SECRETS

The hallway of Cube was relatively empty at that time of the afternoon, as many students had already returned to their dormitories. The floor gleamed under the reflection of artificial lights, and the air carried a faint scent of sweat—a constant reminder that Cube trained heroes, not ordinary students.

Yoo Yeonha walked with steady but unhurried steps, heading toward the training area. Her perfectly styled hair swayed slightly with each step, and her serene expression concealed the turbulent thoughts within her. She didn't usually visit this place often, as grueling physical training wasn't exactly her forte, but she still trained whenever she had free time.

It was then that she noticed a familiar figure approaching her side.

"Oh! It's a surprise to see you heading to the training area, Yoo Yeonha."

The cheerful and friendly voice of Kim Suho snapped her out of her reverie. The blue-haired swordsman with an easy smile approached, seeming genuinely surprised to see her there.

Yeonha raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Hm? I just decided to train a little. You know, the exams are coming up... Unlike you, I still need to improve."

Suho scratched the back of his neck, laughing awkwardly.

"Hah! I still have a lot to improve too, you know."

Yeonha simply stared at him. Kim Suho was a monster of natural talent. Even if he said things like that, anyone who saw him in action would know he was on another level. For someone like him, "improving" probably meant advancing even further on a path already unreachable for most.

The two continued walking side by side, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the hallway. Then, Yeonha decided to ask the top-ranked student in their year.

"Suho... What do you think of Theo? You two seem to get along well, don't you?"

She kept her tone casual, but her mind was working rapidly, analyzing every little reaction from the swordsman.

Suho blinked, seeming caught off guard.

"Huh? Theo!? Well... he seems a lot stronger than he lets on."

Yeonha pursed her lips slightly.

"That's it?"

"Eh..."

Suho averted his gaze, thoughtful.

"He and I only talk about simple things, so I don't know much about him, ehehe!"

Despite his carefree tone, he seemed genuinely trying to form a more concrete opinion.

After a few seconds, he continued.

"But... what can I say about him after interacting? Theo seems like a good person. That's what I think."

Yeonha kept her face expressionless, but inside, she sighed.

"Naive..."

She murmured almost inaudibly.

Kim Suho really was an idiot. An incredible warrior, but naive to the extreme. He trusted people in a way that, to someone like Yeonha, seemed reckless.

Because, unlike him, she saw beyond.

She felt that Theo wasn't a simple person. His gaze, his posture, the way he interacted with others, the trustworthy aura he exuded... Everything indicated that he was hiding something. Her instincts screamed it, and so far, those instincts had never failed her.

"Humph! I think the opposite..."

She said, averting her eyes.

"He's definitely hiding something."

Suho blinked a few times, as if trying to understand why she thought that way.

"But isn't that normal? Everyone has secrets. So, why worry about it?"

Suho's words hit her like a well-placed blow.

Yeonha felt her body stiffen for a second.

She also had secrets. Secrets no one should ever find out. So... why was she acting like Theo was the only one with something to hide?

"I guess so..."

She murmured to herself, unable to refute Suho's simple logic.

The rest of the walk was silent, only the echo of their footsteps filling the air.

"Huh?"

Suho, who was walking alongside Yeonha, seemed to notice something at the far end of the training room.

"Theo and... Nayun. They're training too."

He gestured with his head after speaking, and Yeonha promptly followed the direction he indicated.

"Mmn! You said he's strong, but look, his experience against humans seems pretty low. He can't get out of the pressure of Nayun's attacks."

The sight before her eyes was almost as if Theo was being cornered by Nayun with every attack, but as if by a miracle, at the last second, he always narrowly dodged her punches and kicks.

But then, Suho spoke again, his voice carrying a tone of certainty.

"Pay attention to his movements."

Movements?

Yeonha narrowed her eyes and observed more carefully.

At first, it seemed like a simple game of cat and mouse. Nayun attacked relentlessly, and Theo barely managed to dodge. But when she focused on the details, she noticed.

Theo's movements were calculated. He moved minimally, dodging by mere centimeters, as if he was always on the edge of the margin of error. His reactions weren't desperate, but rather... carefree. He always dodged the attacks just as they were about to hit him.

It was as if he was...

"Tsk."

Yeonha clicked her tongue.

"He's not even taking it seriously."

Suho nodded...

Yeonha watched Theo with sharp eyes. If she had suspected before that he was hiding something, now she was almost certain.

And, as if to confirm her thoughts, Theo smiled.

It was an almost imperceptible smile, but Yeonha noticed.

"Arrogant..."

She murmured, crossing her arms. Nayun, on the other hand, seemed oblivious. Her attacks remained aggressive, her punches cutting through the air with force. But none of them hit him.

Until, in an instant, everything changed.

Theo moved differently. Instead of retreating or dodging at the last second, he advanced.

His fingers slid along Nayun's arm, guiding her punch to the side, throwing her balance off for a moment. And before she could react, Theo turned his body slightly, positioning himself behind her in a fluid motion.

His hand touched Nayun's waist, and with a controlled pull, he unbalanced her.

Nayun staggered, surprised, and before she could regain her posture, Theo held her by the nape of her neck gently, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.

Seeing the way Nayun became flustered, Yeonha raised one of her eyebrows.

Silence filled the room.

Kim Suho blinked a few times, surprised. He had already suspected that Theo was much stronger than he appeared, but seeing him fight like this was unexpected. He didn't use brute force, but rather technique, precision, and something even harder to define... as if he was used to fighting in real situations. Having lived another life, Suho understood that better than anyone.

Yeonha, on the other hand, felt her stomach churn slightly. She hated to admit it, but that obvious flirting bothered her, perhaps because seeing it quickly reminded her of Jonghak, who had feelings for Nayun.

'That idiot likes someone who clearly doesn't feel the same way about him, so why doesn't he see me? I don't understand...'

Conflicting thoughts bubbled within her mind.

'He even got upset when I told him to leave Theo alone... I was just worried about him, I don't know what it is, but I feel like if Jonghak keeps up this paranoia, something really serious might happen to him.'

"Oh! You're here too..."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Yeonha noticed Theo walking toward them.

Yeonha averted her gaze to the side, and there, she saw Nayun sprawled on the floor, resting.

...