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makeitmingi · 3 months

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The Cat and Dog Game [Chapter 10]

Genre: Romance, Fluff, Comedy

Pairing: Yunho x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Chef!Reader, RestaurantOwner!Yunho, MaitreD!Hongjoong, Waiter!Yeosang, Waiter!San, Waiter!Mingi, SousChef!Seonghwa, SousChef!Wooyoung, PrepChef!Jongho

Summary: Yunho's dream was to open and run his own restaurant. But he doesn't know anything when it comes to cooking. Until you came along and accepted the job, bringing with you a small crew. How will the black cat tame the energetic golden retriever?

Word count: 3.4K

When Yunho entered the restaurant the next day, he heard you already giving instructions and tasks to the rest of the crew. He walked in with the box of tools he had bought the day before. He was excited to show all of you what he bought, especially you.

"Surprise!" He beamed as he walked in. All 4 of you stopped, turning your head to see the tall male walking in, his face covered by the boxes he was carrying.

"Yunho hyung, what's this?" Jongho asked, helping to take the box from Yunho and putting it on the counter.

"I bought some stuff for the kitchen!" He explained, opening it.

"The guy at the store told me these are important essentials that every kitchen needs. Tomorrow, the electrical equipment is coming." He took the different things out and set them on the table.

"Oh yes, we needed these." Seonghwa said as he looked through all the things Yunho bought.

"Did you have that much fun shopping?" You raised an eyebrow. Yunho blushed slightly, did he seem too excited?

"I didn't really know what to get. And I felt bad for waiting so long to properly equip the kitchen with what you need. If you need anything else, let me know!" Yunho said. Wooyoung and Seonghwa took all the things to be washed and sanitised for you all to use immediately. You went back to mixing your fruit mixture.

"(y/n), the things I go are useful right?" Yunho came to stand next to you. Seonghwa watched on in curiosity. If Yunho had a tail, it would be wagging in anticipation now.

"Yeah. It's tools that we'll definitely use." You replied. Yunho perked up and grinned widely, happy by your words.

"What are you making?" He asked.

"Jam tartlets. The jam is blueberry and thyme." You said, grabbing a disposable spoon and scooping up a little for Yunho to taste. He ate the little bit of jam.

"That's nice! I'm guessing that herb flavour is the thyme?" He said. You hummed and went to take the tray with the blind baked tartlet shells. You gave Yunho two tablespoons.

"Two spoons per tart shell." You instructed.

"O-Oh! Okay!" He beamed, going over to wash his hands before stepping back to help you. He was glad that you just had him do tasks without him having to offer anymore, it was like you were used to him being around.

"So what other stuff are we putting out this morning?" Yunho asked as he focussed on filling the tart shells with equal amounts of jam. You turned to the others in the kitchen.

"I'm making a devil's food cake." Wooyoung raised his hand.

"I'm making a quiche with salmon and leeks. We made matcha financiers, they're cooling off." Seonghwa continued.

"I'm making a plum blechkuchen (German sheet cake)." Jongho said.

"And today's cupcake/ muffin is pandan chiffon with a gula melaka (coconut sugar) center." You finished. Although Yunho has not heard of half of those things, he was still excited to see what they were.

"They sound tasty for sure." Yunho smiled. He finished filling all the tartlet shells and you bent down to check that they were all level.

"Good job." You nodded in approval, putting them close to the serving window.

"Thank you!" Yunho smiled. After that, the other 4 came in and they all go ready for the store opening. As usual, Yunho made the entire kitchen crew drinks to have while they finished up their baking. You took a 5 minute break, sipping your coffee as you brainstormed on dinner ideas for tonight.

"So we're doing ricotta stuffed french toast right? With smoked maple butter and sour cherry sauce." You asked the kitchen. The 3 boys nodded their heads.

"Ribs? We can do a gochujang, barbecue type sauce. We'll leave the ribs in brine before we leave." You suggested.

"Ooh, we got good fish this morning. What if we used it to make a crudo? Use up the yuzu fruits to make the dressing." Jongho said.

"Good idea." You nodded, writing that down.

"What about poached chicken? We can poach it in samgyetang herbs. Use the stock to make rice after that. Chicken and rice dish." Seonghwa suggested.

"Yes, some might appreciate a lighter dish." Wooyoung chimed in. You noted all that down.

"Breakfast has just begun and you're already discussing dinner?" San laughed as he came in while you were all still discussing the dishes.

"We have to be prepared, some dishes need as much time as possible. Like we've decided to do ribs tonight so that means we need to marinate them before we leave later. Give it as much time to tenderise the meat and season it." You said.

"Giving more time to marinate helps tenderise it?" San tilted his head in surprise.

"With rib meat, there's not a lot of fat and flavour. So you marinate it, it firstly helps to soften the meat with the acid content. And it gives time for the flavours and salt to penetrate." Wooyoung explained.

"Oh wow. I never knew that." San said.

"So what is good to use to marinate? From what Wooyoung said, so something salty and acidic?"

"Yeah. But there are other things you can use. Like we'll use pineapple, it has an enzyme called bromelain that tenderises meat. Salt is easy things with soy sauce." Jongho informed.

"We'll go with those flavours since we want to use a gochujang based sauce when grilling. So asian tastes." You added.

"San, we need you! Stop chatting." Yeosang called.

"I'm not chatting! I'm learning." San growled in annoyance. He gave everyone a friendly smile and wave before leaving the kitchen to go help in the front. The 4 of you got back to work, finishing up on the baked treats so you could prepare for dinner tonight and leave to rest for the afternoon.

"Last batch done and cooling." Seonghwa said, putting the last cake by the window. When the treat or cake was done outside, those working the front would come and get the refill.

"I'm going for a breather." You said, going out for 5 minutes. The 3 didn't protest to that.

"Okay, let's clean up and start preparing what we need for dinner tonight." You instructed after coming back in.

"You prepare the stuff for tonight. We'll clean." Jongho came. Seonghwa nodded, bringing the used bowls to the sink to start washing them.

"Guess it's us on prep." Wooyoung bumped his hip against yours.

"Let's get all the meats out for trimming then." You said. Wooyoung helped you bring out all the packs of ribs, putting all the meats on the prep table. There was a lot of meat to get through.

"Rock, paper, scissors. Winner makes marinade, loser preps the meat?" Wooyoung wriggled his eyebrows at you.

"You're on." Seonghwa and Jongho ignored the two of you. But soon, Wooyoung was letting out curses, an indication of who emerged victorious in the game. You smiled happily, skipping to the pantry to collect what you needed for the marinade.

"I hate removing the membrane. It's so slippery." Wooyoung whined. But nonetheless, he took the pack of meat and grabbed his knife. He removed the membrane at the back, trimmed the excess fat cap off.

"Did you bring your boning knife?" Wooyoung asked. You nodded over to your knife wrap.

"I'm going to need it for frenching (cleaning the excess meat, fat and sinew off the bones for cleaner look)." He said.

"Knock yourself out." You giggled, making Wooyoung roll his eyes, continuing to grumble. You made a big batch of marinade, mixing all the ingredients in together.

"Thank you for your hard work this morning." Yunho came in for a short breather.

"How's the crowd?" You asked.

"It's good, actually. We're selling things at a steady pace. I think we're starting to have repeating customers too, I recognise some faces." Yunho smiled blissfully.

"What are you doing?" Yunho came over, full of curiosity.

"I'm making a marinade for the pork ribs. So Woo is preparing the ribs and we'll let them soak for as long as we can before we grill them for dinner. Get as much flavour in them as possible. Then we brush on a gochujang sort of barbecue sauce at the end. We'll serve it with white kimchi and roast potatoes." You informed.

"As someone who loves meat, that sound really good. White kimchi sounds like it will go together really well." Yunho said, nearly drooling as he imagined the dish.

"We'll see if the customers like more Western based dishes." You shrugged and he nodded in agreement.

"What's in the marinade?"

"Soy sauce, pineapple juice, pear juice, onions, sesame oil, peppercorns, salt and garlic. We're going for something similar to a bulgogi or galbi marinade." You explained to him.

"Done." Wooyoung groaned, throwing his head back tiredly. You chuckled and put the ribs into the tubs.

"I'll pour the marinades in." You used a measuring cup to divide the marinade into the tubs.

"Let me help with that." Yunho took one of the tubs after Wooyoung closed the lids, bringing it into the walk in to leave it there to marinate. Jongho helped bring the other tubs in too. After that, you put all your aprons in your little cubbies.

"See you later!" Yunho waved with smile. You all waved back, bowing your heads as you walked to Wooyoung's car to head home to rest for the next few hours.

"They just left?" Mingi poked his head in. Yunho nodded, taking his mug to drink his coffee.

"Grab me some chocolate sauce while you're there? Everyone seems to be craving mochas today." He asked.

"Sure. Anything else you need?" Yunho raised an eyebrow. Mingi shook his head and Yunho went to grab what the baristas needed for the front.

"You're very good looking." Some girls giggled as Yunho keyed in their order and received their money.

"Thank you. You can head to the end for your order pick up." Yunho smiled kindly, gesturing to the end of the counter. Mingi and Hongjoong watched on, both facepalming at how Yunho replied so normally. He was too kind to anyone that he met, not one to turn others away or reject their flirting.

Or maybe he just never noticed it when others flirted with him. Girls would usually get frustrated that Yunho wouldn't flirt back, just respond with a kind smile and a wave.

"What are we going to do with you?" Mingi clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"What?" Yunho asked, confused by his best friend's words.

"You're too friendly, Yunho ah." Hongjoong chuckled, patting the taller on the shoulder before heading to the back kitchen. Yunho still didn't understand what his friends were saying.

"Can I have your Instagram?" One of the girls giggled as they waited for their drink that San was making.

"Sorry, girls. Company policy, we can't give that info out." Mingi came to save Yunho, slinging an arm around his shoulder. The girls either pouted or frowned at Mingi's words, taking their drinks from San and leaving the cafe. Mingi chuckled and let out a soft sigh.

"What company policy are you talking about? I'm the owner and I didn't even know we had any policy." Yunho raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

"Trust me, buddy. You'll thank me later." Mingi patted Yunho's shoulders and walked back to the barista area to help San.

Instead of going home to rest, you went to the shops with Jongho to pick up some extra things that you might need for dinenr tonight like ginseng chicken soup herbs and worcesteshire sauce.

"Oh wow, key limes." Jongho said, picking one up to inspect. You looked over in interest.

"What a rarity... And they're not expensive. Shall we make key lime pie?" You turned to meet his eyes. Jongho nodded.

"Key lime syrup for drinks." His eyes sparkled excitedly. The both of you bought a few punnets, putting it into the trolley and continuing on your way.

"Hwa said he needed more stock bags." You grabbed two packets off the shelf. After getting what you needed, you and Jongho went to get a coffee at the coffee stand near the markets then drove to your home. You both decided to spend the remaining time napping at your house rather than splitting up.

When Jongho came to wake you up, you were not pleased to be woken up. All the tiredness of your broken sleep schedule was hitting you all at once, which was not ideal.

"Don't be grumpy." Jongho chuckled as he drove. You hid further into your hoodie.

"Hwa hyung's gonna send you home and won't let you do dinner service, you know?" Jongho reminded. You pouted, you didn't want to be sent home.

"Here." Jongho held out the coffee he poured into a travel mug for you.

"Thanks." You mumbled and took the tumbler to take a sip. When Jongho pulled up to park, you let out a childish whine.

"Come on." Jongho got out and went to open the passenger door for you. You grumbled as you stepped out, you were really just so tired and sleep deprived that you didn't want to be working.

You and Jongho were first to arrived. You went to get your apron, tying it around your waist and tucking two tea towels into your apron string. Then you put your precision tongs and tasting spoon into the pockets in front.

"Let's start." You said to Jongho. He nodded and stood with you, prepping what you needed to start.

"We should get the poaching liquid for the chicken going first. I want as much of the herbal flavour to get in because we need that liquid for the rice later." You informed.

"Okay, I'll prepare the herbs first?" He asked.

"No, help me butcher the chickens. I want to serve them in halves." You said. Jongho nodded and went to prepare his station.

"I'll prep the herbs." You went to get the samgyetang herbs that you bought earlier, brushing off any debris that you saw, throwing it into the pot with some stock.

"Hey." Seonghwa and Wooyoung came in. You were focused at your own counter. Wooyoung pointed at your back, signalling to Jongho.

Jongho put his hands together, tucking it under his ear to show that you were sleeping before this. Wooyoung and Seonghwa nodded their heads, understanding him. They went to put their things in their cubbies and got their aprons. Wooyoung didn't dare approach you yet but Seonghwa was daring enough.

"Hey, darling." Seonghwa came up to you.

"Park, I'm holding a knife. If you're going to ask me to go home now and sleep, I'm not responsible for what I do with said knife." You said, continuing to cut the garlic.

"Carry on." He patted your head and backed away. The only time you called him 'Park' was when you were grumpy.

"I'll get started on the ribs." Wooyoung raised his hand, going into the walk in.

"Hwa, start on the appetisers. Jong, when you're done, prep what we'll need for the rose carbonara. I'll do the desserts after I put the chickens in for poaching." You instructed.

"Okay." They all replied and got to doing their tasks.

When Yunho, Mingi, Hongjoong, Yeosang and San came in for the dinner shift, they too felt the coldness in the room. Yunho could practically see the rain cloud above your head. Wooyoung shook his head, using his hand to do a neck slice action.

"Go." Yunho whispered, ushering the other boys out to the front to get ready for dinner service.

"Don't worry, (y/n). I'll be at the pass tonight." They heard Wooyoung offer from the kitchen window. Tonight was supposed to be your turn at the window.

"We need an extra pair of hands. San." You poked your head out briefly. San raised his hand and jogged to the kitchen quickly.

Yunho pouted, he had hoped he was the first one you call to help in the kitchen. He could do just as well as San.

"Let's get the silverware out." Mingi said. Hongjoong brought his maitre d stand to the front, making sure his iPad with all the reservations was on and working.

"Work phone?" Hongjoong asked. Yunho took it from the charger behind the counter and handed it over. The shorter put it in his pocket.

"(y/n) a little sleep deprived now and like a little kid, she can get grumpy when she needs sleep. So just... steer clear. Don't try to send her home or anything, she already threatened Seonghwa. It's scary." Jongho advised to those that were outside, having come out to get a mug of juice from the bar fridge.

"I'm stepping out real quick to get something. If I'm not back in time, Hongjoong hyung, open for me?" Yunho said.

"Do you need something?" Yeosang asked.

"Kind of...? I'll be as fast as I can. Just manage it for the time being." Yunho said and ran out the front door of the restaurant, leaving his dumbfounded friends there.

When Yunho came back, he came through the back. He put what he needed in his cupboard before coming out of the small room.

"Woah." He almost crashed into you. You raised an eyebrow, looking up at him.

"Aren't you supposed to be out there?" You asked, nodding over to the front of the restaurant. Yunho gulped, suddenly feeling like a child that was caught by his parent.

"I needed to get something so Hongjoong hyung opened up for me." Yunho said. You nodded and went into the get something front your bag. Yunho's eyes followed you until you stopped.

"Need something?" You stared back at him, questioningly.

"N-No! I'm going out." Yunho quickly bowed his head and ran away to support his friends with waiting tables. You slightly frowned in confusion but grabbed what you needed before going back to the kitchen as dinner service was starting.

Thankfully for you, dinner service went by quickly. The customers liked the menu and the food. When it was near closing, your kitchen crew took turns to prepare the dessert and to eat their dinner.

"Why don't you finish up dessert and go home? We'll clean up." Wooyoung offered.

"I'm fine." You rolled your eyes, flipping the french toast in the pan.

"Can I get a coffee, please? Two shots, on the rocks." You turned to Jongho. He nodded and ate another bite, exiting the kitchen to go out and make you a coffee.

"Service." You put yours and Wooyoung's plate at the window. Yeosang came over and took it to serve.

"Here you go." Jongho handed you the cup. You took a sip and exited the back door.

"Last few tables. Is (y/n) outside?" Yunho asked. Seonghwa nodded. Yunho went to the locker room and grabbed something, slipping out the back door. Seonghwa, Wooyoung and Jongho tried but couldn't get a glimpse at what Yunho was carrying. They shrugged and returned to what they were doing.

"(y/n)?" Yunho looked around. He saw you sitting on the curb, cup of coffee beside you as you pressed your cheek on your folded arms. Your eyes were closed as you snoozed.

"Did you need something?" You asked with your eyes closed, making Yunho jump in surprise.

"Ummm, I have something for you." Yunho said shyly. Your eyes fluttered open as you stared at him.

"Sit." You scooted, patting the space beside you. He gladly sat down. You took a sip of your coffee first, raising an eyebrow at Yunho, waiting for him to say something.

"Something to brighten your day... Or, at this time, I guess it's night. To give you energy." Yunho grinned, taking the paper bag.

"Which is?" You were not expecting him to take a sunflower bouquet out for you.

"Oh and this. I don't know how to make donuts so I figured buying one that I know is good will be better than me trying to make one on my own." Yunho said, holding out the box of 3 donuts. You stared at the two items.

"Sunflowers bring light and energy... I just thought... I don't know..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. You melted a little, this was completely unexpected.

"Thank you, Yunho. I'm really fine, don't worry." You didn't know what came over you as you reached out to pat his head gratefully.

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