BEHIND THE SCENES

chapter 42: storm after the storm

<OST: It's You - Chungha>

Knock. Knock.

"Jieun-ssi, I prepared dinner-" Jungkook said at Jieun's door. "Come out and have some."

It took Jieun exactly five seconds to come out of her room for dinner. She was starving after a long day.

"You cooked?" Jieun looked at the table of dishes. "Wow, after seeing your protein rich breakfast, I never knew you could cook. This actually looks good."

Jungkook smiled a little as he gestured towards the table. "Have a seat and try some then."

Jieun needed no second reminder. She took a seat at the table immediately. "Why did you prepare such a big feast for me?"

"To thank you," Jungkook said simply. "I'm grateful that you decided to stay and help me with my sleeping condition. I promise that I will find out about the cause of my problem and grant you your freedom as soon as possible. In the meantime, I'll cook meals like this for you whenever you want."

Jieun scoffed as she picked up her chopsticks. "I thought someone said no cooking was allowed at home."

"Do you smell anything?" Jungkook asked. "When I cook, I don't cause a smell to linger in the house. When it comes you, though - I'm not too sure. Not to mention about the mess too - I already didn't hold you responsible for the egg whites you got in my sink this morning."

"Oh, you saw that...?" Jieun let out an awkward chuckle. "I thought I cleaned it well enough..."

"Enough talking, dig in."

Jieun nodded as she picked up a piece of what looked like stir-fried spinach with mushrooms and put it into her mouth. She gagged and spat it out immediately. "What is this?!"

"Spinach and mushroom."

"Why is it so tasteless?!" Jieun made a face, trying to get the texture and taste our of her mouth. "Tastes like rubber."

"It's tasteless because..." Jungkook shrugged as he took a bite of the spinach mushroom dish. "Like I said, it's spinach and mushroom."

"Wait-" Jieun inhaled sharply. "By spinach and mushroom, you mean... just spinach and mushroom?"

"Yeah, what did you think?" Jungkook scorned nonchalantly. "I said it's spinach and mushroom, so of course it's spinach and mushroom."

"How did you cook it?" Jieun asked curiously. "Did you fry it with a little oil or-"

"I boiled it, without salt or anything."

Jieun was starting to freak out. "What about this dish over here? Some egg white kind of dish...?"

"Egg and broccoli and carrots."

Jieun bit her lower lip. "Cooking style...?"

"Boiled, plain."

"Eh..." Jieun smiled hopefully. "You're lying, maybe you boiled in chicken stock or something...?"

"No chicken stock, just water."

Jieun was unwilling to give up. "What about this here? Tomatoes and some kind of chicken breast...?"

"Boiled-"

"How am I supposed to eat this?!" Jieun slammed her chopsticks down. "This is a nightmare. No seasoning, no dipping sauce, no condiments, no oil, no salt?! No wonder you can cook without any smell! Jeon Jungkook, what am I supposed to eat?"

Jungkook was eating quietly. "There's some salt in my cupboard, but I haven't touched it for years. It's still edible though, you can add some of that."