The neon glow of the Choi Syndicate mansion shimmered against the night sky—towering gates shaped like interlocked candy canes, guardian tiger statues with caramel manes, and bas-reliefs of legendary Choi ancestors battling rival dessert mafias. Even the fountain spat rainbow soda instead of water.
Hana steeled herself at the entrance, lollipop still firmly lodged between her teeth. Tonight's family meeting was mandatory—and the threat of being grounded by Lady Yura was worse than any principal's detention.
"My dear Sugar Snap," came a voice as smooth as melted chocolate. Hana turned to see her mother—Lady Yura Choi—descending a grand staircase. Yura wore a tailored suit of black velvet laced with silver sugar-crystals. In one hand she carried a licorice whip; in the other, a crystal goblet of spiced rum (her favorite icebreaker).
Hana bowed dramatically. "Mother."
Yura's whip snapped the air. "Don't call me that. And why did you deploy the Peppermint Kukri without clearance? That blade is part of our ancestral arsenal. You treat it like a sweet party favor."
Hana shrugged. "It was… efficient."
Yura raised an eyebrow. "Efficient? You single-handedly destroyed an entire candy golem battalion in that school basement. You could have leveled a city block!"
From the shadows appeared Hana's two aunts—Aunt Kim (still wearing her meatball-stained apron) and Aunt Park (clutching a cream-puff tray). They exchanged amused glances.
Aunt Kim whispered to Aunt Park, "Does it count as victory if we didn't finish the meatballs?"
Across the courtyard, a muffled explosion rocked the fountain. A rain of pink foam erupted, covering one tiger statue in sticky fluff.
Hana winced. "And you heard about the leaking of our dessert formulas to the Sugar Cartel?"
Yura narrowed her eyes. "Yes. Someone's selling Choi family recipes. And our source is… attending Seoul International Elite High under the guise of a student."
Hana froze. "You don't think—"
Before she could finish, the mansion guards sounded the alarm: claxons wailing, red lights flashing. A squad of sugar-clad assassins—masked, in spiky marshmallow armor—burst through the gates, hurling exploding marshmallows that detonated on contact.
"Family ambush!" Aunt Park shrieked, diving behind a giant gummy bear bush.
Hana drew her Peppermint Kukri. Aunt Kim brandished a volley of meatball grenades. Lady Yura cracked her licorice whip.
Aunt Park tossed a cream-puff into the air. It burst open, sprouting a miniature cream-golem to block an incoming marshmallow missile.
"Hana, protect the mother-dough!" Aunt Kim shouted, referring to Yura.
Aunt Park hissed at the cream-golem. "I said guard her, not cuddle her!"
Hana dashed forward, sliding on a puddle of spilled soda. She flipped over a golem, slicing its marshmallow helm in two. The sweet armor dissolved, revealing a robotic core, which she dismantled with a flick of the Kukri.
Lady Yura snarled a battle cry, lashing out with the whip in graceful arcs that sent marshmallow fragments scattering like confetti.
From the mansion's open doors exploded Minjae, dressed in a borrowed apron that said "Sugar Chef's #1 Apprentice." He held a tray of suspiciously glowing jellybeans.
"Hana! I got your text about family danger—" He tripped over a stray cream-puff, catapulting the jellybeans into the air. They scattered across the courtyard, erupting into sticking-slime traps that glued half the assassins' feet to the ground.
Hana blinked. "Minjae? Nice apron."
He scrambled to his feet. "Borrowed, okay? No time to explain. I brought… uh… help?"
At that moment, Sa-jangnim, the janitor-bodyguard, emerged atop a soda-cart-turned-tank, wielding a high-pressure soda cannon that shot molten sugar. He blasted the remaining assassins, sending sticky waves toward them.
"Cleaning service, ma'am!" he announced, firing again.
One by one, the marshmallow soldiers were dispatched—explode, stick, or get whipped. The courtyard became a pastel battlefield littered with goo, fizz, and fractured candy shards.
Breathing hard, Lady Yura surveyed the aftermath. "Well… that was dramatic."
Aunt Park wiped cream from her hair. "I still can't find my other cream-puff squad."
Hana sheathed her kukri. "So, family recipe leak—any suspects?"
Yura's eyes met Hana's. "I think the leak is coming from someone close—within the school. Someone with access to our vault."
Hana's heart pounded. "You mean… someone on the inside?"
Minjae stepped forward. "Hana, I can help. My brother's people can investigate discreetly—no police, no drama."
Aunt Kim smirked. "Might as well use all armies available."
Yura nodded. "Very well. Choi family and Jeon family alliance—temporary but necessary."
From the side door, Aunt Park led in a small entourage of maid-robots, each carrying trays of neutralizing sugar-serum. "These will cure anyone marked by cartel glyphs," she explained.
Minjae took two vials. "We'll need these back at school. Fast."
Hana glanced at her mother. "Family—you and the aunts—stay here. I'll go straight back and handle the mole."
Yura placed a hand—soft but firm—on Hana's shoulder. "Be careful. This is no longer a school prank. You're up against organized dessert terrorism."
Hana saluted with her kukri. "Consider it done, Mother."
---
Back at Seoul International Elite High…
Hana and Minjae burst into the Sweet Core basement via the janitor's trapdoor. The fluorescent candy-crystal walls pulsed with ominous energy. Thirty seconds later, they were slipping through the hidden tunnels toward Hana's vault.
"Okay," Hana whispered, "whoever stole our recipes left digital breadcrumbs. They've got to be in the Ingredient Archives."
Minjae tapped his phone. "I'm hacking the security logs now."
Suddenly, the corridor lights flickered—and a hidden door slid open to reveal Lee Arin, staff glowing, hair disheveled.
"You two busy?" he asked, gesturing at the tunnels behind. "Because I just—uh—found something suspicious."
Hana rolled her eyes. "Arin, unless you're the traitor, move it."
Arin's eyes darted. "Actually—I might've seen someone entering this vault earlier. A flash of black coat, something–"
Before he could finish, a squad of glitter grenades detonated around them, filling the hall with blinding sparkle and sticky glitter that glued their shoes to the floor.
From the holo-projector above stepped the school's Music Teacher—Mr. Kim, known for his calm demeanor and secret black-market pup café. He bowed theatrically.
"Surprise, my pupils. I am the mole."
Hana's jaw dropped. Minjae gaped. Arin blinked in disbelief.
Mr. Kim pressed a button on his baton. Candy-rhythmic lasers shot from it, carving glowing musical notes into the walls.
"I needed the recipes," he said calmly. "To create the ultimate sweet-pop symphony—an edible anthem."
Hana lunged, kukri drawn. "You betrayed your school—and my family—over candy pop music?"
Mr. Kim shrugged. "Art knows no bounds—and neither does dessert."
He raised the baton, launching a barrage of sonic sugar shards.
Minjae grabbed Hana. "Plan?"
Hana smirked. "When in doubt, improvise."
She tossed a Caramel Cluster Cannonball at Arin. He caught it awkwardly, eyes widening, then hurled it at Mr. Kim. The ball exploded into molten caramel that jiggled around the teacher's legs, slowing him.
Hana charged, slicing Mr. Kim's baton in two. The music lasers cut off mid-note.
Mr. Kim toppled, streaming glitter. "Bravo… but you haven't heard my final movement."
He pulled a remote. The tunnels shook as shockwaves of sound and sugar rattled the walls.
"Too loud," Minjae groaned, covering his ears.
Hana grabbed the vials of sugar-serum. "Time for an encore!"
She smashed a vial, and a wave of neutralizing mist washed over Mr. Kim, dissolving the glitter and deactivating his symphony hazard.
Mr. Kim blinked, dazed. "Oh… my. That's… disappointing."
Arin dusted glitter from his hair. "I trusted you."
Mr. Kim shrugged. "Art takes sacrifice. Sorry—I'll refund your ear drums."
Hana cuffed him with candy-coated manacles. "Let's get you to detention. Extra credit not required."
---