A Symphony Of Home

Eleven (Elysia's POV)

(Edited)

When I arrived in the kitchen, Chan Woo was already standing by the coffee machine.

"Good morning, Chan Woo," I greeted him warmly.

"Good morning, Elysia. Did you manage to get any sleep? You look a bit tired," he observed, his tone more matter-of-fact than concerned.

"I did get some, but not much. Is it that obvious?" I asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, it's pretty noticeable," he replied with a small smile. I rubbed my face self-consciously. "Hopefully, tonight will be better."

"I hope so too. How did you sleep?" I quickly shifted the conversation away from myself.

"Pretty well, until Maria started snoring," he said, and we both chuckled. Maria only snored when she'd had a few too many drinks. I made a mental note not to let her drink so much next time—but for now, I kept that to myself.

My stomach felt a little uneasy, so I decided to keep my breakfast light. The smoothie from earlier was still churning in my stomach. Whether it was from lack of sleep or something else, I hoped it wasn't the start of getting sick.

I started preparing breakfast. This morning, I decided to make croissant wreaths filled with eggs, ham, cherry tomatoes, cheese, and onions. As I began gathering the ingredients, Chan Woo offered to help with the preparation.

I had never been so grateful for help. I let him cut the dough into triangles while I worked on the filling. We arranged the dough in a circle, filling it halfway before folding the croissant dough over. The kitchen began to fill with the mouthwatering aroma of baked pastry and eggs as the oven preheated to 200°C. Once everything was ready and the croissants were baking, the kitchen smelled like a French café.

After about 20 minutes, Imani, Damru, and Dina entered the kitchen.

"Good morning," they greeted us in unison.

"Morning," we replied.

"What a delicious smell," Imani said, inhaling deeply. "It's making me hungry already."

"We're lucky you're such a good cook," Damru added with a smile. Dina just nodded, but even her small smile signaled approval.

Soon after, the others, including Tae Ho, arrived and sat down at the table. Tae Ho, as usual, didn't say a word and started eating. And once again, after the first bite, he furrowed his brows, the same look he gave every time I cooked. My frustration from the previous day crept back. Why did he always look displeased with my food? Before I could say anything, he suddenly spoke.

"Mas-iss-hea-yo," he said in Korean, still frowning.

I stared at him, confused, clearly not understanding what he meant.

Yeong grinned and chimed in, "Let me translate for you, non-Koreans: it means 'delicious.'"

I was so surprised that I just kept staring at Tae Ho, my mouth slightly open. The others laughed at my reaction, and I remained speechless, watching him finish his meal. He glanced up, licking his lips in a way that made my heart skip. I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to kiss him.

"Every time Tae Ho likes something he's eating, whether he made it or not, he furrows his eyebrows like he's questioning why it's so good," Yeong explained, mimicking Tae Ho's expression.

So, he had been enjoying my food all this time? The frustration I'd been harboring melted away, replaced by a swell of pride. I smiled to myself, feeling a lot more confident.

After breakfast, we were all expected to gather in the living room. Mr. Lee was coming by to discuss our upcoming tasks for the week, and everyone seemed on edge, unsure of what was to come. But after Tae Ho's unexpected compliment, I was in too good a mood to be worried.