(A month later)
A month had already passed since SEVENTEEN ended, and Llana began training under Lee Chang-Woo.
The effects of her Fast Learner Ability were truly astonishing.
Because of it, she was able to absorb every lesson at an incredible speed. Every movement, every correction, every mistake, and every repeated instruction sank into her body much faster than it should have.
Her progress was almost frightening.
And apparently, it was addictive too.
Not the pain, of course.
Llana did not have any masochistic tendencies.
What she found addictive was the feeling of learning that quickly. The feeling of improving every day somehow made all the painful falls, bruises, sweat, and sleepless nights feel worth it.
Thanks to her continuous training, her strength and stamina had also improved. In just one month, both her endurance and strength had already reached the level of a skilled professional.
Among all her attributes, strength had improved the most.
Llana was no longer the fragile girl who could barely endure a single session.
However, none of it had been easy.
It was currently three in the morning.
Far too early for training.
But what else could she do?
Her only free time began at one in the morning and ended at five. The rest of her day was packed with such a tight schedule that sometimes, she felt grateful whenever she managed to get two hours of sleep before being dragged back into practice again.
At first, she truly could not handle it.
Her body could still not bear the workload.
The constant headaches, dizziness, and vomiting from extreme exhaustion had nearly broken her.
Everything had felt like too much.
Because of exhaustion and sleep deprivation her mind was always foggy. It was as if her body was still standing, but her consciousness had already drifted somewhere far away.
Llana had always been used to exhaustion in her past life. But even then, it had never been this bad.
Back then, on normal days, she could still sleep for around four hours. She only experienced sleepless nights during exam periods.
Here, even four hours of sleep felt like a dream.
Before coming to this world, Llana had never imagined that idol training could be this gruesome.
Like many others, she had thought idols only needed to look pretty, act cute, smile in front of the camera, and dance while lip syncing on stage.
She thought that as long as someone had a beautiful face and a good body, they could survive in the industry even without much talent.
Now, after experiencing it herself, she finally understood how foolish that thought had been..
As the saying went, the higher someone wanted to climb, the greater the price they had to pay.
No wonder she had heard so many tragic suicide stories about famous idols in her past life.
Who could endure nearly twenty hours of schedules, rehearsals, and training every single day?
The company was truly inhumane for allowing minors to work with so little proper rest.
But what could they do?
They had chosen this path themselves.
If they wanted to survive in this industry, then they could only endure.
Sometimes, Llana couldn't help but admire her TWICE members.
They were still so young, yet they can endured the same brutal schedule as her every single day. Unlike them, Llana had already lived as an adult and was mentally used to this kind of exhaustion.
The only thing that could not keep up was her current body.
Fortunately, Llana's diet was not as strict as her members. Otherwise, she genuinely felt like she would die.
Just imagining them practicing for hours without proper meals made her pity them. If ordinary people tried surviving under those conditions, they would probably collapse within a single day.
That was why Llana always took the risk of sneaking food to her unnies with Bang Chan.
Yes, she and Bang Chan become friends after that day.
She had even been caught once while delivering food to them and received a long lecture for it, but Llana simply let the words go in one ear and out the other.
Sometimes, even Llana wondered how they were still standing.
The human body was truly fascinating.
Llana had always disagreed whenever people compared humans to machines.
Machines broke once they exceeded their limits.
Yes, humans broke too.
But unlike machines, humans had the terrifying ability to heal, adapt, and rise again from the very damage that should have destroyed them.
As long as they still had the will to endure, they could keep moving.
The human body had a frightening way of pushing past its limits. It grew from pain, learned from damage, and repeated the process again and again until time itself wore it down and death became the only limit it could no longer overcome.
Today was also her last day of training for three hours daily.
Starting tomorrow, Lee Chang-Woo would finally reduce it to one hour.
Should she celebrate?
Just as her thoughts began to drift, a strike suddenly shot straight toward her face.
Llana sidestepped to the right and immediately threw a punch back, but Lee Chang-Woo swatted it aside with ease.
She followed with another punch, then another, before driving her knee toward his stomach.
But as usual, nothing worked.
Every attack was either blocked, parried, or redirected before it could even reach him.
Llana gritted her teeth as she studied his form, searching for an opening, a weakness, even the smallest blind spot.
Lee Chang-Woo suddenly threw another punch, this time aimed at the left side of her face.
"You are too focused on your thoughts," he said coldly. "Your enemy will not wait for you to finish thinking before attacking. How many times do I have to say that before you learn?"
Llana quickly raised her arm to block, but the force behind his strike was heavier than she expected. Pain shot through her arm as the impact forced her to stumble backward.
"I'm trying to look for your weakness," Llana said with a wry smile as she steadied herself, shaking her arm to ease the numbness and sting. "But I can't find anything."
Lee Chang-Woo snorted. "There is no such thing as a perfect defense. If you cannot find an opening, then create one. Standing there and waiting will get you nowhere. Attack him, distract him, deceive him, or use something or someone he values against him. Use whatever you can to make him vulnerable."
Llana frowned and lowered her hands slightly.
Lee Chang-Woo lowered his guard as well, letting his arms fall to his sides as he waited for her to speak.
"No. I won't go that far."
Her expression turned solemn.
"I'll do anything else, but I won't use innocent people just to defeat someone. I won't hurt anyone who has done nothing to me."
She knew he was right. A real enemy would never show mercy but using innocent people as leverage just to win was too much for her.
Hearing that, Lee Chang-Woo let out a short, amused laugh.
"I respect that," he said. "But when did I tell you to hurt anyone?"
Llana paused, her eyes meeting his.
"I said you could use someone he values against him. I wasn't insinuating that you should kill them, kidnap them, or even lay a hand on them."
He raised his guard again.
"Sometimes, saying a name is enough. Make him think something happened. Make him hesitate."
His gaze sharpened as he settled back into his stance.
"That hesitation is all you need. I'm teaching you how to survive, not how to become cruel."
He motioned for her to come forward.
"Again."
Llana let out a relieved sigh and took a deep breath. She was glad to know that the person teaching her was not that ruthless because she would never let someone like that teach her.
For her, anyone who used other people as leverage just to win had no moral limits. They were not someone she could trust, much less learn from.
Without further a do, Llana lunged forward once more, throwing a punch while her other hand shot out to grab the collar of his shirt.
But Lee Chang-Woo had already read her movement. He tilted his body to the side, easily avoiding her attempt to pull him off balance.
However, Llana had expected that too.
She stepped in closer and drove her elbow forward. Once.Twice.Thrice.
Lee Chang-Woo blocked each strike.
"Too weak. Too predictable."
Llana clenched her jaw and immediately followed with a knee toward his exposed side, but he reacted instantly. His elbow dropped while his knee lifted, trapping her attack before it could land.
Then his palm pressed against her chest and shoved her back.
Llana staggered several steps, her balance nearly breaking, but she forced her foot down against the mat and steadied herself.
The moment her footing returned, she pushed forward again with a sharp combination.
She threw a straight punch first, then an uppercut, then a hook aimed toward his jaw. When he blocked again, she stepped closer and drove her elbow forward.
Her attacks came one after another. As she moved, his words echoed in her mind.
'If you cannot find an opening, then create one.'
Llana's eyes narrowed.
She watched his expression as she showered him with attacks, forcing him to stay on the defensive. Lee Chang-Woo blocked everything, but this time, he had no room to relax.
His attention remained locked onto her movements. His body reacted to each strike before the next one arrived.
That was enough.
A smirk tugged at Llana's lips.
_______
[STATUS]
_______
[ HOST: Llana Ezhel K. Balthazar
GENDER: Female
DATE OF BIRTH: August 27, 1999
HERITAGE: half South Korean, quarter Filipino, quarter American.
TALENT/ABILITIES:
•Singing & Dancing
- Innate performance abilities. Allows accurate vocals, rhythm mastery, fluid choreography, and stage presence.
• Vocal Limit Breaker
– An ability to effortlessly hit any note with perfect control and zero strain. Expands vocal range beyond normal limits, allowing seamless transitions between registers. Immune to vocal fatigue, cracks, or pitch issues even during intense performances.
• Perfect Pitch
- A musical talent that allows the user to instantly recognize, reproduce, and sing any note without a reference. Grants flawless pitch accuracy, enabling precise vocal performance, fast song learning, and perfect harmonization.
• Eidetic Memory
- Ability to perfectly recall any information you see or hear.
• Leader's Authority (BRONZE)
- An ability that grants a natural commanding presence that inspires trust, obedience, and unity. Followers gain increased morale and efficiency, especially in high-pressure situations
• Fast Learner:
- An ability to rapidly absorb, understand, and retain both knowledge and physical skills, enabling accelerated comprehension and faster muscle memory development.
ATTRIBUTES:
Singing: 9.909/10 (+.005 )
Dancing: 8.96/10 (+.273)
Rapping: 3.315/10 (+.001)
Appearance: 9.029/ 10 (+.011)
Charm: 9.78/10 (+.079)
Perseverance: 9.40/10
Strength: 8.082/10 (+1.201)
Endurance: 8.531/10 (+1.4)
__
SONGS OWNED:
- Love Wins All ( by IU)
- Go the Distance ( Disney: Hercules)
- Reasons to Believe (Jayson Dy)
- Lovely (Billie Eilish)
- This is me ( Camp Rock)
- Like That (BABYMONSTERS)
- Count On Me (Bruno Mars)
- Your Idol (K-pop Demon Hunters)
- Try Everything (Zootopia 1)
VIRTUAL COINS: 2,086,000
ITEMS: Assister Glasses