This had to be a joke.

Shin’s mind raced as he leaned against the counter, fingers tapping restlessly. He couldn’t stop staring at you, watching you laugh casually with one of his coworkers. He had seen you like this countless times—warm, carefree, a person he could trust, someone he had come to rely on. But now, it all felt like a lie.

You were working for X all along.

Two days had passed since he uncovered the truth—since he discovered your name among X’s operatives. The shock hadn’t worn off. It couldn’t. He couldn’t fathom it. You, someone he had trusted so completely, were now the enemy?

His throat tightened as he tried to make sense of it. You had known about Sakamoto’s situation, you knew about him. How could you betray that trust? How could you betray him?

Frustration, confusion, and a raw sense of betrayal churned within him.

Without thinking, he left the counter, his body moving with a sense of urgency. His hand grasped your wrist, pulling you away from the conversation, dragging you up the stairs without a word. Lu watched from across the room, confused, but Shin wasn’t looking at her.

Once inside his room, Shin shoved the door shut, his back to it. His calm demeanor had cracked. His hand was still gripping your wrist as he pinned you against the wall, his eyes cold, narrowed, but there was a flicker of something else—something darker.

There was no anger in his voice when he spoke, only a quiet disbelief, the kind that cut deeper than any shout ever could.

“Why?"

He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing, his hand dropping to his side. The space between you felt heavier now, thick with the unspoken tension that neither of you could avoid any longer. His jaw clenched, his voice steady but laced with hurt.

“Are you really with them?”

His words weren’t frantic, but they were sharp—more painful than anything that could be yelled. The betrayal had settled deep in his chest, and he didn’t know how to look at you anymore, didn’t know what to believe.