Alpha Has Gone Silent
When Park Yeon-chan and Lee Yeon-hui stepped up onto the stage, Choi A-rin could not hide the sour twist in her mood.
It wasn't because Yeon-hui had taken second place.
"No way, look at the top two. They're literally a perfect pair."
"Their faces match insanely well. They'd look great together."
"I ran into them on the way in earlier — they came in together."
"Are they dating?"
"Whoa, if they are, that's peak couple goals."
It was the chatter around her that grated so badly.
I don't think they're dating.
Yeon-hui had given her a faintly hostile look when she greeted Yeon-chan, but from where A-rin stood, they didn't seem like a couple.
The real problem was this:
That one over there looks like she's more than ready to make it happen.
Judging by the way Yeon-hui had openly tried to keep her in check, it was obvious she had feelings for Yeon-chan.
Not that it changed anything.
Doesn't matter either way.
"Hey—"
The bus carrying Yeon-chan had already vanished from sight, but Yeon-hui still couldn't tear her eyes away. Watching her, A-rin spoke in a low voice.
"Are you dating Yeon-chan?"
"…What?"
The first words out of her mouth the moment they were alone. Yeon-hui flinched, then recovered her composure and fired back.
"We've never even met before. Why would you ask me that?"
"You're right. Sorry."
It had been meant as a warning shot, but A-rin backed off so easily that Yeon-hui found herself speechless all over again.
This is so annoying…
It wasn't just the sudden question. It was the way A-rin said "sorry" while looking and sounding not the least bit sorry — and above all, the way she had practically wagged her tail at Yeon-chan right in front of her.
Apparently done talking, A-rin turned away without a shred of lingering attachment — then stopped.
"Oh, right."
As if something had just occurred to her, she looked back at Yeon-hui.
"Not sure how much help I'll be to the runner-up, but if you need anything, just say the word. Yeon-chan asked me to, so I'll help you out too."
Crack.
Something shattered inside Yeon-hui's head.
"Sure. I'll take you up on that. Not sure how much help you'll be, though."
She forced the corner of her mouth up into something that barely passed for a smile and answered.
How we handled this spy episode would have a massive impact on everything that came after.
Every infiltrator was from Freedom. Lilis had no reason to plant people in the Academy in the first place — it didn't align with their goals.
What a pain.
Until now, the problem had been a simple lack of raw power. This was a different kind of mess entirely.
I can't poke at this clumsily.
The guy sitting next to me, grinning and chatting away, was one of Freedom's people — but I couldn't just grab him and start interrogating or torturing him. We still hadn't identified the rest of the infiltrators. Making a move now would only put the others on high alert.
They weren't going to make their move right away either. So the smart play was to tighten the net slowly and take them all in one sweep.
"Whoa, so you know the runner-up too?"
"Well, yeah. We're childhood friends."
Among Freedom's infiltrators, the ones whose identities I was certain of weren't many. Building relationships with key people and watching them up close was the better approach.
"So, uh… are you dating that runner-up girl?"
"What?"
"N-no, it's just — when you two went up on stage, people around me were saying you must be a couple…"
The constant talk about Yeon-hui pulled a sharper reaction out of me than I meant to give, and Lee Ju-won stammered through an explanation, flustered.
I'd been working hard to draw Freedom's attention toward me. When it looked like they were circling back around to her, my tone had gone cold on instinct — but apparently this was just more idle gossip about the top two rankings.
"Nah. We're just really close."
"Oh… so like, a will-they-won't-they thing?"
"Who knows…"
I let out a short laugh to loosen the tension, and he seemed to relax enough to keep the conversation going naturally.
"Anyway."
"Hm?"
"People sure are interested in other people's business, huh?"
I jerked my chin toward the kids behind Ju-won's blank face. The ones who'd been leaning in our direction coughed awkwardly and pulled their heads back where they belonged.
"Haha. When you two went up on stage, everyone was calling you a perfect pair."
"What? Give me the details."
"Huh…? Details about what?"
"If they said 'perfect pair,' that means people were saying I was good-looking too, right?"
"Uh… well, yeah?"
"So tell me more."
I was absolutely not fishing for compliments about my face. Really. This guy might let something useful slip in the middle of ordinary conversation. And if it happened to improve my mood along the way, well — bonus.
By the time Ju-won and I had finished our extremely important discussion, the bus had already pulled up to campus.
"Damn… these rooms are no joke."
The dorms were single occupancy — desk, bed, a small kitchenette, a wardrobe. Absurdly luxurious for a high school dormitory.
"Back in my day, this would've been a pipe dream."
Between the government and the Hunter and Hero Associations pouring money in, it showed.
I cracked a window for air and stepped out onto the balcony. A cool breeze slid across my skin.
"So I actually made it into the Academy."
I'd set it as a goal, but standing here now, it hit differently. I took in the sprawling grounds and skimmed today's schedule.
First day of enrollment — nothing special on the docket. Morning free to unpack and settle in. After lunch, a tour of the facilities and a rundown of the dorm rules.
"Great work, everyone! I know a new place can feel uncomfortable and awkward, but think of it as a process of slowly adjusting! Get some good rest tonight!"
Even those "light" items ate up enough time that it was the middle of the night by the time we finished. The student council handled the freshman orientation. Teachers hovered nearby as supervisors, but the actual guiding was student council work — the day only officially ended after they gave their closing remarks.
From here, there was almost nothing left to do. The dorm supervisor just needed to poke their head in once for a headcount.
Normally I'd take a quick shower and wait it out.
But this is where it actually starts.
It wasn't a long window, but the gap before the supervisor showed up was just enough time to try something.
And —
I'm not the only one thinking that.
I changed into black from head to toe, erased my presence, and slipped quietly out the window.
The boys' dorms were split into three buildings. I was in Building 1. Lee Ju-won was in Building 3. I'd casually asked during the facility tour, and he hadn't suspected a thing — just cheerfully told me exactly where his room was.
Part of me wanted to plant a bug, but we'd only just arrived. He'd probably check thoroughly for that kind of thing, and the risk was too high.
So what then?
I do it the hard way. On foot.
I melted into the dark, ghosted over to Building 3, and carefully pressed my ear to the first-floor window of Ju-won's room.
"Yes. No issues so far."
Bingo.
He was on a call — filing a report.
"Understood. I'll keep a close eye on Park Yeon-chan."
I focused hard, and the voice on the other end came through in faint scraps.
— Do not forget our purpose. Proceed with caution. The organization's very reason for existing rests on you.
— He likely isn't wary of you yet, but he's not someone you can handle lightly. Minimize contact with other operatives as much as possible.
"Understood."
— One more thing. Contact with Alpha was lost a few days ago. Don't force a meeting — just ascertain their status.
"Yes."
Click—
The call ended, and the room went quiet.
I'd hoped their conversation might leak something about the other infiltrators. Unfortunately, no real haul on that front.
Alpha, though…
That was information that never appeared in the original story. Probably another spy's callsign. "Contact lost a few days ago" meant they'd been reachable until recently. And telling Ju-won to check on them meant Alpha was somewhere in the Academy.
I steadied my breathing and worked through it carefully.
Minimize contact with other operatives — but still order him to track this one's movements?
Not one of the people who infiltrated with him. A separate insertion.
When? "A few days ago" meant Alpha had already been inside the Academy for at least several days.
Every freshman arrived today. So not a freshman. Eliminated.
Possible candidates: upperclassmen, teachers, janitorial staff, campus personnel.
Contact cut off recently. Before that, communication had been fine — now it wasn't.
A commuting janitor? You couldn't control their outside contact. Current students? The Academy didn't restrict personal devices for the sake of student autonomy. Teachers? Same — they needed to stay in touch with each other.
So why the sudden blackout inside the Academy? Because something had happened recently that absolutely could not leak — and Alpha was deeply involved in it.
What had happened at the Academy recently?
Freshman admissions.
Administrative staff handling incoming student records and related paperwork.
Freedom had sunk its roots deeper into the Academy than I'd thought.
This was going to be a much bigger headache than I'd expected.
Morning of the first day in the dorms.
The routine after waking up was no different from any other high school boarding life. Report that you were up, eat breakfast, head to class before the bell. In that sense it was almost ordinary — if anything, freer than most.
Fifteen classes total. I hadn't landed in the same one as Park Jae-hyun, but for better or worse, Min Ji-won and Lee Ju-won had both been assigned to mine.
Having Ju-won close enough to watch for anything stupid… I should probably count that as a win?
The classes themselves weren't anything special. Of the seven periods, the first two were ordinary academic subjects. From third period on, it was mana theory and the preliminary briefings we'd need before practical combat training.
Maybe because everyone already knew practicals started in the afternoon — kids had been buzzing about it since first period. By the time fourth period ended, the entire cafeteria was riding a high.
Also, this place is ridiculously huge.
The Academy sprawled on a scale that put most universities to shame. First through third year each had their own separate buildings — supposedly to prevent upperclassman–underclassman friction. How much brawling had gone on for them to go that far? I had to wonder.
But the more immediate problem was this:
"Solo lunch, huh…"
I had no one to eat with.
That sounded pathetic even to me, but the truth was I did have people. Ju-won — friend was a stretch — and a few others had invited me to join them. Before lunch, though, I'd gotten word that Park Jae-hyun had collapsed foaming at the mouth, so I'd had to swing by the nurse's office and turn them down.
And then —
"Boss… I'm done for… Leave me behind…"
Once he came to, Jae-hyun had stared into the middle distance, delivered that completely unhinged line, and sent me on my way.
Which left me here. I'd missed the timing, the cafeteria was packed, finding a seat was a struggle, and I had no one to sit with.
I was standing there with my tray, scanning for any open spot, when a familiar ponytail came bouncing into view from across the room. Min Ji-won. And behind her — light at the end of the tunnel. At last, someone I could eat with.
I started toward her.
"Hey, if you're free, want to eat tog—"
"Ji-won! Want to eat with us?"
I'd been about to invite her, full of relief — only to see a small army of would-be lunch companions trailing in her wake.
Right. Solo it is.
Watching her pull people along like the Pied Piper, I resigned myself to eating alone.
"Sorry. I already promised I'd eat with a friend."
"Huh…?"
Min Ji-won suddenly stepped up beside me, gave my sleeve a light tug, and smiled awkwardly.
"L-let's go."
"Sorry for dragging you into that."
"Don't worry about it. I didn't have anyone to eat with anyway."
It had just sort of happened that way, but the way I phrased it was more than enough to invite misunderstanding. Exhibit A: the look of pure pity Min Ji-won was giving me.
"I see…"
Her eyes looked a little damp. What I read in them was compassion — the soft, aching kind you reserve for someone truly pathetic.
"No, no. It's not that I don't have friends. The situation just kind of—"
"It's okay. I understand."
"……"
Damn it.
This was one of those situations where every explanation only made you look smaller and more pathetic. At this point, the Park Jae-hyun-tier image of me was already locked in inside her head. Anything I said would just look like thrashing.
"Haa…"
I gave up on explaining and focused on my food.
"But are you sure it's okay to eat with me? You had a whole crowd trying to sit with you."
I tossed out a light joke at her slightly gloomy expression. A lonely little smile touched her lips.
"That's only because I'm the Association President's daughter. And besides."
She set her spoon down with a soft clink. I swallowed what I was chewing and watched her quietly.
"Once this practical class is over, almost no one will come looking for me anymore."
It didn't take me long to understand what she meant.
"You understand, don't you?"
In a stretch of deep darkness, a man began speaking into empty air.
To anyone who didn't know better, he might have looked unwell.
"Yes. I understand."
From the nothingness beyond, an answer came back.
"We don't need upper management's approval. There's no reason to obediently take orders from people who got cleaned out by a single Academy freshman."
The voice from the empty dark continued.
"During the class where the freshmen enter the Tower—"
There was no face to read, but the smile in the voice was unmistakable.
"—we execute the plan."