"Alright, my brave little flavor soldiers," MC Donnie declared, pacing in front of the long tasting table, "it's time for the Blindfold Gauntlet!"
The guests cheered—or in Rico's case, groaned dramatically.
Assistants approached each of them with silk blindfolds. Aster tied his on smoothly, tightening the knot behind his head. The darkness wrapped around him, and his other senses sharpened.
"You ready for this?" Minji whispered from the side.
"I survived acting school cafeteria food," Aster murmured back. "I'll be fine."
The studio laughed at the mics catching his deadpan tone.
"First mystery bite coming in three... two... one—open up!"
Aster felt a spoon at his lips. He accepted the bite.
It was sweet. But also... smoky? He chewed slowly. Something sticky. Some kind of cheese?
"...Is this grilled pineapple with blue cheese?" he asked.
A pause. Then applause.
"Correct!" shouted the host. "This man's tongue is legally a national treasure!"
Minji choked on her own bite. "Why is mine... crunchy and... bitter?"
"That's deep-fried bitter melon with chocolate sauce," a producer stage-whispered.
She screamed.
Next came rice soaked in coffee, durian sushi, and mint jelly served on garlic toast. Chef Bong swore three times in a row and got bleeped. Rico spit one out into a napkin and wept. Minji got a stomachache from laughing too hard.
Aster, surprisingly, held up well. His guesses were uncannily accurate.
When they removed the blindfolds after the final round, his calm expression contrasted starkly with the chaos around him.
Chef Bong blinked at him. "You sure you're an actor? You got chef senses."
"I grew up cooking with whatever we had," Aster said with a shrug.
He didn't say it was out of necessity, not passion. Not here. But the honesty in his tone made the audience quiet for a beat.
Then MC Donnie clapped. "Well, you'll need all that skill for our final round—Cursed Kitchen Showdown!"
The contestants now stood in a mock kitchen set. Four counters. Four sets of mystery boxes. Four very concerned-looking guests.
"Here's the challenge!" the host declared. "Each team will receive four random ingredients and create a dish to be judged by our food blogger extraordinaire, Madame Munchie."
A glamorous woman in sunglasses and pearls, Madame Munchie waved regally from the judging table.
Minji tugged on Aster's sleeve. "We're a team again, right?"
"Let's survive together," he replied.
They opened their box.
Tuna. Marshmallows. Instant noodles. Papaya.
"God hates us," Minji whispered.
"Not necessarily," Aster mused, scanning the mini fridge. "Hand me the sesame oil."
Meanwhile, Chef Bong and Rico had received: liver, peanut butter, crackers, and cheese whiz.
"...I could make this work," Chef Bong said grimly.
"I'm just here for the jokes," Rico added, already eating the crackers.
The next twenty minutes was a blur of chaotic cooking.
Aster moved fast, lips pursed, handling pans like a professional. He stir-fried the tuna with a sweet soy glaze, crushed the noodles to form a crispy coating, and cut the papaya into thin sheets like sushi wrap. The marshmallows? Toasted and skewered. A dessert side.
Minji watched him in awe.
"How do you know what you're doing?"
"I used to pretend I was on a cooking show when I was a kid," he admitted. "It made food feel less... scarce."
She blinked. "You're surprisingly deep for a man making tuna papaya sushi."
"Gotta keep things interesting."
On the other side of the set, Rico accidentally set something on fire. Chef Bong swore again. A prop fire extinguisher was used for dramatic effect. The audience howled.
Judging
Madame Munchie took small, elegant bites from each dish.
From Rico and Chef Bong's plate: "What in the name of street food nightmares is this?" The dish might work if the food were not burned.
From Minji and Aster's plate: "Mmm..."
She looked up.
"This is ridiculous. Tuna and papaya shouldn't work. Neither should marshmallows with sesame oil. And yet—here I am. Wanting more."
Minji clapped her hands in delight. Aster offered a cool smile and nod.
MC Donnie announced the winners with drum rolls from the audience.
"And our cursed kitchen kings and queens are—Aster and Minji!"
The crowd cheered as confetti rained down.
Aster raised his brow as a tiny golden frying pan trophy was placed in his hands.
Chef Bong shook his head giving Rico a bad look. "A chef couldn't even cook with a pig teammate."
Rico just smiled crookedly and rub his neck in guilt.
Minji giggled. "You should act in a cooking drama."
"Maybe after this," he replied, wiping mock sweat from his brow.
Jace met him at the edge of the set with a proud nod. "You just made three fan edits in real time."
Aster sighed. "And probably another meme."