As Gia entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast, she wandered around inside. There were plenty of things in the refrigerator, but she didn’t know how to make much.
“What are you doing here?”
Gia replied while opening the refrigerator door again, looking puzzled at Lola standing in the kitchen door.
“I’m trying to prepare breakfast, but I don’t know what to do.”
Gia awkwardly smiled, seeming embarrassed. As Lola entered the kitchen, she said,
“I’ll do it.”
“You know how to cook?”
“Well, I’m not too good at it, but I can manage a bit.”
Lola shrugged lightly, adding to Gia’s curiosity.
“My mom ran a side dish store, so I learned a bit over her shoulder.”
“Oh, right. Your mother had a side dish store.”
At Lola’s words, Gia nodded, recalling it.
Lola opened the refrigerator door and carefully examined what was inside, pulling out cucumbers, tofu, seaweed, peppers, onions, and eggplants.
She was planning to make seaweed cucumber salad. Lola washed the dried seaweed in clean running water. Then she poured water into a pot, added salt, dissolved it, and started boiling it. After a while, when the water boiled, she added the seaweed and turned the heat up. It was clear that this wasn’t her first time doing this. Gia, who was watching with wide eyes, couldn’t help but admire her.
“Oh my, Lola. You’re really good.”
Lola smiled and began to chop the cucumbers, peppers, and onions with her familiar skill. The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board was quite cheerful.
“Oh my! Our Lola is a perfect housewife? Our Big Brother is lucky.”
As Lola mixed Chili powder, chili paste, minced garlic, minced green onion, vinegar, and sugar to make the seasoning, Gia couldn’t contain her admiration. After lightly mixing the seaweed, cucumber, peppers, onions, and the well-mixed seasoning in a mixing bowl, Lola asked,
“Can you taste it to see if the seasoning is right?”
“Sure.”
Lola put a bit of the seaweed cucumber salad into Gia’s mouth.
“Wow! This is really delicious. This isn’t just a casual skill; you’re really good at this.”
“Is it good?”
When Lola asked again, Gia nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up.
“What are you two doing?”
It seemed Dylan had heard the noise coming from the kitchen. Leaning against the door, he asked, and Gia excitedly blurted out,
“Big Brother, Big Brother! Lola cooks so well!”
One of Dylan’s eyebrows shot up. Although she heard Dylan’s voice, Lola couldn’t dare to meet his eyes. The embarrassing and sensual act that had happened between them in the early morning came to mind.
“Really? My taste is a bit rough, though.”
Dylan, who was more critical than complimentary, received a sideways glare from Gia.
“Just try it. It’s super delicious.”
The seaweed cucumber salad looked very appetizing.
Dylan approached Lola and asked,
“You made this?”
“Yes. Seaweed is rich in minerals like iron, iodine, and calcium, which strengthen bones, purify the blood, and are good for health. It also helps with weight control.”
Lola explained step by step while glancing at Dylan.
“Would you like to try some?”
“Sure!”
Lola thought Dylan would pick it up with chopsticks. But unexpectedly, Dylan slightly opened his mouth. As Lola hesitated in surprise, Dylan urged her.
“What are you doing? You won’t know if the seasoning is right unless you try it.”
“Ah… okay.”
Lola carefully picked up some seaweed cucumber salad and placed it in Dylan’s mouth. Gia, holding her breath and quietly watching, was barely holding back her laughter with her hand over her mouth.
“I think I need to eat more.”
Dylan said that and opened his mouth again. With a flushed face, Lola fed him the side dish just like before.
“This makes you two look like newlyweds.”
Gia teased. Lola’s face turned as red as a tomato. Dylan turned his head and shot a glare at Gia. Gia quickly averted her gaze and asked Lola,
“Lola, what can I do? I feel bad just getting free food. No, should I just not disturb you two and step aside?”
Lola shot a glance at Gia, who was being cheeky, but it wasn’t in a way that annoyed her.
“What should we do? Big Brother, can you help Lola a bit? I’ll step aside.”
“No, no. I can do it alone.”
Lola hurriedly waved her hands.
“What is everyone doing here?”
Hamza, who had just arrived in the kitchen, looked at the three of them in turn with a puzzled expression.
“Lola cooks so well!”
“No, you could just go out and eat in the morning. Why go through the trouble of cooking?”
As Hamza spoke, his gaze lingered on Dylan and Lola, who were standing side by side.
“You two look good standing next to each other. You look like a newlywed couple.”
