Chapter 28: No Unnecessary Eyes
The Chef x The Celebrity
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✨─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───✨
~ Date: June 26th – Interstellar Year 2422 ~
~ Location: Ozarka Tech University of Fine Arts, Technology and Agriculture
~ Cheraw City, Luna Fang - Terra Anka PXD2422
~ The Golden Dragon Star Nexus Intergalactic Empire ~
✨─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───✨
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🐦🔥 [ Phoenix ☯ POV ] 🐦🔥
Phoenix froze with one hand on the test-kitchen door handle when a voice rang out across the hallway.
It was not the volume alone that startled him, though it was certainly loud enough to disturb every nearby class. It was the way his name was thrown down the corridor like a public announcement.
Phoenix turned slowly and found Rhen Tarek hurrying toward him with all the subtlety of a collapsing shelf.
Internally, Nix smiled with the exhausted patience of a man counting down from ten while imagining several creative ways to silence a particularly persistent gnat. Externally, he lifted one finger to his lips.
"Rhen Tarek," Phoenix said softly, his voice polite enough to be dangerous, "please lower your voice. There are classes in session, and it is important to match one's tone and volume to the setting."
Rhen blinked at him, then glanced around as if the hallway had only just occurred to him.
Before he could answer, a nearby classroom door slid open and a weary teaching assistant stepped out. The young man had dark circles beneath his eyes, a stack of digital sketch slates tucked under one arm, and the hollow look of someone who had not slept properly in at least a week.
"Some of us," the T.A. said, voice flat with exhaustion, "are attempting to keep Professor Seon Chul's class from becoming a sculpture-themed battlefield. Please do not add hallway shouting to my list of problems."
Phoenix recognized the classroom at once and dipped into a polite bow. Professor Seon Chul was brilliant when it came to sculpture, but she was also exacting, volatile, and infamous for treating missed details like personal betrayals. Anyone assisting her deserved hazard pay, a quiet room, and possibly a healing potion.
"I apologize for the disturbance," Phoenix said, still smiling with flawless courtesy even as his right eye threatened to twitch. "We will keep our voices down."
The T.A. stared at him.
Then stared a little longer.
His posture shifted, one hand finding his hip while the other rose unconsciously toward his lower lip, and Phoenix realized with growing disbelief that the man was not scolding him anymore.
He was studying him.
Phoenix held perfectly still. Inside, Nix was already considering whether the gods, the universe, or perhaps the concept of breakfast itself had personally chosen to test him today.
The T.A. circled him once, eyes brightening with the sort of professional fascination that was only slightly less alarming than open harassment.
Solaris bristled through the bond at once, but Phoenix kept his expression composed. His public image mattered now. StarNet citizens could turn a single raised eyebrow into a moral scandal if they were bored enough, and he had no intention of handing them ammunition before filming even began.
"You have perfect proportions," the T.A. blurted at last. "Your body is ideal for sculptural reference, and your face—oh, galaxies, your face is balanced almost impossibly well."
Phoenix blinked once. Then twice. "Thank you," he said carefully, "but do you realize it is rather rude to examine someone this closely without permission? I would appreciate it if you stopped. You are making me uncomfortable."
The T.A. froze as if his soul had briefly left his body, looked down at his own hands, then snapped upright in horror. "Oh, my galaxies. I am so sorry. My brain was still in the flow, and I did not realize I had said that out loud. Please forgive my rudeness."
He bowed deeply enough to prove he meant it.
Phoenix studied him for one measured breath, then sighed. "I understand," he said, his tone even but firm. "But in the future, pay attention to your surroundings and the situation you are in. Not everyone will respond kindly to being treated as an object of study."
He paused just long enough for the words to settle without raising his voice. "And not all omegas are comfortable being stared at as if our looks, bodies, or reproductive potential are the beginning and end of our value. Some of us would prefer to be judged by merit rather than by secondary sex, first sex, or someone else's assumptions."
The T.A. bowed even deeper, looking for one alarming second as if he might actually drop to the floor and kowtow.
"Please forgive me. That is the last thing I meant to imply." His voice cracked with exhaustion and panic. "I have been searching for a model for my graduation project. My previous model mated during his last heat and is now pregnant, so he can no longer participate. If I do not find someone who matches the proportions I need, I may fail my final assessment."
It was a good thing he had become so practiced at acting; otherwise, hunger and irritation might have made him far less charitable. Solaris had warned him more than once that he became dangerously snarky when hungry. Phoenix still maintained that everyone got hangry sometimes, but apparently his version came with sharper teeth.
"You want me to consider being your model," Phoenix said, saving them both the stammering. "That is what you are trying to ask, yes?"
The T.A. nodded so quickly Phoenix worried for his neck. "Only if you are comfortable with it. I can send the project brief first, and you can refuse after reading it. I would not require anything improper. It is a sculptural reference project—fully clothed, scheduled, supervised, and documented through the department."
Phoenix considered it. He could always refuse later if the brief felt strange, and if it was legitimate, the project might even become useful once The Chef and The Celebrity began filming. More importantly, the T.A. was sincere, respectful, and visibly desperate. "Send me the brief," Phoenix said at last. "I will look it over. If the circumstances are appropriate, we can schedule a time."
The T.A. looked as though Phoenix had personally dragged him back from academic ruin. They exchanged contact information, and within another minute, he was bowing again before hurrying back into Professor Seon Chul's classroom. The whole exchange had taken only five or six minutes. To Phoenix's stomach, it had felt like an hour.
He was suddenly, violently aware that it had only been three or four hours since breakfast. Somehow, his body disagreed. It felt as if he had been fasting for days. Before he could worry too much, Solaris's sweet voice slipped through the bond.
'Mama, it is because you are a dominant omega,' Solaris explained. 'Your body burns energy faster than most people's, second only to a dominant alpha in certain conditions. There is no need to panic, but you do need to eat regularly.'
'So it is not a big deal, right?' Phoenix asked. 'Fast metabolism can be useful. I can see why it would benefit an omega, especially a dominant omega.'
'It is useful,' Solaris said carefully, 'but if you go too long without food, your body may start releasing distress pheromones that signal nearby people to help feed you. It sounds convenient, but I promise it would be troublesome.'
'That does make sense from an evolutionary standpoint,' Phoenix admitted, then immediately grimaced. 'Still wasted on me. Children are not in my plans right now, and possibly not ever. Snacks, however, are absolutely in my plans. I will keep emergency food on hand and avoid becoming a pheromone-powered lunch alarm.'
Before Phoenix could finally slip into the test kitchen, Rhen Tarek seemed to remember why he had shouted in the first place.
He stared at Phoenix with his mouth slightly open. "Wow. Beyol Bong Tae-Hwan, it really is you. You look..." He trailed off, apparently rendered speechless.
Phoenix's patience thinned. "Yes, Rhen Tarek, it is me. But do you not think this reaction is a little rude? How would you feel if someone stared at you like that and commented on your appearance in the middle of a hallway?"
Rhen jolted as if struck by lightning. "Oh, my galaxies, I am sorry. I did not mean it like that. It is just surprising. You look completely different from yesterday."
His eyes swept over Phoenix again before he seemed to remember the warning and yanked his gaze back up. "I mean—good different. Great different. You look amazing."
Then, because apparently self-preservation had never introduced itself to Rhen Tarek, he added, "Actually, you are kind of terrifyingly hot. Why would you hide all this from everyone? Are you seeing someone? If not, maybe we could grab coffee sometime. Or ramen?"
Phoenix stared at him. For one long second, every polite word in his possession died a noble death. Then he smiled. "No."
The single syllable landed with the force of a door closing. Phoenix inclined his head with perfect courtesy. "Now, if you do not mind, I am already running late. Have a wonderful day, and do try to be more self-aware."
He turned and entered the test kitchen, shutting the door quietly behind him despite the strong urge to slam it. There were still classes in session. His dignity, unfortunately, was not permitted to make noise.
Solaris exploded through the bond the instant the door closed. 'Mama, may I creatively handle that disgusting gnat? How dare he look at you like that? Who does he think he is?'
'Calm down, baby,' Phoenix soothed, already moving toward the wash station. 'No, you cannot punish him now. Later, if he keeps being awful, you may think of something harmlessly inconvenient. I am very proud of you for watching your language.'
The praise doused Solaris's fury faster than any bucket of water could have. Phoenix could almost imagine his tiny flames puffing up with smug pride. Solaris was absolutely still plotting something, but at least he was plotting quietly.
Once inside the test kitchen, Nix pulled out his matching white floppy toque with dark-purple trim and his name embroidered along the side. He tucked away every strand of hair with practiced care, then scrubbed his hands thoroughly before drying them.
Seeing that no one else had arrived yet, he went straight to the pantry, checked what ingredients were available, and gathered what he could use. The rest he pulled discreetly from Solaris before organizing everything into a neat mise en place. Once his station was clean, measured, and ready, he began cooking.
As Nix worked, the test kitchen slowly filled with classmates. One by one, they drifted toward their stations, only to pause and glance his way with increasing disbelief. The aromas rising from his pans were unlike anything they knew—savory, spicy, bright, and warm enough to make several mouths water before anyone had taken a single bite. A few students' eyes even began to sting from the heat blooming in the air, but not one of them looked away.
By the time he finished, the spread looked like a small feast. There were mandu filled with seasoned pork, steamed pork-and-chive bao dumplings, crisp kimchi, fried tofu, dubu jorim—quick Korean braised tofu—miso soup, kimbap, pa muchim, and a fragrant mushroom stir-fry.
To save time, he pulled several sauces discreetly from Solaris, making a mental note to recreate proper batches later for the family restaurant. He set out ssamjang, yak gochujang—beef bibimbap sauce—classic gochujang, simple soy sauce, and a quick tonkatsu sauce for anyone who could not handle the heat of the spicier options.
For drinks, he prepared lightly sweetened green tea, ddalgi ooyu—Korean strawberry milk—strawberry green tea lemonade, matcha milk boba tea, and a brown sugar boba drink rich enough to feel like dessert.
He was happy with the spread, though part of him still wished he had enough time to make patbingsu, the red bean shaved ice dessert he already knew would become a sensation. That one, however, he would save for The Chef and The Celebrity. It had the right balance of nostalgia, novelty, and spectacle to become one of the Beyol family restaurant's future signature desserts.
Honestly, he wanted to make even more. Ideas crowded the back of his mind—drinks, desserts, sauces, soups, grilled dishes, street food, festival food, comfort food—but he forced himself to stop. Some things had to be saved for the show, and some had to wait until he could present them properly through his thesis. First, he needed to see how his classmates and chef instructors reacted to this first taste.
Nix cleaned his station, washed the used dishes and equipment, and arranged the food for presentation in the dining area. He was a little nervous, though excitement outweighed the nerves. Nothing like this existed anywhere in the empire anymore. The only question was whether their palates could handle the spice.
'Well, here goes nothing,' he thought as he finished setting the last dish in place. When he looked up, thirty-six pairs of eyes stared back at him, wide as saucers and bright with hunger. A few faces were so openly eager that he had to bite back a laugh. By the time he finished giving a brief explanation of each dish, he noticed more than one person discreetly wiping saliva from the corner of their mouth.
However, there was one problem. Judging by the thirty-six pairs of hungry, bewildered eyes staring back at him, not one person in the room knew what to do with the food.
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