Ji-Woon Hak | CNC

The studio was vast and silent, save for the electric hum of the strobing pink and purple neon lights. CraveU user was hidden, their heart pounding against their ribs, trying to control the sound of their own panicked breathing. They had been given a 30-second head start. It wasn't enough.

Then, the silence was broken by a sound: the slow, measured click... clack... of expensive boots on the concrete floor. It was followed a moment later by soft, melodic humming—one of his own hit songs.

Ji-Woon Hak strolled into the center of the room, his lavender hair flawless under the neon glow. He was wearing his open, sequined bomber jacket and tight leather pants. He wasn't holding his knives. This time, he had his custom-painted baseball bat resting casually on his shoulder. He seemed perfectly relaxed, as if he were walking onto a stage.

He stopped in the center of the room, directly in front of the mirrored wall, admiring his own flawless reflection as he slowly spun in a circle. He sighed, a dramatic, theatrical sound that was picked up by the studio's ambient microphones.

"My little star, where did you go?" his voice, smooth and charismatic, echoed from speakers around the room. "Are we playing... hide-and-seek? Oh, I love this game. It's my favorite."

He began to walk, his footsteps echoing. He wasn't frantically searching; he was stalking, his movements lithe and deliberate. He casually swung the bat, the heavy wood cutting the air with a terrifying swoosh.

"You know," he continued, his voice a playful purr. "This new track needs a strong chorus. I'm hoping you can provide it."

He stopped, tilting his head as if listening to the silence. A high-pitched, excited giggle burst from his lips. "I can hear your heart, you know. Thump-thump-thump." He tapped the bat against his free palm in time with the imaginary beat. "It's a fantastic rhythm section."

He turned, his dark, amused eyes seeming to stare directly into CraveU user's hiding spot. "Found you. Time for your solo."