"THR RESTRICTED FLOOR"

Liora couldn’t sleep.

Rain continued tapping softly against the dorm windows while the digital clock beside her bed changed to 2:17 AM.

But her mind refused to rest.

“You’ll end up exactly like your mother.”

Kael’s words repeated inside her head endlessly.

Across the room, Yuna slept quietly under dim blue lights.

Liora slowly sat up.

Something felt wrong.

Ever since the hidden video appeared, security around the academy had doubled. Staff members watched every hallway. Cameras followed trainees constantly.

Like Lunaris was hiding something.

Or someone.

Liora quietly grabbed her hoodie and slipped out of the dorm room.

The hallway was empty.

Cold white lights flickered overhead as she walked toward the elevator silently.

She needed answers.

And instinct told her those answers were somewhere inside this building.

The elevator opened with a soft ding.

Liora pressed the lowest floor button.

B7.

But instead of moving—

ACCESS DENIED flashed across the screen.

Restricted floor?

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

Then suddenly—

A black card slid between the elevator doors before they could close.

Kael stepped inside.

Liora froze instantly.

He looked tired tonight.

His black hair slightly messy. Dark circles faintly visible beneath his eyes.

Human.

For once.

Kael glanced at the B7 button.

“You really don’t know how to stay out of trouble.”

Liora crossed her arms. “And you really enjoy appearing everywhere.”

Without replying, Kael tapped his black trainee card against the scanner.

ACCESS GRANTED.

The elevator finally began descending.

Liora looked at him carefully.

“You have access to restricted floors?”

“Rank 1 has privileges.”

The elevator moved lower slowly.

B1.

B2.

B3.

The deeper they went, the colder the air became.

By B6, even the lights looked dimmer.

Finally—

DING.

The doors opened.

Liora’s breath caught instantly.

This didn’t look like part of an idol academy.

The underground floor looked more like a laboratory.

Long white hallways. Security doors. Observation windows.

And behind one glass wall—

Trainees practicing.

No music.

No cameras.

Only staff members watching silently while exhausted trainees repeated choreography over and over again.

One girl collapsed to the floor crying.

Nobody helped her.

“W-What is this place…?”

Kael’s expression hardened. “The real Lunaris.”

Liora stared in shock as another trainee was dragged into a separate room by security.

“They force trainees to train down here?” she whispered.

“They force them to become perfect.”

Something cold settled inside her chest.

This place was terrifying.

Then Liora noticed a familiar logo on one of the locked doors ahead.

ARCHIVE ROOM.

Her heartbeat quickened instantly.

Archives.

Maybe records. Old files. Information about her mother.

Without thinking, Liora stepped forward.

Kael grabbed her wrist immediately.

“Don’t.”

His voice sounded sharper than usual.

“Why?”

“Because if they catch you in there, you’re finished.”

Liora pulled her hand away. “I didn’t come here to be scared.”

Kael stared at her silently for a moment.

Then suddenly—

ALARMS exploded across the hallway.

RED WARNING LIGHTS flashed everywhere.

Security Alert. Unauthorized movement detected.

Kael cursed quietly under his breath.

Footsteps echoed nearby.

Fast.

Multiple people.

Kael grabbed Liora’s arm before she could react.

“This way.”

He pulled her into a dark storage room seconds before security guards rushed past outside.

The room was small.

Too small.

Liora found herself trapped between the wall and Kael standing dangerously close in the darkness.

Outside, guards continued searching the hall.

“Check every room.”

Liora’s breathing became uneven.

Not because of the guards.

Because Kael was staring at her again.

That same unreadable expression.

Then softly—

“You really look like her.”

Liora’s chest tightened.

“My mother?”

Kael nodded slowly.

“She used to come down here too.”

Silence filled the tiny room.

Then Liora whispered the question she feared most.

“What happened to her?”

Kael looked away.

And for the first time since meeting him—

He looked guilty.

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