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During an otherwise uneventful weeknight, four figures with blue hair surrounded a table. One had indigo hair and a statuesque physique. Two others, one tall and slender and one stocky, sported short cerulean locks with messy fringe. The fourth person was the most striking with lustrous aquamarine hair that didn’t look dull at all, even dusted with flour, snow-like skin, and deep sapphire eyes that shone with all the allure and mystery of a distant galaxy.
Who could these good looking young men be other than the revered ice prince, Khun Aguero Agnis, and three of his brothers?
“So,” Hachuling broke the befuddled silence. “How did this happen?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He baked without a recipe,” Ran answered. He picked up a chocolate chip cookie, though it could hardly be called a cookie. It had ballooned up to the size of a tennis ball with a slightly charred top.
“Of course I can see that,” Hachuling replied, appearing at a complete loss for words. “But...what I mean is...”
“Why were you baking in the first place?” Marco finished for him. “You’ve never used the kitchen. You don’t even make your own coffee - always buying the canned ones or going to that cafe where you’re chummy with the owner.”
Khun began to clear away his baking attempt before it could humiliate him further. “I am not chummy with Hansung. And maybe I just felt like trying - Ran, don’t eat that!”
Ran had already taken a bite of the still-warm tennis ball. “Bland,” he concluded.
“Seriously, why bake at all? It doesn’t make sense,” Hachuling muttered to himself. Before he could question his adorable little brother further, the said brother already fled the scene.
There was, in fact, a reason Khun was baking. A very good reason! However, telling his brothers would be shooting himself in the foot. He was scheming to get out of the annual family Christmas celebration, so of course he couldn’t admit his goal to his very family!
The high school was having a bake sale at their winter culture festival and part of that included a cookie baking contest. There would be judges from faculty and the prize was a pair of highly coveted tickets for a holiday festival at the amusement park. It was the perfect opportunity to bail on his overbearing extended family! He needed to get his hands on those tickets! Though as for who he’d bring...a flash of a cunning smile appeared in his mind, but ahem ahem...anyways, he hadn't thought that far yet, but he was certain those tickets would be his!
Initially, he wasn’t worried. After all, how hard could baking a good cookie be? He was always an extremely intuitive learner and picked up new concepts while others were still scratching their heads. That’s what led him to try making chocolate chip cookies, the ultimate crowd-pleaser, without a recipe. And judging by how that turned out...he probably should take his competitors seriously after all.
The next day found him standing in front of the school bulletin, scoping out the other names on the sign-up sheet. Most of them didn’t ring a bell - why would they when he hardly bothered to learn names? He was humming and hawing, trying to recall if anyone made a name for themselves at a previous bake sale, or if their family owns a shop, or if they’re likely to straight up cheat...
While the ice prince was pondering, he was joined by his counterpart, the red sorceress. Khun nodded towards her, and moved aside, figuring she was here to sign up for the spring’s chess tournament. Hwaryun wrote her name with an effortless flourish of red ink and elegant script, however, her all-seeing eye observed what had gripped Khun’s attention. She read the post for the cookie competition and before her pen was even lowered after signing up for chess, she signed up for that as well.
Caught unawares, Khun was left gawking. Just when he was beginning to feel reassured that none of the other competitors posed a threat!
“You look surprised.”
They competed over grades, competed over chess, even competed in fitness class, but those were all serious matters! Khun didn’t expect that she wouldn’t let such a little thing as a baking contest go. A victory over baking was trivial compared to what’s usually at stake.
“If it’s so trivial, why did you sign up?” Hwaryun mused.
Too used to having his thoughts read by her, Khun pulled his expression back into its usual calm. “The prize,” he answered simply.
“Then, that’s my reason too.”
Khun raised a brow doubtfully and Hwaryun raised one back. They both knew what the other liked to do in their spare time. When they weren't with their friend group, Khun got dragged to malls and restaurants by his brothers. When he had a few hours alone, he liked to go for a swim and then coffee at Hansung’s cafe. He was not the outdoorsy type and wouldn’t be enticed by amusement park tickets.
As for Hwaryun, she had a group of mysterious and equally scarlet-haired friends outside of their circle. Khun never personally hung out with them, but he was quite certain they’re the ‘world domination and demon summoning’ type instead of the amusement park type. Thus, she shouldn’t be enticed by the tickets either ... unless she wanted to sell them since they’re so highly coveted? That also didn’t seem right, since her family was even more wealthy than Khun’s. If she already knew how to bake, it would be easy money, but that wasn't the case because she didn’t like sweets.
Khun was desperate to get away from his family which made all his efforts worthwhile, but for Hwaryun, he couldn’t fathom what she'd get out of this.
The bell for homeroom and a light pat on his cheek pulled him out of his mind.
“Keep thinking,” Hwaryun laughed and walked away, throwing a wave over her shoulder.
Khun held a cool hand over cheek where her warm one touched and held back a pout. He rushed off down the hall before realizing that his homeroom was the other way.
“These certainly look better than last time,” Ran said.
The latest batch of cookies resembled hockey pucks instead of tennis balls, so that was an improvement.
“I tried to make it so that the outside is caramelized while the inside is chewy, but they’re too thick.”
“Heh, thicc,” Hachuling chuckled from the doorway. He was definitely stoned out of his mind, but the wafting scent of freshly baked treats summoned him from his gamer cave.
They each picked up a cookie to try. The outside was indeed crisp, but the inside was still raw, although that wasn’t why Khun and Ran immediately choked while Hachuling chewed a few more times before hacking up a lung.
“Salt,” Ran coughed. “You mixed up salt with sugar!”
For the third attempt, Khun decided to make simple sugar cookies. He should perfect the base before adding on any extras. This time, he didn’t confuse salt for sugar and generously added butter as well as a secret ingredient. He rolled the dough to an acceptable thickness before using cookie cutters. He guarded the oven like a gargoyle and pulled them out just as the edges were golden.
This time, they were edible, but he needed a second opinion. Since Ran refused to eat any more of his baking after the salt incident and Hachuling would question him over his sudden interest, he brought a plate upstairs to Marco’s home office.
Marco took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. Thank god he didn’t look like he’d been poisoned. “Call me nii-sama and I’ll tell you what I think.”
Nevermind. Khun would rather Marco drop like a fly. But...the eldest brother always gave good advice and he really needed all the help he could get. He could only swallow his pride and stutter, “nii-sama.”
Marco laughed and ruffled his hair, but stayed true to his words. “I can imagine these being sold at a coffee shop. They’re good, but ‘good’ isn’t enough to get you first prize. Am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong...I did sign up for the school competition.”
Thankfully, Marco had an ambitious nature and focused on the winning aspect rather than why Khun entered at all. “You could finesse this recipe. It’d be an elegant victory to win with the most simple cookie, but considering it’s a high school contest, you’d have better chances by being creative. And I don’t mean adding more MSG.”
“Right,” Khun nodded as he mulled over the suggestion.
Although he prided himself in his ability to think outside the box to the extent of being called a lunatic by unimaginative plebs, he was stumped for the next couple days. Finally, he decided that he knew too little about the world of sweets and needed some market research for inspiration.
“Why is he going around to all those stores without buying anything?” Shibisu scratched his head. They were being dragged all over the mall by the tyrant of their friend group.
“Is Blue Turtle hungry? He’s going to all the food places.”
Hatz watched as Khun rushed out of yet another cafe with empty hands and a scowl on his face and made a beeline down the hallway to his next destination. “I think he finally burned out his brain.”
Endorsi, impeccably dressed as always, joined them. “My nail appointment took forever! They booked me with this new tech even though I- huh? He’s still going at it?”
In the end, what could they do other than sigh and follow along? Only Hwaryun smiled knowingly to herself.
Of all the flavors Khun saw, not one caught his eye. Even the holiday themed ones were cliche! He could have bought a few so he wouldn’t end the expedition completely empty handed, but anything that didn’t entice him wasn’t worth ingesting extra calories for. He worked hard to keep his lean muscles, okay?! He didn’t become the revered ice prince just because of good genetics! But if he had to be honest with himself, he only started taking exercise seriously after that time in middle school when Hwaryun picked him up in a fireman's carry and proceeded to do squats with his entire body weight, ahem ahem.
Back on the topic of his latest grievance, market research at the basic mall turned out to be a total bust, and now, Rak was grumbling about being hungry. On the way to the food court, a store covered in gold and twinkling lights caught Khun’s attention. It was early for Christmas decorations, but the gourmet chocolate shop was tastefully designed. He ended up buying the variety box they were promoting.
By the time he caught up with the group, everyone had sat down with their food. Khun took the only empty seat in front of Hwaryun and she pushed an extra container of buddha bowl towards him. “They were doing a two for one deal.”
“They were?” Endorsi questioned, but before she could say more, she hissed in pain. “Whoops! Bit my tongue, yea they were.”
“Could’ve just saved it for lunch tomorrow,” Khun said even though his hands already opened the lid and started mixing the dressing.
Conversation went back to usual topics like gossip over teachers, how screwed Rak was in math class, how screwed Hatz was in any language class, and how screwed Endorsi was in fitness class because she got caught modifying the boxy uniform again.
“Here, dessert.” Khun placed the box of immaculately crafted chocolates at the center of the table for everyone to take.
“Aww, you do care,” Shibisu gushed with heart eyes and kissy faces.
“Is the yellow one banana?”
Hatz picked up the card to look for liquor filled ones.
“No thanks, I’m on a diet.”
“More for us!”
The one Khun picked had a sprinkling of edible rose petals. The inside was half cherry and half dark chocolate. A lightbulb went off inside his head as he tasted the combination of tart, sweet, and a hint of bitter liquor. There were infinite flavors for dessert, so why limit himself to something conventionally associated with cookies? He came here to try cookies, but didn’t he get inspiration from chocolate?
Like a floodgate that opened, Khun’s mind was filled with all the ideas he wanted to try. He zoned out the rest of the evening and only pulled himself back into reality as everyone was saying goodbye.
“Here.” He held out the smaller box he purchased from the store towards Hwaryun.
She blinked down at the box wrapped with a red ribbon. Through the clear lid, the treats inside were visible. They were dark truffles shaped like roses and dusted with vibrant red edible glitter.
Only a few seconds passed, but for Khun, it felt much longer and he grew increasingly awkward. “It was...buy one get one free.”
“Huh?!” Hatz just had to stick his nose where it didn’t belong. “Is that going to be the excuse every time you two-”
Khun kicked him, but expecting as much, Hatz dodged and left.
Hwaryun looked down at the box held by slender fingers and looked back up at Khun’s miffed expression. As cute as he looked floundering for words, she took mercy on him. After all, she indeed used the same excuse earlier and silenced Endorsi with a kick under the table. “Is this bribery?”
“Of course not! Knowing how you are, I’d have better luck bribing the judges! Anyways, I just saw it and thought of you, so you might as well take it.”
... Somehow, what he said just now was even worse than getting caught in a lie.
Luckily, Eduan the poser kept the kitchen fully stocked with all kinds of exotic and expensive ingredients. Khun didn’t have to do any shopping at all before he got to work.
“It smells like a scented candle in here,” Ran complained.
“Oh, shut up,” he fired back.
“I didn’t mean that in a bad way. Why are you so sensitive?”
“Then would you like to eat a scented candle?”
Remembering getting an unexpected mouthful of salt, Ran scurried away. He brushed past Hachuling, who was once again leaning on the doorway, sober this time. Before he opened his mouth to inquire, the timer went off. The moment the oven was opened, the aroma immediately multiplied by tenfold. Fearing for his life, Hachuling fled the crime scene.
The scent was quite intense, but no doubt the flavor of the spiced cookies was going to be unique! This would definitely stand out!
“Oh?” Marco hummed as he entered the kitchen. “Is that saffron?”
“I’m surprised you can tell.”
“Of course I can.” Though Marco was built like a Greek sculpture with minimal body fat, he was a huge gourmand. He knew everything about every cuisine and loved nothing more than being surprised by new flavors. “It’s very inventive,” he nodded as he bit into a cookie. “You’re getting better at this.”
Filled with confidence, Khun took a bite and paused. “Isn’t it...too strong?”
“No, good food should make an impact...but I feel like something is missing.”
“I didn’t add MSG this time if that’s what you mean.”
“Not that.” Marco chewed thoughtfully before his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers. “Ah! It’d be perfect with a splash of spiced rum!”
This was it! This was how he’d take first place by a landslide and leave Hwaryun’s basic cookies in the dust! The recipe didn’t need much tweaking and there were still a few weeks left before the competition day.
Beaming proudly, Khun presented his creation to the group over lunch, but his hopes were dashed just as quickly.
“My throat! It burns!” Rak shouted.
“Khun, my love,” Shibisu forced out between coughs. “What have I done to displease you lately to warrant this punishment?”
Hwaryun was completely stone-faced as she excused herself to the bathroom.
Endorsi, the only one who hadn’t touched the cookies because of her diet, slumped in her seat as if she narrowly escaped death.
“Why the hell,” Hatz began to admonish, “did you think so many different spices was a good idea?! And what kind of lunatic puts in this much alcohol?!”
“What’s that, Harakiri?” Khun fired back, “since when were you scared of a little rum?”
“This is considered a little?!”
Khun realized his mistake of asking Marco for help. The palate of a gourmand who’s tasted every luxury in the world is on a completely different level than the average person! What Marco considered ordinary might be outrageous for a high schooler. And thus, it was back to the drawing board.
He didn’t learn absolutely nothing so far. He learned the importance of catering to the actual audience. So what if he personally thought a flavor was basic? As long as the judges liked it, he didn’t need to think so much. He considered the judges and decided on a star ingredient that none of them disliked - chocolate.
But he wasn’t going to use any chocolate, oh no. He waited until Hachuling was out of the house before sneaking into his room and picking the lock to his secret chocolate stash that he thought nobody else knew about. The reason he was so secretive about it must’ve meant it was the best in the world and super difficult to get a hold of!
Grinning like a mischievous cat, Khun carefully unwrapped a bar and replaced it with a bar of ordinary chocolate from the grocery store. That should cover up the theft long enough for him to replace it. He could’ve just ordered his own and waited, but who wanted to wait?
The cookies this time were inspired by chocolate lava cake. The outside was made with Eduan’s fancy cocoa powder and the molten filling was made with the stolen chocolate. They came out of the oven looking very plain so he added a sprinkle of icing sugar and some raspberries.
Marco was out of town, so Khun tried one by himself. He slept deep and dreamlessly that night.
“They’re good this time, I promise!”
The group looked skeptical, until Rak’s appetite won him over. “Not bad,” he commented after shoving one in his mouth and grabbing a few more.
“No thanks, I’m full,” Hatz said.
“I’m on a diet.”
Hwaryun bravely reached for one and put it down after one bite. “You did try one yourself first, didn’t you? No bad reactions?”
“Yea I did, and I’m fine, why?”
“Just wondering.” She wrapped it in a napkin and tucked it away. “I’ll save the rest for this evening.”
“...huh?”
Feeling reassured, Shibisu snatched the last cookie. “Pretty good, but it feels kinda familiar...where have I- HOLY HELL, RAK, DO NOT EAT ANY MORE OF THOSE!!”
Everybody startled while Hwaryun looked on knowingly.
“EH? TRACKSUIT TURTLE?”
“KHUN, ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO KILL RAK? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING?”
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IT’S JUST COOKIES!”
“BUT STILL, HE SHOULDN’T EAT THAT MANY AT ONCE!”
“HE HAS AN IRON STOMACH, HE’LL BE FINE!”
Shibisu looked like he was torn between ripping out his own hair in exasperation and throttling a certain someone. In the end, he could only open and close his mouth, at a complete loss for words. Khun was just as puzzled.
“I see.” Hwaryun took mercy on them. “Khun, what exactly did you use for the filling?”
“...some of my brother’s chocolate.”
“Did you read the label properly?”
“No, but it’s just fancy chocolate, right?”
“WRONG,” Shibisu cried. “YOU ARE SO WRONG! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!”
After clearing up the situation, Khun was assigned to take Rak home before all the cannabis infused chocolate he just ate kicked in. The gator seemed fine as he was stuffed into the backseat of the car. Strangely, Hwaryun followed them and slid into the passenger seat.
By the time they arrived at Rak’s apartment, the gator was snoring away. Even after being shaken awake, he wasn’t keen on moving, so Khun could only hook a burly arm around his shoulders and drag him out of the car. The walk became much easier after Hwaryun supported Rak’s other side.
“Thanks,” Khun heaved after dumping the dead weight on his bed, which was just a mattress on the floor. Truly barbaric.
“No problem,” Hwaryun replied.
“Why’d you tag along? I could have done it by myself.” Truthfully, he wasn’t sure, and if the elevator just happened to be out of service, he would’ve been completely screwed.
“Wanted to skip Quant’s class.”
“...understandable.”
The two of them had to stay and watch over Khun’s unintentional victim. They did schoolwork in companionable silence until dinnertime. Khun turned on Rak’s tv to a cheesy holiday movie while Hwaryun poked around in the kitchen.
“Don’t trouble yourself,” Khun ushered her out to watch tv. “I’ll just order something.”
The smell of food roused Rak from his coma-nap and the trio actually had a peaceful evening.
Then, the evening proceeded to become not so peaceful when Hachuling was waiting for Khun when he got home. All he had to do was raise an eyebrow while handing over the bar of regular chocolate that was disguised as the “special” one. Khun’s face was tomato red as he confessed what happened and Hachuling laughed so hard he nearly busted a lung.
After the whole debacle, he felt like chocolate left a shadow in his heart. Though no harm was actually done, nobody would let him live down such a colossal embarrassment.
The next idea occurred when Marco got back in town and took them all out to eat. Khun’s eyes lit up as he watched Ran dig into the creme brulee.
“Want a bite?” Ran offered.
“No, I'm good. Just wondering how it’s made.”
“It’s not difficult. You just need a blowtorch.”
And finally, Khun messed up badly enough to officially be banned from the kitchen. In all fairness, the classic sugar cookies topped with creme brulee were turning out fine until the blowtorch came out. How, one may ask? He shivered just recalling. He was lucky to get out with his eyebrows intact.
“I’m never going to bake again,” he mumbled as the fire department cleared the scene. “I think...I’ll bribe the judges after all.”
“That’s the most straightforward way for you,” Marco replied. “I didn’t say it earlier to encourage you to learn...but now....”
Khun joked about bribery, but he hadn’t seriously thought about how to actually do it. He didn’t expect that he’d have to resort to underhanded tactics for a goddamn high school baking contest! After pondering a while on how to win over every single judge, ensure their silence, and do so while avoiding Hwaryun’s attention, he came up with a plan.
“And so, you’ll be my pawn,” he concluded with a calm smile.
Quant shivered where he sat. Despite being the adult and teacher here, he could only let this bratty princeling stand over him! “F-fine. You have my word.”
“Then all is well,” Khun nodded. ‘You know what will happen otherwise,’ went unsaid.
Finally alone, Quant let out a deep breath. As a teacher who kept up with student gossip, he knew how terrifying the ice prince could be. He shuddered remembering Khun’s retaliation when Rachel spread some nasty rumors about the red sorceress. Rachel was already a misfit, but Khun made her an outcast among outcasts - completely friendless and scorned by all! For a while, the only person who gave her time of day was the teacher Bam. Though, Bam was an angel who supported all his students. Thankfully, Rachel stopped fishing for sympathy from him when she befriended a transfer student, Michael, and the two of them started an ‘I hate Khun Aguero Agnis’ club.
There was a knock on his office door. “Yes, yes! Do come in how can I help-”
“Something has come to my attention.” Hwaryun smiled as she locked the door.
‘Fucking hell!’ Quant cursed in his mind. ‘Out of the tundra and into the volcano!’
A few minutes later, Hwaryun finally appeared satisfied. “I hope you’ll keep our conversion in mind,” she said as a way of parting.
Pale faced, Quant sank to his knees on the floor. Though Hwaryun wasn’t as flashy as Khun and her reputation wasn’t as notorious, she had a way of making everybody dance in the palm of her hand, which earned her the moniker of red sorceress. He could puke with fear just recalling what became of the ‘I hate Khun Aguero Agnis club’.
After those two incidents in their first year of high school, Quant assumed they were already a couple, but apparently not. In all honesty, he really rooted for them to get together already, but did they have to drag him into the crossfire?!
“Ah, Khun! Stay a moment, please!”
“Bam, did you need anything?” It felt strange calling a teacher by their first name, but Bam insisted on being on a first name basis with all his students. Khun took a seat at one of the desks in front.
“You’re a few months into junior year, so I wanted to ask what your post-secondary plans are. I know it’s a little early, but I figured you’d already be preparing ahead of time. So I want to know how I can be of help to you.”
What an angel! Very befitting of the school’s sun god! “I’m making plans, but so far, it’s nothing I can’t handle on my own. I don’t want to trouble you over something that’s not your field.”
“It’d be no trouble at all!” Bam grinned. “My job is to be here for my students. Well, if you need anything down the line, my door is always open.”
“Thank you, as always,” Khun replied as he began to gather his things.
Bam finished wiping the blackboard and suddenly remembered something. “Oh right, thank you again for the cookies the other day.”
He was referring to the plain sugar cookies Khun gave him from his first edible baking attempt. “No problem. I should’ve stuck with simpler recipes instead of making it needlessly complicated. Now, I’m banned from the kitchen.”
“Oh no. Well, I’m sure you’ll find a way to impress the judges.”
Khun paused at the wording. “I thought you were a judge?”
“I was,” Bam responded with a puzzled expression. “But Quant’s reorganizing the whole panel and I don’t know- are you okay?!”
A pencil had snapped in Khun’s grip. “I gotta go, kaythanksbye,” he blurted and ran.
Quant was a wise man to flee the school before Khun could get his hands on him for double crossing. As he watched the tacky red sports car peel out of the parking lot, he realized Hwaryun must’ve seen through him.
Bribery was off the table, but there was another way - a boring method, but one nobody could stop.
Several blue heads once again gathered at the kitchen table, this time, happily munching on exquisitely crafted treats.
“Thank you all for coming,” Khun dismissed the pastry chefs. “I’ll be in touch regarding who I’ll choose to cater the event.”
After all, he could hire someone to bake on his behalf and nobody would be any wiser!
“Well?” he asked the guinea pigs - ahem, food tasters.
“They’re all good,” Ran said non-committedly.
“More importantly, you’re certain none of them would rat you out?” Marco asked.
“I made them all sign NDAs.” He really should’ve done the same with Quant, but that was his oversight.
“Hmm, I’ve taught you well.”
Hachuling grabbed his own bird’s nest hair in confusion. “I don’t get it,” he mumbled to himself. “Why is he going so far? This isn’t normal.”
With a winning strategy under his belt, Khun finally relaxed over the next few days. He didn’t realize until now just how much stress this fiasco caused him, and it all started the moment a certain someone just had to sign up. Anyways, there was no need to worry any more.
December in this city was usually a month of light snow, but the skies suddenly split with freezing rain that showed no signs of stopping. And just his terrible luck, his car was getting maintenance done. He hitched a ride with Marco this morning, but for the afternoon...
“I’m sorry, my love!” Shibisu cried while bowing. “I need to stay behind and tutor Rak! I thought we’d get it all done during self-study but-”
“No worries,” Khun dismissed.
“Thank you! I’ll make it up to you!”
Khun’s eye twitched as Shibisu bowed once more and sprinted off. Seriously, did that tracksuit clown have to be so dramatic?
“You have him wrapped around your finger.” Hwaryun joined him in the foyer holding a massive umbrella.
“He’s like that with everyone,” he replied while opening the rideshare app. His eye twitched again. Apparently, the terrible weather shut down the transportation system and surge pricing was through the roof.
“Need a ride?”
“...no need. I’ll stay behind and wait for Isu to be done with the damn gator.”
“It’ll be rush hour by then. With this weather, who knows how clogged up the roads will be?”
“...”
“Just take it. You know I don’t do favors to collect debt or fish for gratitude.” Hwaryun already walked ahead as if she knew Khun would follow.
‘Since when have you done any favors for free?’ he thought to himself. Then again, he never does anything for free either...except...maybe...well to really split hairs, he could admit in the privacy of his own mind that he’d only do so for-
“If you don’t hurry up, you can have fun getting soaked on the way to my car.”
The red sorceress’s car wasn’t scarlet like her hair. It wasn’t a luxury model either despite her family’s wealth. Instead, it was a sleek black suv that was in the middle of the market - exactly the type of vehicle someone from an old money family living low-key would have.
“Did you go to a concert?” Khun asked after seeing some scattered merch in the backseat.
Their conversation very naturally shifted to music and books. The two of them didn’t go out of their way to spend time alone, but when it happened, it was comfortable. Perhaps not the normal person’s definition of comfortable, since their conversations were filled with banter, word games, and the occasional harmless verbal jab - but despite all that, Khun felt like, in this world, Hwaryun was the only person who could keep up with him.
The weather was gloomy and cold as all hell, but he found himself thinking that he didn’t want the afternoon to end so soon. “Wait, let’s go in there,” he said impulsively, pointing at Hansung’s cafe.
Hwaryun, who wasn’t as familiar with the area, squinted through the heavy rain.
“There’s parking if you turn right up ahead. Anyways, my treat.”
“Didn’t I tell you there’s no need for repayment between us?”
The ‘not quite right’ feeling that had befallen Khun earlier returned and made his cheeks feel hot. “Maybe I want to!”
Hwaryun raised a brow at the uncharacteristic outburst. Smoothly, she turned the steering wheel, entering the near-empty parking lot.
“I- I mean,” he began to correct himself, “I need caffeine if I’m going to power through Lero-ro’s paper tonight. A short break should be fine, right?”
Khun did not think this through. He just saw the familiar cafe and thought the two of them could have a good cup of coffee on a dreary afternoon, but he completely forgot about the absolute menace who owned the place.
“So, who’s your date?” Hansung teased after taking the order.
He couldn’t stop whipping his head around to make sure Hwaryun hadn’t heard from where she sat. “We’re not-”
“You’ve never brought anyone along before.”
“That’s cuz you’re embarrassing!”
Hwaryun looked over and raised a brow at his second uncharacteristic outburst of the day.
“...”
The drinks were immaculately made as always. He never understood how Hansung was such a skilled barista and yet only drank instant coffee himself.
One of the staff brought over a plate of desserts.
“We didn’t order-”
“On the house. Compliments of the owner for your many years of patronage.”
Khun’s eye twitched again as he looked down at the offerings. He was about to stomp into the kitchen and shove them down Hansung’s throat until Hwaryun picked up the apple rose tart and her face lit up as she chewed.
“Since when did you like sweets so much?”
“I like your humiliation.”
If Hwaryun enjoyed the sight of his embarrassment before, she’d be guffawing now.
For some unfathomable reason, his latest plan for an undisputed victory didn’t feel quite right anymore. For some even more unfathomable reason, he let the sense of unease go straight to his head. And so, he dismissed the expert pastry chef he just hired.
Barring any freak accidents, he wasn’t hopeless at baking, but after getting banned from the kitchen at his own house, there was only one place he could go.
“And so, you want my help,” a certain blonde maniac hummed.
“I don’t want your help , I want to borrow your facility! I’ll pay you rent, and follow all the health codes, and I’ll only come after you’re closed so I don’t get in the way! So don’t make it sound like I owe you anything!”
“Okay, I’ll stop teasing,” Hansung replied with a grin that meant he would only stop for now. He rummaged through a drawer and tossed over a booklet. “The prices for renting a station are in there. Review the codes of conduct and the instructions for all the machines. I won’t be held responsible if you lose a finger or torch your hair off.”
Khun finally took a deep breath. “Anything else?”
“Come during opening hours. For the sake of this building, I’m not leaving you unsupervised.”
“...is that all?”
“Lastly, tell me what exactly you did to get banned from your own kitchen. I could use a good laugh right now.”
Khun didn’t want or ask for Hansung’s help, but that busybody seemed to give it regardless. On his first visit to the professional kitchen, a baker with a bald head, beady eyes and obnoxiously neon yellow apron watched him like a hawk. He only gathered the ingredients and hadn’t even started mixing when the baker - Mr.Neon-Bag he’ll call him - cried for him to stop.
“I’ll show you first and watch closely!”
Khun thought Mr.Neon-Bag assumed he didn’t know how to use any of the equipment. “I read the manuals. Tell your boss I won’t lose a finger or torch my hair.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Anyways, watch the expert at work!”
Seeing there was no reasoning with him, Khun stayed quiet and observed. The ingredients were the same and no fancy baking techniques were used, so how much different would the treats made by this posturing clown be?
Very different - it turned out.
“This is...a good cookie,” he begrudgingly admitted.
“Only good?!” Mr.Neon-Bag squawked. “Every ingredient I used was measured to the exact milligram! The dough was rolled out to the perfect thickness! They were in the oven not a second too long or too short! It’s a perfect masterpiece of food science and mathematics!”
Oh gosh, just when he thought himself too intense about baking.
Over the next few visits, the staff couldn’t seem to leave Khun alone, though thankfully none were as insufferable as Mr.Neon-Bag. They critiqued his every decision and constantly pushed him to follow their unsolicited advice like...
“Use exactly three grams more sugar!”
“Let the butter warm at room temperature for five more minutes!”
“You confused baking soda with baking powder again!”
“Use the yolk of a larger egg!”
“Why didn’t you say earlier you were going to garnish with rose petals?! Now the entire flavor profile is unbalanced!”
“The shade of pink food coloring you’re making is too vibrant! It should be pastel, not fuschia!”
He was tempted many times to yell at them to mind their own business and let him win with his own merit, but as ridiculously nitpicky as their suggestions were, they worked. Taking advice shouldn’t count as cheating since he was doing all the work himself. Plus, he was creating his own recipes instead of copying someone else. By the time there were mere days left before the competition, his baking improved by leaps and bounds.
Mr.Neon-Bag wiped imaginary tears. “To think you were such a disaster at first! Truly, I am the best teacher.”
Khun rolled his eyes. Just treat him as another Rak or Isu.
“After all the floundering, I believe you’ve at last found your signature!”
He looked at the latest batch of visually stunning cookies with a unique yet masterful flavor profile. Each cookie was actually two thin layers of madagascar vanilla sugar cookie held together by the perfect amount of dark caramel. It was topped with an exquisite frosting rose, made to emulate the bittersweet aroma of dried rose petals, and delicate blue candy flakes that were made from delightfully tart blackberries. The flavors that would usually compete with each other were made to harmonize like a symphony or well-timed fireworks show. This was only possible through Khun’s creativity and perfectionism, the veteran staff’s experience, and Hansung’s cutting edge equipment.
He wasn't entirely certain this could beat whatever Hwaryun had up her sleeve, but for once, he wasn’t nervous at all before competing with her. With a personality like his, of course he wanted to win, but he found he didn’t care as much as he thought he would. Perhaps, in the privacy of his own mind, he could admit that sometimes, the cheesy protagonists who said ‘the real treasure is the experiences we had along the way!’ had a point. His chest felt warm remembering the times his mishaps brought him and Hwaryun a little closer together.
The day before the competition, he was busy in Hansung’s kitchen. Professional equipment made it much easier to bake in bulk, but such an elaborate recipe was a tedious process. He gratefully accepted the staff’s help with menial tasks. Even after assembling all the treats, packing them was a chore. Then, there was the matter of transportation, but thankfully the cafe’s driver volunteered to deliver all the boxes to the school tomorrow.
By the time everything was done, the sky was dark and it was well past closing time.
“Stay a little longer,” Hansung said. “Let’s play a game.”
It had been a while since their last chess match.
They made their opening moves quickly and Khun decided to test his preparation for the spring tournament against Hansung.
“Thank you for everything lately,” he decided to say after all. ‘I owe you,’ would be a death sentence, but he really had been helped a lot and he couldn’t disregard that. Dammit, he must have gotten soft.
“You’re welcome,” Hansung replied nonchalantly. “I didn’t do anything. It was mainly my staff being bored and nosy.”
“I’ll treat them to a fancy meal in the new year.”
Hansung paused, pursing his lips slightly. “You really don’t like the feeling of owing anybody anything. Well, whatever, don’t worry about those guys. I bet they were hovering over you today so they could learn and put it on our menu. Don’t get mad when they steal your credit.”
“That’s fine. I was only able to visualize that idea and pull it off because of their guidance.”
“Enough about that. Tell me about that young lady you brought here the other day. What exactly is your relationship?”
Khun felt more motivated to end the game quickly, win or lose, so he could escape this conversation. “Just friends,” he said with finality as he made a daring move.
Hansung seemed to have expected it and responded quickly. “But you want to be more.”
“I’m happy with what we have,” he gritted and slammed a piece down. Truth was, he tried not to think about it.
“That’s not exactly my question.”
“Well that’s the only answer you’ll get.”
Khun’s plan probably would’ve worked against anybody else, but Hansung was just as much of a crazy lunatic. He sighed looking at Hansung’s king that was extremely vulnerable, yet somehow wasn’t forcibly checkmated. His own sacrificial attack was extinguished.
“Why can’t you be that bold when it comes to matters of the heart?” Hansung asked.
“...shut up.”
“It was a good try, though. You’re still decades too early to be my equal.”
“Whatever, you washed up geezer,” Khun fired back. “I’ll surpass you one day.”
The blonde maniac laughed like he heard an absurd joke. “Sure sure, my door’s always open. I’ll slaughter you anytime.”
On the day of the winter culture festival, the school was bustling. Each class prepared an attraction and there were endless things to see, eat, and do. The bake sale was going full swing and teachers were overjoyed with how much extra budget they’ve already raised. Apparently, the cookies Hwaryun brought were first to sell out. Khun’s hadn’t sold out yet since there was so much stock, but they’ll definitely be gone by the end of the day. He wished the judges could just announce the baking contest winner already instead of keeping everybody in suspense.
He was dragged around by Shibisu and Rak the entire morning so he had no idea what sort of witchcraft Hwaryun brought, but judging by snippets of conversations he overheard, it must be equally impressive.
Several classes hosted competitions as their attraction - silly things like tossing darts, word riddles, and card games that tested memory. With Khun and Hwaryun in the same homeroom, their class was guaranteed to win the most, but their friends had to keep them separated or they’d spend all their time trying to one-up each other.
Despite the festivities, Khun felt strangely irritable all day. Perhaps because the judges were still keeping him in suspense, perhaps because he hadn’t seen Hwaryun even once - ahem! or maybe Rak’s voice was too damn loud. Yes, definitely Rak’s fault.
When the judges hummed and hawed over their decision until the very end of the day and had the gall to announce a tie for first place, Khun had to fight the urge to strangle someone. But seeing Hwaryun on stage alongside him accepting the grand prize, his mood became steady again and he felt silly for being so frustrated at all. Of course it would be like this. With them both so sharp and unwilling to give the other any leeway unless it was earned, it was no surprise they’d tied once more.
They were both the type to prefer sweet victory over a tie, but Khun couldn’t bring himself to be upset. He remembered how intense he got over a stupid baking contest, the numerous mishaps, accidentally drugging Rak, setting the kitchen on fire with a blowtorch, and how he went as far as to bribe the judges, threaten Quant, and nearly hire a pastry chef. He really acted quite crazy, and yet, Hwaryun stood by him patiently every step of the way.
“You can have the tickets,” Khun said as he and Hwaryun went backstage. “I only wanted them so I could ditch my family that day, but I’ll think of something else.”
Hwaryun was silent but accepted the envelope that was pushed into her hands.
“I don’t know why I got so caught up,” he mused. “It’s not like grades or chess where results matter. I’ll pretend to be sick to get out of that tacky Christmas party.”
“Didn’t you pretend to be sick last year?”
“Then I’ll use Isu or the gator as an excuse! Or get a bad haircut so Eduan would be too embarrassed to make me go! Or straight up run away for a few days!”
Hwaryun would’ve normally laughed at his increasingly desperate ideas, but her face remained impassive and somewhat displeased. “Khun, why do you think I wanted the tickets?”
He was caught off guard by the question. He wondered when she signed up, but eventually dismissed the thought completely.
“You don’t know, do you?”
“...I thought you wanted to sell them or bring one of your friends along.”
“Khun, it’s a pair of tickets.”
“Yea, so?”
Hwaryun took a deep breath as if forcing back a tirade.
Khun frowned, wracking his mind over what made her so exasperated. She didn’t seem unhappy about the tie, and she accepted the prize, so why...
“I was going to compliment your baking and say it’s more honest than you, but you haven’t even taken a look at what I made.”
“It sold out too quickly,” he replied, feeling like he should be apologizing but didn’t know what for. “I was busy all morning.”
Hwaryun’s expression turned even more unimpressed. “Since when could anyone make you do anything you didn’t want?”
Before Khun could ask what exactly was going on, she shook her head, muttering under her breath, and walked off.
Normally, he’d curse the faculty for being illogical for having the festival on the second last day instead of the last day, but this time, he was glad one last day before holiday break meant a chance to speak to Hwaryun before they got busy with family plans.
Speaking of their families, the two of them became friends at the start of middle school, but they met much earlier. They were both very young and thus fell victim to their families dragging them to get-togethers so they’d ‘get socialized.’
There was an outdoor garden party attended by all sorts of high-society families. The adults networked and postured while there were activities set up for the kids. Little Khun, dressed in a sailor outfit that Eduan forced him into, sat by himself reading under a tree. He was always the oddball at these events, but that day, he was suddenly joined by a girl.
Hwaryun was taller than him back then, and her scarlet hair was in wild curls. Her long fringe covered her eye patch. She’d look exactly like a tomboy if it weren’t for the pink dress her family made her wear because god forbid little girls dressed like boys.
They nodded at each other in tacit understanding and he didn’t say anything when she sat down with her own book and they read in companionable silence.
“Why don’t you go play?” Khun asked after he noticed her glancing again at the giant inflatable pool. There was a floating platform and rowdy boys were dueling with foam batons, trying to knock each other off.
“Already did.”
“Good for you,” he congratulated, since she wasn’t soaking wet.
“That asshole from the Arie family said girls don’t play duel and I should just watch him, but I went anyway and sent them all flying,” Hwaryun continued. “He got mad and pulled my hair so I gave him a bloody nose.”
The aforementioned little asshole stood off to the side, holding a bunch of tissues to his nose while wiping his tears.
“Oh, him,” Khun replied. “He probably has a crush on you and was trying to get your attention.”
“Boys are so stupid.”
That, he could wholeheartedly agree with. After a few minutes of them turning their pages in silence, he decided that this girl wasn't so bad and tried to chat. “One day, when you’re older, you might like a boy.”
Hwaryun pursed her lips in disdain. “I believe that’ll never happen.”
Back then, Khun was ostracized for being antisocial and also because he developed such a terrifying intellect too young. She was ostracized for the same reasons and also because she was born missing an eye. God forbid a girl have any flaws with her appearance.
They met a few times at events and were content to wile away the hours together in silence until their families stopped dragging them to those outings to force them to socialize. Since neither of them were inclined to get close to anyone, they never exchanged contact information, so he thought their companionship would become a pleasant memory until they happened to be in the same middle school class. Years had passed since they last met, but neither of them completely forgot about the other. Somewhere along their competitiveness with grades and gym class, they became each other’s first real friend.
Khun was pulled out of the dream by his alarm. It was just beginning to get light outside and there was a layer of fresh snow on the ground. The morning was peaceful until he nearly choked on his coffee because all the madness with the cookie contest made him forget something very important! He forgot to buy presents!
‘Okay, don’t panic,’ he thought to himself. There was a way to salvage this! He gathered his hair in a messy ponytail instead of taking time to straighten it and got to work.
His friends weren’t materialistic or picky, so it was easy to gather some things they’d enjoy. For Rak, he dug out a gift card for a restaurant that Marco had given him. For Hatz, a leather belt he bought but hadn’t worn yet, and for Shibisu, a bottle of fancy rice wine. Endorsi was impossible to shop for anyways, so he bought an online gift card for the salon where she frequented.
Hwaryun’s gift, however, stumped him. A last minute gift card, no matter how much, would be too impersonal. Nothing else that was brand new and unopened felt good enough, so he decided he could only admit he forgot and ask her to wait a few days. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too offended.
Since he skipped his morning hair routine, he got to school early and stood zoning out in front of the bulletin. Like deja-vu, Hwaryun appeared next to him. She tilted her head at the sign-up sheet for the spring chess tournament. “Nervous?”
“You wish,” he scoffed.
They bantered all the way to homeroom, and just like that, they were back in familiar territory, as if the strange conversation yesterday never happened.
Classes for the day were relaxed and Bam, ever the angel, even handed out little trinkets to all his students. Khun and Hwaryun got matching blue and red hairpins.
“I’m sorry,” he confessed when Hwaryun handed him a wrapped box. “Yours is...still in shipping.”
She laughed, bemused, as if she could tell what actually happened.
The topic was dropped until the end of the day when everybody else had left.
“So what are you planning to get me?” Hwaryun asked.
Throughout classes, he gave it a lot of thought and came up with several options. “The new collection from that jewelry designer you like.” It was something he knew she’d enjoy but would be hesitant to buy for herself.
“Not that.”
“An advent calendar of fancy scented candles.” She would definitely use those.
“Not that either.”
“A year’s subscription to try wine from around the world. They send you a few bottles every month and tell you how it’s made and what it pairs with.”
“Are you mistaking me for Isu? What other ideas do you have?”
“...then, a bone china tea set. I found a really cool artisan who paints them by hand.”
“I don’t need another tea set. What else?”
“Fine! Remember when you showed me that picture of the jacket Enryu bought and said you wished they made a version for women? Well, I was also thinking of getting it custom made for you.”
Hwaryun smiled mischievously as she shot down his ideas. “I can make it myself. What else?”
Khun was about to rip his own hair off. “Then just tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you!”
“It’s not something that can be bought.”
Was it that rare and obscure?! “Just tell me and I’ll find a way!”
“Look up,” she said, pointing to the ceiling.
He whipped his head up and...that couldn’t be right! Was he hallucinating?! He blinked furiously a couple times. Not hallucinating, but what else was he supposed to be looking at when the only noteworthy thing was the damn mistletoe?! So if it was the mistletoe...he wasn’t so daft that he didn’t know its significance...but this was Hwaryun, who couldn’t possibly... “You want me...to get a ladder and take that down for you?”
“...”
“If you want me to steal school property, at least ask for something more-”
“Khun Aguero Agnis.” She enunciated severely, as if her herculean patience was wearing dangerously thin. “You are a complete and incandescent fool if you still don’t understand.”
“Then-”
“Yes! A thousand times, yes!”
And so, Khun was pulled into Hwaryun’s orbit as hopelessly as a little planet towards a bright star.
Later that evening while having post-dinner coffee at Hansung’s shop:
“Let me get this straight. All this time, you thought I was aromantic because of something I said when we were seven .”
“You sounded very certain when you said it!”
“I was seven! Nobody knows what they want for the rest of their lives when they’re seven.”
Khun held back the urge to pout. “Some people do.”
“Oh, really? Did you?”
“No, but-”
Mr.Neon-Bag guffawed from the counter where he was eavesdropping.
“To be fair,” Hwaryun mused while taking a sip of her coffee. “I didn’t become fond of you right away. You had to earn it.”
“Gee, thanks,” Khun mumbled and didn’t bother hiding his indignant pout any longer. ‘And as long as you’ll have me,’ he confessed in the privacy of his mind, ‘I’ll spend the rest of my days proving I’m worthy.’
“I hate it here.”
“Just ignore them,” Hwaryun patiently said again. She pulled him along through their looped arms. “Let’s go win some prizes.”
They were at the amusement park festival. Over the past week, they’ve gone on a few quiet dates and Hwaryun officially introduced him to her mysterious group of red-headed friends. On the day of the dreaded family party, Khun managed to ditch the event after all, but he couldn’t completely ditch his family.
Nearly out of sight, but not quite, three heads of blue hair tailed them. Who could the uninvited entourage be other than Marco, Hachuling and Ran?
“I’m going to call security,” Khun seethed. “I’m going to get them arrested for stalking.”
“Sure, sure.” Hwaryun decided on a darts throwing game. “Let’s see how that’d turn out.”
Anyone with a brain could tell that they were mischievous brothers instead of dangerous people.
“I’m going to kick their asses at home.”
“You do that.”
He could only glare daggers as Hwaryun landed shot after shot. He was quite good at darts, but she wisely didn’t hand any over lest he turn their date into a fratricide scene.
Despite Hachuling’s easy going demeanor, very few were as sharp as him when it came to emotional matters. He could tell Khun was acting out of the ordinary from the start, but nothing overly-suspicious happened until...
When he got home the day he and Hwaryun became official, he lugged all the christmas gifts inside and dumped them on the kitchen table. Ran was in the kitchen having a snack while Hachuling brewed tea. Being such nosy bastards, they ‘graciously’ helped unwrap the gifts.
Khun grabbed the one from a certain special person. The box was the right size and weight for a silk scarf, but he was pleasantly surprised to find a batch of exquisitely made cookies.
“Oh, don’t mind if I do. You can’t possibly eat them all yourself,” Hachuling said while making grabby hands.
“No! These are all for me!” Khun slammed the lid shut before his brothers could get their grubby hands on any.
...and that was how Hachuling somehow managed to deduce what was going on, which brought them to their current predicament.
“For you.” Hwaryun pushed a giant stuffed cat into his arms.
He tried very, very hard to ignore the obnoxious cooing and the click of a camera. “Let’s go ride the ferris wheel.”
“Isn’t it better to do that at sunset?”
“Then we’ll go again at sunset!”
Hwaryun laughed, humoring his plan for some damn privacy. “Alright.”
They walked very close together with their arms linked. Passerbys couldn’t help but glance over at the striking image they painted. The two of them were no less regal than a pair of supermodels or celebrity power couple, and if not the huge plushie, they’d have a truly lethal aura.
More camera clicks followed. Khun really hated it here. But seeing his companion look so mirthful, he decided he didn’t hate it here so much after all.
“Actually,” Hwaryun said with the expression that brought kingdoms to their knees. “Let’s do bumper cars. When they follow us, we’ll send them flying.”