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Shinhwa's headquarters was huge.
That was Jiwoo's first thought.
Huge.
Clean.
Expensive.
Intimidating in the way buildings became when every wall looked like it had been polished by people who were paid to make sure no one ever saw dust.
Jiwoo stepped out of the car and stared up at the building with wide eyes.
"Whoa…"
Inhyuk smiled faintly.
"This way."
Jiwoo followed him inside, trying not to look too amazed and failing immediately.
The lobby alone was bigger than most places he had been in. People moved through it with quiet efficiency, dressed neatly, speaking softly, carrying themselves like they belonged to a world Jiwoo had only just discovered existed.
He swallowed.
Asuka walked beside him, Kayden held securely in her arms.
Unlike Jiwoo, she did not marvel.
She looked alert.
But also—
Kayden glanced up at her.
Bored.
She actually yawned.
A small, delicate yawn, covered politely with one hand while still holding Kayden with the other.
Kayden's eye twitched.
How could someone be bored in an awakened organization headquarters?
Then again, this was Asuka.
She had probably seen enough grand buildings in whatever impossible past life still haunted her eyes to be unimpressed by polished floors and corporate security.
Her concern was not the building.
It was Jiwoo.
Kayden, however, observed everything.
The guards.
The cameras.
The flow of awakened energy beneath the ordinary architecture.
The way Shinhwa kept power hidden, layered under professionalism and wealth.
Not bad.
Better than most groups.
Still not enough to impress him.
Then they reached the upper floor.
Kayden's ears shifted.
There.
Behind the door at the end of the hall.
A presence.
Calm.
Dense.
Refined.
Not releasing pressure, not posturing, not leaking power carelessly, but strong enough that even behind a closed door, even through the careful restraint, he could sense the shape of it.
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
Jiyoung Yoo.
Korea's number one.
So it was not just a rumor.
She was strong.
Young, yes.
But not in name only.
Her energy was controlled in the way only people who had carried power too early learned to control it. Not because they wanted to look impressive.
Because they could not afford mistakes.
Interesting.
Inhyuk stopped before the door and knocked.
"Chairwoman," he said. "I have brought Asuka and Jiwoo."
A calm voice answered from inside.
"Come in, please."
Inhyuk opened the door.
Jiwoo stepped in first.
Then stopped.
Asuka stopped beside him, Kayden still in her arms.
Kayden stared immediately.
Jiyoung Yoo stood near the window, her posture composed, expression cool and elegant. She was young. Younger than most people would expect from someone carrying a title like chairwoman and a reputation like Korea's top awakener.
But Kayden's gaze did not care about age.
It measured strength.
Control.
Pressure.
Potential.
Jiyoung Yoo was no ordinary chairwoman sitting behind a desk because of inheritance or family name.
She had earned that position in blood and discipline.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Jiyoung's gaze moved toward him for one brief second.
A cat.
A fat orange cat.
Held in a girl's arms.
Staring at her like he was evaluating whether she deserved her rank.
Jiyoung blinked once.
Then looked back at Jiwoo.
Jiwoo still had not moved.
Inhyuk leaned slightly closer.
"Is something wrong?"
Jiwoo looked at Jiyoung with open surprise.
"That person is the chairwoman here?"
Inhyuk blinked.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
Jiwoo immediately waved both hands.
"No! No, I just…"
He looked embarrassed.
"I expected the chairwoman to be someone older."
The room went quiet.
Inhyuk closed his eyes briefly.
Asuka did not disagree.
Not outwardly.
But she understood what Jiwoo meant.
Jiyoung Yoo was young.
Too young, perhaps, for the weight she carried.
Asuka could sense it beneath her calm demeanor. Not weakness. Not uncertainty. Jiyoung was strong, undeniably. Strong enough that the air around her felt carefully measured.
But she was also on guard.
So subtly almost no one would notice.
Almost.
The set of her shoulders.
The quiet readiness in her center.
The way her breathing stayed steady but never fully relaxed.
And something else.
A thread of exhaustion.
Slight.
Hidden beneath discipline.
Most would miss it.
Asuka did not need uncovered eyes to see it.
She saw too much regardless.
For a moment, she remembered being Haruka.
Remembered standing too young beneath a sky too bright, expected to be strong because she had been born with eyes that saw what others could not.
Remembered people saying strongest like it was a blessing.
Remembered how heavy it became when everyone believed strongest meant never tired.
Her fingers rested lightly against Kayden's fur.
Then the memory passed.
Asuka did not dwell.
Her concern was Jiwoo.
Jiyoung walked toward them.
Her heels clicked softly against the polished floor, each step measured and composed.
"Nice to meet you," she said. "I am Jiyoung Yoo, the chairwoman of Shinhwa."
Jiwoo quickly bowed his head.
"Oh, yes. I'm Jiwoo Seo."
Then he glanced toward Asuka.
"And this is my little sister, Asuka Seo."
Asuka gave a small nod.
"Nice to meet you."
Kayden remained silent in her arms.
His eyes stayed fixed on Jiyoung.
Jiyoung observed them both.
Jiwoo, nervous but sincere.
Asuka, quiet and unreadable behind the blindfold.
The cat, suspiciously intense.
She decided, for now, not to comment on the cat.
"Jiwoo," Jiyoung said. "May I ask you a question?"
Jiwoo straightened.
"Yes."
"Have you changed your mind about fighting Jisuk?"
Jiwoo did not hesitate.
"No."
Jiyoung's gaze remained calm, but not unkind.
"Jisuk is too strong for someone who has only recently come to terms with being an awakener. He has also been fighting for a long time. He is very experienced."
Jiwoo nodded.
"I am aware. Mr. Inhyuk explained it to me."
Inhyuk stood behind them quietly.
Jiyoung continued, "Then you understand that this will not be easy."
"Yes."
"And you still do not wish to forgo the fight?"
Jiwoo's hands curled slightly at his sides.
"No."
Jiyoung studied him.
There was no arrogance in his answer.
No anger.
No foolish confidence.
Only resolve.
She sighed softly.
"I suppose there is no changing your mind."
Jiwoo bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
Jiyoung paused.
Jiwoo lifted his gaze.
"I don't think I'm going to win against someone as strong as him."
Kayden's ears twitched.
Asuka's head turned faintly toward Jiwoo.
Jiwoo smiled a little, sheepish but honest.
"I mean, I honestly want to defeat him, but…"
He looked down at his hands.
"I know winning will be difficult. I've only trained for a few days."
Jiyoung's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then why?"
Jiwoo took a breath.
The room seemed to still around him.
"Winning or losing isn't important right now."
Jiyoung's eyes widened, just a fraction.
"It is not important that you win?"
Jiwoo shook his head.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
But stronger than before.
"It's more important for the coward I once was to find out how well he can perform."
Silence.
Kayden closed his eyes.
This kid.
Always with the impressive speeches.
Couldn't he say something normal for once?
Like I want to punch him?
Or I trained hard?
No.
Of course not.
Jiwoo Seo had to stand in front of Korea's strongest awakener and say something painfully sincere enough that even Kayden felt it in his chest.
Annoying.
Deeply annoying.
Inhyuk's expression softened behind him.
He looked proud.
Quietly, but unmistakably.
This was the boy he had worried might hide.
Instead, Jiwoo had come here knowing he might lose, and he still wanted to stand in the arena.
Asuka hummed softly in thought.
Coward.
She did not like that word in Jiwoo's mouth.
But she understood what he meant.
Jiwoo had spent so long shrinking from the world because the world had given him no place to stand.
Now he wanted to measure himself.
Not against Jisuk.
Against the version of himself who had looked away.
Jiyoung stared at him for a long moment.
Then her expression softened slightly.
"I understand."
Jiwoo looked surprised.
Jiyoung turned her gaze briefly toward Asuka.
Asuka stood quietly, still holding the cat, but the air around her had changed.
Barely.
A small shift.
Pride.
Protectiveness.
Jiyoung noticed.
So did Kayden.
Jiyoung looked back at Jiwoo.
"Very well," she said. "If that is your reason, then I will not stop you."
Jiwoo's face brightened.
"Thank you."
"But," Jiyoung added.
Jiwoo straightened.
"If I judge that the fight has become dangerous beyond what is reasonable, I will stop it."
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
Asuka's head tilted slightly.
Jiyoung's gaze remained steady.
"This is a spar, not a battlefield."
Asuka's fingers relaxed a little against Kayden's fur.
Good.
Jiwoo nodded firmly.
"Yes. I understand."
Kayden's tail flicked once.
Not bad.
Jiyoung Yoo had a decent head on her shoulders.
Still, if she thought she would be the only one watching the line, she was mistaken.
Asuka would watch.
Kayden would watch.
And if Jisuk Yoo crossed that line—
The fat orange cat in Asuka's arms narrowed his eyes.
Then Korea's number one chairwoman would learn that the Seo siblings had brought more than moral support.
The training area was not what Jiwoo expected.
He had imagined something dramatic.
Maybe a hidden underground arena.
Maybe metal walls.
Maybe complicated machines.
Maybe something that looked like it belonged to a secret organization because, technically, it did.
Instead, it was a wide room.
Very wide.
Open space stretched from one side to the other, clean and reinforced, with high ceilings and smooth flooring designed to handle impacts no ordinary gym ever could. There were observation areas above, a few doors leading to other rooms, and markings on the floor that made the space feel more official.
Jiwoo stepped inside and immediately stared.
"Wow…"
His eyes moved around the room, shining with open wonder.
"So this is where awakened ones train."
Kayden sat plainly in Asuka's arms.
His face said, very clearly, Told you.
Not that Jiwoo could hear him.
But he felt it somehow.
Asuka glanced down at Kayden's expression and nearly smiled.
Jiwoo kept looking around.
"It's so big."
Asuka's expression softened.
Her brother's excitement was always easy to see. Even nervous, even about to fight someone stronger, Jiwoo still found room to marvel at new things.
It was terribly Jiwoo.
And terribly dangerous.
Kayden watched him too, though with far less softness and far more calculation.
Excitement was fine.
So long as it did not turn into distraction.
Asuka's hand rested lightly over Kayden's back as she stood near the side of the room. She looked relaxed to anyone glancing over.
She was not.
Her body was quiet, but her awareness was spread through the space.
Doors.
Walls.
Energy signatures.
Jiyoung Yoo nearby.
Inhyuk.
Potential guards.
Escape routes.
Safe angles.
Jiwoo's breathing.
Kayden's pulse beneath orange fur.
She yawned once.
Small.
Polite.
Bored-looking.
Kayden's eye twitched.
Bored.
At a sparring room inside Shinhwa headquarters while her brother was about to fight Jiyoung Yoo's brother.
Of course.
Then Asuka's head tilted faintly.
Voices.
Jiyoung stood a little distance away with Inhyuk, speaking quietly enough that most would not pay attention.
Most.
Asuka heard anyway.
Kayden, in her arms, did too.
"Jisuk is still not here?" Jiyoung asked.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Inhyuk's posture tightened.
"I haven't been able to reach him since this morning."
Jiyoung's gaze shifted toward him.
Inhyuk quickly added, "He will come. I told him a few days ago. He couldn't have forgotten the date."
His expression remained professional.
Internally, however, he was sweating.
Why isn't he here yet?
Asuka's mouth curved faintly.
Then the door opened.
Inhyuk's shoulders relaxed immediately.
He's here.
That relief lasted exactly one second.
"Hey!" Inhyuk snapped. "Jisuk Yoo!"
Jisuk entered with one hand raised in a careless salute, looking entirely too unconcerned for someone late to a formally arranged spar.
"Sorry, Inhyuk. I'm a bit late, aren't I?"
Then he looked ahead.
"Huh?"
His eyes landed on Jiyoung.
His face changed.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
But something very close.
Sister.
Why is she here?
Jisuk's gaze flicked to Inhyuk's clearly pissed-off expression.
Then to Jiyoung.
The atmosphere around her had darkened by about one degree.
Barely noticeable.
Devastating if one was Jisuk Yoo.
He shuddered slightly.
Then hurried down the stairs toward the training floor.
"Sorry," he said quickly. "I had class."
Inhyuk's expression went flat.
"Don't kid yourself. You aren't the type to go to every single class."
Jiwoo blinked.
Asuka's head tilted.
Kayden's eyes narrowed with mild interest.
Inhyuk continued scolding.
"Do you have to be late on such an important day like today?"
Jisuk ignored him.
Completely.
He walked straight toward Jiwoo instead.
Inhyuk's eye twitched.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"
Jisuk stopped in front of Jiwoo and looked him over.
"Hey. You were a no-show at school for a few days."
Jiwoo smiled awkwardly.
"Oh… I was home."
Jisuk's eyes narrowed.
"Were you doing some kind of secret training at home?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"Huh? How did you know?"
So innocent.
So genuinely surprised.
So utterly incapable of hiding the obvious.
Asuka sighed softly.
Kayden closed his eyes.
Inhyuk stared.
Jisuk stared too.
Deadpan.
A sweat drop practically appeared on his face.
This guy.
He really just admitted it.
Jisuk's eyes narrowed again, this time thoughtful.
"Hmm… special training, you say."
His expression shifted into a smug grin.
"You think you can beat me after only training for a few days?"
Asuka stared.
Deadpan.
There it was again.
That line.
Only trained for a few days.
You cannot beat him.
He has too much experience.
He is too strong.
Jisuk said it.
Inhyuk said it.
Jiyoung said it.
Kayden had said a crueler version of it.
Everyone kept saying it.
Asuka could not even disagree.
They were not wrong.
But still.
The repetition was starting to become annoying.
Kayden observed Jisuk in silence from Asuka's arms.
Wind-type energy.
Sharp.
Restless.
Confident.
Jisuk was strong for his age. There was no denying that. His energy was not sloppy. His body carried the ease of someone who had trained for years, fought often, and won enough to think winning was natural.
Kayden could understand why Jiwoo had lost so helplessly before.
A few days of training could not erase years of experience.
Of course, Jisuk was not as strong as Asuka.
That thought came so automatically now that Kayden almost sighed.
No one in this room, besides possibly Jiyoung, was close to Asuka.
And even Jiyoung—
Kayden's eyes shifted briefly toward the chairwoman.
Strong.
Very strong.
But Asuka was something else.
Kayden did not like thinking about it too much.
It was bad for his pride.
Jisuk turned away from Jiwoo and looked toward Inhyuk.
"It's getting late, so let's hurry up and start."
Inhyuk sighed.
Deeply.
The sigh of a man who had scolded Jisuk Yoo many times and expected to continue doing so until death.
Then he looked at Jiwoo.
"Are you ready?"
Jiwoo straightened.
His nervousness was still there.
But beneath it, his force control moved steadily.
Asuka felt it.
Kayden felt it.
Jiwoo nodded.
"Yes!"
Inhyuk moved toward the control panel at the side of the training floor.
"Then we will begin after the third beep."
Jisuk rolled his shoulders, wind stirring faintly around him.
Jiwoo stepped into position.
His hands relaxed.
His jaw loosened.
His breathing steadied.
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
Asuka's hand stilled on Kayden's fur.
Jiyoung watched quietly from the side.
Inhyuk lifted one hand over the panel.
The room settled into silence.
First beep.
Jiwoo inhaled.
Second beep.
Jisuk smiled.
Third beep.
The match began.
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