Hard Times | Renhyuck

Track #2: La Vie en Rose - IZ*ONE

The wind picked up sometime mid-afternoon of the same day, the cherry blossom petal fluttering against the grass before a particularly aggressive gust of wind rustled the petal back into the sky -- it's journey apparently not over.

It flew over the fence of the skate park, brushing against the ground in a brief motion before fluttering up into the air. From where it flew, it could see a child chasing more petals on the street below, the little girl's hair pulled up into two lopsided pigtails and adorned with a barrette of purple in color.

Her giggles sounded loudly, slowly washing away into the distance as the petal rose into the sky, traveling over the building tops of the neighborhoods. It traveled like this for a minute or two before it began to lose air, now swirling in a downwards motion towards a shop on the corner of a street.

A gorgeous smell greeted the petal as it fell, the blushing blossom beaming at the welcoming aroma of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Brushing over the top of the building, the petal fluttered downwards, the wind whirling in circles. Before the petal knew it, it was ushered in through the open back door.

"Lee close the god damn back door those fucking petals are getting in the kitchen!"

"Yes sir!"

A boy of tan and golden skin, sweat glistening across his forehead and down his muscularly shaped arms, ran towards the back door. His face was dusted in a light coating of flour and other condiments, the employee wiping his hands furiously on his pastel blue apron.

He bent down in concentration, picking up the petal that had barged into the kitchen and, with a fury that only came around rush hour, he threw the petal out, slamming the back door closed despite the burning temperature that always seemed to remain in the boulangerie.

The young patissier  - always referred to as 'Lee' within the shop - rushed back to his station with haste, not wanting to get a further chewing out from his boss who was, himself, rushing around the back.

"Lee, you've got another order for a croissant de chocolat," a voice ordered, Donghyuck running back to his spot behind the counter separating him from the cashier who was poking his head over said counter.

The boy was wearing a backwards baseball cap, his button up sleeves rolled up past his elbows and his buttons unbuttoned in a 'not-so-professional' way. His hair was dyed a deep purple and Donghyuck couldn't help but adore the color on the other boy.

"Alright Lele," Donghyuck muttered, looking frantically around his work station before settling on a course of action. He chose to ignore the lines of people standing out in the front of the shop, their cashier Chenle pulling the last remnants of the goods off of the shelves out front.

I have no idea why, Donghyuck thought to himself as his experienced hands mixed the dough around in the bowl, getting it to the right texture to knead it, we ran out of goods so early on in the day. Maybe it's the weather...

The brown-haired boy's hair stuck to his forehead in the crippling heat that gripped the kitchen in it's sticky hands. He prayed that the boss would invest in air conditioning instead of the small, rotating fan that settled in the middle of the kitchen.

Now that Donghyuck had finished kneading the dough, his biceps burning from the workout, he pushed the appliances to the side, slapping the dough onto his workplace for the last time before grabbing the rolling pin settled just within reach. It was an easy process from here on out.

Donghyuck had a knack for cooking, and he had been working at this boulangerie for five years now. He was experienced in the kitchen, behind the cash register, and in waving flyers in the streets. Now that it had grown it's reputation, the small pastry shop grew in popularity for it's handmade, fresh goods. This had led to one a too many day where they had run out of their morning stock and had to rush around the back in a desperate attempt to make more as fast and as well as they could.

Cutting the dough into triangles, Donghyuck rolled them up and spreading chocolate between the layers with perfected precision, placing them onto a large tray used for mass baking. He soon finished up the dough, picking up the large tray and sliding it into the oven, slamming the door closed and glancing at the time. Using a timer was a hassle, and Donghyuck had quickly learned to watch the oven and count the time himself.

Besides, the boss didn't bother investing in a timer. No matter how many times Donghyuck had complained.

So Donghyuck kept his eye on the time, no more orders flowing in like a small blessing to the stressed boy. He quickly prepared a chocolate drizzle, different than the chocolate filling he used to layer between the flaky pastries. Time passed in a whirl, and soon Donghyuck was pulling the tray out of the counter, the golden and crumbly pastries glistening with the butter melted on the top of them.

It was only a moment, seconds, in which Donghyuck drizzled chocolate over the batch. "Le, I need a tray." He ordered over the counter and the younger cashier passed a display tray over the counter, Donghyuck carefully placing the burning hot croissants des chocolats onto the tray.

The chatter of Chenle calling out orders for the croissants filtered in as background music, a flutter of waiting people flocking to the counter to grab the sweet treats, warm but still immensely enjoyed on the spring day. It wouldn't be long before they would be placing the spring menu up again, the boss just finalizing a couple of new refreshing recipes and teaching them to Donghyuck.

It was just the three of them: the boss, Chenle, and Donghyuck. But they made it work and they were like a small family, no matter how much yelling and ordering when down through out the day.

Donghyuck let a small smile rest of his lips as he pulled chilling dough out of the freezer.

"What are you smiling about Lee?! We still have an influx of orders. Get your shit together and stop giggling to yourself like a god damn school girl!"

"Yes sir!"

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