Flynn and Dylan finished their classes early, so they got back to the apartment sooner than usual. Dylan wanted to cook again when Flynn stopped him and said they should just buy something outside. Flynn still couldn't move on from the last thing Dylan cooked. In his mind, Dylan was too dedicated when he said he would cook for him worse than his father's cooking.
After Dylan changed into something to go out, the doorbell suddenly rang. Both of them were startled, wondering who could be visiting so unexpectedly.
When Dylan peeked through the peephole, all he saw was an absurdly wide-open mouth, held even wider by a finger stretching it comically. Just from that one glimpse, he knew instantly who was on the other side—there was no mistaking it.
He barely started to turn the doorknob when, without even a hint of patience, Jake and Cholo shoved the door open and barged in, ignoring the fact that it wasn't fully open yet. Dylan ended up hilariously stuck behind the door, wedged there like some unfortunate prop, as they stormed past him into the apartment with all the subtlety of a marching band.
"Helloooooo Philipppinesssss!" Cholo shouted as he entered, arms thrown wide above his head.
"Here." Jake said calmly, handing Dylan a plastic bag packed with marinated samgyeopsal, noodles, and other ingredients. They also brought an electric griller still in its cardboard box, looking brand-new, as if they'd just bought it before coming over.
Jake and Cholo had already made this a habit whenever they visited Dylan's apartment, so Dylan no longer felt any embarrassment around them. Sometimes, they would even walk in unannounced if the door wasn't locked, completely disregarding the doorbell.
When Jake and Cholo finally reached the living area, they were still shouting and carrying on like they were leading a full-blown orchestra—"Ohhh ohhhh ohhhhhhh—" —until they abruptly stopped when they noticed Flynn sitting in the living room, quietly reading a book.
"Woah, woah, woah... look who's here," Jake said, plopping down next to Flynn. "It's been a while, huh?"
"Yeah, school's been keeping me busy," Flynn replied, setting aside the book he had been reading.
"Looks like their little love quarrel's finally over," Cholo said, puffing on his cigarette out on Dylan's apartment balcony.
"Right. You know how broken Dylan was back then?" Jake added with a smirk.
"Shut the fuck up, Jake," Dylan muttered, busy arranging the food they had brought.
"Why? I'm just saying what's true," Jake shot back.
"Even though you were hiding from Flynn, he still came asking for you," Cholo teased.
Hearing that, Dylan froze for a moment and let a small smile slip across his face. He suddenly realized how Flynn had found out he'd been staying at Aunt Jennifer's place back when they weren't on good terms.
Flynn then explained to Jake and Cholo what had caused the fight between him and Dylan back then, while Dylan quietly set up the electric griller outside, preparing to cook the marinated meat.
By the time Dylan had set up all the marinated meat and the electric griller on the balcony, he paused and finally realized something, he had no idea how to actually use the griller.
"Wait... how do I even turn this on?" Dylan muttered, scratching the back of his head as he stared at the unfamiliar appliance.
Jake, holding a handful of meats in containers, shrugged helplessly. "Uh... me neither. We just thought we'd grab some samgyup when we passed by the Korean mart, so that's why we bought all this."
Cholo took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling slowly. "Yeah... same here. But seriously, why did we even bring a griller if none of us actually know how to cook?"
Dylan groaned. "Exactly!"
The three of them stared at the griller like it was a complicated alien device. Meat skewers in hand, they collectively panicked.
Just then, Flynn, who had been quietly observing from the balcony doorway, picked up the box of the griller and opened it. He quickly found the manual and started reading it.
"Uh... maybe we should actually see how this works first," Flynn said, flipping through the instructions.
Jake's eyes lit up. "Flynn, you're a life saver."
Jake and Cholo cheered like he had just saved them from a burning building.
With Flynn now leading the operation, the griller sprang to life.
Soon, chaos ensued. Slices of marinated meat sizzled loudly on the griller, and the three boys were suddenly thrown into what felt like a miniature battlefield. Grease popped and splattered, droplets of marinade flying as someone flipped a piece too fast. Smoke billowed into the air, and every sudden hiss of hot oil was met with a surprised shout.
"Dylan! Watch out—my hand!" Jake yelped as a splash of grease nearly hit him.
"Hey! Cholo, stop flipping it like that!" Dylan yelled, even as he burst out laughing.
Flynn, calm and focused as he carefully turned the meat with the tongs, muttered, "This is not a war... it's just grilling."
"Feels like a war!" Dylan shouted back, ducking dramatically as a piece of meat snapped and sent oil popping toward him.
After a few chaotic minutes, they managed to get all the meat cooked. They carefully transferred everything to the table, arranging it neatly. The rice Flynn had prepared was steaming in its bowl, and the noodles Jake and Cholo had brought were set up in a makeshift hotpot using an electric pot. They added some meat and fresh vegetables, making it look surprisingly like a proper feast.
Dylan looked at the spread with a proud grin. "Not bad, right?"
Jake and Cholo nodded, still wiping small splatters off their arms. "Flynn, man, you're the MVP," Cholo said.
Flynn just smiled, happy to see everyone enjoying themselves.
In the middle of their meal—and drinks—Jake and Cholo brought up what Flynn had told them about the issue between him and Dylan.
"So if Flynn's aunt is now married to your dad," Cholo started, leaning back in his chair—
"—then that means you and Flynn are technically cousins now?" Jake finished for him, grinning.
"Something like that," Dylan replied.
"That's pretty cool, bro. Who would've thought you two would end up like brothers," Jake said.
"We didn't expect it either," Dylan admitted. "That's why things weren't easy at first."
As he spoke, he casually placed more grilled meat onto Flynn's plate.
Jake and Cholo exchanged looks, clearly catching that.
"So that's why you're taking such good care of your baby cousin now," Cholo teased, bursting into laughter along with Jake.
Dylan immediately smacked a piece of lettuce onto Cholo's face. "Shut up. You're just jealous."
"Relax, bro. I'm just kidding," Cholo laughed, opening a fresh bottle of beer and handing it to Dylan.
"But seriously," Jake added, glancing at Flynn, "Dylan wasn't like this before. He wasn't even this attentive with his ex."
"You're praising Dylan way too much," Flynn said. "His ego's going to inflate later."
"Why would my ego inflate?" Dylan shot back. "Is it wrong to take care of my younger cousin?"
"You keep saying 'younger cousin,'" Flynn replied dryly, "but you act more childish than me most of the time."
"...right," Dylan muttered, clearly unable to argue back.
Jake and Cholo burst out laughing. It was the first time they'd ever seen Dylan so completely subdued—actually following someone else's lead.
After they finished eating, Jake and Cholo stayed a while longer, drinking and chatting before finally heading home.