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THE LIBRARY WAS BATHED IN THE WARM GLOW OF THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN, its rays filtering through the blinds and casting soft patterns on the desks. y/n l/n sat across from Kwon, her brows furrowed as she flipped through his answers, her pen skimming across the pages. Their study session had ended, leaving them with forty minutes before training today, and while she worked on her own assignments, the boy had dutifully solved the set of questions she'd prepared for him earlier.

"Done," he announced, sliding the papers toward her with a self-assured grin. He leaned back in his chair, stretching with an air of exaggerated confidence.

Y/n shot him a skeptical glance before taking the papers. "So soon? You sure you didn't just skip all the questions," she mumbled, beginning to grade them. Her red pen darted across the sheets, marking corrections here and there, but as she progressed, her skepticism melted into something closer to surprise.

When she reached the end, she let out a low whistle, her lips curving into a proud smile. "Ninety-two percent," she said, placing the graded papers down on the desk. "That's your best score yet. Honestly, I'm impressed."

Kwon's grin widened, leaning forward to rest his arms on the desk as he fixed her with a playful stare. "Impressed enough to admit I'm a genius?"

She rolled her eyes, stifling a laugh. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Despite her exasperation, she couldn't hide the warmth in her tone. "Seriously, though, great job. You've been working really hard."

"Obviously," he drawled, his tone flirty but lighter than usual. "What can I say? I've got a great teacher."

"Flattery won't get you extra points," she quipped, but a small blush tinged her cheeks as she raised her hand for a high five.

"Fine, then I'm a great student." Kwon met her gesture, raising his hand, but as he did, her gaze caught on the bandages wrapped around his knuckles. They were uneven and hastily done, with faint traces of dried blood peeking through the fabric. Her hand paused mid-air.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

Kwon shrugged casually, lowering his hand to rest on the table. "Oh, it's nothing. A car brushed past me while I was on my way to the hospital. Just a scratch."

Her brows knit together, skepticism clear in her expression. "A car?" she repeated, scanning his face for any signs of honesty. "You expect me to believe that? Your hand looks like it got into a boxing match with a meat grinder, and the rest of you is completely fine?"

He chuckled, leaning back again. "You've got such a vivid imagination, l/n."

"Kwon," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for evasion.

But instead of answering, he deflected again, waving her off. "Relax. It's not a big deal. You're worrying over nothing."

Ignoring his attempt to dismiss her, she reached across the table, gently taking his hand in hers. His cocky smile faltered for a split second as she carefully turned his hand over, tracing the edges of the bandages with her fingertips. Her touch was featherlight, but it sent a ripple of warmth up his arm.

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed faint cuts along his fingers, barely visible beneath the bandages. "Dude, this isn't nothing," she murmured, her voice softer now, tinged with worry. "The Sekai Taikai is in a week. How are you going to compete if your hand doesn't heal in time?"

He smirked, though it lacked its usual sharpness. "Don't stress. I've got two legs, remember? I could win that thing without throwing a single punch."

Y/n frowned, unconvinced. Her thumb grazed over the bandages again, slower this time, as if trying to piece together the truth he wasn't telling her. "You're not invincible, you know," she said quietly. "You can't just brush this off."

His gaze softened as he watched her, the way her fingers lingered on his hand, the faint crease of worry on her brow. For once, he didn't have a snarky comeback.

"Y/n," he said after a moment, his voice lower, more sincere. "I'll be fine. I promise."

She looked up then, her eyes meeting his. The world seemed to narrow, the hum of the library fading into the background. His dark eyes searched hers, and she felt her breath hitch. The memory of that night at Chiri-san came rushing back — the way they'd stood so close, the tension crackling in the air between them, the way her heart had raced when his gaze lingered a moment too long.

Her cheeks flushed at the thought, and she quickly looked down, but her hands stayed where they were, still holding his.

Kwon swallowed, his usual bravado slipping away as he struggled to find the right words. His thumb brushed against hers, an instinctive, tentative gesture that sent a shiver through her. "Hey..." he started, his voice barely above a whisper.

But before he could say anything more, her phone buzzed loudly on the table, shattering the moment. They both flinched, breaking apart as if caught doing something forbidden.

The girl snatched her phone, her heart still pounding in her chest. She glanced at the screen and frowned. "It's Sensei," she said, confusion flickering across her face. "Practice doesn't start for another thirty minutes."

Kwon cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to compose himself. "You should take it," he said, his voice steadier now. "Come on, let's get changed. Maybe she wants us to come early or something..."

She nodded, still flustered, and quickly gathered her things. As they left the library, the tension between them lingered, unspoken but undeniable. Both of them were acutely aware of how close they'd been just moments ago — and how easily everything had changed with the buzz of a phone.

Y/n held her phone to her ear as she walked toward the girls' locker room, her sneakers scuffing softly against the tiled floor. Kim answered after the second ring, her voice brisk but not as sharp as she had expected.

"L/n," Kim began without preamble, "don't be late today."

The girl rolled her eyes, momentarily thrown off by the lack of pleasantries. "I wasn't planning on it, Sensei," she replied lightly, trying to read between the lines.

"There's something you need to know," The older woman continued, her tone measured but carrying a weight that made y/n instinctively straighten her posture, even though she was alone. "Your sixth member will be joining today's session."

Y/n stopped mid-step, astonishment washing over her. "Sixth member? But..." She trailed off, her thoughts racing. "Wait, who? I thought the team was set. We've been training as a group of five this whole time after Sensei Kreese made Hana quit."

Kim sighed, a rare crack in her usually impenetrable demeanor. "It wasn't my decision... we already told you that we had someone in mind the day John wrote Hana offf," she admitted, and there was something in her voice—displeasure, perhaps, or maybe frustration. "The Sekai Taikai rules require six fighters per team. This addition is... a last-minute adjustment."

Y/n frowned, leaning against the wall outside the locker room. "But why now? Why not months ago, when we started training? Does this person even know the routine?"

"That's not your concern," Da-eun said, though her tone was softer now, almost as if she were trying to reassure herself as much as the younger girl. "They've been chosen for their skill, and they'll have to catch up quickly. Whether or not they fit... we'll see."

Y/n could tell Kim wasn't thrilled about this, and that in itself made her stomach churn. If Sensei Kim didn't fully trust this new person, how were they supposed to?

"Do we even know them?" y/n ventured cautiously.

Kim paused, and for a moment, the girl thought the call had dropped. Then, finally, she spoke. "Some of you might. Some of you might not. It doesn't matter. What matters is how they perform—and how you perform."

Y/n swallowed, the weight of her sensei's words settling on her. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean," Kim said slowly, her voice sharpening ever so slightly, "that I expect you to be at your best today. No hesitation. No mistakes. And most importantly... no mercy."

The implication hit y/n like a ton of bricks. Sparring against someone new? A complete unknown? She wasn't sure if Kim was testing her or if this was some kind of message to the team, but either way, her nerves flared.

"Sensei..." she began, hesitating. "Are you worried about this new person? You don't sound very confident."

Another pause, and when Kim spoke again, her voice was low, careful. "Let's just say that the timing is less than ideal. But this is out of my hands now. What's in my control is ensuring that the rest of you stay sharp. That includes you, l/n."

Y/n bit her lip, unsure how to respond. She glanced toward the locker room door, suddenly feeling the pressure of the evening ahead. "Understood," she said finally.

"Good," Kim replied, her tone shifting slightly. "Have you seen Jae-sung today? The rascal hasn't been answering any calls or texts..."

The abrupt change of topic threw the girl off, but she nodded instinctively before realizing Kim couldn't see her. "Yeah, we had tutoring earlier. His phone got ruined in the storm apparently, but he'll be there... we'll be there."

"Good," Kim repeated, but there was a faint edge to her voice now, as if she wasn't entirely satisfied. "Make sure he's focused tonight. Both of you. This isn't the time for distractions."

Y/n frowned, the words prickling at her. "We're not distracted," she said firmly, though her own mind flickered briefly to the moment in the library earlier—the way Kwon had looked at her, the warmth of his hand under hers. She shook the thought away.

"We'll see about that," Kim said simply, and then, without warning, she ended the call.

Y/n lowered her phone, staring at the blank screen as unease crept over her. Everything about that conversation felt off. Sensei was rarely this vague, and her apparent displeasure about the sixth member only deepened the mystery.

Pushing open the locker room door, y/n tried to focus as she changed into her gi, tying her belt a bit looser than normal. She couldn't stop replaying the older woman's words in her mind. Was this sixth member really that skilled? Or was there more to the story than Kim was letting on?

When she stepped out into the hallway, her mind still buzzing with questions, she found Kwon already waiting for her. He was leaning casually against the wall, his arms crossed, but he straightened up as soon as he saw her.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice light. "You're looking serious. Sensei give you an earful or something?"

Y/n let out a soft sigh, walking up to him. "Something like that. She said our sixth member is joining today."

Kwon blinked, caught off guard. "Sixth member? Since when?"

"Since today, apparently," She replied, crossing her arms. "I don't know who it is, and Kim wouldn't tell me. She just said they were chosen for their skill and that we need to be ready."

Kwon frowned, his usual confidence faltering slightly. "We've been training as five for months. Why throw someone new into the mix now? Doesn't make any sense."

"Tell me about it," y/n muttered. "And she wasn't exactly thrilled about it, either. She hinted I might have to spar tonight."

Kwon smirked, though there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. "Guess you'd better bring your A-game, huh? Wouldn't want this mystery person to rough you up."

Y/n shot him a look, though his teasing lacked its usual bite. "I wouldn't be too worried about that. My main concern is... what if this throws off the whole team dynamic?"

"Meh, that shouldn't be a problem. Whoever this is, we'll deal with it. If they're good enough to be here, then they'll have to prove it, right?"

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. "Yeah. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Kwon studied her for a moment, his expression thoughtful. "You'll be fine," he said, his voice quieter. "When in doubt, just go straight for head."

"Yeah yeah yeah, no head, no fight," y/n quoted mockingly, chuckling softly. 

"Exactly." He grinned proudly, pushing himself off the wall. As the two of them walked down the hallway together, the weight of Kim's words lingered in the back of her mind. Whatever was waiting for them in the dojang, it was clear tonight wasn't going to be like any other session.

And for the first time she felt unprepared for it...

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