Work Text:
Seulgi wanted people to see the world through her eyes, she wanted to share how beautiful it was from a different perspective. It was a special thing, letting someone into your world and showing them it’s stories.
Back in her small family home in Ansan, she would remember sitting on her dad’s lap in front of the small space heater, where he told her all the stories in his head, old and new (they didn’t have a chimney to light fires so they often settled for the artificial warmth of an electronic heater during cold winter nights).
Like her dad, she was a creative soul. On her 8th birthday, her parents bought her an old camcorder. It had a little screen you could open and flip and a little handle strap to help carry it. That was simply just the beginning.
With her newfound interest, she filmed anything and everything. Her walk to school, her long car rides, trips to the park, you name it, she filmed it. She rarely filmed people, other than her family during the holidays, and thought that a story was better told through nature or it’s surroundings.
More often than not, her dad would be on his daily bike ride home from work and would spot her crouching in their front lawn, filming a trail of ants. She filmed from every possible perspective, birds eye, third-person, and even first-person point of view. By the time she was called in for dinner, she would be covered in ants and sweaty from shooting under the midsummer sun.
Soon, her interest stretched beyond the idea of filming only nature (how many videos of ants could one possibly film before getting bored?). Seulgi started making little stories by filming random people passing by. One started with a young woman helping an elderly man cross the street, then a single shot of a different young woman picking out flowers for her beloved. She edited her content on some cheap editing software she downloaded onto her dad’s work computer for 3 weeks of her summer.
To someone watching it, they’d just see women doing everyday things but to Seulgi, it told a story of how women in society are expected to do certain things and how normality in everyday life can lead to bland expectations of reality. The next summer, she bought another sd card and made a sequel, from the view of the male perspective.
In between filming her little projects, she watched an unhealthy amount of movies. From old western comedies to the abstract french cinema, she was enamored. Infatuated with the way they conveyed their emotions through the film, she studied them like she was finding the cure for cancer. If it was up to her, she’d spend the rest of her life sitting in front of their small 30-inch tv, watching Stanley Kubrick and Quentin Tarantino movies. But eventually, her mom told her to go outside because their electricity bill was getting too expensive.
In high school, she joined the film club. Her parents supported her hobbies and growing interests in the film world, as long as she kept her grades up. She spent many of her after school days geeking out with all the other resident cinephiles at her school and made a couple of friends.
A sassy clever girl who had a knack for editing great clips introduced herself to Seulgi the moment she stepped foot in the club room, her name was Park Sooyoung. A different girl, shorter and kinder, warmly introduced herself next, her name was Son Seungwan. Seungwan was a great storyteller. She reminded her of her dad, both of them seemed to have a talent for making things sound more interesting than they actually were. Seungwan could share a story about how she did her homework and make it seem like the drama of the century. Seulgi added to the trio with her filmography skills, having spent the past 7 years of her childhood with her nose in a camera.
Again on her 16th birthday, her dad surprised her with a $1,300 Canon EOS 6D ii video camera. She nearly fainted upon opening the box. Her mom and dad just smiled at her as she went into a manic episode from receiving the best gift on the face of the earth. Her relatives all chipped in and bought her various types of lenses and she was ecstatic.
That year, she and her friends filmed many projects. They thought one was so good that they entered in an amateur film contest. Low and behold, they took home the gold.
“See! I told you, this is Daejong film award material!” Sooyoung had boasted back then.
Gradually through the years, they became a close-knit team. Sooyoung was in charge of producing and editing, Seungwan wrote the screenplays and scripts, and Seulgi captured the whole thing through her lens.
Approaching her last year in high school, they all collectively decided to apply for the Korean Academy of Film Arts for their college choice. Seulgi remembers staring back down at the letter they sent her, too nervous to open it. Sooyoung and Seungwan had already been accepted and she was so scared that she wasn’t going to get in.
“What if I don’t get in and I have to apply to community college.”
“Oh shut up, Seul. You’re seeping with young talent. I’m sure you got in, Pabo.” Sooyoung always had a thing for teasing, even when they were teenagers.
“Come on, just open it, dude. You’re gonna be fine.” Seungwan reassured.
She took a deep breath before ripping open the envelope.
Kang Seulgi,
Congratulations! On behalf of the Korean Academy of Film Arts board, I am pleased to announce your admission for the fall semester of 2012!
She felt like she was going to faint. The other two girls jumping up and down on the couch, screaming in excitement and pure joy. Her life had truly begun.
___
College was a breeze. Time flew by when you actually enjoyed what you were studying, Seulgi learned. Things between her and her friends didn’t change, they all went home to their families during the holidays and filmed together in the summer.
Gradually, the number of small film trophies on her stand-alone shelves grew. Looking back on her last day in college, she already had offers to work at various film companies. Signing her contract to SM productions, she received a fat check and moved into a large studio apartment in Seoul.
Seungwan mostly did freelance work, directing short indie films, and participated in writing the scripts so some major motion pictures. Sooyoung later joined SM with Seulgi and mostly spent her time editing popular K-dramas and producing some of her own variety shows.
Sometimes she can hardly believe that all her success was built on that time her dad saw an old camcorder on sale when he was shopping at the department store. She often visited home, providing her parents with copious amounts of money to repay them for their undying support for her dreams when she was a kid.
Having spent time away from her usual team, Seulgi found a new fascination with documentaries. There was something so ethereal that they conveyed, she couldn’t explain it. They were so versatile, they could tell any story if shot correctly and she was up for the challenge.
At first, she was brought on a project that followed the intricate killings of various Korean murderers. Seulgi shot from their perspective, she made it seem like they weren’t the only villains, that systemic oppression also played a part in their insanity.
Critics called it “Eerily Human” , and “A Modern Masterpiece” , and Seulgi was left wanting more. She was known for her most famous works, leading the documentary about the cutthroat idol industry, opening everyone’s eyes to how inhumane companies treated their trainees and how financially straining it was on one’s bank account. And her other film on the meat industry and how all the antibiotics they feed their stock poison consumers.
She was currently sitting in front of Netflix’s board of directors, pitching her most recent idea. A food documentary, because who in Korea didn’t love food. It would be split into a series of 45-minute episodes where, popular tv personality, Kim Yerim would travel all over Korea visiting small locally-owned restaurants that proudly represented their towns.
This would be the first piece of mainstream media she’d be working on. Most of her stuff was award-winning, but this was supposed to be a light-hearted production, not a thinking piece.
And just like that, it sold. She was told there’d be a meeting next Monday to talk about budget and all that jazz but for the most part, she was set.
Yerim was sitting next to her and they secretly exchanged a high five under the table as a celebration.
___
Rolling around in her bed, she was restless. She and her crew would be traveling through small towns days from now. Even though she was a seasoned professional, she still got butterflies every time she thought about filming. The love never faded and she was still the same girl who spent hours filming an ant farm back in her family’s little flat in Ansan. Her phone light up the dark space in her room, when she received a text.
Doongdoongie [11:43 pm]
Hey losers, wanna get brunch tmr?
Wannie [11:43 pm]
Oi, who’re you calling a loser. You should be calling
me unnie!
Ddeulgi [11:44 pm]
Food? You’ve got my attention (￣(工)￣)
Doongdoongie [11:44 pm]
k
We’ll meet at the usual place then
At like 10 bc I have a meeting at 9
Wannie [11:44 pm]
kk cya then. (ㆀ˘･з･˘)
Finishing watching “Portrait of a Lady On Fire” for the 5th time that week, she finally passed out.
___
Already finishing her fourth pastry, Seulgi happily munched on her croissant while Seungwan was ranting about her new pseudonym.
“Well anyway, my name is Wendy now.” She slumped back in her chair in defeat.
“You’ll get used to it. I had to change mine to Joy because there were a butt-ton of Sooyoungs already.” Sooyoung sipped on her iced coffee.
“But Wendy .” She said in distaste. “I happen to like my name, and they made me change it.”
“Okay, that may be a bit overdramatic.” Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “I’m sure they asked you politely to change your name because it would make you more well known internationally and you said yes.”
“What’s wrong with the name Wendy?” Seulgi popped in, wiping some crumbs off her mouth with the backside of her hand.
Handing the messy bear a napkin, “Because, it’s not mine .”
“Well then make it yours.” She concluded, gratefully receiving the napkin.
“Wow, wise Seul.” Sooyoung said in awe of the cub’s wisdom.
“Hmm, fine.” She pouted. “By the way, how’s your project going? You’re making another documentary right?”
“Yeah, we start shooting next week. I’m excited, I get to eat more food.” She stated plainly.
“God, are you always this hungry.” Sooyoung waved her fork at her. “You eat like someone’s chasing you, slow down Seulgi-ah.”
They spent the rest of their brunch catching up on each other’s lives. It felt rewarding seeing their success after all these years, coming from their small club room, they’ve made a great impact on the entertainment world and continued to create great things, a dream come true.
No surprise, there were people around them trying to sneak pictures of their lunch engagement. She could already picture the Dispatch article reading, “Director Wendy, Producer Joy, and SM’s Seulgi eat lunch and show us their friendship isn’t dead” . It’s not like they ever drifted apart, sometimes their schedules prevented them from hanging out, but it felt nice to get out and meet up once or twice every two months.
Saying they’re heartfelt goodbyes after Seulgi ate nearly half the menu, she returned to her apartment and got packing.
___
Showing up to the first location, it was a small dumpling shop owned by a grandma in the Gangnam district. Feeling the weight of the 4k super chip camera on her shoulder gave her the familiar confidence she exuded when shooting. Following behind her through the semi-crowded streets.
“Although Gangnam is a more urban district, this little spot never fails to make customers feel at home. With hearty mandu soup and homemade kimchi, you will feel like you’re truly apart of the little family that runs this place.” Yerim executed fluently.
Further following her inside the restaurant, there were regular customers sitting at their tables, enjoying their meals with smiles and laughs. Seulgi made sure to capture their experience, the establishment emanating a strong wholesome vibe.
The restaurant was small but cozy. It had large windows that let people passing by peer inside. Despite being in a small strip mall in the middle of the crowded city, everyone that worked there was overwhelmingly welcoming and warm.
Wrapping up the episode, Seulgi and her crew had 4 hours of uncut, golden footage. Footage of Yerim engaging with the owner pure heartedly with some light, funny banter to go along with it. Perfect. She knew Yerim was the perfect host for her show. She had a talent for making friends with everyone she met, Yerim made everyone around her comfortable effortlessly and was a social butterfly. She could read people’s energies flawlessly and match them to keep up the pace of the conversation. It made the whole project seem so much more natural. Like Yerim was a family friend showing you around some of the best spots in Korea.
The owners invited them to eat dinner at the restaurant after they put down their cameras. Staff huddled together in one of the family tables, enjoying the delicious mandu and laughing over jokes. Seulgi continued to document their dinner, getting shots of staff laughing together and sharing food, the restaurant workers sitting to eat with them after a long day of working, it truly gave them a sense of unadulterated companionship and intimacy.
Every location after that was unique in its own way. Although all the places were different, some restaurants were big, some were small, some were owned by large families, some were owned with friends, but all of them were beautiful. Not only was it food for their stomachs but food for their souls, every place left Seulgi with a fuller heart.
___
They were on the last location, some renowned tteokbokki place in Daegu that gained a lot of traction since it’s opening in 2000. It was run by a small family with two daughters and the reviews praised the business for it’s god tier rice cakes and friendly service.
This time, Yerim was being shot from the front view, Seulgi carefully walked backward as Yerim slowly strolled on the sidewalk.
“Saving the best for last, our last destination is this small charming tteokbokki joint. Taking a modern twist on classic Korean street food, they continue to feed mouths and win hearts. Making this a must-visit spot whenever you’re in Daegu.”
An older man with deep smile lines greets them on arrival, showing them around and giving them a brief overview of the menu. While Yerim made banter with the rest of the employees and asked some customers about their experience, Seulgi and some other cameramen took a trip to the kitchen where they would document the food being made.
Pushing through the swinging kitchen doors, she comes face to face with what she thinks is the most beautiful person to grace this planet.
Seulgi always thought that the whole “love at first sight” scene, where everything in the frame turned into slow motion and dramatic music started playing, was a bit overkill. Personally, she had never been in love and couldn’t relate and just thought it was too cheesy.
Boy, was she wrong.
Locking eyes with a woman chopping green onions, she stares. Her features were angelic, she had big doe eyes and porcelain skin, her stature was quite small. Seulgi herself wasn’t that tall (maybe came in at 5’3”, on a good say), but this woman was at least 2 inches shorter than her. Overwhelming cute, god it almost hurt how cute she was.
“Umm… Seulgi-nim?” One of her crew members interrupted her daze.
“Yes.” She snapped out of it.
“We’re going to shoot the preparation process…”
She got back to work, directing the cameras and pointing hers at different angles of rice cake. Almost forgetting that woman cutting vegetables, almost .
She turned on her heels and watched as the shorter woman decorated the dish with various garnishes. Her hands were small and delicate, they neatly arranged the greens over the steaming plate, carefully sprinkling sesame seeds over to finish.
Another server cut in between them to deliver the dish to Yerim, and the background crew started filing out of the small kitchen. Soon enough, she and the small chef were left alone.
Clearing her throat and mustering up all the courage she had (not much), “Hello, I’m Kang Seulgi.”
Jumping at the sudden intro, “Nice to meet you, Seulgi-ssi. I’m Bae Joohyun.”
Bae, so she was the daughter. The owner’s name was Bae Jaehyuk and he shared that both of his daughters worked at the restaurant. That explained why Joohyun looked like she was Gordon Ramsay while making their signature tteokbokki.
“Umm, shouldn’t you be shooting that?” She looked out the small circular window on the kitchen door, pointing at Yerim, confused, staring at them from her table.
“Oh yeah, my bad.” She flustered, totally unaware that she was staring at the chef once again.
Resuming the shot, she films Yerim’s meal and her take on the dish. “This delicious, affordable dish will be sure to not only fill you up but satisfy your pallet.”
“And, cut.” Seulgi announced, turning off her camera.
Servers, staff, and crew all bowed and thanked each other for the successful shoot. Seulgi did her rounds, shaking hands with all the employees and owners. She came to Joohyun last, the small chef was near the back of the big group.
Enveloping one of her small hands in two of hers, Seulgi shook it with gentleness. “Thank you for your work.” Flashing one of her eye smiles.
“Thank you for giving the restaurant an opportunity to be broadcasted.” Joohyun returned. “Please, let us cook for you. It’s the least we can do.”
“If you insist.” Seulgi was pretending like her mouth wasn’t watering when she was watching them make the tteokbokki.
Like all the other places they filmed, the owners and staff joined them for dinner, but this place felt different. Maybe it was because it was the last episode or because Yerim was kind of drunk, or simply because Joohyun was by her side, but she felt a weird tingly sensation in her chest every time they talked.
She learned that Joohyun was a culinary student and graduated from SNU, she recently came back to help her parents with their restaurant.
“I don’t know, I’ve been cooking my whole life. It just felt right.” Joohyun was talking to her.
“Same, ever since I was a kid I would shoot little movies on some ancient camcorder in my backyard. For hours on end, I would film anything that moved.”
Giggling as she imagined a baby Kang filming on a little camera, it seemed like she was doing the exact same thing now, “I would love to see those movies.” She laughed.
“Yeah?”
They talked for the rest of the night. Joohyun’s specialty was baking and making desserts, even though she was very skilled in making traditional Korean dishes as well. Her dream was to open up her own shop back in Seoul.
“You love cooking, I love eating, this seems like a match made in heaven.” Okay, maybe she was also a little tipsy.
“Seulgi-ah, you’re drunk.” Joohyun was trying to put a cup of water in her hand and laughing at the silly bear.
“Can I have your number?” She almost fell out of her seat.
“Sure, only if you drink some water.” She frantically tried to help the young documentarian back on her seat.
She drove back to Seoul with golden footage and number. She and Joohyun promised to keep in contact. Their friendship consisted of Seulgi shamelessly flirting with the Daegu beauty.
___
Her show was a hit, the moment it was out on Netflix, everyone was talking about it. Her parents called and said all their neighbors watched it.
“Seulgi-ah, it’s insane. Even Mr.Kim watched it! He doesn’t even own a tv!” Her dad called her later that week.
Despite making another big wave in the entertainment world, Seulgi was more excited when she got texts from Joohyun.
Hyun-ah [12:56 pm]
Gonna be in Seoul today (°▽°)
Wanna get lunch??
Ddeulgi [12:57 pm]
Sure
I’m always hungry (￣(工)￣)
Joohyun brought them to some hip cafe in the heart of the city. Seulgi ordered like 5 things where Joohyun settled for a slice of cheesecake and a cup of herbal tea.
“Why were you in Seoul.” Seulgi slipped in between bites.
“I’m looking for shop locations.” She elegantly took a taste of her cake and leaning in excitedly. “I’m going to start my own place.”
“Daebak, that’s great Hyunnie.” Seulgi congratulated. “When are you moving in, I’ll help you.”
“Well, I haven’t decided on a location yet. I’m actually viewing a potential spot after this.” She sipped on her drink.
“Can I come? Don’t mean to brag, but I have a good eye for great places.” She was bragging.
“Sure, I don’t mind. Plus, you’re definitely helping me move in when I pick one out.”
“Of course, of course.” She munched on her croissant.
The shop was modern and spacious. It had large studio windows and glass display area, further inside there was a state of the art kitchen. Fully equipped with convection ovens and stoves, a large island in the middle, and a plethora of metal sinks scattered around.
“It’s perfect.” Joohyun muttered, in awe of the location.
“I’m glad you like it, it was just newly renovated…” Seulgi didn’t understand anything the real estate lady was saying, she wandered around the halls and large dining area.
The way the afternoon sun hit the windows and lit up the open area was astonishing. It looked like the wall was painted gold with brilliant sunlight, contrasting the polished concrete floors that shined underneath her.
“What do you think?” Joohyun walked over to her from the door.
“I think it’s cool.” She slung an arm over the smaller woman’s shoulders, pulling her closer.
“Yeah, the lady said the soonest I can move in is this weekend. But I might push it to next week since I don’t have a place in Seoul yet.”
“Why don’t you just stay with me?” Seulgi offered. “I mean, my place is big enough.”
“I don’t know… I wouldn’t want to impose…”
“What’re you talking about. Come on, it’d be no trouble and that’s what friends are for.”
“Thank you, Seulgi-ah. That would be great.” She smiled up at her.
___
The next day, boxes piled up in Seulgi’s apartment. It felt nice having someone around, after work she’d come home to the sweet smell of Joohyun cooking dinner for them. And she enjoyed finally having someone to watch movies with her.
“Wow, Hyunnie. This sujebi is amazing.” She chowed down on the thick doughy noodles.
“Glad you like it, it was my grandma’s favorite.”
“Really? It was my grandma’s too.” She was starting to realize how much they had in common. “We would always make together, but I’d spend so much time trying to make the noodles, the soup always boiled down to nothing.”
“Aish, Seulgi-ah. What did you eat before I came around.” She jokingly scolded.
“Lots and lots of ramyun.” She smiled shyly.
“Yah! That’s not healthy!” Joohyun playfully slapped her arm. “No diet for a growing bear slash documentarian.”
They laughed throughout the meal until she and Joohyun worked on cleaning up the kitchen.
“So, when do move into the new shop?” Joohyun was finalizing the payments with the sellers of the property she was purchasing.
“Hmmm,” She brought her finger to her chin. “I think everything should be done by Monday. I’ve got some friends helping me decorate on Thursday if you want to tag along as well.”
Mentally checking her schedule for a couple of seconds, “Yeah, I think I’m free that day.”
Once they finished working on the dishes, Seulgi put on one of her favorite movies on in the living room. They huddled together on her plush couch, watching Kill Bill Vol 1.
She had to restrain herself from pinching Joohyun’s cheeks, the small chef fell asleep halfway through the movie. She looked so cute that Seulgi thought her heart was going to explode on the spot. Pulling a blanket over them, Joohyun snuggled closer.
___
Thursday approached faster than she’d like, Joohyun threw a pillow at her face as a wake-up call.
“Time to wake up sleepy bear.” She said in a sing-song tone. Seulgi could hear eggs being cracked in the distance and immediately shot up. “Good morning.” The chef laughed.
Softly padding to the open kitchen, she embraced Joohyun from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. A loud growl coming from her stomach interrupts them and Joohyun laughs.
“Someone’s hungry, I take it.”
Sitting down at her dining table, they enjoy the french omelets she made. They got dressed and loaded into Joohyun’s small car, she drove to her new restaurant.
Getting closer, she saw a large cargo truck parked outside. They parked and made their way over. A woman with blonde streaks in her stark black hair greeted them with a big smile, she had full cheeks and a slim figure.
“Hiya, Joohyunnie.”
“You’re a lifesaver, Jennie.” The two exchanged hugs, it appeared that Jennie was the owner of the large truck. “Jennie, this is Seulgi, the documentarian. Seulgi, this is Jennie, she owns Blink restaurant.”
“Hi.” She awkwardly shook hands with her.
“Any friend of Joohyunie’s is a friend of mine.” Jennie declared, shaking her hand firmly and patting her back. “Well if we get started now, we should be done in about 5 hours.” She gestured towards the opened back of the truck, full of furniture.
One by one, they unloaded heavy boxes into the no longer empty shop. For being one of the most clumsy people she knew, Seulgi surprisingly didn’t drop any boxes. After 5 draining hours, the truck was empty. Her and Jennie bonded over food favorites, Seulgi having been to a few of her chain establishments. Joohyun had a good eye for people, everyone around her was genuine and kind-hearted.
Checking her wristwatch, “Well, this was fun guys but I’ve got to get going. I’ve got to head back to my place and prepare for the dinner rush.” She made moves to side hug both of them. “It was nice meeting you, Seulgi. See ya around Joohyunnie.” And with that, she got into the driver’s seat of her truck and sped off to her night job.
Leaving the two of them alone, Seulgi let out a tired sigh, “Well, we’d better start unpacking or we’ll be here all night.”
They started putting together the tables and chairs. She and seulgi had a particularly hard time with the instructions, but eventually, they got the chairs done.
“Why are these Ikea instructions so goddamn confusing.” Her eyebrows furrowing in confusion and she was trying to decipher the pages Ikea gave her.
Joohyun was already on her 10th chair and Seulgi was still on her first. “Ah, pabo you put the leg upsidedown. Why don’t you do the tables instead, I’ll finish all the chairs.”
“Okay…” Turns out, the tables were way easier to put together than the chairs.
Another hour of putting together furniture and they started arranging them in the large dining area.
“Wow, this looks great, Seul!” The chef was giddy at how good things were looking. “I can already picture it.”
They unpacked a majority of the boxes before tapping out and laying on the cool concrete floors. The room this time was painted orange from the city sunset and Seulgi turned her head to see Joohyun looking at the ceiling. She then shot up, startling the documentarian.
“I just remembered! The landlady told me there’s a rooftop area.” They proceeded to bring some tables and chairs to the roof.
God, it was beautiful. There was a little bright green grass patch near the corner of the roof and Joohyun laid a plaid picnic blanket down. Seulgi moved to set up a large standing umbrella and placed it near the edge of the grassy area.
Collapsing once again, but this time on the softer grass. “For fake grass, this is pretty great.” She panted.
“This is great, this is… wow.” It wasn’t hard to see how elated the chef was to find such an amazing location for her shop, which was surely going to be popular in the big city of Seoul. She reached into a cooler and handed Seulgi a cold coke, touching her can with hers she gave her another smile. “Thanks, Seul, I couldn’t do this without you.”
Cracking open her drink and chugging it down, “My pleasure Chef bae.”
Sitting back and enjoying the soft Seoul sunset with Joohyun was all she really wanted to do. Watching the sun go down, the city lights lit up their little spot. Joohyun was sitting cross-legged swaying in the warm late summer breeze.
Without thinking, she moved forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Her lips on her felt right, she swears she saw sparks fly. Moving away, Joohyun looked at her with surprise at first then grabbed her by the font of her shirt and kissed her on her lips. She smiled into the embrace and Joohyun snickered in return.
“Pabo, took you long enough.” She teased.
___
The grand opening of Joohyuns desert joint was getting increasingly closer, she remembered seeing the girl beside her toss and turn in her sleep, restless. Every time Seulgi was home, Joohyun was making her try some dessert item that was going on the menu. She wasn’t complaining, it was always a desire of hers to have endless baked goods, and Joohyun delivered.
Gomdori. The big sign read, letters written in a honey tone yellow that hung from the top of the entrance. It was opening day. Joohyun was practically vibrating next to her.
Placing her hands on her shoulders, she tried her best to calm the anxiety-ridden chef, “It’s gonna be okay, Hyun-ah.”
“What if no one comes? What if we mess up the orders? What if we-” Seulgi shut her up with a kiss, there was already a long line outside the door of hungry foodies waiting to see what the legendary Daegu chef was cooking.
“Listen, you’ve worked too hard for this too flop. You and I both know it’s going to go great.” She squeezed her hand.
Letting out a shaky breath, “You’re right.”
As they predicted, it was a huge success. Food magazines were raving over her fantastic macaroons and insane cakes. They celebrated at Seulgi’s with friends and lots of booze. Joohyun invited a couple of her friends and Seulgi invited Sooyoung, Seungwan, and even Yerim.
Pointing at the two women holding each other, “I knew there was something between you two when we visited Daegu.” Yerim admitted. “Seriously, she wouldn’t stop talking about you on the ride home.”
Seulgi looked away blushing while Joohyun and Yerim continued on teasing the big bear.
“Honestly though, Joohyun your blueberry danishes are killer. And I don’t even like pastries.” Seungwan Praised. “Treat her well, Seul.”
She and Seulgi started dating shortly after the rooftop kiss, it was obvious the two were head over heels for each other.
“Yah! Don’t even get me started!” Sooyoung drunkenly yelled at the young couple. “Joohyun’s a literal kitchen god.”
In retrospect, her friends were right. She and Joohyun were a match made in heaven, they were endlessly interested in each other. Joohyun loved to cook, and Seulgi loved to eat, a perfect symbiotic relationship from the start.
Spending the rest of the night together, surrounded by their hammered friends filling themselves up on Joohyun’s treats, couldn’t get much better than that.
___
For her whole life, Seulgi hated flying. Even when she had to fly in a helicopter over Vietnam to get shots for her war documentary, she hated it. The idea that the engine could just blow out and she’d be careening into the earth from ungodly heights didn’t sit well with her. But this time she had to fly.
She and Joohyun were flying back to Daegu for Christmas to visit her family. She small Daegu chef was also afraid of planes, but both of them were too tired to drive there so this was their only option. Holding each other’s hands tightly as the plane took off, she felt Jooyun relax once they were in the air.
Once her plane nerves died down, she was filled with the dread of meeting Joohyun’s parents. Sure, they had met before when she was making her show’s first season (which was renewed for a second season by the way), but this time was different. This time she was coming as their daughter’s girlfriend, not a food documentarian.
Landing in the Daegu airport, it only took them 30 minutes to drive to her parent’s house. They lived in a complex above their restaurant.
Shivering in the late December snow, Seulgi pulled the sides of her coat over her body. Joohyun’s small gloved hand knocked on the front door.
Her dad opened it and greeted them with a wide eye smile, the smell of delicious food cooking inside made Seulgi’s stomach growl once again. “Joohyun-ah, so glad you brought your beautiful girlfriend this year!”
“Ahh, appa.” She whined in embarrassment.
“Come on in, it’s cold out there. Your mother is making her famous kimchi pancakes!” And with that Seulgi was convinced they were reading her mind.
___
Finally making it home after her hectic shooting schedule, she dug into her pockets looking for her keys. Not even making it halfway through the door, she was attacked by a 3-foot toddler tightly hugging her legs.
“Hi, Jisoo-ya.” She picked up her daughter and balanced her on her hip. “Where’s mama?” Planting a kiss on her little cheeks.
When Joohyun came into her life, she had endless things she could film. Her smile, her laughs, and her cooking easily took up half the storage on her sd card. But when Jisoo came into their lives, she felt like she never put the camera down. Capturing Jisoo’s first words, first steps, and that time she caught a 4-foot salmon when she took her fishing with her parents in Ansan.
“Shes in the kitchen. Umma! Look at my hair, I braided it my self.” She held up her little pigtails proudly for her mom to see.
“Daebak, Jisoo you’re so talented.” Seulgi gushed, taking them further inside the house.
3 years after being with Joohyun, she finally proposed. They moved into a bigger apartment after Joohyun opened up more chains to the critically acclaimed Gomdori and Seulgi became a well-known food documentarian. Currently, she was filming a show with the famous Korean-American, David Chang.
Being greeted with the sight of Joohyun effortlessly chopping vegetables, she puts Jisoo down and gives her wife a kiss.
“Hi honey, how was your day?”
“Good, me and the team made a new recipe and I’m trying it out now.”
“Hmm, what is it.” She looked over her shoulder.
“A new take on Bibimbap.”
“Sounds delicious.” She stole a half cit carrot from the cutting board, earning a light slap to the arm.
Sitting down at the table with the loves of her life was enough to make her cry, she was reminded every day how amazing her life turned out.
“Umma, can I have seconds?” Jisoo cleaned her plate eagerly.
“Aish, you definitely inherited your mom’s appetite.” Joohyun teased, putting another serving of bibimbap on her daughter’s small dish.
After cleaning the whole pan Joohyun served, they retired to the living room couch, where Seulgi played Jisoo’s favorite movie, Where The Wild Things Are .
Jisoo sitting in between the two, Seulgi leaned over and pressed a kiss on the crown of the small chef’s head. She was knocked out cold. Joohyun could never stay awake for a full movie. She was content with where her career has to lead her. If it wasn’t for filming, she would’ve never met Joohyun, never had Jisoo. She was content with how things turned out after a life of exploring and storytelling, finally closing her eyes to sleep as well.