The tournament continued. Punches flew, cheers echoed, names were called.
But Areum's focus kept drifting away from the mat—back to the boy beside her.
Raon.
He sat with perfect posture, hands folded on his lap, his gaze cold and analytical as each match played out.
Areum watched him, puzzled.
Most boys she knew would be flushed with excitement, bouncing in their seats, bragging. But Raon?
He just watched—like the fights were chess moves in a war only he understood.
---
"You're scary, you know that?" she said quietly.
Raon blinked, turning to her. "Scary?"
"Not in a bad way," she added quickly. "Just… you see everything."
Raon offered a small smile. Gentle. Almost too gentle.
"I just pay attention."
"Still. It's like you're reading people."
"I'm not."
I'm rewriting them.
---
Meanwhile, in the hallway—
Lee Daehyun leaned against a locker, watching through a crack in the gym door.
Raon and Areum… whispering, laughing, connecting.
Daehyun's heart pounded—not with love, but something darker.
Jealousy twisted in his stomach like a knife.
---
Back in the gym, the next match was announced.
> "Match 8: Raon vs. Kim Seokjin!"
Another senior-ranked fighter. Taller. Older. Muscular.
The crowd perked up.
"Finally, someone might actually push him."
Raon stepped onto the mat, brushing invisible dust off his uniform.
Seokjin glared. "You don't look like a fighter."
Raon's smile sharpened just slightly.
"I don't look like a lot of things."
---
The bell rang.
Seokjin charged, throwing a low feint followed by a spinning back kick.
Raon parried with his arm—just enough to redirect the force—and stepped in close.
Too close.
He elbowed Seokjin's inner thigh, then swept his support foot.
A thud.
Seokjin growled and rose again—but this time, slower.
The fight continued. Blow for blow.
Raon danced between hits like a shadow—never wasting a movement.
Then, when Seokjin lunged for a final mid-kick—
Raon caught the leg and pivoted.
CRACK.
Seokjin screamed.
The referee waved both arms. "Stop the match!"
The crowd gasped.
Seokjin's ankle twisted unnaturally as he hit the floor.
---
Raon stood over him, calm.
His heart rate? Unchanged.
His breath? Steady.
His eyes? Empty.
---
Later, backstage:
"...You hurt him on purpose," Areum said quietly.
Raon turned to her.
"I ended the fight quickly. That's all."
Her eyes searched his face.
There was no guilt.
No regret.
Only that perfect smile again.
And yet…
She still found herself stepping closer.
---
Final Panel:
Daehyun watching from the second floor window.
His fist slams into the wall, cracking the plaster.
Raon looks up—meets his eyes—and smiles.
---