May 30, 2023
Inspired by the Japanese and Korean Drama series The Midnight Diner.
Warning: Occasional OOC
Hues of indigo and violet mingle into the warm and vibrant folds of sunset and steadily melds into a pitch-black canvas with speckles of gold dust. The hustle and bustle of Namimori dissolve into a calm summer night with a lull from the cicadas. Illuminated stores flicker off to conclude the working day, and workers follow suit for their return home.
Except when the workday ends for most, it starts for a few.
On the outskirts of the Namimori shopping district, an establishment opens its doors when the day resets. A youth flips a 'closed' sign to 'open' before retreating into a kitchen. A steel-blue Japanese chef uniform hugs the male's small and slim frame, while a white apron binds to his waist. Born with a mop of untamed hair, it always stuck out in different directions and paired well with eyes like warm coffee.
The chef dances around the kitchen with fluid strides.
Hands play with vegetables, fruits, and knives, with cuts and dice in perfect rhythm. A collection of meats gets sliced with precision and is sorted by several cooking styles: deep fry, stew, BBQ, and more. There is a clean separation of the legs from the thighs or the fins from the collars—slight excess clinging to the bone.
When the rice finishes with the ring of the cooker, the top gets popped open, followed by escaping steam and singing crackles from exposure to air. The pure grain is mixed around with a wooden scoop. Seasoning bottles clink as new sauces are concocted, and the ice drawer gets a refill. The cook continues his preparations in a trance until the first customer of the night greets him.
The Midnight Diner: an izakaya restaurant that opens at midnight and serves until seven.
The store's menu: as long as they have the ingredients, and the chef can make it.
Are there any customers? More than you would think.
But no matter how ordinary or strange each customer is, Sawada Tsunayoshi can't help but console them in their drama...
...and get involved.
Terminology:
Izakaya - an informal Japanese bar that people typically go to after work.