Alpha Culinary Love

"No promises," Jiyeon whispered, grinning mischievously.

As they drifted into comfortable silence, Jiyeon couldn't help but think about what lay ahead. The pressure, the expectations, the insane mission… But sitting here, with Yura so close, made it all seem a little less terrifying.

She glanced down at Yura's peaceful expression, her cold CEO mask completely gone, and smiled to herself. Maybe she was in way over her head, but she had survived worse. And besides, if she could win over Yura the Queen of Icy Richness she could handle anything the world, or the Culinary System, threw her way.

"Three days," Jiyeon muttered under her breath. "Piece of cake."

Yura, half-asleep again, mumbled in response. "What was that?"

Jiyeon grinned. "Nothing. Just planning world domination. You know, the usual."

Yura chuckled softly. "Good. As long as you remember I'm in charge."

Jiyeon kissed the top of her head again, smiling to herself. "Yeah, yeah. You're always in charge."

But in her mind, Jiyeon could already hear the Culinary System snickering, waiting for her to stumble. She just hoped it would shut up long enough for her to enjoy this moment.

Because, really, Yura was the only thing keeping her sane.

The next morning, Jiyeon found herself standing in front of her restaurant,

Flavor of Seoul,

feeling more than a little overwhelmed. The Culinary System's mission was still ringing in her ears, and she had only three days to pull off what was arguably the biggest culinary event of her life.

Stepping inside, she was greeted by the usual clatter of pans, the sizzling sounds of food on the grill, and the delightful mix of aromas that filled the kitchen. Chef Kang, her right-hand man and resident grump, was in the middle of berating one of the junior chefs for slicing vegetables like he was trying to sabotage a Michelin star.

Jiyeon took a deep breath. This was her sanctuary, her battlefield, and also the place where she'd either succeed or fail spectacularly. And fail spectacularly was

not

an option.

"Yo, Kang!" Jiyeon called out, marching into the kitchen. She waved her hand to get his attention. "We've got a situation. And by situation, I mean I've committed us to an insane project, and we need to have a plan ready by the end of the day."

Kang turned around, his frown deepening as he wiped his hands on his apron. "Great. Another one of your

brilliant

ideas. You know I love it when you waltz in here, dump chaos on my lap, and then expect miracles."

Jiyeon grinned. "That's the spirit! Let's channel that sarcasm into something useful. I've secured a spot at The Rose Manor for a pop-up dinner in three days."

Chef Kang stared at her, blinking. "Three days? The Rose Manor? What the hell, Jiyeon? Are you trying to kill us all?"

"Yep, that's the plan," Jiyeon deadpanned, her grin widening. "But hey, at least we'll die in style, right?"

Kang groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're unbelievable. What's the menu?"

"That's what we're going to figure out today. I want something that fuses Korean and French cuisine, but I don't want it to be too predictable. We're feeding a bunch of rich snobs who've probably tasted everything under the sun, so we need to impress them."

Kang raised an eyebrow. "So you want us to make Korean-French fusion… that's not predictable. Right. No pressure."

Jiyeon clapped him on the back. "Exactly! You get me. Now, let's brainstorm. We need to come up with dishes that scream 'luxury' but also 'holy sh*t, I've never tasted anything like this before.'"

Kang rolled his eyes but gestured for the rest of the kitchen staff to gather around. "Alright, everyone, stop whatever half-assed thing you're doing and listen up. Jiyeon's decided to drag us into another one of her insane stunts, and we've got three days to come up with a menu that won't get us laughed out of the culinary world."

The team looked at Jiyeon with a mix of admiration and mild terror. They'd all been through enough of her wild ideas to know that when Jiyeon set her mind on something, it usually worked.

Usually.

"Okay, first course," Jiyeon began, pacing in front of her chefs. "I want something light, but also bold. Something that slaps people in the face with flavor."

"How about a foie gras with gochujang glaze?" one of the junior chefs suggested timidly. "It's French, but with a Korean twist."

Jiyeon wrinkled her nose. "Too predictable. Everyone does foie gras when they think 'luxury.' We need to start with something that knocks them on their fancy designer asses."

Kang smirked. "How about a jeon Korean savory pancake but make it bougie? I'm talking about using lobster instead of the usual seafood mix, and maybe throwing in some white truffle for that rich, snobby punch."

Jiyeon snapped her fingers. "Yes! Now we're talking. Lobster jeon with white truffle shavings and a dipping sauce made from aged balsamic and gochugaru. Fancy, but still has that Korean heart."

The junior chefs scribbled down notes as Jiyeon continued pacing. "Next, we need something cold but rich in flavor. Something creamy, but not heavy."

"How about a galbi tartare?" Kang suggested, eyes lighting up. "But we serve it with a sesame-oil infused cream? The tartare gives that raw, luxurious feel, and the sesame cream will bring that nutty depth."

Jiyeon stopped, grinning at him. "Kang, you beautiful bastard, you're onto something. Galbi tartare, yes. We'll use wagyu beef for extra bougieness. Mix in some pickled daikon and nashi pear for that crunch and sweetness, and pair it with a quenelle of sesame cream."

"God, these rich people are going to lose their damn minds," Kang muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Now, for the main course," Jiyeon continued, tapping her chin. "I want something hearty, something that makes them feel like they're eating royalty on a plate. But also, it has to have soul."

"How about a take on boeuf bourguignon, but with Korean flavors?" one of the sous chefs suggested. "We could braise short ribs in a sauce made with doenjang, red wine, and black garlic."

Jiyeon's eyes lit up. "Oh hell yes. Short ribs braised in doenjang and red wine throw in some shiitake mushrooms and roasted chestnuts for texture. We'll serve it with a creamy potato puree, but we infuse the potatoes with gim seaweed to give them that ocean-y depth."

Kang nodded in approval. "Now that's rich and soulful. You're going to make these people feel like they're eating a meal from the gods."

Jiyeon beamed. "Exactly. Now, dessert. I want something that's a showstopper, but not the usual chocolate nonsense. I'm thinking we play with textures and unexpected flavors."

"What if we did a matcha crème brûlée?" a pastry chef piped up. "But we add a layer of yuja Korean citron jelly on top? So when they crack the brûlée, they get this burst of citrus."

Jiyeon looked at the chef as if he'd just unlocked the secrets of the universe. "That's genius. Matcha crème brûlée with yuja jelly. It's rich, it's creamy, but that citrus will cut through the sweetness and give them something they won't expect."

"And we can serve it with a side of twisted churros, but dipped in soy caramel," Kang added, his grin widening. "You know, for that 'I'm fancy but still want a churro' crowd."

Jiyeon burst out laughing. "Kang, you're a madman. And I love it. Churros with soy caramel. It's ridiculous, but it's perfect."

The team was frantically writing down the menu as Jiyeon continued to pace, adrenaline pumping through her veins. "Alright, so we've got lobster jeon with white truffle, wagyu galbi tartare with sesame cream, short ribs braised in doenjang and red wine, and matcha crème brûlée with yuja jelly and churros. This is the kind of menu that'll make them weep. We're gonna crush this."

Kang folded his arms, smirking. "You're insane. You know that, right?"

"Maybe," Jiyeon admitted, grinning back. "But that's why you love working with me."

Kang rolled his eyes. "I don't know if 'love' is the right word. More like 'I tolerate your ridiculous ideas because they somehow work.'"

Jiyeon clapped her hands. "Same thing. Now, we need to start prepping. I want every detail of this perfect. No half-assed efforts. We're serving the top one percent here, and I refuse to let them look down on us."

Kang raised a brow. "No pressure, then."

"Exactly," Jiyeon said with a grin. "Just another day in the life. Now, let's get to work. We've got rich people to impress, and only three days to do it."

As the kitchen exploded into organized chaos, Jiyeon felt a surge of excitement and determination. The Culinary System might have thrown her into the deep end, but this was where she thrived.

With Kang by her side and her team ready to tackle anything, Jiyeon knew they had a fighting chance to pull off the impossible. They'd create a menu that would make these high-society snobs question everything they knew about food.

And if they couldn't?

Well, at least they'd go down swinging.