Doyun leaned forward.
"Where'd you get this clue?"
"Probably special privileges," Jisoo muttered, though his eyes were already bright with something else. He turned to Ren. "Also—just for the record—I'm a huge fan. Like, huge. 'Static Heaven' was literally my anthem for six months straight."
Ren's expression softened slightly.
"Nobody gave me special treatment," he said. "Just quiet observations."
"But seriously," Jisoo continued, barely pausing for breath, "V.O.I.D. was ahead of its time. The concept, the sound—everything was brilliant. I still can't believe—"
"Jisoo," Jinwook said flatly.
"Right. Sorry." Jisoo's face flushed. "I'm done."
Ren smiled, genuine this time.
"Thank you. Really. But we're all just trainees now." He gestured at the table. "Same competition. Same stakes."
The humility in his tone surprised me.
I set my chopsticks down.
"What's your clue?"
Ren's gaze shifted to me, something calculating behind those hooded lids.
