying mind to the throngs of people passing by.
“Baekhyun?” A deep voice asks suddenly. He looks up to meet the curious eyes of a man -- who he presumes to be Chanyeol -- smiling shyly down at him.
Chanyeol’s handsome, really handsome, with round eyes and a natural smile that looks like it belongs in a toothpaste commercial and not on the grimy streets of Hongdae. Unlike Baekhyun, he appears to have put some effort into getting ready -- hair coiffed in just the right way, and the collar of his shirt perfectly folded over the neck of his sweater. Baekhyun unconsciously tugs at the hem of his hoodie realizing that, since this is supposed to be a real date, maybe he should have put in a bit more time when getting ready.
He still hasn’t returned Chanyeol’s greeting, too busy blatantly checking Chanyeol out. Jongdae never said Chanyeol was hot.
“Or… not? Sorry, I’m supposed to meet someone,” Chanyeol chuckles nervously before he starts to turn away.
“No!” The words pull Baekhyun from his daze, his hand quickly reaching out to grip Chanyeol’s arm. “I mean it’s me, I am Baekhyun. You’re Chanyeol?”
“I am,” When Chanyeol smiles, one of his eyes squints slightly more shut than the other, and Baekhyun is doing his best not to look too stupefied by the sight. When he finally shakes Chanyeol’s extended and, the taller grins even wider.
“Nice to meet you.”
His hand is as warm as his smile.
The pair exchange general pleasantries as they make their way around the corner to the small sushi restaurant located on the second floor above a novelty shop. Thankfully, there’s no wait and they’re seated immediately. Baekhyun takes the liberty of ordering the unlimited special he’s been daydreaming about, while Chanyeol busies himself with pouring water for the both of them and setting the table.
Once everything is squared away with the waitress, Baekhyun turns his full attention to Chanyeol -- reminding himself once again that this is a real date and not one of his usual food dates. He's going into this with an open mind and not thinking about how to turn Chanyeol off completely while walking away with a free meal.
“So what do you do, Chanyeol?” He’s half expecting Chanyeol to say something along the lines of teacher or IT technician, since he runs with the likes of Jongdae and Kyungsoo, but Chanyeol appears to be full of surprises.
“I’m part of the kitchen staff at a restaurant in Gangnam,” When Baekhyun’s eyes light up, Chanyeol throws him one of the smiles that he’s learning are given quite easily.
“So you can cook?” Perhaps he’s a little too eager, but food is his everything -- and a man who can cook might actually be his dream come true.
Chanyeol nods, “I guess you could say that.”
Another question hits Baekhyun, “Then what are you doing eating out?”
His confusion must be obvious because Chanyeol chuckles as soon as the question leaves his mouth.
“Well, call me lazy, but I always think food tastes better when I don’t have to cook it.”
“See! That’s what I’ve been trying to explain to Jongdae for ages!” Baekhyun bounces in his seat. “It’s not that I can’t cook, I just don’t want to. There are too many wonderful foods in Seoul to try.”
“Exactly. Have to make the most of it.”
The first round of sushi arrives and Baekhyun swears he is in heaven. Each roll is more delicious than the last and he’s ready for the next round even before he’s finished half of what’s on the table.
Chanyeol, too, seems quite pleased with the meal. As Baekhyun throws all the table manners his mother ever taught him -- like setting down his chopsticks in between bites -- out the window, Chanyeol remarks on the plating and quality of the fish.
With Chanyeol’s easygoing nature, Baekhyun finds himself naturally volunteering small bits of information about himself as well. Chanyeol nearly snorts when Baekhyun narrates his failed attempts in the kitchen, and takes no offense when Baekhyun off-handedly calls League of legends “Jongdae’s most lame hobby.”
They quickly find common ground in their shared love of food. They’ve scoped out a lot of the same restaurants in the area and compare notes on the dishes they’ve enjoyed the most.
And Jongdae definitely wasn’t lying when he said Chanyeol might love food even more than Baekhyun does.
More than anything, Baekhyun learns that Chanyeol has a way of talking about food that makes it sound even more delicious than it already is. With that soothing deep voice of his and the way he talks to eloquently about cooking, Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol could make a killing narrating cookbooks. There might not be a market for that yet, but Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol could make it a thing pretty quickly.
There’s a richness in each of Chanyeol’s descriptions that extends beyond the words themselves and conveys a passion for all things culinary. Even Baekhyun -- a self labeled foodie -- doesn’t think his own passions could ever possibly compare to the appreciation Chanyeol holds for his craft. Chanyeol’s delectable words are -- essentially -- verbal food porn, and they wrap around Baekhyun, lulling him into contentment as his stomach gradually fills with rolls upon rolls of sushi.
That is, until Chanyeol sets his chopsticks down to look mischievously at Baekhyun, “You could say this place is very… sofishsticated.”
The pun takes a minute to register with Baekhyun, but once it does he grimaces.
“That… was really lame.” He says, eyes full of good-natured judgement.
“But, it made you smile didn’t it?”
And it’s true, even though he’s trying to pull his most offended face, he can’t fight the curve of his lips.
Lame jokes aside, Baekhyun decides it’s really nice to dine with Chanyeol. He’s surprisingly knowledgeable and can carry a conversation about anything and everything. He could definitely do this again.
Not to mention, he also hands the waitress his credit card before Baekhyun ever has a chance to glance at the bill.
“So,” Jongdae pops himself in the seat across from Baekhyun the following afternoon. “How was your date with Chanyeol?”
“Fine.”
“Don’t ‘fine’ me, Byun Baekhyun. If you hated it, you would have texted me immediately after demanding my head. So, you must have enjoyed yourself,” He concludes seconds later before wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
For the eyebrow wiggle, he deserves the slap Baekhyun reaches to give him from across the table.
“He’s… “ Baekhyun begins contemplating once he’s properly seated in his chair again, “... Nice. His jokes were awful, though.” Baekhyun doesn’t like the wickedly pleased look that’s spreading across Jongdae’s face.
“Oh Baekhyun, always so hard to please. But maybe now you’ll believe that Kyungsoo isn’t actually out to destroy you?” Jongdae tests.
“Wouldn’t go that far yet. The man was awfully knowledgeable about the knives used to slice sashimi, so I still can’t rule out hitman and or ulterior motives.”
Jongdae rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone to -- most likely -- gloatingly text Kyungsoo.
To: Channiekkuma
How do feel about BBQ this Friday?
From: Channiekkuma
So long as it’s not gopchang, I’m in.
It’s been awhile since Baekhyun has had a second date with someone, and he’s having a hard time remembering exactly what kind of conversation happens beyond the general pleasantries of the first date. Thankfully for him though, Chanyeol seems to have no issue keeping them engaged in conversation with everything from tales of his weird co-workers to the ahjumma he saw on the train this morning in a rainbow-patterned hiking suit.
Baekhyun gets so pulled into Chanyeol’s eccentric way of storytelling -- and the very animated hand gestures that accompany each tale -- that he burns three garlic cloves and two strips of pork belly before Chanyeol offers to take the tongs off his hands.
Much like the first date, Baekhyun feels remarkably at ease in Chanyeol’s presence. Baekhyun wonders if it’s the cackling of the meat on the grill, the aroma of sizzling pork, or simply Chanyeol that has him feeling so comfortable.
It’s about halfway through the meal -- and their discussion of The Himalayas -- when Baekhyun observes that Chanyeol’s cheeks have reddened significantly since they sat down at the grill. With further observation Baekhyun notes that Chanyeol’s been taking generous gulps of his water every few minutes. Chanyeol’s playing it off as coolly as possible, but when he begins to clear his throat after every bite, Baekhyun can’t help but giggle to himself, biting his lips to hold in the sound.
He can only restrain himself for so long though before he asks, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but maybe the ssamjang is a bit too spicy for you?” Amusement obvious in his voice.
“What?” Chanyeol practically coughs out, “No way. It’s just… the meat is very hot. Temperature wise.”
“Oh, really?” Baekhyun giggles outright, watching as Chanyeol continues to scoop generous amounts of ssamjang onto his lettuce wrap. Is that a tear forming in his left eye? “That’s why your cheeks are so red and your nose has been running for the past ten minutes?”
Chanyeol looks at Baekhyun in challenge -- knowing full well he’s already lost, but apparently not willing to let go of a small bit of his dignity. “Exactly. I love spicy food. Have yet to meet a spice I couldn’t stomach.”
Two can play at this game.
“Whatever you say,” he smiles as he scoops a huge dollop of ssamjang and several pepper slices to his own wrap. He makes a point of maintaining focused eye contact with Chanyeol as he takes a showy bite. The corner of Chanyeol’s eye twitches as he tries to control his expression. By the time Baekhyun is finished chewing, Chanyeol’s pain has peeked through into a fully pronounced grimace.
“You’re right, not spicy at all.” Baekhyun boasts after he’s done chewing, licking his lips for good measure.
Chanyeol gulps.
Chanyeol and his still-red face walk Baekhyun to the subway after the meal. The night is still young, and Baekhyun contemplates asking Chanyeol if he’d like to go for drinks. Alas, Chanyeol mentioned having to go into work the next morning and it’s probably best to end the second date at a reasonable hour.
He smiles up at Chanyeol as they reach the stairs of the entrance. Chanyeol’s nose is an adorable shade of red on the tip and Baekhyun can’t tell if it’s a lingering symptom of the spice or if his nose always reddens a little in the chill of the early spring breeze.
“I had a good time tonight,” The way Chanyeol’s says the words -- with his eyes focused so intently on him -- has Baekhyun’s own cheeks heating up a bit.
“Me too. Now go home and drink some milk to soothe that tongue,” Baekhyun advises with his own cheeky grin and a motherly pat to Chanyeol’s shoulder.
Chanyeol exhales playfully in frustration but says nothing more. Instead he leans in closer, placing a hand at the top of Baekhyun’s back. Baekhyun willingly lets himself be pulled against Chanyeol’s chest in a loose hug. It’s awkward, because he doesn’t know what to do with his hands, but -- like everything with Chanyeol -- it’s also pleasant and relaxing and it sends little tingles running down his spine from the place where Chanyeol’s fingertips dig in deepest. With one final brush of his palm against Baekhyun’s shoulder blade, Chanyeol pulls away, and Baekhyun instantly misses the warmth.
“See you soon?” It’s cute the way Chanyeol asks to tentatively, the way he tucks his lip under his teeth immediately after the question.
Baekhyun can only curl his lips into a half smile and offer a breathless “Yeah, I’d like that” before he bites his own lip and turns to disappear into the subway station. He doesn’t turn around to see if Chanyeol’s watching him, but he swears he can feel Chanyeol’s gaze as he descends the stairs.
Baekhyun returns home from a long day at work to an empty fridge (as expected). So, he drops his bag on the couch, changes out of his button-up, and skips the short distance down two flights of stairs to Jongdae’s apartment. Per usual, he doesn’t bother to knock and lets himself in.
“Hello Jongdae and… Kyungsoo,” His disappointment is barely concealed once he spots the pair on the living room couch: Jongdae on his laptop as usual, folders spread across the coffee table while Kyungsoo watches television.
“Hey Baek,” Jongdae doesn’t look up from the screen while Kyungsoo attempts a half-hearted wave. “There’s some kimbap on the counter.”
“Can’t I just stop by to visit?” Baekhyun catches the way Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You know I’d always choose you over free food,” He adds sweetly, more to annoy Kyungsoo than to tease Jongdae.
“Don’t worry, I’m not doubting your love for me,” With a cheeky grin, Jongdae finally turns his head up to look at Baekhyun. “I’m just saying, I could set my watch by your stomach and if it’s seven pm on a weeknight and you’re in my apartment, I know your motives.”
“Well, if you put it like that... my stomach says it’s time for kimbap.” And with that he skips off to the kitchen.
“Who said it’s free?” Baekhyun hears Jongdae challenge from the living room, “As compensation for the food, you’re going to help me grade all these math tests. So hurry up and eat and get your butt back out here. I have to input the grades by ten.”
Baekhyun, Jongdae and Kyungsoo have fastened some form of an organized assembly line, with Jongdae correcting, Baekhyun talling the grades and, finally, Kyungsoo logging them all in Jongdae’s gradebook. It’s not a quiet affair -- as nothing is ever quiet when Baekhyun and Jongdae are involved -- but Baekhyun still finds it relaxing in a strange way. Probably because he’s snuggled up against Jongdae in the most platonic of ways, feeding off his body heat.
He’s just written a bright red “89” at the top of one exam when Jongdae gasps with a sudden realization.
“I almost forgot!” And suddenly Baekhyun is being pushed off of Jongdae’s warm shoulder, “I heard you and Chanyeol went out again the other night night. Safe to say you no longer think he’s a hit man?”
“You thought he was a hitman?” Kyungsoo asks -- his tone bordering incredulous, but mostly confused.
“Long story,” Baekhyun and Jongdae say in unison.
“Okay…”
“But anyway. Date number two: how was it?” Jongdae is entirely too excited about this, and Baekhyun doesn’t want to feed his ego -- but, he also longs to tell someone about how cute Chanyeol’s red cheeks were as he stubbornly gorged himself on too-spicy samgyupsal.
So he settles for, “The food was great. A bit too spicy for him, I think. But he was a trooper.”
“Ah yeah,” Kyungsoo pipes in, “Chanyeol’s not good with spicy food, but he’ll never admit it.”
Baekhyun had almost forgotten that Kyungsoo and Chanyeol are friends, and he feels the smallest ping of jealousy in the pit of his stomach. What else does Kyungsoo know about Chanyeol that he has yet to learn?
“So any chance of date number three?” Baekhyun’s getting really sick of Jongdae’s suggestive eyebrow wiggles, but the idea of date number three sounds… really nice.
“We’ll see…” Baekhyun smiles to himself. “Oh! But, there’s a new supposedly authentic American burger place that just opened in Hongdae. Are you free this Saturday?”
There’s a short pause before Jongdae scrunches his nose and shakes his head, “Sorry, Baek. Kyungsoo and I already have tickets for a musical. I guess you’ll just have to see if Chanyeol’s free.”
“Oh, okay. I guess that’s not a bad idea. I’ll do that.” Baekhyun tries not to be put-off by the fact that Jongdae is busy (with Kyungsoo), and instead focuses on the prospect of seeing Chanyeol again.
He misses the gleeful look Jongdae throws his roommate.
From: Channiekkuma
Did you hear about the famous Italian chef that died?
To: Channiekkuma
???
From: Channiekkuma
He pasta way, but his cooking will always be a great pizza history.
To: Channiekkuma
That’s awful. Even for you.
From: Channiekkuma
;) but it’s an excellent segue to ask if you’re free for dinner this Wednesday. Italian in Itaewon?
For being on the main drag, the Italian Bistro Chanyeol selected is remarkably quaint and cozy; there’s various wine bottles lining the wooden walls and flickering candles illuminating each small table. Though neither of them have ever dined there before, Baekhyun allows Chanyeol to choose the dishes while he selects the wine from the very extensive import menu.
“So this may be out of line for me to ask,” Chanyeol says halfway through the meal, “But with your love of fine dining and such, did you ever consider being a food critic?”
Baekhyun snorts outright. “I love eating, not reviewing food. There’s a huge difference.”
“Oh?”
“Yup,” Baekhyun assures. “I function purely on taste. I have no idea how flavors are supposed to work together, or what the perfect temperature to cook lamb is. All I know is if it makes my tongue happy, it’s doing the job right. Heck, I even love MSG and I’m pretty sure that’s a no-no when it comes to fine dining.”
“Well, you have a point there.” Baekhyun is growing very fond of the way Chanyeol laughs and talks at the same time.
“I like my day job. Eating is my hobby, my way to unwind and experience Seoul at the same time.”
“I can understand that.” Chanyeol nods to himself. “But I think you’d make a great food blogger if you ever chose to go down that path. I’d be a loyal reader.”
Turning the conversation towards Chanyeol, Baekhyun asks him how he got into cooking. Truthfully, he’s been tempted to ask since the first date, but now the moment is perfect to indulge his curiosity.
It takes Chanyeol a few moments of thought before he sets down his fork to meet Baekhyun’s imploring gaze.
“Well, my parents owned a few restaurants growing up, and when we weren’t at school, my sister and I were helping out at one of them. I guess cooking has always been close to me. I liked experimenting in the kitchen and watching patrons smile when they ate my mom’s cooking. It was a stressful environment to grow up in, but it was also really satisfying to see people enjoying the food my family worked so hard to prepare. Someday I’d like to open my own place, maybe.”
“Really?” Baekhyun imagines a miniature version of Chanyeol playing around in the kitchen in an oversized apron and the thought brings a smile to his face.
“Yeah, when I’m older. Something small, probably Korean fusion or something. But the market isn’t good for new restaurants right now.”
It’s a sad truth, Baekhyun knows. Half of his favorite places in Seoul have closed their doors since he moved to the city years ago.
Chanyeol nods solemnly at his own words before smiling gently, “Plus, I’m still learning.”
“Well, should you ever open your own place, I pledge to be your most loyal customer.” It’s cheesy and he almost cringes as soon as the words slip out, but they seem to bring joy to Chanyeol, who looks up with a fond glimmer in his eyes.
“Really?”
“I mean, if the food is up to par.”
Chanyeol kicks him from underneath the table.
(But immediately rubs his foot along the same patch of Baekhyun’s calf afterwards in a small apology.)
They’re walking towards the subway half an hour later, when Chanyeol suddenly pulls Baekhyun off the sidewalk and into a small enclave. Baekhyun is only able to make out the dingy sign of a tattoo parlor up the metal staircase near the end of the inlet before Chanyeol places the gentlest of kisses to his lips.
It’s unforgivably chaste, a little cheesy -- and entirely too short -- but the pleased smile on Chanyeol’s face when he pulls away more than makes up for it.
Baekhyun’s heart continues to hammer in his chest even after Chanyeol tugs him back out onto the sidewalk. Chanyeol doesn’t let go of his hand the entire way to the station.
Baekhyun is so caught in the juvenile thrill of the kiss that he doesn’t realize he was the one who offered to pay for dinner until he’s already on the train.
From: Jongdae
So when are you going to acknowledge that you and Chanyeol are an item?
AND that Kyungsoo isn’t out to murder you?
PART 2>>