𓎩 : kitchen

@❛ ✧ : park taejoon There was something about tasks like organizing inventory that felt like the calm in the midst of a chaotic storm. It was tedious, indeed, yet the mindless repetition offered solace for Aera, who often had to deal with customers on a near daily basis. And while most of them were pleasant towards her, it only took one, unreasonably demanding older man to ruin her entire day.

She took to fixing up their newest deliveries after her lunch break, taking fresh produce out of boxes to store in the freezer or set out for the kitchen staff at their stations. With it being in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, the restaurant was not as busy and in turn the kitchen was much more relaxed than it would be later that night. Aera finished organizing in no time and decided to hang around in the kitchen to tidy up the work stations when she realized there was not much work left to be done before dinner rolled around.

It was after she returned from throwing out the garbage when she saw her coworker take out something from his pocket. Intrigued, she took a closer look, making out what looked like to be a guitar pick held between his fingers. Aera tilted her head, ever the curious one, and contemplated on asking him if he played the instrument the item paired with. But he did not spare her a glance, nor look up from his knife and board. Perhaps it was not the best time to ask, she thought, just before he answered the question that lingered at the tip of her tongue.

“Oh,” was all she could express at first, surprised he’d even talk to her. A soft, embarrassed laugh chimes within the silence between them. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy… Uh, do you play?”

@❛ ✧ : boo aera The afternoon lull settled over Slurping Bowl, the gentle hum of the quiet shop wrapping around Taejoon like a familiar blanket. He moved through his routine steadily, hands guiding the knife in rhythmic slices, his mind floating somewhere between tasks. It was the kind of calm he appreciated—a rare stillness where he could almost forget everything else.

As he reached into his apron pocket for a towel, his fingers brushed against something small and hard. The guitar pick. He must’ve left it there by accident that morning, its presence a small, hidden reminder of the side of himself he kept tucked away. A faint sigh slipped past his lips as he pulled his hand back, adjusting his apron to keep the pick hidden.

But as he resumed his work, a quiet presence lingered nearby, just close enough to sense someone watching. The familiar curiosity radiated in the silence, subtle but distinct. Taejoon kept his gaze on the counter, fighting the instinct to close up further, yet feeling the quiet tug of a question he knew he wouldn’t be able to avoid for long.

“It’s… just something I keep around,” he murmured finally, almost to himself, his fingers brushing over the pick one last time before he continued chopping, hoping it was enough to end the conversation.