Chapter 7: “The Predator That Smiles”**
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> **"The worst monsters don't growl.
> They grin.
> They don't shout.
> They whisper."**
> — Seo Jungho, Inner Monologue
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### ***\[1] — A Change in the Air***
Something was off.
Not in the obvious way—no flashing lights, no strange smells, no violent noise tearing through the school gates.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Jungho felt it the moment he stepped through the hallway of Eungwang High.
A subtle shift.
The kind that made your instincts scream but gave your brain no proof.
Desks were clean. Shoes were lined. The school's *problematic students*? Gone.
Jungho stopped at his locker and looked sideways.
A girl bumped into someone and apologized twice.
The guy just nodded and kept walking.
**Fear.**
But not of *Jungho.*
Not today.
It was like something else had stepped into the ecosystem. Something worse.
Even the air had weight now.
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### ***\[2] — The Smiling Transfer***
It happened at lunch.
Class 2-B received a new student.
Unusual, considering it was mid-semester.
The homeroom teacher stood awkwardly in front of the class, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Uhm… This is your new classmate. He transferred from a private academy in Busan. Be nice to him."
The door slid open.
And *he* walked in.
Tall—taller than Daniel's second body.
Slick black hair. Piercing amber eyes. Slender frame, but not weak.
He wore the uniform loosely—like it annoyed him.
But what drew everyone's eyes… was his *smile.*
A polite, quiet smile.
Calm.
Controlled.
And utterly *unsettling.*
"Hello," he said. "My name is Yoo Baekho. I hope we all get along."
Jungho, who never looked up from his desk when new people came in, raised his eyes.
And locked gazes with Baekho.
The smile twitched wider.
Jungho blinked once.
Something in him stirred.
Something ancient.
**Predator.**
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### ***\[3] — The First Encounter***
Baekho didn't approach Jungho at lunch.
Didn't talk to him.
Didn't *acknowledge* him.
But when Jungho passed the rooftop stairs later that day, he found Baekho there—alone.
Leaning against the railing.
Like he *knew* Jungho would come.
Baekho turned his head slowly.
The smile never left his face.
"Seo Jungho," he said, calmly. "You're shorter than I imagined."
Jungho stopped. "You've got ten seconds."
Baekho chuckled. "To do what?"
"To stop existing near me."
Baekho laughed—a genuine, delighted laugh.
"Ah. You *are* the real thing. I was worried. All those rumors? I thought maybe you were some sad stray dog who bit someone once and got lucky."
He stepped closer.
No fear. No hesitation.
"But you're not a dog, are you?"
Jungho's eyes narrowed.
"You're a *ticking bomb.*"
Baekho leaned closer, voice soft.
"And I can't wait to see what happens when you finally *explode.*"
Jungho didn't move.
Didn't speak.
But deep inside?
His heart rate—normally resting like a sleeping glacier—shifted.
By one beat.
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### ***\[4] — Daniel's Warning***
Later that day, Daniel caught Jungho outside the gym.
"Hey… I wanted to talk."
Jungho raised an eyebrow.
Daniel looked serious.
"I don't know what that new guy's deal is, but I *don't trust him.* He's too friendly. Too calculated."
Jungho shrugged. "Then don't talk to him."
Daniel hesitated.
"I think he's *watching* you."
Jungho stopped walking.
Turned his head just slightly.
"…Good."
Daniel blinked. "Huh?"
Jungho looked at the sky.
"I was getting bored."
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### ***\[5] — A Game of Pieces***
Elsewhere—far from the school—a dark room.
Several figures stood around a digital screen.
Photos of Jungho.
Data.
Medical reports.
Fight footage—blurred, corrupted, incomplete.
At the center: Yoo Baekho's profile.
An older man with glasses—military haircut—spoke into a phone.
"Yes. Phase One complete. He's in."
A voice on the other end replied sharply, "Be careful. Seo Jungho is *not* your normal target."
The man smirked.
"No such thing as a 'normal' anymore. Not when we're building gods."
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### ***\[6] — The First Test***
Three nights later, Jungho walked through an alley near his apartment.
He liked walking at night.
No people. No noise.
But tonight, there were footsteps.
Six of them.
Dressed in uniforms.
No school crest.
No gang affiliation.
Well-built. Strong. Silent.
They didn't talk.
They *charged.*
Jungho sighed and closed his eyes.
Ten seconds later, five of them were on the ground.
Groaning.
One was missing an arm.
The sixth?
Ran.
Jungho didn't chase.
But he turned slowly… and looked up.
At the rooftop across the alley.
And there stood *Baekho.*
Still smiling.
Clapping.
"Exquisite," he whispered.
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### ***\[7] — Cracks in the Calm***
Jungho was no fool.
He didn't need a system or a scanner to know.
Baekho wasn't human.
Not *technically.*
He bled. He ate. He talked.
But he was manufactured.
Trained.
*Sharpened.*
Every move he made was a calculated simulation of empathy.
Every joke rehearsed.
Every smile—a threat.
Jungho sat alone the next morning on the school rooftop.
The wind tugged at his hoodie.
He closed his eyes.
His voice was barely audible.
"…What do you want from me?"
From behind, Baekho stepped into view.
"Simple," he said. "I want to be your *first real challenge.*"
Jungho opened one eye.
"I don't *want* a challenge."
Baekho grinned.
"I know. That's what makes this fun."
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### ***\[8] — A Glimpse of the Past***
Flashback.
Baekho, age 8.
Inside a military compound.
Trainers screaming.
Children screaming louder.
Blood. Bones. Battle.
But Baekho?
He smiled.
He always smiled.
Because he was taught one thing:
**"Smiling confuses the enemy."**
And Baekho didn't just want to win.
He wanted to *break*.
To see what happened when the unbreakable bent.
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### ***\[9] — Jungho's Restraint***
By the weekend, Baekho had embedded himself into student life.
Teachers loved him.
Girls swooned.
Boys admired him.
Only a handful *understood.*
Daniel. Jay. Suhyeon.
Even Vasco kept his distance.
Because everyone could feel it now.
Not just Jungho.
There was a war coming.
Not with armies.
With *intent.*
Two black holes orbiting the same sun.
Only one would remain.
And Jungho?
He waited.
Silent.
Lethal.
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### ***\[10] — Endgame Prelude***
Baekho sent a message late one night.
Slipped under Jungho's door.
A single paper.
No name.
Just two words:
> "Rooftop. Midnight."
Jungho didn't hesitate.
He went.
No hoodie.
No disguise.
Just jeans and a blank stare.
Baekho waited.
Leaning on the fence.
Both hands in pockets.
"Seo Jungho," he said. "They'll come for you soon. Guns. Needles. Poison."
Jungho didn't answer.
Baekho smiled.
"But I don't need any of that."
He stepped forward.
"No system. No cheat. No backup."
His eyes gleamed.
"I'm going to beat you with *skill.*"
Jungho's voice was a whisper.
"…You'll die."
Baekho nodded.
Still smiling.
"Maybe."
Then he stepped back.
And vanished into the dark.
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