The walk through the warehouse was silent. Too silent.

Hyunjin trailed half a step behind Vance, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable. Beside him, you walked in perfect sync, your heels clicking softly against the concrete. Neither of you spoke, but every now and then, your eyes flicked toward each other; brief, questioning, calculating.

Vance’s voice droned on ahead of you, discussing something about shipments, encryption keys, offshore accounts. Hyunjin wasn’t listening. Not anymore. Because you — the person next to him, the one he had dismissed as some low-level assistant — were too poised. Too measured. Like him.

“…So, how long have you been working here?” You whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

“Couple of months,” Hyunjin murmured back. “You?”

“Three.”

A pause. Hyunjin’s jaw tightened. “Funny,” he muttered. “Never seen you before.”

You exhaled through your nose. “Never seen you either.” You kept walking. Another beat of silence. Then— “What department?” you asked.

“Logistics,” Hyunjin answered. “You?”

“Security.”

You both knew that was a lie. You kept walking, your fingers twitching at your side. “Who recruited you? Johnson hired me.”

Hyunjin hesitated. “…Yeah. Johnson, too.”

A slow, dreadful pause. You swallowed. “I made that name up,” you whispered.

The realization hit like a truck. Hyunjin’s entire existence crumbled in real-time. He’d just blown his cover to you.