"And Pink and Blue— Team Four."

For a second—

Si Hon didn’t react.

Then—

"Oh my god," he muttered under his breath.

Because when he looked to the side—

She was already there.

Aeloria.

Standing right next to him.

Blue team leader, posture stiff, shoulders tight, her expression locked somewhere between disbelief and pure irritation. Her eyes were sharp, but there was something off about them— like they were holding too much at once.

In the corner of his vision, he caught movement— green hair, small frame.

Mihu.

Half hidden behind someone else, hands covering part of her face as she trembled like she had just witnessed something she wasn’t prepared for.

"What is this..." Si Hon said flatly, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked forward again. "Pink and Blue are Team Four? What the fuck..."

Aeloria snapped immediately.

She stepped forward and jabbed a finger straight into his chest, her voice cutting through clean and sharp. "Hey! I hate this too, okay? I should be the one complaining here!"

Si Hon barely looked at her.

His attention had already drifted past her— toward her team.

Because they weren’t reacting like everyone else.

They were—

Huddled.

Close.

Way too close.

Like a group of fans watching something unfold instead of people being thrown into a situation they didn’t understand.

"Huh?" Si Hon muttered, eyes narrowing just a fraction.

Then—

Voices.

Low.

Close.

Clear.

(Oh... right.) His gaze shifted slightly, unfocused for a second. (I forgot I have that passive...)

Enhanced hearing.

The whispers weren’t for him, yet, he could hear them.

"Oh my gosh... is it true? Is it true, Mihu?" one of them breathed, barely holding back excitement. "Are they... starting to become a couple?"

"Yes— can’t you see?" Mihu whispered back immediately, voice shaking but not from fear this time. "Our boss... our princess... she’s blushing... like, really blushing!"

Si Hon’s eyes twitched.

Slowly—

He turned his head.

Back to Aeloria.

Her blue hair had shifted slightly, strands falling over her face like they were trying to hide something. But not enough. Not nearly enough.

Because he could still see it.

At first, it was small— easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. Her lips pressed together just a little too tightly, like she was holding something back, and there was a faint color creeping up her cheeks, barely there but stubborn enough not to disappear!!!!

But then—

It didn’t stop.

The change didn’t stay subtle.

It grew.

Her usual composure— the sharp, untouchable kind that made her feel like she belonged above everyone else— started to thin out, little by little, like cracks forming in something too polished.

The way she held herself shifted just slightly, shoulders not as rigid, movements not as clean. Even the air around her felt different, like that distant, "don’t come close" presence was... slipping.

And what replaced it—

Wasn’t weaker.

Just...

Different.

Her "princess" aura didn’t vanish— it softened. Warped. Twisted into something way more dangerous in a completely different way. The kind that made people look twice without understanding why. The kind that didn’t demand attention— but pulled it in anyway.

Cute... yea.

Not normal cute.

The kind that made it hard to take your eyes off her even if you tried.

Unfairly, unresistably cute.

Si Hon stared at her for a second longer than he meant to.

Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

(Wait.)

Something clicked.

Slow.

His hand lifted just a little, like he was about to point— then stopped midway as realization settled in properly.

(The book...)

Right.

That book.

The one he handed her hours ago so casually.

The one that definitely wasn’t suspicious at all.

Powerful, sure.

Useful, probably.

But the downside—

Yeah.

That.

His gaze shifted back to her again, watching as she bit her lip just a little harder, clearly trying to hold her usual expression together and failing in the smallest, most noticeable ways.

(ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ...)

"...Oh."

A quiet pause.

Then, under his breath—

"Aha... yea."

He dragged a hand down his face slowly, exhaling through his nose as the situation rearranged itself in his head.

(Yeah... I really need to stop handing people random stuff. But... I got no choice... so yea, nevermind that’s not on me.)

Behind her, the whispers only got worse.

"Oh my gosh... wait— this is literally it, isn’t it? The pink leader... the quiet, nonchalant male lead... and our boss is the cute, blushy princess female lead—"

"SQUEAK!"

Aeloria’s head snapped back instantly.

Sharp.

Fast.

"What was that?!"

Behind her, Mihu froze like she’d just betrayed her entire existence in one sound.

Si Hon didn’t even flinch.

He already knew.

Instead, he dragged a hand slowly across his face again, exhaling hard through his nose as the situation settled in around him in the worst possible way.

"Yeah," he muttered under his breath.

"Of course."

At his side, Suha and Han tugged lightly at his shirt, both of them looking up at him with completely different expressions— one curious, one barely holding back something else.

Si Hon didn’t look down.

He just stood there.

Tired.

Already done with it.

And they hadn’t even started yet.

***

(On the other side, just a few minutes earlier— Seong.)

Seong stood with her arms crossed, posture steady, eyes moving calmly across the arena as teams were called and merged one after another. She didn’t react outwardly, but she was watching everything— who got paired with who, how people responded, who looked confident, who looked like they were about to lose it.

"Yellow and Red— Team One. Black and Purple— Team Two. White and Purple— Team Three."

There was a slight pause in the announcer’s voice, just enough to feel off.

"And Pink and Blue— Team Four."

Seong’s eyes narrowed just a fraction.

Her gaze shifted.

Straight to Si Hon.

He was standing there like usual, head tilted slightly upward, like he wasn’t even fully present in the situation— calm, detached, almost like none of this mattered to him.

(This guy...)

Her expression didn’t change, but her thoughts paused for a second longer than they should have.

(Why did I just realize it...)

A brief silence in her mind.

(I’m basically playing his wife right now...)