The house was quieter than usual.
But not empty.
Never empty anymore.
Tahee stayed in her room.
Door closed.
"…I need to think."
Her fingers pressed against her temple.
"…She asked directly."
A pause.
"…Who are you pretending to be?"
Silence.
"…That's not suspicion."
"…That's certainty."
A soft knock echoed.
Tahee froze.
"…Come in."
The door opened.
A maid stepped in slightly.
"Someone is here to see Miss Su-ho."
Tahee's brows furrowed.
"…At this time?"
Downstairs—
The atmosphere shifted.
Subtly.
But noticeably.
Su-ho stood near the window.
Waiting.
Calm.
Always calm.
The door opened.
Asher walked in.
Uninvited.
Unbothered.
Like he belonged anywhere he stepped.
Su-ho didn't turn immediately.
"…You're early."
Asher stopped a few steps behind.
"Am I?"
A pause.
Su-ho faced him now.
Their eyes met.
No greeting.
No politeness.
Just understanding.
"You've noticed it too," she said.
Not a question.
A statement.
Asher's expression didn't change.
But his silence—
Confirmed it.
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"She reacts before she thinks," Su-ho continued.
"Her answers don't match her responses."
Asher tilted his head slightly.
"…And her thoughts don't match either."
Silence.
That line—
Hung in the air.
Su-ho's eyes sharpened.
"…Thoughts?"
A pause.
Asher didn't explain.
Didn't elaborate.
Just watched her.
Carefully.
Measuring how much to say.
Then—
"She slips."
A simple answer.
Controlled.
Su-ho didn't push further.
But she understood enough.
"…So it's not just behavior."
"…It's consistency."
She turned slightly.
Thinking.
Connecting.
"Memory gaps," she said quietly.
"Unnatural reactions."
A pause.
"And now—avoidance."
Asher's gaze shifted briefly.
Toward the stairs.
Where she was.
Up there.
Listening?
Maybe.
"Not avoidance," he said.
A pause.
"Positioning."
Silence.
Su-ho looked at him again.
"…Explain."
Asher's lips curved faintly.
"She doesn't run randomly."
A pause.
"She chooses where she feels less exposed."
Silence deepened.
Su-ho's fingers tapped lightly.
Once.
Twice.
"…So she's aware."
"…At least partially."
That made it worse.
Much worse.
Su-ho stepped toward the stairs.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Then stopped.
Without turning back—
She spoke:
"Then we test that."
Silence.
Asher didn't move.
Didn't question it.
Because he already knew—
Whatever came next…
Wasn't observation anymore.
It was a setup.
And upstairs—
Without knowing why—
Tahee felt it.
"…Something's coming."