Morning light streamed into Ara's dorm room. Yuna stirred on the couch, her navy dress discarded on a nearby chair. Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number:
Still watching. – A
Ara peeked over her shoulder and gasped. "He texted you?!" Yuna blinked sleepily at the screen. "It's creepy. Why do I still feel… weirdly excited?"
Ara grinned. "Girl. That's not creepy. That's chemistry."
Students packed the common hall, murmuring as Principal Oh stepped onto the podium. His expression was stern, as always, but there was something sharper behind it today.
"We're bringing back a tradition," he announced. "The Autumn Academic Games. Each house must nominate one male and one female to represent them. Winners will receive house prestige—and a scholarship bonus."
Gasps. Whispers. Then names.
Seo Yuna.
Jang Minjun.
Their eyes locked across the crowd. Neither blinked. Nari leaned in to Sumin. "What is this? Hunger Games: Prep School Edition?"
That afternoon, in the quiet sanctuary of the library, Dohyun found Yuna reading.
"You're not just smart," he said, sitting across from her. "You're strategic."
"Planning is survival around here," she replied.
"Good. Because if you're paired with Minjun, you'll need every edge."
She tilted her head. "You keep warning me. Why?"
He hesitated. "Because I've seen what he does… when he cares too much."
The gymnasium echoed with hushed voices. Students circled around to watch the Academic Games' trial rounds. Yuna stood beside Minjun. Logic puzzle in front of them. Tension thicker than the problem itself.
"You don't trust me," Minjun said quietly.
"You noticed?"
"You should."
"That's not how trust works."
They solved the puzzle in record time. The crowd erupted in claps.
Off to the side, Taeyang shook his head. "How do they solve math problems with that much tension in the air?"
Hyunwoo grinned. "It's called enemies-to-lovers energy."
That evening, behind the courtyard fountain, Ha Yuri pulled Kevin aside.
"She's getting too popular," she whispered. "She's a threat."
Kevin looked away. "I told you—I don't want drama."
She smiled coldly. "Too late. You're in it now."
Later that night, Yuna followed the echo of distant piano notes through an old corridor. It led her to a forgotten wing of the library, and then into a room she'd never seen before.
Minjun sat at the piano, playing something soft. His hands moved like they remembered something painful.
"Didn't know you played," she said.
"Didn't know you cared."
"Maybe I don't."
He looked at her. "You're not a glitch, Yuna. You're the code that breaks everything I've built."
She took a step closer. "Then maybe it's time it breaks."
Silence stretched between them. Then something else.
Not words.
Not yet.
But something inevitable.
Across campus:
Sumin stared at the student portal and gasped. "Someone hacked it…"
Principal Oh stood over Kevin's laptop the next morning, frowning. "Upload scheduled. Twenty-four hours," the screen read.
Hyun woo flipped through dusty archives in the student hall and found an old photograph—Minjun, much younger, standing next to a girl who looked eerily like Yuna. And Dohyun stood outside Yuna's dorm. He raised his hand to knock. Then lowered it.
And walked away.
Yuna (V.O.)
They think this is a game. They forget—I came here to win.