Alpha Culinary Love

Yura glanced up from her phone, eyebrow raised. "I\'m delegating. That\'s still part of the process."

Jiyeon rolled her eyes, tossing a shirt haphazardly into the suitcase. "You\'ve been delegating for the last hour. At this rate, we won\'t even make it to the airport before you decide to cancel the whole thing."

"Relax," Yura said, voice calm but laced with that familiar CEO iciness. "I\'m almost done."

"Famous last words." Jiyeon sighed, leaning on the suitcase. "You know, I\'m starting to think you\'re scared of this whole vacation thing. Afraid you might actually enjoy it."

Yura\'s lips twitched in annoyance. "You really don\'t know when to quit, do you?"

Jiyeon grinned. "Never. And you knew that when you married me."

Yura let out a low groan, putting her phone down and standing up. "Alright, fine. I\'m done." She walked over to the suitcase, glancing at Jiyeon\'s chaotic packing. "What is this? Are you trying to win an award for worst-packed suitcase?"

Jiyeon shrugged. "I thought I\'d leave a little room for spontaneity."

Yura stared at her, deadpan. "That\'s code for \'I didn\'t plan at all,\' isn\'t it?"

"Hey, I\'m a chef, not a travel expert," Jiyeon shot back, hands on her hips. "You\'re the one who likes having control over every tiny detail. You wanna pack for me too?"

Yura narrowed her eyes, looking dangerously close to taking her up on the offer, before shaking her head. "No, you\'ll learn the hard way when you forget half your stuff."

"Bold of you to assume I even know what I\'m forgetting," Jiyeon quipped. "Besides, if I do, it\'s your fault for distracting me with your incessant emails and… \'delegating.\'"

Yura crossed her arms, looking unimpressed. "You could try being an adult and packing without me hovering over you."

Jiyeon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so now we\'re calling each other out on maturity levels? Should I bring up the time you refused to sleep on the left side of the bed because it wasn\'t \'aesthetic\'?"

Yura\'s eyes narrowed, but Jiyeon could see the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth. "That was one time. And I had a good reason."

"A good reason that involved symmetry and feng shui, which I\'m pretty sure you read about on a random blog at three in the morning," Jiyeon pointed out, folding her arms with a smug look.

Yura looked away, muttering something unintelligible under her breath. Jiyeon couldn\'t resist.

"I\'m sorry, what was that? I didn\'t catch your excuse for being a control freak this time."

Yura\'s head snapped back, and she shot Jiyeon a warning glare. "I said, finish packing, or we\'re not going anywhere."

Jiyeon grinned. "Oooh, the mighty CEO is threatening me now. I\'m quaking in my boots."

Yura, now clearly fighting the urge to smile, stepped closer, looming over Jiyeon. "I\'ll throw your boots out the window if you don\'t stop."

"Good," Jiyeon said, smirking. "One less thing to pack."

Yura\'s face softened for a second before she turned back toward the bedroom. "We\'re leaving in an hour. And if you forget anything, it\'s on you."

Jiyeon watched Yura retreat, the smirk never leaving her face. She loved how easily she could break through Yura\'s icy exterior with a few well-placed jabs. It was their dynamic, after all: Yura, the cold, composed CEO; Jiyeon, the carefree, sharp-tongued chef. Somehow, it worked.

Jiyeon returned to her suitcase, tossing in a few more essentials—well, what she considered essentials. Yura would probably disagree, but that was nothing new.

An hour later, they were standing at the door, Yura double-checking everything as Jiyeon rolled her eyes.

"You\'re literally acting like we\'re leaving for months," Jiyeon said, crossing her arms.

Yura didn\'t even look up. "And you\'re acting like we\'re going to the grocery store. Did you pack any formalwear in case we go somewhere nice?"

Jiyeon waved her hand dismissively. "Why would we? The whole point is to relax. If I have to wear something stiff and uncomfortable, then I\'ve already lost."

Yura let out a long-suffering sigh. "Sometimes I wonder how you\'ve managed to stay alive this long with that mindset."

"Raw talent," Jiyeon replied smoothly, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. "And a winning personality."

Yura\'s eyes flicked up, unimpressed. "You\'re lucky you\'re good at cooking, otherwise I\'d have thrown you out a long time ago."

"And miss out on my sparkling company?" Jiyeon scoffed. "Please, you\'d be bored without me."

"Debatable," Yura muttered, finally satisfied with the door locks. "Alright, let\'s go."

As they stepped out of the house and toward the car, Jiyeon couldn\'t help but notice the slight tension in Yura\'s movements. Despite agreeing to this vacation, Yura\'s hesitation was palpable. She might not say it, but Jiyeon knew Yura was dreading the idea of stepping away from work.

"You know," Jiyeon started as she slid into the passenger seat, "if you keep acting like you\'re heading to a funeral, people might think you\'re not looking forward to spending time with me."

Yura shot her a sideways glance. "If I\'m being honest, it\'s not the vacation itself that\'s bothering me. It\'s the idea of not checking my emails every hour."

Jiyeon laughed. "See, that\'s your problem. You need to unplug. The world won\'t end if you take a few days off."

Yura\'s brow furrowed as she started the car. "I\'m not so sure about that. My company could implode. Kang might burn the place down."

"Well, if it happens, at least you\'ll have a good excuse for a new start. Maybe open a bakery. Something more your speed," Jiyeon teased, grinning.

"How very supportive of you," Yura deadpanned. "Remind me to return the favor when you\'re in a kitchen crisis."

"Oh, don\'t worry," Jiyeon replied. "I handle my crises like a pro."

Yura snorted. "Sure you do. That\'s why you threw a spatula at Kang last month."

Jiyeon\'s eyes widened. "He deserved that. He forgot to bring the right saffron for the paella, and I had to improvise!"

"Your version of \'improvising\' is traumatizing the staff," Yura said, her tone flat but the hint of amusement in her eyes betraying her.

Jiyeon shrugged, completely unbothered. "It\'s called character building. You\'re welcome."

As the car pulled out onto the road, Jiyeon glanced over at Yura again, watching her wife\'s profile soften slightly now that they were finally moving.

"You\'ll survive this vacation," Jiyeon said after a few moments of silence. "And who knows, you might even enjoy it."

Yura didn\'t respond immediately, her eyes focused on the road ahead. But then, a quiet smile crept onto her face.

"Maybe," she said softly.

As the car cruised along the open road, Jiyeon leaned back in her seat, a smug smile dancing on her lips. The air between them was lighter now, the tension slowly dissolving as they settled into the idea of a rare getaway. Jiyeon reached out and flicked on the radio, filling the silence with the soft strumming of a guitar.

"You know," Jiyeon began, glancing at Yura, "this could be the first time in… what? Six months? Where you actually sit down and relax for more than two hours."

Yura shot her a glance, half-amused, half-annoyed. "Are you going to spend the entire trip reminding me how \'workaholic\' I am?"

"Only until you admit it," Jiyeon teased, tapping her fingers on her knee to the beat of the music.

"I admit that I like being productive," Yura said, keeping her eyes on the road. "And I don\'t see the problem with that."

"The problem is you\'ve forgotten how to chill, babe," Jiyeon replied, her voice taking on a playful tone. "You\'re like a wound-up spring ready to snap."

Yura sighed, the weight of the accusation pressing down on her. "Fine. I\'ll relax. Happy?"

"Ecstatic," Jiyeon grinned, nudging her with her elbow. "I knew you could do it."

A comfortable silence fell between them again, but it wasn\'t long before Jiyeon\'s mind wandered to another topic, her curiosity piqued.

"So… what\'s the plan?" Jiyeon asked, suddenly realizing she had no clue where they were even headed.

Yura\'s lips quirked into a sly smile, but she kept her eyes on the road. "You\'ll see."

Jiyeon groaned dramatically. "Oh, come on. You\'re not gonna give me even a hint?"

"Nope." Yura\'s tone was smug now. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."

Jiyeon pouted, crossing her arms over her chest like a petulant child. "You\'re lucky I love surprises. Otherwise, I\'d be throwing a tantrum right now."

Yura smirked. "I think you are throwing a tantrum."

Jiyeon huffed. "You don\'t know what a real tantrum looks like."

"Oh, I\'ve seen enough in the kitchen to last me a lifetime," Yura quipped. "Remember when the soufflé collapsed right before the investors\' dinner?"

Jiyeon glared at her, feigning offense. "That wasn\'t a tantrum. That was a moment of artistic despair."

"Right," Yura said, barely containing her laughter. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"I\'ll have you know that soufflé was cursed," Jiyeon insisted. "No one could have saved it."

"Sure," Yura replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "It wasn\'t your fault at all."

"It wasn\'t!" Jiyeon grinned, enjoying the back-and-forth. "Besides, you loved the dramatic flair. Admit it."

Yura glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, a reluctant smile tugging at her lips. "I suppose it made for a memorable evening."

"There it is," Jiyeon said triumphantly. "You thrive on the chaos, just like me."

"Don\'t push your luck," Yura warned, but the affection in her voice was unmistakable.

Jiyeon grinned, looking out the window as the landscape passed by. Wherever they were going, she knew one thing for certain: it would be an adventure.