Two days passed.
Two days of training until their bodies ached and their voices cracked and their muscles screamed at night. But somehow… OG felt lighter.
They were tired, yes.
But they were laughing again.
Even Aiko had started speaking more, teasing Hana when she messed up steps, rolling her eyes when Kairi acted like a strict captain, and sometimes—just sometimes—looking at Sakura like she didn't want to fight anymore.
That evening, training ended late.
The hallway outside the practice rooms was quiet, the lights dimmer than usual. OG walked together toward the exit, carrying bags, water bottles, and the kind of exhaustion that made their steps slow.
Hana yawned loudly. "I swear my legs are going to fall off."
Yuki giggled. "You said that yesterday too."
Kairi sighed. "Stop complaining. At least we're working."
Aiko walked ahead of them, walking backward as she spoke—her hands moving dramatically as if she was telling a story.
"And then the choreographer looked at me like I committed a crime!" Aiko said, voice annoyed. "Like sorry I'm not a robot—"
"Aiko," Sakura warned softly. "Watch where you're—"
Too late.
Aiko stepped back one more time—
And collided with someone.
It wasn't a small bump.
It was a solid impact.
Aiko's breath caught, her body jerking forward from the sudden stop.
For half a second, it looked like she might fall.
But Aiko caught herself instantly, grabbing the strap of her bag and planting her feet firmly on the ground.
"Ah—!" Hana gasped.
Yuki reached out instinctively. "Aiko!"
Kairi tensed, already ready to snap at whoever was careless enough to block their path.
But then—
Everyone froze.
Because standing behind Aiko…
Was Koharu.
She was taller than Aiko by just enough to feel intimidating. She wore a dark coat over her usual clean suit, her hair perfectly in place, her face calm like she had been carved out of marble.
Beside her stood Rinn, holding a tablet and speaking quietly about something.
Aiko's eyes widened slightly.
Her throat tightened.
She stared at Koharu like she had just bumped into a wall made of power.
For a second, nobody breathed.
Aiko straightened, forcing her pride back into place. "Watch it," she muttered, voice sharp, as if she didn't just crash into the CEO of their entire life.
Koharu didn't respond.
Not even a glance.
Not even a flicker of emotion.
She didn't look at Aiko.
She didn't look at OG.
She didn't look at Sakura.
She simply turned her head slightly toward Rinn and continued talking like nothing happened.
"The overseas distribution deal needs to be finalized before teaser drop," Koharu said calmly.
Rinn nodded. "Yes. And the creative director is waiting for confirmation on the MV location."
Koharu opened her file, flipping pages with slow, controlled movements. "Send him the confirmation. And double the security around the building during comeback week."
Rinn's eyes sharpened. "Because of the press?"
Koharu's voice stayed calm. "Because of the fans."
Sakura's stomach twisted at that.
Kairi's eyebrows lifted like she wanted to laugh. "She's acting like we're not even here."
Hana whispered, "Is she… ignoring us on purpose?"
Yuki didn't answer.
Aiko's face burned with humiliation.
She stepped aside quickly, brushing invisible dust off her sleeve like she hadn't just been dismissed like air.
OG stood awkwardly, watching Koharu and Rinn move forward.
And then…
They all reached the elevator.
The doors were open.
The space inside was small.
Too small for the tension that followed them.
Rinn stepped in first.
Koharu stepped in after her.
Without looking back, Koharu pressed the button for the top floor.
Then OG entered behind them.
One by one.
The doors slid shut.
And the silence began.
It wasn't just quiet.
It was loud silence.
The kind where every breath sounds like a confession.
Hana stared at the floor, gripping her bag strap so tightly her knuckles turned pale.
Yuki kept glancing at the elevator numbers, counting them like it would make time move faster.
Kairi leaned against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sharp, watching Koharu like she was waiting for her to finally reveal her true face.
Aiko stood stiffly, pretending she didn't care.
But her cheeks were still slightly red from anger and embarrassment.
Sakura stood at the back.
Her heart was pounding.
Because Koharu was right there.
So close.
Close enough that Sakura could smell her perfume—soft and warm, like coffee and expensive vanilla.
Close enough that Sakura could see the faint scar on Koharu's hand from the glass that night.
Sakura's eyes dropped to it for a second.
And her chest tightened.
Koharu didn't look up from her file.
Her gaze stayed on the pages like her life depended on it.
Her expression was unreadable.
Cold.
Professional.
Controlled.
But Sakura could feel it.
The tension under that calm surface.
Like Koharu was holding herself back with chains made of her own will.
Rinn spoke again, voice low. "The press conference is scheduled for Friday."
Koharu nodded. "Good."
Aiko's lips curled. "She really is acting like we don't exist."
Kairi shot Aiko a warning look.
Aiko ignored it.
She turned slightly toward Koharu, voice sharp enough to cut.
"You could at least say excuse me," Aiko muttered. "I didn't do it on purpose."
Koharu didn't react immediately.
The elevator continued rising.
One floor.
Two floors.
Three.
Then Koharu finally spoke.
Her voice was quiet.
Not angry.
Not emotional.
Just… controlled.
"Don't walk backward in hallways," Koharu said without looking up.
Aiko's eyes widened.
Hana's mouth parted in shock.
Yuki's eyebrows shot up.
Even Kairi blinked.
Aiko's face flushed again. "Seriously?"
Koharu turned one page of her file calmly. "Yes."
Aiko's fists clenched. "You're unbelievable."
Koharu still didn't look at her.
Rinn glanced at Aiko with a sharp expression, as if warning her to stop.
But Aiko wasn't scared.
Not anymore.
"Do you know how much you ruined us?" Aiko whispered, voice shaking. "And now you act like you're some busy businesswoman who doesn't have time to even look at us?"
Koharu's fingers paused on the file.
Just for a second.
The elevator numbers kept changing.
But the air became heavier.
Koharu slowly lifted her gaze.
Not to Aiko.
To Sakura.
For the first time since the collision, Koharu's eyes met Sakura's.
And in that single moment…
The cold CEO mask cracked.
Just a little.
Because her eyes weren't cold.
They were tired.
And hurt.
And full of something that still hadn't died.
Sakura's breath caught.
Her heart clenched.
Koharu's gaze dropped again, as if she had revealed too much.
Then she spoke, voice quiet.
"I'm not ignoring you," Koharu said.
Aiko scoffed. "Sure."
Koharu continued, still looking at her file. "I'm controlling myself."
That sentence hit the elevator like a bomb.
Hana's eyes widened.
Yuki swallowed hard.
Kairi's expression turned unreadable.
Aiko went silent.
Sakura felt her throat tighten.
Because she understood what Koharu meant.
Koharu was staying distant…
Because if she didn't…
She would fall back into obsession.
And OG would become nothing more than Sakura's shadow again.
The elevator dinged.
Koharu's floor.
The doors opened.
Koharu stepped out first.
Rinn followed.
Before the doors closed, Koharu paused.
Not turning around fully—just slightly.
Her voice came out soft, almost like she didn't want anyone but Sakura to hear.
"Train well," she said.
Then she walked away.
The doors slid shut.
And the elevator continued down with OG still inside.
No one spoke.
Hana whispered finally, voice trembling, "What… was that?"
Kairi exhaled slowly. "That was power."
Yuki hugged her bag tightly. "And control."
Aiko stared at the closed elevator doors, her expression torn between anger and confusion.
Sakura stayed silent.
Because in that one glance Koharu gave her…
Sakura didn't see a villain.
She saw someone trying to behave.
Trying to be normal.
Trying to keep her promise.
And somehow…
That scared Sakura even more than obsession did.