To @coolbowties and your sweet request of a Dooly AU. Inspired by all the baking we did for APAN. LOL. Presenting, an imaginary Chef Jeong Hyeok and patisserie Chef Se-ri getting engaged. Food involved... rated G. Hahahahaha.
Enjoy! It's pretty short (and I'm all rusty when it comes to writing) but I hope you enjoy! *hugs* (Maybe someday I'll spin off a whole fic from this one.)
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Jeong Hyeok smashes the back of his wooden spoon against the shiny sheet of hardened caramel, the amber sugar smattering into a hundred shards. He carefully picks out a few big pieces, laying them all out on the sheet tray he had prepared earlier. Sharp edges, pointy tips. Perfect. Caramel garnish, done. Clean plates, done.
He isn't very good when it comes to anything involving desserts, but he certainly knows his ways and techniques around it. After all, he isn't a Le Cordon Bleu graduate for nothing. When it comes to the beauty and perfection of desserts, Jeong Hyeok knew that Se-ri was the only one who could deliver.
Still, that doesn't deter him from his plans this evening. He had the sorbet resting nicely in their freezer, the raspberry sauce cooling on the side, the ganache setting perfectly on his tart. All he needs to do is plate everything before he serves it for dinner. Wiping his hands on his apron, Jeong Hyeok takes a deep breath, exhaling loudly to diffuse the tension bubbling beneath his skin.
Tonight, he was doing the most important service of his life. He was going to propose to Yoon Se-ri. It's been four years since he jumped on this wild train ride with her and in the culinary world, it's been four years of tears and laughter and burned hands against cold skin. After four years chasing this wild and crazy dream, Jeong Hyeok and Se-ri finally decided to make the journey back home.
It isn't as easy as they thought it would be. While Se-ri laboriously worked through her dream of training with the best patisserie chefs the world had to offer, Jeong Hyeok quietly crafted his own dream–taking more advanced culinary courses and making plans of building his own restaurant. It was beautiful and messy in between. They had fought and made up and loved even more than they could imagine.
In the midst of all this, he had also created another dream–one he hopes Se-ri would share with him. Jeong Hyeok wants to marry her. He wants a lifetime and forever to love her.
Which brings him to his current situation. Se-ri was bound to come home in about fifteen minutes and Jeong Hyeok had already prepared the four-course meal they were going to share together. Ideally, he would've wanted to do this seated for a romantic dinner; but they were both chefs and Se-ri had this annoying habit of puttering about in the kitchen even if she didn't have to do the work. "Habit, I guess," she would say and Jeong Hyeok would give up, choosing to just enjoy their meals while they sat on the cold steel countertop.
The door of their shared LA apartment opens just as Jeong Hyeok finishes plating the tuna tartare and mesclun salad, and the door of their refrigerator was just slamming closed after he placed their plated dessert inside. Se-ri stumbles in their apartment, her hair a wild mess from her windy walk outside.
"Jagiya, I'm home!" she calls out as she kicks off her sneakers, dropping her bags on the floor. Se-ri bounces happily towards the kitchen where she knew she'd find Jeong Hyeok, only to freeze in panic when she sees his perfectly plated dishes on the counter. Her eyes widen in disbelief as her boyfriend smiled sweetly at her. "Omo. Did I forget something today? Is it our anniversary?"
"It's not, relax," Jeong Hyeok murmurs softly as he tugs on her hands, pulling her close to him. "I just thought it would be nice to celebrate your last day at Providence."
