The campus grounds were shrouded in pitch darkness.
Clad in a sleek dark hoodie and a black face mask, Xio Zi moved like a ghost through the shadows toward the men's dormitory. She came to a halt at the base of the brick wall, staring up at the third-floor balcony.
I know how your mind works, Jeo-on, Xio Zi thought, adjusting her mask. You might have deleted that video off your phone in front of me, but an arrogant guy like you definitely kept a backup to blackmail me later. Tonight, I'm resetting your phone to factory settings-consider it an act of mercy.
Unitive and swift, she unhooked a lightweight grappling rope from her belt, swung it in a tight circle, and tossed it upward. The iron hook caught securely onto the stone balustrade above. Relying on her sharp agility, she pulled herself up the wall and slipped silently through the open balcony window.
Internally, she offered a quick note of thanks to Daiyu. Daiyu had managed to squeeze Jeo-on's exact room assignment out of her boyfriend, Dong Dao, who happened to be his roommate.
Moving without a sound, Xio Zi stepped past Yuze's cluttered desk and Dong Dao's sleeping figure. Across the room, Jun Bai turned over in bed, mumbling faintly in his sleep. Xio Zi froze, holding her breath until his rhythm evened out again.
Finally, she reached Jeo-on's bed.
In the faint moonlight filtering through the window, she spotted his luxury phone resting right beside his shoulder. Holding her breath, her fingers deftly slid the device from beneath his arm.
With a victorious smirk hidden behind her mask, she tiptoed back out toward the balcony. She almost laughed out loud-the idiot didn't even put a passcode on his lock screen.
She navigated straight to the settings menu to hit 'Factory Reset'.
Suddenly, a cold, heavy hand clamped tightly around her wrist from behind.
Before her brain could process the trap, Xio Zi swung her free fist back to strike. Jeo-on caught it mid-air with infuriating ease. He yanked her closer, his voice dark and amused as he leaned down to her ear.
"Nice to see you again... little thief Xio... Zi."
How did he recognize me?! Panic flashed through her mind. She disguised her voice, whispering sharply, "Who is Xio Zi? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmm... then let me confirm it myself," Jeo-on murmured.
He pinned both of her hands, adding with a lazy grin, "I didn't know you were good at fighting. Unfortunately for you, your opponent happens to be better."
They traded a brief, furious flurry of strikes in the dark, but Jeo-on's reach gave him the upper hand. In one swift motion, he stripped off her face mask.
"Why hide such a beautiful face?" he taunted.
Xio Zi glared at him, her eyes burning through the shadows.
Jeo-on smirked, glancing down at the phone still clutched in her hand. "Hmm... if I had to guess, you came all this way for that video, right?"
"I don't trust a single word that comes out of your mouth," Xio Zi hissed in a harsh, quiet whisper. "I know you kept a backup to hold over my head."
Jeo-on tilted his head, his smirk deepening into a dangerously low tone. "Do I really look like that kind of person to you?"
"You don't just look like it," Xio Zi snapped softly. "You are that kind of person."
Jeo-on let out a low laugh. Reaching into his sweatpants pocket, he pulled out a sleek, metallic black USB drive, twirling it between his fingers right in front of her eyes before casually slipping it back deep into his pocket.
"Well, since you think so low of me, I might as well prove you right. The video on my phone was just a copy. The real file is right here on this drive... and maybe I should go ahead and hand it to Principal Meng after all."
Xio Zi's chest tightened. "Give that drive to me!"
"And what if I say no?" Jeo-on taunted smoothly.
Without missing a beat, Xio Zi dangled his phone over the balcony edge, holding it by two fingers over the long drop. "Nothing much. Your phone will just crash onto the concrete below and shatter into a million pieces."
Jeo-on's smirk faltered for a microsecond before returning. "Fair move. But if I shout at the top of my lungs right now that a girl snuck into the boys' dorm... imagine what will happen to your reputation."
Xio Zi paused, rapidly calculating her odds.
Suddenly, a bed creaked loudly inside the room.
"Jeo-on...? Who are you talking to?" Yuze's drowsy voice called out, followed by Dong Dao shifting under his blanket.
Before Xio Zi could make a move, Jeo-on wrapped his arm around her waist, yanked her into the dark nook behind the balcony wall, and pressed her firmly against the cold stone. His hands pinned hers down, his chest flush against hers, his warm breath fanning across her face.
Xio Zi's eyes widened in surprise. Her heart hammered against her ribs-partly from the threat of being caught, and partly from how dangerously close he was. She glared at him, not daring to make a sound.
"Nobody, Yuze," Jeo-on called out smoothly over his shoulder, his eyes locked onto Xio Zi's face. "Just getting some fresh air. Go back to sleep."
Yuze mumbled something unintelligible and crashed back onto his pillow. A few moments later, rhythmic breathing filled the room again.
The silence returned, heavy and suffocatingly tight.
Jeo-on didn't step back immediately. He smirked down at her, enjoying the rare sight of her trapped in his arms. "See?" he whispered against her ear. "You're completely at my mercy."
Xio Zi's eyes flashed with fierce amusement. Using their extreme proximity to her advantage, her fingers deftly slid into his pocket, wrapping tightly around the metallic USB drive.
Before he realized what she was doing, she shoved him back hard, breaking his grip. She held up the flash drive in one hand and his phone in the other with a sharp, victorious grin.
"Am I?" she whispered.
She tossed his phone safely onto the balcony chair, hooked her rope, and slid down into the darkness below-leaving a stunned Jeo-on staring over the ledge in disbelief.
Later That Night in the Girls' Dorm...
Xio Zi slipped through her window, untied her rope, and kicked off her shoes. Her heart was still beating wildly, her mind briefly flashing back to how close Jeo-on's face had been on that balcony.
Get a grip, she chastised herself, shaking her head. He's just an arrogant jerk.
Eager to finally destroy the evidence once and for all, she opened her laptop and plugged the metallic USB drive into the port.
The folder loaded instantly.
Xio Zi double-clicked the main file, bracing herself to delete the campus recording.
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