SUGAR KISS [YEONBIN] ✓

seven

“You will have ninety minutes to complete this challenge,” Dr. Kang’s clear voice rings out, and my immediate reaction is relief—because no weird baskets of ingredients, twice the time we had last challenge. The next response is crippling fear.

Twice the time and no bizarre basket means something impossible is coming.
I clench my hands at my sides and stare straight ahead. I plan to ignore Yeonjun completely, though that’s barely possible. I can feel him over there, smirking at the judges, like he’s won already.

He doesn’t even know what we’re making.
Part of me is hoping that his little declaration of war yesterday won’t stand, and that we can just move on with our lives and actually compete. In the school-sanctioned kind of way. But the other part of me can feel it, even from here. That confidence radiating off him isn’t because he’s just so cocky that he can’t imagine failing, even without any information at all. He’s cocky because he’s planning to get revenge on me.

I curl my fists tighter, short nails digging into my palms. Whatever. I’ll just have to pay very careful attention. I’m sure as hell not going to go after him again, not after I about drowned in the guilt last night. I’m playing to actually win today, thank you very much.

“Dr. Park,” says Dr. Kang, “if you would be so kind.”

Dr. Park steps out from behind the judging table, producing a giant bowl from under it. Her heels click on the floor when she holds it out to Dr. Kang.

“You will be making desserts today, chefs,” he says, and Taehyun’s face beside me breaks out into a wide smile. That’s his sweet spot.

Pun not intended.

Dr. Kang reaches into the bowl and his grin is pure evil when he reads whatever is written on the slip of paper in his hands. I glance nervously at Taehyun, who doesn’t seem to notice. He’s too focused on the category itself, celebrating a small victory.

“Today, both teams will be completing the same challenge.”

The same challenge. Sabotage could really, really screw things up in a direct, side-by-side dish comparison. But no. No, I’m not thinking about that. Not today. Today I am thinking about victory. At least this small one. Today I am focused.

“The dessert you will be making today is baked Alaska.”

A ripple of terror goes through the kitchen.

“Baked Alaska?” I say through clenched teeth. “We don’t have enough time!”

“That’s the point,” Yunkyoung hisses, lip curling.

Baked Alaska involves pound cake, a perfect meringue, and baking ice cream without melting it. It’s freaking impossible to make perfect in six hours, but in an hour and a half?

Now I’m panicking. But hey, we’re all panicking, so it’s fine. It’s all fine.

Yeonjun’s team has nine people while we still have the full twelve, and the second the timer chimes out our start, I’m thinking maybe they actually have an advantage, because twelve is too many. We’re scattering around like rats over here.

In a kitchen. I shudder at that mental image and sprint over to somewhere in the middle-ish of a dozen freaking out teenagers.

“OKAY,” Jaehyun booms out, and I have to lend it to him, he does have a voice that carries. “I’ll start on the pound cake, with . . .” He cocks his head, then points to Taehyun, some pretty, tall girl I don’t know, and another cute, really small girl I also haven’t really met. “You, you, and you.”

“No,” says Taehyun. I raise my eyebrows and Taehyun straightens, jaw hard.

“What?”

“Absolutely not. I’m not touching your damn pound cake, and you’re not the head chef of this kitchen. We let you run it last challenge and the only reason three of us are still standing here is because Yeonjun apparently sucks at walking, so no. No. I will not be joining you on the pound cake.”