1. Prelude to Midnight Mayhem
The National Candy Expo wasn't just the biggest event in the Dessert Sphere—it was the event. A utopia for sugar addicts, candy critics, and undercover operatives in disguise. The towering Expo Hall glittered like a colossal rock candy geode, its crystal façade reflecting every flicker of neon in 300 sugary hues.
Backstage, where chaos was born and missions were plotted, Hana Choi stood dramatically beneath a flickering emergency sign, one boot braced against a locker. Her leather jacket was embroidered with tiny sugar skulls, and her expression screamed: I'm so done with this nonsense—but also, I'm the best here, and you know it.
> Minjae: "You do realize we're literally about to break into the most secure facility in South Korea over... dessert?"
> Hana (smirking): "A magic dessert. Keep up, spreadsheet boy."
Arin, ever the flamboyant mage, adjusted his cape (which was actually a repurposed chocolate fountain tarp) and murmured, "I enchanted three marshmallows to act as decoys. They're named Mallow, Melo, and Steve."
> Aunt Kim (loading cupcake ammo): "If this plan fails, I'm blaming Steve."
> Steve (from the table): "Mmmmmph?!" (He was indeed a marshmallow.)
Sa-jangnim finished sharpening his mop-blade with an alarming calmness. "We enter. We extract. We snack. We run."
Team assembled, eyebrows raised, and chaos waiting—they plunged into the heart of sweet temptation.
2. Operation: Candy Caper
The Expo's back corridors looked like Willy Wonka met a Bond villain. Jellybean buttons lined the walls. Cotton candy pipes hissed when touched. Animatronic bunnies repeated safety messages with suspicious smiles.
> Robot Bunny: "Please refrain from licking the walls. Or else."
Minjae hacked the security panel using a lollipop stylus. "I reprogrammed the cameras to stream reruns of a K-Drama about penguins in love."
> Hana: "How romantic. Hope the guards get emotional and let us pass."
As the team shuffled through corridors disguised as snack vendors, Arin "accidentally" turned one guard's pants into candy cane stripes. The man panicked so hard he tripped into a chocolate fondue fountain and blamed it on ghosts.
> Aunt Son (sipping coffee): "So... normal Tuesday then."
3. The Relic Rundown
There were three targets, all ancient relics:
The Mint Prism: A glowing triangle of frosted peppermint shards.
The Nougat Sphere: A rotating orb of caramel and starlight.
The Phantom Pearl Puff: A puff of sugar so light, it had its own gravitational field.
The first chamber was guarded by a man named Director Gumji. He was shaped like a meatball and took his job way too seriously.
> Gumji: "NO ONE gets past me unless they solve my riddle and do ten push-ups."
> Hana: "I'll do you one better."
She kicked the fire alarm, doused the room in whipped cream from above, and Minjae belly-slid through it to grab the Mint Prism. Victory was sticky.
4. The Sphere Heist
Aunt Kim led the charge toward the Nougat Sphere. It hovered inside a glass dome guarded by laser beams and one very confused intern who thought this was his job orientation.
> Intern: "Wait, is this... are you guys actual criminals?"
> Aunt Kim: "Sweetie, we're licensed pastry reclamation agents."
She tied the intern's shoelaces together (he tripped), and Arin conjured a marshmallow ladder that squeaked with every step.
When Aunt Kim lifted the Sphere, a soft voice whispered, "Hey."
> The Sphere (shyly): "Hi. I'm sentient. Please don't drop me."
> Aunt Kim: "Noted."
They bolted just as the lasers turned into licorice whips. Arin blocked them using an umbrella filled with molten fudge.
5. Final Target: The Phantom Puff
This one? Hard mode. Hidden in a vault only accessible by inserting the other two relics in a precise order, saying an oath in cinnamon dialect, and surviving a jelly worm maze.
Minjae attempted the dialect.
> Minjae: "Yarrr zazz shaboodle wizzle."
> Vault: "ACCESS DENIED."
> Hana: "Sounds like you summoned a pastry demon."
Eventually, Arin did it correctly. Inside, the Pearl Puff hovered, whispering the secrets of the Candy Realm.
> Pearl Puff: "I once saw a unicorn eat soup with a fork."
> Sa-jangnim: "Same."
As they reached for it, sirens wailed. From above, Han Sora descended with a dozen elite dessert mercs. They wore glittery tuxedos and shot macaron bullets.
6. The Showdown of Sprinkles
Sora smirked. "Step away from the Puff, Choi."
> Hana: "Make me."
> Sora: "I'd rather monologue dramatically and then attack."
Cue explosions. Cue slo-mo leaping. Cue Arin riding a chocolate llama into the fight like an anime protagonist with too much time.
Minjae deflected macarons with a spoon shield.
Aunt Park used a taffy whip to bind enemy ankles.
Aunt Son tossed exploding jellybean clusters like grenades.
Sa-jangnim sliced through licorice ropes midair while yelling haikus.
7. The Great Puff Chase
The Pearl Puff escaped and floated down a hallway. Cue everyone running in cartoonish zig-zag patterns to chase it.
> Pearl Puff (panicking): "I don't consent to kidnapping!!"
> Arin (chasing it): "We just want to protect you!"
> Pearl Puff: "That's what they all say!"
They chased it through a donut factory, crashed through a marshmallow wall, and landed in the main Expo hall—where a crowd of influencers thought this was an elaborate performance.
> Influencer: "Oh my god. It's immersive theatre!"
> Second Influencer: "They really went all out this year."
Hana snatched the Pearl Puff mid-air, landed on a jelly trampoline, and struck a superhero pose. The audience erupted into applause.
8. Grand Exit—Or Something Like It
As Sora lunged, Aunt Kim flung a literal pie in his face. The team fled through the kitchen backdoor, leaving behind chaos, giggles, and a fully confused intern who was now TikTok famous.
Outside, they piled into a getaway food truck (disguised as a dumpling stand). Arin pressed the Nitro Mochi button. The truck zoomed into the night, flames shooting from its exhaust like a dragon with indigestion.
> Minjae: "We got the relics. And no one died."
> Sa-jangnim: "Except my dignity. I slipped on a churro."
> Hana (grinning): "That was amazing. Let's do it again next week."
> Pearl Puff (muffled in her bag): "Please no..."
9. Credits Roll (But Not Really)
As they drove off, music blared from Arin's wand.
> "Sugar, spice, and team that bites—let's fight crime and steal delights!"
Somewhere, in the shadows, Hwa-Yeon stared at a monitor.
> Hwa-Yeon: "They won this time. But next... I bring the candied dragons."
She cackled. Her licorice heels echoed as she disappeared into a secret candy dimension.
The team rode into the dawn, victory tasting like burnt marshmallow and rebellion.