Cooking Is the Ultimate Icebreaker
The subject for our moving class was home economics. Thanks to the recent wave of progressive education hype about high school credit systems and elective courses, students could now choose subjects like home ec, physical education, and lab science on their own.
…Or so they said. In reality, most schools that already existed had a hard time properly implementing this kind of curriculum. It was basically just the higher-ups putting on a show for appearances. At least our school was in a better position, which was a relief. We could actually do hands-on cooking practice in the Home Economics Room.
When I got to the cooking lab, it was still break time, but the place was already buzzing with preparation. And the ones doing all the bustling were the students themselves. Our math teacher always nagged us about previewing and reviewing lessons ten minutes before class. If he showed even half the passion these kids had right now, he’d probably shed tears of .
—Ding-dong-dang-dong.
The bell rang, and our home ec teacher walked in. He was a middle-aged man with a warm, gentle face—the literal picture of a domestic husband. Since he was a teacher on top of that, he’d probably be considered prime husband material. It was pretty entertaining to think about all the ways this gender-reversed world clashed with my previous common sense. Would I end up becoming that kind of perfect househusband someday?
“Alright, today we’re going to make ham and egg sandwiches in groups.”
The teacher continued with his explanation. Today’s menu was ham and egg sandwiches. It didn’t require a ton of equipment, wasn’t too heavy to replace lunch, and didn’t involve much fire or knives—perfect for students to practice safely. Even if it made sense at the start of the semester, I wondered if we’d eventually get to make something like tteokbokki later.
“Everyone, please form your own groups of three.”
The moment the teacher finished speaking, the classroom erupted into chaos. If this had been the old me, I would’ve already been swarmed by the popular girls yelling, “Siwoo, do it with us!” But I already had my targets picked out.
The two people fidgeting awkwardly in the corner. Daseul, who still looked half-asleep with her eyes barely open, and Wooju, who was anxiously hovering around her trying to take care of her.
“Hey, you two. Want to team up with me? Looks like you’re short one person.”
I casually walked over and spoke up. Wooju narrowed his eyes at me, immediately on guard. But the second Daseul heard my voice, she let out a little “Eek!” and her eyes snapped wide open.
“S-Siwoo…? You’re really doing it with us?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty good at cooking, you know. If I left you two alone, I had a feeling the kitchen might catch fire.”
I flashed a sly grin and took my place in front of the cooking station. Wooju looked reluctant, but when Daseul nodded eagerly and said, “S-sounds good!” he had no choice but to go along with it. The three of us became a group.
Alright then. Time to show off the skills of this former pro solo-liver and master of lazy cooking.
“Daseul, can you peel the boiled eggs? Wooju, you slice the ham. I’ll handle the rest.”
I slipped on an apron with practiced ease. A platinum-blonde yankee wearing an apron must have been quite the fetish fuel, because I could feel the eyes of the surrounding girls all locking onto our group.
It was just a simple ham and egg sandwich, but that was exactly why the details mattered. I neatly trimmed the crusts off the white bread into perfect squares, then took the eggs Daseul had peeled and mashed them fluffy with just the right mix of mayonnaise, sugar, and black pepper.
“Whoa… Siwoo, your hands are seriously fast.”
Daseul watched my movements in a daze. I added a touch of whole-grain mustard to the mashed eggs for extra flavor, then packed it generously between the slices of bread.
“Cooking is all about sincerity. Especially when a guy does it.”
I winked and neatly cut the finished sandwiches in half before plating them. The clean cross-section looked on a completely different level from anything you’d buy at a convenience store.
From around us, I could already hear gasps like “Wow, Kang Siwoo is insane…” and “He’s seriously perfect househusband material.” In this gender-reversal world, the value of a guy who could cook well was practically through the roof.
Daseul, forgetting her exhaustion, swallowed hard as she stared at the sandwiches. There was a glint in her eyes, but it felt less like innocent excitement and more like something… cunning. Why, though?
But even that look couldn’t compare to the one Wooju was giving me. His eyes were ice-cold, watching me like he was convinced every bit of this perfect performance was a meticulously calculated act to toy with Daseul.
Man, that actually hurts my feelings a little.
“All done. Shall we taste-test?”
I held out the plate. Daseul carefully picked up one of the sandwiches. At that exact moment, Wooju gave my sleeve a light tug.
“Siwoo. Can I talk to you for a second?”
Wooju’s voice was low and serious. I figured this was coming and gave him a mysterious little smile as I nodded.
“Sure. Daseul, go ahead and eat first. I’ll be right back with Wooju. And don’t eat them all like a pig!”
“I-I wouldn’t eat them all, you know?”
Wooju led me to a corner of the cooking lab where the exhaust fan was roaring loudly. Daseul watched us with a blank stare, chewing on her sandwich, but Wooju’s expression had never looked more grave.
“Kang Siwoo.”
“Yeah? What’s up, my model student friend?”
I leaned casually against the counter and looked down at him. Wooju bit his lip hard, then spoke in a voice so low no one else could hear.
“If you’re just playing with Daseul… stop it right now.”
“…Huh?”
“I know guys like you. You just think it’s funny to mess with easy targets for a reaction, or to show off. Daseul’s so pure that if you’re even a little nice to her, she takes it seriously.”
Oh ho. Look at this. This kid cared about Daseul way more than I thought. It was almost like an overprotective older brother… or rather, older sister. It felt less like romantic interest and more like how you’d look at a younger sibling. Maybe the two of them were childhood friends. I’d have to ask about that later.
I let out a small chuckle and leaned in close to Wooju’s face.
“Playing with her? That’s a bit harsh. I’m pretty serious, you know?”
“Don’t lie. There’s no way a yankee like you would actually get along with someone like Daseul… honestly, with a creepy otaku like her.”
“Then what about you?”
My question made Wooju’s pupils tremble slightly.
“You’re the one who knows full well that Daseul firmly believes you’re a girl, and you’re using that to stick close to her, aren’t you?”
“……!”
For a moment, all the color drained from Wooju’s face. He stared at me with an expression like the world was collapsing. He clearly never dreamed that his secret would be exposed so easily—and by the guy everyone thought was the biggest yankee in school, no less.
“H-how did you…”
“Come on, it’s not exactly something you can completely hide. You act pretty mature, but in the end you’re still just a kid. Honestly, it’s mostly because Daseul is unusually dense and other people don’t really care. If anyone actually tried to find out, they’d figure it out pretty quick.”
I placed a hand on Wooju’s shoulder as he stood there, completely flustered and at a loss.
“…Are you going to tell Daseul?”
Wooju’s voice shook like a criminal about to be arrested. I looked at him and gave him a sly grin.
“Why would I? Your relationship with Daseul isn’t any of my business. No matter how close we are as friends, everyone has their own boundaries. And that goes for you too, right?”
“……”
“I told you before, didn’t I? A friend of a friend is a friend. I genuinely want to be real friends with you too. But if you keep misunderstanding me and pushing me away like this, I might get a little sad, you know?”
I made it blatantly obvious that I was hurt. Wooju just stood there with his mouth hanging open. This strange yankee who held his fatal secret in the palm of his hand but was offering ‘friendship’ instead of blackmail. His computer-like brain was probably spitting out a 404 error right about now.
“Ah…”
In the end, Wooju let out a short sigh and dropped his head.
“Alright, alright! Enough with the heavy atmosphere! Our partner’s waiting. Let’s go eat our snacks!”
I gave Wooju a light pat on the back and led him back to the counter. Daseul was waiting for us with a tiny smear of mayonnaise on the corner of her mouth.
“W-what were you two talking about…?”
“Hm? Wooju asked me to teach him some of my cooking secrets. He’s coming over to my house later to learn.”
“Y-your… house? Just the two of you?”
Daseul mumbled “Uhh…” in confusion, but I smoothly pretended not to notice. Beside her, Wooju glared at me with a look that screamed ‘When did I ever…’ but eventually gave up, letting out a deep sigh as he picked up a sandwich.
“Okay then! We made them but still haven’t tasted them properly. Let’s eat!”
I took a big bite of my sandwich first, and Daseul and Wooju cautiously followed suit.
Crunch—.
The fluffy eggs, salty ham, and sharp mustard blended together perfectly. It was a flavor that made all the effort worth it.
“Mmm… It’s seriously delicious…”
Daseul narrowed her eyes in bliss as she savored the sandwich. The exhaustion from earlier had completely vanished from her face, replaced entirely by pure happiness. Wooju chewed with a frustrated expression, but the taste must have been undeniable because the tips of his ears had turned slightly red.
I watched the two of them and smiled in satisfaction.
Like I always say, cooking really is the best way to communicate.
Home economics class in a gender-reversed world. The sandwich party, which came with some unexpected events, ended up being far warmer and… incredibly delicious than I had anticipated.