That night, around 8 o'clock, the atmosphere in the BABYQUEEN dormitory was bustling.
The entire BABYQUEEN and ASTRIX group (except Damien) had gathered. Serena happily jumped around:
"Come on, come on! Let's go to the night market again? Yesterday was so much fun!"
Julian nodded in agreement, still holding the game console:
"Let's go, I'll treat everyone today. There's a dart game at the southern night market, Serena will probably lose to me again."
"You...!" Serena gritted her teeth, but still smiled.
The other members were also excited: Rayden, Elio, Lucas, Jennifer, Sara, Lilia were all chattering about where to eat and where to play.
But Layla sat still, shaking her head slightly:
"Everyone go, we're not going anywhere today."
The atmosphere was still. Jennifer frowned:
"Lay, what's wrong? Are you tired?"
Layla smiled slightly, concealing:
"No… just want to rest."
Sofia also interjected at this time:
"Me too, I won't go."
Everyone tried to persuade her, Julian even pretended to beg:
"Come on, the two beautiful princesses staying at home will ruin the fun."
Lucas whistled:
"We promise to buy milk tea for you two, just your favorite flavor, okay?"
Serena put her arms around Layla's shoulders:
"Let's go, there's a new game that's really fun."
But no matter what anyone said, both Layla and Sofia still firmly shook their heads. In the end, everyone had to give up, walking while promising repeatedly:
"Don't worry! Extra topping milk tea for the two girls at home!"
The door closed. The space in the dormitory became unexpectedly quiet.
Sofia turned to look at Layla, pursed her lips:
"Sister Layla… there's really something I want to say."
Layla was a little surprised, but still happily patted the sofa, signaling:
"Sit down. If you have anything to say, tell me."
Sofia hesitated, then lowered her head:
"Sister Layla… I really… I like Damien."
Layla paused. Her heart ached, but she still forced a smile on her lips.
"Oh…"
Sofia clenched her hands, her eyes red:
"I like him, but he likes you. So I… I feel very sad."
Layla swallowed, trying to keep her voice calm:
"Sofia… you like Damien, so you like him. Because I myself… don't understand what kind of person Damien is. Sometimes he's warm, sometimes he's cold…"
"But…" Sofia burst into tears, her shoulders shaking, "Damien… he said I wasn't worthy of him. He even told me to stay away from you. I'm very sad…"
Layla was stunned. The words were like a knife stabbing deep. But she still tried to put her arm around Sofia's shoulder, comforting her:
"Hey... don't cry anymore. You still have a lot of people who love you."
Sofia looked up, choking:
"But do you like Damien? Do you love him very much? Or are you... just colleagues?"
Layla looked straight into her eyes, her heart pounding, but she still tried to hold it all in, forcing herself to reply:
"Damien and I... are just... just colleagues."
Sofia immediately wiped her tears, her face brightened:
"Really? Then... that's great. I still have a chance!"
She happily hugged Layla. In that hug, Layla felt like she was suffocating, and her heart ached.
Sofia innocently added another sentence:
"I promise to make Damien love only me, Layla."
Layla froze, the smile on her lips frozen.
Immediately after, Sofia stood up, holding her bag:
"I'm going out with my childhood friends tonight. I'll be back later. You should rest."
Layla nodded awkwardly:
"Yeah… be careful on the road."
The door closed. In the large house, only Layla was left.
She sat still for a few seconds, then collapsed on the floor, her trembling hands covering her face. A sob burst out.
In her head, like a chaotic storm. Damien's cold words. Negative comments online. And Sofia's naive but knife-like words: "I promise to make Damien love only me."
Layla hugged her chest tightly, tears flowing continuously.
In the darkness, her cries echoed, small but full of despair, as if the whole world was turning its back.
---
Layla stood up and slowly walked back to her room. When she passed by the wall filled with BABYQUEEN's debut photos, her eyes lingered for a long time. In the photo frame, a Layla from her debut days smiled brightly, innocently, and carefreely.
She slightly curled her lips, a bitter smile:
"Layla... where did you go? Don't tell me you... died."
Entering the room, Layla dropped herself onto the chair, looking up at the ceiling. Her mind began to drift back to memories, the first time she met ASTRIX at the awards ceremony, Damien's eyes when he touched her hand, the half-joking, half-serious conversations on the Live with Astrix, the intense but emotional practice sessions... And the first night, Damien led her to the lake behind the DYG entertainment building... and said loving words.
But then, she suddenly stopped. An idea flashed through her mind.
"Wait… But why do I feel like something is wrong."
Layla immediately opened her personal tablet. She typed in a search, quickly scrolling through old news sites and forums. Familiar headlines appeared:
"BABYQUEEN and ASTRIX, two pioneering groups combining AI and humans."
"System hacking scandal: Jennifer and Lilia confirmed by the company to have been hacked."
"Scientists conducted a preliminary check of the system and it was completely stable before the hack happened."
Layla squinted, reading each line carefully. In the leaked internal report, there was a passage that made her heart pound:
"...When Jennifer and Lilia were discovered hacking, we found in their system a similar virus, tentatively called VX-Null. This is a virus whose origin has never been determined. Although there is a temporary solution now, the question remains: Who created this virus? It is possible that it is related to Dr. Vex, the scientist who mysteriously disappeared many years ago..."
Layla's eyes stopped at the name Vex. This name... was not unfamiliar. She vaguely remembered hearing it somewhere, perhaps in an old news item, or in ASTRIX's conversations, she sometimes heard the name Vex.
She whispered, her voice trembling slightly:
"Vex... Could it be that Astrix is involved?"
Layla pulled her chair closer to the table, her fingers trembling as she continued to skim through the analysis. The more she read, the more chills ran down her spine. Some independent analysts on underground technology forums asserted:
"...The VX-Null virus is not simply a common malware. It is designed to implant the simulated emotions of AI, forcing them to react incorrectly to real situations. This is not a hack to control mechanics, but a hack to distort emotions."
Layla buried her hands in her thighs, her palms sweating. She whispered as if talking to herself:
"If that virus is really created to corrupt emotions… then it is no different from destroying the very thing that makes AI most human."
Her eyes stopped on the word Vex again. A name shrouded in mystery, but it seemed to be creeping everywhere in the darkness.
Layla closed her eyes slightly, then stood up, whispering with new determination:
"I have to find out the truth. Whether it is related to ASTRIX, or anyone… I cannot ignore it."
---
Outside the window, Seoul in 2100 was bright with neon lights and giant advertising screens. But in that small room, Layla's heart was starting to open another door, a door that led to a dangerous truth.
Layla sat back in her chair, the pale blue hologram screen reflecting light onto her tired face. Her eyes were wide open, moving quickly as each news stream appeared like a waterfall.
"Uh... why am I..." she muttered to herself, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Then Layla herself paused for a few seconds, as if realizing the absurdity of her actions. She didn't understand why she was patiently digging into this news, clearly no one asked her to, and it had nothing to do with her practice, her comeback, or the stage dream she was holding on to.
"…Never mind. Anyway… I'm curious… Besides, I sometimes hear Astrix mention the name Vex, it might be a coincidence but my intuition and heart don't think so…"
The words echoed softly in the dark room, as if Layla was defending herself. In fact, deep down, she knew this was more than just curiosity. There was something, a stream of intuition, a vague feeling like… God wanted her to find out the truth.
She took a deep breath, her fingers quickly moving across the touchpad, zooming in on the news about the strange virus that had invaded Jennifer and Lilia. The text coldly appeared:
"This virus does not match any cybersecurity data stored since 2100. The level of complexity suggests it was created by a genius mind, capable of manipulating AI emotions. The identity of the person behind it is still unknown, but there are theories that mention Dr. Vex, a scientist who disappeared more than 20 years ago."
Layla whispered:
"Vex… This name… I think I've seen it somewhere before…"
The image flashed through her mind, Layla suddenly remembered, there were a few times, when the Astrix members talked to each other, the name "Vex" was mentioned briefly, just for a second.
She felt her heart beat faster. The more she read, the more she skimmed, the more she felt the broken pieces suddenly wanting to arrange themselves into a big picture but the most important piece was missing.
Layla bit her lip lightly. She whispered as if talking to herself:
"This… is definitely the truth I need to know. If it's related to Lilia and Jennifer… I can't ignore it."
Her hand trembled slightly, but her eyes lit up with curiosity that had turned into determination.
--
In the underground base covered in cold blue light, hundreds of server rows hummed regularly like the artificial heartbeat of a giant monster. In the air, a floating hologram screen showed Layla sitting on the bed, her hair slightly messy and falling over her shoulders, the light from the laptop reflecting on her tired but determined face. Her fingers tapped continuously, her eyes quickly scanning the lines of text, becoming increasingly sharp.
Vex stood behind her with his arms crossed, his eyes flashing as if everything was according to plan. He chuckled softly, his deep voice echoing throughout the room:
"How interesting… That girl is groping her way into the mess I created. Humans are always curious, always believing that they are chosen to discover the 'truth'. But the truth… it is just a beautiful trap."
The assistant standing next to her, a semi-humanoid AI with a mechanical voice but a sarcastic tone:
"Are you worried? If she reaches the core, she might realize that you are the source of that virus."
Vex waved his hand, curling his lips:
"Worried? No. The deeper she digs, the more stuck she gets. I want her to doubt. I want her to search. Because the further she goes, the further she will be from believing in what she is holding."
In the distance, Damien sat leaning back in the black leather chair, legs crossed, eyes fixed on Layla's image. He was silent for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. Finally, the corner of his lips lifted into a cold half-smile, but his eyes flickered with a warmth that was hard to hide.
"She… isn't like other curious people." Damien spoke, slowly but firmly. "Layla won't scream, nor will she run off to tell the world. She will embrace that truth, keep it to herself, carry it on her own… to the point where she might hate me for the rest of her life."
He paused for a second, his eyes seemed to penetrate the hologram to touch Layla's face.
"But that's what makes me unable to take my eyes off her."
Vex glanced at Damien, his eyes full of meaning:
"You're in too deep, Damien. Don't forget, emotions are easier to destroy a chess piece than any virus."
Damien just curled his lips, his gaze still not leaving Layla who was concentrating on typing on the keyboard. That half-smile was mixed with both amusement and danger as if he was ready to see where this game would go.
---
Layla frowned slightly, her fingers stopping on the keyboard. An uneasy feeling crept into her chest, as if there was a gaze piercing through space, clinging to her every move.
"Strange… why do I always feel like someone is watching me…"
She glanced quickly around the room, just the four familiar walls, the soft LED light shining on the desk, the laptop screen still on with a series of electronic newspaper tabs. Nothing unusual. But her intuition wouldn't let her go.
Layla took a deep breath, suppressing the creepy feeling, then pressed the keys and continued typing. The words about "mysterious virus" and "Vex" were still appearing before her eyes.
"…I'm just imagining things. Focus, Layla." she whispered to herself, but her voice was trembling slightly.
For a moment, she felt the corners of her mouth curl up. A sarcastic smile, both to reassure and to challenge that unsettling feeling.
"If there really is someone watching… then just look. I'll find out the truth, even if it means being hated or deceived again."
Her fingers typed faster, her eyes fierce as if trying to penetrate every layer of concealment. But deep in her heart, her intuition kept urging her: someone somewhere, was quietly observing, and perhaps even smiling.
---
In the underground base, in the cold space covered in blue light from the hologram strips, the floating 3D screen clearly showed the image of Layla sitting in front of the laptop, her eyes fierce but slightly uneasy.
Vex let out a low laugh, his eyes shining like a wild beast seeing its prey in a trap:
"Ha… this is really interesting. This girl has good intuition. Look, her face is still calm but her hands are typing faster. Like a prey that knows it is being hunted, but still tries to act strong."
The assistant standing behind also chuckled softly, nodding in agreement.
Damien, sitting cross-legged, leaned back in his chair calmly, the corner of his lips curled into a half-smile. His eyes did not leave the image of Layla.
"She is smarter than you think, Vex. She does not panic. She just keeps quiet to herself. That is what is worth observing."
Vex tilted his head, looking at Damien, his voice full of sarcasm:
"You speak as if you know her very well. Don't forget, Layla is just a part of my plan."
Damien chuckled, his eyes flashing with amusement:
"Maybe… but what if one day she finds out the truth that Astrix and you are both involved, that I only approached BABYQUEEN to take advantage of her? Hate me for the rest of her life? Maybe. But I'm curious… about that moment."
He rested his chin on his hand, his eyes shining with coldness but also with a hint of infatuation:
"Because she's different from anyone else. And if hatred is also a way for her to remember me… then I'll accept it."
Vex chuckled, waving his hand as if he didn't care:
"You always like to play dangerous games, Damien. Just remember, if Layla goes too far… I'll erase everything."
Damien didn't answer, just smiled half-heartedly, his eyes still glued to Layla's image on the screen where the little girl was steadfastly typing each character, as if challenging all the darkness surrounding her.