Aster had been to plenty of studio shoots by now, but this set was something else.
The moment he stepped into the bright, camera-laden kitchen studio, he realized two things.
One: This wasn't just a quiet cooking segment for weekend family television. This was the variety show that sold chaos like sugar—loud, messy, unpredictably memeable chaos. The audience lived for the comedic disasters, the last-minute saves, the panicked shouting when someone forgot to turn on the stove.
And two: his partner—revealed only minutes before the shoot—was none other than Adrian West.
CEO. Enigma. Supposed sponsor.
Aster nearly choked on his mic.
Adrian walked in like a storm in a tailored black button-down, sleeves rolled up, apron already tied like he'd been born camera-ready. The crew greeted him with half-awe and half-confusion. A powerful businessman volunteering to be on this chaotic kitchen show? The comments were already flooding the livestream.
#CEOintheKitchen
#AdrianWestFanclub
#AsterChef
#WhoShippedThemFirst
Aster glanced his way once, and regretted it instantly. Adrian was looking at him with a gaze too warm to be fake—but with the barest smirk tugging at his lips.
Professional, Aster reminded himself. We're strangers on camera. Just two contestants.
Adrian broke the tension first with an easy, amused voice. "Pleasure to meet you, Aster. I hear you're decent with a knife."
The host—barely holding in their glee—perked up immediately. "Oh? Are you a fan, Mr. West?"
Adrian tilted his head, lips lifted in a teasing smile. "Let's just say I've seen all his work. And I'm here as a... fan."
Aster tried not to hit him with his fist. He turned toward the camera instead and forced a smile. "I haven't earned billions. If there's a fan, that would be me."
The crowd roared. The host barely held it together. The crew cut to camera two for a close-up of Aster pretending to fan himself.
Adrian's gaze slid sideways and low. Subtle, but enough to fluster Aster.
The groups were introduced: four teams of two.
Team One was them: "Team Storm." (Aster internally cursed the producer who gave them that name.)
Team Two was a renowned Doctor and a rookie actor who clearly didn't know how to boil water.
Team Three was an award winning Director and an Idol turned actor—obviously cast for drama.
Team Four was a wildcard duo: a chef-turned-streamer and a retired comedian.
And then came the first challenge: Blindfold Ingredient Guessing.
Each pair had to taste chopped mystery ingredients blindfolded and guess what they were. The twist? The other partner had to feed them with chopsticks. Without saying anything.
The crew didn't even bother hiding their expectations for chaos.
When it was Aster's turn to be blindfolded, Adrian held the chopsticks like he'd been trained in it since birth.
"Open," Adrian said smoothly.
Aster obeyed, lips parting as Adrian slipped in the first bite. It was soft. Sweet. Almost too sweet he can't register the taste.
He chewed slowly. "Mango... something?" he guessed.
A buzzer sounded. Wrong.
Adrian leaned in, whispering into his ear with mock scandal. "It was mango mochi. Want to try again?"
Aster's ears turned red. "Don't talk like that while I can't see you."
The crew loved it. Laughter erupted on set.
Adrian only smirked and fed him something crunchy next. "Try again."
"Lotus root," Aster answered correctly.
Ding!
They were one of the top-scoring teams by the end of the round.
Meanwhile, Team Two nearly choked, Team Three argued about onions versus garlic for a full minute, and Team Four started making food puns in between bites.
The comments were wild.
[#Astrian supremacy]
[#DomesticEnergy]
[#MinsterWho]
[#PleaseLetThemCookTogetherForever]
Backstage, during a short break before the next round, Aster sipped water and checked his phone briefly. The ship wars were starting again—this time between his "#Astrian" ship and the lingering "#Minster" shippers who still lived off edited clips from weeks ago.
He chuckled to himself.
"Something funny?" Adrian murmured, brushing past him close enough to touch.
"Just the internet being the internet."
"You mean the part where they think I'm obsessed with you?" Adrian raised a brow.
Aster shot him a look. "You're not?"
Adrian laughed low. "On camera? You're just my idol."
Aster rolled his eyes but smiled. "Then stop feeding me with that look in your eye."
"Oh?" Adrian's smile turned dangerous. "You mean the one that says I'm going to devour you whole later?"
Aster sputtered and nearly choked on his water.
The crew called them back to the stage. The next round was starting.
Round 2: Speed Cooking with Mystery Ingredients.
More chaos. More flirting. And the start of a meal that might just tip the internet over.