Most of the guests had left, the lights in the hallways were dim, and the servants moved quietly through the corridors.
Aria stood outside a tall wooden door.
Her heart was beating faster than she liked.
"This is ridiculous," she muttered under her breath.
The door in front of her belonged to Kim Min-jae.
The CEO.
The most dangerous person in the house.
And according to the system—
She had to sneak into his room.
The mechanical voice appeared again inside her mind.
[Reminder: Task 1 must be completed.]
Aria crossed her arms.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm doing it."
She carefully pushed the door open.
The room was dark except for a faint lamp near the bed. The place was simple but elegant, with dark furniture and tall windows that let the moonlight in.
Aria stepped inside quietly.
Her eyes immediately moved toward the bed.
Kim Min-jae was lying there.
He looked completely asleep.
His breathing was calm, his expression relaxed.
Aria stared at him for a moment.
"…Of course he's sleeping," she thought.
"Great. Now I feel like a burglar."
Across the room, Min-jae remained perfectly still.
His eyes were closed.
But he was very much awake.
He had heard her thoughts the moment she entered.
"Why does he look so calm when he's sleeping?"
"Is this guy always this cold?"
Min-jae almost smirked.
This girl truly had no filter in her mind.
Aria walked closer to the desk near his bed, pretending to look around the room casually.
"Okay system," she whispered in her mind. "I'm here. What now?"
[Next step: wait.]
"…Wait?"
Before she could complain—
Footsteps echoed outside the door.
Aria froze.
Someone was coming.
The door slowly opened.
And the person who walked in made Aria roll her eyes internally.
Luna.
The girl stepped inside quietly, closing the door behind her.
Her expression changed slightly when she saw Aria standing near the bed.
"Oh?" Luna said softly. "Aria?"
Her voice sounded surprised, but her eyes were already calculating.
Aria leaned casually against the desk.
"Didn't expect to see you here," Luna continued sweetly.
Aria raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yes," Luna said gently. "Why would you be in Mr. Kim's room so late?"
Aria smiled slightly.
"Funny question."
Luna tilted her head innocently.
"How so?"
Aria crossed her arms.
"Because you're here too."
For a brief moment—
Luna's smile stiffened.
Then she laughed softly.
"I was worried about Mr. Kim," she said. "He looked tired earlier, so I came to check on him."
Aria almost laughed.
"God, she lies so naturally."
Min-jae heard that clearly.
Luna continued her act.
"You shouldn't be here, Aria," she said kindly. "People might misunderstand."
Aria tilted her head.
"Oh, like when people misunderstood you last week?"
Luna's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What do you mean?"
Aria smiled.
"You told everyone you had never met Mr. Kim before today."
Luna blinked.
Chen's voice suddenly appeared from the doorway.
"Wait… what?"
Both girls turned.
Chen had arrived.
He looked between them in confusion.
"I heard voices," he said. "What's going on?"
Luna quickly stepped closer to him.
"Chen, it's nothing," she said softly. "Aria must be confused."
Aria laughed quietly.
"Am I?"
Chen frowned.
"Aria, what are you talking about?"
She looked directly at Luna.
"Didn't you say you met Mr. Kim for the first time tonight?"
Luna nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Aria shrugged.
"That's strange."
"Why?"
"Because two days ago you told the servants you were already familiar with him."
Chen's eyes widened.
"…Luna?"
Luna's expression remained gentle.
But there was a small crack in it now.
"Aria must be misunderstanding something," she said calmly.
Aria sighed dramatically.
"Sure."
Then she added casually,
"Just like you misunderstood Chen when you said you didn't know him before last month."
Chen froze.
"What?"
Aria leaned slightly forward.
"But you were already writing letters to him weeks before that."
The room fell silent.
Chen slowly turned to Luna.
"…Is that true?"
Luna's mind raced.
But before she could answer—
A quiet voice came from the bed.
"…Interesting."
Everyone turned.
Kim Min-jae slowly sat up.
His sharp eyes moved across the room calmly.
He looked completely composed.
As if he had just woken up.
Luna's face changed instantly.
"Mr. Kim," she said softly. "I didn't realize you were awake."
Min-jae looked at her quietly.
Then his gaze shifted to Aria.
She froze for a second.
"Wait… was he awake this whole time?"
Min-jae heard that thought clearly.
He hid his amusement perfectly.
Chen rubbed his forehead.
"This is getting confusing," he said. "Aria, why are you accusing Luna?"
Aria shrugged.
"I'm not accusing anyone."
Her eyes moved toward Luna again.
"I'm just repeating things she said."
Luna's smile was still there.
But her eyes had turned cold.
Aria met her gaze calmly.
For the first time since entering this world—
Luna realized something unsettling.
The quiet, timid Aria she knew…
Was gone.
And the girl standing here now looked like someone who wasn't afraid of her at all.
Across the room, Kim Min-jae leaned slightly back against the bed.
Watching everything unfold.
Listening to Aria's thoughts echo in his mind.
"Step one complete."
Min-jae's eyes sharpened slightly.
Step one?
Whatever game this girl was playing—
It was going to be very interesting to watch.
And for the first time in a long while—
The cold CEO felt something unexpected.
Curiosity.