3.

“Learning the chords is important, sure, but it gets boring. So!” Taehyung presents Yujin with a piece of paper. “I thought we could try learning a basic song.”

On Friday, the pair chooses to sit in the kitchen instead since the living room is too hot. At least in the kitchen they’ve got the backdoor open, bringing in a nice breeze.

“What do you think, dad?” Yujin asks as Jeongguk’s scoring some small Vienna sausages.

Looking over his shoulder, Jeongguk squints at the list, needing to step closer to see the choices. “Ooh, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman is a good one,” he supplies. “Beautiful guitar on it.”

“That’s true,” Taehyung agrees.

“Okay, let’s do that one, then.”

Jeongguk smiles, ruffling a hand over Yujin’s hair before he gets back to cooking. But it’s not long before he’s distracted by Taehyung playing the opening of Fast Car , the familiar twang of the guitar strings making the hair on Jeongguk’s arms prickle. He cranes his neck to watch, eyes on Taehyung’s fingers on the strings.

They’re long and slender, a couple of rings sitting above his knuckles. He takes note of the chipped black nail polish, minus the pinkie finger which is painted white. They move deftly along the strings and Jeongguk finds it hard to look away until Taehyung stops playing.

“Alright, let’s just work on the basic chords first. They’re pretty consistent through the song,” Taehyung explains to Yujin and Jeongguk turns his attention back to preparing the stir fry.

By the time the hour is up, Yujin has got a good grip of the hook of the song, fingers a little slow but even to the untrained ear, it’s obvious what song he’s playing.

“Awesome work, man,” Taehyung praises as he packs up the music sheets, leaving Yujin with Fast Car to practice. When Yujin offers him the guitar, he shakes his head. “You wanna keep the guitar for me until Wednesday?”

“Really?” Yujin asks, eyebrows raised. “You’re cool with that?”

“Yeah,” Taehyung chuckles. “Wouldn’t have offered otherwise. It gives you a chance to practice.”

Yujin settles the guitar back on his lap. “Wow. Thanks, hyung.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner tonight, Taehyung?” Jeongguk offers.

“Man, I really wish I could,” Taehyung sighs. “But I’ve got a gig tonight.”

“A gig,” Jeongguk repeats. “Are you in a band?”

“Hell yeah,” Taehyung says proudly, a grin stretching his cheeks wide. “You guys should come to see us sometime.”

“That would be sick,” Yujin agrees enthusiastically. “Can we, dad?”

“Don’t see why not. Do you want some food for the road?”

Taehyung shakes his head. “Can’t perform on a full stomach. I would be pissed if I puked and wasted your food.”

Jeongguk laughs, appreciating the sentiment.

The next time he sees Taehyung is outside of Yujin’s lesson time. It’s on the following Sunday when Jeongguk is working at the diner and they’re understaffed. One of the waitresses called in with a stomach bug and they’re unable to reach anyone else to cover for her shift. They’re a waitress down and Koko isn’t in any mood to pick up the slack. Not that he blames her, she’s Aera’s niece who’s being forced to work here to pay back a loan from what he’s heard. But that doesn’t mean she’s not a pain in his ass.

“Order up,” Jeongguk announces from behind the line, sliding the two plates of eggs and pancakes across the serving hatch. Sweat drips down his temple as he stares at the teenager leaning against the register. “Koko!”

“I’m on break,” she answers back, shooting Jeongguk a look as she files the edge of her thumbnail.

“Can we get some more coffee, please?” a couple calls from the end of the counter and just as Koko opens her mouth to inevitably tell them Ross Gellar style that she’s on a break , Jeongguk beats her to it.

“Absolutely,” Jeongguk answers through the window, flipping the dishtowel over his shoulder. “Cover for me,” he instructs Seokjin as he wipes the sweat from his forehead on his shoulder.

Seokjin squeezes more oil onto the griddle. “Already on it.”

Pushing through the swinging door separating the kitchen and diner, the cool air is a welcome relief against Jeongguk’s skin. He doesn’t look the best, an apron around his hips and wife beater greasy, but it’s still service with a smile.

Grabbing the coffee pot, Jeongguk makes a round across the diner, chatting with the locals and a few fresh faces before he has to brew some more coffee, since Koko didn’t set up the second pot. As he’s brewing, Jeongguk serves the plates beginning to pile up on the serving hatch, praying that Aera fires Koko and brings in someone actually useful. He doesn’t know how much more he can put up with.

There’s a jingle at the door, indicating new customers. “Koko. Can you seat them?”

“I’m on—”

“Do it or you’re fired,” Jeongguk warns, lowering his voice so the other customers don’t overhear. “I don’t give a fuck if you’re family or not.”

Smacking the gum in her mouth, Koko rolls her eyes but slides the glass file in the front of her apron and goes to take care of the new customers as Jeongguk buses the table too. And of course, Koko chooses the very table he’s cleaning to seat the customers.

“Sorry about this, guys,” Jeongguk apologises, finishing wiping down the table, bucket of dirty plates, and tupperware in his other hand. “Busy morning.”

“Jeongguk?”

Looking up, Jeongguk’s eyebrows raise when he sees Taehyung, standing there with four other guys and sunglasses perched on the end of his nose. “Hey,” he greets, surprised. “Fancy running into you.”

Taehyung grins at Jeongguk while his party slides into the booth. He pushes his sunglasses up into his hair. “Yeah, I’ve been here a few times. Good hangover spot. Food is bomb.”

It’s Jeongguk's turn to grin. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You’re the cook here?” Taehyung questions, eyeing the bucket in Jeongguk’s hands.

“Oh. Yeah,” Jeongguk laughs, following Taehyung’s gaze. He tosses the dirty cloth in with the plates. “When I’m not bussing tables, yeah. I cook here.”

“That explains why the food is so good, then.” Taehyung points, eyes a little low. “You’ve got tattoos.”

“I do.”

As Taehyung lowers himself into the booth, he keeps staring at Jeongguk. “I like them.”

“Thank you, pretty keen on them myself.”

Taehyung tucks his hand under his chin and smiles up at Jeongguk. His eyes definitely drag over his chest.

“So,” Jeongguk says after a moment of silence and strange tension. He looks to Koko and gives her a nod. “You got them covered?”

“Sure do,” she answers, seeming more interested now that she’s serving a group of young guys.

“Enjoy your breakfast, guys,” Jeongguk says to the group before he heads back to the kitchen to dump the plates and cutlery into the industrial sink. Thankfully it’s starting to thin down a bit as it usually does at this time, but Jeongguk knows it won’t last for long until a new wave of people arrive for lunch.

Taehyung’s table orders burgers and fries, two servings of them loaded. It’s not even 11AM yet, but Jeongguk knows from experience that nothing helps a hangover like a greasy burger.

As he’s cooking the burgers on the griddle, Jeongguk idly wonders what Taehyung thinks seeing him here. Yujin told Taehyung he was a chef, maybe he assumed he’d work at some fine dining restaurant, not an American-themed diner. Not that Jeongguk’s ashamed of where he works, he loves being a line cook. He’s had his opportunities to work in more established restaurants across Seoul, but they’ve never felt comfortable for him.

Jeongguk serves up the burgers just as Seokjin sets the basket of fries on the side, the pair of them in sync. That’s another thing he couldn’t do without at a fine dining restaurant. Seokjin. Their chemistry is great in the kitchen and if he ever gets his own place, he hopes his hyung will join him, but he’d understand if he doesn’t want to.

When Koko takes the order from the serving hatch, Jeongguk sticks a toothpick between his teeth and gnaws at the end as he watches her serve Taehyung and his buddies. He already knows Taehyung likes his cooking, but he still watches closely as he takes the first big bite of his burger.

“You know them?” Seokjin asks with a nod to Taehyung’s table, eating some of the leftover fries from a batch he made.

“Yeah, one of them is teaching Yujin guitar.”

Even from across the diner, he can see Taehyung melt, staring down at the burger between his hands with a look Jeongguk never fails to enjoy seeing on a customer’s face.

Smiling around the toothpick, Jeongguk uses his break to start washing up the dishes while Seokjin gets to work on preparing for the lunch rush.

“The guy from table 5 wants you,” Koko comes to tell Jeongguk a little while later when he and Seokjin are standing out back, away from the heat of the kitchen lamps. To be fair, outside isn’t much cooler, but the air doesn’t smell like grease, at least.

“Table 5?” Heading back in, Jeongguk spots Taehyung sitting at the counter while his friends stand outside.

Taehyung smiles at him as he approaches. “Chef,” he greets with a little nod of his head.

“Rockstar,” Jeongguk shoots back, making Taehyung laugh. “Everything okay with the food?”

“Yeah, it was amazing. Best burger I’ve ever had.”

“Ah, you’re so good at stroking my ego,” Jeongguk sighs, grinning when it gets another laugh from Taehyung. He braces his hands on the edge of the counter. “Want some pie?”

“I’d be crazy to say no. Can I take it to go?”

“You got it.” Jeongguk serves up a thick slice of Seokjin’s famous caramel apple pie in a to-go box. “Tastes best with vanilla ice cream, but damn good on its own too.”

“How much do I owe you?”

“On the house.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows raise. “You sure?”

“Yeah. A small thank you for what you’re doing for Yujin,” Jeongguk says, genuine. “He’s been practicing his ass off since Friday and it’s nice to see him so dedicated to something.” He smiles at Taehyung. “You’re a great teacher.”

Taehyung’s head tips down with a quiet laugh through his nose and it could be the lights, but Jeongguk’s pretty certain he sees a blush on Taehyung’s cheeks. “Thanks, Jeongguk. You’re a great dad.”

“Let’s not get into a pissing contest, ace,” Jeongguk smirks. “Take your pie and I’ll see you on Wednesday.”

Grinning, Taehyung stands, pie in hand. “Yes, sir .”

Jeongguk narrows his eyes, following Taehyung out with his eyes.

“Is he single?”

He startles at the voice, glancing at Koko who is suddenly right next to him, staring at Taehyung and his friends as they pass. “I don’t know.”

“Can you ask?”

Jeongguk blinks down at her. “I’m on break,” he returns, monotone, and gives her a smile with no teeth as he walks away, feeling her glare on the back of his neck.

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