Alpha Culinary Love

"I didn\'t \'decide\' anything," Jiyeon grumbled, pushing the drink back toward him. "You dragged us out here. And seriously, what the hell is this? A glass of gasoline?"

Kang feigned offense, clutching his chest. "It\'s called tequila, Jiyeon. I thought chefs were supposed to know their drinks."

"I know enough to stay away from whatever concoction you\'re holding," she shot back, crossing her arms. "Last time I listened to you, I ended up passed out in the back of a taxi with a hangover that lasted two days."

Yura raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Oh, I missed that one. What happened?"

Jiyeon groaned, while Kang jumped in eagerly, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, it was glorious! We were at some chef\'s convention, and this one—" he jabbed a thumb toward Jiyeon, "decided she could handle shots with the locals. Spoiler: she couldn\'t."

"I could have handled it," Jiyeon cut in, narrowing her eyes at him. "If you hadn\'t switched my water with more tequila halfway through the night!"

Kang shrugged, the picture of innocence. "Hey, how was I supposed to know you couldn\'t tell the difference between water and the devil\'s favorite drink?"

Yura was chuckling now, and Jiyeon turned her glare on her. "Don\'t encourage him," she muttered. "You\'re supposed to be on my side."

Yura\'s lips curled into a smirk. "I don\'t know… I think it sounds pretty entertaining. But, Kang, you should know better than to mess with her tolerance levels. I\'m the one who has to deal with the aftermath."

"Oh, don\'t worry, Yura," Kang said, waving a hand. "I\'m sure Jiyeon\'s had her fair share of \'aftermaths\' to deal with when it comes to you."

Yura\'s smile faltered, but it was Jiyeon who stepped in, her tone sharp. "You wanna repeat that, Kang?"

Kang hesitated, realizing too late that he might have overstepped. "Ah, no offense meant! You two are, you know, the power couple. I\'m just saying…"

Jiyeon rolled her eyes. "Power couple, huh? More like power struggle."

Yura raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to Jiyeon. "Power struggle? Is that how you see us?"

Jiyeon met her gaze, lips twitching. "Every day is a battle, and I\'m out here trying to keep the peace between you and Kang. And don\'t even get me started on running a restaurant in the middle of all this."

Yura hummed thoughtfully, pretending to think about it. "And yet, you manage to juggle it all so well. A true hero."

"Yeah, well, heroes need breaks too," Jiyeon muttered, half-heartedly glaring at Kang. "And less tequila."

Kang, undeterred by the thinly veiled threats, plopped himself down at their table. "Speaking of breaks, Jiyeon, how\'s that fancy pop-up event of yours going? Did the high society snobs appreciate the flavor explosions you were serving up, or did they just sit there looking like constipated pigeons?"

Yura laughed openly this time, earning a side-eye from Jiyeon. "Oh, it was definitely a mix of both. I think a few of them nearly fainted when they saw the escargot. Apparently, snails are only acceptable if they\'re dipped in gold and come with a side of champagne."

Kang snorted. "Figures. You should\'ve served them burgers with truffle fries. That\'s the only way to trick those types into thinking they\'re eating something \'classy.\'"

Jiyeon smirked at the thought. "Yeah, well, next time, I\'ll serve them a \'deconstructed\' cheeseburger and charge them an extra hundred bucks for the privilege."

Kang leaned back, wiping imaginary tears from his eyes. "Please! I\'d pay good money to see their faces when they realize they\'re paying for a \'gourmet\' fast food experience."

Yura, clearly enjoying the back-and-forth, chimed in, "Jiyeon, you should write a book about your culinary adventures. You know, like a memoir, but full of stories where you troll the high-class food critics."

Jiyeon raised an eyebrow, considering it for a second before shaking her head. "Yeah, because that would go over so well. \'Chef Jiyeon: Professional Troll.\' I can see the headlines now."

"Better than some of the headlines we\'ve seen lately," Yura remarked dryly, taking a sip of her wine.

Kang perked up. "Wait, what headlines?"

Yura shot him a look. "Don\'t even think about digging into that."

"Oh, come on! You can\'t just drop that bomb and not let me in on it," Kang whined, leaning forward.

Jiyeon chuckled darkly. "If you knew half of the rumors that circulate around us, you\'d have a field day."

Kang\'s eyes lit up with mischief. "Spill. Now."

Yura sighed, clearly reluctant, but Jiyeon decided to throw him a bone. "Apparently, someone saw us out shopping for furniture last week and decided that it meant we\'re getting divorced and splitting assets."

Kang blinked. "Wait, what? Why would—?"

Yura interrupted, her tone icy. "Because gossip columns have nothing better to do than make up stories about our \'scandalous\' lives. Never mind the fact that we were literally just buying a new couch."

Jiyeon leaned back, smirking. "And not just any couch. A ridiculously overpriced one that\'s going to look amazing in the living room."

Kang laughed. "So, let me get this straight: you two go out to buy furniture, and suddenly the whole world thinks you\'re splitting up? Man, I love rich people drama. It\'s like reality TV, but worse."

Yura rolled her eyes. "It\'s exhausting."

Jiyeon nodded in agreement. "Honestly, if we ever did split up—which we won\'t, by the way—the media would probably throw a parade. They\'ve been waiting for it since the day we got married."

"Well, too bad for them," Kang said, grinning. "Because you two are stuck together, like it or not. You know, like a bad sitcom marriage."

Yura shot him a withering look. "Are you comparing my relationship to a sitcom?"

Kang raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I\'m just saying! You\'ve got all the ingredients: bickering, tension, and a lot of unresolved issues that keep things interesting."

Jiyeon snorted, shaking her head. "That\'s one way to put it."

Yura sighed, looking over at Jiyeon. "I think it\'s time we left before he starts casting us in his imaginary sitcom."

Kang pouted. "Oh, come on! You\'re no fun. I was just getting started."

Jiyeon gave him a firm pat on the shoulder as she stood. "Goodnight, Kang. Don\'t drink yourself into oblivion."

"Too late!" Kang called after them as they made their way out of the bar.

As they stepped outside into the cool night air, Yura looped her arm through Jiyeon\'s. "You know, as much as I love Kang\'s antics, I\'m glad we\'re finally getting out of here."

Jiyeon smiled softly. "Me too. Let\'s go home."

And for once, it felt like everything was exactly as it should be.

As Yura and Jiyeon made their way through the dimly lit streets, the cool night air wrapped around them like a soft embrace. The buzz from the bar faded behind them, leaving only the quiet hum of the city in its place. For a while, neither of them spoke, the comfortable silence a rare but welcome break from the usual chaos of their lives.

Yura glanced at Jiyeon from the corner of her eye, a small smile playing on her lips. "You know," she began, her voice low, "I think this might be the calmest we\'ve been in weeks."

Jiyeon chuckled, her hand tightening slightly on Yura\'s arm. "Don\'t jinx it. The minute we get home, I\'m sure something will go wrong."

Yura snorted. "You\'re probably right. Kang will text some ridiculous update, or the restaurant will need something. It never ends."

"Or," Jiyeon said thoughtfully, "I\'ll walk into the kitchen and find Chef Kang trying to \'improve\' one of my recipes again. Last time he added blueberries to my kimchi jeon. I almost threw him out of the restaurant."

Yura\'s laughter rang out, light and unrestrained. "Blueberries in jeon? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Jiyeon replied with a grimace. "He swore it was going to be \'revolutionary.\' It was a disaster. Even the Culinary System was appalled."

Yura\'s smile widened. "I wish I could\'ve seen your face. You probably looked like you were ready to commit murder."

"Oh, I was," Jiyeon said, rolling her eyes. "I told him if he tried that again, I\'d make him eat every single ruined dish."

Yura hummed, her amusement fading into something softer as she looked at Jiyeon. "You know, you really do put up with a lot. Kang\'s shenanigans, the restaurant, the media… I don\'t know how you do it."

Jiyeon glanced at her, shrugging. "I\'ve learned to roll with the punches. Besides, it\'s not like you\'ve got it easy either. You\'ve got your own pile of stress to deal with."

Your journey continues on empire

Yura nodded, but her gaze remained on Jiyeon, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Maybe, but sometimes I wonder if I\'m making things harder for you."

Jiyeon stopped walking, pulling Yura to a halt as well. She turned to face her, brow furrowing. "What are you talking about?"

Yura hesitated, her fingers fidgeting slightly with the hem of her coat. "I mean, between my job and the media attention… I just wonder if you\'re getting dragged down by it all."

Jiyeon stared at her for a moment, then shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yura, you\'re the least of my worries. Sure, your job is intense and the media sucks, but that\'s not what bothers me. You know what does?"

Yura blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in Jiyeon\'s tone. "What?"

Jiyeon leaned in slightly, her voice lowering as if sharing a secret. "Kang\'s blueberry jeon. That\'s what keeps me up at night."

Yura stared at her, completely caught off guard. Then, slowly, a laugh bubbled up from her chest, and she shook her head in disbelief. "You\'re impossible."

Jiyeon grinned. "And yet, here you are. Stuck with me."