My love from the countryside ✅

chapter 11

"And finished!" Jungkook squealed as he completed cooking Taehyung's favorite food.

Mrs. Kim looked at him proudly as he finished garnishing. Yes, he had only sprinkled some strawberry flakes on the pancakes, but it was a big deal for him. The rest was prepared by Mrs. Kim.

"And may I know how my Koo Koo woke up without Taehyung even needing to wake you?" Mrs. Kim asked the baby brat.

"Mumma, I’m trying to impress Taehyungie hyung so that he marries me," Jungkook said as he carefully garnished the pancakes.

"Baby Koo, you know Mumma and Papa are so rich they can make Dadda rich again, right? Why do you need to marry hyung for that?" she asked lovingly.

"Mumma, it’s a win-win situation," Jungkook exclaimed, looking at Mrs. Kim, who frowned.

"Mumma, look. If I marry Taehyungie hyung, then:

1. I get to live with you forever,

2. Dadda can be rich again, and

3. I will get a handsome husband for myself. So, it's a win-win situation, right?" Jungkook said, squinting his eyes as if he had just solved the biggest mystery of his life.

"Oh... cool... best of luck with that. Gukkie, fighting!" Mrs. Kim said with raised eyebrows and wide eyes as she showed her fist to motivate the younger boy.

"Taehyungie hyung, please have this," Jungkook said, appearing in a cottage-style scarf over his head with his bangs falling on his face and a pretty apron, looking like a 70s housewife.

Taehyung squinted his eyes at him.

"What's with your get-up?" he asked as he sat at the dining table.

"Oh, poor you, dear husband. Don’t I look like the perfect wife?" Jungkook said as he twirled around, catching Taehyung off guard. The elder almost choked on his food, coughing hard.

"First, I’m not your husband, and second, it’s not the 1830s," Taehyung said, taking the water from the table and gulping it down in one go.

"And third, I’ve always dreamed of living a cottage life with my family, baking and cooking, listening to the sound of cattle, then taking a basket to pick vegetables from the garden and picking flowers, with rabbits and squirrels following me," Jungkook said dreamily, resting his elbow on the table and cupping his face in his palms.

Taehyung gave him a side-eye and continued eating. "You don’t even know how to use an oven, and you’re talking about baking and cooking."

"Haha, joke’s on you, Kim Taehyung! From today onwards, I’m taking cooking classes from Mumma," Jungkook declared. Out of nowhere, he pulled out a hachimaki and tied it around his forehead to show his determination. His headscarf was long gone.

(The piece of cloth worn on the forehead by Japanese fish cooks or sushi chefs is called a hachimaki (鉢巻). It’s a traditional headband made of cloth, often worn to symbolize determination, effort, and focus while working or engaging in a challenging task.)

"And you, yes YOU, will be so impressed that you’ll be at my feet, begging me to marry you," Jungkook said, his nose sky-high.

Taehyung continued eating, bored. "All you do is put on your theatrical show."

"Whatever," Jungkook snickered and took the plate of pancakes away.

Taehyung’s eyes widened. "Hey! Where are you taking my breakfast?" He sat up immediately and followed Jungkook into the kitchen.

"Those who don’t value food made by such delicate and beautiful hands have no right to eat," Jungkook snickered, showing off his hands.

"You just garnished it," Taehyung said desperately.

"Doesn’t matter! My fragile hands did some work, and instead of being thankful and motivating me, you’re discouraging me," Jungkook complained, placing his hands on his hips and furrowing his eyebrows.

"Eomma!" Taehyung called out to his mother, desperate, as she was busy making herself a smoothie.

"It’s between you two. I have no say," she said sassily, taking her smoothie and walking out.

"Phew, I’ll lose my brain cells between them. Better enjoy watching a movie," she muttered as she sat on the couch in her room.

"Jungkook, I’m really hungry. Please give me the food," Taehyung finally gave in, too hungry to argue, and he still had work to do.

Jungkook gave him a side-eye, seeing that the elder was truly hungry. He sighed, picked up the plate he had been guarding so carefully, and handed it to Taehyung.

"I’m only giving it to you this time, but if you discourage me again, I won’t let you eat for days," Jungkook threatened as the elder stuffed his mouth with food.

Taehyung munched on the pancakes, savoring the sweet and tangy taste of the strawberry flakes. He looked at Jungkook, who was now sitting across from him, pouting dramatically as if he'd been wronged.

"You know," Taehyung began, with his mouth still half-full, "if you really want to impress me, it’ll take more than just strawberries on pancakes."

Jungkook crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, really? Like what?"

Taehyung leaned forward, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "Well, for starters, maybe you could learn how to make an actual meal. I don’t know... like pasta, or steak. Something that requires more than just garnishing."

Jungkook gasped in a mock offense. "How dare you, Kim Taehyung! I am a man of refinement, a man of delicate tastes! Pancakes are an art, and you just don't appreciate my culinary genius!"

Taehyung smirked, reaching over to ruffle Jungkook’s bangs, making his bunny-like face scrunch up. "Sure, sure. We'll see how far your ‘art’ takes you in impressing me."

Jungkook puffed out his cheeks. "Don’t worry, you’ll be blown away by my next masterpiece. Just you wait!" He untied the hachimaki and dramatically threw it on the table, standing up with renewed determination.

Taehyung watched him amused, half expecting him to pull out a recipe book right then and there. Instead, Jungkook marched over to the fridge, frowning as he opened it and stared inside.

"What's for lunch?" Jungkook asked, already switching to his next plan.

Taehyung chuckled. "You're the one trying to impress me. You tell me."

Jungkook grabbed a carton of eggs and a few vegetables, his mind clearly working fast. "How about an omelette? You can't say no to a perfectly fluffy omelette."

Taehyung leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Alright, impress me. If you fail, you’ll owe me a week of doing my laundry."

Jungkook spun around, pointing at Taehyung with a spatula. "If I succeed, you’ll have to go on a date with me."

Taehyung raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile. "A date, huh?"

"Yep!" Jungkook said, already cracking eggs into a bowl, his eyes full of determination. "Prepare to be amazed!"

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