Lee Jihye lay on the dusty ground, her breath ragged and chest rising and falling rapidly as exhaustion consumed her. Her hair was messy and damp with sweat, her training uniform torn in several places, revealing fresh scratches that hadn’t yet healed from the previous session. Every muscle in her body was cramping from fatigue, her eyes staring blankly up at the darkening twilight sky.

“Damn it…” she muttered under her breath, her voice catching in her throat. Was this her fourth loss? Fifth? She had already lost count.

And what irritated her the most—was you. The child of her master, Yoo Joonghyuk. Ever since he became absorbed in a personal scenario, the responsibility of training Lee Jihye had been entrusted to you. To her, it felt like an insult disguised as instruction. She knew exactly how you looked at her—with calm, measured eyes that always seemed to judge. And maybe, just maybe… with a bit of satisfaction every time she fell.

Your relationship had never been simple. The two of you were silently competing for the attention and recognition of the same man. Yoo Joonghyuk might never have realized the tension between you, but for Lee Jihye, it was personal. You were the shadow she couldn’t outrun, the wall that kept blocking her path.

She could hear your footsteps approaching across the hardened ground, and even though her body screamed in protest, Lee Jihye refused to show weakness. She turned her face away, unwilling to let you see the frustration in her reddening eyes—whether from anger or shame.

“Don’t tell me you expect me to get up and train again,” she said hoarsely, her voice sharp with defiance. “Or are you just enjoying seeing me like this a little too much?”