In the blink of an eye, the semester had come to an end. Beacon Academy buzzed with a strange mix of relief and chaos—students packing up for their two weeks of holiday, others planning trips, and many simply collapsing into the nearest couch to enjoy the freedom.
For most, it was a time to laugh, relax, and forget the grueling pace of training.
But not for Hyunwoo Kim.
While the laughter of students echoed through the halls, Hyunwoo was alone in one of the training rooms, spear in hand. The air cracked as the weapon sliced through, green afterimages flickering with every precise motion. His movements were sharper than they had been at the start of the year—his stance firmer, his control steadier. It wasn't a drastic leap, but to anyone watching closely, the refinement was obvious.
He exhaled slowly, setting his feet before driving the spear forward in a burst of force that rattled the practice dummies. Dust fragments scattered across the floor. He didn't stop to admire it. Instead, he reset, and went again.
Others noticed.
Team NOVA had gathered near the doorway at some point—Jaemin leaning against the wall, Jisoo twirling her chakram idly, Jiwon's sharp eyes following every movement without a word.
"He's still at it," Jaemin muttered, half impressed, half exasperated.
"Holiday or not," Jiwon finally said, his voice cold and even, "Hyunwoo doesn't rest."
From the second-floor balcony overlooking the training area, Ruby and Yang lingered, Weiss standing reluctantly beside them. Blake's amber eyes stayed fixed on Hyunwoo's form, her expression unreadable.
"Wow..." Ruby whispered, her silver eyes glinting. "He's still training while everyone else is goofing off."
Yang smirked, folding her arms. "Guess some people take this whole Huntsman thing a lot more seriously than food fights."
Weiss sniffed, though there was a trace of approval in her tone. "At least someone here understands discipline."
Blake said nothing, but her gaze never wavered.
____
The last day of break was alive with noise. Students filled the dining hall, the air buzzing with chatter and laughter.
But Hyunwoo Kim was not there.
While the others gathered for breakfast, he had chosen once again to remain in the training hall. His green spear cut through the air in precise arcs, each swing measured, each thrust deliberate. The walls echoed with the rhythm of his breathing, the metallic hum of his weapon.
He was pushing himself—again.
Meanwhile, the dining hall was slipping into chaos.
"Okay, team!" Ruby stood on her chair, waving her arms to get her teammates' attention. "This is our last day before classes start again, so we need to do something together! Maybe the fairgrounds, or—"
A sausage smacked against Yang's cheek.
Ruby froze.
Yang blinked, then slowly turned her head toward the culprit.
Nora Valkyrie was grinning ear to ear, another sausage already cocked back like a throwing knife.
"You're dead, Valkyrie!" Yang shouted, snatching a bread roll and hurling it.
Nora laughed maniacally. "Try me!"
It was all the spark the room needed.
In seconds, the dining hall erupted. Pancakes flew through the air like discus throws, juice cartons exploded across the floor, and trays clattered as shields. Pyrrha ducked low with a laugh, while Ren sighed and calmly dodged every incoming projectile. Weiss shrieked as a pie smacked her square in the face.
"Ugh! This is barbaric!" she cried, wiping frosting from her eyes.
Jaemin of Team NOVA stood up with a grin, his compact tonfas snapping together into a glaive. He swung it like a baseball bat, knocking a loaf of bread out of the air.
"Finally, something interesting!" he laughed.
Jisoo tossed her tray like a chakram, cackling. "Incoming!"
Jiwon simply planted his staff into the ground, splitting it into two blades. His expression was calm, detached, as he spun them to deflect a volley of muffins.
"...You guys take this too seriously," he muttered flatly.
"Lighten up!" Jisoo called, nearly doubling over with laughter.
Ruby tried to be the voice of reason, but her team was already in the thick of it. Yang was dual-wielding chicken legs, Blake had turned the table itself into cover, and Weiss had armed herself with an entire tray of silverware.
Ruby threw her hands up. "Why is no one listening to me?!"
She ducked as a grape soda can whizzed past her ear, then turned to Jaemin.
"Wait—where's Hyunwoo? Isn't he usually with you guys?"
Jaemin smirked as he batted away another roll. "Where do you think? Training. Again."
Ruby pouted. "Even now? It's the last day of break!"
"Yeah, well, that guy doesn't believe in breaks," Jaemin replied, blocking a pie with the flat of his weapon. "He's probably out there stabbing dummies while the rest of us are actually having fun."
Jisoo chimed in between throws. "Hyunwoo's like... allergic to fun. I swear he'd rather fight Grimm than eat pancakes."
Ruby's expression softened. "...That's kinda sad."
Blake, still crouched behind cover, lowered her book just enough to glance at Ruby. "Or maybe that's just his way of living."
Ruby frowned thoughtfully, but the moment was cut short when Yang hurled a turkey across the room, and Nora leapt up to catch it with her face.
⸻
Outside the hall, Sun and Neptune were walking up.
"Just remember," Sun said casually, "Blake's a Faunus. Don't make it weird."
Neptune's eyes went wide. "Wait—you're telling me now?!"
They pushed through the doors—only to find complete chaos. Food was flying everywhere. Yang was on a table, laughing like a maniac, while Jaemin spun his glaive like he was in the middle of an actual duel.
Neptune froze, immediately catching a splash of grape soda across his uniform.
"...Why did I agree to come here," he groaned.
Sun, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "Best. Day. Ever."
⸻
Moments later, Glynda stormed in.
Her riding crop cracked once using her semblance , and the entire room snapped back to order. Tables reset. Plates reappeared neatly stacked. The food vanished from the floor and ceiling in an instant. Yang, who had been airborne, landed with a heavy thud into her seat.
Silence.
Every student stared at Glynda like children caught red-handed.
Her glare was enough to make even Nora shrink back into her seat.
Then Ozpin entered, sipping calmly from his mug.
"Let them enjoy their youth, Glynda," he said quietly. "It won't last forever."
Glynda's lips thinned, but she said nothing.
⸻
And while laughter faded in the hall, Hyunwoo was still in the training room.
The green spear whirled through the air with relentless rhythm. His body ached, his breath was heavy, but his eyes were sharp.
Where others enjoyed their break, Hyunwoo carved his path.
Where they laughed, he honed.
Even now, while they remembered their holiday as fun—he would remember it as progress.
The sound of laughter and chaos from the dining hall echoed faintly through the walls of Beacon. It reached the training room in distant bursts—cheers, shouts, even the unmistakable crash of tables being overturned.
Hyunwoo didn't go.
He planted his spear into the floor, leaning on it for a moment as sweat slid down his jaw. His breathing was steady, controlled. Muscles burned, but his thoughts burned brighter.
The food fight was noise. A distraction.
But Roman Torchwick... that was different.
Hyunwoo had visited him in custody twice now, under the pretense of helping Ozpin's inner circle "understand" the man better. In truth, it was Hyunwoo who wanted answers.
Roman was clever—far too clever to break easily. Every question Hyunwoo asked was deflected with a smirk, every attempt at pressure met with sarcastic defiance.
But Hyunwoo noticed the cracks.
The subtle hesitation when Cinder's name was even brushed past.
The twitch of his hand when Hyunwoo mentioned the White Fang's partnership.
The irritation whenever the word "puppet" slipped into their conversation.
Hyunwoo knew more. A lot more. But without evidence, Ozpin would never move. The headmaster wasn't a fool—he wouldn't risk exposing Beacon to shadows that weren't fully visible yet.
That was Hyunwoo's problem.
He knew. He knew too much.
That Cinder Fall was already moving.
That Salem's web stretched far wider than Vale.
That show he watched until Volume 6 wasn't some distant tale, but a storm creeping closer with every choice they made.
But "knowing" wasn't enough.
To make Ozpin move, he needed proof. Hard, undeniable proof.
And that meant squeezing Torchwick until something broke.
Hyunwoo gripped his spear tighter, the memory of their last conversation running through his mind.
____
"You think I'm scared of her?" Roman had sneered, lounging in his chair. "You don't know a damn thing, kid."
"I know enough," Hyunwoo had replied flatly.
Roman's grin faltered, just for an instant.
That hesitation told Hyunwoo everything: Roman wasn't loyal—he was cornered.
Which meant Roman was usable.
⸻
Hyunwoo exhaled and straightened. He drove his spear into the air again, movements sharper this time, as if cutting through the doubts that coiled inside him.
Every swing was practice. Every thrust, a reminder.
Not just for Grimm. Not just for strength.
But for what was coming.
Cinder's identity.
Her infiltration.
The Fall of Beacon.
He had to be ready.
Because while the others laughed, while they wasted time in food fights, Hyunwoo knew the truth.
The game had already begun.
____
Support my stories on p*treon.com/Jujukaka0 and get early chapters,