Hae-Won sat in the dark, phone pressed to her ear, listening to silence.
Ro was with soone. Having sex. Right now.
And that soone had answered his phone. Had called him her boyfriend. Had told Hae-Won to call back tomorrow while Ro was literally inside her.
Hae-Won’s hands shook. Her chest felt tight. Her eyes burned.
She was not crying. She absolutely was not crying over Ro D’Angelo. That would be ridiculous. She barely knew him. He had kissed her once. Touched her once. Made her co apart in a storage room and then walked away like it ant nothing.
Because it had ant nothing. To him.
But that woman on the phone. That woman ant sothing. She was in his bed. In his apartnt. Answering his phone at one thirty in the morning while he—
Hae-Won threw her phone onto the bed. Stood up. Paced to the window. Back to the desk. To the window again.
Her ability still registered traces of Ro’s Essentia inside her. Faint. Barely there. But present. Like he had marked her sohow. Left a signature that her body recognized and responded to.
She pressed her hand flat against the cool glass. Stared out at the dark campus below.
This was good actually. This was proof that Ro was exactly what she suspected. A manipulator. Soone who used his ability to seduce won. To collect them. That girlfriend on the phone probably had no idea what he really was. What he could do.
Hae-Won should warn her. Should find out who she was and tell her that Ro was dangerous. That his ability ssed with people’s minds and bodies. That everything she felt for him was artificial. Manufactured.
Except.
Hae-Won’s reflection stared back at her from the window. Face flushed. Eyes too bright. Jaw tight.
Except that would require explaining how Hae-Won knew. And that would an admitting what happened in the storage room. And that would make her look pathetic. Jealous. Like so girl who got touched once and developed feelings.
Which was absolutely not what was happening here.
Hae-Won was concerned. As class representative. About a fellow student using a dangerous unregistered Essentia to manipulate classmates. This was about safety. About protocol. About maintaining proper academy standards.
It had nothing to do with the way her body still rembered his hands. His mouth. The drain pulling her Essentia out in waves while pleasure crashed through her in rhythm.
Nothing at all.
Hae-Won walked back to her laptop. Pulled up the browser again.
Typed: How to block Essentia influence mind manipulation.
The results loaded. Articles about ntal fortification techniques. ditation exercises to strengthen willpower. Support items that created temporary Essentia barriers.
She clicked the first link.
DEFENDING AGAINST NTAL MANIPULATION ESSENTIA
ntal manipulation abilities typically require sustained contact or close proximity to take effect. The most effective defense is maintaining physical distance. If contact has already occurred, the victim should report to NEA imdiately for Essentia cleansing and psychological evaluation.
Victim. The article called her a victim.
Hae-Won’s jaw clenched. She was not a victim. She was class representative of 1-A. Top of her practical scores. Daughter of a tech executive family that had built half of Seoul’s smart city infrastructure before moving to Century City.
She was not so helpless girl who fell apart the mont a boy touched her.
Her phone buzzed.
Hae-Won grabbed it. Looked at the screen.
Unknown number. Text ssage.
You called? - R
Her heart stopped. Then restarted at double speed.
Ro. Texting her. After his girlfriend had told her to call back tomorrow. After he had been—
Another text appeared.
Hae-Won typed: Its nothing.
Then why call at 1:30 AM?
Academy business. Your Essentia registration is incomplete.
That’s what this is about?
Yes. As class representative, it’s my responsibility to ensure all students maintain proper docuntation.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
You’re full of shit.
Hae-Won’s face burned.
Excuse ?
You’re not calling about registration. You’re calling because you want to know what I did to you.
Her fingers trembled over the keyboard.
You manipulated .
Did I?
Yes. With your ability. You made feel things that weren’t real.
Everything you felt was real.
Impossible. I would never—
Never what? Co on my fingers in a storage room?
Hae-Won made a sound between a gasp and a choke. Her entire body went hot.
You used your Essentia on without consent.
You followed . Cornered . Demanded answers. I gave you exactly what you asked for.
That’s not—
You wanted to see what I could do. So I showed you.
Hae-Won stared at the screen. Her reflection looked back from the dark glass. Face red. Breathing too fast. Phone gripped tight enough to hurt.
She typed: What you did is illegal.
Then report .
I will.
No you won’t.
Yes I—
Because that would an explaining how you got your evidence. What happened in that room. What I made you feel.
Hae-Won’s vision blurred. Her thumb hovered over the keyboard.
You won’t report because you don’t want anyone to know.
She threw the phone onto the bed. Stood up. Paced to the window. Pressed her forehead against the cool glass.
Her phone buzzed again. And again. And again.
Hae-Won grabbed it.
I didn’t force you. You could have left anyti.
You could have stopped .
But you didn’t.
You know why?
Hae-Won’s hands shook. She should throw the phone out the window. Block his number. Delete everything.
But she typed: Why?
The response ca imdiately.
Because you liked it.
You liked losing control.
You liked what I made you feel.
And that scares you more than anything I actually did.
Hae-Won’s legs gave out. She sat on the edge of her bed, phone in her lap, reading the words over and over.
He was wrong. He had to be wrong. She was Cheon Hae-Won. Class representative. Top academic scores. Perfect attendance. Perfect uniform. Perfect everything.
She did not lose control. She did not let boys touch her in storage rooms. She did not co apart on their fingers while they drained her Essentia and made her feel like she was burning alive from the inside out.
Her phone buzzed one more ti.
Get so sleep. We can talk tomorrow.
During the day.
Like normal people.
The last line was clearly mocking what his girlfriend had said on the phone. Hae-Won’s chest tightened.
She typed: I’m reporting you.
No you’re not.
This conversation is unprofessional.
It’s 1:45 AM. Nothing about this is professional.
Admit it. You’re wide awake.
Hae-Won turned her phone off. Threw it onto her desk. Climbed into bed fully clothed.
Stared at the ceiling.
Her body still humd with traces of his Essentia. Her ability registered it constantly. A reminder that he had been inside her. Not physically. Not yet. But energetically. Through the drain. Through the contact.
He had left part of himself in her and taken part of her with him.
And sowhere across campus, he was with soone else. Inside soone else. Making her feel the sa things he had made Hae-Won feel.
Hae-Won rolled onto her side. Pulled her knees to her chest.
She was not crying.
Absolutely not.
The pillow under her cheek grew damp anyway.
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