Chapter Text
Yoo Joonghyuk left his pro-gaming career once he discovered his love for cooking. It was mostly thanks to Yoo Mia, his little sister, that he even picked up a knife in order to slice shallots and premium fish filets. He went to the best culinary college in South Korea and prepared to change careers. He enjoyed gaming as a hobby but something about seeing the smile across Yoo Mia’s face after every meal made his heart twist in happiness.
So, it was safe to say that he was surprised when he ended up at The Squid only to find it in chaos.
“We’ve got fifteen to-go orders due in 5 minutes, assholes!” called out a woman with large canines and a brash personality. He would later learn her name was Han Sooyoung. “Three fire oden, three kimbabs, four full ramens, seven pork dumplings, and two beef dumplings!”
“Why are you yelling?” questioned a man in a suit— a business suit, of all things. Yoo Joonghyuk already knew who the man was. Kim Dokja leaned against the counter with a confused expression. “It’s not like the kitchen is very big.”
Han Sooyoung ignored the interruption. She counted off, “Three slices of cake, two hwajeon, and one yakgwa!”
After taking a deep breath, Han Sooyoung turned her entire body to face Kim Dokja. She replied, “Because, squid, it gets loud and hard to hear.”
“Probably because you yell a lot.”
“You damn— You have only been here for three fucking weeks, Dokja-ya. I don’t care that you’re my friend or that you’re a fucking lost cause when it comes to being in a kitchen. You need to get to work.” She looked terribly upset, but it wasn’t directed towards a single, lone person.
Kim Dokja blinked a few times before he sighed. He walked away to put on an apron that matched the rest of those in the kitchens. And then…. Then he went to the main kitchen sink. Yoo Joonghyuk stared as Kim Dokja began to wash dishes before putting them through the sanitizer. What?
He didn’t have much time to think much beyond that. It appeared that Yoo Joonghyuk was finally noticed. A finger was pointed at him.
“You— Who the hell are you?” Han Sooyung had her eyes on him now. “We’re not open yet. How did you get in?”
Before Yoo Joonghyuk could answer, the dessert maker popped his head in from his corner of the kitchen. Lee Hyunsung mentioned casually, “I think the backdoor lock is having problems. I saw a raccoon pop it open last night when I left for the day.”
“What?” Han Sooyoung gaped. “But we— Jung Heewon!” she then screeched. “Heewon-ssi, where the fuck are you?”
Han Sooyoung stormed around the kitchen until she went into what could be called a break room. A break room/locker room/office. Half of the room had lockers and benches, while the other half was a wall desk cluttered with papers and documents, locked filing cabinets, and a wall of recipes that looked as ancient as the ceiling tile.
“Heewon-ssi!” shouted Han Sooyoung once she caught sight of a woman sitting on a bench.
The woman on the bench changing her shoes was Jung Heewon, a part-time worker at a bar down the street. Since it was daytime, she helped around The Squid.
“Sooyoung-ssi?” questioned Jung Heewon, as if she wasn’t being yelled out just a moment ago. “What’s wrong?”
“I thought you fixed the problem with the backdoor last month.”
Jung Heewon blinked. “I did. It was off the hinges, so I got new connectors and I made it so that the door could open and close again.”
“Yeah, well.” Han Sooyoung seemed to be at a loss for words. “It needs to be fixed again. Apparently, it’s not locking right. Or it’s easier to open than we want.”
Jung Heewon showed a thumbs-up after she finished sliding on her right shoe. “I’ll get to it, Sooyoung-ssi.”
Han Sooyoung’s face morphed into slight disgust. “Just do it.”
As Jung Heewon exited the break room, Han Sooyoung finally turned her attention back to Yoo Joonghyuk. She pointed at him and he would have felt chills if he hadn’t been in other kitchens with psychotic instructors.
“Who the hell are you?” demanded Han Sooyoung.
Yoo Joonghyuk took out his resume. “I am here to apply for a position.”
“A position?” she asked in disbelief. Han Sooyoung snatched the paper from Yoo Joonghyuk’s hands in a mad scramble. Her eyes read over the lines quickly. After a few seconds, she asked in a perplexed manner, “Why the hell is someone with your qualifications trying to work here?”
“I—”
The best meal I’ve ever had came from a chef who now works here, he didn’t say.
“This is the next step to mastering dumplings,” he said instead.
Han Sooyoung clearly didn’t believe him. “Alright. You can be temporary— one day to see if you’ve got what it takes. If today goes well, then we’ll do a week. After that, I’ll discuss it with the new owner.”
“The owner?”
Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes. “You don’t know?”
“... No.”
“Lee Sookyung, our past owner, disappeared. Completely off the map. Legally, she’s declared dead. Her son came crawling back to Seoul after discovering that she left the restaurant to him in her Will.”
“When do I get to meet—”
“Shut up, get dressed, and get to work. We’re officially open and you’re in for a treat.”
-
The first shift was a shit show. For a dump in the middle of the block, it got a lot of foot traffic looking for nostalgic food. Yoo Joonghyuk ended up grinning, though. He hadn’t felt adrenaline like that ever since he first began in the kitchen. He wasn’t even sure how many meals he made.
-
Yoo Joonghyuk walked into the bathroom to find Lee Hyunsung mopping up water from the floor while Jung Heewon attempted to fix the toilet. They all blinked at one another.
“Uhm—”
Lee Hyunsung was cut off when the toilet gurgled loudly. A moment later, the water splashed onto Jung Heewon. She didn’t even flinch. All she did was reach for a towel to twist up her hair as she sighed.
Yoo Joonghyuk turned around and walked out of the bathroom.
-
As he watched Kim Dokja busy himself with dishes, someone came up to his side. It was a woman with kind eyes and a dazzling smile.
“Yoo Joonghyuk, correct?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Yoo Sangah. I hope to see you around more. You’re quite efficient.”
“Mm.”
Yoo Sangah’s smile didn’t waiver. She did, however, look where he was looking. Her eyes landed on the lone figure washing dishes. Stacks and stacks were already washed but he kept finding new things to do in the back.
“Ah, Dokja-ssi,” she said.
“What’s his deal?” asked — demanded — Yoo Joonghyuk.
“He likes washing dishes. It’s what he feels comfortable doing,” was all she replied before her smile turned strained.
But he’s a chef, died on his lips.
-
“Is this a child daycare?” he wondered aloud as he looked into the lobby.
The normal patrons sat in their booths and ordered food and drinks. However, there were two irregularities. A boy and a girl sat atop stools in order to see into the kitchen, particularly into the kitchen sink.
The boy was scribbling across a few sheets of paper that Yoo Joonghyuk could now register as the child’s menu. It came with a small pack of crayons. The girl was busy trying to melt one of the crayons with a lightbulb by the register.
“That’s just Gilyoung-ie and Sooyoung-ie,” provided Lee Hyunsung as he frosted a strawberry and cream cake. “Dokja-ssi picked up strays as soon as he started working here. He gives them food while they do their homework.”
Yoo Joonghyuk furrowed his brow. “They aren’t doing school work.”
Lee Hyunsung popped his head out to see that there were no school bags in sight. He hummed softly in a pleased tone.
“No, they're not,” he agreed.
It took a moment before realization took in.
“Strays, you say,” he murmured to Lee Hyunsung.
Lee Hyunsung nodded, not peeved at all. Yoo Joonghyuk allowed himself to watch the two kids for a few moments longer before he went to check on the slow-roasting meat he was assigned.
-
Yoo Joonghyuk had never tasted a meal so good. The broth was cultivated by the gods, surely. Not to mention the dumpling— it couldn’t have been man-made, could it? Yoo Joonghyuk was never one to appreciate food made by others, but for some reason, he couldn't help but keep going back to his bowl.
“Who made it?” he demanded a waiter.
The waiter’s strained expression opened into a smile. “Oh,” they said, “That was just Dokja-ssi. He’s been into making simple food lately. It wasn’t supposed to be on the menu but because you asked for dumplings, the, uh, the executive chef allowed Dokja-ssi to show off his dish.”