A New Toy

In the dim light of the loft, illuminated only by the flickering of monitors, Choi Sung-Wook waited. Midnight was approaching, and with it, the meeting with Lee Ji-Hye, the telekinetic, the one who had awakened a predatory interest in him. I wonder how soon she will break? — he thought lazily, leaning back in his favorite chair. Or will she prove to be a tough nut to crack?

Sung-Wook didn't like to wait. Waiting was akin to boredom, and boredom was the puppeteer's main enemy. But today, he was willing to endure it. The anticipation of a new game, a new intrigue, a new victim made his heart beat a little faster. She's not like the others, — flashed through his mind. — There's something… dark in her.

Exactly at midnight, a quiet doorbell rang. Ji-Hye had arrived. Sung-Wook smirked, pressing a button on the remote control. The heavy metal doors of the loft slid open with a clang, letting the guest in.

— Welcome, Lee Ji-Hye, — Sung-Wook's voice, amplified by speakers, echoed through the room. — I've been expecting you.

Ji-Hye entered, showing neither fear nor surprise. She looked around, assessing the situation. High ceilings, panoramic windows overlooking the night city, training equipment, weapons hanging on the walls… All this indicated that she had not been invited for a tea party.

— You are Choi Sung-Wook, — she stated, rather than asked. Her voice was low and a little hoarse, as if she hadn't spoken in a long time.

— The one and only, — Sung-Wook descended to her via the spiral staircase leading from the upper tier of the loft. — Trainer, mentor, puppeteer. You can call me whatever you like.

He stopped a couple of steps away from her, studying her with his gaze. Ji-Hye was not tall, but strongly built. Short black hair, piercing dark eyes, in which some hidden pain was frozen. She was dressed simply: black jeans, a dark T-shirt, a leather jacket. No jewelry, no makeup. Only a scar on her left cheek, thin and pale, like a claw mark.

— Why did you call me? — asked Ji-Hye, without looking away.

— I was bored, — Sung-Wook shrugged. — And you… you seemed interesting to me.

You're lying, — Ji-Hye thought. — You're never bored. You're just looking for a new toy.

— And what do you want from me? — she crossed her arms over her chest, accepting the challenge.

— I want to see what you're capable of, — Sung-Wook walked around her, like a predator assessing its prey. — I want to see your potential. Your strength. Your darkness.

— And if I don't want to play your games? — Ji-Hye tensed slightly.

— Then you can leave, — Sung-Wook stopped in front of her. — Right now. The door is open.

Liar, — Ji-Hye thought again. — You won't let me go that easily.

She felt invisible strings entangling her, as if the puppeteer had already begun his game. And she didn't like it. But at the same time… something inside her was drawn to this dangerous man. Something dark, craving power and… revenge.

— I'm staying, — she said, looking directly into Sung-Wook's eyes. — But I will play by my own rules.

Sung-Wook smirked.

— As you wish, — he held out his hand to her. — But remember, Lee Ji-Hye, in this game, there is only one winner.

Ji-Hye didn't answer. She only firmly squeezed his palm, feeling the coldness of his fingers. I will not lose, — she thought. — I will not become your puppet.

— Then let's begin, — whispered Sung-Wook, and an unkind light flashed in his eyes. — The first test. Show me your power.

He snapped his fingers, and a metal sphere the size of a basketball descended from the ceiling. It hung in the air, flickering with a dim light.

— Destroy it, — Sung-Wook ordered. — Use your telekinesis.

Ji-Hye concentrated. She raised her hand, and the sphere trembled. The air around it thickened, a crackling sound was heard. Ji-Hye clenched her fist, and the sphere began to deform, crumple, as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.

— Not bad, — Sung-Wook approved. — But it's not enough.

He snapped his fingers again, and three more spheres appeared in the air. They began to move chaotically, dodging Ji-Hye's invisible attacks.

— Try again, — said Sung-Wook. — This time for real.

Ji-Hye closed her eyes. She felt rage boiling inside her, dark energy filling every cell of her body. She sharply thrust her hand forward, and the spheres froze. And then… they exploded.

A deafening roar sounded. Metal fragments scattered throughout the loft, crashing into walls and equipment. Ji-Hye stood in the middle of this chaos, breathing heavily. Her eyes burned with a dark flame.

— Enough? — she asked, looking at Sung-Wook.

Sung-Wook was silent. He was amazed. Not by Ji-Hye's power, no. He was impressed by her power, but not surprised. He was struck by something else. The darkness that hid in her soul. The rage that was bursting out. The thirst for destruction that overshadowed everything else.

— This is just the beginning, — he finally said. — You are capable of more, Lee Ji-Hye. Much more.

He came closer to her, looking into her eyes.

— I will help you unlock your potential, — he whispered. — I will make you strong. Invincible.

At the cost of my soul, — Ji-Hye thought.

— But you will have to pay, — Sung-Wook continued, as if reading her thoughts. — Everything has a price, Lee Ji-Hye. Especially power.

— I'm ready, — she said, without looking away.

For now, — she added to herself.

Sung-Wook smiled. His predatory, anticipating smile.

— Then welcome to my game, Lee Ji-Hye, — he said. — And may the strongest win.

Or the one you like more, — Ji-Hye thought, remembering his words.

She knew that she was embarking on a dangerous path. A path full of pain, suffering, and possibly death. But she wasn't afraid. She was ready for it. She was ready for war.

I'll show you what real darkness is, — she whispered, looking at her reflection in a shard of the broken sphere. — I'll show you what a real monster is.

Sung-Wook watched her, hiding a smirk. He had a new toy. A toy that promised to be the most interesting of all he had ever had.

The game has begun, — he thought. — And I will enjoy every moment of it.

He didn't know that Ji-Hye wasn't going to be just a toy. She was going to be a player. And maybe one day, she would outplay the puppeteer himself.

For now, — he whispered, looking at the night city. — For now, I will play.

In different parts of the city, shrouded in darkness, people with superpowers again felt a strange anxiety. As if someone was pulling invisible strings, controlling their fates.

What's happening? — thought Kang Min-Joon, interrupting his training. — This feeling… it's getting stronger.

I don't like this, — muttered Lee Ji-Hye, standing by the window of her house. — He's playing with me. But I won't let him win.

They didn't know that their fates were already intertwined in a complex game played by Choi Sung-Wook. The Puppeteer. The Master of Heroes and Villains. The Keeper of Balance.

Or the one who will destroy it, — whispered Sung-Wook, falling asleep in his loft. — Time will tell.

The game had begun. And no one knew how it would end. No one, except him.

For now, — he repeated, and the darkness thickened over the city, foretelling a storm. — For now.