Red Dress | SUNGJOY

Chapter Thirty Four

"ZUSAMMENLEBEN"

(LIVING TOGETHER)

...

Morning sunlight slowly filtered through the curtains of Sungjae and Sooyoung's apartment, filling the small kitchen with a warm glow. The place was quiet—peaceful in a way that only early mornings could be.

Sooyoung was still half asleep when she walked into the kitchen, tying her hair into a loose ponytail. She stopped.

Sungjae was standing in front of the stove with a spatula in one hand and a very serious expression on his face.

"...What are you doing?" she asked softly.

Without turning around, he answered proudly. "Making breakfast."

Sooyoung blinked. That's when she noticed the slightly burnt smell in the air. She walked closer and peeked over his shoulder. The pan contained something that vaguely resembled scrambled eggs... but parts of it were definitely darker than eggs should be.

Sungjae quickly shifted his body to block the view. "Don't judge me."

Sooyoung tried to hold back a laugh. "I didn't say anything."

"You looked."

"I just woke up and my fiancé is cooking," she said with a teasing smile. "I'm impressed."

He turned slightly, lowering his voice like he was confessing a crime. "...The first batch burned."

Sooyoung finally laughed. "Let me guess. You left the heat too high?"

Sungjae pointed the spatula at her. "That's exactly what happened."

She stepped beside him and gently turned the stove knob lower.

"Medium heat," she explained. "Cooking isn't a race." He watched carefully, nodding.

"Okay. Medium heat. Noted."

She picked up the bowl of eggs he had already whisked. "You actually did this right."

Sungjae puffed his chest a little.

"I watched a video."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"And yet you burned the eggs." He sighed dramatically.

"The video didn't warn me about betrayal."

Sooyoung giggled as she guided his hand with the spatula.

"Just move them slowly like this."

Sungjae followed her movements carefully, concentrating like he was solving a complicated problem. A few minutes later, the eggs looked... surprisingly decent. He stared at them in amazement.

"...I did that."

Sooyoung smiled proudly.

"You did."

—

They ate breakfast at the small table by the window. Sungjae kept glancing at the plate like he couldn't believe it existed.

"So?" he asked nervously. Sooyoung took another bite.

"It's good."

His face lit up immediately. "Really?"

"Yes."

He leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "I'm basically a chef now."

Sooyoung snorted. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."