Pursing your lips in frustration, you turned the shower off for the tenth time this morning. The heater in the shower wasn't functioning, and realizing that you had slept on the blanket instead of putting it to good use after collapsing on the bed the previous night, now you were shivering because of the total absence of heat in your room.
It was already half past 8 in the morning, and call time was at 9. You were only thirty minutes away from ruining your reputation and any more chances of obtaining more experience as a gourmet chef.
So here you were, standing before Seokjin's door, weighing the consequences of asking to shower in your rival's hotel room. "You have no other choice, you have no other choice," you repeated the words to yourself, shifting your weight from one leg to the other in anxiety.
The door finally opened with a click, and you looked up to a sight that was definitely going to stay in your mind for quite some time. Your eyes trailed down his body, his toned torso still covered in small beads of water after his shower and the white towel that barely held onto his hips.
You were at loss for words because of the view in front of you, and when you finally managed to recollect yourself, the only words that came out were "You have no other...clothes?" The short mantra had stuck in your head and for some unknown reason, your brain chose to say something highly inappropriate.
"Excuse me?" the half-naked man in front of you had a questioning look on his face, yet his eyes were playful. 'How am I even alive right now?' you looked away, mentally cursing yourself for being such an idiot at the worst moments.
"I really need to use your shower right now," you said quietly, avoiding his eyes.
"Go ahead," he moved away from the doorframe, and you were surprised at how he willingly let you inside his room.
Seokjin towered over you as you both stood behind a kitchen counter. Part of the convention was this small cooking show, a new addition to the tradition, and the winning team will take home a pretty hefty amount of cash. The goal was to create a three-course meal for the judges but it had to be based on your country's staple. Having suggested that you both work on your own specialty dishes back in Korea, you made a beeline to the refrigerators, concentrated on your recipe.
"Remember, team work is key,"
Obviously, team work didn't happen, and to say that the competition didn't end on a good note was - well, an understatement.
For the first time in your entire cooking career, you had burnt your steak, due to that loud announcer who reminded you of your dog that barked at you every five minutes. Not to mention the duo that occupied the counter in front of yours were annoyingly close as they chatted happily while cooking, seemingly free of the pressure that the competition gave you.
Exhausted after all the drama in the convention, you planned on taking a walk by the bay adjacent to the hotel, and look for the only thing that could make you forget about this dreadful day - your saving grace - ramen.
'How ironic' you thought, spending more than half of your life cooking up all sorts of dishes in the kitchen, and yet genuinely enjoy a cup of noodles in the middle of the night on bad days like today. Noodles were very special to you, as you appreciated its simplicity and subtlety, which was nothing compared to marinated steak ssam or those crab pancakes you had made earlier.
Even back in culinary school, you used to have these bowls of preservatives and carbohydrates beside you while you spent endless nights memorizing recipes and binge watching Gordon Ramsay and his crazy antics. Your friends used to tease you over it, but it's still those cups of happiness that got you through the worst of days.
You smiled at your brief walk down memory lane, and soon enough you found yourself standing in front of a convenience store. Making a beeline towards the cup noodles section, you caught sight of a person wearing the same uniform as yours and you figured it was a fellow participant who also enjoyed cup noodles as much as you did.
Thinking that you ought to make friends during this convention, specially if you won't be able to be on good terms with your only teammate, you paid for your ramen and sat down beside the person you saw earlier.
You took a deep breath, determined to at least make a friend after a long terrible day. Letting out a quiet cough, you turned to the person beside you and initiated the conversation, "So, ramen, huh?" The person whipped his head and you found yourself staring into Seokjin's eyes one more time. You quickly turned away and awkwardly stirring your noodles.
"Hey, Y/N," Seokjin cleared his throat as he scooted closer to you.
You only hummed in response, completely aware of his presence by now. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier, it was very unprofessional of me," he looked down again, and for the first time in your trip, you felt guilty. Seokjin had done absolutely nothing wrong, and you were being a complete asshole for judging him so quickly like that.
He was indeed a very talented person, undoubtedly good looking too, and at this very moment it dawned to you that Seokjin deserved nothing but your respect. Your eyes met again for the second time again, "Seokjin, I'm- uh, I should be the one who's apologizing right now," you stuttered and the man before you smiled, almost painfully, and at that moment you knew, a beautiful friendship was about to bloom.
"Frankly, I still don't know why you hated me so much," Jin chuckled, earning the same reaction from the audience that sat before you. "I mean, I was and still am pretty hot, plus I cook damn well too. A lot of women actually asked for my hand in marriage, you must be very lucky" Jin was full on laughing by now and by the time he recomposed himself, there were already tears in his eyes and you were unsure if they were from his vain joke or his emotions taking over him, "but looks who's standing in front of me right now, looking ever so beautiful in this glorious white gown," your tears were spilling quickly from your eyes now, unable to control your emotions.
"But in all honesty, I am the one who's lucky to have you. You never gave up on me and stood by my side, and I trust that you will remain like that for as long as we shall live. Because I've never been so sure about devoting the rest of my life to anyone or anything else but you. My heart and my soul belong to you, Y/N." Jin sniffed as he finished his vows.
"Jin!!" you whined cutely, gently dabbing on your cheeks to wipe away the tears.
"Oh honey, I can't wait to take you home already and hear that again."
