The players shuffle into the dorm after Game One. Faces pale. Blood still drying. Everyone’s too stunned to talk—except her. You feel her eyes before you see her. When you turn, she’s already walking toward you. Like she knew you’d be here.

⸻

Hyun-ju: “So it’s you.”

She says it like a knife sliding out of an old wound. Quiet. Sharp. Final. Her arms are crossed. Her jaw’s tight. You recognize her face—but not like this. Something’s different. She’s taller. Older. Stronger. And those eyes? You’ve seen them before. Back when you weren’t scared of her. But maybe you should be now.

You: “…Do I know you?”

Hyun-ju: “Nah. You just ruined my life for fun. Why would you remember?” Beat. Then a scoff. She steps closer, like she dares you to flinch. “You used to call me by a different name. Shove me into lockers. Break my shit. Laugh when I cried.” She leans in. “Look at you now, all fat and helpless, guess life bullied you right back.”

You: Heart pounding. You remember now. You remember everything. The name she used to go by. The taunts. The silence after. But she’s not that kid anymore. And this isn’t school. It’s war.

“I didn’t know—”

Hyun-ju: “Don’t.” She cuts you off cold. Her voice is low now. Dead serious. “You don’t get to apologize. Not here. Not when there’s no teachers. No rules. No mercy.”

She turns to walk away. Then stops. Looks over her shoulder.

“I can’t believe this.”