Raining Cats and Dogs

[LIVE TELEVISED DATING SHOW : THE IDOL LOTTERY JACKPOT!]

Greetings eavesdroppers!

In the latest round of events of finding the best cake to celebrate the show’s airing…. our fellow couples ran into a big development arc!

THE BAKERY ARC!

“Woah! There! Lane, you got some flour on your face!”

A mysterious woman delicately wipes off Lane’s face!

Who is this new rival!

“My! VechNos! Are you a bit suffocated in that costume of yours?”

A figure of a man seemingly gently moves VechNos in her boar costume under the ac!

Is this a battle for compatibility?

Stay tuned for the upcoming live footage from the very well known cake haven!

And the return of the very beloved couple!

Hint: it is the ideal catty and doggie!

“VechNos, please! I beg you to just get out of that costume. You won’t let them be in peace.”

“They haven’t complained yet!”

“Of course they won’t! They have the Japanese blood coursing through them.”

I gritted my teeth in retaliation, finally just donning their bakery apron over me.

“Okay! Suit yourself!”

“Suit myself?” My heart stopped circulating the blood towards my feet.

As if someone cut off the supply. My neck profusely continued to sweat even after the intense baking lesson. I wondered how VechNos was feeling in that plastic, air-tight pink boar headset. The horns were 3-D printed and must weight a ton on her and the small gap between the mouths was her only source of the ventilation. She must be swimming in sweat, drowning in the layers of sweaters and the aprons, that even I removed my plain shirt and opted a sleeveless shirt along with the host.

“Why do you think I am doing this? Have you forgotten about my stalker! Nobody cares when a woman is in danger! They care a heck of lots about me when my stalker, the one on the team, gets his work done. Since the start, it never worked out for me, so I am taking my mask off on my account!”

It is a universal fact that light is faster than sound.

By the time she finished her vent, I pushed her into the open pantry.

Because behind the translucent, crystallize prism glass door, a foggy figure started to get darker with each step.

Now we are enclosed inside the dimly lit pantry, with enough circulation of air and space for VechNos to finally take a break. Not only was the fight recorded by those microscopic cameras, but it had been suggested by Mr Choi to increase the intensity.

Definitely with VechNos’ consent.

But we didn’t inform her when.

“Is this his way of apologizing? I understand that he was short on staff, but it couldn’t hurt to do just a simple background check.” VechNos finally spoke after finishing three water bottles and began demolishing the scones I made.

“Damn, these scones are so good! Especially the blueberry and the raspberry one! How the heel did someone who never cooked manage to make such a delicious delicacy?” She kept on gobbling to the point that in the midst of darkness her face was unrecognizable with all the creams and crumbs all over her face.

“By the way, it’s hell. Mind you, not heel.” I chuckled along with her, averting my eyes elsewhere whenever her face came into my line of sight.

“I know that. It’s just my catchphrase!” She went on to grumble about her viral out of context phrase and how it shot her to fame overnight.

Soon her plate of scones started to get empty and I gave her more from my duffle bag. Knowing damn well how irresistible they were, no matter who ate them.

“Wait…You pre-made these?” My eyes lit up upon the continuous wave of praises. It kinda made me feel a bit giddy in the stifling heat of the set.

“Mr Choi asked for a couple of them for the date show, apparently he heard it from my boss. I may have overdone it and exceeded the limit, but hey! At least they are limited edition and eaten and getting live-reviewed by the infamous trash-talker. I mean sometimes you gotta intake healthy and safe food, other than junk food.” She rolled her eyes at my jab and continued to munch on it in silence.

But I knew I had to get through to her in some way or another.

Right after she finished her scones, I pulled out some wet wipes for her. Then I gave her my water bottle to wash down her vitamin pills.

That’s when I noticed it.

The same shape and color code as the capsule from the kiss.

I am sure of it, but there is a possibility that I could be mistaken in the poor lighting in the pantry

Yet this time, it was filled with some dark powdery substance.

Overthinking isn’t good.

How do I break the ice and speak to her about the code…

By starting off with something insignificant…..

“I used to help with the nuns during my childhood in the orphanage.” I spoke first, revealing my side.

What’s your side of the story, VechNos?

Each night I turned in anticipation upon your quick hot scorching takes on events and people and yet my brain gets tightened and claustrophobic within its small hermit shell.

“Oh nice! Twin, where have you been?” My eyes snapped back at her revelation.

“It’s a song trend on the net.” She pulled up her very triggering phone with that eerily cutesy kitty keychain. It played videos of people sharing what their favorites and when matched the song plays.

“Couldn’t you have just said that we shared something in common?” I ruffled my hair up, adjusting my seat on the dry and icy floor. Lucky for her, the layers were like a pillow for her to easily curl up on the floor with the plate balancing on top of her knees.

“Plus, why are we in the back of a bakery, for a date? Aren’t we on the letter ‘C’ ?” I rolled up some towels and wiped off my excess sweat. That’s when I peeked through the small opening of the pantry doors.

“Cupcakes? Cookies? Cats?” VechNos listed every ‘C’ word that came to her mind for today’s date’s theme.

Cookies? That sent shivers down my spine.

“Lane, are they still there?” That halted my bullet train of ‘C’ thoughts.

I had completely forgotten about the foggy strangers in the kitchen.

A conversation was taking place, from what I could hear through the small gap in the door.

I motioned VechNos to get ready as who knows how long we have on our hands before they find us.

“Well, aren’t they a funnily new couple?” A deep-pitched voice spoke.

He must be a heavy smoker, I thought to myself.

But whoever it is, I know exactly what sort of image you have of us.

My gut, on the other hand, is not feeling quite right about this staff member.

Is he even a staff member?

“But the thing is Mr Choi is against smoking and has very strict smoking policy.”

VechNos sneaked up behind me, joining in my observation of the strange pair.

“So, basically no smokers would ever consider signing up for the show.” That added up a lot. Considering our country’s smoking problem, it is no wonder why he is short on staff.

Then who are these people?

“I know right! They remind me of us back in the show. Shall we go find them?” The woman’s high-pitched voice and energy brought some relief to the tension between me and VechNos.

That relief vanished the instant they pushed open the kitchen door.

To find us in the pantry, with each other in arms.

“Hi! We are Lane from the Bluey Dunes and VechNos from the net!”

Why do I feel like we got caught doing something illegal?

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“I can’t believe it!” I clasped my mouth in surprise.

Even though, we met our catchers back in the pantry half an hour ago.

Either ways, my prayers had been officially granted in the best way possible.

“Greetings from : Kasai and Kara!” The couple standing in front of us were none other than THE classic couple from the IDOL LOTTERY season 2!

Out of all the controversial couples, their normalized talks in 12 dates gained a lot of publicity.

Not for the fact that they were idol-fan dating scenario, but rather Kara didn’t know it was her favorite idol since middle school who has saved her from falling into depression. With each new single he released, Kasai managed to pull Kara out of that black hole and boost her self-esteem to the point that she signed up for the show herself!

Their kiss on their ninth date has been renowned for the most realistic kiss and has been the standard and it became a trend among couples.

It was called the ‘Nonagon Kiss’.

The reveal happened at the last date, achieving the ‘best ending’ accomplishment in a wedding after two years.

But with them here, something started to finally make some sense.

Until, VechNos pulled up in a boar costume.

“Your sconces have got to be the best ones I have ever tasted, Lane! Your mom must be a cute baker to have baked such a cutesy pie like you!” I awkwardly laughed along with them while my mom rotted six feet below the earth.

I eyed VechNos who was learning to make the cookie dough patch from Kasai.

Seeing my distracted look, he waved off stating that he can take of this with ease. It’s a subtle nod from one veteran to another.

“Well, she ain’t a baker but she does enjoy baking some new recipes here and there.” I showed them my so called family picture with her.

“My parents had me very late into their lives. So, you may confuse them being my grandparents.” I rejoiced hearing that they would blur the picture.

Ironically, she commented how similar I looked with my father.

“Lane, could I also take a glance?” VechNos peeked over my shoulders and let out a wild gasp almost rubbing the chocolate-chips across my back.

Thankfully, years in the industry had trained me for spills.

“Woah! IS THIS SCENE DIRECTLY FROM A KDRAMA?” Kara gasped in high expectation of some stunt.

I just quickly grabbed the chocolate chips that fell from her hands.

“My bad! It’s gotten kinda melted!” VechNos said in frustration as she dripped on her own shoes but then Kasai grabbed her waist, stopping her collision with the counter just in time.

“My! VechNos! Are you a bit suffocated in that costume of yours?”

“Nah, just under the weather- LANE, WHY ARE YOU LICKING YOUR HANDS!” She flatly ignored his concerns and quickly wiped my hands off the god-smashing, crunchy, molten chocolate chips.

While she distractedly scrubbed the chocolate off me, I took this chance and kissed her hands in a silent thank you.

“It ain’t that bad as I thought. You need to add sugar, no salt.” I teased her bad baking skills causing her to stomp off in red.

“My! Lane, you sure know how to pierce right through her lungs! Look at her breathless she is! I wonder why she was so gobsmacked when she saw your family photo?” Kara’s lips curled up into a cunning, fox-like smile,

Their eyes loomed from underneath the violet bangs of her, igniting the dooming sensation I was feeling minutes ago in the pantry.

“Well, I think….. I may know the answer.” I zoomed in close on my sister’s face in the family picture. Kara looked even more confused. Probably wondering why was my date getting jealous of my sister.

“Why! Isn’t that the team leader of DANNNAS ? Do-Shin, right?” Kasai beamed with great pride, knowing that he was keeping up to date with his guest’s circle.

“Yes, she is my little adopted sister. So, you could say she took my hand-me-downs so seriously that our careers are basically the same!

Sorry for throwing you under the bus, Do-Shin. I will treat you and the girls when y’all get back.

I could feel my phone in my pocket, a heavy premonition of the consequences for trying to promote them during their tour.

A tour that was, surprisingly, progressing well.

“Oh right! I forgot to mention my niece and her friends brought tickets to their Osaka Concert at the end of this month, I believe?” She pulled up her phone to show her wedding photo with her whole family.

“How old is she?” I further complimented how strong their family genes are to the point that it would be hard enough for strangers to differentiate the mothers and the daughters apart.

“Around 25, she just had her birthday last week. Here is she! Celebrating it with her friends in their college dorm! I still remember how bad I was babysitting that devil! That so called baby used to pee at my face back then!” Everyone laughed and started to share their stories with their youngster one by one.

Huh, college?

What a luxury for the norm….

I always have Blueys complaining about their college and student life as if it was the end of their worlds. Exams aren’t as bad as evaluation rounds.

It doesn’t make sense to me.

You could retake exams or repeat a grade, but once you are disqualified, you don’t have any back up to go through it.

Once it’s over, it’s no longer your right to even mumble a lyrics line.

Man, giving the college exam is just a courtesy, but once you’re in the group….

The group is your ride or die. Even if you despite them, you can’t complain because once you ditched all your cheap chosen ones for the company’s manufactured ideal league of products, you can never go back to chasing trash that’s long since decomposed.

How did I ever forget that today’s theme is all about our childhood?

I ignored all the fluffy vibes and continued to make the cupcake batch along with Kara. Safe to say, even VechNos wasn’t up for the mood after finding out the theme. Kasai was patient and kept her on her toes with each banter over her cookie cutting skills.

“Aren’t they having a good time? Should we also make them jelly-jelly?” Kara’s whisper made me drop the measuring cup at the counter, causing a doom-cloud of white flour.

“Woah! There! Lane, you got some flour on your face!” Kara uncontrollably laughed at the mess and I kid you not it didn’t make VechNos jelly-jelly; it made her giggle-giggle.

At first it was fun, until I noticed her laughter turned into coughs, growing harsher each time. While the crew enjoyed the slip up, I slipped VechNos into the nearby washroom and quickly removed the head for her to breathe.

Without even thinking, I just tossed my bag and slammed the door, locking it for privacy.

“She caught the flu and I promised her I would keep her face hidden. It’s an all-time low for her, but a promise is a promise.” All of them seemingly took my made up answer on the spot. Sadly, there was only one person who seemed to have missed their golden opportunity to put their nose up her defenses.

I gazed up at the displeased hooded figure behind the understanding Mr Choi. Fred or Freddie, whoever the hell he is, hid his clenched fist behind.

“That’s very caring! Raising the standards already! Give it up for Lane!” I shrugged it off, but finally bowed for the five minutes long applause from the crew.

They all payed the advertisement for a quick 20 minute break while the baked goods started to get warm up in the oven.

I mindlessly took over the cleaning duties while the couple went out for a separate interview. 

To my loneliness, came the grand savior Mr Choi to drown with me in those dishes.

Most of what he said just went in one ear and out the next. Didn't care much what he had to offer just buried myself in Umbie's germ killing techniques and maneuvers 101.

After I was done cleaning my hands with the dry towel, things started to get a bit personal.

“I have two daughters. Let’s just say I didn’t indulge much into parenting for the eldest and now I am trying my best not to repeat the same with the youngest.”

Mr Choi drank the punch along with my scones during the break.

I sat along with him at the counter, monitoring the cupcakes and the cookies in the oven.

Thankfully, the crew promised to try out and eat the baked goods for review as well as gobble those goddamn cookies.

My knuckles turned white on spot over the counter.

Focus on your breathing and focus on an topic or an object of interest.

“Then, why are you here? Knowing pretty well that this would cause a second rift.” I eyed all the staff members who were away from their families and were here working for how long each day.

I am even more surprised that this many people and equipment were able to be fitted in this closed-off, sweltering space.

Good thinking : family.

Close call.

“I might be getting a divorce.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

That was it.

I…

I….

I brutally shot down the idea of drinking partners for the sake of my image. Maybe I should have gone a bit easy on him.

But he does deserve it, considering that Fred guy and not letting her know of the prior argument.

“I don’t know much about love as the two of you. I am still at the learning stage. And I do see myself in you. That’s maybe the reason why I chose you.”

I stared, dumbfounded, opening and closing my mouth, figuring out the right question or better yet, the appropriate response to just understand this situation.

“WE DON’T LOVE EACH OTHER YET! THIS IS KINDA RUSHING! DON’T YOU THINK BESIDES MY INFAMOUS PAST, WHAT ELSE DOES SHE WANT FROM ME? I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW OF HER UNTIL THIS SHOW! HOW COULD YOU SAY YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ME? WHAT ARE THOSE TRAITS THAT MADE YOU LIKE ME?”

My outburst also drained my energy as my voice croaked in agony over my sudden waves of emotion. I turned to Mr Choi, who said the most diabolical thing ever.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her? She's right behind you.”