Cooking? Cooking!
Title: Cooking? Cooking!
Pairing/Fandom: SHINee
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. I make no claim to own any of the people in this story. Any similarities between this and any other story is purely coincidental.
Authors Note: Title shamelessly stolen from Super Junior H.
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5
Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10
Key smiled as he put the finishing touch to the dessert he was preparing for Mr Kim, three scoops of gelato (a sharp lemon, smooth strawberry and rich chocolate) lay carefully placed on a flat rectangular plate with a sprig of mint resting carefully on top of the middle scoop. He had been cooking for Mr Kim before his shift for a little over three weeks, Mr Kim refusing to eat meals produced by anyone else.
Chef Song and Chef Jung were taking turns in supervising him, and although Key generally preferred when the female Senior Sous Chef was there, he had to admit that Chef Song's presence was an excellent motivator and the elder chef had given him valuable advice and guidance.
Key quickly passed the dessert plate to Taemin, casting a final look at his dessert. It felt good to be able to cook what he wanted, without having to follow the set guidelines and procedures put in place by Chef Song, in fact, it felt good to be preparing a whole meal for one person, one person who whole-heartedly appreciated and enjoyed his food. Key quickly stopped his thought process, before he had chance to think about the one other person he used to cook for like this... His ex-boyfriend, Lee Jinki.
~###~
Jonghyun's eyes widened in delight as the dessert was placed in front of him. He suddenly felt like a young child again. He grinned before taking a bite of the strawberry gelato, the smooth texture and flavour coating his tongue and leaving him wanting more. "Is this freshly made?" He asked.
Taemin nodded, "it was made by hand by Chef Kim today." Taemin smiled, knowing that Key had arrived at the restaurant an hour and a half earlier than usual to ensure that the dessert would set in time.
"It's delicious." Jonghyun commented, this time taking a bite of the lemon gelato, his mind turning to the chef that prepared these dishes. Whoever it was had prepared them carefully, taking time and effort to not only ensure that they would taste delicious, but that the chef's feelings would shine through. It was then that he realised what the spark in each of Chef Kim's dishes was, the spark that was missing from Chef Song and Chef Jung's... Love. Chef Kim had to be a girl, in love, and Jonghyun hoped that it was with him. The truth was that he himself had fallen in love with Chef Kim. He had never met the chef, but had fallen in love with the honesty and simplicity of the dishes prepared.
Jonghyun quickly finished his dessert, calling over Chef Song once the empty plate was removed from his table. "Bring me Chef Kim." Jonghyun demanded.
"Was the meal not to your liking?" Chef Song asked, trying desperately to keep a grin from his face.
"The food prepared was perfect, as it has been for the past three weeks. The reason I would like to meet Chef Kim," Jonghyun paused, taking a sip of water, "is because I would like to make her my wife."
Chef Song stared at Jonghyun, before his lips narrowed and curled into a smirk. He thought that Chef Kim was a girl, and this was a sure fire way to not only embarrass the young chef, but to also embarrass the cocky son of the owner, preferably to a point that he would dismiss Chef Kim from his employment. "Of course, sir." Chef Song said, forcing a sickly sweet smile to his face. "Junior Sous Chef Kim, report here immediately!"
Jonghyun watched carefully as the galley door to the kitchen swung open, the chef stepping through the threshold and into the dining room. "This is Chef Kim?" Jonghyun asked, taking in the boy's features, his feline eyes, fox like face and slight curved hips.
"It's a pleasure to cook for you, sir." Key said, bowing his head to the owner's son, not at all how he imagined the man to look.
"You cook with such passion and love, that much is clear to see." Jonghyun said, "my apologies, I thought you must have been a woman."
Key shook his head, "My grandmother first taught me to cook, to pour my love into each meal, I guess she must have influenced me." To his dismay, Key felt a flush rise to his face. It wasn't the first time that he had been mistaken for a girl. Throughout high school the teachers would accuse him of stealing the dishes prepared by the girls in his class to get a better grade, still not quite believing him even as he cooked in front of them. His features didn't help either, high cheekbones, bow-shaped lips and curvy hips giving him a feminine appearance.
"Take a seat." Jonghyun said, indicating to the empty table he had occupied. "I want to know more about the chef that has been preparing such delicious meals for me."
Key cautiously sat in the seat he was directed to, watching Jonghyun's face as he did. "What do you want to know?" Key asked carefully.
"Why do you cook?" Jonghyun asked.
The question startled Key. He had been expecting to be asked about how long he has worked at La Bella Napoli, or about his qualifications, not about his reasons for cooking. "I used to cook with my grandmother." Key answered. "It was something that only we did, and brought us closer as a result."
"You don't cook with her anymore?" Jonghyun asked.
"No." Key answered. "I moved to Seoul for my education, and she passed away not long afterwards. I cook still because it reminds me of her, of the closeness we shared." Key felt his throat constrict as he spoke, willing himself not to cry in front of the man he had only just met, even if he had been cooking for him for the past three weeks.
"I'm sorry." Jonghyun spoke quietly.
"You weren't to know." Key said, with a small smile. "Anyway, my grandmother is still here with me. I wear her ring every day when I'm not at work, and as I said, cooking always reminds me of her."
"Well I hope that you will continue to cook." Jonghyun said, a smile forming on his face. "You are very talented, it's a gift to cook as well as you do."
Key felt the flush return to his cheeks as Jonghyun complimented him. "Thanks."
"What shifts are you working this week?" Jonghyun asked suddenly.
"I don't know, the rota hasn't been announced yet." Key answered, wondering why all of a sudden he was being asked about his rota.
"Chef Song." Jonghyun called, inviting the older man back to the table. "Ensure that Chef Kim isn't working on Friday night."
"Th-that's one of our busiest nights!" Key exclaimed.
"I want to take you out for dinner, to thank you for cooking such delicious meals." Jonghyun said with a smile.
"You don't have to." Key insisted, "I should be thanking you for the opportunity!"
"Then thank me by coming for a meal with me." Jonghyun said, smile widening.
Key sighed quietly, before agreeing. "Okay."
"Great!" Jonghyun stood, Key standing quickly afterwards. "I'll pick you up from here on Friday at five."
~###~
"Why didn't you tell me?" Key hissed to Taemin as they made their way back to the kitchen.
"Tell you what?" Taemin asked innocently.
"That Kim Jonghyun is so handsome." Key said quietly, "and a huge flirt."
Taemin shrugged. "He's not my type, so I supposed I can't say if he's handsome or not."
"Still," Key paused, "you could have warned me." Key felt himself blush. Kim Jonghyun was, in his opinion, probably the most handsome man he had set his eyes on. Excellent fashion sense, broad shoulders and large chocolate brown eyes. "I could barely look at him."
"If it's any consolation hyung, I think he likes you too." Taemin commented, causing Key's blush to deepen.
"Hey! Who said anything about liking him?"
Taemin grinned, "it's obvious. Enjoy your date with him." Taemin added before quickly scampering to the staff room.
"It's not a date!"