“You asked for one year. I gave you one year. One year ago.”

“I know but—”

“How many subscribers do you have on your YouTube channel?”

“About fifty?”

“Don’t try to round it up to make it sound better. Don’t think I haven’t checked. You have forty-eight subscribers as of 9.03 a.m. today.”

“Yes, but—”

“That’s only four new subscribers a month.”

“But if I have more time—”

“How much money have you made from your YouTube channel?”

“I made some . . .”

“Has it been enough to pay for food and the internet?”

“No, but—”

“Have you made enough to pay for rent?”

“No, but—”

“Didn’t you ask your mother for money to buy another pair of torn jeans last week?”

“I—”

“What a waste of money. Torn jeans!”

“It’s sw—”

“And weren’t you begging your little sister to give you some of her lunch money just two days ago?”

“I—”

“Taeyeon, you’re my dearest daughter and I love you very much but I cannot let you go on like this.”

Taeyeon fell to her knees, clasped her hands and gazed at her father with her most mournful eyes. “Please, give me another year. I’ll make it. I know I will.”

“You’ll report to work on Monday.”

Her head fell and hung like a heavy melon on a bush. “Daddy . . .”

“Our culinary school business has been on the down lately. If you can improve the business in six months, I’ll let you continue your dream of becoming a YouTuber.”

Her head bounced up with renewed hope. “Really?”

Taeyeon’s father nodded. “Bring in more students and increase our profits. If you can get it done in six months, I’ll believe you have the business acumen to make a successful YouTube channel.”

Taeyeon sprang back onto her feet, eyes shining with hope, and stuck her pinkie out. “Promise?”

Her father chuckled and locked his pinkie with hers. “Promise.”

omo

“Good afternoon, Miss Sooyoung. My name is Tiffany.”

“Good afternoon, Tiffany. Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Miss Sooyoung.”

“Let’s get started. Tell me why you want to be a chef.”

“Oh, that’s simple.” Tiffany smiled widely. “I love good food.”

“What’s your aspiration as a chef?”

“I’m going to take over the world! One omelette at a time.”

Sooyoung sighed and shook her head. “Tiffany, Tiffany, you can’t just go around saying things like that in an interview. You gotta tame it a little.”

Tiffany frowned. “But it’s the truth.”

“The truth doesn’t get you enrolled into the schools you want, Tiffany. Just look at me. Do you think I got into the best film school by telling them the truth?”

Tiffany stared at her friend’s big, round, bright eyes and gasped. “You lied to them?”

“No, I didn’t,” her friend clicked her tongue in exasperation, “it’s not lying. It’s packaging.” She flipped her hair and flashed a confident grin. “It’s all about that first impression. You can’t appear too lofty in your ambitions. It has to be something really tangible. Tell them you aim to be the best student in the school and become a Michelin star chef after you graduate or something.”

“Ah . . .” Tiffany nodded as she took notes on her bright pink note pad with her neon pink fluffy pen and chewed her hot pink gum.

“One more thing.”

“Mmm?”

“You’re only allowed to bring one pink item with you to the interview.”

Tiffany’s jaw dropped. “Only one? But why?”

Sooyoung rubbed her temples and frowned. “The fact that you’re even asking this question . . .”

“Why can’t I bring all my pink stuff? I can’t choose. I love them all.”

Sooyoung slammed the table between them and leaned forward. “Do you want to get into the culinary school?”

“Yes!”

“Then do as I say. You’ll thank me later.”

Tiffany pouted and stared at her pink things. “Only one . . .”

omo

 Crap. It’s Monday. Why is it Monday? Why can’t it be Sunday again? Or Saturday? Why, why, why?

“Miss Taeyeon, we have arrived.”

Taeyeon flopped to the other side of the seat and sighed as she looked out the window. She had arrived. But she wished she were leaving instead. “Thanks, Ming,” she said, and hopped off the car. Just before entering the school’s main entrance, she stopped to adjust her snow-white shirt dress and khaki-brown trench coat. Patted the clip holding her hair neatly to the side.

This was it. Her first day at work. The first day of her 180-day challenge. Could she survive this ordeal? Would she ever be able to get back to vlogging and Youtube? One deep, reassuring breath later, Taeyeon reached for the handle of the glass door only to have it pushed out of reach by a gust of a human barrelling past her.

“Sorry!” the human barrel squeaked as she zoomed away.

All that was left hanging in the air was the sweetest scent Taeyeon had ever inhaled. Led by her nose, she drifted into the lobby but the trail was lost a few steps in. If only she had a dog’s sense of smell.

“Miss Taeyeon, you’re here.”

Taeyeon looked to her left where the voice came from. Standing a short distance from her was a tall woman in the smartest grey power suit she had ever seen. She was standing straighter than a pole and had a gaze of steel. Something told her that this woman should not be crossed. She hoped she would never get on her bad side.

“I’m Taeyeon? Yes, I’m Taeyeon.” What in the world am I saying?

“I am Miss Seo, the senior manager of this great culinary school. Please follow me. I will bring you to the office.”

“Wow, you didn’t have to . . .” Send someone less intimidating the next time, please.

Miss Seo smiled, but Taeyeon didn’t feel any less intimidated. “You are important to our wonderful school. It is only right that I personally welcome you on your first day. Now, please follow me quickly. We are about to be late and I will not allow that to happen. Punctuality is a virtue we must uphold.”

Taeyeon swallowed hard and followed Miss Seo into the office. From every corner of the office, people bowed as Miss Seo walked passed. It was as though she was the center of gravity, pulling everybody into toppling like dominoes. Just how scary was Miss Seo?

Miss Seo finally came to a stop outside two solid wooden doors but Taeyeon had been looking at the environment around her and didn’t notice until it was too late. The consequence was an embarrassing face plant into the back of Miss Seo’s impeccably ironed jacket which had Taeyeon apologizing profusely for.

“It’s alright, Miss Taeyeon. No harm done,” Miss Seo responded and added a little smile at the end which somehow looked more sinister than comforting. “Behind these doors is the interview room. You will join our interview session today to learn about our recruitment process.” She looked up and down Taeyeon for a moment. “Do you have something to take notes with?”

Taeyeon looked at her two empty hands and gave Miss Seo a sheepish grin.

“Here’s a notepad and a pen. Please bring your own tomorrow to take notes. You have a lot to learn.”

“Yes, Miss Seo,” Taeyeon replied, feeling very much like a student again and cringing at the thought of taking notes. That was definitely not one of her favourite things in school. She stepped into the room behind Miss Seo and sat in the chair she was instructed to, after a quick round of introductions.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s start the interviews,” Miss Seo said to the other two interviewers. They nodded and straightened their backs.

Taeyeon straightened her back too and tried to look as serious as she could. She looked with interest as the doors on the other side of the room opened. A familiar scent drifted in and she sniffed.

This smell, she knew this smell. But what or who or where?

“Good afternoon, everyone! I am Tiffany!”

Unlike lightning which is seen before thunder is heard, this candidate was heard before she could be seen. Taeyeon leaned to her right, curious to see what the voice would look like in person.

Long blonde hair.

Bright, sparkling eyes.

Beautiful pink lips.

And one big, huge, mega-happiness-itself smile.

Taeyeon couldn’t breathe for some reason. Did someone out all the oxygen in the room?

“Miss Taeyeon, are you alright?”

Taeyeon turned to Miss Seo who had left her seat in a hurry. “Huh?”

“You’re gasping and clutching your chest. Are you ill?”

“Ah,” Taeyeon lowered her hand and took slow breaths, “sorry about that. I’m not ill. Everything’s just fine.” She looked at the interviewee and their eyes met. “Holy macarons. Ten-eighty-p fine.”

“Are you really alright, Miss Taeyeon?”

Taeyeon coughed. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Alright. Back to the interview.”

omo

“Your culinary experience . . .” the interviewer, Mr Kim, trailed off as he flipped the pages of her application. “Did you submit it?”

Tiffany shook her head. “I didn’t.”

“Did you forget to include it? Do you have a copy with you right now?”

Tiffany shook her head again. “I don’t have a copy. But I didn’t forget to include it either.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“I don’t have any culinary experience.”

Miss Taeyeon choked on something and ended up in a coughing fit. Meanwhile, Miss Seo, Mr Kim and Mrs Lee stared at her like she was an alien they had never seen before.

“You don’t have any culinary experience?” Mrs Lee questions, a frown forming across her face.

“I don’t.”

“Do you cook often?” Miss Seo asked.

Tiffany shook her head yet again. “I’m too busy to cook often.”

“What made you apply for our culinary course then?” Mr Kim asked.

Tiffany smiled at him. “Because I can learn to cook many types of omelettes.”

“Omelettes?” Miss Seo asked. “Only omelettes?”

“I love omelettes. They’re my favourite. But not just omelettes. I want to learn to cook other dishes too.”

“I see.”

“Why omelettes?” Miss Taeyeon asked suddenly.

“Because I love eggs and butter.”

“Me too.”

“Really?”

Miss Taeyeon nodded, a smile transforming her previous stoniness into a youthful ray of sunshine. “I love butter. And eggs. And i—”

“Ice cream?”

“Holy macarons. Ice cream. Yes. So much yes.”

Tiffany grinned at the sheer delight spilling out of Miss Taeyeon’s shining eyes. “My favourite flavour is chocolate mint.”

The sharp sound of a throat clearing snapped them back to attention. Miss Seo put the application down and leaned forward on her elbows. “One final question for you, Miss Tiffany. If you join us and manage to graduate, you will be a chef. What is your aspiration after achieving that?”

Tell them you aim to be the best student in the school and become a Michelin star chef after you graduate or something.

Sooyoung’s advice played in Tiffany’s head. She could remember her friend’s words clearly but something stopped her from saying it. Instead, she let the words flow from within.

“I’m going to take over the world! One omelette at a time.”

Miss Taeyeon, Mr Kim and Mrs Lee choked and burst into a bout of awkward coughs while Miss Seo stared on with a frown.

“I see,” said Miss Seo, “Thank you for coming to the interview today. We will send you a reply in a few days.”

With a sinking heart, Tiffany stood and bowed, clutching her pastel pink clutch for comfort. Interviews that ended like this were never good news. “Thank you for your time.” I’m not getting in, am I? Maybe I should have listened to Sooyoung after all . . .

omo

“We have enough students to start a new year now.” Miss Seo stopped typing and looked around at them. “Do any of you want to recommend an applicant we haven’t accepted?”

The sunlight streaming in from behind makes Miss Seo look like an angel. An angel nobody should ever offend or they’ll suffer the wrath of her glare and—

“Miss Taeyeon?”

“Yes?” Taeyeon snapped back to attention. Miss Seo and the other two were staring at her, expecting her to reply. “Er . . .” What were they talking about?

“Is there any applicant you would like to recommend for the new class?”

“Me? Recommend?” Taeyeon waggled her hands and shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to ask me.”

“Why not?” Miss Seo countered. “Go ahead and recommend if there’s any. We’ll hear your justification.”

“Well, since you’re asking, how about Miss Tiffany?” Taeyeon suggested in a small voice.

“Miss Tiffany?” all three of them chorused, eyes wide in surprise.

Miss Seo looked especially shocked. “Why are you recommending her? She doesn’t have any experience and her aspiration isn’t realistic at all.”

“But what if she can do it?”

“We have a reputation to uphold,” said Mr Kim. “We don’t take such risks.”

“But enrolment has been falling, hasn’t it?” Taeyeon countered. “Beggers can’t be choosers.”

“Now look here, Miss Taeyeon,” said Mrs Lee. “You’ve got it wrong. We are one of the best culinary schools around. We aren’t the beggars. The applicants are the beggars.”

“But the class isn’t full. We can accept a few more.”

“That’s not how we work here, Miss Taeyeon,” Mr Kim objected.

“Do you really think she can graduate and become a great chef?” Miss Seo asked quietly, eyes piercing into hers.

Taeyeon swallowed the lump in . Do I really think so? I can’t be sure. But there’s something about her. She wants to take over the world one omelette at a time. Surely she’ll work hard for it? Or will she flunk out even if she tries?

“I think she can do it.”

“Alright. It’s decided then. Miss Tiffany will be Miss Taeyeon’s responsibility. She must ensure that Miss Tiffany graduates at the end of six months with a good grade. If Miss Tiffany fails and the school’s reputation is affected as a result, Miss Taeyeon will have to be fully responsible for the decision made today.” Miss Seo turned to Taeyeon, eyes as hard as rocks. “Are you willing to be held responsible?”

The ship had set sail. There was no turning back now. “Yes, I am.”

omo