Mark's POV
♅
♅1 Year Later♅
♅
"When do you guys think that Johnny-hyung and Taeyong-hyung will be back?"
I asked the others.
Chenle and Jisung were busy playing with a scratching post in their cat forms, so they didn't answer me.
Renjun was in his dog form, playing with a sandwich dog toy, so he didn't answer me either.
Jeno and Jaemin were both in their bunny forms, and they were both in a bunny tunnel bed.
Jaemin was munching on celery, on the bed part, and Jeno was asleep inside of the tunnel. They didn't respond to me either.
The only one who was capable of responding was Haechan. He was sitting on the floor watching video game gameplays, while munching on fish nuggets.
"They should be back before dark. They left early this morning, just like they've been doing everyday for the past few weeks. So, they should be back at around six or seven tonight, just like they've been doing"
He explained.
"I wonder what they've been doing all of this time... I'm glad that they seem to be having fun with each other, but they always look so exhausted when they return, especially Taeyong-hyung..."
"I've been thinking the same thing. I can't imagine what they do for all of that time that makes them so tired..."
"...You know what? We should all do something for them! Like, today!"
He suddenly got up, eating his last nugget.
"Huh?? What can we do??"
"Well...... Let's cook something for them~!"
"But there's a problem with that idea Haechan. We don't know how to cook. Johnny-hyung and Taeyong-hyung always cook for us, so that we won't have to"
"I get where you're coming from, but hear me out. All we have to do is follow a recipe on the internet, and then boom! We'll have successfully made a dish for them, and the rest of us~! And besides, we'll have to learn how to cook sooner or later, just in case we decide to move out"
"Who said anything about moving out???"
Renjun suddenly changed back with an offended expression.
"That's not the point. Calm down. If we make something for them before they return home, then they'll get to rest instead of overworking themselves~!"
"Haechan's right. I think that's a great idea. The computer is right over there, and we know the password to it, so let's get started~"
I cheered, alerting everyone else to get up so that we could start.
♅
I logged onto the computer while the others watched, and searched for different recipes.
"Sooo. Which one do you guys wanna do?"
I asked, waiting for their decision.
After a few minutes of searching and debating, we all finally agreed on Baked Sesame Chicken.
"Well that was easy. This recipe serves five people, so we'll half to double the ingredients ourselves. Who wants to stay here and read out the ingredients and instructions?"
"I'll do it~"
Jisung cheered.
That's a great idea actually. Jisung can be pretty clumsy sometimes, so it would be best for him to stay and read everything to us...
The rest of us headed to the kitchen and washed our hands, while Jisung called out the ingredients.
"First, you'll need three pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one-inch chunks"
Haechan got two chicken breasts out of the fridge, and immediately started cutting it on a cutting board.
"Next, for the Marinade, you'll need two cups of chicken stock, one cup of soy sauce, a half cup of honey, a half cup of rice wine vinegar, six tablespoons of brown sugar, packed, and four tablespoons of cornstarch"
Jeno and Jaemin immediately retrieved those ingredients, and measured the proper amounts.
"For the Sesame Ginger Sauce, you'll need four tablespoons of sesame oil, divided, four garlic cloves, minced, two tablespoons of fresh ginger, grated, and two tablespoons of chili paste"
Chenle retrieved those ingredients, and measured the proper amounts.
"And finally, for crisping the chicken, you'll need two cups of cornstarch, four large eggs, beaten, and a half cup of coconut or canola oil"
Renjun retrieved those ingredients, and measured the proper amounts.
"Ok~. All of you follow along as I slowly read the instructions~"
"Ok~"
We all answered.
"I'll start with marinating the chicken. In a medium-sized bowl, add the chicken stock, water, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, cornstarch, and sesame oil. Whisk it until they're all combined. Into a storage bag, add the chicken, along with a half cup and four tablespoons of the marinade. Seal and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. Be sure to reserve the remaining marinade"
Jeno, Jaemin, and Chenle followed Jisung's instructions easily, and completed their task.
"Now for the sauce. While the chicken is marinating, heat the two tablespoons of sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it's shimmering. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili paste, and sauté them until fragrant for approximately two minutes. Add four cups of the reserved marinade to the skillet and simmer, constantly whisking it, until the sauce has thickened. Then remove it from the heat and cover it"
Chenle and I followed Jisung's instructions, and completed our task.
"Now for crisping the chicken pieces. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Into a gallon-sized ziplock bag, add the cornstarch and marinated chicken pieces. Seal and toss to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs in a shallow pie plate. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until it's very hot. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully into the hot skillet, being careful not to over-crowd. Cook for approximately twenty to thirty seconds on each side, until the crust is golden, but the chicken isn't cooked all the way through. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken pieces and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat"
Renjun and I followed Jisung's instructions, and completed the task.
"Ok, these are the final steps~. Pour the Sesame-Ginger sauce over the chicken. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to ensure that they're evenly coated with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice"
Jaemin and Jeno followed Jisung's instructions, and completed that task, while I started cleaning the rice.
"You guys chill out for now. I'll make the rice with the rice cooker"
I informed, and they each scattered out of the kitchen after washing their hands.
♅
♅2 Hours Later♅
♅
After the rice and chicken finished an hour ago, we each got our seven bowls and chopsticks ready, while also getting two more bowls and chopsticks for Johnny and Taeyong.
We decided to wait until they got home before eating, and thankfully, we didn't have to wait that long~. They came only a few minutes after six~.
"We're back kiddos~~~"
Johnny tiredly smiled.
Taeyong followed behind, also tiredly smiling.
"Welcome back~"
"Come take a seat~"
Renjun and I led them into the kitchen, and pulled out two of the stools for them to sit on.
Haechan and Chenle took their bowls and put the rice in them, and Jaemin and Jeno retrieved the chicken and placed some bits on top of the rice.
They placed their bowls right in from of them, and Jisung carefully brought them both a glass of ice water.
We all each got our bowls and got our food, before sitting down with them.
"Surprise~!"
We all enthusiastically cheered, waiting for their reactions.
"You guys made all of this, for us...?"
Johnny inquired, while Taeyong stared down at his bowl with a blank expression.
"Uh-huh~. We all worked together to make it~"
Jisung cheered.
"We know that you two have been working very hard, and you've both been coming home all worn out every single day"
"So we decided to do something for you both, to give you a little break~"
Haechan and I explained.
"We followed the recipe accordingly"
"And we cleaned up and everything after we finished~"
Jeno and Jaemin continued.
"It was a bit tough, but we did it~"
"We hope that you both like it a lot~"
Renjun and Chenle enthusiastically cheered.
Johnny and Taeyong gave their thanks for the food, and immediately tried our creation.
After a few seconds, Johnny's face lit up, and tears started running down Taeyong's face!
"O-Oh no... We're sorry if it didn't taste good hyung... W-We really tried our best, especially since it was our first time cooking..."
Jisung immediately started apologizing, and we all panicked.
"Guys wait! It doesn't taste bad at all! I've had this recipe for Baked Sesame Chicken multiple times, but... This is by far the best that I've ever eaten~!"
Johnny cheered, and Taeyong frantically nodded.
"Really?! B-But then, why is Taeyong-hyung crying...?"
I nervously questioned.
"...I-It's because you guys worked so hard on this for us"
Taeyong answered, wiping away his tears.
"You guys found an opportunity to surprise us, even though cooking was completely uncharted territory for you. But, you still faced the challenge, to help us relax. It really means a lot to us, and we can't help but be emotional about this. Thank you so much guys~"
Johnny explained and thanked us, with one of the brightest smiles that we've ever seen from him.
"Now all of you dig in~. You haven't even tried this amazing creation of yours yet~"
Taeyong happily cheered as he continued eating.
We all immediately gave our thanks for the food, and ate our creation together with our hyungs.
♅
♅1 Hour Later♅
♅
Everyone started falling asleep after we finished eating. Even though it was our first time, it was really good~.
I think that it had even more flavor because we all worked together on it. Teamwork always makes things better~.
Johnny put Taeyong to bed first, and then he carried each of us individually to our beds.
He tucked us in one by one, and made sure that we were comfortable. But before he left, he quietly whispered into my ear.
"Taeyong and I have a surprise for you all too~. Get some sleep, and we'll take you guys with us tomorrow to show you~"
He then kissed our foreheads, and quietly left the room for us to get some sleep.
I wonder what the big surprise is...