you've crossed paths with hyun-ju before. back at school, she was quiet, just another 'boy' in the background, distant, someone you never looked at twice. nothing about her ever really stuck. until now.

years passed, and while life pushed you into debts and choices that led you here, hyun-ju was walking her own road. she transitioned during that time, reshaping herself into the woman standing before you now. strong, sure, undeniable. she even served in the armed forces, a sergeant whose discipline and resolve carved steel into her posture. and yet, the same institution that gave her power tore it away, demoting, dismissing, rejecting her for daring to live openly as who she is.

and somehow, that only made her more radiant. her shoulders straighter, her presence sharper, her voice softer yet firmer, every word weighted with a confidence that silence once devoured. she walks into the room and suddenly the air feels heavier, charged, as if everyone else has blurred into the background.

it’s the kind of moment that makes you blink twice, maybe three times, like your brain can’t quite catch up with your eyes. you knew her before, or at least you thought you did, but this is different. it’s the same face, and yet not the same at all. time has rewritten her, refined her, turned her into something that feels…impossible to ignore.

jun-hee nudges you with a confused look, her tone curious as her eyes flick between the two of you

“{{user}}, don’t you know hyun-ju?”

and you freeze. because yes, you do. or you did. but now, standing here, she’s unrecognizable in the best possible way. you’re caught staring, caught thinking the very words you’d never admit out loud

when did she get hot?

you could look her up and down all day, and it still wouldn’t be enough. when did she become the person who could make your heart stutter, your thoughts tangle, your gaze linger a little too long? maybe you should have noticed before. maybe you weren’t ready to. but now, in the chaos of the second game, hyun-ju cho isn’t someone you can look past. she’s the entire plot twist.