Chapter 37: 1st World A/O/B: 25
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The Chef x The Movie Emperor
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Nix's P.O.V.:
He was so startled he froze in place with his hand on the door handle, just about to open the door to the test kitchen when a voice rang out.
He wasn't startled because of the loud or because of a sudden call but because someone called his name. Well, that would not be fully correct either, it is more precise to say that it was the way.
He looked to his left to see who was calling him and Nix could not help but sneer inwardly upon realizing who it was that was calling, no yelling at/for him in the middle of the hallway.
Mo Hyun-Ki, is a man who whose name means "The foundation of wisdom." Ironically, Mo Hyun-Ki only lives up to his name in his mind only. He is an annoying pest who cannot read a room or even a single person to save his life.
If that weren't bad enough, he also thinks he is peerless when it comes to how wise and brilliant he is. The funny thing is, Mo Hyun-Ki is correct in regard to his I.Q. and E.Q. he is in fact peerless because no one else is as stupid as he is.
Mo Hyun-Ki is not necessarily a bad guy. It is just that he is so damn annoying, and it takes a lot of mental strength to deal with him. It also takes every bit of strength not to turn him into mochi, As he has a knack for getting under one's skin. Despite all this Nix decided he won't be harsh to this annoying pest but instead he will be polite.
He was sure that annoying gnat had been heard from the ongoing classes surrounding them. That might sound harsh, but Mo Hyun-Ki is one of those people that has very low E.Q. and though he means well, probably, he has a knack for grating one's nerves.
He is not even sure why he is yelling for him. The original Beyol Bong Tae-Hwan and Mo Hyun-Ki were never friends and could barely be considered acquaintances. Still, he will be polite because he won't give anyone any ammo to use against him or his family, not yet anyways.
-Nix: - "Shhh, quite down before you disturb one of the ongoing classes. It is important to remember where one is and use appropriate tone and volume of speech as well as the words one uses." (＾＾＃) ... He was struggling to keep his own voice low and polite; he did not need to be dragged into Mo Hyun-Ki's mess.
As if on cue the T.A. (Teacher's Assistant) for the one of the arts professors stepped out from one of the classrooms to scold them for being rude and interrupting classes for those who took their studies seriously. He just apologized to the poor T.A. who looked as if he had not slept in a week with his rough appearance and dark circles and bags under his eyes.
He looked over and noticed that the T.A. came from Professor's Seon Chul class. With a heavy sigh and a deep bow Nix apologized to the T.A. for the rude behavior of the as he was aware of how strict and impetuous Professor Seon Chul is.
She claims she is just likes things done the "right way" or that she is just eccentric, but it was clear that she was in fact bipolar (bipolar disorder, BD) and BPD (borderline personality disorder). She was brilliant when it came to sculpture art but a bloody nightmare to deal with.
His right eye twitched as he gave polite but tight smile to the T.A. and waited for his reply. It was taking everything in him to remain rooted and continue to uphold a positive image.
He mentally took a deep breath and counted to 10 before he could calm down enough to think about what to say so that he did not put his own foot in his mouth. Solaris is right after all, his positive image is vital.
The T.A. just stood there staring at Nix. The young man had his right hip jutted outwards. He had his left hand on his hip and his right index finger on his bottom lip.
Just when he thought the T.A. would not say anything, the man finally opened his mouth and then shut it before walking up to Nix.
Nix was sure the young man was about to say something snarky but to his utter surprise he did not. Instead, the T.A. circled him while he looked him up and down.
At this moment Nix was close to smacking the man upside his head but stopped when Solaris gently remined him that it was vital to uphold a respectful, poised and sophisticated image since he will soon be a public official. And the starnetizens will look for any ammo they can get against him. With that in mind he took a deep breath before raising his left brow at the man.
-T.A.: - "You have the perfect proportions! Your body is just perfection, and your face is perfect too."
-Nix: - (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄) ... - "Umm, thanks but don't you know it is quite rude to examen someone like this? I would very much appreciate it if you would stop now. You are making me a bit uncomfortable."
-T.A.: - as if suddenly realizing what he had just done and said out loud - ... 〣( ºΔº )〣 ...
"Oh, my galaxies! I am so sorry. My stupid brain was still in The Flow and hadn't snaped out of it yet. Please forgive my ruddiness." He bowed a full 40 degrees to prove his sincerity. (m;_ _)m ...
-Nix: - (;⌣̀_⌣́) ... slightly narrowed his eyes at the T.A. before sighing again - spoken in an even and stern but friendly tone -
"It is alright I understand, I really do but, in the future, it is wise to pay more attention to your surroundings and current situation. Not everyone will be ok with this sort of behavior.
(He paused in order to emphasize his words without raising his voice or switching his tone.)
Not all omegas are ok with being ogled at as if our looks, body and ability to bare children are the be all end all. As if it is the only thing we are valued for or by. Some of us just want to be judged solely on our own merit and not by our secondary or even first status."
-T.A.: - bowed even deeper and even made a move as if he were about to kowtow... (シ_ _)シ ...
"Please forgive me, that is the last thing I meant to imply. It is just that I have been searching for a model for my graduation project as the model I had before ended up mated and pregnant during his last heat and can no longer be my model. If I don't find a new one who perfectly matches then I could and most likely will tank my final, final."
At this point the poor man was nearly in tears and as much as Nix could not be bothered at the moment because his brain was stuck on lunch and all the yummy food he was going to make up, decided that he would throw the poor man a bone and hear him out.
He smiled at the man gently before nodding at him, waiting for him to stop stammering and calm down. It is a good thing he has become so verse at acting or else he would have told both of them off before walking away.
He was aware that he gets very cranky when it comes to him being hungry and tends to get very snarky. Solaris was constantly reminding him to grab a snack. 'It's not like nobody else ever gets hangry too...', he could not help but to think to himself,
Although he was pretty sure where the T.A. was going with all this he still begrudgingly asked him the question at the tip of his tongue.
Unsurprisingly, the young man, tentatively asked him if he would at the least consider being his model. He even lowered and humbled himself despite not knowing if he was older then him or not. He was so sincere and respectful that his consciousness tugged at him to at least hear the man out.
'I can always just decline if I don't like it; but if I do, I may be able to use it to my advantage on The Chef & The Celebrity.'
Thinking this way agreed to check out the young man's project and they exchanged contact info so they could schedule the best time and place to meet up. He was ready to be done with this whole ordeal so could finally go cook his lunch now or at the very least get a damn snack.
By the time the T.A. was returning back to his class only 5-6 minutes had past but it felt like an hour to Nix. Did he say he gets a bit cranky? Well, that may just in fact be a serious understatement. He needed food and could not wait any longer.
The realization that it had only been 3 or 4 hours since he last at shook him to the core because it felt like he had been fasting for days. He was getting concerned about it when a familiar, sweet voice sounded in his head.
-Solaris: - 'Mama it is because you are a D.O. and have a significantly higher metabolism than any other excluding a D.A. so there is no need to worry.'
-Nix: - 'So, it's no big deal and what could go wrong, right? Having a fast metabolism is a good thing. It even is good for everyone not just omegas, but I can see where it really benefits an omega especially a dominant omega.'
-Solaris: - 'But it is important you stay up on eating or else your body will start secreting a pheromone that will signal others to flock to you will food. It may sound like a good thing, but I assure you it is not.'
-Nix: - 'Well, I guess that makes sense you stop and think about it. It is the body's way of staying in peak condition to make, birth and raise offspring? I mean it makes sense from an evolutionary viewpoint even the attracting others to make sure you are well fed plus it brings in a bigger pool of potential partners to mate and have babies with.
But it is a bit wasted on me as I don't have children in my plans for now and possibly ever. So, I will make sure to just keep snacks on hand at all times to avoid the headache those pesky pheromones would /will cause.'
-Solaris: - deadpan - '...yes of course, Mama Nix is right it is a waste on someone who has no plans to have children.'
He had to bite his lips to stop himself from laughing as he could almost hear Solaris' rolling his eyes with that last statement of his. Despite what he said about it being a waste for someone like him he still found Solaris' reaction to the comment funny.
He gets it, the little guy is trying to humor him. Since Solaris knows how he feels about having children; as a result, he shouldn't have said that. He just couldn't help himself. He truly loves teasing the little phoenix-dragon, too bad he can't see him at the moment.
-Mo Hyun-Ki: - "Wow, Beyol Bong Tae-Hwan it really is you! You look..." He trailed off as he was truly rendered speechless. Who knew that Beyol Bong Tae-Hwan who has always looked like a ghost wearing drapes for clothes was actually hiding
-Nix: - "Yes, Mo Hyun-Ki it is me, but don't you think your reaction is a bit rude? I mean how would you feel if someone reacted to you like this?"
-Mo Hyun-Ki: - "OMG, my dude I am so sorry. I did not mean to be mean it is just... Well, it is just so surprising to see you like this. You look completely different. ＼(٥⁀▽⁀ )／
I know it was not surgery as I just saw you yesterday but... damn son, you look great! In fact, you are fucking hot! (>ᴗ•) <3
Why would you ever hide all this from everyone? That seems meaner than my reaction doesn't you think? What made you decide to change your appearance and style?
(θ‿θ) ... Please tell me it is not because you are seeing anyone! If you aren't would you like to go grab a cup of coffee with me or perhaps go eat some ramen?" (¬‿¬ ) <3
He said all this in nearly one breath while never taking his lecherous eyes off of Nix. (ﾉ´ з `)ノ
-Nix: - ... Σ(□_□) ... (≖､≖╬) ... - "No. Now if you don't mind, I am really running late. Have a wonderful day and do try to be more self-aware though I am not sure that would make a difference as you seem to be a lost cause."
And with that he turned and walked into the test kitchen making sure to shut the door behind him quietly, despite wanting to slam it, after all there were other classes going on. ... (＃￣ω￣)
-Solaris: - ... (・`ω´・) ... - 'Mama can I ki... take care of this disgusting pervert? How dare he look at you that way! Who the Phở (pronounce fa for those who don't know, it is a Vietnamese soup dish & is delicious) does he think he is? Not even in he dreams does he deserve to covet my Mama Nix!'
-Nix: - 'Calm down baby, and no you can't, well at least not now. But you can think of a creative way to "punish" him at a later time. How does that sound?' You are such a good boy watching your language. I'm so proud of you right now!' ... b(~_^)d *winking with thumbs up*
He mentally cooed at the little phoenix-dragon as we could just imagine how bright and strong his flames must be at this moment. He wishes he could see it as it would be too cute! Well Solaris is already cute and his reaction and protectiveness over him only makes him love and adore Solaris even more.
Solaris who was just fuming and all fired up (pun intended) was instantly dosed and calmed down by his sweet Mama Nix's words. That right he is a good boy, and he will definitely come up with a creative way to punish this disgusting gnat for his Lèse-majesté! He has no idea who he is dealing with! ٩(╬ʘ益ʘ╬)۶
'How can someone so lowly, insignificant and lecherous covet his Mama!?!' Solaris hid his private thoughts from Nix as he wanted to remain a good boy for his Mama, but he was already thinking about how impotency may be just deserts for this Mo Hyun-Ki. ... ψ( ` ∇ ´ )ψ
Upon entering the test kitchen Nix took out his matching white floppy toque with dark purple trim around the band and his name embroidered on the side of it. After he put it on making sure that no hair would fall into the food he quickly and thoroughly scrubbed his hands and dried them.
See how no one was currently in the kitchen, he went straight to the pantry to see what all they had on hand and once he grabbed all he needed, he headed to a workstation to begin making his dishes for the day. He pulled the rest of the ingredients from Solaris, and then organized everything and proportioned everything out. Once he had his Mise en place set up he cleaned up his area by storing the left-over ingredients and got started on making his dishes.
As he continued to work diligently the test kitchen slowly filled up with his fellow classmates, who all kept looking over to see what he was making. They all had watery mouths just from the sight and smell alone. They had never smelled anything like this before. A few even had watery eyes due to the spice but it did deter them in the least.
Once he was finished Nix had mandu (Korean pork dumplings), steamed pork and chive boa dumplings, kimchi, fried tofu, dubu jorim (quick Korean braised tofu), miso soup, kimbap, pa muchim, mushroom stir fry.
He decided to just grab some sauces out of Solaris to save time, but he will make them up later in order to sell them as well. He chose ssamjang, yak gochujang (beef bibimpab sauce), gochujang and he made up a quick and easy tonkatsu sauce for those who can't handle the spice of the other sauces along with simple soy sauce.
To top it off with slightly sweetened green tea, ddalgi ooyu (Korean strawberry milk), strawberry green tea lemonade, match milk boba tea and brown sugar boba drink for something sweet after lunch.
He was happy with his spread, but it would have been better if he could have made patbingsu (red bean shaved ice dessert), but he will save that for The Chef & The Celebrity. It will be a huge hit, and he plans for it to be one of the family's restaurant's signature deserts.
Honestly, he wanted to make more but he also realizes it is vital to save a lot of it for The Chef & The Celebrity and then for his own cooking show once he wins The Chef & The Celebrity. He already has so many more ideas and can't wait to be able to share them with the empire. But first to see what his classmates and his Chef Instructors including their Head Chef.
Nix quickly cleaned up his area and washed his used dishes and equipment then took his food to present it to everyone. He was a tad bit nervous but excited more than anything because he knows that they will all be blown away as there is nothing like what he made in the whole empire. The only thing he worries about is if they can handle the spice or not.
'Well here goes nothing.' He thought to himself as he finished presenting everything in the dining area. As he looked up, he saw 36 pairs of eyes that were all as large as saucers and eager faces. He could not hold back his chuckle as he explained each dish and by the end, he actually noted that a few people whipped saliva from the corner of their mouths.
However, there was one problem...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Mrs_TNT
Mrs_TNT Hey my lovely phoenixes, dragons and phoenix-dragons, thank yall for your continued support & sticking with me, Nix, Solaris & our ML. I have recently noticed that even though I use bold and italics to differenciate when they are speaking out loud vs mentally it is not showing up once I post it. SO, does anyone have any ideas how I can better convey it without constantly stating it? I would abosolutely love your opinons! This novel is as much for yall as it is for me & I want & need yall to enjoy it! I love you all so much! ╰(*´︶`*)╯ <3
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