He moved to his computer, plugged in the drive, and the screen lit up with the captured footage.
The air turned heavy again. Playtime was over.
Both men leaned closer as the video began. The footage showed the man exiting the building, his expression unreadable. Then came the moment he placed a call, and no voice has been recorded.
Tae-hyung's eyes narrowed.
Then a sleek black car without a license plate pulled up. The man entered without hesitation, and the car speed away.
Silence filled the room.
Yeonjun crossed his arms. " After leaving the press conference. there's no clue in this… Nothing that leads us to who he was talking to. Or who's behind that car."
Tae-hyung didn't answer. He just clicked back, rewinding the footage. Then again. And again.
The tension in the room thickened.
"Ahhh," Yeonjun exhaled, dropping his head back. "How many times are you going to watch the same footage?"
Still no response.
Yeonjun glanced at him and muttered, "Wow. That's rude."
Still nothing. Tae-hyung's eyes were locked on the screen, expression unreadable, like he was searching for something no one else could see.
Sighing, Yeonjun walked over to the big coffee table, picked up a cookie, and flopped onto the couch.
"Well then… until you blink, I'll just eat cookies and wait," he mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.
Just as Yeonjun took another bite of his cookie, Tae-hyung suddenly slammed his palm down on the table.
THUD.
The sharp sound echoed through the office. Yeonjun jumped, nearly choking. "Yaah! Are you trying to kill me?!"
But Tae-hyung didn't respond. He had that spark in his eyes again.
"I got it," he said, a playful grin spreading across his face. "I got it!"
Yeonjun blinked. "Wha...what? You found something?!"
Without a word, Tae-hyung started jumping toward him like an overexcited kid. Caught up in his energy, Yeonjun couldn't help it he started jumping too, even though he had no idea what was going on.
Meanwhile, outside the office.
Sooyaa and Kang Hye-jin were walking down the corridor with the report they needed to submit.
"Yeonjun's not at his desk," Sooyaa muttered, glancing around.
Hye-jin paused, her sharp ears picking up something. "Wait… do you hear that?"
Sooyaa frowned. "What?"
"Sounds like it's coming from the CEO's office…" Hye jin replied while focusing on the voice.
Sooyaa's eyes widened. "We… probably shouldn't interrupt."
But Hye-jin had already started walking. "We're here for work. Come on."
Inside, Yeonjun's foot suddenly slipped on the smooth floor mid-jump.
"Whoaaa!"
Tae-hyung, reacting fast, reached out and grabbed him just in time.
That's when the door creaked open.
Sooyaa and Hye-jin froze in place.
They stood at the entrance, taking in the very unexpected sight: Tae-hyung holding a flailing Yeonjun mid-air, both of them looking like they were caught in a very dramatic, very awkward pose.
Sooyaa blinked in disbelief. Hye-jin slowly raised an eyebrow.
Tae-hyung and Yeonjun glanced at each other and cracked up all over again.
Startled, Tae-hyung quickly let go of Yeonjun who landed with a thud on the floor.
"Ow!" Yeonjun groaned from below, clutching his back.
Hye-jin cleared her throat, lips twitching. "Sorry, Mr. Kim. Looks like we came at… the wrong time."
Sooyaa nodded, biting her lip to hold back a laugh. "A very wrong time."
They turned and left, their laughter echoing down the hallway.
Tae-hyung stared after them, speechless. "Wait… wai.." he tried to call out, flustered.
But it was too late.
The damage and the embarrassment was already done.
Tae-hyung stood frozen for a second, staring at the door like he could turn back time.
Then he groaned, dragging a hand down his face.
"Ahhh… now I'm embarrassed," he muttered. "Why did they have to walk in right then?"
Yeonjun finally stood up from the floor, brushing himself off. "I don't even want to imagine what unholy thoughts they're having about us right now."
Tae-hyung shot him a side-eye. "Hmm…"
Yeonjun held up a hand. "No. Don't 'hmm' me. We were literally jumping around like kindergarteners."
They stood in silence for a beat before Yeonjun cleared his throat and got serious.
"So… what did you actually find?"
Tae-hyung's eyes sharpened, the playful glint vanishing. "Come here. Look at this."
END OF CHAPTER.