Chapter 6: Corporate Shadows and the Cursed Karaoke
The sun rose over Seoul International Elite High like a spotlight on a stage about to crack open. And crack open it did—right through the middle of the courtyard, where a glowing violet portal hovered between the cherry blossoms and the bike rack.
Students skidded to a halt.
"Portal?" Jinwoo squeaked. "Is this part of the magic club's new curriculum?"
Hana strolled out of the crowd, lollipop in mouth, hands stuffed in her hoodie pocket. "That's not a rubber hose prop. That's trouble."
Beside her, Minjae glanced at the shimmering rift. He'd spent the morning fielding frantic phone calls from his father's board: unexplained leaks in the company's sugar-sweetener line, bizarre "sugar branding" appearing on competitors' products, and now—portal anomalies at his alma mater.
Great. School. Work. Same mess.
A black car rolled up, doors swinging open. Out stepped a tall man in an immaculately pressed suit: Jeon Hanseok, Minjae's older brother and the real power behind Jeon Group. His calm gaze swept the portal, then landed on Hana.
"Choi Hana," he said, voice smooth like velvet armor. "I hear you've been busy."
Hana offered a casual bow. "Only as busy as the school lets me. You're… early."
Hanseok smiled thinly. "Corporate audit. I'd hate for my flagship brand to get dragged into some high school's candy war."
Minjae stiffened. "I can handle—"
"You can handle your classes, Minjae," Hanseok interrupted. "The rest is on me."
He turned to Hana. "That portal there leads to a sugar cartel hideout. A rival to your family's network. I need it closed."
Hana's grin went crooked. "Cartel? Here? Finally, the big leagues."
---
FIVE MINUTES EARLIER…
(Hana's internal memo to self: don't panic.)
Minjae found her in the library, staring at her tablet. The screen showed surveillance of a room filled with swirling sugar demons—little imps that dissolved anything they touched.
"They're popping up all over campus," he said. "And students are waking up with these glowing sugar glyphs on their hands." He touched his wrist; a bright candy-cane swirl pulsed briefly. "Won't wash off."
Hana tapped the screen. "Rival clans marking their territory. Classic turf war."
Jinwoo burst in, eyes wide. "Have you seen the karaoke room?"
"What about it?" Minjae asked.
"It's… singing. By itself. And it only plays that cursed tune: 'Sugar Syrup Serenade.' Anyone who sings along disappears for an hour, then comes back with sugar… all over them."
Hana raised an eyebrow. "That explains the powdered footprints trailing from the stage."
Minjae groaned. "I thought I had powder on my shoes after detention."
---
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Hana crouched next to the portal. It crackled like a shaken soda can. "This needs a seal."
Hanseok produced a sleek silver cylinder, snapped it open, and passed it to her. "Family relic. Called a Sweet Lock. One press, and the gateway collapses."
She fitted it into her belt. "High-tech meets old-school."
He nodded. "I'll handle the students. You and Minjae—go in, find the cartel boss, and get the antidote for the glyphs."
Minjae gulped. "Antidote?"
Hana patted his shoulder. "Relax. It's probably a simple unbinding spell—after we punch our way through a dozen candy goons."
Minjae checked his watch. "We have ten minutes before campus security sends in the actual police."
She winked. "Let's make them wish they were late."
---
INSIDE THE PORTAL
They stumbled into a cavern dripping with molten sugar. The walls glowed gold; the floor was slick like a caramel river. Candy golems—mango-marshmallow beasts—lumbered toward them, eyes flickering.
Hana yanked a peppermint kukri from her belt. "Stay close."
Minjae drew a sleek retractable baton—his secret from the CEO training program. "I don't want to hit my coworkers."
Hana chuckled. "Everyone here's a coworker."
First golem charged. Hana leapt onto its back, stabbing it in the cotton-candy spine. It yelped—a roar of sticky fluff—and collapsed in a gooey heap.
Minjae circled, whacking a second golem's leg joints until it toppled. "This is like… sugar karate."
"Exactly," Hana said, vaulting off a golem head to tackle a third.
Deeper in, they reached a throne of spun-sugar arcs. Seated on it was a slender figure in a glossy black coat speckled with glittering sprinkles: Hwa‑Yeon, head of the Sugar Cartel.
She clapped slowly. "Bravo. You've made it farther than most intruders."
Hana wiped sugar from her cheek. "Cartel boss. Meet Hana 'Sugar Snap' Choi. I hear you've been tagging my people."
Hwa‑Yeon's lips curved. "Your family's sweets are territorial. My glyphs? Just invitations—for a more… permanent arrangement."
Minjae edged forward. "Permanent?"
Hwa‑Yeon flicked her wrist. Glyphs on students glowed bright—they swelled, then flaked into lethal sugar crystal shards.
"It's a binding contract," she said. "A thousand shards kill the contract holder. Break them, and the curse ends—or so I thought."
Hana drew a dark-chocolate bomb. "Then let's break it."
She lobbed the bomb; it exploded into swirling cocoa dust, obscuring Hwa‑Yeon's vision. In the chaos, Hana dashed forward, tight-rolling a sticky caramel rope around the boss's ankles. Hwa‑Yeon yanked free with a spray of sugar petals.
Minjae brought up the Sweet Lock cylinder. He pressed the button; a pulse of silver light shot through the chamber, weakening the portal's link.
But Hwa‑Yeon flung a final curse. Purple glyphs swirled around Minjae's heart.
"No!" Hana shouted. She pressed her kukri to Hwa‑Yeon's throat. "Reverse it now, or I snap this and your candy empire dies."
Hwa‑Yeon's eyes flashed. The glyphs on Minjae faded. She smirked. "Very well. This arrangement is void. But we'll meet again, Sugar Snap."
With a swirl of black sugar, she vanished—along with the throne and the golems.
THE PORTAL COLLAPSE
The cavern shook. Cracks radiated along the golden walls. Minjae grabbed Hana's hand, pulling her toward the opening.
They burst out just as the portal imploded in on itself—snapping shut like a popped bubble.
Above, Hanseok surveyed them calmly. "Well done. And you," he said to Minjae, voice softening, "are free of the binding."
Minjae exhaled. "Thanks."
Hanseok turned to Hana. "Your family's name is safe—for now. But Hwa‑Yeon is dangerous. I'll have my people watch the cartel's movements."
Hana nodded. "Same here. But next time, tell me you were coming. I don't like surprises."
Hanseok gave a rare grin. "Noted."
EPILOGUE TEASE
As afternoon sunlight warmed the courtyard, students gathered near the karaoke room—now suspiciously silent. The cursed mic lay on the floor, cord pulsing with residual magic.
Inside, the Song Club president picked it up, humming the haunting melody of "Sugar Syrup Serenade."
A single candy glyph glowed on her wrist.
And somewhere above, in a corporate boardroom, a ghostly sugar imprint shimmered on a photograph of the Jeon brothers—an unfinished invitation.