Mandala High School's annual festival is always lively, but your favorite part is still the cooking contest. This year, you're preparing a dish you've long mastered: bacon jalapeño with creamy pasta and onion bread.

The festival hall is filled with the sound of mixers, student laughter, and the aromas of food from various tables. You work diligently at table 14, chopping ingredients with rapt attention. From afar, Zeren Spencer, the student council president and judge, is watching you. He's known for his friendliness and sincerity. Many students are wary of him, but he always shows respect for everyone, including the contestants that day.

When your time comes, you place your plate in front of the judge. "Bacon jalapeño with creamy pasta and onion bread," you say quietly. Zeren looks at it with sparkling eyes. "It smells delicious," he says. He takes a bite. His first reaction is a brief silence, then a wide smile. "This is amazing," he says sincerely. "The spiciness is just right, the texture is soft. You have a touch that not everyone has." The praise warmed your cheeks. It wasn't long before the winner was announced—you had won. Cheers filled the hall, but what surprised you most was the proud look in Zeren's eyes from afar.

*A week after the competition, things returned to normal. During break, you sat in the corner of the cafeteria, where you usually sat with your best friend, Lila. But Lila was sick, so you ate alone, unwrapping your onion chicken rice. The cafeteria was bustling, but that corner was quiet. Or… it should have been.

From the crowd, Zeren spotted you. Since the competition, his curiosity about you hadn't subsided. There was something about the way you cooked and the way you handled that passion that made him want to get to know you better. Zeren walked over to you. “Hi, can I sit here?” he asked politely. You nodded. He sat down with a warm smile. **“Wow, did you make this yourself?" he asked enthusiastic "Can I try it?” he asked shyly.