The Chef x The Celebrity
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✨─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───✨
~ Date: June 26th – Interstellar Year 2422 ~
~ Location: Luna Bellflower Moon ~ Terra Anka PXD2422
~ The Golden Dragon Star Nexus Intergalactic Empire ~
✨─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───✨
🐦🔥 [ Phoenix ☯ POV ] 🐦🔥
Phoenix felt relieved that his family had handled the truth as well as they could, but relief did not erase the weight of what had been said. The warmth of their hugs still lingered on his skin, and the quiet promise in Eomeoni's voice followed him even after she urged her children to hurry before school and work swallowed the rest of the morning.
Before they separated, Phoenix went to each of them. Abeoji gathered him into a firm, wordless hug. Eomeoni held him next, one hand pressed carefully to the back of his head as if she could shield him from every old wound she had only just learned existed. Nuna hugged him with trembling arms, and Yong-Jae rested his forehead briefly against Phoenix's hair before letting go. Even Maknae clung for one extra second, jaw tight and eyes burning.
"Thank you," Phoenix said, voice rough but steady. "For listening. For believing me. For everything you have done for me. I know you love me without needing thanks, but I need you to hear it anyway. I am grateful. More than I know how to say."
Mrs. Tae Eun-Kyung finally glanced at the time and clicked her tongue softly. "Enough for now. School and work will not wait simply because our hearts are heavy." Beyol Joon and Phoenix cleared the table, bowed to their parents and Nuna, then rushed upstairs to change and grab their bags. Yong-Jae left for work soon after, while Mr. and Mrs. Beyol and Beyol Eun-Ha moved toward the restaurant kitchen to begin food prep for the day.
For one brief moment before everyone scattered, Phoenix saw the Beyols as they truly were: a family stubbornly preserving fragments of a world the empire had buried beneath thirty-seven thousand years of distance and stars. Eomeoni stood in an ancient traditional-style Hanbok (한복), the elegant lines of her jeogori and flowing chima making her look as if she had stepped out of an old Earth painting rather than a moon colony in Interstellar Year 2422. Phoenix, still wearing the traditional men's Hanbok this world had first given him, suddenly felt less out of place among them; the moon-white fabric, blue-black silk, and faint lavender layers seemed to belong to the same memory the Beyols carried in their sleeves and collars. Abeoji and Nuna had already changed into kitchen uniforms that blended men's Hanbok structure with practical chef jackets and fitted work pants, the wrapped collars and clean seams echoing tradition while still suited for fire, knives, steam, and service. Yong-Jae, who was leaving for work, wore his own fusion style: an open Hanbok-inspired jacket layered over a fitted button shirt and tailored suit pieces, the look softened by a few traditional accessories that made him appear polished, rooted, and unmistakably Beyol.
Their home carried the same quiet defiance. In a galaxy of floating glass towers, synthetic metals, and sterile efficiency, the Beyol residence, restaurant, tea house, and Jeongwon (정원)—their traditional garden—held to the shape of old Korean mansions and courtyards. Warm wood, stone paths, sliding doors, curved rooflines, shaded seating, and carefully placed water and greenery made the compound feel impossibly out of place and impossibly precious. It was not grand by imperial standards. It was small, beta-run, and easily lost in the endless population of the Golden Dragon Star Nexus Intergalactic Empire. But to Phoenix, that made it more valuable, not less. The Beyols had not preserved tradition because it was profitable. They had preserved it because memory deserved a home.
The tea house was the quiet heart of it all. Tucked between the restaurant and the Jeongwon, it opened toward the garden through wide sliding doors where softened moonlight spilled across polished wood floors and low tables meant for unhurried conversation. The faint scent of roasted barley, jujube, pine, honeyed citron, and aged tea leaves lingered in the air, mingling with the damp sweetness of moss, stone, lotus water, and distant flowers. Ceramic cups rested on carefully arranged trays, each one chosen not for wealth or fashion, but for the warmth it held in the hand. Even the silence there felt tended, as if generations of the Beyol family had poured grief, prayers, laughter, and stubborn hope into the space one cup at a time. In an empire that measured worth by scale, speed, and spectacle, the tea house asked people to sit, breathe, and remember that some things became more precious because they were small.
Once in his room, Phoenix looked through the closet and was utterly disappointed by the options hanging inside. "Should I just burn all these horrific clothes? Hmm, no. That would be a waste. I will donate them to a shelter or an orphanage instead. There are always people who need anything they can get. I know that all too well, because that was me more times than I can count, but that is in the past now. Solaris, please remind me to donate these and also send new clothes and toys to a few orphanages."
Solaris hopped onto the bed and replied, "Yes, Mama Phoenix," before making himself comfortable and politely giving his Mama privacy to get ready. After all, he was a good little phoenix-dragon, not a tiny pervert who gawked while someone changed.
Unlike the original Beyol Bong Tae-Hwan, Phoenix refused to keep dressing in the drab, washed-out, unobtrusive clothes Lee Eun-ae had convinced him to wear. Those clothes had been carefully chosen to make him fade into the background, and he was done disappearing for anyone else's comfort. Instead, he had Solaris pull a few of his favorite pieces from The Nursery. Once he settled on an outfit, he quickly styled his hair and stepped back to study himself in the full-length mirror hanging on the back of his bedroom door.
Today he wore a V-neck, pearlescent white silk button-down blouse with rolled three-quarter sleeves, tucked in to accentuate his slim waist, toned arms, and chest. He paired it with black form-fitting pants that emphasized his round, perky butt and elongated his slim but toned legs with pinstripes in the same pearlescent white as his blouse. A black belt with a silver buckle completed the outfit, along with amethyst earrings that complemented his eyes, layered delicate silver chain necklaces, his communicator on his left wrist, and a silver-and-amethyst spatial ring on his right middle finger. His black leather booties were made from monster hide he had obtained in a previous world. He looked elegant, timeless, beautiful, and sexy as hell all at once.
Thanks to the shell being a dominant omega and Phoenix enhancing the body to its optimal state, he did not need makeup; his skin was flawless. Still, he decided to add a little lip gloss. What stunned Phoenix most was discovering that the body had a single beauty mark delicately located beneath the outer corner of his left eye. It was a soft brown that complemented his ivory skin and faint pink-neutral undertone. He was surprised because he had always had this particular beauty mark in every life he had lived and every world he had visited. He was not sure why, and he had never thought much about it before, but now it plucked at his curiosity—one more thing to consider later, when he had the chance.
The leather hide was feather-light, skid-proof, damage-resistant, and required special mana-infused tools to pierce or cut. In its original world, it was usually used for mid-grade armor. In this world, it made the perfect kitchen shoe: it would protect his toes and feet from anything that might fall on them, and the skid-proof soles were especially important in a professional kitchen.
Phoenix tilted his head, taking in the finished look. "Damn, and I did not think this body could look any better. Why in tarnation did he not realize Lee Eun-ae was jealous and wanted to make sure no one paid more attention to him than her? That black-lotus, bigoted bitch really does have an inferiority complex when it comes to this body." His smile sharpened. "Ha. I cannot wait until she sees the new me."
He glanced toward the bed, suddenly more nervous than he wanted to admit. "Solaris, what do you think? Is it too much? I know I have to change into my chef's checks and coat later, but for now I want people to start getting used to my new look before The Chef and The Celebrity begins filming."
Solaris, who had been lying comfortably on the bed, raised his head to take a good look at his Mama Phoenix. He could not help the strange little flutter in his belly as his heart seemed to skip a beat. He had known his Mama would look better once he stopped wearing those awful oversized, baggy, worn-out clothes that made people's eyes slide right over him, but this was beyond even Solaris's imagination. The new hairstyle only made it better.
Gone was the long hair the original Beyol Bong Tae-Hwan had used like a curtain to hide his face. In its place was a half-up, half-down style: the upper half gathered into a voluminous bun, while soft curtain bangs framed his delicate features and emphasized his high cheekbones and sharp jawline.
"As always, Mama Phoenix looks amazing! You really can pull off any style, even oversized sweats. Everyone will be blown away, and I bet most of your classmates will not even recognize you. But, Mama... what about your culinary arts classes? You cannot have your hair down like that in the kitchen. The head chef will have a fit, unless you plan to wear a hairnet." Solaris sounded deeply serious. Though he thought his Mama looked breathtaking like this, he also did not want him reprimanded by the head chef. She was a retired lieutenant in the Royal Star Naval Fleet, the fleet that traveled with the royal family, so she had zero tolerance for anything that did not strictly adhere to the rules. She ran her kitchen and lecture hall as if she were still commanding troops.
"Oh, do not worry. I already thought about that. I will braid the lower half, pin it up to the bun, then wrap the braid around it before pinning it in place. I will do the same with my bangs on each side, then pin those braids up to crown my head so they meet at the back of the bun. It will look elegant and neat, and it will not allow any stray hairs to fall. Much better than a slicked-back tight bun, don't you think?" Phoenix asked with a smile so bright Solaris thought he needed sunglasses.
The little phoenix-dragon could only bob his head, too stunned by the image Phoenix's words painted in his mind. His Mama would look neat, elegant, and fashionable while still meeting every strict kitchen rule. Solaris could not wait to see everyone's reaction once Phoenix braided his hair. In this era, no one wore braids anymore, and almost no one knew how to make them; they were considered an ancient Earth fashion.
When Solaris finally regained his ability to speak, he tentatively reminded Nix, "You should take a solid white and a solid black shirt along with a pair of comfortable shorts to wear underneath your chef uniform later."
"That is wise. I know I have a spatial ring, but can I take things directly from the Nursery and make it look as if they came from the ring? Moving items back and forth for every little thing sounds bothersome. I will still keep a few supplies inside it, so if anyone ever gets their hands on it, it will not look empty. Not that I intend to let that happen, but caution is never wasted."
"Well of course, that is as easy as breathing now that I have regained all my power. I can also do a lot more, but we do not have time for that now. You need to get going or you will miss the P.T. Ship (public transport) and you will be late for class." Solaris proudly stated.
Satisfied with his appearance and Solaris's approval, Nix grabbed his personal terminal, I.D., sunglasses, and black face mask, then headed out of his room. Solaris activated his cloaking even though he had still not told his Mama that only Nix could see him. It was simply too fun this way—not to mention, it let Solaris keep a better eye on things.
In the hallway, Nix met Beyol Joon, who looked just as dumbstruck as Solaris had. Phoenix chuckled and playfully teased his little brother. "What? Do I look that bad, or did the cat get your tongue?"
Snapping back to himself, Beyol Joon hurried to clear up the misunderstanding. His hyung looked anything but bad. He was simply awestruck. He had always known Nix was beautiful, but he had not realized just how striking that beauty could become when it was not buried beneath oversized sweats and worn-out clothes.
"Hyung, you look... amazing. Your beauty really is on a whole new level. How am I supposed to keep everyone at bay when you look like this? Both alphas and betas will go nuts just to stare at you." Beyol Joon sounded admiring and grumpy all at once.
Nix laughed heartily and linked his arm with Beyol Joon's. "Come on, Maknae. Stop exaggerating, or we will be late. You need to get to morning swim practice, and I need to catch my morning ship if we both want to make it on time."
With that, the brothers headed out together, arms still linked.
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~ ✨~🐉~ ☯ ~🐦🔥~✨~