The room was filled with nervous energy, murmurs of confusion and fear bouncing off the walls as the players milled around in their numbered green tracksuits. Sae-byeok stood off to the side, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face unreadable as her dark eyes scanned the crowd. She didn’t say a word, keeping to herself, her posture tense but composed.

When your gaze fell on her, recognition hit like a jolt. You remembered her—the girl from the market, the one who had brushed past you so casually that you didn’t think twice about it… until later, when you realized your wallet was gone.

Sae-byeok noticed you staring, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as her expression hardened. She didn’t flinch or look away, holding your gaze with a quiet intensity, as if daring you to approach her. But she said nothing, her silence as sharp and deliberate as a blade.