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YESTERDAY WASN'T JUST ANY DAY... It was Halloween—a day full of horrors, both imagined and real. Children feared the ghosts and monsters in their storybooks. Parents braced for the chaos of sugar-fueled kids and angsty teenagers. But for y/n l/n, the horrors were more personal, more intimate, and far more cutting. Her monsters weren't under her bed or lurking in the shadows; they were the people she'd let get too close, the truths she'd been too afraid to face.
First, Tory Nichols—her estranged friend turned unexpected companion. Then Kwon Jae-sung—the boy she had trusted, maybe even loved, who had ripped open her deepest wounds without a second thought.
She sat alone in her room that night, surrounded by the silence of her packed bags. The shadows on the walls seemed to mock her, each one a ghost of the past she'd tried so hard to bury. Kwon's betrayal echoed in her mind, sharp and unrelenting. The image of him with the girl, presumably Yoo-mi, flashed again and again, like a cruel reel she couldn't turn off. His lips on hers, the way he didn't even hesitate. It felt like a punch to her gut every time she thought of it.
She'd told herself she wouldn't cry, but the tears came anyway—hot, angry, and relentless.
And then there was Tory.
The guilt of what had happened to her mother weighed heavily on y/n's chest. She had always known Tory's life wasn't easy, but it was only after spending that one night in her cramped, crumbling apartment that she truly understood. No father. A sick mother barely clinging to life. A younger brother who depended on her for everything. Bills piling up. Hefty loans that no teenager should have to worry about. Tory had been fighting since she was a child, clawing her way through every unfair hand life dealt her.
And now? Her mother was gone, and y/n hadn't been there. She hadn't been there for her when it mattered most.
She had been selfish. Blind.
For the first time in a long time, the girl felt like a coward. She had run away from her problems, from her guilt, and from the people who might have needed her the most. She thought leaving everything behind—Cobra Kai, Miguel, Tory, even herself—was the answer. But it wasn't. She had dragged those ghosts with her all the way to Seoul.
Her chest felt tight as she zipped up the last of her bags. The decision had been made. The first step toward redemption was sacrifice...
The airport was crowded, chaotic even, but y/n barely noticed. Her hood was pulled low, her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets as she sat in the corner, far away from the bustling crowds. She didn't want to be seen. Not by her teammates. Not by her senseis. And certainly not by Kwon.
