"THE HIDDEN VOICE"

The practice hall fell into complete silence.

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Liora stared at the giant screen with wide eyes while the blurry video continued playing.

Her mother stood inside an old recording studio wearing headphones, smiling softly at someone behind the camera.

Young.

Alive.

Liora’s chest tightened painfully.

That video should not exist.

After her mother died, every recording connected to her had mysteriously disappeared from the internet.

Even their family photos were gone.

So how did Lunaris have this?

The trainees around her began whispering loudly.

“Who’s that woman?”

“Why does she look like Liora?”

“Wait… isn’t that former singer Elena Vale?”

Liora froze instantly.

Nobody had spoken her mother’s name publicly in years.

At the judges’ table, CEO Han’s expression darkened.

“Turn that screen off immediately.”

Staff members rushed toward the control room in panic.

But the video continued.

Then a male voice suddenly echoed from the speakers.

“You deserve the truth, Elena.”

Static crackled violently.

Liora’s heart pounded harder.

That voice…

She recognized it.

Before the recording could continue, the screen suddenly shut off.

Darkness.

The hall erupted into confusion instantly.

“What was that?”

“Was it hacked?”

“Why did the CEO panic?”

Liora barely heard any of it.

Because Kael was staring directly at her again.

Not cold this time.

Concerned.

And somehow…

That terrified her more.

“Evaluation dismissed,” CEO Han announced sharply. “All trainees return to your dorms immediately.”

Nobody dared argue.

The trainees quickly rushed toward the exits while security guards filled the hall.

Yuna grabbed Liora’s wrist tightly.

“We need to leave. Now.”

“But that video—”

“Not here,” Yuna whispered fearfully.

They hurried through the crowded hallway while people continued glancing toward Liora suspiciously.

Some looked curious.

Others looked scared.

As they entered the elevator, Liora’s mind kept replaying the recording.

“You deserve the truth, Elena.”

Who said that?

And why did it sound familiar?

The elevator doors almost closed—

Until a hand stopped them again.

Kael stepped inside silently.

The air instantly became tense.

Yuna looked like she wanted to disappear.

The doors closed slowly.

Silence.

Only the soft hum of the elevator remained.

Then Kael finally spoke.

“That video wasn’t supposed to appear tonight.”

Liora crossed her arms carefully. “You know about it?”

Kael looked at the glowing floor numbers instead of her.

“I know enough.”

“That’s not an answer.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

For the first time since meeting him, he looked irritated.

“You should leave Lunaris before things get worse.”

Liora laughed coldly.

“You think I came all this way just to run away?”

Kael finally looked at her.

His dark eyes felt unreadable.

“You don’t understand what this company does to people.”

“And you do?”

A dangerous silence filled the elevator.

Then Kael stepped closer slowly.

Close enough for Liora to notice the faint scar near his neck.

Close enough to hear his quiet breathing.

“My mother worked for Lunaris too,” he said softly.

Liora’s expression shifted instantly.

“What?”

Before Kael could continue—

DING.

The elevator doors opened.

Several trainees stood outside waiting.

Kael immediately stepped back again, his expression turning cold once more.

Like the conversation never happened.

He walked out silently.

But just before disappearing down the hallway, he spoke without turning around.

“If you keep searching for answers…”

His voice lowered dangerously.

“…you’ll end up exactly like your mother.”

Liora stood frozen inside the elevator.

Yuna looked pale beside her.

And somewhere deep inside her chest—

Fear finally began turning into anger.

Because for the first time…

She realized her mother’s death may not have been an accident at all.

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