"W-what do you mean?" Yohan mumbled.

"Whatever you're going to ask her, she has nothing to tell you," Lisa said calmly.

Yohan shook his head. "You think I'm going to believe you? I know you're working for Freddie. That's probably why you're here. Tell me—did he ask you to keep an eye on me?"

"Is that what you think?" She stared at him, then sighed. "Maybe I never should have stuck my neck out for you in the first place."

"I'm not going to warn you again, Yohan. Mind your business. These people are more dangerous than you think," she said before turning and leaving.

Yohan sat there for a while, thinking about her words.

"Fuck it. They think they can scare me with stupid threats?"

He left the school hospital and returned to the department. It didn't take long for him to locate all three girls.

But when he confronted them about that night—and the day after, when they were absent from class—he was stunned by their reply.

"What do you mean? I went back home that night and came to school today," she replied.

"But you were absent from school yesterday," he insisted.

She shook her head confidently. "You must be mistaken, or you just didn't see me. I attended all my classes yesterday."

Her answer only left him more confused, making him question everything he thought he knew.

"But I looked everywhere for you."

"You did?" The girl's eyebrow lifted, then her cheeks turned pink. "I didn't know the professor's sexy assistant was looking for me. I didn't even know you knew I existed…"

'She thinks I'm trying to hit on her' Yohan sighed.

Her reaction was casual—too casual—like nothing bad had ever happened to her.

'Was I mistaken?' he couldn't help but wonder.

The other girls reacted more or less the same. They claimed they had been present in all their classes the day before and that Yohan must have simply missed them.

The strangest part was that none of them seemed to be lying. They didn't give off any suspicious vibe at all—to the point that they were actually starting to convince him.

But no. He was there when it all happened. He witnessed it himself. He heard Freddie talk about spiking their drinks, and Lisa had practically confirmed that something was going on.

Yet the girls claimed they had only drunk too much and passed out, that Freddie had simply helped them get home, and that they had even come to school the next day.

It made no sense.

He was sitting in a café, waiting for his afternoon appointment.

"Yohan," Yeri Lim called out as she approached his table.

"Yeri, you're finally here," he replied, pushing all those thoughts aside for now.

"Sorry I took so long. I had to stop by and greet a few people—you know, it's been a while since I was back here." she said as he took a seat opposite him.

"Oh, did you go to school here?"

"Yes. I finished three years ago. They even recently made me one of the major executives on the alumni board."

"Wow, I didn't know that," Yohan said, a mixture of surprise and admiration in his tone.

Yeri was just a few years older than him, and she had already achieved so much. As the junior world champion, it only made sense that she would be a big deal now that she was competing again.

She smiled. "No need to be so impressed. They just want to use me to convince people that the school is highly supportive of athletes. They've been focusing on that—building more gym facilities and improving training programs."

"I'm just glad I can help future athletes get all the encouragement and assistance they need," she added, her smile genuine.

"And Yohan, why didn't you tell me you're a student here? I could have probably introduced you to a few professors. That would have made your life easier."

"Thanks, but I'm not really a student. I'm just acting as an assistant for one of the professors," he replied.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why?" Yohan squinted, wondering what exactly she meant.

"Why are you working here? What happened to your massage parlor?"

"Well, I just took a break and decided to try something different… it's only temporary," he explained.

"Oh, I thought it might have been something else—like money troubles or something," she said.

"If it is, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll do everything in my power to help you," she added with unmistakable concern. "You've been helping me without asking for anything in return, and I'd be really glad for an opportunity to pay you back."

Yohan let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "It's fine, Yeri. I'm managing. I don't need anyone's help right now."

But then a thought flashed at the back of his mind.

"You know there's actually something but I don't know how possible it's going to be…"

____

They left the café and headed to the Student Fitness and Physical Education Building.

At the entrance, a man was already waiting for them. He was elderly, with a balding head and a round, friendly face.

"Hello, Ms. Yeri. It's very nice to meet you," the man said, his bright smile warming the space. "I'm the Director of Athletics and Facility Manager. I rushed over as soon as I heard you were coming."

"Nice to meet you, Director," she replied, shaking his hand. "Did they tell you what I requested? I don't know if it might be possible…"

"You have nothing to worry about, ma'am. Come with me," he said.

He led them inside to a training hall with floor mats that stretched nearly half the size of a football field.

"This is where our school's kendo team used to train, so I'm not sure if it's big enough for a world champion like you, but you're free to use it as much as you like"

"It's perfect," Yohan said, surveying the space.

This was exactly what he needed for his training with Jenna.

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