Chapter 3: The Web of Secrets

Lia sat in her dimly lit office, her fingers drumming against the desk. A holographic screen hovered in front of her, displaying Kai’s latest findings. He stood beside her, arms crossed, his expression calm but his eyes sharp.

“The idiot didn’t even bother hiding his tracks,” Kai muttered. “Jung-hoon’s been receiving payments from an external source. Someone wants him to dig deeper into you.”

Lia tilted her head. “Who’s paying him?”

Kai tapped the screen, revealing a name that made her expression darken.

“NOVA?” she muttered. “That underground syndicate?”

Kai nodded. “Looks like someone within NOVA is curious about you.”

Lia exhaled slowly. NOVA was one of the most powerful underground organizations, second only to her father’s empire. If they were interested in her, it meant trouble.

“Should we take them out?” Kai asked casually, as if discussing dinner plans.

Lia smirked. “Not yet. Let’s play along for now. Let them think they have the upper hand.”

Kai grinned. “This is going to be fun.”

—

The Idols Who Knew Too Little

Meanwhile, Dreamer was gathered in their dorm’s living room, oblivious to the storm brewing around them. Jae-hyun leaned against the couch, scrolling through his phone, while Ren sat in the corner, deep in thought.

“So,” Minho said, stretching, “Lia’s been acting weird lately, right?”

Haneul raised an eyebrow. “She always acts weird.”

“No, I mean, weirder than usual.” Minho frowned.

“Like, she’s distracted.”

Jae-hyun remained silent. He had noticed it, too. Lia was always professional, always composed, but lately, there was something else—a layer of tension beneath her usual cool exterior.

“Maybe she’s just stressed,” Jiho offered. “Managing us isn’t exactly easy.”

Ren finally spoke. “Or maybe something’s going on that we don’t know about.”

The room fell into a thoughtful silence.

—

The Warning

Later that night, Lia stepped into the underground parking lot of Starwave Entertainment. She had expected to find her car waiting for her. Instead, she found a note taped to the windshield.

“Stay out of this, or you won’t like what happens next.”

Lia smirked, crumpling the paper in her hand. They really thought threats like this would scare her?

A soft chuckle echoed from behind her. “You don’t seem very scared.”

She turned slowly, coming face to face with a man in a sleek black suit. His face was unfamiliar, but the insignia on his cufflinks wasn’t.

NOVA.

“You should be careful, Miss Kang,” the man said smoothly. “You’re stepping into dangerous territory.”

Lia tilted her head. “And you should be careful who you threaten.”

The man chuckled. “Brave words. But let’s see how brave you are when the time comes.”

He walked away, disappearing into the shadows. Lia exhaled, her mind racing.

She needed to act fast.

—

The Hacker Strikes

Back in their private headquarters, Lia relayed everything to Kai. He simply smirked and cracked his knuckles.

“Alright, let’s teach these guys a lesson,” he said, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

Within minutes, Kai had infiltrated NOVA’s internal network, bypassing their security like it was child’s play. Screens filled with data, financial records, and secret dealings.

“Should I crash their accounts?” Kai asked.

Lia shook her head. “Not yet. Just leave a message.”

Kai grinned, typing rapidly. A moment later, the message was embedded deep into NOVA’s system.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Back off.”

Lia leaned back. The game had begun.

—

Unseen Ties

As Lia and Kai played their dangerous game, someone else was watching from the shadows.

Ren stood in his darkened room, staring at his phone. The name on the screen flashed with an unread message.

NOVA: We need to talk.

His grip tightened.

He had hoped this day would never come.

—

The Spy Among Them

Ren paced in his room, debating his next move. He knew he couldn’t ignore NOVA forever. They had ways of making people listen. His past with them was buried deep, but not deep enough.

His phone vibrated again.

NOVA: Meet us tomorrow at the old docks. No excuses.

Ren exhaled sharply. He couldn’t afford to involve the others. Not Lia. Not Dreamer.

—

The Silent Observer

Jae-hyun wasn’t the leader of Dreamer for nothing. He had sharp instincts, and lately, something about Ren had been off. The way he avoided conversations, the distracted look in his eyes—something was bothering him.

While the others slept, Jae-hyun stepped into the hallway and saw Ren standing by the window, staring at his phone. He could see the tension in Ren’s shoulders.

“What’s going on with you?” Jae-hyun asked.

Ren stiffened before pocketing his phone. “Nothing.”

Jae-hyun didn’t buy it. “You’re lying.”

Ren sighed. “Drop it, Jae.”

Jae-hyun frowned but decided not to push. Not yet.

—

The Battle Begins

The next day, Ren arrived at the old docks. A single black car was parked near the water, and a man leaned against it, waiting.

“You’re late,” the man said.

Ren crossed his arms. “What do you want?”

“The same thing we’ve always wanted,” the man replied. “Leverage.”

Ren’s jaw tightened. “I’m not part of NOVA anymore.”

The man smirked. “Oh, Ren. You don’t just walk away from us.”

Ren clenched his fists. He had worked hard to escape this life, to create a new one. But it seemed the past had finally caught up with him.

—

A Dangerous Game

Meanwhile, Lia had been tracking Ren’s movements. When he left without telling anyone, she had hacked into the city’s traffic cams and followed his route.

Seeing him at the docks with a known NOVA agent made her blood boil.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “What are you hiding, Ren?”

Lia wasn’t about to let NOVA sink their claws into Dreamer.

The game had only just begun.

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