Bridging the Gap

With the weight of tension now lifting, the air around the trio shifted into something softer. Jin-ho leaned back slightly, his arms crossed, a playful grin spreading across his face.

"Honestly, Hye-su... Swearing like that in front of a child? Tsk tsk." His tone was light, and teasing, and it landed perfectly.

Hye-su shot him a withering look, though the ghost of a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"What the hell are you talking about? Joon-ho's not a child."

Joon-ho blinked, his brain taking a moment to catch up to the joke. Child? He was about to open his mouth and protest, but Jin-ho cut him off with a sly grin.

"Sure, sure." Jin-ho waved a hand dismissively. "A young adult, right? But still... You can't tell me it doesn't feel like babysitting sometimes."

His grin widened, glancing over at Joon-ho with mischievous eyes.

Joon-ho groaned, half in frustration and half in embarrassment. "I'm not that young, you know."

"See? He's already defending himself," Hae-won chimed in, her voice softening now that the earlier tension had settled. "Don't tease the poor kid too much, Jin-ho. I mean... he's survived you, hasn't he?"

Jin-ho laughed, a deep, genuine chuckle that seemed to carry a sense of ease and nostalgia.

"Fair point. Surviving me takes skill, after all," He gave Joon-ho a playful nudge on the shoulder, just enough to ease him into the conversation without overwhelming him.

Joon-ho managed a small smile, though his awkwardness still lingered. The three of them—Hye-su, Hae-won, and Jin-ho—shared a connection built over years of triumphs, mistakes, and misunderstandings. He didn't have that with them. Not yet, at least.

But the joke, however playful, did help in one way—it made Joon-ho feel seen. And that was something.

Jin-ho's grin shifted, becoming softer.

"Look, Joon-ho, I get it. It probably feels weird being dragged into all this ancient drama of ours. But you're here now." He gave a light shrug. "And honestly? I'm glad you are."

The words weren't heavy, but they carried weight nonetheless. Hye-su gave a brief nod in agreement as if to say, Yeah, what he said.

For the first time since the whole ambush had started, Joon-ho felt a little less like a spectator—as though the gap between them wasn't quite as wide anymore. Maybe, just maybe, he could fit in after all.

Jin-ho stretched his arms behind his head, shifting the mood into something more casual.

"Alright, alright. I know there's a lot you two want to ask—how I jailbreak NexaRealm, where I've been, what I've been up to…" He glanced at both Hye-su and Hae-won, flashing them a playful grin. "But let's save the interrogation for another time. Somewhere more private, yeah?"

The two women exchanged glances, weighing his words. They knew how slippery Jin-ho could be—one moment in your grasp, the next, gone. But they also knew that beneath the sly persona, he was trustworthy in his weird way. If he promised something, he would follow through.

"Fine," Hye-su said with a resigned sigh. "But we need a way to contact you. No more games."

Hae-won nodded, her eyes narrowing.

"You don't get to vanish again."

Jin-ho chuckled at their insistence.

"Relax. I'm not running anywhere. I'll give you my address." He pulled up his UI with a flick of his wrist, his avatar's hand glowing faintly as he sent the information directly to Hye-su.

Hae-won's hands flew to her interface, jotting down the details and running a quick background check. It couldn't hurt to be sure.

And then it hit her—the address wasn't some far-off, obscure location or international hideout. It was right next door, in a neighbouring town in Gyeonggi Province. Barely a half-hour's drive from NexaCorp Korea University.

The realization left Hye-su and Hae-won staring at each other, stunned. For years, they had assumed Jin-ho was hiding abroad or bouncing between countries. Turns out he had been just around the corner all along.

Jin-ho smirked, clearly enjoying their disbelief.

"What? I've been here long before the university was even built. Just a coincidence, I swear."

"You sneaky bastard…" Hye-su muttered under her breath.

Still, she knew she had no choice but to play along.

"We're coming to your place tomorrow, just so you know."

Jin-ho shrugged as if it were no big deal.

"Sure. You're always welcome."

Satisfied, Hye-su and Hae-won exchanged knowing glances and prepared to log out. Before they left, though, Hye-su gave Jin-ho one last warning.

"Don't think about pulling any stunts, Jin-ho. We'll find you. You're not slipping away again."

He just waved them off with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. See you two tomorrow."

With a flicker of black pixels, the two women vanished from NexaRealm, leaving Jin-ho alone with Joon-ho. The sudden quiet felt heavy as if all the sound had been sucked out of the digital air.

Joon-ho stood frozen, unsure what to do or say. None of this had gone the way he expected. He thought he would just be the messenger—get Jin-ho and the two women talking, and that would be it. But now, he found himself standing awkwardly in the aftermath, completely unsure of his next step.

Sensing the younger man's discomfort, Jin-ho clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, you good?"

Joon-ho blinked, trying to get his bearings.

"Uh... yeah. I think so."

Jin-ho chuckled, leaning in just a bit.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, man. Don't worry about them—they'll survive," then his expression shifted, becoming a touch more serious. "Let's focus on you now. Tell me about your team—Team 2."

The change in topic threw Joon-ho off balance for a moment, but it was exactly what he needed. Jin-ho's calm, straightforward question acted like an anchor, pulling him out of his daze.

"Well..." Joon-ho began, still gathering his thoughts. "It's complicated."

"Good," Jin-ho replied, giving him a crooked grin. "Complicated's my speciality. Start talking."

And so, despite his hesitation, Joon-ho found himself opening up—talking about the state of Team 2, the fallout with Min-jae, the uncertainty hanging over them, and how everything seemed to spiral out of control lately. Jin-ho listened intently, nodding occasionally but saying little.

For the first time in a while, Joon-ho felt like someone was paying attention.

Joon-ho took a deep breath and began talking, letting everything pour out.

"So, yeah… using your name was the only way I could get Team 2 back in." His words were slow at first, but once he started, it became easier to keep going, like he was finally shedding a weight he didn't realize he was carrying.

"I patched things up with Soo-jin and Jin-kyong—thankfully, they're on board again. But the rest of Team 2... not yet. Min-jae and Baek-hyeon are still out there. I know we need to reconcile if we're going to make this work, but..." He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's hard. Even with the three of us back together, it feels like something's missing."

Jin-ho gave him a knowing look but didn't interrupt. He just listened, nodding along as Joon-ho continued.

"I mean, we were falling apart. We didn't trust each other anymore. Using your name was like a lifeline," Joon-ho admitted. "If I hadn't done that, things would've stayed broken. But it doesn't sit right with me. I dragged you into this mess."

His voice dropped, guilt seeping through his words. "

And... I'm sorry. I know I was only supposed to drop your name, not bring them directly to you."

He shifted awkwardly, not daring to meet Jin-ho's eyes.

"I just... when Director Hye-su and Secretary Hae-won pushed me, I didn't know how to refuse. They kind of tricked me into leading them to you."

A heavy silence hung between them, the weight of everything left unsaid pressing down. But instead of anger, Jin-ho chuckled softly, breaking the tension.

"I figured as much." He leaned back, his arms draped loosely over his knees. "Hye-su and Hae-won? Trick you? Yeah, that checks out."

He smiled—not out of malice, but understanding.

"I knew the second you'd drop my name, they'd be all over it. I was ready for them to pull something like this."

Joon-ho blinked, startled by how easily he shrugged it off.

"You're not mad?" Joon-ho asked, still feeling the guilt gnaw at him.

Jin-ho shook his head.

"Nah, kid. I've been running for too long. I told you earlier—I figured it was time to stop running and deal with things head-on." His smile softened, the slyness replaced by something more genuine. "Actually, I'm glad you brought them here."

Joon-ho let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, the tension easing from his shoulders.

"And besides," Jin-ho added with a mischievous grin. "I kind of missed them. They can be scary as hell, but..."

He trailed off with a laugh.

"They're still my friends, in their weird way."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment, the digital snow falling softly around them. There was no need to say more—not yet, anyway.

Jin-ho gave Joon-ho's shoulder a light pat.

"Alright, you did your part. Now it's my turn to clean up my mess. I'll handle Hye-su and Hae-won from here. You focus on your team, alright?"

Joon-ho nodded slowly, finally feeling a sense of clarity he hadn't felt in days.

"Good." Jin-ho gave him a crooked grin. "Now, get out of here before those two call you back for a debrief."

With that, the weight that had been pressing on Joon-ho's chest finally lifted. He wasn't sure if things would go smoothly from here on out, but at least, for now, it felt like he was on the right track.

And with that, the reunion ended—not perfectly, but perhaps just right.