Three days passed.
Lina kept herself busy. She filmed a brand ad with a top Korean fashion label, recorded a podcast segment on "Powerful Women in Media," and agreed to an interview with a luxury lifestyle magazine.
She smiled through all of it.
But every night, the same notification blinked in her System log:
> Mission Countdown: 2 Days Remaining
[Confront the Ghost – Mira Han]
Her jaw always clenched when she saw it.
Not because she feared Mira.
But because she already knew what she was capable of.
They'd met again recently. At that influencer party. Lina had kept her calm. But the wound wasn't closed. Not really.
---
Kael noticed.
He didn't push.
But he noticed.
One morning, she found a post-it on her coffee table in the apartment Kael had helped furnish but insisted she keep as hers.
It read: "Some wounds don't heal. They evolve. Let me know if I should be your shield this time." — K.
She didn't text him back.
But she folded the note and slipped it into her wallet—right behind her old student ID.
---
Later that day, Lina attended an exclusive PR event at a rooftop lounge—Sora said there'd be potential deals with an international agency there.
She'd barely stepped into the warm golden light when the atmosphere shifted.
A chill. A presence.
She turned slowly.
Mira stood at the edge of the crowd, swirling a champagne flute like it was part of her hand. The silver dress clung to her like polished armor.
Their eyes met.
No surprise.
Just calculation.
Mira walked toward her like a cat who already knew the mouse was cornered.
---
"Lina," she said sweetly. "You've come a long way. I barely recognized you at that last shoot, but tonight? You're glowing."
Lina smiled faintly. "Funny. You still look exactly the same."
"Still bitter?"
"Still remembering."
The words had become sharper since the last time they spoke.
Mira leaned in, her voice like silk soaked in venom. "You should thank me. If I hadn't pushed you out, you'd still be in the gutter."
Lina didn't blink.
"I crawled out of that gutter with my own hands. You? You used other people's backs."
A pause.
Then Mira's smile cracked.
Just slightly.
---
> [System Notification: Mission Complete – "Confront the Ghost"]
Reward Unlocked: Enhanced Mental Fortitude + Memory Unlock: Phase 2
> [Memory Fragment Retrieved: Mira & the Recording]
Location: Abandoned Dance Studio, Two Weeks Before Expulsion
Lina staggered a little as the memory pulled her under—
---
She was fifteen again.
The dance studio was dark, lit only by the flicker of a streetlamp through cracked blinds.
Rain hit the glass like fingers drumming on a coffin.
Mira stood across from her, a phone in her hand.
"You have to take the blame, Lina," she was saying. "They already believe it was you."
Lina's voice trembled. "Because you told them that."
Mira didn't deny it. "I just… I couldn't afford to lose this scholarship. You're strong, right? You always bounce back."
"After you use me," Lina whispered.
Mira said nothing.
But she didn't delete the recording.
---
Back in the present, Lina steadied herself with a breath.
The air still smelled like money and perfume—but her heart didn't race.
Her eyes didn't sting.
She wasn't afraid of this ghost anymore.
> [Trait Unlocked: Emotional Fortitude – Phase 2]
---
That night, Alec sent a voice message.
> "Saw the clips. That little glare of yours? Gave me chills. I approve."
> "Was that… praise?" she replied.
> "Don't get used to it. I just don't like bullies unless I'm the one doing the bullying."
> "Noted."
---
She curled up that night on her sofa, watching the city blink against the sky.
> [Observation: You confronted Mira alone.]
Emotional Autonomy: Stable.
The System's voice came gently.
> [Growth detected. Independence level rising.]
"I didn't run," Lina whispered.
> [You stood. And that's the beginning of power.]
She smiled quietly, a different kind of strength burning behind her ribs.
Not revenge.
Not fear.
But self-possession.
She didn't just survive Mira.
She overlived her.