Chapter 2: The One Who Thought He Knew

The city lights blurred outside the tinted windows of the van as Dreamer’s members dozed off one by one. Jae-hyun, still half-awake, stole glances at Lia, who was staring at her phone, lost in thought. She hadn’t spoken much since the concert ended, and it didn’t sit well with him.

“Lia, seriously, is something wrong?” he asked in a low voice, careful not to wake the others.

She blinked, snapping out of her trance, then gave a forced smile. “Just tired. It was a long day.”

He wasn’t convinced, but he let it slide—at least for now.

The moment the van reached the dorm, Lia excused herself and headed toward her own apartment. But before she even reached her building, her phone vibrated again. Another message.

Unknown Number: You’re playing a dangerous game, Manager Kang.

Lia exhaled sharply, tapping her fingers against the back of her phone. Whoever was sending these messages thought they were in control. Thought they had some kind of upper hand. They had no idea just who they were dealing with.

With a smirk, she typed back for the first time.

Lia: You think you know me? Cute.

For a long moment, there was no response. Then, finally—

Unknown Number: You’re not scared?

Lia: Should I be?

There was a pause. Then another message popped up.

Unknown Number: Enjoy your peace while it lasts.

Lia rolled her eyes and pocketed her phone. Amateurs. They thought they were intimidating her, but they had no clue they were threatening someone who had been trained to survive far worse.

Tonight, she would let them believe they had won.

Tomorrow, she would remind them who truly held the power.

—

The Next Day

Lia arrived at Starwave Entertainment earlier than usual. She took the private elevator to the top floor, where her hidden office was located. Only a few people in the world knew about this office—including Kai, who was already waiting for her.

“I tracked the number,” he said, handing her a file. “It’s coming from inside the company.”

Lia raised an eyebrow. “Someone from Starwave?”

Kai nodded. “But here’s the interesting part—they’re not some high-level insider. Just an employee in the security department.”

She smirked. “So they think they’ve uncovered something huge?”

Kai sighed. “Pretty much. They probably think you’re just some nobody who got lucky and stumbled into the industry.”

Lia leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “They have no idea they just made the biggest mistake of their life.”

Kai grinned. “So, how do you want to handle it?”

She tapped her fingers against her desk. “Let’s have a little fun with them first.”

—

A Game of Shadows

That afternoon, Lia walked through Starwave’s main floor, passing by rows of employees who only knew her as Dreamer’s manager. She found herself in the security department, casually leaning against the counter.

“Hey,” she said to the staff on duty. “I heard there’s been some security issues lately. Any idea what that’s about?”

A man in his mid-30s, dressed in a standard company suit, looked up at her. He had sharp eyes that flickered with something close to amusement. “Just some unusual activity in the system. Nothing for you to worry about, Manager Kang.”

Lia smiled. Ah. So it’s him.

“Unusual activity?” she tilted her head. “Sounds serious.”

The man leaned forward slightly. “You’d be surprised how many things people try to hide. But the truth always comes out.”

Lia bit back a laugh. This guy really thought he had her cornered.

“Well,” she said sweetly, “I hope whoever is causing trouble doesn’t get in over their head.”

She turned to leave, but not before catching the flicker of unease in his eyes. Good. Let the game begin.

—

The One Who Didn’t Know Who He Was Messing With

By the evening, Lia was seated at a high-end lounge reserved for VIPs in the entertainment industry. She wasn’t here to socialize—she was here to remind a certain someone of their place.

The security employee, whose name was Jung-hoon, walked in as if he owned the place. He didn’t even notice Lia until he sat at the bar, ordering a drink.

“Rough day at work?” she said casually.

Jung-hoon turned, startled, before covering it up with a smirk. “Didn’t expect to see you here, Manager Kang.”

Lia swirled her drink in her glass. “Didn’t expect to see you digging through things that aren’t your business.”

His smirk faltered. “I don’t know what you mean.”

She leaned in, her expression completely unreadable. “Oh, I think you do.”

Jung-hoon’s fingers twitched slightly. “And what if I do? What if I found something… interesting?”

Lia let the silence stretch between them before finally chuckling. “Here’s a fun fact for you, Jung-hoon. People who dig too deep into things they don’t understand? They usually don’t like what they find.”

He swallowed hard. “Are you threatening me?”

She took a sip of her drink, completely unfazed. “Not at all. Just giving you a friendly warning. You think you know something, but you don’t. And if you don’t back off, you’re going to realize just how much you don’t know.”

Jung-hoon paled slightly. Lia set her glass down and stood up, smoothing out her blazer. “Enjoy your drink. It might be the last peaceful moment you have for a while.”

She left him sitting there, gripping his glass too tightly.

—

Back at the Dorm

Later that night, Lia stood outside Dreamer’s dorm, her usual tired expression in place. Jae-hyun opened the door, raising an eyebrow. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Just a long day.”

He studied her for a moment before stepping aside to let her in. As she entered, she caught a glimpse of Ren watching her from across the room, his sharp gaze unreadable.

Meanwhile, at her office, Kai was already working on a deeper trace of Jung-hoon’s connections. He wasn’t just Lia’s assistant—he was the top-ranked hacker in the world. And if someone thought they could outmaneuver Lia, they’d soon learn the hard way that no one could outrun Kai’s reach.

Her world was full of secrets. But some secrets? They weren’t meant to be uncovered.

And Lia would do whatever it took to keep it that way.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***