Chef's Ambition (Hirai Momo x Female Reader)

Chapter 8

1 Week Later

Saturday Evening

Momo's POV

The competition was finally over after a long week of receiving instructing and cooking competitions with the other competitors. It was an amazing experience as I was able to learn a lot from the greatest chefs in Seoul. I have improved my skills greatly and am amazed by the progress I have made. I am so excited to use my new skills to make something for the others to eat.

I wish I could say that the entire competition went without any negatives, but I would be lying. The other competitors laughed and mocked me during the icebreaker segment when I told them that I came from a dancer background. It made it impossible to interact and make friends, but I didn't need them. The saving grace was that the chefs were all supportive of me even when they found out about my background.

It really was lonely at night. I made a promise to Y/N before I left that I would focus solely on the competition and would not call her or the others. I missed cuddling with Y/N to sleep, and I really had no replacement to substitute the feeling. The only thing I could do was stare at the dog charm that Y/N gave me as I went to sleep. The charm reminded me of her and put a smile on my face when I really needed it throughout the competition when I felt down.

I started my journey back home with a wide smile on my face. I walked through the front door with a happy greeting. I made my way to the living room and my smile instantly dropped. Everyone present had a sad expression on their face. I looked around the room and noticed that Y/N wasn't here.

"Hey... Where's Y/N?" I asked.

Jihyo looked up at me and let out a sigh, "Y/N had a nightmare the night you left for the competition," she revealed, shocking me, "Her nightmare was more intense as she accused me of not loving her because I never noticed how she was suffering for two years. It hurt a lot, but I knew that she would never actually think it. She apologized to me and initiated a hug for the first time in over six months, but..." she trailed off and looked towards Tzuyu to continue.

"We were hoping that would be the end of it but..." Tzuyu trailed off before sighing, "We were wrong. She had a nightmare every single night since you left. She can barely sleep and has been exhausted all week. If I had to guess, she probably only got a total of 10 hours of sleep the whole week."

I was surprised by everything that Jihyo and Tzuyu told me. I turned towards Jihyo, "Why didn't you call me? I told you to call me if anything happens to Y/N. I would come rushing back immediately," I questioned.

"That's exactly why we didn't call you. Y/N herself didn't want that to happen," Nayeon explained.

"She knows how important this competition is for you and refused to call for your help. She wanted you to see the competition till the end and was willing to endure the pain because of it," Jeongyeon added on.

I looked down with a frown on my face, "This is so frustrating. I should've just called you guys, but I promised Y/N that I wouldn't. She is now hurting because I didn't," I muttered while clenching my hands into fists.

"Don't blame yourself, Momo-unnie," Chaeyoung said, causing me to look towards her and unclenching my hands, "Y/N would definitely not be pleased to hear you blame yourself. She told us that she made sure you wouldn't be distracted by us as she wanted you to take full advantage of the competition; even if that meant that she had to endure her nightmares."

"But now that you are back," Dahyun interjected, "You should go comfort her. She should be in her room trying to get whatever amount of sleep she can."

I nodded my head and headed towards Y/N's room. I entered the room and gently closed the door behind me. I set my stuff down in my assigned space and walked towards the bed. I turned on the lamp on the nightstand and slowly sat down on the bed, making sure to not disturb Y/N.