The training grounds were buzzing with chatter, as usual, but one particular rumor had taken root and was spreading like wildfire.

And, of course, the ever-curious one of the younger mages, Geon-Woo was the loudest in spreading it.

Seated next to Dang-Gu in the dining hall, he leaned in dramatically, eyes wide with excitement.

"I saw it with my own eyes! Jang-Uk and Lady Hae-Rin—so close, training together, laughing like a couple in love!"

Dang-Gu, mid-bite of his food, nearly choked. "W-What?!"

Geon-Woo nodded eagerly. "And get this! Jang-Uk even told her, 'I need you by my side, Hae-Rin.'"

"NO WAY!" Dang-Gu clutched his chest as if struck by an arrow.

"That's the most romantic thing I've ever—wait." His brain finally caught up.

"Ji-Hoon hyung is going to—"

A loud scrape echoed through the hall.

They turned in unison.

Ji-Hoon had frozen mid-meal, chopsticks snapped in half in his grip.

There was a dangerous pause.

Then, Ji-Hoon stood up.

"Where is he?" His voice was eerily calm.

Dang-Gu immediately panicked. "Wait, wait, hyung, let's not do anything drastic—"

But Ji-Hoon was already marching off, his aura screaming murder.

Geon-Woo, completely oblivious to the impending doom, beamed. "What a supportive older brother!"

Dang-Gu groaned. "We are all going to die."

And with that, he scrambled after Ji-Hoon, desperately trying to prevent a massacre.

Ji-Hoon stormed into Songrim, his aura so murderous that a few passing disciples changed directions to avoid him.

Meanwhile, the so-called fake couple sat across from Seo Yul, still pretending for the sake of the rumors. Jang-Uk was smirking, thoroughly enjoying himself, while Hae-Rin, arms crossed, was clearly questioning all her life choices.

That's when Ji-Hoon arrived.

His eyes locked on Jang-Uk. Target acquired.

"You." Ji-Hoon's voice was calm. Too calm. The 'someone's-about-to-die' kind of calm. "You're dating my sister?"

Jang-Uk, sipping his tea, choked. "What?"

"He knows!" Dang-Gu whispered loudly, eyes wide in delight.

Ji-Hoon stepped forward. "Explain. Now."

Jang-Uk, realizing this was it, did what any self-respecting man would do.

He ran.

Ji-Hoon immediately gave chase. "GET BACK HERE, YOU DEAD MAN!"

Seo Yul, who had been sitting stiffly the entire time, exhaled through his nose. His grip on his teacup tightened.

Hae-Rin, watching the chaos, muttered, "Idiots."

Seo Yul didn't answer. Instead, his eyes flickered to Jang-Uk, who had the audacity to grin at Hae-Rin even while dodging Ji-Hoon's attacks.

Jang-Uk suddenly ducked behind her, grabbing her shoulders like a human shield. "Hae-Rin, save me!"

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, now you need me?"

Ji-Hoon cracked his knuckles. "Move, Hae-Rin."

Hae-Rin smirked. "Gladly." She stepped aside.

Jang-Uk's eyes widened. "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—"

Ji-Hoon tackled him to the ground.

Seo Yul clenched his jaw. He knew it was fake, but something about seeing Jang-Uk all over her made his patience wear thin.

Jang-Uk, trying to escape Ji-Hoon's headlock: "THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE DRAMA, DANG-GU!"

Ji-Hoon: "IT'S ABOUT TO BE A TRAGEDY FOR YOU!"

Dang-Gu, sighing dreamily: "This is so romantic."

Seo Yul finally snapped.

He grabbed his sword and stood up abruptly.

The moment Ji-Hoon and Jang-Uk heard the sharp scrape of the blade leaving its sheath, they froze.

Hae-Rin blinked. "Yul?"

Seo Yul's gaze was on Jang-Uk.

"You should stop touching her now."

Jang-Uk gulped. Ji-Hoon looked genuinely impressed at Yul's shift in tone.

Seo Yul looked at her.

Hae-Rin suddenly felt like the entire world was watching her.

She cleared her throat. "Um."

Jang-Uk took the opportunity to shove Ji-Hoon off him and escape.

Ji-Hoon scowled. "Hey, I wasn't done with you!"

But Seo Yul's expression was still unreadable without another word, he walked away, leaving behind a very confused Hae-Rin

Ji-Hoon's glare darkened. "Hae-Rin."

She inhaled sharply. Alright. Time for damage control.

Jang-Uk had dodged three attempts on his life before Hae-Rin finally dragged both him and Ji-Hoon into an empty room, slamming the door shut behind them.

"Can we please talk like civilized people?" she hissed, keeping a firm grip on Ji-Hoon's sleeve before he could pummel Jang-Uk into the floor.

Ji-Hoon was still seething. "You have one chance to explain why this idiot is suddenly your boyfriend."

Jang-Uk, standing a safe distance away, grinned. "I'll have you know, I'm a great fake boyfriend."

Hae-Rin smacked the back of his head.

Ji-Hoon crossed his arms. "Well?"

Hae-Rin exhaled. Alright. Keep it simple. Keep it logical.

"It's not real," she said firmly. "Jang-Uk and I are just pretending."

Ji-Hoon stared. "...Why?"

Hae-Rin hesitated for half a second.

Jang-Uk, not missing a beat, opened his mouth—

Hae-Rin clamped her hand over his face.

Ji-Hoon's eyes narrowed.

"Don't—say—anything," she gritted out at Jang-Uk before turning back to her brother. "It's for Mu-Deok."

Ji-Hoon blinked. "What?"

Hae-Rin nodded quickly, pressing Jang-Uk's mouth shut even harder as he tried to protest. "She won't acknowledge whatever is going on between them, so we're pushing her a little."

Ji-Hoon still didn't look convinced. "That's it?"

"That's it."

Jang-Uk mumbled something against her palm.

Ji-Hoon's glare sharpened. "What did he say?"

Hae-Rin sweat. "Nothing."

Jang-Uk wiggled his eyebrows.

Hae-Rin yanked her hand away just in time for Jang-Uk to smirk and say, "Well, you see, Ji-Hoon—"

Hae-Rin slapped her hand over his mouth again.

Ji-Hoon's suspicion grew. "What aren't you telling me?"

Jang-Uk's muffled voice was way too smug.

Hae-Rin leaned in and whispered, "If you speak his name, I will throw you to Ji-Hoon."

Jang-Uk froze.

Hae-Rin turned back to Ji-Hoon with the most innocent smile she could muster. "It's really just about Mu-Deok and Uk."

Ji-Hoon eyed them both. "Then why do I feel like you're hiding something?"

Jang-Uk mumbled something again.

Hae-Rin, panicked, elbowed him.

Ji-Hoon stepped closer, looming. "Hae-Rin."

Hae-Rin forced a laugh. "What? Everything's fine! There's no need to worry!"

Ji-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

Jang-Uk muttered dramatically, "It's always the little sisters who lie the best—ow!"

Hae-Rin had stomped on his foot.

Ji-Hoon sighed, rubbing his temple. "Fine. I'll let this go for now."

Hae-Rin nodded quickly. "Great! Fantastic! Now let's—"

Ji-Hoon suddenly pointed at Jang-Uk. "But if you do anything suspicious with my sister—"

Jang-Uk held up his hands. "I swear, I value my life."

Ji-Hoon huffed and turned to leave.

Hae-Rin exhaled in relief.

Jang-Uk waited until the door shut before grinning like a menace.

"So," he drawled, stretching his arms behind his head, "how long do you think you can keep him from finding out that this wasn't just about me?"

Hae-Rin shot him a look. "Shut up."

Jang-Uk laughed.

Jang-Uk was enjoying this too much.

He made sure to linger a little too close to Hae-Rin when Mu-Deok was around, exaggerated his laughter, and even threw an arm around her shoulder once—just to see how Mu-Deok would react.

And it worked.

At first, she was indifferent, as if she didn't care. But when he turned up late for training, still grinning from an earlier exchange with Hae-Rin, Mu-Deok cracked.

"Do you think this is funny?" she snapped.

Jang-Uk raised a brow. "What?"

"You're too busy playing around to train properly." She threw a wooden sword at him. "Or did you forget that you're supposed to win that fight?"

He caught the sword easily. "Why? Afraid I'll lose?"

"I'm afraid you'll be an idiot."

Jang-Uk smirked. "You sound jealous."

Mu-Deok scoffed. "Why would I be jealous of an act?"

But the way she clenched her fists told another story.

Jang-Uk wiped the blood off his lip, rolling his shoulders as his next opponent stepped forward. He had lost six times already, but he wasn't done yet.

From the sidelines, Mu-Deok watched with a carefully guarded expression, her arms crossed. Seo Yul stood beside her, his gaze flickering between Jang-Uk and Hae-Rin.

Hae-Rin, meanwhile, was shifting on her feet, unable to stay still. Every time Jang-Uk took a hit, she winced.

The seventh fight began.

Jang-Uk barely dodged the first strike. He was getting slower, his body heavy with exhaustion.

"Shouldn't we... do something?" Hae-Rin murmured.

Seo Yul scoffed. "He got himself into this."

Hae-Rin frowned, her worry outweighing her pretend role in the act. Without thinking, she took a step forward, as if she was about to run onto the training ground.

"Hae-Rin," Seo Yul's voice was sharper than usual.

She stopped, turning to look at him.

He was watching her intently. Too intently.

She swallowed hard. Her cover was slipping.

Jang-Uk stood, bruised but determined.

There were still four more opponents.

And he wasn't about to lose.