BENEATH THE FLAMES | YEJISU

• One •

Ryujin finds herself standing in the bustling university plaza, surrounded by the hum of students as they mill about. She tries to pass the time by playing a game on her phone, but her frustration grows as the screen flashes 'Game Over' in bold red letters. Luckily, just a few seconds later, she feels a gentle tap on her shoulder.

"Hey, bestie!" Lia greets her friend with a wide smile, making an attempt to put an arm over Ryujin's shoulder. However, being slightly shorter, Lia has to stretch herself onto her tiptoes, which amuses Ryujin. Deciding to playfully dodge her friend's embrace, she steps out of Lia's grip, causing her friend to pout.

"Please, never call me 'bestie' again," Ryujin says with a deadpan expression, which only makes Lia's smile grow even bigger. As Ryujin starts to walk away, Lia quickly follows, linking their arms together as they head in the direction of their next class side by side.

"Ryu, you won't believe what happened the other day!" Lia exclaims, her voice filled with excitement and anticipation as they walk.

"You finally start that huge project that's due next Friday?" Ryujin asks hopefully, but her question is met with a grimace from Lia.

"Well, no… but I did get to witness Sear stopping a massive bank robbery downtown!"

"What robbery? And when were you even downtown?" Ryujin questions, slightly confused, which causes her friend to frown and give her a gentle smack on the arm.

"Do you even pay attention to anything that's going on, like, ever?" Lia rolls her eyes, to which Ryujin simply shrugs.

"Nope. Anyway, you said you were there?" Ryujin asks, laughing at how quickly the sparkle returns to Lia's eyes.

"Yeah, I was! And Sear is even more incredible in person. She's so strong and confident. Plus, I got to see her amazing fire powers up close when she used them to take down those criminals!"

Ryujin nods her head, feigning interest. "Wow, that's pretty cool. And also kind of dangerous. So what exactly happened in the city?"

Lia's eyes grow distant and dreamy, as if she is reliving the moment in her mind. "Okay, so there was this gang of thieves that had been robbing banks all over town. They thought they were unstoppable because they had these high-tech weapons that could blast through walls and doors. But of course, Sear wasn't even scared. She swooped in and blasted the robbers back with a wall of fire. It was amazing!"

Ryujin can't help but giggle, finding her friend's unique obsession slightly endearing. "I bet it was."

The pair enter the lecture hall, choosing seats near the back-middle of the room. Lia takes her laptop from her bag and places it on the small desk attached to her seat. Ryujin glances at the device, raising an eyebrow at the excessive number of Sear-themed stickers that adorn its surface.

"I've been doing some research, and there's a theory that she's around our age. That means there's a chance that I've met her before and didn't even know it!" Lia continues to ramble, logging into her computer, which reveals a wallpaper featuring Sear fan art.

Ryujin furrows her eyebrows in mild concern, watching as Lia begins to type away on her Sear-themed Chrome tab. She coughs awkwardly. "Lia, don't you think it's a bit unhealthy to be so obsessed with Sear?"

Lia looks at Ryujin in shock. "What do you mean? I just admire her for all the good she does for the people of Seoul, that's all," she declares defensively, crossing her arms and meeting the other girl's eyes with a fierce gaze. Her eyes sparkle with a blend of passion and determination, making it clear that she won't back down.