The night stretched on, filled with whispers, kisses, and the quiet hum of their love. Time seemed to stop as they gave themselves fully to each other, their pheromones mixing and mingling until it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began.
Jiyeon stirred, her body pleasantly aching from the previous night's intimacy. She blinked her eyes open, only to find Yura already awake, lying beside her with a satisfied smirk plastered on her face.
"Good morning, lazybones," Yura teased, her hand tracing lazy circles on Jiyeon's bare shoulder.
Jiyeon groaned, burying her face into the pillow. "Ugh... too early for your smug face," she mumbled, though her words carried no real bite. The warmth of Yura beside her was too comforting.
"You're the one who wore me out last night," Yura smirked, her voice still husky from sleep. "And now you're complaining about being tired?"
Jiyeon peeked from the pillow, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, so it's my fault now? I don't remember hearing you complain, Ms. Tyrant."
Yura let out a low chuckle. "No complaints here," she replied smugly, brushing a strand of Jiyeon's hair away from her face. "But you do have that pop-up dinner tomorrow. Shouldn't you be planning or something?"
Jiyeon groaned again, finally sitting up in bed, stretching her arms above her head. "Don't remind me... I still need to finalize the damn guest list. That thing is more of a headache than the dinner itself."
"You mean the dinner at The Rose Manor?" Yura quirked an eyebrow. "You only have, what, two days left? And you haven't sorted out the invites?"
Jiyeon ran a hand through her messy hair. "Yeah, I know. The list we came up with at the restaurant wasn't clear, and I have no idea why we thought adding half of the city's elites would be a good idea. I need to trim it down, fast."
Yura leaned back against the pillows, folding her arms. "Why didn't you ask me for help earlier? I could've handled this whole thing in a day."
"Because I didn't want to hear your smug comments about how you 'single-handedly saved my dinner.'" Jiyeon shot her a playful glare.
"Please." Yura scoffed, sitting up. "That's exactly what's going to happen now. But if you ask nicely, I might let you take some of the credit."
Jiyeon threw a pillow at her face, which Yura dodged effortlessly, still smirking. "You're insufferable."
"And you love it," Yura shot back, her grin widening.
Despite her annoyance, Jiyeon couldn't help but smile. "Fine, I need your help. Happy?"
"Ecstatic," Yura replied smugly. "Come on, let's get downstairs and deal with this before you embarrass yourself in front of the city's elites."
They moved from the bedroom to Yura's home office, which was far too fancy for Jiyeon's taste but suited Yura's CEO persona perfectly. Jiyeon sat across from her at the massive mahogany desk while Yura opened her sleek tablet, ready to tear apart the mess of a guest list.
"Alright," Yura said, scrolling through the digital document. "Let's start with the basics. You want people with influence, money, and a love for high-end food. So, first up—President Choi from Choi Industries."
Jiyeon pulled a face. "Isn't he that guy who talks about his yachts at every dinner party?"
Yura nodded, unfazed. "Yep. Stiff as a board, but his wife's obsessed with gourmet cuisine. They're in."
Jiyeon grimaced. "Do I really have to invite him?"
"Unless you want your dinner to feel like a children's birthday party instead of a five-star event, yes," Yura said, barely hiding her amusement. "Besides, he's rich, boring, and his presence will make the other guests feel more important."
"Great," Jiyeon muttered sarcastically. "Can't wait to listen to him talk about tax loopholes while I'm serving foie gras."
"Don't worry," Yura quipped. "I'll sit next to him and pretend to care. You just focus on not burning the food."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jiyeon shot back, rolling her eyes.
Yura scrolled down further. "Next Oh Seung-hyun, CEO of Epsilon Tech. This guy loves to invest in high-end dining ventures, so he's perfect for you."
"An investor? That could be useful." Jiyeon rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "But does he have any personality, or is he just another rich robot?"
Yura grinned. "Actually, Seung-hyun's a bit eccentric. He once paid for a private dinner with a llama just because he was curious how it'd react to truffle oil."
Jiyeon blinked. "A llama?"
"Yep."
"...Okay, he's in," Jiyeon said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Anyone that weird is fine by me."
Yura continued down the list, her fingers flying over the tablet. "Now, the Kim sisters. They're the queens of the social scene. If they come, your dinner will be all over every tabloid."
Jiyeon groaned. "Do I really want that kind of attention? They seem like the type who'd spend the whole night taking selfies."
Yura smirked. "They probably will. But that's exactly the kind of attention you need. You want people talking about your dinner, not just tasting the food."
"Ugh, fine. But if they start making duck faces while I'm serving dessert, I'm kicking them out."
"I'd pay good money to see that," Yura teased, scrolling again. "Next—Chairman Lee from the Lee Group. He's notoriously difficult to impress."
Jiyeon scowled. "I hate him already."
Yura chuckled. "If you win him over, though, it'll open a lot of doors."
"Fine, but if he complains about anything, I'm sending him into the kitchen to cook it himself."
"That would be a sight," Yura smirked, adding his name to the list. "Moving on—Minister Park. He's a bit of a kiss-ass, but he's good at networking."
"Networking's overrated," Jiyeon muttered.
"Maybe, but you're the one throwing a dinner at The Rose Manor. You're already swimming with sharks. Might as well invite one more," Yura said, shrugging.
Jiyeon sighed. "Whatever. If he tries to 'network' during the meal, I'm sending him into the garden to 'network' with the flowers."
Yura laughed. "I'll make sure to warn him."
After an hour of back-and-forth, the guest list was finally complete. Jiyeon slouched in her chair, exhausted but relieved. "That was way harder than it should've been."
Yura leaned back, arms crossed, looking smug. "You're welcome."
"Don't start with me," Jiyeon warned, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. "Thanks for your help, really."
Yura's expression softened. "You'd have figured it out eventually, but I couldn't resist watching you squirm a little."
Jiyeon snorted. "Sadist."
"Only for you," Yura said with a wink.
Jiyeon shook her head, but she couldn't hide the warmth spreading through her chest. She stood up, walking over to Yura's side of the desk and leaning down to press a soft kiss to her lips. "You're insufferable... but I love you."
Yura pulled her closer by the waist, deepening the kiss slightly before pulling away with a playful smirk. "I know."
Jiyeon rolled her eyes. "Alright, cocky. I've got a dinner to prepare. Think you can behave yourself for the rest of the day?"
"Not a chance," Yura replied, grinning widely. "But I'll try."
As Jiyeon turned to leave, Yura called after her. "Don't forget, I'll be there tomorrow night. Watching. Judging. Smirking."
"I'd expect nothing less," Jiyeon called back, laughing as she headed toward the kitchen.
And with that, the final piece of her pop-up dinner started falling into place.
Jiyeon continued arranging the final garnishes on her test plates when Yura's footsteps echoed faintly behind her. As expected, Yura leaned in the doorway, watching with a smirk.
"How's the perfectionist doing?" Yura asked, amusement flickering in her eyes. "Still obsessing over every little sprig of garnish?"
Jiyeon didn't even glance up. "Obsessing? No. Making sure you don't end up feeding a crowd of elites and making me look like a fool? Yes."
Yura chuckled, sauntering over to the counter. "I think you're more worried about feeding them something they don't deserve."
"That too," Jiyeon muttered, straightening the duck breast one more time before stepping back to admire her work. "But let's be real, they're not coming for the food. They're coming to gawk at the spectacle of your presence."
"Flattering," Yura said dryly, but her eyes softened. "Though, if anyone's the spectacle, it's you."
Jiyeon rolled her eyes, brushing a strand of hair back. "Cut the sweet talk. We both know we didn't get married for flattery."
"True." Yura's smirk faded into something more thoughtful, her gaze tracing over Jiyeon's face. "But somewhere along the way, I started meaning it."
Jiyeon's breath hitched, but before she could respond, the sound of her phone buzzing shattered the moment. She glanced down and cursed under her breath. The system again.
[Mission Reminder: Final preparations for the pop-up dinner are due by tomorrow. Ensure all details are perfect to avoid penalties.]
Jiyeon swore under her breath. She was neck-deep in preparations, and while Yura's help with the guest list had been a godsend, there was still so much left to do.
"Everything okay?" Yura asked, her brow furrowing.
"Yeah, just... the usual stress," Jiyeon said quickly, pocketing her phone. "I've got one day left before the dinner, and the pressure's mounting."
Yura looked at her for a long moment, as if sensing there was something Jiyeon wasn't saying, but instead of pressing, she just nodded. "You'll be fine. You've pulled off crazier things in less time."
Jiyeon smiled, appreciating the support, but the weight of the mission tugged at her thoughts. The system's invisible deadline was a constant shadow, and no one not even Yura could understand that pressure. Not without knowing the truth about the Culinary System. And that was a secret Jiyeon would take to her grave.