Chapter 11: The Kitchen Dynamic

Unlike when Lee Dohwa was alone with Kang Hae-il, the kitchen felt suddenly cramped with all six people gathered.

The last team, having just finished grocery shopping, arrived at 10:20 AM, pushing back their cooking start time. Before they could begin, they needed to divide the tasks.

“I only know how to cook Korean food, so I’ll just be an assistant today.”

Everyone’s gaze immediately fell upon Ma Won-ho, and a subtle sense of unease began to sprout within Lee Dohwa.

“I… I don’t know how to cook anything, so I’ll handle the cleanup and odd jobs!”

“I’m not very talented either, so I’ll help with Woo Sori.”

Woo Sori and Jae-hyun, who had been watching cautiously, simultaneously backed out, making their intentions clear.

‘At this rate, it would be better to just order takeout.’

But that wouldn’t do.

Lee Dohwa, rarely venturing out, often sought hobbies that could be enjoyed indoors, and cooking was one of them. She found a certain joy in discovering recipes and experimented widely, yet she had never cooked for anyone else before.

Now, the daunting prospect of preparing not just a single serving, but six, loomed before her, making her feel utterly overwhelmed.

Kang Hae-il had also admitted he couldn’t cook. Lee Dohwa turned her gaze to Chaeyeon-woo, the last remaining person.

“I’ll make pasta. Hmm, I’d like spicy rosé pasta… Is that okay with everyone? Anyone who can’t handle spicy food?”

To make matters worse, the only dish Lee Dohwa disliked, rosé pasta, was precisely what Chaeyeon-woo, the sole volunteer, offered to make. She sighed inwardly.

She was certain she’d mentioned earlier, right at the very beginning, that anything but rosé pasta would be fine.

‘They must have forgotten or not heard me.’

It wasn’t as if pasta was the only menu item, and Chaeyeon-woo, who had wanted to make pasta from the start, had enthusiastically stepped forward.

Left with no choice but to cook the meal herself, Lee Dohwa forced open her reluctant mouth.

“…Then I’ll handle the other dishes.”

“I’ll assist you.”

Lee Dohwa volunteered to cook herself.

Rather than making an excessive amount of one dish and risking disaster, she decided to prepare two different dishes, each serving about three people.

As she examined the ingredients, pondering what to make, Chaeyeon-woo’s voice drifted from beside her.

“There’s only one apron? Oh… may I use it?”

“Yes, please do.”

The apron wasn’t her priority right now.

They had bought steak meat earlier, so that would be straightforward to cook.

‘Risotto… and with tomatoes, I can make Egg in Hell.’

Lee Dohwa, not even glancing at Chaeyeon-woo as they tied on the apron, began taking out the necessary ingredients from the refrigerator, one by one.

“What are you planning to make?”

“First, I’m going to marinate the steak.”

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“…Could you wash the ingredients I just took out?”

Ma Won-ho, who had approached without her noticing, took the ingredients Lee Dohwa was pulling out and helped move them.

Lee Dohwa flinched slightly at the touch, but despite the unfamiliar awkwardness, she tried to focus on her cooking without looking at his face.

Chaeyeon-woo and Ma Won-ho wouldn’t have eaten anything yet.

As she moved, considering the most efficient workflow, someone suddenly blocked her path.

“I’ll assist you.”

“…Then, could you cut some onions for me?”

Lee Dohwa’s eyes rolled as she handed the onion she held to Kang Hae-il.

He nodded with a calm expression, took the onion, placed it on the cutting board, then picked up a knife and looked at Lee Dohwa.

“Is this size acceptable?”

“A little smaller, please.”

After her words, the onion began to be neatly chopped with a crisp sound.

Lee Dohwa moved past Kang Hae-il and picked up a head of cabbage. She gripped the cabbage, ready to slice it with the largest knife.

“What should I do now?”

Ma Won-ho suddenly leaned in beside her again.

“…Please slice this.”

“Bite-sized?”

“Yes, a little larger than bite-sized is fine.”

Each time they finished a given task, Kang Hae-il and Ma Won-ho took turns approaching Lee Dohwa. Like students learning to cook, they asked her about everything, from start to finish.

“Is there anything else I can help with?”

“Oh, uh, could you put some oil in a frying pan and turn on the heat?”

With the unexpected assistance of the two, the ingredient preparation was finished in no time.

In fact, more tasks were completed through Lee Dohwa’s instructions than by her own hands.

Thanks to them, she didn’t have to exert much effort, but a corner of her heart felt a little uneasy, as if she were taking advantage of them.

“Is everything ready?”

“Now, all that’s left is to cook the steak.”

“The initial heat is high, right?”

“Yes, once it’s hot, switch to medium heat and sear each side for one minute.”

Still, it was better to have things go smoothly.

Finally, Lee Dohwa began to grill the marinated steak herself. Ma Won-ho naturally turned on the burner and skillfully cooked the remaining meat alongside her.

Amidst the pleasant aromas emanating from the gradually finishing dishes, the delicious scent of meat spread widely.

“Mmm~ That smells delicious!”

“Is it done?”

“It should be done soon. Could you move these?”

Woo Sori and Jae-hyun, who had been sitting at the table watching the kitchen, were drawn in as if mesmerized.

Lee Dohwa pointed to the freshly portioned risotto and Egg in Hell to keep them from getting cold. The two returned to the table, but Lee Dohwa, seeing the steak finish first, turned off the heat and glanced around.

‘It’ll be done quickly.’

She cut the steak into serving portions and arranged them on a plate.

Only after seeing Ma Won-ho turn off the stove did she finally regain her composure.

Seeing everyone standing and watching her, she carried the completed plates to the table. Then, she exited the kitchen and headed to the restroom.

Whenever she cooked, she constantly washed her hands throughout the process. After meticulously washing them one last time, she noticed how dry they felt.

To apply hand cream, she would have to go up the stairs to the second floor, but she was too lazy, so she skipped it.

Returning to the dining room, Lee Dohwa saw the other five already seated or about to sit.

“Everyone worked so hard cooking.”

“Lee Dohwa, your cooking is good enough to sell in a restaurant!”

“I didn’t do much; it’s thanks to everyone else’s help.”

As Woo Sori exclaimed dramatically, a flustered Lee Dohwa surveyed the dishes on the table and replied.

The first pleasure of gastronomy is enjoying it with your eyes.

Although she hadn’t gone out of her way to plate them, she liked how neatly the food was arranged on the dishes.

And among the dishes, she saw Chaeyeon-woo’s rosé pasta for the first time, the only dish that hadn’t passed through her hands at all.

Somehow, the rosé pasta’s color was a little pale, and it looked watery, differing slightly from the image she had in her mind.

‘I wasn’t going to eat it anyway.’

Its appearance made it even less appealing.

Lee Dohwa, being particular about food due to her small appetite, wouldn’t touch anything that didn’t suit her taste.

Thus, without a single glance at Chaeyeon-woo’s rosé pasta, she served herself the other dishes.

‘Next time, it absolutely has to be Korean food.’

She was already planning to completely entrust the cooking to Ma Won-ho next time.

“Lee Dohwa seems to be a good cook.”

“Indeed.”

Sitting at the table with Jae-hyun, Woo Sori watched the kitchen, subtly tapping their foot beneath the unseen tabletop.

Their busy lives meant ordering takeout was the norm, so they had completely given up on cooking. They could only observe, but they weren’t anxious about not cooking themselves.

‘It’s intense.’

Whether it was Lee Dohwa, who, despite never claiming to be a good cook, was surrounded by two Alphas while preparing food, or Chaeyeon-woo, who had enthusiastically volunteered and was now forlornly making pasta alone in an apron.

The kitchen, viewed from a slight distance, was quite entertaining.

Chaeyeon-woo occasionally peeked at the others, but Lee Dohwa, in contrast, was silently and completely focused on her cooking.

‘At first, I only noticed Chaeyeon-woo.’

As time passed, Lee Dohwa began to stand out more.

“Sori-hyung! Could you taste this for me?”

“Alright.”

Woo Sori, looking towards the kitchen, met Chaeyeon-woo’s eyes.

Chaeyeon-woo, wearing a white apron, held a wooden spoon in one hand, their eyes curving gently.

As an Omega themselves, born with and fully utilizing their appearance, Woo Sori definitely felt a sense of kinship with Chaeyeon-woo.

‘I already knew, anyway.’

Chaeyeon-woo was a famous Omega influencer, rumored to be a superior Omega.

There had been talk of heavy photo editing, but seeing them in person, there was hardly any difference.

Woo Sori put the pasta, blown cool by Chaeyeon-woo, into their mouth and chewed, still observing them. They had noticed it from the first meeting, but a bright, lively energy enveloped Chaeyeon-woo.

“It tastes pretty good, actually.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can help with.”

“No, it’s fine!”

While the sight of Chaeyeon-woo cooking in an apron was pleasant, the actual taste of the rosé pasta was merely mediocre.

Watching Chaeyeon-woo let out a big sigh of relief and now shake their head, Woo Sori returned to the table where Jae-hyun was sitting.

“Lee Dohwa, here you go.”

“Thank you.”

Listening closely, one side of the kitchen was completely engrossed in their tasks, without any private conversation or laughter.

‘This isn’t some cooking competition.’

Woo Sori stared intently at Lee Dohwa.

Although one could get a feel for a person after a few conversations, there was also much to learn about someone’s outward appearance and how they presented themselves.

In that sense, exceptional Omegas and Alphas satisfied Woo Sori’s heightened aesthetic sense, making it impossible not to keep watching them.

Among the three Omegas, including Woo Sori, Lee Dohwa was the shortest, yet she had good proportions. Her face, pretty in a different way than Woo Sori’s, wasn’t meek-looking, presenting a different kind of demeanor.

‘She looks even smaller among the Alphas.’

Woo Sori had initially thought the one who would evoke protective instincts was the rabbit-like Chaeyeon-woo, but now they weren’t so sure.

Lee Dohwa, with her seemingly aloof appearance, was shy like a little kitten.

‘This dynamic is interesting.’

With their appearance on the show confirmed, Woo Sori already had a separate objective. They had no intention of getting their face disgraced by engaging in an ugly fight over Alphas.

For now, becoming friendly with both wouldn’t hurt.

“It seems almost done. Shall I get the wine?”

First, Woo Sori decided to observe further.

Thus, Woo Sori maintained a constant smile on their face, never losing their kind demeanor.