Alpha Culinary Love

The atmosphere in the kitchen turned frosty as Hugo leaned against the doorframe, his perfectly coiffed hair mocking their sweaty, flour-dusted faces. His smug grin spread like melted butter over too-dry toast, and Jiyeon wanted nothing more than to slap it off with a hot frying pan.

"Oh, don't let me interrupt your… whatever this is," Hugo drawled, waving a hand at their organized chaos. "I'm sure your little dumplings are quaint. Like, 'Grandma made them with leftover scraps' quaint."

Kang visibly twitched, clutching a spoon as though it were a dagger. "Hugo," he hissed, "did you waddle in here just to spew your unsolicited critique, or are you here for a free meal because your overpriced foam art is finally out of fashion?"

Hugo's laugh was as fake as the "natural" highlights in his hair. "Oh, darling Kang, your desperation for relevance is showing. Do tuck it back in before someone steps on it."

Jiyeon stepped forward, wielding a cleaver for effect, though her real target was Hugo's ego. "Listen here, Hugo. If you're here to eat, you'll sit quietly and keep your opinions to yourself. If you're here to talk trash, I'll personally serve you a plate of roasted crow."

Jisoo snorted as she whisked a sauce. "And we'll garnish it with your dignity, thinly sliced."

Hugo looked momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered, his smirk returning with vengeance. "Such fiery passion. I almost feel sorry for you all. But alas, you'll never understand the refined art of cooking. Your flavors are… pedestrian."

"Pedestrian?!" Jisoo's whisk hit the counter with a loud clatter. "You're calling us pedestrian while you're out there serving deconstructed celery sticks on gold-plated plates? Hugo, I swear if you say one more word—"

Jiyeon raised a hand to calm her crew. "Jisoo, focus. We've got bigger fish to fry." She turned to Hugo, her expression cold enough to curdle cream. "And as for you, if you're going to loiter, you might as well make yourself useful. Ever heard of chopping onions? Or are your delicate chef hands only good for shaking at award ceremonies?"

Hugo scoffed. "As if I would stoop to—"

"Great," Jiyeon interrupted. "Kang, toss him an apron. Hugo's on onion duty."

The kitchen erupted in laughter as Kang gleefully chucked a stained apron at Hugo, who caught it with a horrified expression. "This… this is silk!"

"Not anymore," Jisoo deadpanned.

For a few tense minutes, Hugo begrudgingly chopped onions, muttering insults under his breath that no one bothered to acknowledge. The critic in the dining room was blissfully unaware of the kitchen war zone, happily devouring the dishes that had already gone out.

Jiyeon, despite the chaos, was in her element. "Alright, people, let's step it up. Jisoo, I need that sauce silky smooth. Kang, focus on plating—this needs to scream elegance, not 'I threw it together at 2 a.m. after a breakup.' Seungmin, how's that reduction coming?"

"Thicker than Hugo's skull," Seungmin replied, earning a glare from their unwanted guest.

"You're all so charming," Hugo said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I can't imagine why anyone would willingly work with you."

Jiyeon smirked. "And yet, here you are. Funny how life works."

As the final dishes for the critic were plated, Hugo's critical gaze lingered on every detail. "You know, Jiyeon, if you weren't so stubborn, you might've been a decent chef under my mentorship."

Jiyeon didn't miss a beat. "And if you weren't so insufferable, you might've been tolerable as a human being."

The kitchen burst into laughter again, and even Hugo couldn't hide the small twitch of amusement at the corner of his mouth.

The server returned moments later with news that sent shockwaves through the team. "The critic wants to meet the chef," they announced, looking between Jiyeon and the rest of the crew.

Hugo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this should be good. Let's see how you handle actual scrutiny."

Jiyeon straightened her jacket, ignoring Hugo's jab. "Wish me luck," she said to her team, though her confident smirk made it clear she didn't need it.

"You've got this, boss," Jisoo called. "Just don't stab them unless absolutely necessary."

"Or do," Kang added. "We'll cover for you."

Hugo leaned against the counter, arms crossed. "Don't embarrass yourself, Jiyeon. Or, better yet, do. I could use the entertainment."

Jiyeon shot him a glare. "Watch the kitchen while I'm gone. If anything burns, it's your fault."

The dining room was hushed as Jiyeon approached the critic's table, her nerves bubbling just below the surface. The critic, a sharp-eyed individual with an air of untouchable superiority, looked up from their notebook.

"Chef Jiyeon, I presume?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice steady. "I hope everything was to your liking."

The critic's lips curved into a faint smile. "Liking would be an understatement. Your flavors are bold, balanced, and deeply personal. It's rare to see such passion on a plate."

Jiyeon blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Thank you," she said, recovering quickly. "That means a lot coming from someone of your expertise."

The critic nodded, jotting down a final note. "I'll be writing a glowing review. But tell me, Chef, how do you handle such… spirited chaos in your kitchen?"

Jiyeon's smile widened. "With a lot of patience and a little humor. It keeps things interesting."

The critic chuckled. "Well, it seems to work. I look forward to seeing more from you."

As Jiyeon returned to the kitchen, the team erupted into cheers. Even Hugo looked mildly impressed, though he quickly masked it with a scoff.

"Don't get cocky," he said, but there was no real bite in his tone.

Jiyeon grinned, basking in the victory. "Come on, Hugo. Admit it. You're a little impressed."

Hugo rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But don't expect me to say it out loud."

"Fair enough," Jiyeon replied. "Now get back to those onions."

And for once, Hugo didn't argue.

Jiyeon leaned against the kitchen counter, savoring the rare silence that followed the chaos. The team was still celebrating the critic's praise, with Seungmin doing some sort of awkward victory dance and Jisoo mockingly throwing parsley at him.

Kang, however, stood by the stove, arms crossed and grinning. "You handled that like a champ," he said, nodding toward Jiyeon.

"Well," Jiyeon replied, brushing off her jacket, "it's easy to shine when the competition is…" She glanced over at Hugo, who was still chopping onions, his expression a mixture of disdain and resignation. "Subpar."

"Subpar?" Hugo barked, slamming the knife down on the cutting board. "I'll have you know that I was cooking foie gras while you were still trying to figure out how to boil water."

"Bold of you to assume I ever struggled with boiling water," Jiyeon shot back. "Though, judging by your knife skills, it's clear you've been stuck at onion prep since culinary school."

Jisoo snorted loudly, nearly choking on her soda. "I think you're being too generous, boss. Hugo's chopping onions like he's auditioning for Worst Cooks in the World."

Hugo's face flushed as he held up a misshapen chunk of onion. "This? This is precision. You wouldn't know nuance if it hit you in the face."

Seungmin leaned in, peering at the chopped onions. "Nuance? Is that what you're calling uneven chunks these days? Bold rebranding move."

Jiyeon raised her hands to cut through the laughter. "Alright, alright, enough. Let's not roast Hugo too hard. I'm pretty sure his ego is already as fragile as those soufflés he used to screw up on live TV."

Hugo froze, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. "I—I—"

"Just admit it," Kang said with a wicked grin. "You're not here to criticize us. You're here because you miss being part of a team that doesn't hate you."

For a second, the kitchen went quiet. Hugo's face twisted into something unreadable—half offense, half something else Jiyeon couldn't quite place. But instead of snapping back, he sighed dramatically and sat on a stool.

"You're insufferable," Hugo muttered.

"And yet you're still here," Jiyeon said with a smirk.

Hugo glared but didn't argue.

The next few hours passed in a haze of camaraderie, insults, and ridiculous banter. With the critic gone and dinner service winding down, the team started cleaning up. Jisoo swept the floor with exaggerated flair, twirling the broom like a weapon.

"Another day, another victory," she declared. "You know, if we keep this up, Jiyeon, we might even become legends. Like… culinary superheroes."

"Superheroes?" Kang asked, arching an eyebrow. "What would our powers even be?"

"Mine would be charm, obviously," Seungmin chimed in, flexing dramatically.

"Charm?" Jisoo scoffed. "If by 'charm,' you mean 'accidental disasters,' then sure."

Jiyeon laughed, tossing a towel onto the counter. "Let's be real. If we're superheroes, then I'm clearly the leader. You're all just the scrappy sidekicks."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Scrappy?" Kang echoed. "You've been watching too many cartoons. I'm more like the brooding anti-hero. Mysterious, misunderstood—"

"Mistaken," Hugo interjected from his stool.

Jiyeon turned to him, one eyebrow raised. "Still here, huh?"

"I've got nowhere else to be," Hugo admitted, his tone almost… normal.

The kitchen collectively paused, exchanging surprised looks. Hugo, staying voluntarily? That was new.

"Well," Jiyeon said, breaking the silence, "as long as you're here, you can finish scrubbing those pots."

Hugo groaned but didn't argue.

As the clock crept toward midnight, the team finally began wrapping up. Jisoo yawned, leaning on her broom. "Boss, you're gonna let us sleep, right? Or do you have another crazy idea to throw at us?"

Jiyeon pretended to think about it. "Well, now that you mention it…"

"Nope," Kang said, already grabbing his bag. "Don't even start. I'm leaving before you rope us into a midnight menu brainstorming session."

Seungmin followed suit, saluting dramatically on his way out. "Good luck, boss. Don't let Hugo talk you into a deconstructed peanut butter sandwich idea or something."

Hugo glared but didn't rise to the bait, too focused on finishing the dishes.

As the others trickled out, Jiyeon found herself alone with Hugo. The kitchen, now spotless, felt oddly peaceful.

"You didn't have to stay," Jiyeon said, breaking the silence.

Hugo shrugged, drying his hands. "Maybe I wanted to. Or maybe I was just waiting for you to finally admit that I make this place infinitely more interesting."

"Interesting is one word for it," Jiyeon replied.

Hugo smirked, grabbing his coat. "Don't stay too late, Jiyeon. Even superheroes need rest."

And with that, he was gone, leaving Jiyeon in the quiet kitchen.

For the first time in a while, she felt something close to contentment. Chaos, insults, and all, this was her world—and she wouldn't trade it for anything.