The Seoul Artisan Baking Competition was held in a massive, glittering exhibition hall—a setting perfectly suited for a dramatic, low-stakes plot twist. Jungkook, disguised in a bespoke suit and sunglasses that screamed "reclusive billionaire," took up his position near the preparation area. He looked impossibly calm, leaning against a velvet rope. "Plot confirmed. Waiting for the trigger," he murmured into a discreet microphone.
YMS and YMB, dressed in identical chef whites, worked side-by-side, an unnerving mirror image of focused efficiency. YMB, the true baker, handled the delicate ingredients with practiced ease. YMS, the strategist, managed the logistics, directing the movements of their small, vetted security team.
"The book said the poison was a tasteless, odorless compound mixed into the final layer of frosting," YMS reminded her counterpart, checking the clock. "The incident occurs when the cake is left unattended during the final ten minutes before judging. Stay focused, Minji. This is where the old script wants to reassert itself."
"The final ten minutes," YMB repeated, her eyes scanning the judges' table and the surrounding onlookers. "It's about the humiliation, not the death. They want a public collapse. They want the baker ruined, not killed. We won't give them either."
YMS adjusted the mic hidden in her cuff. "Jungkook, give us a five-minute warning for the target's approach. We need the swap to be seamless."
"Understood. He's taking a water break now. Moving into position," Jungkook's voice came back, crisp and low.
As the countdown reached fifteen minutes, YMB artfully placed the main cake—a magnificent, three-tiered creation—on the cooling rack. Then, with a casual sleight of hand that would have impressed Tae-Hyun, she quickly swapped it with the pre-made decoy cake, which looked identical.
YMB looked at the decoy. "The blue dye is primed. Heat reactive and spectacular. We are trading tragedy for farce."
"A beautiful trade," YMS agreed, giving a minute, almost invisible signal to their security team to look slightly away.
YMS watched the crowd. A minor staff member, a person YMS recognized as a peripheral character from Chapter 10—a jealous rival baker named Min-Jun—casually approached the cooling rack. Min-Jun reached out, feigning interest, and discreetly brushed a tiny packet of powder onto the decoy's frosting.
Jungkook, watching from his vantage point, gave a subtle nod. The plot had executed its move. "Bait taken. He looks smug. Time to reel him in."
"He took the bait," YMS whispered to YMB. "The plot is satisfied. The sabotage has occurred, but on the wrong target."
"Now, we change the genre," YMB replied, a wicked smile on her face.
YMB then loudly announced to the nearby judges, "I just need to apply the final, specialized glaze! Five minutes!" She quickly retrieved the cake, now carrying the blue dye and the plot's sabotage powder. She winked at YMS. "Ready for the show?"
"Ready to break the fourth wall, Minji," YMS replied.
Min-Jun, the saboteur, looked smugly satisfied, already anticipating the grand, silent failure.
The moment the cake was presented to the lead judge, YMS subtly activated a small, concealed thermal emitter near the base of the cake stand. The heat rapidly warmed the unstable food dye beneath the poisoned frosting.
As the judge raised the silver knife for the ceremonial first cut, the center of the cake suddenly erupted in a dramatic, foaming mess of vibrant, bubbling blue foam, splattering harmlessly onto the tablecloth.
The crowd gasped. Min-Jun's face went white. He clutched his hands, realizing something was terribly wrong with his expectations.
The judge, initially startled, then recovered with professional curiosity. "My goodness! An unexpected, perhaps artistic, chemical reaction! Fascinating!" He looked at YMB. "Chef, was this... intentional? A commentary on the ephemeral nature of confectionery art?"
YMB bowed low, hiding her laughter. "It was... an experimental glaze, Your Honor. Highly sensitive to presentation stress."
The public humiliation went not to YMB, but to the cake itself, which was simply deemed an artistic failure, not a poisoned crime scene. The plot was fulfilled by the collapse, but the tragic element—the destruction of YMB's career—was neutralized.
Later that evening, after the decoy was safely disposed of, YMS and YMB toasted their victory with the true, untouched cake.
"The writer wrote sabotage; we wrote slapstick," YMS said, taking a bite of the perfect frosting. "We fulfilled the requirement for 'dramatic public failure' but redefined the meaning of failure itself."
"And the villain goes unpunished, but receives the cosmic joke," YMB added, chewing thoughtfully. "It's better than jail time. He has to live with the confusion."
"The best ending," YMB agreed, "is often the one with the best taste. The universe can throw its plot twists, but it can't beat two Minjis working together."
YMS raised her glass of champagne. "To the duo. To changing the narrative."