Jiwon, trailed Subin through Gangnam's quiet streets, her ice aura still simmering as she grumbled about Jisuk's smug face.
Enhanced Senses caught her muttering—"That jerk's gonna regret messing with me!"—but Jiwon's mind was elsewhere.
Jiwoo's blank, polite smile burned in his memory. 'He didn't know me.'
Yet, seeing Jiwoo safe, feeding strays with that same manhwa kindness, eased a knot in Jiwon's chest. 'He's okay. That's enough.'
Subin spun around, ice aura flaring. "Hiro, you're too quiet! What's with you? That Jiwoo kid really looked like you!"
Jiwon forced a Hiro grin, hiding his tension. "Yeah, weird coincidence, right? Maybe I've got a doppelgänger."
Subin snorted. "Tch, you're not that unique, spark plug. But seriously, Wooin's dodging the Union? He's got guts."
Jiwon nodded, 'Wooin's stalling, just like in the manhwa. Jiwoo's pulling him in.'
'Jiwoo's amnesia changes nothing. I stick to the plan'
==================================
Jiwoo Seo's POV
Jiwoo sat on his apartment's small balcony, a stray tabby curled in his lap, purring softly.
The Gangnam skyline twinkled, but his mind wasn't on the view.
That guy—Hiro Yamamoto—kept flashing in his head. 'Why'd he feel so… familiar?'
Jiwoo's heart tugged, like a piece of him, long gone, had brushed close today.
He scratched the tabby's ears, frowning. 'It's not just his face. It's… something else.'
He leaned back, memories flickering. Mom's voice, years ago: "You had a twin brother, Jiwoo. But… he's gone. An accident."
She'd shut down when he pressed, her eyes wet, refusing to say more.
Jiwoo knew parts of his childhood were missing—blanks from before he was 9, when Mom started working abroad for that pharmaceutical company.
"Hide your powers, Jiwoo," she'd said, her voice firm. "No one can know."
They'd bounced from city to city, always running from something Jiwoo couldn't name.
His amnesia, a doctor had said, was trauma-related, but Mom never explained the trauma.
Jiwoo hugged the tabby closer, its warmth grounding him. 'Hiro's face… it's like mine, but sharper. Like how I imagined my brother.'
That handshake, Hiro's calm eyes—they'd stirred a void in him, like a missing puzzle piece clicking near but not fitting.
'Was it you?' His sparks flickered, faint arcs dancing on his fingertips, unnoticed.
Jisuk and Wooin had laughed off Subin's twin talk, but Jiwoo couldn't.
'If he's alive… why don't I remember?' He sighed, the tabby nuzzling him. 'Maybe I'm just tired.'
"..."
"Kayden," Jiwoo started, voice soft but curious, "something weird happened today."
Kayden's tail flicked, one eye cracking open. "Weird? You're always stumbling into trouble, kid. What now?" His voice, gruff even in cat form, carried that familiar mix of boredom and menace.
Jiwoo shifted, the tabby stirring in his lap. "This girl, Subin Lee, showed up at school. She was looking for Wooin, got into it with Jisuk's old friends—beat 'em up, no powers or anything. Then she argued with us, said Wooin's dodging some Union offer."
Kayden yawned, stretching his chubby paws. "Union, huh? Bunch of self-righteous bureaucrats. Sounds like Subin's their attack dog. So what? Jisuk's got a big mouth, and Wooin's too quiet for his own good. Why's this your problem?"
Jiwoo frowned, his sparks flickering faintly, a nervous habit he barely noticed.
"It's not just that. She brought this guy with her—Hiro Yamamoto. Kayden, he… he looked exactly like me." His voice wavered, the tabby nuzzling his hand as if sensing his unease.
Kayden's ears twitched, but his expression stayed lazy, sprawled like he hadn't a care in the world. "Exactly like you? Kid, you're not that special-looking. Probably just some random."
Jiwoo shook his head, eyes distant. "No, it's more than that. Same face, same hair, just… sharper. Taller. Like he could be my—" He stopped, the word brother catching in his throat.
Mom's words echoed: "You had a twin brother, Jiwoo. But… he's gone."
His sparks flared briefly, a tiny arc snapping against the tabby's fur, making it meow. "Sorry," Jiwoo mumbled, stroking the cat.
Kayden's gaze sharpened, though his tone stayed dry. "You're getting worked up over a lookalike? Focus, Jiwoo. You've got enough on your plate with my training and those strays you keep feeding."
Jiwoo bit his lip, his kindness warring with his curiosity. "I know, but… Subin's with the Union, right? So Hiro's probably an Awakened too. She called him a prodigy, said he's got sparks or something. Maybe lightning? I don't know." He paused, heart tugging again.
"When he shook my hand, it felt… like I knew him. Like something missing came back, but I can't figure out why."
Kayden snorted, rolling onto his back, his obese belly jiggling. "Sentimental nonsense. You're imagining things, kid. If he's Awakened, he's the Union's problem, not yours. And if he's got lightning, he's probably a rookie tripping over his own power. Forget it."
Jiwoo sighed, knowing Kayden's gruffness hid concern. "Yeah, maybe. But… I've got amnesia, Kayden. Mom said my twin died in an accident, but I don't remember him. What if—"
Kayden cut him off, tail lashing. "What if nothing. You start chasing ghosts, you'll get distracted. There's full of rouges out there, sniffing around. You need to be ready, not mooning over some guy who looks like you."
Jiwoo just nodded, but his sparks hummed, his eyes drifting to the skyline. 'I hope I'm not imagining things...'
================================
Next Morning
Jiwoo Seo, stepped out of his house, a spring breeze ruffling his cream-colored hair. He adjusted his school bag, a faint spark humming beneath his skin, unnoticed.
The Gangnam neighborhood was quiet, kids heading to school, but Jiwoo's mind lingered on what happened yesterday—Hiro Yamamoto's face, so like his own, and Kayden's gruff dismissal.
'I'm not imagining it… am I?'
A stray tabby darted past, meowing, and Jiwoo smiled, crouching to pet it. That's when a familiar chill hit his senses—ice aura, sharp and fiery.
"Yo, Jiwoo!" Subin Lee stormed down the street, her aura crackling like a winter storm.
Jiwoo blinked, standing up, "Uh, Subin? What's up?"
Her eyes narrowed, as she jabbed a finger at him. "Don't play dumb, cat boy! Where's Wooin? Call him, now. I'm not done with that dodging jerk!"
Jiwoo's heart raced, his kindness kicking in. "H-Hey, calm down! Why do you need Wooin so bad?"
"He's ducking the Union's offer. I wanna see what he's got. If he won't fight me, guess I'll spar with you instead." Subin smirked.
Jiwoo's eyes widened, sparks flaring faintly in his palms. "M-me?!"
Before he could stammer more, a flat voice cut through. "What's this about?" Wooin appeared, leaning against a nearby wall, his dark hair falling over sharp eyes.
"There you are, hotshot! You think you can blow off the Union? Fight me, or I'm taking it out on your buddy here!" She grinned, pointing at Jiwoo, who waved his hands frantically.
Wooin's aura suddenly burst, seemingly furious that Subin threatened to hurt Jiwoo.
"W-Wait, no one's fighting anyone!" Jiwoo's sparks hummed, his gut twisting. 'She's serious.'
He glanced around—"Guys, we can't do this here! What if someone gets hurt?"
Subin rolled her eyes, ice aura buzzing. "Tch, fine, scaredy-cat. Let's take it somewhere legit."
Wooin's aura barely flickered, but he nodded.
"Shinhwa's headquarters. They've got arena's" said Subin.
"Fine by me." Coldly said Wooin with determined eyes.
'Ugh this is getting out of hand!' Jiwoo just resigned and decided to just see this through.
===============================
As they headed to Shinhwa's headquarters, Jiwoo's phone buzzed—Jisuk's name flashing, a call.
"Yo, Jiwoo, where you at?" Jisuk asked.
"Were going to Shinhwa, Subin challenged Wooin to a sparring match" Jiwoo replied with a tired tone.
"What?! Subin's going to fight Wooin?! I gotta see this shit!" Jisuk's voice crackled with excitement.
Jiwoo sighed. "Jisuk, it's just a spar, not a war…"
Jisuk laughed. "Sure, sure. I'm watching her crash and burn!" Was the last thing Jiwoo heard before Jisuk hang up the call.
Jiwoo shook his head, pocketing his phone. 'This is really getting out of hand.'
He also scooped up Kayden, who'd been strolling nearby, his obese, white-and-orange tabby form heavy in Jiwoo's arms.
"You're coming too, Kayden," Jiwoo muttered. Kayden's tail lashed, one eye glaring. "Ugh, kid, why do I get dragged into your messes?"
============================
At Shinhwa's headquarters, a sleek fortress in Seoul's heart.
The complex towered over Yeouido, its training arenas humming with Awakened auras—wind, fire, gravity.
Jiwoo Seo, stood awkwardly in Shinhwa's sleek locker room, clutching Kayden's obese, white-and-orange tabby form.
The air buzzed with tension—Wooin's force aura was steady but sharp, while Subin's ice aura crackled from the corner where she argued over the phone.
Jiwoo's eyes darted to Wooin, who leaned against a bench, dark hair shadowing his face.
'This spar's a bad idea' Jiwoo thought, his kindness urging him to intervene, but Subin's voice drowned out his nerves.
"Uncle, I'm not backing down!" Subin snapped into her phone, "Wooin's dodging the Union, and I'm gonna show him what's up! Just watch!"
Jiwoo winced, 'She's so stubborn.'
Seongha Park's voice rumbled through the speaker, calm but firm. "Subin, this is reckless. Inhyuk Goo called me—Shinhwa's not your playground. I'm coming to stop this." Subin
Subin grinned, replied defiantly. "Too late, Uncle! It's on!" She hung up, then dialed another number, her tone shifting to excitement.
"Hiro, get to Shinhwa HQ, now! You're gonna see me crush Wooin!"
Jiwoo's heart skipped. 'Hiro's coming… again?'
Wooin's aura pulsed briefly, his eyes flicking to Jiwoo. "You okay?" he asked, voice flat but concerned.
"Y-Yeah, just… worried. Subin's intense." Kayden snorted in his arms, tail lashing.
Subin strutted over. "Ready to lose, hotshot?" she taunted Wooin, who just stared, aura unmoved.
Jiwoo's gut twisted. 'Why do I feel like this is gonna spiral?'
Later, in a quiet corner of Shinhwa's complex, Seongha Park arrived, his aura a crushing wave that made Jiwoo's sparks flicker nervously.
The Union heavyweight faced Jiwoo and Wooin, his gaze sharp but apologetic. "I'm sorry for Subin's behavior," he said, voice steady. "She's impulsive. I'll drag her out if I have to."
Jiwoo waved his hands, desperate to ease the tension. "N-No, it's okay, Mr. Park! She's just… passionate?"
Wooin, surprisingly, spoke up, force aura steady. "Let us fight. If I win, maybe she'll leave us alone."
Seongha's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Fine. But keep it clean." Jiwoo's jaw dropped. 'Wooin wants this?'
By afternoon, Jiwoo stood in Shinhwa's empty training hall, its padded walls humming with residual Awakened energy.
Jiyoung Yoo, Shinhwa's prodigy leader, stands at the arena's edge, her aura a quiet storm, commanding silence.
Inhyuk Goo, her right-hand man, stood beside her, his gaze analytical.
Jisuk lounged nearby, munching popcorn, wind aura buzzing with glee. "This is gonna be epic!" he crowed, tossing a kernel at Jiwoo, who dodged with a nervous laugh.
Kayden flopped onto Jiwoo's chest, his obese tabby frame jiggling, muttering, "Waste of my nap time."
Jiwoo's sparks hummed, his eyes darting to the entrance. 'Where's Subin? And… Hiro?'
========================
Jiwon's POV
Outside, Jiwon arrived at Shinhwa's gates, Aura Suppression locked tight, cloaking his power. Subin met him, buzzing with excitement.
"Hiro, you're late! Come on, I'm about to school Wooin!"
Jiwon's Hiro grin was calm, cooler now, with a playful edge. "Wouldn't miss it, Subin. Go easy on him, yeah?"
She snorted, dragging him inside.
Enhanced Senses pinged the arena's auras—Jiyoung's overwhelming force, Inhyuk's precision, Jisuk's chaotic wind. This is Shinhwa's heart, Jiwon thought, bis mind noting the stakes. 'Stay hidden.'
Inside the training hall, Subin burst in, ice aura flaring, Jiwon trailing with his collected Hiro act.
"Yo, everyone, this is Hiro Yamamoto!" she announced, grinning. "My sparring buddy and total prodigy!"
She avoided mentioning his powers, and Jiwon's Protected Mind caught curious gazes.
Jiyoung's eyes lingered, her aura probing but finding nothing. Inhyuk's brow furrowed, sensing a blank where power should be.
Jiwoo's sparks flared faintly, his heart tugging at Jiwon's face—so like his own, yet sharper. 'Why do I feel this again?'
Kayden's ears twitched, his tabby eyes narrowing. 'This kid… '
Jiwon's aura was null, but Kayden's instincts, dulled by his weakened state, caught a faint echo of Jiwoo's spark-like power.
'He's strong. Like the kid, he really does look like Jiwoo too, but… different. Kayden's interest sparked, though he stayed silent, tail flicking.
Jiwon caught the cat's stare, Animal Synergy sensing curiosity.
'Kayden's onto me' he thought, but his Hiro act held—calm, playful, a hint of a smirk.
"Nice place," he said, bowing lightly. "Thanks for having me."
Subin clapped her hands, ice aura crackling. "Alright, Wooin, let's dance!"
Wooin stepped into the arena, force aura steady, eyes cold.
Jiwoo hovered at the edge, sparks humming, nervous. 'Please don't get hurt.'
Jisuk tossed popcorn, grinning. "Kick her butt, Wooin!"
Jiyoung's aura pulsed, a silent warning to keep it controlled. Seongha watched, arms crossed, aura heavy.