Note: To be revised after completion. 

My hands trembled, holding the plate in my hands.

Right now I was standing in one of the stations, nervously at Daewon, who stood at the far end of the room — seemingly preoccupied with checking the meals and ordering his other staff. Daewon's cold personality was evident as the others had told me. His gaze was focused on the plate in front of him as I stood patiently along with the other cooks. After he checked it, he then turned to walk in my direction.

"Alright, so I assume you know the basics. Slicing, dicing ingredients, and at least frying or any other methods of cooking," he told me as I nodded, my hands putting down the plate on the counter. He then gave me an apron and gloves as well as a hairnet to cover my hair.

"In this session, I'll have Yohan help you." My eyes widened at him mentioning the guy as Yohan approached us, a smile plastered on his face. "If you need help getting the ingredients or any sort of trouble during the cooking process, you can ask him to assist. But don't make him do the dish itself or else. Understood?"

Fair point.

He paused for a moment before he spoke up once again, "Make a dish. something that stands out. Surprise me. I don't care if it's a main dish or a dessert."

I'm guessing he would want to know where to start mentoring me before he leaves me with the other cooks.

Apparently, when he said to run the kitchen, he had meant that I'd be the one checking the meals before it went to the customers. Though, he insisted that I have training before he leaves me with the other cooks so I'd know how each meal is prepared and if they are overcooked or undercooked.

I agreed with the notion.

As he left, I quickly walked towards the pantry with Yohan right behind me. I could hear him asking what cuisine I'd do as I grabbed the items from the shelves. Taking them back to my counter, away from the other cooks who were doing the restaurant orders, I huffed and took a deep breath.

When I was wiping my hands and finally putting on the gloves, I felt Yohan beside me as he gave me a pat on the shoulder. I glanced back at him as he threw me a supportive grin. "You got this Dara. Just remember, hyung can have that icy cold exterior but he has a soft spot to those who are passionate about cooking."

I just gave him a nod but the fear of disappointing both of them still lingered. There were doubts in my head. What if it's not enough? What if I mess up during the plating?

Though, I tried to push back those feelings and went back to focus on the task at hand. If he wants me to do a particular dish, so be it.

Instead of trying Shin and Minho's recipe, I tried remembering the dish I practiced yesterday. Yohan gave me a side glance when I told him to get some corn kernels. I told him the dish I was going to prepare and he just gave me a thumbs up, walking away as I took some butter, onion, garlic, some mushrooms, and even a bay leaf.

I measured at least six tablespoons of butter and cut them into perfect half-inch cubes before turning on the stove. After this, I set a saucepan on the stove over the flame and added two tablespoons of butter.

When the butter began to melt, it filled the kitchen with its enticing aroma. And as this happened, I quickly chopped the onions, sliced the garlic, and added them as well to the saucepan along with the stems of the shiitake mushrooms, some tomato, black peppercorns, and the bay leaf.

Setting the fire at a gentle medium-low heat, I sautéed the vegetables, making sure that they were softened with no signs of being too burnt. After a few minutes, the vegetables were done and I added some vinegar and one-third cup of water. My hands took hold of the whisk and stirred the mixture until the texture became sauce-like.

Reducing the heat on the stove with the whisk still in my hand, I added the butter cubes and made sure to add some seasonings such as salt and pepper. I strained the sauce through a strainer and left the vegetables on a different plate for later.

I added two tablespoons of olive oil to the large skillet and added the spinach along with the garlic cloves and stirred it. As soon as it was cooked, I made sure to put it in another container and set it aside for plating.

The skillet was wiped clean, and I added another butter, put in the corn kernels, and cooked it for minutes.

Finally, it was time for the pièce de résistance in this dish – which was the salmon. I set the heat to high, adding a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. After a few minutes, I fully placed the seasoned salmon strips into the pan. I seared them to perfection, until it was in a beautiful golden color and ensured that they were tender enough.

As I plated the salmon and the vegetables, I couldn't help my hands to shake in nervousness. Yet, it didn't stop me to put on a great design. The corn kernels and spinach lay on the side along with some shiitake mushrooms and a little bit of chives on top of the fish. The salmon laying right in the middle with a spoonful of vinegar sauce poured right after. On the bottom was the sauce, ensuring that it fills the plate for flavor.

Taking a look at Daewon, who had just returned to the kitchen after Yohan called him, I gulped. It was now or never.

I took the plate and approached him, Yohan right behind me with a worried gaze. My hands set the plate down in front of him and Yohan handed him some fork and a table knife. I tried to maintain my composure when he stared at it for a few minutes and sliced a piece of it — taking a bite. My breath hitches for a bit as I waited for his reaction.

For a moment, he almost seemed unimpressed. That scared me. But it soon changed to a softened look and lips curled into a smile.

"Not bad," he told me as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and I suddenly realized he had masked in his approval earlier to make me nervous. I pouted at this and he quickly noticed this as he chuckled. "You thought it was bad, huh? I'm going, to be honest, I did too."

I slightly huffed at this as Yohan gave me a pat on the back. "Nice one, Dara!"

"It seems you got what it takes," Daewon continued before crossing his arms. "Well then, I'll teach you the basics. And this time, I'll teach you what the other four didn't."

My eyes widened as he then mentions me to follow him.

Wait, so he knew all this time?