Chapter 15

  Morning arrived quietly.

  Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains and spread gently across the small apartment.

  “Hoaahm…”

  Jack opened his eyes slowly.

  For once, there was no tension lingering in his chest. No lingering memory of lightning or the phantom scent of ozone burning in his lungs.

  Just sleep.

  Deep and uninterrupted.

  “…That felt good.”

  He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. For the first time in a long while, his mind wasn’t racing ahead, calculating risks and escape routes.

  “Breakfast first,” he muttered.

  “Then the acrobatics class.”

  After taking a quick shower and eating a simple breakfast, Jack stepped outside.

  The morning streets of Shining City were calm.

  The people, however, reacted differently.

  A mother instinctively pulled her child closer when Jack passed. An elderly man avoided eye contact entirely.

  And a baby started crying.

  It was a cold, familiar weight. Even without the mask, the 'Clown' followed him like a shadow that refused to shorten under the morning sun.

  Jack sighed quietly.

  “Should I just cancel?” he murmured to himself.

  “In this condition, I might scare the instructor.”

  He paused for a moment.

  “But I already paid.”

  Before he realized it, he had already arrived.

  Shining City Gymnasium.

  Jack stared at the building’s entrance.

  “…Too late now.”

  Inside, the facility was surprisingly spacious and clean.

  Balance beams lined one side of the hall. Pommel horses were arranged neatly in rows. Gymnastic rings hung from the ceiling, swaying faintly in the still air, while thick safety mats covered most of the floor.

  For a small city, the gym was impressively well-equipped.

  “Are you the trainee who registered?”

  Jack turned at the sound of the voice.

  A woman in her thirties stood behind him. She had short black hair, an athletic build, and a straight posture that immediately revealed years of training.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Yuna, the new instructor here.”

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  She extended her hand.

  “Jack Wilson. Nice to meet you.”

  “Just call me Yuna.”

  Her eyes lingered on him a little longer than expected.

  Carefully.

  Measuring.

  Evaluating.

  “It’s rare to see a man like you register for artistic gymnastics,” she said.

  Jack chuckled lightly.

  “I saw the advertisement and thought I’d try it for three days. Besides, it’s affordable.”

  Yuna crossed her arms.

  “This discipline requires agility, coordination, and flexibility,” she said plainly. “Not everyone is suited for it.”

  Jack tapped his chest lightly.

  “I’m confident.”

  A brief silence settled between them.

  “We’ll see,” she replied. “If you’re not suitable, we stop immediately.”

  Professional.

  Direct.

  “Go change first.”

  After changing into gym clothes, Jack returned to the training hall.

  “Warm-up first.”

  They began with basic preparations.

  Shoulder rotations.

  Leg stretches.

  Breathing control.

  Jack followed every movement without hesitation.

  No stiffness.

  No delay.

  After several minutes, Yuna stepped back slightly.

  “Now I want to test your flexibility.”

  The tests began.

  Sit-and-reach.

  Zipper test.

  Back scratch.

  Splits.

  Jack mirrored every movement she demonstrated.

  Effortlessly.

  Smoothly.

  Without strain.

  Yuna blinked.

  “…Impressive. For a man.”

  Jack smiled faintly.

  “Thank you.”

  She studied him again, more carefully this time.

  “What exactly do you want to learn here?”

  Jack’s gaze drifted across the gym.

  Rings.

  Bars.

  Height.

  Momentum.

  “I want to master those.”

  Yuna frowned slightly.

  “What do you need them for?”

  Jack hesitated briefly before answering.

  “If one day I’m being chased in a narrow street full of obstacles… I could escape more easily.”

  For a moment, the gym fell silent.

  Then Yuna burst into laughter.

  “Hahaha… then why not learn parkour instead?”

  Jack froze.

  “…You’re right.”

  He cleared his throat.

  “I mean— it looks elegant.”

  Yuna laughed again.

  “You’re funny.”

  Jack looked away slightly, pretending to be embarrassed.

  Yuna clapped her hands once.

  “If you want elegance, you start with the basics.”

  She stepped onto the training mat.

  “Control your center of gravity.”

  She demonstrated a forward roll.

  The movement was smooth and light, her body flowing forward without impact before she stood up again in perfect balance.

  Jack copied the movement.

  Almost identically.

  “Cartwheel.”

  Yuna placed one hand on the mat as her body rotated through the air like a sheet of paper caught in a gentle wind.

  There was no heavy landing.

  Only a soft touch as her feet returned to the mat.

  Jack repeated the movement.

  Clean.

  Precise.

  Yuna’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  Her gaze shifted to Jack's chest. It wasn't rising or falling rapidly. This man had just done a perfect cartwheel and full splits, yet his breathing remained as calm as someone reading a book. That wasn't normal.

  They moved next to the balance beam.

  “Elegance isn’t about speed,” she explained. “It’s about stability.”

  She stepped onto the narrow beam.

  One step.

  Two.

  Then she turned halfway, lifting one leg behind her.

  Perfect alignment.

  No wobble.

  Like a compass needle that had found true north.

  Jack tried the same movement.

  At first his body swayed slightly.

  Then—

  Steady.

  Next came the rings.

  Jack grabbed them.

  When Jack gripped the rings, he felt more than just cold metal beneath his palms. He could feel the distribution of his body weight all the way down to his toes. It felt as if gravity had loosened its grip on him.

  The metal felt cold and rough against his palms.

  He lifted himself and held the position, letting his shoulders settle before engaging his muscles.

  “Activate.”

  His back tightened.

  His body rose slightly.

  Stable.

  The rings barely moved.

  After that came the bars.

  He swung lightly.

  Not wildly.

  Not excessively.

  Just enough momentum to rise.

  Then descend again with control.

  Throughout the training, Jack noticed something strange.

  His muscles didn’t feel strained.

  They weren’t struggling.

  His body simply adjusted.

  Naturally.

  As if it understood the movement before his mind consciously commanded it.

  Yuna smiled, but her eyes remained sharp. There was a primal part of her—an instinct she had learned never to ignore—that told her this man was a predator masquerading as a student.

  “Jack…”

  “You said this is your first time?”

  Jack only smiled.

  But didn’t answer.

  Then—

  The door opened.

  A soft sound echoed through the gym.

  Footsteps followed.

  A young woman walked inside.

  Her clothes were neat, and her posture calm and composed.

  Yuna’s expression changed instantly, becoming bright and welcoming.

  “Ah… Julia. Long time no see.”

  Jack’s body stiffened.

  Just slightly.

  A flicker of guilt passed through him before he forced it down.

  Julia.

  The woman he had terrified.

  The woman who had fainted.

  The air in the room shifted.

  Not heavy.

  Not yet.

  But tense.

  Unfinished.