Kitchen Confidential [Jin]

1.

"Jeongguk, please handle the scallops."

"On it, boss," he replies, already having got them out of the fridge. That's why Jeon Jeongguk has been your sous chef and right hand man for years – he knows what you're thinking before you even think it.

"Soobin, you're helping me today," you instruct one of the younger workers, your best commis chef. "Taehyun, you're helping Hoseok and flying in when we need you. Okay?"

"Yes, chef!" both of the younger chefs call in unison. You fight the urge to roll your eyes, knowing that kitchen titles are something one should follow, even if you're not too fond of them.

You're only a handful of years older and more experienced than the youngest, freshest trainees in your kitchen. It feels wrong to have them answer your orders and throw the 'chef' word around but it's what is needed in a well-functioning restaurant kitchen. Once the doors are closed and the uniforms are off, you're no more than a girl they share a beer with.

It's Wednesday afternoon and it's bound to be a calmer night than usual for 'Bonsai' – it's the weekends when you lose your mind. Monday to Wednesday, it's usually smooth sailing, especially with how well versed your team has become, both with the kitchen and with each other.

"What are you want today, boss?" Jeongguk asks and this time, you do roll your eyes – your best friend, sous chef, culinary school buddy and your most favorite person in the world is teasing you. Again.

"Give me some 90s hip hop," you tell him, not looking up from your current task – getting the deboned chicken thighs out from the marinade and ready for cooking on order. "Stop calling me boss, I don't think Namjoon's going to like that."

"I'm not going to like what?" the man in question asks as he joins you in the kitchen, standing far enough on the side so as to not bother you – another man you've known and worked with for years – he knows when to stay out of your way and you know when to stay out of his. "Actually, don't answer that. What I don't know won't hurt me."

"Spoken like a true businessman," you laugh at him, noticing how Jeongguk and Hoseok are the only owns joining in. Poor Taehyun and Soobin, still too scared to relax fully. Very much like you once were, at your first internship in particular – good lord, that was hell. "How can I help you, boss?"

Namjoon can't cook to save his life. In fact, he can't even chop a vegetable to save his life. Great leader and a good business owner but never in the kitchen. Him walking through the kitchen door is a sign that he either needs something, or that something has happened. You realize it has to be situation number two because he waves a magazine – the most prestigious food and wine magazine around.

"Are you shitting me?"

"Nope," he smiles, dimples and all. "Haven't opened it yet, I wanted all of us to be here."

"Come on boss, just read it already!" Hoseok drops the egg beater he was previously using. "We're all here."

"Now you are!" Mina announces as she bursts through the door. Of course, she has to be here. She might not have anything to do with the dishes made in this kitchen but she is very much in charge of what happens when the dishes go out the door – it's her work as much as it is yours.

"Please just read it, Namjoon," you tell him as you hastily wipe your hands clean, completely forgetting about the chicken. The thing is, you are shaking. You can try to play it cool, act as if it all of it is irrelevant but the reality is that your hands are actually shaking. Is it fear? Not really – you know you're good and that your kitchen constantly delivers high quality food, no matter the day. No matter what happens, you know that that review is going to be good, at the very least.