Chapter 2

The very next second, a tidal wave of scorching heat exploded in my mouth.

My entire tongue burned and stung, and a prickling heat crept down the back of my throat.

My airway rapidly swelled and constricted. That familiar feeling of suffocation was taking a death grip on me.

My mind went completely blank.

These were just veggies boiled in plain water! How could they still be this spicy?

Seeing me turn beet red and cough uncontrollably, Mom and Dad rushed off to buy me a bottle of ice water. They twisted the cap off before shoving it into my hands.

I gulped down more than half the bottle. Only then did I feel the burning sensation in my throat ease up slightly.

Suppressing his temper, Dad marched straight over to the counter to confront the cook. "What's the deal with your food? We specifically asked for no chilli! How did my daughter end up in so much pain after just one bite?"

The cook panicked and quickly stepped out from behind the counter.

She peered closely at my bowl. "That's impossible! I know most of our food is spicy, but she was the only one who asked for just oil and salt. There's no way I got that wrong."

With that, she grabbed a fork and picked up a piece of spinach to sample it herself. "There isn't a trace of spice in this! Are you folks just trying to pick a fight?"

The owner came over when he heard the commotion. After hearing the full story, he took a bite and shook his head, too.

Yet, when he saw me coughing non-stop with bloodshot eyes, he could tell I wasn't faking it either.

He leaned in and whispered to the cook, "Could there be something wrong with her sense of taste?"

His words hit me like a physical shock.

A taste disorder?

If that was true, it would explain why everyone else tasted mild food, while every single bite I took felt like pure fire.

I reached out and tugged at Dad, who was still trying to argue, then turned to look at Mom. "Mom, maybe there's something wrong with my body. I need to go get checked at the campus clinic."

Mom's face instantly went rigid at my words. "Get checked for what? Absolutely not! There's no need for that."

I stared at her in confusion. "Why not?"

Mom avoided my gaze. "What could possibly be wrong with you? The pots here were used to cook with chili before, so some of the spice must have seeped into your veggies."

Mom's reaction left me filled with doubts.

However, she had always treated me so well. Whenever I fell sick, she'd stay up all night to take care of me. Back in high school, she even quit her job to move closer to my school just to ensure my daily necessities were met.

Whenever I casually mentioned craving a snack from back home, she'd take the long way around, scouring every alley in town just to buy it for me.

However, the agonizing memory of my throat burning and the desperate struggle to breathe was something I never wanted to experience again.

I tried to leave, but Mom gripped me tightly.

Taking advantage of the moment she looked away at another dish, I jerked my hand free and bolted for the campus clinic.

I sat across from a doctor and explained everything that had happened in the cafeteria.

The doctor's expression grew solemn, and his brows knitted tight. "I've never come across a case this unusual in all my years of practice. Let's run some tests first."

I underwent a battery of tests covering my oral cavity, taste function, and throat.

When all the reports came back, the doctor flipped through them with a frown before looking up at me. "All your indicators are completely normal. Your body is healthy, and there are no underlying conditions."

I froze where I sat.

I was in perfect health, so why was every piece of food I ate insanely spicy?

It wasn't long before Mom tracked me down.

After she glanced through the reports in my hand, her tense frame visibly relaxed. "See? I told you there was no need for tests. It's simply a matter of regional palate differences."

As I stared at Mom, a suffocating knot tightened in my chest.

Was it really just a regional taste difference?

Even if people had different tolerances for spicy food, the gap couldn't possibly be this massive.

That level of spiciness was enough to kill a person.

It wasn't that I couldn't handle any spice at all. I knew what pepper tasted like.

So, why did these bland dishes from the cafeteria taste like pure fire only to me?