In the center of the dome, the cooking stations buzzed with activity as contestants rushed to prepare their ingredients. But one group remained still—Ji Hoon's group.
Ji Hoon stood before his teammates, staring intently at the jar of Sea Sugar, eyes that were filled with passion. They, in turn, stared at him as if he had committed the greatest sin a cook could commit.
They were staring too much that he felt it, causing him look up. Lior and Ansen's faces were etched with disappointment, while the masked girl's eyes held unhidden anger.
"Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, reluctant.
Lior was the first to speak. "Brother, I know you're enthusiastic, but a Grade S ingredient? Let alone Sea Sugar? That's not something even skilled cooks can handle."
He glanced toward the purple-haired guy's group and added, "I don't know how those guys are planning to use it, but it's incredibly difficult."
Ji Hoon followed his gaze. Besides the purple-haired boy, there were two others—a boy and a girl his age who looked like identical twins, sharing similar faces and a unique shade of ocean-blue hair. As he was held by their striking resemblance, the fourth member of their group stepped forward, surprising him. It was Malak.
'Did the Grace Twins separate…?' Ji Hoon wondered, before a hand swept in front of his face—Lior's.
The others were looking at him too. "You with us?" Lior asked.
Ji Hoon apologized for dozing off. "Sorry, I was thinking about what we could make."
"So, you've already decided what to make," the masked girl finally spoke, her voice sharp. "But are you sure it will work with the Sea Sugar?"
Ji Hoon turned to her, staring for a second longer than necessary before answering. "Yes. I'm thinking of making a Croquembouche."
"Cr-Cr…oosh?" Ansen, the youngest in the group, stammered.
"What is that?" the masked girl asked. "I've never heard of it in any cooking or baking book."
Ji Hoon realized it was yet another dish that didn't exist in this world.
'Well, if they don't know it, how will we make it? Still, they must be qualified cooks to get here. They have the basics. If I guide them, we can do it.'
"Croquembouche," he explained, "is basically a tower of cream puffs—tiny, hollow balls that look like biscuits, filled with custard and glued together with caramel."
He looked at their faces. He could tell they understood the concept, but their expressions were still full of doubt. Ji Hoon sighed, and then his face turned serious.
"Look, if you can follow my lead, I can talk you through the process. I know it's my fault for choosing the Grade S ingredient on an impulse, but I'm sure this dish can perfectly showcase our skills and highlight the sea sugar's essence."
The masked girl spoke again, her voice lower under the mask. "How can we make a dish we've never even seen, especially on the spot in a competition?"
"Still," Ji Hoon replied firmly, "all you need to do is make the dough and the custard filling. I will handle caramelizing the sea sugar and assembling the tower. I'm sure you're all skilled enough to handle that much." He looked at them, his eyes almost pleading.
Lior sighed, then broke into a smile. "Well, you did something unpredictable last time too, and we won. So... I guess lead the way, brother."
Ji Hoon was surprised and grateful for Lior's trust. He then looked at Ansen, who nodded with timid confirmation. Finally, all eyes turned to the masked girl. She looked at each of them in turn.
"Sigh... what can I do? With all of you agreeing, and it's not like we can change the ingredient now." She locked eyes with Ji Hoon, her brows furrowing slightly. "Remember, you said you can handle it. You're holding our future in your hands—don't you dare mess up."
Ji Hoon gulped and chuckled nervously. "Of course... By the way, I'm Cassian, this is Lior, and Ansen," he said, pointing to them as they waved. "...and what's your name?"
"Oh... um, call me Yuna. Yuna MacQueen," she answered.
Ji Hoon was shocked for a second. "Y-Yoon... Ah?..."
She looked at him, confused by his reaction. "No. It's not two syllables. Say it as one. Yuna. Yuna MacQueen. Now come on, tell us what we should do," she said, her tone shifting to businesslike.
"O-Oh, yes... I will." He pushed the deep question from his mind, shaking it off as he began explaining to them from the ingredients to the steps and techniques used.
Meanwhile, the other groups had already started on their dishes. The arena was a symphony of controlled chaos—the clang of pots, the hiss of steam, and the warm, buttery scent of baking already beginning to fill the air.
At the station in front, Ji Hoon's rival team for this round, Victor's team aggressively worked on their dish. At another, the purple-haired boy's group worked with silent, intense precision, their movements perfectly synchronized.
Each group was working around except one—still Ji Hoon's.
The delay did not go unnoticed. A murmur started to ripple through the sections of the crowd closest to their station.
"Are they lost? Everyone else is already mixing and baking," a merchant in the stands remarked to his companion.
On the arena floor, a contestant from a neighboring station sneered as he rolled out his dough. "Looks like the young boy's ambition outweighed his skill. Probably has no idea what to do with that Sea Sugar now that he's got it."
His teammate laughed, not even bothering to lower his voice. "Hubris. I give them ten more minutes before they start panicking and try to swap for a Grade B sugar. Too bad the rules don't allow it."
High above in the judges' table, the panel of twelve, specifically the three judges who will judge Ji Hoon's team and Victor's, also observed the stillness at one station.
Among them Lord Matthew, the owner of Cole Bakery, stroking his beard. "To choose a Grade-S ingredient and then falter at the starting line does not inspire confidence."
Another judge, a master confectioner known for her intricate sugar sculptures, nodded in agreement. "The Sea Sugar is a temperamental beast. Perhaps the reality of their choice has finally dawned on them. A shame—it would have been fascinating to see it used."
While the third judge, with her aged yet still young looks focused at them without saying anything.
Back to Ji Hoon's team...
"...and that's it. I'll guide you through the rest during the process. Now, Lior and Yuna, you make the dough. I'll help Ansen with the custard first," he instructed.
Suddenly, Ji Hoon's team, which had been standing in a circle, burst into motion. They moved quickly, heading to the shelves to gather the remaining ingredients. The other contestants glanced their way briefly before returning to their own work.
On one side of the table, Lior and Yuna began working on the dough. On the other side, Ji Hoon stood with Ansen. He placed a pot of milk on the stove, adding vanilla beans and stirring as it heated.
Beside him, Ansen was whisking eggs, sugar, and cornstarch together until the mixture was pale and smooth. When he finished, he showed it to Ji Hoon, who gave a nod of approval.
Seeing that the milk had begun to simmer, Ji Hoon turned to Ansen. "Now, temper the eggs. Slowly add the hot milk to your egg mixture while whisking constantly. Then, pour it all back into the pot with the remaining milk and cook it over medium heat. Tell me when it thickens; I'll be assisting the others."
Ansen gave a firm nod and a quiet, "Mhm," of understanding as Ji Hoon moved to check on Lior and Yuna's progress.
"Make sure you whisk continuously! Don't let it curdle!" Ji Hoon called out as he moved over to Lior and Yuna.
They had already begun working on the choux. Yuna was boiling the water, milk, and butter in a saucepan, while Lior stood ready with the measured flour.
When they saw Ji Hoon, Yuna spoke first.
"How is it? I added them like you asked."
"Good. Now turn off the heat, and Lior, add the flour in all at once," Ji Hoon instructed.
Yuna removed the saucepan from the stove as Lior dumped the flour in as directed.
"But are you sure this is how you make a dough? I've never seen such a method," Yuna said, a note of skepticism in her voice. "It's almost like a paste."
"Trust me, you're doing great," Ji Hoon reassured her. "Now, Lior, I need you to stir immediately and vigorously with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms."
As Lior followed the order, Ji Hoon turned to Yuna. "Bring some baking sheets and parchment paper." She moved quickly, and he headed to the oven, using his Inspect skill to set the temperature precisely.
When he returned, Lior had finished mixing. "Good. Now return the pan to medium heat. Keep stirring for about two to three minutes. This cooks the flour and dries the dough out. You'll know it's ready when a thin film forms on the bottom of the pan."
Just then, Yuna arrived with the sheets. "Here," she said.
Ji Hoon took them with a thanks. He grabbed a small cup and a pencil from his pocket, using the cup to trace neat circles onto the parchment.
"What are you doing?" Yuna asked, confused.
"I'm drawing guides so the puffs have enough space. If they're too close, they'll bake unevenly and stick together," he explained.
Her eyes held a flicker of suspicion for a moment before she nodded. "Come on, help me out," he said, and she grabbed another pencil, quickly tracing more circles alongside him.
As they finished, Ji Hoon turned the papers around to the clean sides, "Don't want to eat graphite, now do we." he joked.
Just then, Ansen called out to him. "It's ready!"
Ji Hoon inspected the custard and smiled. "Good work. Finish it by stirring in the butter until it's fully mixed, then pour the cream through a sieve into a clean bowl. Make sure to cover it with wrap and chill it in the Frost Box."
While Ansen got to work, Ji Hoon returned to Lior and Yuna. The dough had cooled slightly, and Yuna held a bowl of eggs. Ji Hoon moved between them, feeling a familiar tension—it was just like being a head chef in his past life, orchestrating a busy kitchen.
"Perfect, Lior. Now, Yuna, I want you to drop the eggs into the dough one at a time. Lior, you keep mixing fast. Yuna, make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. The dough might look slippery and broken at first, but it will become smooth, thick, and glossy. That's how you'll know it's ready."
"Sure," they said in unison.
Seeing that everyone was focused, he finally turned to his own task. He pulled out a heavy pan and held the jar of Sea Sugar. He looked at the glowing crystals, a smile forming at his lips.
"Looks like I'll finally get to use you," he murmured to the shiny otherworldly ingredient. "Let's find out what you're made off."
He was finally going to use the Sea Sugar.
*
*
*
*
*
*
A/N: For those of you who got confused at Ji Hoon's reaction to Yuna's name and to her, then I suggest you read the prologues.