Food was one of the most unbelievable and ridiculous of reasons to break up with someone. But it happened anyway.

Dahyun told Jihyo about what happened yesterday, starting right after Nayeon and Jennie came in to the Ding Dong Diner and had ‘fun’ with her special Fried Tofu and Bad Decisions dish. For the entire day she’d been preoccupied with the pot of suspicious bubbling brown broth, stirring it with the utmost care and precision. That both Henry and Fei, her assistant cooks, were steering clear of the pot should have been enough of a red flag for Dahyun, but all she could think about was Momo, her divine body, and the beautiful grin on her face when she finally tasted Dahyun’s jokbal.

Real jokbal, not whatever food Momo ended up calling Dahyun’s lady parts whenever they danced to Versace on the Floor.

erts.

“Just a little bit more and it’ll be done~ Just you wait, Momo-unnie. One taste of Dahyun’s jokbal and it’ll knock your socks off!”

To those not familiar with Dahyun, she’d look like a witch hunched over a cauldron, cackling while stirring whatever malevolent concoction was in it. To those who did know Dahyun… well, it was pretty much the same thing. How she was able to head Jihyo’s second TWICE initiative was an enigma to most, since the pale-skinned girl had zero talent in cooking. If not for her assistant chefs, the Ding Dong Diner would’ve died a long time ago. Jihyo didn’t actually want to give Dahyun the post for glaringly obvious reasons.

Why did she do it then?

“Here, Momo-unnie~ I’ll keep pouring all my love into this dish. So much that you’ll have no choice but to fall in love with me more~ Hehehehehehehe...”

The soft, creepy murmuring was right; Jihyo accepted Dahyun for the position because of love. The older woman believed (or at least, tried her hardest to) that Dahyun’s passion for Momo and Momo’s food obsession would carry the Ding Dong Diner through. And to everyone’s surprise, it did. In the kitchen, Dahyun was Walt Disney; she didn’t touch any utensil or appliance, but instead came up with the strangest ideas for recipes, and her two assistants would work tirelessly to bring them to life as much as they could.

What could possibly come out of it?

“Hey there, Dahyunnie!” called someone from the counter. A good-looking guy was there, dragging along someone who looked like he’d rather be in a gulag than wherever they were. “Jackson here is a newcomer to the diner and I wanted to show him how things worked around here.”

Dahyun looked and waved a hand at the two guys. “Welcome to the Ding Dong Diner, Wooyoung-oppa and Jackson-oppa! Have a seat and I’ll get you something to eat.”

As the girl went into the kitchen, Jackson shot Wooyoung a raised eyebrow. “So how do we order food? There’s no menu, no boards, no nothing. We just sit here and wait?”

“Exactly. It’s gonna be fun,” Wooyoung said with a grin. “You’ll see what I mean.”

Completely skeptical about the entire things, Jackson sighed and settled into his chair, waiting for his fate. After ten minutes or so, Dahyun came out with two steaming plates. She placed it before the two guys and cheerfully said, “Two orders of Garbage Plates, served hot and fresh! Enjoy~”

Wooyoung was his lips and rubbing his hands in anticipation. Jackson was staring at the plate with clear disgust. It looked like someone took macaroni, minced meat, and leftover potatoes from the fridge, threw it all in a plate, and called it a day. The red sauce slathered haphazardly across all of it seemed like a lazy afterthought. Scoffing, Jackson turned to complain to Wooyoung, only to find the guy already wolfing down the dish as if he hadn’t eaten for years and the Garbage Plate was the food of the gods.

“The hell?” he muttered, turning back to his dish, still steaming and still a mess. He admitted that it smelled appetizing, so there was that. Maybe he could give it a try, just so he could complain about it later. He took a spoonful of macaroni, meat, and potatoes, with a bit of the red sauce, and stuffed it in his mouth.

Imagine that scene in the Lion King where the monkey lifted up the young cub into the air, and all the animals of the savannah bowed and paid homage to their prince, while the background music was rising to a . Eating the Garbage Plate felt like that, and Jackson was hooked from the first bite. In no time at all both he and Wooyoung finished their plates, right down to the last bit of potato.

“Did you enjoy it?” Dahyun asked, looking up from her pot with the bubbling brown broth.

Both of them could only nod, the deliciousness of the meal still lingering in their mouths.

“Good! Thanks for coming to the Diner. Hope to see you again.”

And that was how things worked around there. You went in, you sat down, and Dahyun would choose your meal for the day. That was the main appeal of Dahyun’s Ding Dong Diner— ‘you’ll never know what you’ll have until you come.’ And Dahyun insisted on keeping the motto despite numerous comments about how easily it could be mistaken for innuendo.

erts.

All of it — the surprisingly, delicious, strange food, the ordering system, and the motto/innuendo — was to make Momo come back again and again to eat more and more and to love Dahyun deeper and deeper. 

So what happened? Where did it all go wrong? Well, it started when Dahyun finally drained out the trotters she’d been stewing in the pot. It was… well, there was no easy way to say it.

“Did something die in here?” Fei said, sniffing the air and making a face. Her sharp eyes immediately trained on the plate Dahyun was holding. She looked at it as if it had offended her, her family, and her entire ancestry. Dishonor. So much dishonor.

“What did I tell you about trying to cook, Dahyun?” the older cook, Henry, gently reminded, medical mask already equipped. “Your unnie and I already told you that we’ll handle all of the cooking, yeah?”

“Heyyy, it’s not that bad!” Dahyun said, trying to keep her face from betraying her reaction to the smell. “I’m making this for Momo-unnie. She loves jokbal like she wants to marry it, so I thought I should make some for her.”

“Yes, well, making jokbal is good and all but I’m afraid she might… misunderstand your intentions,” Henry tried to explain.

“She might think you’re trying to poison her,” Fei explained.

Dahyun harrumphed. Ignoring their warnings, she went on with preparing the jokbal. “Everything’s gonna be alright. I poured so much of my love into this that it’ll end up delicious.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of ’too much love will kill you?’” Fei said, brows furrowed like she was physically hurt by what Dahyun was making.

“Yes, perhaps you can have us make the jokbal for you? You can say you made it, and no one will have to die— I mean, everyone will be happy,” Henry said, scratching the back of his head.

“It won’t matter if I don’t make it myself,” Dahyun said, smiling gently at the two of them. “Besides, I don’t want to keep depending on you two for everything. I gotta learn how to stand on my own two feet!”

“Um, well,” Henry hesitated. “Before standing you might want to consider…”

“Crawling, first,” Fei finished.

“Awww, you guys are mean,” Dahyun pouted. “Just you wait. I’ll come back later a triumphant woman with a Tupperware happily emptied by the woman she loves!”

“And this is how it ends. Murdered by food. I almost feel sorry for both of them,” Fei sighed, before heading back into the kitchen.

“Please reconsider, Dahyun,” Henry pleaded one last time.

“I’ll be alright, Henry-oppa. Thanks for always looking out for me,” Dahyun flashed her confident grin.

Henry simply shook his head, then returned to the kitchen. There, Fei was waiting with arms folded and a morbid smile on her lips. “So. That went well. We failed to convince her not to murder anyone.”

“You know how she is,” Henry said, going over the dishes he was preparing. “She’s… challenged, but she’s in love. Love makes you do… unexpected things.”

“You mean she’s just plain crazy if she thinks her hot piece will like that true-to-life garbage plate,” Fei scoffed.

“At least she’s trying. And if it weren't for her ‘crazy’ ideas this place wouldn’t be as popular as it is. Besides, you have to admit, making her recipes is both fun and challenging. Without her inspirations we couldn’t have made this place the success it is.”

“Yeah, I do love doing the impossible.”

Fei bit her lip in contemplation. “So how are we going to help the boss not screw up and get charged for homicide?”

“Already ahead of you, Fei,” Henry grinned, moving to reveal a pot with clear, fragrant broth and pig trotters boiling inside. “How good are you at sleight of hand?”

Without a word Fei took the nearest knife and twirled it between her fingers. She threw it in the air, caught it with her other hand, and jammed the edge straight into her cutting board. “I think I’m decent,” Fei smirked.

“Great! With our help, I’m sure things will go well for them,” Henry smiled, feeling happy that he could do something good for Dahyun and her girlfriend.

Spoiler alert. Things did not go well for them.

Dahyun hopped, skipped, and jumped her way to the JYP Dance Studio, home of the Ballet Club and the Street Dance Crew, with a Tupperware of Dahyun’s Love-Filled Jokbal. She remembered the first day she went there, when she first met the greatest dancer she’d ever seen. When she first fell in love. Each step was an echo of when she was still a bespectacled girl afraid to go out of her shell. Carrying a large backpack, Dahyun looked like a turtle the first time she went through the Studio’s sliding glass doors.

She knew the place like the back of her hand, humming as she made her way around turns and corners and into Dance Hall #3. The bass pumped into her bones, and the warbling electronic music beckoned. Up, down. Swing left. Arms up. Pop it, lock it. Fly. Dahyun remembered a time when that kind of music was too loud for her, too crass, too… naughty. But then she opened those doors and her world changed forever.

There she was, wearing nothing but a bright green sports bra and black leggings, suspended in a pose that exuded confidence, the kind that made Dahyun feel hot all over. Sweat ran down the sides of her face, tracing a perfect line across her perfect Jaw. Sweat glistened on toned arms, all tight muscle and sensual grace. Sweat trickled across a set of abs as sinful as chocolate and as smooth as marble. 

The music held, waiting for it to come crashing down. Dahyun held her breath, afraid to disturb this scene of divinity. She wanted the moment to last longer and longer, so she could burn the image into her memory, alongside countless others that set her entire body aflame.

And then the bass dropped.

At once the still goddess exploded into a flurry of motion. Each movement flowed into one another, like the rapids crashing into boulders and making music all the same. Every turn and snap of her body looked natural and effortless, as if she came into this world with melody in her blood and rhythm in her bones. One moment it was all sharp moves, the next it was languid waves oozing lusciousness. Through it all Dahyun stood and watched, a statue caught by the bright gaze of Medusa. She was literally drooling, but she was too absorbed into the performance of a lifetime to notice it.

After what seemed like an eternity the music stopped too soon. The dancer exhaled, bending down to grab a bottle of soda from the floor and giving Dahyun a perfect view of tight valleys and tighter legs. She opened the bottle and took large gulps, and each movement of Momo's throat had Dahyun gulping herself. Only when she placed the bottle back on the floor did she finally notice the girl standing at the door to Dance Hall # 3.

And Hirai Momo broke into a smile that shone like an innocent maiden.

How can she be so hot and so cute all at the same time?

Dahyun smiled back, then remembered to wipe away the drool from the corner of . She had little time to react when Momo rushed at her with a hug. She didn’t mind that Momo was sweaty and smelt of hardwork; she was too intoxicated by Momo’s closeness and a scent that was salty and peachy and mouth-watering.

“Dahyunnie~” Momo greeted, kissing the girl full on the lips. When she pulled away, she dragged the tip of her tongue across the her upper lip, causing the younger girl to gulp. “Did you like my performance?”

“Uhhhhh…”

“I’m glad you did,” Momo kissed her again before noticing the Tupperware in Dahyun’s hands. “Is that for me?”

“Uhhhhh…” Dahyun handed her the Tupperware, still in a daze. Momo lit up the moment she saw the pig trotters inside.

“Jokbal! Awww, you shouldn’t have~ I love you so much, Dahyunnie!” Momo kissed her a third time. She took the Tupperware from dazed Dahyun and wasted no time picking through the appetizing snack. The moment she bit into the meat the savory juices filled and made her squirm in delight. “This is really good jokbal, Dahyunnie! Maybe even the best I’ve had!”

Dahyun finally snapped out of her daze from the praise. She grinned widely, puffing out her chest in pride. “Of course! I worked hard on that all day. I made it with as much love as I can give it.”

Momo laughed. “Oh come on. We both know you’re not the best in cooking. No need to be embarrassed that you bought this from some restaurant. I'll still love you no matter what! Hey, maybe we can go there next time on a date!”

In the deep silence that followed one could hear a pin drop, a fly whisper, and Dahyun’s heart crack into several pieces.

“…I did make that jokbal on my own,” Dahyun whispered, her eyes filling up with tears. “I made it especially for you. I spent the entire day slaving over a boiling pot just to make sure that you’ll love it. And that’s what you have to say about it?”

Momo immediately regretted her words. “I mean… well… you’re not that much of a good cook. I guess I was just surprised that this jokbal turned out delicious and alright. I’m sorry, Dahyunnie.”

“Surprised? Surprised?” Dahyun’s sadness blazed into anger. “If you haven’t noticed I am Head Cook of the Ding Dong Diner. I turned that place into an outstanding success! The people go there and fall in love with my food!”

Later on, Momo would deeply regret what happened next. The mixture of fatigue, hunger, and heat created a mirror that reflected Dahyun’s anger and magnified it. “Excuse me? You don’t cook the food, Dahyun. As far as I know, those two assistants of yours are the ones doing all the cooking. Maybe you should step down and let them handle the Diner on their own, give them a chance to shine on their own.”

“Excuse me! Y-You don’t even know how to eat food properly! You just swallow it all down like a vacuum cleaner, without chewing! You wouldn’t know taste if it hit you in the face!”

“Yah! That’s a little uncalled for! I love food, okay? I don’t just eat anything. I have my standards.”

“Pfft. Yeah right. I’ve seen you eat. You look like a pig. Oink oink.”

“…Did you just call me a pig?”

“Yeah I did, pig. What are you gonna do about it?”

Momo stepped close to Dahyun, smile wiped away and replaced with seething anger. “You know why people call you dubu? It’s not because of your skin. It’s because you're tasteless and bland, and you go bad very quickly.”

“Alright, that’s it,” Dahyun matched Momo’s expression with her own glare. “If that’s how you treat someone who’s given all her time to make you happy, then I don’t want any of it. I’m through. I’m done.”

“Wait, what—“

"I’m breaking up with you, Momo.”

Like ocean waves crashing all over her, Momo woke up and heard the words she never wanted to come out of Dahyun’s mouth. “W-Wait, that’s not what I—“

“I don’t wanna hear it. Goodbye, Momo. See you around. Or never.”

Dahyun turned heel and walked out of Dance Hall # 3, out of the Dance Studio, and out of Momo’s life. The older girl was left stunned before the glass doors, stammering over words of apology that her girlfriend— ex-girlfriend would not hear. And tears fell from both their eyes, the sudden weight of broken bonds crushing their hearts into dust.

To think that it all started with jokbal, and ended with misunderstandings.

Jihyo listened to the story in silence. Dahyun had long stopped crying, only sniffling here and there, dabbing at her eyes with Jihyo’s pink handkerchief. At least she knew more detail about the events that led to the break-up. But if you asked her if she understood why it happened, she only had one answer for you.

…All this because of jokbal?