The morning after the Great Dessert Duel, Seoul International Elite High felt like a sugar high hangover—sunlight bounced off sparkly candy residue, and a few students woke up with inexplicable sugar dust on their pillows. But for Choi Hana, it was just another Tuesday.
Her "bodyguard," the overworked Sa-jangnim janitor whose mop doubled as a concealed katana, winked at her from the hallway. "Your aunties are here, miss." He tapped his nose and pointed toward the cafeteria.
Hana's hoodie fluttered like a battle flag as she strode in. The lunch line was packed. At the counter, three new lunch ladies in overly floral aprons wielded ladles like war axes. Their bright lipstick and glittery hairnets seemed… suspicious.
Minjae, desperately clutching a thermos of black coffee as camouflage, sidled up next to her. "I thought you said your family wouldn't visit school."
Hana smirked. "I said mafia family, not mafia family in full bloom." She nodded at the lunch ladies. "Meet my Aunt Kim—Master of Meatballs," she introduced one, whose meatballs were glowing ominously, "Aunt Park—Queen of Cream Puffs," the second who kept dusting herself with confectioners' sugar, and "Aunt Son—Destroyer of Diets," the third wielding a ladle dripping molten caramel.
Minjae nearly choked on his coffee. "They look… festive."
Hana winked. "Festive is their default mode. They're here to keep an eye on me—and feed the whole school."
Aunt Kim squashed a meatball in her hand. "Today's special: Exploding Meatball Meltdown!" she cackled.
Minjae backed away. "I think I'll eat early."
---
After the perilous lunch, Hana slipped away to meet Sa-jangnim at the janitor's closet—code name: Operation Hidden Cellar.
He waved a ring of old keys. "Ready?"
Hana clicked through locks on a suspiciously heavy door behind the closet's shelves of cleaning supplies. It swung open to reveal a narrow staircase spiraling downward, lit by flickering candy-corn sconces.
"Welcome to the Sweet Core Ancestors' Retreat," Sa-jangnim announced in a hushed tone. "Your family built this—directly under the school—before the academy was erected on top."
Hana's heart pulsed. "This is where I hide the relics."
Rows of glass vaults lined the walls, each containing jeweled cupcakes, crystalline lollipops, and one glittering orb labeled "Chaos Mochi Prototype."
"Prototype?" Hana whispered.
Sa-jangnim nodded. "Unstable. Perfect for deterring unwelcome guests."
Hana pressed a button. One mochi glowed bright pink. She grinned. "Time to test it in the arena."
---
Meanwhile, in the courtyard, Minjae and Lee Arin raced toward the sudden bustle near the Spell Club arena. Word had spread: Hana was hosting a Food Fight Duel, inviting anyone brave (or foolish) enough to enter.
Minjae adjusted his blazer for the tenth time. "I should be in class. Acting normal." He glanced at Arin. "How do you act normal after pulling off a 'Crush Confession Curse'?"
Arin shrugged, flipping his frozen-sugar staff. "Normal is overrated. But I'll try… kinda." He cleared his throat, then tripped over his robe hem. "See? Expert levels of normal."
Minjae pinched the bridge of his nose. "I just don't want your family feuding with mine on national news."
Arin raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that how all the best stories start?"
---
Back in the Sweet Core, Hana strapped on a utility belt stuffed with sugary ordnance. "You ready, big guy?" she asked Sa-jangnim, who winked and tapped his mop.
"After you."
They ascended the stairs and burst into the courtyard just as the duel began.
Students lined two sides of a long table. On one end stood Hana, grinning, her belt tinkling with candy grenades. On the other stood Kang Mirae, Ice Princess turned Food Duelist, her hair shimmering with frost.
Mirae's eyes locked on Hana. "You think you're the only one with magical sweets?"
Hana popped a grape lollipop. "Let's see whose recipe reigns."
At Hana's signal, Sa-jangnim launched the first volley—a hail of Chaos Mochi. Round blobs clattered onto the table, then, on cue… BOOM! Each mochi erupted in clouds of neon pink smoke, forcing Mirae's side to cough and wave them away.
Mirae retaliated with Frosted Eclairs that froze the table's edge, sending shards of iced filling toward Hana. Hana ducked, pulling out a Caramel Cluster Cannon from her belt and firing sticky bombs that glued eclairs to the ground. Spectators cheered.
Minjae and Arin watched, jaws dropped.
"Hana's unstoppable," Minjae muttered.
Arin smirked. "I knew I liked her for a reason."
The duel escalated:
Bubblegum Bombs that inflated students like balloons.
Choco-Chain Whips that snaked around legs.
Popcorn Barrage raining fluffy kernels like hailstones.
Mirae, cornered, summoned a Blizzard Cake—a towering confection that spat shards of cake-flake ice. For a tense moment, the Ice Princess seemed poised to win.
But Hana reached into her belt and produced a slender disk: the Sugar Slice, a blade rumored to cut through any dessert. With a dramatic flourish, she spun the Sugar Slice, cleaving the Blizzard Cake in two. Frost and crumbs scattered across the courtyard.
Silence. Then… thunderous applause.
Mirae smiled through the mess. "Well played, Sugar Snap."
Hana bowed theatrically. "All in a day's work."
---
Afterward, as the crowd dispersed, Minjae approached Hana, still dusted in sugar shards. He offered her his coffee. "Drink?"
Hana took a sip, eyebrow raised. "You really are trying to act normal."
He swallowed. "I'm trying to be your normal."
Hana's lollipop twirled between her fingers. "Good luck with that."
They walked away side by side, passing by cafeteria windows where Aunt Kim, Park, and Son high-fived over their exploding meatball success.
---
Deep beneath the Sweet Core, two shadowy figures emerged from behind the vaults.
The first, wearing a tuxedo made of spun sugar, said, "She's stronger than we anticipated."
The second, whose eyes glowed with dark chocolate light, replied, "Let her grow. Soon, she'll open the way to the Heart of the Sweet Core—and we'll be ready."
Above them, the school bell rang. Upstairs, Hana and Minjae returned to class—blossoming partnership sealed with sticky candy trenches and a promise that no one, not even the world's most powerful mafia, could stop their sugar-coated showdown.