#the art is just a side dish the fic is the entree | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

little-chimchim · 6 years ago

Text

Sugar and Spice- Part 1

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 3919

Genre: Chef au! Celebrity au!

Pairing: Mingyu x Wonwoo

A/N: Oh shiz, it’s been what, like five months since I’ve written a fic? Woah. I am so sorry for keeping you all waiting. So here it is! I know it’s an actually pairing instead of an OC this time, but I think you guys will enjoy this, I know I do. Thank you all for being patient, I love you all...Kay

Masterlist

--------------------------------

“What does cooking mean to you?” The talk show host asked, seemingly proud of herself by asking such an ‘original’ question. She straightened her back and leaned towards the man she had been interrogating for the past twenty minutes.

The man, void of any awkward tension, followed the host’s actions and moved toward the mic that had been thrust in his direction as he smiled cockily towards the camera. “Cooking, to me, is an art. I’m not just putting foods together at random for people to eat. No, I blend together ingredients to create masterpieces that people don’t just witness with their eyes, but to savor with their scent and taste as well. Cooking to me, is an art that can truly bring everyone together.” The man finished his answer by quickly winking towards the camera before turning back to the host.

There was a thunderous applause sounding from the audience, mostly consisting of teenage girls and their overbearing house mothers, all taking turns chanting the celebrity chef’s name.

On the other side of the camera, in front of a worn little t.v, tucked in between a refrigerator and shelf, sat six men, all staring at the man in the interview.

“There are only so many ways to look like a pompous idiot, and Chef is exhibiting every single one of them,” Griped the man in the middle. He shook his head, the long black strands of his hair falling into his eyes as he did so. The black haired man looked to the other men in the room, an evident frown on his face.

“Is someone jealous that they didn’t get to be on t.v. too?” Cracked the tallest of the men. Minghao, the man with the black hair, peeked over his shoulder in order to glare daggers at the man who opened his mouth.

Seokmin, the tallest of the men, only smiled towards Minghao, his eyes disappearing into half moons as the smile took over his lively features. “Sorry, Hao. You know that I’m just playing with you.” He cheered, trying his best to sound sincere towards the younger male.

Minghao rolled his eyes, knitting his fingers together in his lap. “At least it’s good business for the restaurant,” Hao grumbled. The dark haired man untied his fingers and pushed himself off of the creaky metal chair. He swept his gaze around the kitchen the focused his attention back to the men in the room.

“Chef should be getting back soon, let’s get things ready to open.”

Minghao, despite his young age, was the sous chef. Second in command. When Mingyu was not present, Minghao had no qualms with running the kitchen how he wanted it. Of course, because euro of this, it caused an almost friendly tension between the two chefs that was evident to everyone who laid eyes on the pair.

“Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Seungkwan go get the friers ready and start prepping the fish, we have salmon from last night to use.” Minghao barked at the three men huddled closest together.

The three of them nodded their heads and scurried off, just to finish the task Minghao had given them.

These three were the line cooks, a humorous bunch trained in the culinary arts. They were young, fresh out of top notch culinary schools, but naive and inexperienced. Though, to Mingyu, this only added to their appeal.

After giving the trio their orders, Minghao turned to the next man in line, the oldest in the kitchen. His features were much softer than Minghao’s, kinder too. A lighthearted smile played at his pink lips as Minghao approached him.

“Joshua, did you finish the icing for the strawberry tart?” Minghao asked, his voice half expectant, already knowing what the older man’s response would be. Joshua’s eyes lit up, he straightened his back and brought his hands to the tops of his hips.

“The icing is done and so are the chocolate cakes. I started on the creme brulee but I decided that we were going to do the cakes as our dessert special instead.” Joshua beamed as he spoke about his work.

Minghao nodded his head, reaching over to pat his elder’s shoulder. “Good work. I didn’t expect anything else.” The black haired man pressed his lips together into a thin smile, waving his hand at the older man signaling for him to go to his station.

Joshua bowed his head slightly before making his way back to the counters filled with goodies.

Minghao then turned his attention towards the last man. He was sitting patiently on a rickety wooden stool, his hands folded in his lap while he waited for Minghao’s orders. “Wonwoo, go scrub dishes we'll be using a lot of them tonight.” Minghao ordered as he turned around to man his own station.

Wonwoo stayed silent, not uttering a word as he nodded his head. He pushed himself off of the stool and sauntered towards the sinks, where plates and pans were already starting to stack up. He sucked in a deep breath, rolling his shirt up to his elbows before diving into the workload.

Wonwoo was different from the rest of the men in the restaurant. He did not attend some overly expensive culinary school in some remote European country, nor did he have the honor to actually prepare the food himself. Instead, he was charged with dishwashing and good prep; as was the life of the kitchen assistant.

No one truly knew anything about the young assistant, other than his name and that never said no to anyone in the kitchen. He was a peculiar man, no doubt about it, but after a year of working for Mingyu, everyone stopped questioning him and left him to his own devices.

Of course, the troublesome trio of Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Seungkwan couldn’t just leave it at that. They spent their days trying to figure the quiet assistant out, oftentimes terrorizing the poor man until he actually says something about their antics.

The mediator of everything was the ever innocent Joshua, who had, on multiple occasions, tried to befriend the quiet assistant. Though, with no avail.

No matter what, Jeon Wonwoo had always been the kitchen’s biggest mystery.

Later that night, shortly after the brunt of the kitchen rush had died away, the man of the hour walked through the doors of the restaurant. Mingyu strode into his kitchen, smiling at all of the customers along the way.

He was clad in fine clothing, and if everyone didn’t know better, he could easily be mistaken for something other than a world class chef.

Except, he was.

Kim Mingyu, former child actor turned celebrity chef and tv personality. Not exactly the turn of events most people expected when it came to child stars. Though, when Mingyu found that his passion didn’t lie with acting, he turned around and turned his true passion into a career.

He walked through the building with an aura that screamed confidence. He held his head up high with a smile on his lips so bright that the sun would have been jealous. Once he came through the kitchen, all time seemed to stop.

Everyone paused what they were doing to look at Mingyu. Minghao, having been working on the main entrees, was the first to speak to the chef. “Hello Chef,” He exclaimed loudly as he bent his body forward.

Soon after, everyone else in the kitchen followed Minghao’s brief introduction to their boss. Mingyu, satisfied with the greeting, pressed his lips together into a thin smile and waved his hand at Minghao for him to continue. “It looks like you guys have done a good job while I was gone. I’m impressed.” Mingyu stepped through the kitchen, walking passed the rest of the employees. He brought his hand up to his mouth and yawned, visibly tired from the day’s public adventure.

“I’m heading upstairs, I’m exhausted.” Was all Mingyu said before he started to make his way towards the stairs that led to his apartment above the restaurant.

When he reached the top of the stairs, Mingyu looked back down to his employees and caught their attention. “Close up early tonight, you all deserve it. See you tomorrow.” He added as he stepped away.

The kitchen staff looked amongst themselves and nodded their heads, pleased with their boss’s generosity. Minghao returned back to his dish, a warm smile on his face. “Alright everyone, you heard the man. Let’s get out of here.” He cheered while he finished up the last of his plates.

Wonwoo was the last one inside the kitchen. The dishes kept piling up, even after the rest of the kitchen had left. He wished to go home, but he wasn’t allowed to until the entirety of the kitchen was spotless.

This was his favorite time of the night, when everyone was gone and he had the entire kitchen to himself. It was calming, not having to deal with everyone else and being able to do his own thing, at his own pace.

This was also the time of night where he could prepare his own food, without being yelled at for touching the stove.

Contrary to what everyone else believed, Wonwoo loved to cook. When Mingyu hired him just a year prior, he believed that he was being hired in as a line cook. He was greatly disappointed to find out what his actual role entailed, but a job was a job and Wonwoo had bills to pay.

So he sucked it up and kept to himself, in hopes that he would be moved up one day.

Wonwoo wiped his wet hands on the rough fabric of his dark blue jeans. He stretched his arms over his head and grunted the moment his joints popped. He rubbed his tired eyes then stepped away from the sinks.

He roamed the empty kitchen curiously as he examined the cabinets and coolers for ingredients for tonight's meal. He combed throw his various choices before finally settling on the ingredients for a basic pasta dish that was easy enough for a toddler to replicate.

He had prepared far trickier dishes, but tonight, all he wanted to do was go home with a full meal and enough time to sleep before having to come right back in to the kitchen.

Wonwoo, ever the perfectionist, laid his ingredients out in neat lines, organizing them in the order that he would use them. He grinned to himself, an action he so rarely expressed, and began his work.

He flew through the steps, completing it all with ease. He found joy in even the simple dishes. Cutting a tomato wasn't just another boring step. Every detail mattered to him.

In fact, he became so enthralled by the cooking process that he wasn't fully aware with how loud he was being, as he was so lost in his own world.

Usually, using the kitchen after the restaurant was closed was no problem. He was able to go in, get the ingredients and start cooking with no setbacks. It had been a year without being found out.

Though, Wonwoo had gotten a little too comfortable in the empty space of the kitchen. He was so used to being unbothered in these rare few minutes alone, that he hadn't heard someone tiptoeing down the stairs and into the little space.

“Mince the onions instead of chopping them. It's easier to eat it that way.” Spoke a soft voice from the other side of the room.

Wonwoo jumped, dropping the onion he had been holding on to the ground. His heart rate picked up as he turned his head to face the owner of the voice.

He stood up straighter and placed his hands at his sides, his almost military trained, blank expression back on his face.

Mingyu made his way into the kitchen. He glanced around the area, examining everything Wonwoo had been doing. “Carbonara?” Mingyu asked, peering down into the pot of boiled noodles and spices.

Wonwoo slowly nodded his head, his face void of expression. “Yes sir,” He bellowed clearly. Mingyu raised his brow in curiosity as he looked closer at the dish in front if him. “Well I can already tell that you're going to need more cheese. It's not nearly thick enough,” Mingyu began.

The young chef reached over to grab the nearest utensil, the spoon Wonwoo had used to stir the pasta. Mingyu dipped the spoon into the pan and brought it to his lips. Mingyu stuck his tongue out to taste the sauce Wonwoo had doused his noodles in.

The was a stale silence in the air as Wonwoo waited for Mingyu to say something. He cursed himself under his breath for being loud enough to wake Mingyu up all the way in his upstairs apartment.

His heart was beating painfully inside his chest while he waited for the chef to make up his mind about liking his dish. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mingyu finally started to talk. “It’s not bad. There’s just a tad too much salt, and too little sauce. But the taste, for being so simple, is not bad at all.” Mingyu muttered as he overanalyzed what was supposed to be Wonwoo’s dinner.

Mingyu set the spoon back down on the counter and turned around to face Wonwoo. He pointed his finger at the older man, a smile bright on his cheery features. “You made this?” In response, Wonwoo furiously nodded his head, his lips sealed together.

Mingyu raised his brows in curiosity. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his grey sweatpants and casually stepped closer to the silent man “Do you usually come down to cook?”

Again, the silent nodding.

Mingyu let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. “If I had known that you could cook, I'd have tried to help you much sooner. You're not bad I'm quite impressed actually. I'd say that you could easily, with a little bit of help, be on the same level as those trio of dummies that run my line.”

Wonwoo shook his head this time, “I'm not that good,” he mumbled timidly. He tied his fingers together and rocked on his heels, trying to find ways to escape this conversation.

Mingyu raised his hand and extended his finger to point at Wonwoo. “And that's where you're wrong. You have potential and I want to be the one to bring it out of you.”

Wonwoo only stared at Mingyu as he tried to understand what he was saying. This is the most Wonwoo had ever talked to Mingyu and he was already blurting nonsense about teaching him how to cook.

Mingyu lowered his hand and cleared his throat. “What I'm trying to say is that I see potential in you and I'm willing to work with you, after hours, to get you to a point where you can cook with us. How does that sound?”

Wonwoo was speechless. Yet somehow, unconsciously, he nodded his head and agreed to Mingyus offer.

Mingyu grinned, reaching over to grab Wonwoos shoulder and hold it tightly. “Great, we'll start tomorrow night.” The chef looked around his messy kitchen and chuckled. “Finish up here then head home, you have a long day tomorrow.” He said as he started his stride up the stairs.

Wonwoo furrowed his brows but shook away his confusion as he strived to finish his project.

“Mince the parsley into fine pieces. It always looks better when you use it to garnish your meals afterwards.” Mingyu stood over Wonwoos shoulder, watching his every move with hawk-like vigor.

Wonwoos shoulders constricted and tightened the closer Mingyu came to him. He moved his knife across the cutting board, doing exactly what Mingyu instructed him to do with almost frightening ease and accuracy.

“Give me the knife” Mingyu interjected from behind. Wonwoo froze, the knife still a centimeter in the air. “What?” Wonwoo asked in a low, breathy voice.

“Give me the knife. You're so nervous that even I want to tense up. You're going to cut yourself.” Mingyu plucked the knife from Wonwoos hand and set it back down safely. Mingyu inched back away from Wonwoo and let out a defeated sigh.

“Do I scare you that much? Every time I come near you, you tense up and become as stiff as a statue.” Mingyu sounded hurt by the fact that Wonwoo was so nervous to be around him, but the mere fact also made him curious.

Wonwoo merely shook his head. He brought his now free hand up to adjust his wire rimmed glasses that sat neatly on his nose. “I’m just not very fond of talking.” The older man mumbled as he reached over to grab the knife Mingyu had taken from him.

Mingyu half smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned back and watched Wonwoo’s every move, from his knife strokes to the way he bit his lip in concentration. He was intrigued, watching the man before him as if he had never seen him before.

“Do you talk with anyone else in the kitchen?” Mingyu asked, raising his tone an extra octave to seem friendlier. Wonwoo sighed and pushed the finished parsley to the side of the cutting board.

“Sometimes Joshua. But I’m not very close with him.” Muttered Wonwoo as he focused on the next task at hand. He picked up a tomato, examining it carefully before he started to dice it into small cubes.

Though, Mingyu was no longer interested in the kitchen, or really anything pertaining to the food anymore. Wonwoo had caught his interest and it was going to take a lot to shake him out of it.

“Why don’t you talk to anyone e- “

Mingyu was cut off by Wonwoo dropping the knife on to the counter. “I think that’s enough for tonight. We have to be up tomorrow fairly early, so I think it’s best if we both went home.” Wonwoo scurried around, trying to put everything away as quickly as he could.

And before he knew it, Wonwoo was walking away, taking long strides towards the exit, leaving Mingyu to question what exactly had just happened.

It had been a week after the lessons had begun with Wonwoo, and Mingyu was on the prowl to obtain more information about his star pupil. He had mulled over the words he had said, contemplating whether or not he should go through with his plan to ask Joshua about the quiet kitchen assistant.

In the end, he voted in favor with doing so.

It was in the middle of the day, the quiet transition from lunch to dinner, when Mingyu approached Joshua.

He had carried various vegetables over to a workstation, where Joshua held deep concentration in the cake that he was decorating. He hummed a song to himself, too enthralled with his work to notice his surroundings around him.

Mingyu rolled the vegetables on to the counter and tapped Joshua on the shoulder.

The older man flinched, obviously startled by the sudden interruption of his thoughts. He turned around quickly to see who the culprit was. He had expected Seokmin or even Minghao to be behind him, not Mingyu, who stood too close in the cozy space.

“Hi Chef,” Joshua said warily, wondering why Mingyu had suddenly come up to speak with him. Mingyu smiled, his smile flashing like a diamond. “Hey Josh.” He said, trying to sound as light and bubbly as possible.

Joshua furrowed his brows and nodded his head, “What are you doing over here? You never come over.” Joshua said warily, switching his attention from the chef to the vegetables that sat on the counter.

Mingyu shook his head, taking one of the knives from the shelves to begin his prep. “I came to ask a couple of questions.” He said blatantly.

Joshua nodded, going back to decorating his cake. “Okay, shoot.”

Mingyu, taking a deep breath, started to cut into a leak as he thought of what to say. “What do you know of Wonwoo?”

Joshua halted his icing, stunned by the curious question. “Why do you want to know?” He asked in response, wondering why the chef was suddenly so intrigued by the kitchen assistant.

Mingyu shook his head, not tearing his eyes away from the leaks. “I was just wondering about it. I don’t know anything abo- “

“Why are you suddenly so interested in Wonwoo?” Joshua questioned, speaking in a low, hushed tone. He was afraid that one of the other kitchen members would pick up on the almost sacred conversation.

Mingyu shrugged his broad shoulders casually as he focused his attention on the leak in front of him, feigning fake disinterest. “He’s on of my employees. Shouldn’t I be curious about who they are?” He said with a breathy laugh, as if he had no other intentions behind this conversation.

Joshua raised a brow, staring at his boss curiously. “He’s worked here a year, and not once have you ever bothered to ‘know more about him’ so what suddenly peaked your interest?” Joshua raised his voice a bit, going from a soft whisper to an almost loud mumble.

Mingyu shook his head, grinning at the young pastry chef. “No reason really, what do you know of him?” He asked the question once more.

Joshua pursed his lips into a thin line, turning away from Mingyu and focusing back on the cake in front of him. “I know that he likes chocolate, cats, and books. I also know that he’s not going to be one of your ditsy playthings that you tote around so carelessly.” Joshua grumbled. The older man quickened his movements around the cake, embellishing the décor at rapid speed as he spoke the harsh words to Mingyu.

Mingyu stared at Joshua in awe. Not once had one of his employees ever spoke to him like that. He was caught of guard by his words, but he couldn’t blame him for saying them. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head slowly. “And what if he was to become one of my so called ‘playthings’?” Mingyu teased, scrunching his fingers up into quotations.

Joshua set down his frosting pipe, fully turning towards the chef. “Why would you use him like that? It’s sick a-“

Mingyu held up a finger to silence him. “It’s a good thing that I don’t plan on it. I see potential in Wonwoo and I plan on training him for the kitchen. I wanted to know more about him before I made a decision.”

Joshua blinked his surprise away, his face flushed red from embarrassment. “You just want to train him for the kitchen?” He repeated Mingyu’s statement, making sure that he heard him correctly.

Mingyu nodded his head, drawing his finger away from Joshua’s mouth. “Yes, nothing more, nothing less.” The chef grabbed his supplies from the kitchen counter and collected them in his arms. Though, before he left, he leaned in to the flustered Joshua, smirking.

“Though, by your reaction, you might be hiding a little something.” He whispered before turning away, walking towards his station at the center of the kitchen.

“Hey Wonwoo, can you chop these for me?” He called out as he got back to work.

Joshua, still staring at the empty space where Mingyu had stood, shaking his head of protruding thoughts and forced himself to get back to work.

Wonwoo soon came rushing past, answering to Mingyu’s every beck and call.

13 notes · View notes