patisserie d'amour | seungin | stray kids

2. marry me

SEUNGMIN

Agh, why is this so nerve wracking? I take one last look at the giant board with the words "Patisserie d'amour" written in an elegant cursive font before pushing open the doors.

I am greeted by the smell of freshly baked bread and rich chocolate delicacies. I was brought back to my academy days, when my friends and I would spend countless hours perfecting recipes. The walls were painted a refreshing pastel blue, while the square tiles alternated between black and white in color, giving a chess board like appearance. The tables and chairs were white with a Victorian style design, adding to the classy look of the place. A wide array of desserts were put on display through large refrigerated boxes. I walk towards the cashier's desk, manned by a guy who looked about my age.

"Hello, I'm Kim Seungmin. I'm supposed to be joining as a pastry chef today. May I know where to go?"

"Ah, you're the famous Kim Seungmin! I'm Jisung, I've heard so much about you oh my god-" he starts off in excitement, only to be cut off by another chef walking in. I laugh at his behaviour.

"Not now, Jisung," the older man reprimands. He looks like he has some authority in here. I bow to make a better impression.

"I'm the head baker, Minho," he says, extending his arm with a smile. I reciprocate. "Welcome to the bakery! I'll just need your documents and some tests and you'll be good to go."

"Thank you, sir," I reply. He looked chill but responsible at the same time. I open the backpack I was carrying with me and take out a few files with my application form and whatnot, and hand it over to him.

"Just call me Minho, we're not that far apart in age," he waves his hand in dismissal. "Now, you've got an excellent résumé. I'll need you to make a few deserts here to test your skills. You ready?"

I wasn't expecting him to jump right into it, but I was prepared. I was going to blow this guy's mind.

We head into the kitchen, and I find some bakers clad in white uniforms working inside. Some were frosting tall multi-tiered cakes, while others were piping mini cupcakes. It seemed like they were all preparing for the same event, considering that they were all in the same colour theme.

"You're free to work here. Here's a list of things I'd like to see you make by the end of today. It's just for formality purposes. If you need any help, feel free to ask me or any of the other employees here," Minho pats my back and leaves the room, after handing over a little sticky note.

"Macarons, cheesecakes, croissants...boy this is going to take a while."

I was about to start off easy with a blueberry cheesecake, but I couldn't find the mixer. I approach one of the older looking bakers, who was pulling out a tray of muffins from a large oven.

"Excuse me, could you please tell me where the mixer is?" I ask.

"Can't you see I'm busy with something, kid?" he tsks. Rude much?

That was the case with the other two to three bakers I asked. In the end, I wasted half an hour just searching through the kitchen cabinets to find it. I didn't get why these old people were so grumpy.

*

"Ah, I'm done!" I sigh in relief, stepping away from the working counter after garnishing a few crushed nuts on the brownie as if I was on MasterChef. I had almost ruined the meringue, and one or two cookies got slightly burnt in the bottom, but I still did it.

I look up and realize with a start that it was dark outside, and moreover, there were barely any people here anymore. How much time had I been working for? The clock reads thirty past six in the evening. No wonder most of the chefs were gone.

I take off my apron and dust off my sleeves before getting out of the kitchen. I see Jisung, the only one other than Minho who was nice to me today, still at the counter. I walk to him.

"Hey, do you know where Minho is?" I ask.

"Yeah, I think he went to change or something. It's almost closing time. Are you done baking?"

"Yeah, you wanna try? It'll be nice to get some feedback before he tastes it."

"REALLY?" Jisung's eyeballs nearly pop off their sockets. "I'D LOVE TO!"

He follows behind me like a happy child to the kitchen, where I had spread out all the pastries and deserts in a neat presentation.

"Seungmin, this smells heavenly!" He exclaims. I already liked this guy.

"What do you wanna try?" I ask, happy that he looked excited about them.

"Hmm...the cheesecake!"

I cut out a slice of the cheesecake and put it on a plate before handing it to him. I look at him in anticipation as he puts a spoonful into his mouth.

After a moment or two, his smile disappears and I begin to worry if I've fucked up.

"Seungmin," he says with a serious tone. "...will you marry me?"

"Huh?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING??? THIS IS SO FREAKING GOOD I-" He launches at me, going in for a hug.

"Oh my god, Jisung, you really got me there for a moment!" I take a heavy breath before I join in his laughter.

"Who's marrying who?" A voice behind us says. We turn around and stiffen. Neither of us had noticed Minho standing there.

"Uh, right. I'm done with the deserts. Which one would you like to try first?" I ask, straightening my posture. Jisung leaves the room as I speak.

Minho walks toward the table, closely examining every dish. I could see the surprise on his face seeing me finish up everything on time. I inwardly smirk.

One by one, he tries all of the deserts, taking his time to taste the flavours. In the end, I'm met with a straight face and I honestly can't expect what he's going to say. Sure, it'll probably taste good to someone who enjoys food, but to a professional it's not just the overall taste that matters.

"They don't call you the ace of the Culinary Institute in France for nothing, do they?" He says, dabbing his mouth with a paper napkin. I blush at the compliment.

"Thank you," I bow slightly.

"Mind if I take some of these bad boys with me? They're delicious."

I quickly nod. What was I gonna do with these many deserts, anyways? I had already saved a few for Hyunjin. I'm sure he'll be having a rough time at the hospital. Plus, I'm grateful that he's treated me so well all these days. My old roommates at the Academy weren't half as welcoming as he was.