My brother is an Idol

Chapter 21: Chapter 21
Chapter 21

Hyoyoung’s mom was so nervous that Hyoyoung might ask her about the past, but when Hyoyoung only asked for a recipe, she felt relieved.

Her mom replied, “First, your brother prefers to have half noodles and half veggies, so make sure to include lots of vegetables. For my recipe, I always add kimchi, but you need to wash it first so it’s not so salty and spicy. Konjac noodles need to be boiled for only one minute, ok? If you boil it for too long, they’ll melt. When they’re cooked, you need to immediately wash the noodles with cold water so they retain their shape. The kimchi needs to be chopped into small pieces and mixed with soy sauce and sesame seed oil. I usually add sugar and hot pepper paste, but they are on a diet so don’t put any. Actually, put some wasabi instead. Oh, and there should be some flying fish roe in the freezer. It can add great texture to the dish.”

“Ok, it sounds pretty straightforward. Just mix everything, right? How about soup too? Does he like soup?”

“I like to put boiled eggs in the konjac noodles, but you know how Hyojun hates boiled eggs, right? So I usually make him bland egg soup. Just eggs, chopped green onions, and ground black pepper. No salt.”

“But that sounds really bland.”

“He likes it that way because it’s good for his diet. He mostly only eats the egg from the soup anyway. If you had more time, you could make an anchovy broth which would taste better, but just water should be fine. He is used to bland food anyway.”

“Alright. I will try. It doesn’t sound like it would take me that long to make everything.”

“Do you really have to do this? Don’t you have to study? I should be there to make those things for the boys instead of you…”

“It’s ok, Mom. It’s not like I study 24 hours a day. My friends take time off to watch TV, so I will just spend my free time doing this.”

“I’m sorry, Hyoyoung.”

“Mom.”

“Hmm?”

“If you are really sorry about it, you should give me more allowance when you come home this weekend. What do you think?”

“Ha! No way… but since you are being such a thoughtful sister, I will consider it.”

“Thank you, Mom. I have to go now.”

“Alright. Good luck. And Hyoyoung, if you have any problems or concerns, you have to tell me, ok? You can’t keep any secrets from your mom, ok?”

“… Ok, Mom. I love you.”

After hanging up, Hyoyoung quickly made the konjac noodles and egg soup. She packed them carefully in separate containers and headed towards the practice room.

***

“You are amazing!”

The M members stared in shock as they murmured. Hyoyoung placed a large mat on the floor and started to lay out the dishes. She took out large plates and soup bowls and placed the food in them neatly, then gave Jiwoo a fork and the other three members a pair of chopsticks each.

On the plates, she first placed the noodles. On top, she placed the veggies and kimchi, then she drizzled a little bit of sauce and sesame seed oil. The guys stared and swallowed loudly. It was clear that they were starving.

Hyojun asked, “D-did you make these yourself?”

Hyoyoung nodded and poured the egg soup from the thermos into the bowls.

Jiwoo exclaimed, “Oh my muse! My Hyoyoung! You are an angel! Oh my god, and you even brought me a fork! You are so thoughtful, I don’t know what to say!”

“I noticed that you use your chopsticks like a fork anyway, so I thought this would be easier for you. Now, my idols, in front of you are low-calorie konjac noodles and no-salt egg soup. You need full stomachs for your practice, so here. Enjoy.”

“Wow, you are the best. It’s so funny because Hyojun was just mentioning how he was craving his mother’s konjac noodles. How did you know?”

Even Hyunsuk who usually remained quiet was impressed. Hyoyoung replied, “Mom happened to call me, so I just asked for the recipes. Oh, Hyojun Oppa, Mom told me you like veggies so I got extra for you. Eat up.”

“Uhm, thanks. Are you sure you made these?”

“Of course. Who else would do it? Do we have a secret personal chef I don’t know about? Of course it was me.”

“But then… why do they taste so good?”

“… You are such a jerk.”

Hyojun seemed genuinely surprised that Hyoyoung made these delicious dishes. He and the other members finished the food quickly and completely.

Afterward, Kiwook grinned and thanked her.

“Wow, that was amazing. And awesome timing too! Thank you, Hyoyoung.”

“No problem, this is nothing. Now, if you guys are all done, I can clean up.”

She started to gather up the dishes, and Kiwook got up as well to help.

“There is a sink over there where these can be washed. I can wash them for you before you go, so that way you don’t have to go home and do the dishes.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that…”

But before Hyoyoung could stop him, Kiwook took some of the dishes to the kitchenette. Hyoyoung grabbed the rest of them and followed him.

The kitchenette was very small, just enough for two people to stand side by side very closely. It was also isolated from the rest of the practice room with a separate door.

Hyoyoung insisted, “Give them to me. I can do them myself.”

Kiwook replied, “I already started, so don’t worry about it. I will wash them with soap, so why don’t you stand beside me and rinse them? That way, we will finish faster.”

Hyoyoung hesitated, but there was no reason for her to say no. She stood next to him as he handed her the plates.

Kiwook said to her quietly, “Hyoyoung, you are so good at cooking too.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I wouldn’t even call it cooking. I just boiled the noodles and put vegetables on top.”

“You are too humble. The sauce you made was great and everything was cooked perfectly. It was delicious. Next time, I hope you make something just for me. Lots of it.”

“Pardon? O… ok…”

“It can be another noodle dish, or anything else would be fine too. I would love anything if you are the one making it for me.”

“Ha… ha… hahaha…”

Hyoyoung laughed awkwardly and continued to rinse the dishes. She felt panicked at Kiwook’s words, but her hands moved automatically, and they worked in harmony.

She thought to herself, ‘Darn it! This oppa is too good. At this rate, I won’t have any chance of overcoming this attraction… Darn it.’

Hyoyoung’s hands moved faster and faster, and Kiwook noticed. He gently took her hands to calm her down, making Hyoyoung flinch. Her hands were warm because she was rinsing with warm water, but Kiwook’s hands were ice-cold.

He said to her quietly, “Slow down, you are going to hurt yourself.”

Kiwook let her hand go and returned to his side of the sink to continue washing. Still feeling awkward, Hyoyoung asked, “Why are you using cold water?”

“Oh, this kitchen is really weird. Warm water can be turned on only one faucet at a time. I didn’t want your hands to get cold, so I turned yours warm and mine cold.”

He grinned at her sweetly, making her heart race.

‘Oh my god! This is too much. I am a sucker for this kind of gentlemanly behavior. Don’t smile at me like that, Oppa! Hyoyoung, you need to be strong; start thinking about something else. Let’s do multiplication. 3 x 7 is 21. 9 x 8 is 74. Wait, no. Is it 70? GYAAA! Why did I jump from the threes to nines? My brain is not working!!!’