AVENUE 17 | SVT ENSEM. [✔️]

8. Rest Days

{ The phrase "Chef Wonwoo" shouldn't exist. }

rest days were never really rest days for [JOSHUA] and seokmin. without distraction, joshua always felt hyperaware of their situation. anxieties always crept in during the most unexpected times.

from the moment he woke up and remembered he didn't need to work that day, his mind filled up with noise.

seokmin knew this happened. and he truly couldn't imagine what that felt like for joshua. his heart hurt seeing joshua always think so negatively of their little store. seokmin never thought Hug would get anywhere big anyway. he was fine with their little quaint shop. but joshua always felt like their quaintness was their biggest failure.

so when joshua was curled up on the end of the sofa, watching youtube videos but not laughing at them, seokmin knew he was worrying again.

he joined joshua and wrapped his arms around him, pressing his cheek into his arm. "shua~~ what are you watching?" joshua sighed, lightly patting seokmin's head, "some guy coding snake... it's kinda cool." seokmin hummed.

"are you worrying about the store again?"

"maybe," joshua paused the video and shut the tv off. "i know i say the same thing over and over but i just feel like we're doomed for failure. and you always tell me that a small audience doesn't mean we're failing but i don't know why i feel this way-"

seokmin heard the wobble in joshua's voice as he tried not to cry but it made seokmin want to cry. "jisoo-ya..."

seokmin rarely used informalities with joshua's korean name. only in times of true openness and comfort and love did he decide to do so. joshua was all ears.

"i will never, ever get tired of reminding you how much success our venture was. we're not struggling with rents or payments. we are living our dream- your dream." seokmin smiled. "i will keep telling you this until you realise it, hong jisoo."

joshua took a deep breath, almost like he was internalising seokmin's beautiful voice in his comforting words. and he managed a smile. "okay."

with a tight hug from seokmin that made them both laugh, joshua felt refreshed and alive again. "you're a miracle." he breathed, sitting up straighter. joshua felt like seokmin saved him; every single time. seokmin was more than a miracle, in fact. he was joshua's life saver.

【 ☆ 】

[MINGYU] whined at wonwoo's door. "what do you want, gyu?" wonwoo wasn't even looking at the door, instead minding his own business on his phone.

"you have to make lunch with me. what do you want to eat?" wonwoo hummed, "don't know. any ideas?" finally he looked up at mingyu.

the younger had to pause for a second, "uhm- kind of. either fried rice or tteokbokki... your choice, though!" wonwoo seemed to like either idea. "ooh! found this guy on tiktok who cooks stuff, he's really funny," he said, signalling mingyu to sit with him on the bed to watch a video. "come watch."

"ah, rosé tteokbokki?" mingyu asked through laughter. "hm... i think we have those things. let's try." he smiled, eyes wide and excited. before wonwoo could say anything, he was dragged by the arm into the kitchen. "we need aprons." mingyu said, holding a pointer finger up. he seemed to talk to wonwoo like he was a toddler.

"uh-"

mingyu suddenly came back with two aprons. hanging one around his neck, he put the other one on for wonwoo, tying a nice bow behind. "do you remember the ingredients?" he asked, tying his own string. "sort of... let me just check again. i'll grab them."

soon, they fell into a pattern subconsciously. if wonwoo was chopping one thing, mingyu was preparing the next thing. if mingyu was done with an ingredient, wonwoo kept it. it was so natural that the kitchen was void of their voices. they just knew how to work off each other.

soon, they were done. a big pan of tteokbokki was the result of their work and it looked and smelt amazing. wonwoo picked up a piece together with a lone fishcake to have as his first bite. after blowing on it a little, he ate it. he commented after chewing on it a bit, "this is really good..." mingyu smiled, "is it?" and he tried his own share. "mm!~ perfect! that was a good recipe."

of course they couldn't just have tteokbokki so wonwoo fixed them both a big bowl of instant noodles to eat alongside it.

when they were done and all washed up, wonwoo felt a little tired from all the starch he just ate. he and mingyu sat on the sofa, while mingyu browsed through videos that youtube was recommending to him. a yawn from wonwoo prompted mingyu to ask if he was okay.

"i'm just tired. we ate a lot," wonwoo rested his head against the back of the sofa, leaning toward mingyu. the younger hummed at the answer. "also i've never worked so much in the kitchen."

mingyu laughed, patting wonwoo's cheek, "now you know what i go through?" wonwoo made a noise, "you never seem tired though." mingyu agreed, "that's true but it's because i'm used to it."

"next time i'll cook if you're tired."

mingyu chuckled and was about to say something when wonwoo knocked his head against his shoulder in retaliation, "are you doubting my cooking skills? i could've done that tteokbokki myself, okay?"

"no! i'm not doubting you." wonwoo humphed in victory, "that's what i thought, kim mingyu."

"but don't cook for us, okay?"
"yeah, i wasn't really planning to follow through..."

a/n: HELLO! short and quick update <3 next one's also a little short but Delicious for the junhao stans <3 teehee the weeks coming to a close, how was yours? i'm planning to meet my friends this friday to play overcooked. last time we met, we struggled on 2-5 for like 45mins and it has not been passed w 3 stars SIGH