Chapter 1

The moment Kim Taehyung strolled into the tent, Jungkook was smitten.

With his golden curls, confident poise, and twinkling eyes above doughy cheeks, Taehyung commanded attention in the most carefree, unassuming way. He had long, graceful fingers that waved to each baker, and his voice was low and smooth, warming Jungkook’s insides like cinnamon and bourbon.

Most of the other bakers were clad in practical garb, plain aprons and sturdy shoes with dark-colored shirts immune to chocolate stains. But on the very first day, Taehyung arrived looking like a living, breathing Picasso painting, his shirt sporting a kaleidoscope of colors and tucked into loose pants in a highly impractical shade of beige. He even had a beret jauntily tipped on his head, dark curls peeking around the edges.

Jungkook uselessly fumbled with a set of spatulas, his heart doing a tiny, shy little somersault as Taehyung approached.

It turned out that his workstation was directly across from Jungkook’s at the back of the tent. Taehyung took his place, setting ingredients on the counter as the camera crew signaled five minutes until shooting would begin.

Taehyung turned to Jungkook and unleashed the dizzying power of his smile, stepping across the aisle with an outstretched hand.

“Hello, I’m Taehyung!” he introduced himself.

Jungkook replied in a daze, managing to stutter out his name as Taehyung’s dazzling smile and caramel eyes turned him to mush. He briefly wondered if this was a form of sabotage; surely, it was far too early in the competition for Taehyung to be so competitive? To come up to Jungkook and unleash the devastating power of his toothy, square-edged smile without warning? Surely, he was breaking some unspoken rule about flustering the other contestants right before the first challenge.Taehyung’s palm was wonderfully soft. And that was when Jungkook realized he was still holding Taehyung’s hand, and Taehyung’s smile was growing impossibly wider, his apple cheeks turning into pale pink roses, and Jungkook simply couldn’t fathom how he was expected to focus on the competition when a literal angel would be occupying the station next to him.He awkwardly cleared his throat and withdrew his hand, hiding it behind his back as his ears burned a traitorous red. Taehyung’s eyes twinkled with renewed fervor.

“Two minutes!” the director called.

Good luck, Jungkook! I’ll be rooting for you,” Taehyung said with a wink. And with a graceful-fingered wave, he skipped back to his station, leaving Jungkook to melt into the floor like an under-whipped meringue.

The competition began with a relatively simple first round: shortcake.

Jungkook got to work, neatly organizing his ingredients and equipment on the counter and setting his detailed, pre-typed recipe next to his mixer. He was sticking with classic flavors he knew would be a hit, just strawberries and sponge and a vanilla whipped cream. A crowd pleaser. (And hopefully, a judge-pleaser).

Taehyung, on the other hand, surprised the judges when he announced his sponge would be lavender-flavored, with a lemon curd and rosemary whipped cream filling.

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