[🏠︎] kitchen.

aiko’s gaze sweeps across the kitchen as she silently munches on her egg tart, occasionally sipping on her latte before a little light bulb goes off in her head. “have we all gathered here the moment we arrived?” she tilts her head a little, her words not directed to anyone in specfic. “anyone explored the house yet?”

he's severely jet-lagged, having just finished a flight from lax. as soon as he enters, his ears pick up on the soft echoes of people talking. trudging in with his suitcase, he debates on what to do; stealthily pass by and go upstairs so he could freshen up, or to make a short appearance, and then call it a night. his introverted self chooses the latter.

following the hall, he walks until he sees them all—the other contestants. bowing his head, he greets them. "hello. my name is geum incheon. nice to meet you." feeling awkward at the dying volume of the gathering, he clears his throat softly. "sorry, i'm just going to freshen up and uh- change... as you can see, i'm not dressed for the occasion." he states, looking down at his uniform—the standard for his airline's dress code. "i'll be right back." with another bow, he exits out, striding towards the stairwell.

with the influx of new people, he doesn't get to confirm the temperature of her latte. seungwoo decides to just give it to her hot. after all, the latter had never specified, and a latte was simply a hot drink consisting of steamed milk and an espresso shot. uncrossing his arms and straightening up his posture again, he gets back to his job; continuing to play barista.

he brews more espresso, working efficiently and quickly, as if he's worked at a busy cafe before. seungwoo then uses the steam wand, it's sudden use making a hissing noise that adds another level of white noise onto the bustling backdrop of the convening contestants. steaming the milk to effortless perfection, seungwoo delicately angles the latte cup, pouring carefully into the rounded latte mug that contains the freshly brewed ristretto. the drink is finished, topped with a heart latte art. seungwoo brings the cup forth again, letting its intended owner know that her drink is being served. "caution. hot— latte."

next is the improvised mocha—or in this case, dirty hot chocolate. there wasn't any chocolate syrup—he had to come up with something else; hot chocolate powder mix. it was on one of the kitchen cabinet's shelves, but however, he wanted his own drink as well. "i'll take the extra matcha, thanks." seungwoo expressed, with a raise of his hand.

just then, someone to his right approached him, hovering by him. seungwoo turned in their direction at the sound of his name. "hey. nice to meet you as well." he greeted back. "both; self-taught and i used to work at a cafe."seungwoo told the other, giving the milk steamer another steam, as he wiped it down with a clean cloth. his hands were moving speedily, promptly preparing to make his next drink. with everything primed, running and brewing, seungwoo excused himself, departing the machine and darting past taehoon to get the hot chocolate mix. "sorry, i'll be right back." for this drink, he's using the automated, portable milk frother, and not the steaming wand, as the automatic milk frother would ensure that the powder would get mixed evenly, without the milk getting burnt.

hearing the milk frother finish, seungwoo grabs yet again, another mug with another ristretto shot. he pours the hot chocolate into the mug. the drink is complete, but seungwoo feels like there's a missing touch. his eyes fixate on the island kitchen table filled with various snacks—croissants, cakes, egg tarts, fudge. "perfect." he says to himself, before heading over, grabbing a butter knife along the way en route. reaching the fudge, he cuts off a small piece into a napkin and then strides back to where the dirty hot chocolate is sitting. seungwoo cuts the small piece of fudge into a heart as best he can, before making a little notch into it. using he notch he hangs it on one side of the mug. "done. dirty hot chocolate—or an improvised mocha." he states.

the sharp slam of a taxi door disrupts the serene sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves, courtesy of monica moon making her grand exit in a rush. the driver’s not amused by her dramatics, a scowl apparent on his face. she meets it with one of her own, arching perfectly sculpted bow. “the door’s /fine/. frankly, i’d be more concerned about that speedometer. i could've walked here faster,” she remarks, voice laced with sugar-coated disdain. with that, she pivots on her jimmy choos pumps and strides toward the sharehouse entrance.

inside, she quickly sets her luggage down with the others in the foyer, pointedly ignoring the provided house slippers on the floor. instead, she slips into her own pair of kitten-heeled slippers, her personal armor of choice for the battle ahead. the rhythmic click of her heels against the floor draws a self-satisfied smile on her lips as she steps into the kitchen.

“well, isn't this quite the spread?” the way monica’s gaze flickers between the contestants, it’s abundantly clear that she’s not referring to the impromptu potluck. she takes a mental tally of the current gender ratio—clearly skewed in a certain direction thanks to her arrival.

/interesting.../

“snacks, pastries, and an excess of caffeine. and yet, something seems missing,” she remarks, tapping her chin in exaggerated contemplation. there's a mischievous glint in her eyes as she reaches into her prada leather tote and takes out a bottle of champagne along with a carton of orange juice.

“mimosas, anyone?”

Nayeon lingered at the edge of the kitchen, amusement flickering in her gaze as she watched the others move around the space with the easy, unspoken rhythm of people already halfway to knowing each other. It was the kind of scene that felt lived-in, despite the artificial gloss of cameras and first impressions.

Still grinning to herself, she crouched and ped her bag, fishing out a few packets of handmade fudge, assorted chocolate bars and a tin of shortbread. She set them next to the assortment of snacks already gathered on the counter - a strange, unintentional buffet.

"Thought I’d add a little UK touch”, she said, dusting off her hands as she straightened. She leaned casually against the counter, her gaze sweeping across the group. “I’m Nayeon, by the way. Didn’t want to just materialize in the kitchen like some kind of snack-bearing ghost.”

He can see the other male approaching in his peripheral and when he reaches them, Taehoon lifts his gaze to look at him, a brow gently cocked in question. "Likewise," he states simply, giving a curt glance at Taejoon's outstretched hand. "'Though I hardly see that happening, Taejoon." A gentle smirk perks up at one corner of his lips before he turns his attention back to the other male, Seungwoo. "Do you have experience working in a café or are you self-taught?" he asks, nodding perfunctorily at the espresso machine.

"Aiko.... aiko, that's a cute name."

Taejoon smiles faintly as he pours the matcha into a glass already filled with ice and oat milk, stirring it until the colors blend smoothly. He finishes it off with a metal straw he retrieved from one of the drawers before handing the drink to the girl who had kindly brought them all matcha from Japan. Only after she takes hers does he finally pour a serving for himself.

By the time he finishes pouring himself his iced matcha latte, there's still some left. Rather than letting it go to waste, he pours the remainder into an extra glass and carries it over to where the other treats are neatly arranged on the counter.

"I made extra for anyone who wants it..."

He says before taking an egg tart from Seonhye and biting into it.

"Wow this is good! As for my commute, I almost got lost.. never been great with naver maps really. Thankfully, I got here on time."

Taejoon comments, his head instinctively turning toward the newcomers, a smile tugging at his lips as one girl mentions food being the main motivator. Everyone here seemed like an interesting character in their own way.

As one of the men approaches another, Taejoon quickly pops the rest of his small egg tart into his mouth before following suit, making his way toward them.

"Wow, your name is Taehoon? I'm Taejoon. We have a one letter difference. Lets hope we don't confuse the rest of the participants. Nice to meet you."

A mischievous glint flickered in Taejoon's eyes as he extended a hand toward Taehoon, letting it linger in the air unshaken. When the latter makes no move to take it, Taejoon simply retracts it, unfazed. Rather than taking it as an insult, he turns on his heel and strolls back toward his iced matcha latte—and the girl who had brought the matcha.

"Interesting crowd for sure. Everyone seems so nice."

"What you make will surely be 100 times better than anything I can make," he argues before biting into the croissant. It's perfectly buttered and flaky, just the way he enjoys them. "And you are right, Yeonah. These are the best croissants I've ever tried thus far. You'll have to let me know where you got them." He offers her a slight smile in acknowledgement before he walks away with his croissant in the direction of the male hovering over the coffee station (Seungwoo). "Hi. You're Seungwoo, right? Pleasure to meet you, I'm Taehoon. I heard you're making coffee."

having just arrived seoul that morning, aiko couldn’t bring much, instead she had brought two can of premium matcha from her hometown — hopefully, matcha was an all time favourite.

thankfully, it was put to good use when someone searches for it. she promptly handles it to the other with a bright grin, one that mirrored his.

“aiko. aiko miyoshi. it’s nice to meet you taejoon.”

she watched as the male takes containers from her before raising her hand at his offer. “one for me too! i like myself a good cup of matcha latte.”

Leaning against the counter, she waited for her cup of ice matcha latte to be done.

As another male walks in, she gives a brief wave of her hands, then to the other lady who followed shortly behind. A chuckle leaving her lips at her comment.

“they say the way through a man’s heart is the stomach, i suppose.”

It’s not long before she hears another lady’s voice at the entrance of the kitchen and the delicious smell of baked goodies.

“croissants and egg tarts! just the perfect pairing for coffee and lattes.” She commented as taejoon hands her the glass of iced matcha latte. “Thank you. We have quite a nice crowd, don’t we!”

She momentarily gets distracted from her current conversation by the offers of the different foods and drinks... but most especially, the egg tarts. "Don't mind if I do," she chuckles, excusing herself quickly to spritz alcohol from the tiny spray bottle dangling from her shoulder bag onto her hands, rubbing them whilst returning to her previous spot and reaching into the box of the proffered tarts, sending Taehoon a sheepish smile. "Sorry, couldn't resist—and I do! Granted, I've been doing meal preps for the past few months ever since my workload increased, but it's cooking nonetheless, is it not? I'm no expert, though, so maybe curb your expectations a liiiittle bit," she grins, turning her head away to bite into the pastry, her satisfaction made known through the tiny noise of contentment she lets out.

"Sorry, I only brought my appetite," he jokes dryly to the group, taking in the offered foods and drink-making commotion. Taehoon reaches for a napkin before choosing a croissant and an egg tart from the other box and turning his attention back to Yeonah. "Do you cook most of your meals yourself, living alone since 18 and all? You must be an expert at cooking. I could learn a thing or two from you."

Yeonah blinks at the sudden offer, but then a her grin only widens as she nods in response. "Sure, why not? That sounds feasible enough. And to answer your question: yep, I've been living alone since I was 18—I'd like to think I'm pretty well-versed around the kitchen by now," she steps away from the table, holding her arm out to the pastries in offering as she once again looks around the room. "I'm Yeonah, by the way; Baek Yeonah. It's a pleasure meeting you too, Taehoon."

“oh?” seonhye replies, quirking an eyebrow up at his comment before he clarifies. “oh. yes. yes, i am hot. i, uh, jogged a little on my way here because i was worried everyone was waiting on me. heh. i’ll—”

that’s when she hears another woman’s voice echo from the living room. expectantly, she stops speaking and turns her head to look at the door curiously, the smile on her lips brightening once she comes into view.

she’s about to greet the newcomer when another one comes into view, and then another one, and another one, and another one. the entrance train seemingly does not end and all she can do is keep smiling and offering a small wave to everyone coming in. at the final count, the numbers seem to be even with four men and four women (including her!).

“hello, hello! it’s so nice to see everyone! i hope everyone had a good commute here? i think we’re still waiting on more people so we just gathered in the kitchen for snacks! someone’s making coffee, someone’s making matcha, and now we have croissants and cake!”

reaching behind her for the box she brought earlier, she holds it out for the others. “and i brought egg tarts! if anyone wants.”

"You cook? Maybe we could cook together one of these days?" he suggests with a genuine curiosity, walking over closer to her—and to where she ultimately places the box of croissants. "I'm Taehoon, Choi Taehoon. Nice to meet you..?" he trails, waiting for her to answer with her name in reply.

At the question, Yeonah offers the stranger a rueful smile. "I wish I did; while I do cook, my schedule today just didn't permit home-baked goods." She trudges closer and places the box atop the table, unlacing the ribbon holding it together in the process. "I can guarantee these are the best croissants you'll ever try, though."

Taehoon perks up at the mention of croissants from the latest person to enter the room, and he turns to look over at her. She's pretty when she smiles, he thinks to himself before he speaks, "One for me. Did you bake them yourself?"

Yet another ping has Yeonah wincing as she makes her way down to the basement-level parking of the hospital, the momentary lapse in her otherwise-serene expression making her offer an apologetic bow towards the cameraman and the writer accompanying her; they wave her blunder off, and she promptly takes her phone out to pull up the window containing the contestants' group chat, making sure to angle the screen enough so that they get actual content.

Yeonah types out a quick reply to the query about her coffee preferences—is it a mocha if it doesn't have chocolate syrup? She's no barista, for crying out loud—before pocketing the device and heading straight for her car. Mentally, she calculates if she has enough time to drop by her favorite coffee shop before heading to the show's location, decides she's late anyway so why not get those croissants as promised, and starts the car. The drive over was relatively smooth-sailing, the last dregs of commuter rush slowly dwindling as the sun slowly sets over the horizon. Yeonah quietly enters the nondescript establishment and sheepishly informs the owner that she's filming for a show, carefully picking out an assortment of pastries that she immediately pays for before setting off once again.

The remaining trip was quick, and before long, she has a mic shoved into the lapel of her dress (one that she had haphazardly put on after that 6-hour long procedure), her face retouched by a standby makeup artist (which is insane work, she thinks; she'd often thought participants for these kinds of shows just somehow showed up effortlessly pretty and that she was gonna be the one to break the cycle), and then she's being ushered into the house.

She quickly deduces that they've all gathered in the kitchen, and so she heads straight there after leaving her luggage in the living room, quietly knocking against the wall to announce her arrival right after the jovial quip of the woman who arrived just before her. "Hello there," she starts with a smile, her eyes trained warily onto the other contestants' faces. "I wouldn't blame the others; food /is/ literally life, after all." With that, she raises the box of pastries in her right hand. "... Croissants, anyone?"

The drive up to the mansion had been longer than Nayeon expected, really. She sat in the backseat, fingers drumming against the leather of her suitcase, trying not to let nerves settle too deep in her chest. It was just a show, she reminded herself. Just a few weeks of cameras, scripted dates - and the inevitable tension that came with throwing strangers into a house under the pretense of romance.

When the car finally rolled to a stop in front of the mansion, she exhaled. The house was beautiful in the way these things always were - grand but sterile, the kind of place designed to look expensive rather than lived in. A crew member ushered her out, mic already in hand and she plastered on a smile as they attached it to her dress.

“Everyone’s in the kitchen”, they told her. “You can head straight in.”

Of course they were.

The kitchen was already alive with movement when she stepped inside. The scent of something floral and earthy mingled with conversation, as though everyone was still feeling out their roles. No one noticed her at first and for a brief second, she just watched, a voyeur in her own scene.

Then she dropped her suitcase a little harder than necessary, the sound cutting through the chatter.

“Wow”, she said, slipping easily into a grin. “Guess we all know what the real motivation is here. Not love, not money… just food.”

Taehoon arrives at the Maison home after closing a deal. His assistant, Ryujin, handed over his suitcase, and he was out the revolving door of the office building. On his way over, a soft 'ping' of his phone draws his attention away from the road, and he unlocks the lock screen with his thumb print. A message from the L/M contestant group chat appears in his notification window, and he skims it. Someone's making coffee. He thinks about it. If he plans to make it out alive on the first day, he's going to need a good ristretto.

Once the house comes into view, he drives up and parks in the driveway before getting out of the car. No other vehicles are present which makes him think that he's the first one there. His suitcase is carried up off the floor by his left hand when he walks through the front door. Immediately, he notices the shoes by the door. Four pairs switched out for house slippers. And Taehoon realizes that he /isn't/ the first to arrive. He follows suit with the house slippers and sets his suitcase by the door before he walks in further into the house.

"Hello?" he calls out, scanning the area ahead as he walks into the dining room. It's there that he hears bright voices coming from the kitchen; he follows the sound of conversation until he sees one, two—then three and four people occupying the cooking space.

"Hi," he greets again, walking further into the kitchen as his eyes takes note of everyone (including the production team). "What are we all doing in here?"

After dropping his matcha query in the group chat, Taejoon rounds a corner, his confidence in his navigation skills wavering yet again. He’s been lost more times than he cares to admit, his tendency to multitask often leading him astray. But this time, after double-checking the address, he finally confirms he’s in the right place. With no hesitation, he pushes the door open, a bright smile spreading across his face as he strides toward the kitchen. The familiar sound of movement reaches his ears—a telltale sign that others have already arrived.

Pushing the kitchen door open after a single knock, Taejoon immediately spots four contestants—two females and two males. One of them, undoubtedly the barista from their group chat, is already moving with practiced precision, effortlessly preparing the coffees he had promised. Taejoon’s gaze sweeps across the room before he carefully sets down the plastic bag he has been cradling on the counter.

"I saw the coffee discussion and figured a cake would be a nice addition—strawberries and cream. Hopefully, no one's allergic? Just in case the pantry isn’t fully stocked yet. Oh, and I’m Taejoon, by the way."

He speaks to the group at large before turning his attention to the cabinets in search of matcha. While he manages to find the bowl and bamboo whisk with ease, the matcha itself remains elusive.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spots it—in the hands of one of the female contestants. With an easy stride, he makes his way toward her, a glint of amusement in his eyes as he asks,

“Is that matcha? Should we make some? More importantly, what’s your name?”

When she offers no objection, Taejoon smoothly takes the matcha container from her hands and sets to work, expertly whisking the vibrant powder with hot water, immersing himself in the familiar rhythm.

"Anyone else want an iced matcha latte, or is coffee good? Just so I know how much to make."

aiko was running slightly late when she arrived at the shared house. having received multiple notifications on her phone, she expected many to have already arrived. pushing the door open slowly, she peeked her head in. “konnichiwa?” she calls out in her native language before making her way in.

remembering that most of them were in the kitchen, aiko took a small tour around the house before arriving at the kitchen where a few of them gathered. “hello!” she greeted cheerily while standing at the entrance. “i brought matcha from my hometown, if anyone wants!”

two people showed up. the first was another male contestant. seungwoo nodded at his emergence, silently acknowledging the other, and his drink request. "all good." he told him, before dispensing some of the ground beans into the portafilter. "i'm seungwoo, nice to meet you", seungwoo introduced himself, before taking the presser off the side of the machine and french pressing the ground coffee, creating an even, smooth surface that filled the portafilter. he then locked the portafilter into place. with a swift push of a button, the machine hummed to life. seconds later, silky espresso began dripping out from the spouts of the portafilter, to which seungwoo collected—placing a found mug underneath.

as he waited for the espresso to finish brewing, his phone that had been left on the counter vibrated. seungwoo instantly picked it up, checking to see whom had messaged. it was a new notification from the group chat. the rest of the contestants it seemed, were all on their way. he scoffed in amusement, finding it funny that his soon-to-be housemates now thought one espresso machine turned the mansion into a starbucks location. typing in a quick series of replies, seungwoo placed his phone back down.

with all of the espresso dripped, he then moved the mug over, putting it under the hot water spout. pushing the handle, he filled the water 3/4 way. seungwoo then held the mug by the handle, bringing it forth for the other male. "caffe americano." moving a bit faster than the first time, seungwoo repeated the process, handling two portafilters this time, making double the amount of espresso. while those were brewing, seungwoo took as many of the empty glasses as he could hold, and walked to the fridge. he filled each glass with ice, putting the empty glasses under the built-in ice maker that was on the door of the smart fridge. bringing those back quickly, he then went back to the fridge, opening it up and searching for milk. once found, he brought the carton to his now-work station. just in time too, right as the first female contestant made her entrance and greeted them.

"you look hot." seungwoo blatantly remarked, leaning back onto counter space, his eyes looking right at her. with a cross of his arms, he mocked her head tilt. "your cheeks, they look a little red. are you sure you still want a latte?"

slightly out of breath from her light jog to the house, seonhye’s cheeks are tinged pink from the brisk pace she had kept since she had gotten off at the station. pushing open the front door, she had stepped inside, her wide eyes cautiously wandering across the space that had greeted her. the house was beautiful, with long windows and warm lighting spilling over the open space of the living room.

“hello?” she calls out enthusiastically, her voice carrying through the house as she stepped forward with the bags in her hand. yet there is no response that greets her and has her biting down nervously on her lip. where was everyone? the group chat had made it seem like the others were having fun in the kitchen . . . oh! she chuckles to herself. that’s right, they must all be in the kitchen.

setting her luggage down neatly by the foyer, seonhye lets the scent of freshly-brewed coffee guide her toward the source of the conversation she had read earlier. but when she gets to the kitchen, she realizes there are only two people. huh. blinking in surprise, she quickly composes herself, a wide beam on her lips as she uses her free hand to wave timidly.

“ah, i thought there’d be more of you here,” she admits with a small laugh, placing a box on the counter as she does so. “these are my favorite egg tarts from the bakery near my house. please, help yourselves. i’m seonhye! it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

her gaze flickers between them as she took them in properly — both unfamiliar faces, yet ones she would be seeing a lot of in the coming days. with a playful tilt of her head, she gestures toward the coffee machine. “so . . . did anyone actually make my latte? heh . . .”

upon seeing the notification from the group chat he tempted to mute, his interest piqued at the mention of coffee. suffering from caffeine withdrawals, taewoo had little reason to resist. venturing with the most nonchalant form of haste one can manage, the man diverged from his original route to the spacious living room to the equally spacious kitchen.

in preparation for resuming his search for coffee, he foregone his black derby shoes for an extra pair of slippers he brought to the mansion.

as he stepped in, before noticing the person hovering over the coffee machine, he absentmindedly approached the cups by picking one up and putting it down.

“oh hey, can i get one caffé americano please? thanks.”

taewoo offered a polite smile to the other man, before doing a double take upon the flicker of recognition he felt.

“oh… sorry. i mistaken you for the barista. my bad, it’s been a long day.” he chuckled, trying to play it off as if he didn’t already embarrassed himself enough.

it seemed like he was the first one to have arrived. as he had set down his luggage by the foyer, he had noticed that the only pair of unworn shoes were his. there were no other pairs, other than unused house slippers. putting them on, he took a step inside. "hello, anybody home?" seungwoo called out softly, making sure that he was truly alone. when nothing but the silence of the house answered back, he began to venture further.

the house was fairly large— perhaps even the size of a mansion. walking down the hall, the interior revealed itself to be an open concept, with the living room and dining room on one side, the kitchen and bar on the other. at the sight of the kitchen, he immediately walked towards the space, stopping before one particular appliance in the room—an espresso machine. it was nice—very nice, one of the professional series from a notable brand. eyeing it for one more second, seungwoo turned around, seemingly looking for something. he began to open a nearby kitchen cabinet, but then stopped himself, looking at the nearest cameraman. "sorry, we're allowed to have a drink right... do you mind if i make an iced americano? i'll make you one too."

when there was a thumbs up given, with a cheeky smile, he returned to his task—searching for glasses. finding them, he took a few out and the machine. waiting for the beans to grind, he took out his phone, messaging the group chat that he had been invited to by the production team. he let the other contestants (who had yet to show) know that if they arrived sooner or later, there was some coffee available.