Alpha Culinary Love

Jiyeon leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching Yura's "smoky" eggplant continue to incinerate in the pan. The smell of something dangerously close to charcoal wafted through the kitchen. Kang, having claimed the best seat in the house with a bucket of popcorn—where does he even get this stuff?—was grinning like a child at a magic show.

"You gonna call the fire department, or should I?" Jiyeon quipped, her voice casual but her amusement palpable. "I think I see smoke signals coming off that thing."

Yura scowled but kept her eyes on the pan, determined not to let it beat her. "It's called caramelization, Jiyeon. Ever heard of it?"

Kang, ever the instigator, piped up. "Yeah, I don't think caramelization is supposed to be that… black."

Yura ignored him, flipping the eggplant steak with an exaggerated flourish. A cloud of smoke erupted from the pan, and Jiyeon's grin widened as Yura quickly fanned it away, her expression somewhere between frustration and embarrassment.

"You know, at this rate, we could probably bottle this as some kind of artisanal, burnt-to-a-crisp condiment," Jiyeon teased, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Gourmet charcoal paste. I hear that's all the rage with food critics these days."

Yura, ever the proud CEO, wasn't about to back down. "I'm doing fine," she insisted, even as the eggplant sputtered in protest. "It just needs… a little adjustment."

"Like a funeral?" Jiyeon suggested sweetly.

Kang was practically in tears at this point, his laughter echoing off the kitchen walls. "Oh man, Yura, I've seen train wrecks less catastrophic than what you're doing to that poor vegetable."

"Shut it," Yura snapped, though there was no real bite to her words. She knew she was in over her head, but admitting defeat? Not an option. Not yet, anyway.

In an attempt to salvage the situation, Yura grabbed a handful of herbs from Jiyeon's carefully prepped station, sprinkling them over the eggplant with an air of forced confidence. Jiyeon raised an eyebrow as her well-prepared herbs were now being used as a Band-Aid for what could only be described as culinary arson.

"Are you seriously using my herbs?" Jiyeon asked, feigning offense. "Now you're just stealing my ingredients to fix your disaster. This feels like a corporate merger gone wrong."

Yura straightened, brushing off her apron. "It's called resource management," she said with a smug look. "Something you wouldn't understand."

"Sure," Jiyeon deadpanned. "And your 'resource management' just turned those basil leaves into incinerated confetti."

Before Yura could retort, Kang leaned over with a faux-whisper, "You know, Yura, there's no shame in admitting that you're… well, terrible at this."

Yura huffed. "I'm not terrible. I'm just—"

"—in denial?" Jiyeon finished for her, smirking.

Kang nodded enthusiastically. "Denial's a great place, but it's not gonna save that eggplant."

With a defeated sigh, Yura finally abandoned the charred remains of her dish, tossing the pan into the sink with a bit more force than necessary. "Fine," she muttered. "Cooking is obviously not my strength."

"Understatement of the year," Jiyeon quipped, biting back a laugh.

Yura shot her a glare but couldn't maintain it for long. A small, reluctant smile tugged at her lips. "Okay, okay. I'm terrible. Happy now?"

Jiyeon crossed the room, pressing a light kiss to Yura's cheek. "You're not terrible," she said softly, "just… really, really bad."

"Gee, thanks," Yura muttered, though she looked a little less frustrated and a little more amused now.

Kang, ever the opportunist, clapped his hands together. "Alright, now that Yura's culinary career has gone up in flames—literally—what's next on the agenda?"

"I think it's time for Yura to do what she does best," Jiyeon said, glancing over at her wife with a smirk. "Not cooking."

Yura rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know I'm great at plenty of things. Just… not food-related activities."

"Like burning kitchens down?" Kang suggested, ducking when Yura tossed a dishtowel at him.

Jiyeon chuckled, turning to Yura with a teasing smile. "How about you take over the more… managerial aspects of our kitchen? You can order us around from a safe distance."

Yura raised an eyebrow. "So I get to be in charge without having to touch any actual food? Now that sounds like a role I can get behind." Read exclusive adventures at empire

Kang groaned. "Oh great, here we go. CEO Yura takes over the kitchen. I better brace myself for some kind of hostile takeover."

"Watch it, Kang," Yura said, her tone light but with a hint of mock-seriousness. "I still outrank you in every way possible."

Kang saluted lazily. "Yes, ma'am, Queen of Burnt Eggplants."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Jiyeon shook her head, laughing. "Alright, let's focus. We've got a kitchen to clean up and a meal to finish."

Together, they spent the next hour tidying the kitchen, with Yura doing her best to delegate tasks in between dodging insults from Kang and Jiyeon. Despite the teasing, there was an easy camaraderie between them—a playful banter that filled the space with laughter and kept the mood light.

As the evening drew to a close, Yura stretched and glanced at Jiyeon, who was now putting the finishing touches on their final dish. "You know," Yura mused, "I think I'll stick to CEO-ing after all. Cooking is way too stressful."

Jiyeon smiled, wiping her hands on her apron. "Yeah, probably for the best. But hey, you gave it a shot. That's more than I expected."

"Was that a compliment?" Yura asked, feigning surprise.

"Don't get used to it," Jiyeon shot back, grinning. "You're still banned from touching my kitchen."

Yura chuckled, leaning against the counter. "Deal. I'll leave the cooking to the professionals."

Kang, popping back in with another bag of chips, grinned. "You guys are too much. Honestly, this is better than any drama on TV."

Jiyeon rolled her eyes, playfully swatting at Kang. "Alright, out of my kitchen, both of you. You've caused enough chaos for one day."

"Whatever you say, Chef," Kang said, saluting again as he made his way toward the door. "But next time, I'm bringing a fire extinguisher. Just in case."

Yura laughed, shaking her head. "You two are impossible."

"And yet, you love us," Jiyeon said, nudging Yura with a playful smile.

Yura sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately, yes. God help me."

Yura sighed dramatically as she leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Jiyeon move with practiced precision, plating the final dish with a flourish. "You know," Yura began, still holding onto her mock-exasperation, "it's a miracle I haven't filed for divorce after today's eggplant massacre."

Jiyeon shot her a sly look, one corner of her mouth lifting in a smirk. "Oh, honey, you know you're stuck with me. Who else would tolerate your bossy CEO self and still make you dinner every night?"

Kang, still lurking in the background, chimed in, "Definitely not me. If I had to deal with Yura's level of executive nonsense daily, I'd be out of here faster than that eggplant went up in flames."

Yura gave him a side-eye. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood, Kang, or you'd be reassigned to dish duty for the rest of the week."

Kang shuddered in mock fear, clutching his chest dramatically. "Not dish duty! Anything but that!" He winked at Jiyeon, who just shook her head in amusement. "You know, Yura, threatening me isn't going to make up for your culinary shortcomings."

"Culinary shortcomings?" Yura echoed with a raised brow, feigning indignation. "You're lucky I don't fire you on the spot for your attitude."

"Please," Kang retorted, grinning wickedly. "If you fired me, who else would keep you humble around here? Jiyeon's too nice to tell you the truth. I'm doing the universe a favor."

Jiyeon snorted, stepping back to admire her handiwork as she plated the meal. "I am not too nice to tell her the truth. I just do it with a little more tact."

Yura smirked. "Tact is overrated." She slid a glance toward Jiyeon. "Especially when it's more fun to tease."

"Teasing is one thing," Jiyeon said, wiping her hands on a towel. "Setting an eggplant on fire is another."

Yura huffed, crossing her arms. "Are you two ever going to let that go?"

Kang leaned against the doorframe, looking far too entertained. "Nope."

Jiyeon shook her head with a smile, then turned toward Yura. "Alright, dinner is officially ready. Let's hope it goes better than your eggplant fiasco."

Yura's eyes gleamed with mischief as she sauntered over to the table, taking her seat. "It can't go any worse."

Kang snickered from the sidelines as he plopped down next to Yura. "We'll see. I'm expecting great things from you, Jiyeon. You've got a lot to make up for after the eggplant funeral."

Jiyeon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't worry. This meal will be so good, you'll forget all about the eggplant."

"I don't think anyone's forgetting that anytime soon," Yura said, her tone dry but laced with affection.

As they sat around the table, laughter still bouncing between them, Jiyeon felt a warm sense of satisfaction. Even in the chaos and constant teasing, there was something comforting about these moments—her kitchen, her food, and the people who meant the most to her, even if they were all a little ridiculous.

And as they dug into the meal, it was clear: no one was thinking about the eggplant anymore.