The White Tiger infirmary still smelled of disinfectant when Seong Min was called out. His ribs still ached, but his steps were firm as he followed the summons into Tom Lee's office.
Tom sat back in his chair, smoke curling lazily upward, a folder resting unopened on the desk.
"You're walking," Tom said flatly. "Good enough."
He pushed the folder across. A face stared back at Seong Min: Aru Lee. Bright smile. Idol-perfect hair. PTJ Entertainment's next star.
"On paper, you're guarding her," Tom said, grin sharp. "In truth? You're keeping an eye on someone standing behind above her."
"Who?"
"James Lee," Tom answered, voice losing all trace of humor. "Or DG, if you're a fan of trash pop." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "He's not like the Kings you've fought. He built Kings. Charles said to keep an eye on him."
Seong Min's violet eyes flickered, but he stayed silent.
"Don't be an idiot," Tom continued. "You're not there to fight James. You're there to watch. If he blinks wrong, I want to know which eyelid moved first."
Seong Min took the folder without a word and left.
Crystal was waiting outside, arms crossed, notebook in hand. She didn't ask what Tom had said—she already knew.
"PTJ?" she said instead, turning on her heel.
He followed, silent.
As they walked through White Tiger's stark halls, Crystal's voice carried low, measured."On paper, you're a trainee. In reality, you'll be doing Dad's work. Aru Lee is your cover. James Lee is your purpose."
She glanced at him briefly. "I told Yui you'd be there. It kept her from prying too hard."
Seong Min's expression didn't shift. His voice was cold, detached."She's a distraction. Nothing more."
Crystal studied him, searching for cracks, but his indifference was absolute. Yui was nothing in his eyes—just another passerby.
Her lips curved faintly, but she said nothing more as they stepped out into Seoul's night.
Arrival at PTJ
The glass tower of PTJ Entertainment rose like a blade against the skyline, its mirrored surface reflecting the city's restless glow. Seong Min adjusted the strap of his bag as Crystal led him through the revolving doors, her heels clicking a steady rhythm across the polished marble floor.
The lobby stretched wide, banners of idols and streamers plastered across high walls. Aru Lee's smile was everywhere—billboards, posters, screens on repeat. Fans clustered near the entrance, snapping photos as if the building itself were sacred ground.
The trainee lounge was already crowded when they entered. Faces young and ambitious, buzzing with nervous energy.
At the center, Yui Choi.
She spotted them instantly, lips curving into that practiced smile. "So Crystal wasn't lying."
Crystal ignored her.
Before Seong Min could answer, another voice cut in.
"Surprised to see me master?"
Zoe Park leaned against a vending machine, phone in hand. But the badge clipped to her jacket said everything—PTJ Trainee.
Seong Min blinked. "…You got in?"
"Top streamer in my bracket," Zoe said, shrugging. But her eyes flicked toward Yui, tension sharp in her posture. "Didn't need anyone's help."
The air between the three girls crackled—Crystal's calculation, Yui's obsession, Zoe's defiance. And Seong Min, at the center, didn't so much as flinch.
The Buzz Shifts
The room hushed.
Whispers sparked like static. Heads turned toward the staircase at the far end of the lounge.
He arrived without fanfare, yet the air bent around him.
James Lee. DG.
He descended with measured calm, a faint smile on his lips. His suit was clean, his posture effortless. Aru Lee trailed behind him, flawless as ever, but background noise compared to the gravity walking ahead.
Every trainee straightened instinctively. Even staff leaned closer, drawn like moths.
DG's smile was soft, charismatic—the kind that melted cameras. But his eyes… his eyes cut.
When they landed on Seong Min, the world slowed.
Seong Min's violet eyes flickered, his Eye of Insight sparking alive, searching for cracks in the man's guard.
But nothing appeared.
No angles. No flaws. Not even a thread.
It was blank.
His chest tightened. Since awakening his sight, he had never faced emptiness. Even Tom. Even Jinyong. There had always been something. But DG… DG was a void too vast to chart.
"Looks like PTJ picked up some interesting recruits this season."
His gaze drifted, never rushed, like a predator surveying prey. It lingered on Crystal—recognition flickering behind his eyes. It slid across Yui kim then moved It paused on Zoe, narrowing briefly as though measuring her resolve.
But when his eyes returned to Seong Min, the room's air thinned.
"You," DG said softly, almost amused. "Your eyes remind me of someone I know."
The words weren't loud, but they rang through the silence like glass breaking.
Seong Min's jaw tightened. His Eye of Insight burned violet, tearing at DG's stance, his posture, his breath. Searching. Dissecting. But no threads appeared. No weaknesses. No cracks. Just emptiness.
A void.
DG's faint smile didn't falter, but something sharper bled into it. "But no… you're not him. Not yet. Your eyes lack the hunger."
The whispers around them spread like wildfire, nervous, excited, afraid. Staff exchanged glances. Trainees shifted uneasily, unsure if they had just witnessed a recognition or a warning.
Crystal's pen stilled against her notebook. She didn't speak, but a crease marked her brow.Yui's lips curved upward, her practiced smile brightening into something hungry, like a spark catching flame.Zoe's nails dug into her palms, teeth clenched, chest tight.
And Seong Min? He met DG's stare head-on. Empty wall or not, his gaze didn't drop.
DG chuckled low, the sound rolling like distant thunder. "Interesting."
He slipped a hand into his pocket, posture relaxing as if the tension had never existed. Then, with the other hand, he gestured lazily across the room.
"Welcome to PTJ Entertainment. Here, talent is tested. Polished. Broken. Whatever survives…" His smile sharpened. "…shines."
His eyes never left Seong Min as he said the last word.
Then he clapped once, sharp, the crack echoing like a starting gun.
"Orientation begins now."