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Jiwoo was leaning on the couch, looking outside the window and thinking about why Duke would betray everyone. Okay, he wasn't the kindest guy in the world but... He wasn't a bad person. Or could it be that Jiwoo was wrong about him? Kartein always says he's too naive, always hoping for people to have a conscience of what's right and what's wrong, and because of this he often would be wrong about people's character and desires. It also wouldn't be the first time being mistaken, but Jiwoo really didn't want to be wrong about Duke.
He could see in his eyes that even betraying the Academy, what was in his heart was a different matter. Gain said that Duke half-hearted apologized to him while attacking, and that Duke didn't kill him right away because it was no good for his plan, but even after Duke and himself fight, Jiwoo couldn't help feeling that that wasn't the whole thing.
"What are you thinking about?" Asked Kayden, sitting beside him.
"Nothing..."
"Duke again?" Kayden tsked, "I won't say again, I already told you many times about our world and how it works, don't think too much about him or his reasons, it doesn't matter."
"Kayden, how can you be so sure?"
"What do you mean?"
"How can you be so sure his reasons doesn't matter? Maybe... He had to do it? Maybe he was forced to? What about if he didn't want it? Maybe Duke... Is in trouble?"
"Even if he is, why do you care so much? You aren't even friends."
Jiwoo was taken aback. Indeed, he and Duke weren't friends, they only had two proper interactions, one was when The Four, Wooin and him just arrived at the Academy, Duke came to knock on his door, asked why he was there when it wasn't needed and told him to not lose to anyone but him. The other one was behind the arena, before the fight, when Duke explained to him how challenge the top 10 was stupid, but that's it, end of the story, there was no friendship.
"...But we could be."
Kayden stared for a moment, looking Jiwoo head to toe with clenched eyes as he did everytime he was suspious of something.
"It's not like you weren't always like this with your friends but you're worring for him a bit too much lately... You have something you want to tell me?"
"Something I want to tell you?" Jiwoo was genuinely confused, "Like what?"
Kayden let a smile appear in the corner of his mouth, Jiwoo was still too young to understand. Or maybe he was the one overanalyzing things?
"Nothing, I'm just asking." Kayden pouted, reflecting on how he should ask, "Hm... Let's say Duke in fact isn't someone bad and he didn't want to betray the Academy, what do you think it can be done?"
Jiwoo's eyes brightened, "I think we should help! If he's in danger, I would lend a hand and try to save him, I could talk to the Union or to Jiyoung-noona and ask if they can protect him, although I think this would be very unlikely... I could..." Jiwoo paused, thinking in feaseable options, "I don't know what I could do."
Kayden listened to everything. He wanted to interrupt immediately when Jiwoo said "We should help", he wasn't even asking this in the first place, he was talking about the situation overall, but then Jiwoo started saying "I would" and "I could" and Kayden just let him finish daydreaming.
"Why you should do something?"
"What do you mean?"
Kayden sighed, he was this close to give up digging into it and let it be. "You're not friends nor colleagues, you came from different countries and can count in one hand the times you both held a conversation. Why you should do something? Leave this to the Academy to solve."
Only then did Jiwoo understood. It's true, he wasn't necessary for any of this, it had nothing to do with him at all. "I don't know... I just thought..."
"What?"
"That would be really nice to be his friend."
Kayden frowned, maybe he was right? But it would still take some time to Jiwoo himself to notice what was going on. Well, whatever, as long as he didn't do anything stupid or come up with a crazy and impulsive plan to save Duke from this imaginary Frame's claws it was okay.
"Yeah, it would be better if Duke wasn't a bad guy." Otherwise he was ready to kick his and Schneider's ass to protect his disciple's heart.