The night air around the Choi Syndicate's secret rooftop garden glittered with lanterns shaped like giant macarons. A breeze carried the scent of rose-water Turkish delight, and in the center stood a three-tiered cake fountain, spouting molten white chocolate. Tonight was the Mid-Year Sweet Summit—a rare gathering of every Choi family branch, incognito under heavy enchantments to hide from prying cartel eyes.
Hana arrived in style: riding shotgun on Sa-jangnim's upgraded candy-cart motorcycle, her Peppermint Kukri strapped to her belt, hoodie still up. She hopped off and stepped into the party—an opulent swirl of silk, sugar, and subterfuge.
"Cousins!" she called, waving. From the crowd emerged her first cousin, Choi Dawon, a lanky fellow with candy-floss hair and an overenthusiastic grin. He threw his arms around her.
"Sugar Snap! You made it!" Dawon said, nearly knocking over a display of diamond-studded macarons. "I have so many questions. Are we still on for the clandestine karaoke battle? I've got new marshmallow grenades!"
Hana laughed. "Later, Dawon. Save the grenades for actual enemies."
Next came Choi Seoyeon, a petite cousin in a jacket crafted from spun-sugar threads. She eyed Minjae suspiciously as he followed Hana into the crowd.
"And who's this?" Seoyeon asked, folding her arms. "Your… accomplice?"
Hana cleared her throat. "Minjae Jeon—my friend. Let's see… he's the heir to the Jeon Empire, proficient in coffee-based martial arts, and definitely not a spy."
Seoyeon raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that? Why would a CEO heir come to a mafia summit unescorted?"
Minjae ducked behind Hana. "I—uh—I have diplomatic immunity?"
Dawon clapped his hands. "Enough chit-chat! Let me introduce you to Aunt Yura." He led them to a high table draped in black velvet, where Lady Yura presided, sipping rum over a chessboard made of candied fruit.
"Children!" she called, voice warm. "Welcome. Enjoy the sweets—and remember, tonight's no ordinary family reunion."
Hana slid onto a stool. "Ma, who's the mole?"
Yura's eyes flicked north, to where the city skyline shimmered. "Still unknown. But I have a feeling we'll get answers tonight."
---
High above them, the clouds parted as a strange silhouette blotted out the stars. A distant whirring grew into a mechanical hum—and then a massive flying dessert barge drifted into view.
It was shaped like a colossal éclair, with propellers of candy canes and decked in festoon lights. Beneath its hull, legions of whipped-cream drones hovered, each armed with sprinkle-bomb launchers.
"Is that… ours?" Dawon asked, wide-eyed.
"No," Yura said, standing. "That's definitely not ours."
Hana's heart raced. "It's Han Sora."
Minjae gulped. "He didn't—he can't—he wouldn't—"
The barge's ramp descended with a hiss of vanilla steam. Han Sora stepped off, hair damp from an earlier cloudburst, damage to his blazer courtesy of licorice rain, but looking more intimidating than ever.
He paused center-stage, surveying the Choi family. "Delightful ambiance," he said, voice echoing across the garden. "Mind if I crash your little gala?"
Yura's lips curled. "Uninvited guests are usually vaporized."
Sora smiled. "I brought a gift." He snapped his fingers. The whipped-cream drones fired—rainbow confetti bombs that exploded overhead like joyful fireworks, showering guests in glitter.
Seoyeon shrieked. "It's… beautiful?"
Hana tensed. "He's distracting us. Must be a diversion."
Almost at once, masked figures dropped from the barge—Han Corporation enforcers wearing obsidian-coated aprons and wielding chocolate sabers. They fanned out, surrounding the garden's perimeter.
Minjae stepped forward. "Sora, what is this?"
Han Sora's grin turned sharp. "I'm here to make sure the Choi and Jeon empires align under one banner… mine. And to test how sweet you really are."
Yura raised her licorice whip. "You brought an army to a family meeting? Impudent."
Sora shrugged. "Overkill? Maybe. But council protocols frown on underpowered invasions."
Hana yanked Minjae back as a saber-wielding enforcer lunged at Yura. Sa-jangnim roared, firing the soda cannon that splattered the assailant in sticky syrup, causing him to slip and fall in a comedic heap.
"Party foul!" Dawon shouted, tossing a meatball bazooka at incoming goons. The meaty shells exploded in savory bursts, sending assailants careening into fountains of chocolate.
Seoyeon conjured sugar-spray shields, forming translucent domes around startled guests. "I read about this in a manga once!"
Yura cracked her whip, lashing out arcs of black licorice that tripped up multiple enemies. "Protect the family!"
---
Meanwhile, Hana and Minjae darted behind a giant fountain shaped like a strawberry shortcake. The barge loomed overhead, its candy-cane turbines thrumming.
"Plan?" Minjae panted, brandishing the Sundae Sabre.
Hana scanned the scene. "We take out their leader—Sora himself. Without him, their enforcers will fall into chaos."
Minjae nodded. "Let's do it."
They charged through the melee. Hana cleaved through bubble-gum drones, sending them crashing in gooey heaps. Minjae sprinted along an éclair bench, using his baton to vault over tussling guards.
At the edge of the cake fountain, Han Sora waited, arms crossed. His Molten Meringue Gauntlet sparked with electric sugar energy.
"Right on time," he said. "I was hoping for a proper duel."
Hana smirked. "I was hoping you'd at least fight fair."
Sora shrugged. "Fairness is for sidewalk cafes."
With no more words, they clashed:
Hana parried lightning-flavored meringue blasts with whipped-cream shields.
Minjae circled around, tossing syrup smoke bombs that clouded the air.
Sora spun, firing shards of crystallized sugar like throwing stars.
Hana leapt onto Sora's shoulder and slashed—only to have her Kukri deflected by his gauntlet. They teetered on the edge of the fountain. Sora grinned.
"You're good," he admitted. "But not good enough."
He slammed his gauntlet into the stone edge. The ground cracked, sending tremors through the courtyard. Cracks filled with molten caramel, trapping Hana's foot.
Minjae rushed forward, swinging the Sundae Sabre to break the caramel grip. The blade's cold core solidified the caramel, snapping it like brittle sugar.
Hana shook free. "Thanks, CEO boy."
Sora narrowed his eyes, energy surging. "Let's end this."
He unleashed his Black Licorice Tempest—a vortex of swirling dark sugar that threatened to pull them in.
Hana and Minjae braced—but then Hana whispered to Minjae: "Now."
Minjae thrust the Sundae Sabre into the heart of the sugar vortex. The blade glowed, channeling its whip-freeze core. A shockwave radiated outward, dispelling the tempest and hurling Sora back.
The whipped cream blade solidified into a wall of ice-cream, trapping Sora's gauntlet. He panted, amazed.
Yura and the aunts arrived, licorice whips and meatball mortars ready. The remaining Han enforcers surrendered, tied up by Sa-jangnim's syrup nets.
Breathing heavily, Sora freed his arm and stood. He looked at Hana and Minjae, then bowed slightly.
"Impressive," he conceded. "I concede this battle… for now."
He turned and strode back to the barge ramp. As he boarded, he tossed down a single obsidian-tipped sugar cane—a challenge.
"Meet me at midnight… if you dare."
The barge lifted off, whipped-cream drones escorting it into the stormy sky.
---
Epilogue: After the Storm
Under lantern-lit warmth, the Choi family regrouped. Yura surveyed the damage: toppled dessert sculptures, syrup-slick paths, and a few stunned cousins clutching empty candy trays.
Dawon gulped a spilled punch. "That was… amazing?"
Seoyeon patted Minjae on the shoulder. "Thanks for saving my neck."
Hana sheathed her Kukri. "Family first. Always."
Yura approached the siblings. She laid a hand on Hana's shoulder. "You handled him well. But the war's just begun."
Minjae looked at Hana, then at the challenge cane. "Midnight. We'll be there."
Hana's lollipop twirled. "Let them bring their best. We've got sugar, style, and lethal sass."
Above them, the sky cleared. Stars winked through the dissipating storm clouds, as if cheering on the sweetest—and fiercest—showdown the city had ever seen.