The first morning in Seoul rose with a soft chill and a sky so clean it felt like the city had been polished overnight. The sleek, glass walls of Seoul International Academy shimmered in the rising sun, banners fluttering at every turn: Welcome to the International Scholar Residency. It was a far cry from the ivy-laced stone of Ainsworth Academy. More modern. More transparent. But Yuna knew better than to be fooled by appearances.
Her suitcase clicked against the tiled floors as she walked through the main atrium. Every step echoed, not just physically, but metaphorically. Ainsworth had made her strong. Now, Seoul would see what that strength looked like in the light.
New skies. New halls. Same fire.
"You must be Seo Yuna," a bright voice called.
Yuna turned to see a petite girl with a blunt bob and clipboard grinning at her.
"I'm Kang Min-ji. Your roommate. Your local guide. And apparently, your warning system."
"Warning system?"
Min-ji winked. "You're famous already. Word spreads fast in international circles."
Yuna sighed. "That can't be good."
Min-ji shrugged as she looped her arm through Yuna . "Depends who hears it first."
Their dorm room overlooked the East Seoul skyline, all sharp lines and golden rooftops. Yuna unpacked slowly, her fingers tracing the edges of her new life. Min-ji watched her carefully from across the room.
"You don't look like someone who cracks easily," Min-ji said.
"I don't," Yuna replied. "But people keep trying."
They spent the day walking the campus together. Min-ji showed her the sunken library, the glass bridge connecting the East and West Wings, the rooftop greenhouse, and the meditation hall built by alumni. Other students passed by and stared—some in curiosity, some in caution.
"You really are the talk of the week," Min-ji muttered. "Half of them want to be you. The other half want to date you."
Yuna laughed. "That's a disaster waiting to happen."
By sunset, they'd shared street food from a vendor outside the main gate—tteokbokki and honey pancakes—and swapped playlists. It felt easy, and that frightened her more than anything.
The next day began with orientation in the grand auditorium. Yuna didn't expect Olivia Holt.
Their eyes locked across the room. Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"They brought both of us?" she muttered.
"Plot twist," Yuna murmured back.
The host stepped up to the mic. "This term, we introduce team-based challenges. Scholars will be paired by random draw."
Yuna already knew. The universe never missed a chance to make things poetic.
"Team One: Seo Yuna and Olivia Holt."
Gasps. A murmur of laughter.
Olivia folded her arms. "Great. We're enemies with assigned seating."
Back at Ainsworth, Minjun and Ara video-called her that night.
"Your rival is now your roommate and teammate?" Minjun blinked.
"You'd love it. Tension every five minutes," Yuna said, voice dry.
Ara snorted. "Just don't murder her. We need you back alive for graduation."
The first challenge was nothing short of cinematic: a cross-disciplinary race through Seoul, hitting academic checkpoints, cultural tests, and strategic games. At the start, Yuna and Olivia couldn't agree on a route.
"You always go by gut," Olivia snapped.
"And you never go by heart," Yuna returned.
But halfway through, their rhythm aligned. One decoding a puzzle while the other negotiated in Korean at a traditional tea house. One solving a logic equation while the other interpreted a poem in Hangul.
By the final checkpoint, they were sprinting side by side.
"You're not as naive as I thought," Olivia said.
"You're not as heartless as you act," Yuna replied.
That evening, under the lantern glow of a Seoul night market, Yuna strolled alone, absorbing the atmosphere. A folded note slipped into her hand as a passerby brushed her shoulder.
You're being watched. — A
Before she could react, Min-ji appeared at her side, face tight. "That's not normal."
Yuna tucked the note into her sleeve. "Welcome to my life."
Back at Ainsworth, Dohyun stood in a shadowed room, speaking to faceless figures.
"She's not done. And neither are we."
A voice responded. "Then we bring the storm to Seoul."
The midterm gala shimmered with international elegance. Yuna wore a cream hanbok embroidered with gold. Olivia, beside her, wore sleek Western evening wear. Foreign dignitaries mingled with scholars. And then—
"Dohyun," she whispered. He stood near the stage, invited as a guest speaker.
"You followed me?"
"I was invited," he said evenly.
"By who?"
"Let's just say… old ghosts still whisper."
On the rooftop later, city lights beneath them, Yuna exhaled.
"There's always someone trying to rewrite my story."
Olivia sat beside her. "Then we write it louder. Together."
Days later, Min-ji handed her a sleek black USB drive. "Found this in the system. Hidden folder. Encrypted. Took me all night."
Fatima opened it in the lab. Inside were dozens of emails.
FROM: *************** Dohyun.Lee@ainsworth.edu
TO: *********************************************************************************************************rk.shadow.contact@protonmail.com
Subject: Contingency Plan
She's more dangerous in Seoul. We need eyes on her every move.
FROM: ***********************************************************************************************************rk.shadow.contact@protonmail.com
RE: Contingency Plan
Plant the doubt. Alter her academic standing if needed. I'll fund the encryption masks.
FROM: ***********************Dohyun.Lee@ainsworth.edu
Minjun still believes in her. That's a liability.*
Yuna leaned back, breath caught in her throat. "Rajarshree never left."
Min-ji crossed her arms. "And Dohyun was never done."
In the Global Challenge Semifinals, Yuna stood center stage. Olivia behind her. The hall silent.
"They called me the storm," she said. "But maybe… I'm the sunlight that breaks through it."
Applause thundered.
Epilogue Moments:
Minjun opened a letter and a plane ticket: "Come see me graduate from the world."
Olivia sent Yuna text: Enemies-to-partners arc? A photo of their trophy attached.
Min-ji burned a second envelope labeled : Plan B: Dohyun *.
Yuna stood by the Han River, her compass glinting under moonlight.
New skies. Same fire. And I am far from done.