Rain poured heavily against the black car window.

Liora Vale stared silently at the giant building ahead of her.

LUNARIS ENTERTAINMENT.

The most powerful idol company in Korea.

And the place that destroyed her family.

“Miss Vale,” the driver spoke carefully, “we’ve arrived.”

Liora grabbed her bag without answering.

The moment she stepped outside, camera flashes exploded everywhere.

“Trainees are arriving!”

“Who’s that girl?”

“She’s pretty…”

Liora lowered her hoodie and walked faster.

She hated cameras.

The huge academy doors opened slowly.

Inside was luxury.

Crystal lights.

Massive screens.

Perfect trainees practicing under neon lights.

Everyone looked beautiful.

Everyone looked fake.

A giant digital board covered the wall.

RANKING SYSTEM — MONTHLY EVALUATION

Every trainee’s face appeared with scores beside them.

Dance. Vocals. Popularity. Fan Votes.

And at the very top—

1 — KAEL DRAVEN

The girls nearby whispered instantly.

“He’s here today…”

“I heard three trainees cried because of him last week.”

“They say he’s debuting soon.”

Liora looked away.

She didn’t care.

She came here for one reason only.

The truth behind her mother’s death.

“New trainee?”

A cold female voice interrupted her thoughts.

A woman in a black suit stood nearby holding a tablet.

“Name?”

“…Liora.”

The woman checked the screen.

Then suddenly froze.

Just for one second.

But Liora noticed.

The woman quickly smiled again.

“Dorm room 19. Orientation starts in ten minutes.”

Interesting.

Why did she react like that?

Liora walked toward the elevator quietly.

But before the doors closed—

A hand stopped them.

The entire hallway suddenly became silent.

Even the trainees nearby stepped back nervously.

A tall boy entered the elevator wearing all black.

Silver chain. Sharp jawline. Dark eyes.

Dangerous.

Kael Draven.

He didn’t even glance at the others.

The elevator doors closed slowly.

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Then—

Kael finally looked at her.

Straight into her eyes.

And for the first time since arriving…

Liora felt nervous.

“…Have we met before?” he asked quietly.

Liora’s heart almost stopped.

Because the way he looked at her…

Wasn’t curiosity.

It was recognition.

The elevator doors opened on the twenty-first floor.

A massive practice hall stretched across the building. Music echoed through the walls. Dozens of trainees stopped the moment Kael entered.

Some bowed immediately.

Others avoided eye contact completely.

Liora noticed the fear in their expressions.

Not admiration.

Fear.

Kael walked past them silently.

Then suddenly—

CRASH.

A girl’s phone hit the floor beside Liora.

“I-I’m sorry!” the trainee panicked while bowing repeatedly toward Kael.

Kael didn’t even stop walking.

But his voice turned cold.

“You were recording.”

The girl froze instantly.

“I wasn’t going to post it—”

“Rules matter here.”

The entire room became silent.

A staff member quickly rushed forward and grabbed the crying trainee’s arm.

“Phone confiscated. Evaluation points reduced.”

The girl looked horrified.

“Please… I’m ranking 28… if my points drop again, I’ll be eliminated…”

Nobody helped her.

Nobody spoke.

Liora clenched her fists slightly.

This place was insane.

Kael finally glanced toward Liora again.

“Get used to it,” he said coldly.

Then he walked away.

The giant screen on the wall suddenly changed.

NEW NOTICE: MIDNIGHT EVALUATION — TODAY MANDATORY FOR ALL TRAINEES

Whispers exploded instantly.

“Midnight evaluation?!”

“They haven’t done that in months…”

“I heard someone disappeared after the last one…”

Liora stared at the glowing screen silently.

Something was deeply wrong with Lunaris Entertainment.

And somehow…

She had just stepped into the center of it.

The dorm hallway was silent.

Too silent.

Liora quickly looked away from Kael before he could notice the panic in her eyes.

“…I think you’re mistaken,” she said calmly.

Kael stared at her for a few more seconds.

Like he was trying to remember something buried deep in his mind.

Then the elevator stopped.

The doors opened slowly.

Without another word, Kael walked out.

The pressure disappeared instantly.

The other trainees inside the elevator finally breathed again.

“Oh my god…”

“Did Kael Draven just talk to her?”

“Is she insane? She didn’t even bow.”

Liora ignored them and stepped out quietly.

But before the elevator doors closed—

Kael spoke without turning around.

“Stay away from the west practice building after midnight.”

Then he walked away.

The hallway remained frozen.

One trainee whispered nervously, “…Why would he warn her?”

Liora frowned slightly.

Warn her?

Or threaten her?

—

ROOM 19

The dorm was bigger than expected.

Modern lights. Black walls. Floor-to-ceiling windows showing Seoul’s glowing skyline.

Luxury prison.

Liora placed her bag down slowly.

Then noticed something on the desk.

A silver trainee card.

LIORA VALE

LEVEL — UNKNOWN

Unknown?

Every other trainee had ranks.

Why was hers hidden?

Before she could think further—

BZZZT.

Her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

“If you want the truth about your mother…” “Don’t trust Lunaris.” “Especially Kael Draven.”

Liora’s expression darkened instantly.

Who sent this?

Another message arrived immediately.

“Check your bathroom mirror.”

A cold feeling crept through her chest.

Slowly…

Liora walked toward the bathroom.

The lights flickered once.

Then again.

She pushed the door open carefully.

Nothing.

Just silence.

Liora exhaled quietly.

“This isn’t funny—”

Then she looked at the mirror.

And froze.

Written across the glass in red lipstick were three words.

“YOUR MOTHER LIED.”

Suddenly—

BANG.

The dorm lights went out.

Complete darkness.

Liora’s breathing stopped.

Then…

A soft sound echoed behind her.

Someone laughing.

Very quietly.

Inside her room.

The emergency lights slowly turned red.

Dim crimson shadows covered the room.

Liora turned around instantly.

“Who’s there?”

Silence.

Only the sound of rain hitting the windows.

Her heartbeat became louder.

Then—

CREEEAK.

The closet door moved slightly on its own.

Liora stepped back carefully.

This had to be some kind of prank.

Right?

She grabbed her phone flashlight with shaky fingers and pointed it toward the closet.

Slowly…

The door opened wider.

Empty.

Nobody inside.

Liora exhaled deeply.

But suddenly—

BZZZT.

Her phone vibrated again.

Unknown Number.

“You should’ve never come back.”

Back?

Liora’s stomach tightened.

Before she could think further, the dorm lights suddenly turned on again.

Everything looked normal.

Too normal.

Then someone knocked on the door.

Three slow knocks.

Liora hesitated before opening it slightly.

A girl with short silver hair stood outside holding instant ramen cups.

“You’re the new trainee, right?”

Her smile looked friendly.

But her eyes looked nervous.

“I’m Yuna… your neighbor.”

Liora relaxed slightly.

“Sorry about the mess,” Yuna whispered while glancing around the hallway carefully. “People here like scaring new trainees.”

“Who sent those messages?”

Yuna’s smile disappeared instantly.

“You got messages too?”

Before Liora could answer—

A loud announcement echoed through the entire dorm building.

ATTENTION ALL TRAINEES. MIDNIGHT EVALUATION BEGINS IN THIRTY MINUTES.

The hallway exploded into panic.

“Already?!”

“This is insane!”

“I’m not prepared!”

Yuna looked pale suddenly.

“We need to go,” she whispered quickly.

Liora frowned.

“Why does everyone look terrified of a simple evaluation?”

Yuna stared at her silently for a moment.

Then spoke very softly.

“Because sometimes… people don’t come back from them.”

The academy hallways felt colder after midnight.

Liora walked beside Yuna silently while dozens of trainees rushed toward the main practice building. Nobody talked loudly anymore. Even their footsteps sounded nervous.

Outside, heavy rain crashed against the giant glass windows of LUNARIS Entertainment.

The red emergency lights still glowed across the walls.

Everything felt wrong.

“This doesn’t feel like an evaluation,” Liora whispered.

Yuna looked down quickly. “That’s because it isn’t.”

Before Liora could ask further, they entered the massive underground practice hall.

And froze.

The room looked completely different from before.

Bright neon lights flashed above the stage. Huge cameras pointed toward the trainees. Staff members stood silently near the walls holding tablets.

At the center of the room stood a giant digital screen.

MIDNIGHT EVALUATION — SPECIAL ROUND

The trainees immediately began whispering nervously.

“Special round?”

“They only do those when someone breaks company rules…”

Suddenly the screen changed.

A trainee photo appeared.

The same girl whose phone had been confiscated earlier.

RANK 28 — ELIMINATION WARNING

The girl looked pale as everyone stared at her.

Then a voice echoed through the speakers.

“Step onto the stage.”

The trainee walked forward with shaking legs.

Music started instantly.

A fast, brutal dance track.

She began performing desperately.

Every movement looked filled with fear.

Halfway through—

“Stop.”

The music cut off immediately.

A man in a black suit stood from the judges’ table.

CEO HAN.

The founder of Lunaris Entertainment.

The entire room bowed instantly.

Even the staff looked terrified.

“You broke academy rules,” he said coldly. “You recorded a top trainee without permission.”

The girl’s eyes filled with tears.

“I’m sorry… please give me another chance…”

“No.”

The giant screen flashed red.

ELIMINATED

Gasps spread across the room.

Two security guards approached her immediately.

“Please!” she cried while struggling. “I trained for three years—!”

Nobody moved.

Nobody helped her.

The doors closed behind her loudly.

Silence filled the hall.

Liora felt sick.

This place treated people like disposable objects.

Then—

A shadow stepped onto the stage.

Kael Draven.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

Even the judges straightened slightly.

Kael wore all black again. Black gloves. Silver chain. Cold eyes.

Perfect.

Dangerous.

The screen displayed his stats automatically.

RANK 1

DANCE — SSS

VOCALS — S

POPULARITY — 98%

The trainees stared at him like he wasn’t human.

Music started.

And suddenly—

Kael moved.

Sharp. Smooth. Effortless.

Every movement looked unreal.

Liora hated herself for noticing how mesmerizing he was.

The room couldn’t look away.

Not even for a second.

Then Kael’s eyes suddenly lifted toward the crowd.

Toward her.

His expression changed slightly.

Like something distracted him.

For one second—

He missed a step.

The music stopped instantly.

Shock exploded across the hall.

“Kael made a mistake?”

“That never happens…”

Even the judges looked stunned.

Kael stood silently under the lights.

Then slowly smiled.

But the smile felt wrong.

Dangerous.

He grabbed the microphone beside him.

And spoke directly toward Liora.

“Looks like Lunaris finally brought something interesting.”

The entire room turned toward her immediately.

Whispers spread everywhere.

“Who is she?”

“Why is Kael talking about her?”

Yuna looked horrified beside her.

But before Liora could react—

The giant screen suddenly glitched.

The lights flickered violently.

Then a hidden video appeared across the massive display.

A woman singing softly inside a recording studio.

Liora’s breathing stopped instantly.

It was her mother.