The Change Within

①We Have A Problem

  

The savory smell of freshly cooked japchae floated in the air like a balmy breeze on a scorching hot day, overloading the boy with glee.

He yearned, he loved, and relished to cook, never once in his life was bored of it. The power of mixing a variety of ingredients and turning them into a full meal of his liking was always fascinating to him. Also, the process, damn the process. Spending a few hours in the kitchen every day, mind free of any worry and thought and soul to its highest level of bliss, chopping, frying, boiling, baking. Everything. He loved everything about cooking.

Jeongguk couldn’t remember when his passion sparked inside him and unfolded exactly, but he had plenty of memories of himself cooking since he was just a kid.

He was so keen about it he would often stay one or two hours extra at the restaurant he was working part time as a waiter just to observe how things ran in the kitchen. The thrill and adrenaline burned bright in his chest every time he watched a professional chef working. Someone who was just as voracious about his profession as he was.

Although, it wasn’t his profession yet. He still had two years of studies to get his degree so he could finally get a job as a chef. Damn, he craved it, he was gasping for that day to come, but he was forced to wait. He had to have patience, something he wasn’t very good at. Having patience. He sucked at it.

He sucked at a lot of things that had to do with emotions. He didn’t know how to express himself well, he couldn’t open up easily, he couldn’t show something friendly, warm, welcoming to someone he didn’t know.

But he could show his annoyance and discontent without a damn problem.

He was known as the guy who was always in a stew, short-tempered, cruel even. He spat out whatever he thought — only if he wanted to, though — and mostly told people to go away or even fuck off. Simple as that.

He preferred being alone most of the time, learning more and more about cooking, discovering new recipes, exercising, and boxing as it was his favorite hobby.

He could only stand two people and they were none other than his best friends and roommates, Yoongi and Hoseok. They were living together for about two years now, and although at first he hated the idea of having roommates, he bonded with the two faster than he thought he would.

But unfortunately, three more people invaded his small group of friends when Yoongi got a new boyfriend a month ago. And his happy, halcyon bubble was shattered by a cheerful Jimin who was always curious about everything, a protective Seokjin who pestered them to eat properly and take care of themselves, and an intelligent Namjoon who was a moving disaster but at least he was a composed, cool guy.

He knew the three — actually, he had seen them around the uni countless times through the past two years, but they didn’t happen to meet. That was until Yoongi saw Jimin’s performance at the event the university holds at the end of every year, and he was smitten with him.

He was in shock. He had thought why the hell he hadn’t seen him last year, but later he found out that Jimin started attending the uni in the second year.

They began talking during summer vacation, hung out a load of times, and finally confessed to each other just two days after the university started once again.

And since then, Jimin and his two friends had become a part of the group, and Jeongguk couldn’t even have a say in this! They were nice or whatever, as he had thought, but now there were too many people in the group, and he didn’t like that. It was too noisy and too cheerful for his liking. He just needed quiet, peace to function. And when they hung out together, there wasn’t even a second of silence at their table.