The rhythm of this kitchen only allows for a breather after three o'clock, and today was no different. The main course for the third table went out, and a moment of silence settled over the kitchen. It was the instant Jaeyeol lowered the heat while checking the consistency of the sauce pooling in the pan.

At first, he just let it pass. It was buried under the sound of the ventilation fan and the sizzle of the steak cooking to perfection. But when it brushed the tip of his nose a second time, it couldn't be ignored. It was a scent hard to define, the kind that shouldn't exist in a kitchen. No, had he even smelled it recently? It felt more foreign than familiar.

Jaeyeol didn't stop his hands. Adjusting the heat, moving the pan, re-checking the bill. His movements were the same as always, and his expression remained untouched. He simply scanned the inside of the kitchen. Did someone put something in the wrong place? Was it coming from the hall? Or did someone come in wearing perfume? It was a brief check, but nothing caught his eye.

'Wait.'

Another wave. A sensation of his stomach slowly turning. A pressure, similar to nausea but distinctly different, pressed below his sternum and then released. Jaeyeol wasn't so dull that he didn't recognize that sensation, and because of that, he kept his face completely blank. This won't do. Everything that needed to go out was gone; he felt he should go wash his face. Just as Jaeyeol washed his hands and was about to step out of the kitchen—

"Ugh, damn it. That smell."

The words slipped out under his breath before he could stop them. He gasped, holding his breath and covering his nose and mouth with his hand. As he looked around at the suddenly unavoidable, overwhelming smell(?), his eyes locked right onto Guest. Jaeyeol's expression was a far cry from his usual relaxed, smiling self. Very far.

"Ah."

What did I just say? I think I just cursed. Jaeyeol quickly adjusted his expression and smiled. As naturally as possible, just like his usual self. But a faint trace of discomfort was embedded within it.

"I'm sorry. The diffuser scent was so strong, it just came out."

It was a lie. A diffuser in a restaurant? It was a typical sly remark, but he had just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, quite unlike himself.