𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 - 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒇 (𝑨𝑴𝑩𝑾)

36: A Brewing Storm

The next morning started in a way none of us expected. I shuffled into the kitchen, yawning, my bonnet still snug over my cornrows. The smell of something savory hit me before I even saw it. It wasn’t Eliška at the stove humming her usual cheery tune—it was Minsu.

Yes, Minsu.

She stood there, focused, stirring a pot of bubbling sundubu jjigae with the kind of intensity that made it look like her life depended on it. Plates of banchan were already laid out on the counter: seasoned spinach, bean sprouts, kimchi, and a steaming plate of golden jeon.

I froze.

Chloe stumbled in behind me, her half-pink, half-black hair sticking up on one side. “Why does it smell like a Korean restaurant in here—” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Minsu. Her pale blue eyes widened, and she elbowed me. “Wait, am I seeing this right?”

Mariah wandered in next, her short blue hair messily tucked under a hoodie. “What’s all the commo—” She trailed off as her gaze landed on Minsu at the stove. “Oh, wow.”

Luana appeared, cradling her guinea pig, Lulu, like a queen surveying her kingdom. Her caramel complexion glowed even in the morning light as she raised an eyebrow. “Am I in the wrong house? Or did Minsu suddenly decide to join MasterChef?”

Even Eliška, who was usually the first one awake and always the one cooking, came in late. Her honey-blonde hair was tied back in a loose braid, and she looked as if she’d just rolled out of bed. “What’s going on?” she asked in her Czech-accented English before freezing in her tracks. “Oh my gosh, Minsu’s cooking? What happened? Did she win the lottery?”

Minsu didn’t look at any of us. She kept stirring, her face blank as ever, clearly tuning us out.

Mariah leaned close to me and whispered, “Should we say something? Or will she poison us if we ruin her vibe?”

I shook my head, trying not to laugh. “Let her cook. Literally.”

Luana set Lulu down in his little cage by the corner of the counter. “So, what’s this, Minsu? A change of heart? Trying to bond with us through food?”

Minsu finally glanced at Luana with the sharpest side-eye I’d ever seen. “I was hungry.” Her voice was so matter-of-fact it silenced us all.

Chloe, who was halfway to the coffee pot, snorted. “You’re just hungry? You made a full-course meal for yourself?”

Minsu ignored her, turning back to plate the jeon with precision.

Mariah couldn’t hold back anymore. “Minsu, honey, you’re in the wrong house for this kind of nonchalance. You just made a Michelin-star breakfast, and you’re acting like you poured cereal.”

Minsu sat down with her bowl of jjigae, glancing at Mariah for a split second. “Eat or don’t. I don’t care.”

Eliška, still blinking like she’d seen a ghost, slowly approached the table. “Okay, but this looks amazing.” She touched the edge of a plate with reverence. “Did you—did you make all of this from scratch?”

Minsu shrugged, ladling soup into her bowl.

Chloe sat down with a steaming cup of coffee and poked at the kimchi with her fork. “Well, I’m not wasting it. This looks bomb.”

Mariah joined her. “It smells too good to ignore. Let’s eat before she changes her mind and takes it back.”

Luana grabbed a plate of jeon, her Brazilian bluntness showing as always. “Minsu, I don’t like you, but I respect this. Keep it up.”