Chapter 45

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Author's Point of View

After Jungkook had successfully neutralized the hacking incident, the company wasted no time filing a formal complaint with the cybercrime unit. The IT logs and evidence Jungkook had gathered clearly pointed to the culprit... Jiwon Kang, a mid-level IT staff member who had been acting suspiciously in recent weeks. The authorities moved quickly, apprehending Jiwon and bringing him in for questioning.

Namjoon, Taehyung, Yoongi, and Jungkook were asked to attend the interrogation at the police station due to the seriousness of the breach and its potential consequences for their company. The tension in the room was palpable. Namjoon sat at the head of the table, his commanding presence impossible to ignore. Taehyung sat beside him, his face calm but his anger simmering beneath the surface. Yoongi leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his sharp eyes studying every movement Jiwon made. Jungkook, composed and steady, sat next to Taehyung, his hand resting near his husband's as silent support.

In the interrogation room, Jiwon sat in handcuffs, his shoulders slumped and his face pale. He avoided looking at anyone, beads of sweat rolling down his temple as the lead investigator began speaking.

"Mr. Kang," the officer said firmly, his voice cutting through the heavy air. "We have undeniable evidence tying you to the hacking of Kim's servers. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Jiwon shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flickering to the walls as if searching for an escape. His voice was barely above a whisper when he replied, "I… I didn't mean for things to go this far."

Taehyung, his voice cold and steady, leaned forward. "Why, Jiwon? Why would you betray the company that trusted you?"

Jiwon flinched at Taehyung's words, visibly struggling to form a response. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice trembling. "I was desperate… Someone approached me. She offered me a lot of money to do it. I didn’t think it would get so bad."

Namjoon's sharp voice cut through the room. "Who? Who paid you to do this?" His eyes burned with a mix of anger and disbelief.

Jiwon hesitated, his hands trembling in the cuffs. Finally, he muttered a name, his voice barely audible. "Choi Yuri."

The name hit the room like a thunderclap. Taehyung's eyes widened in shock. Yoongi, who had been sitting back, immediately leaned forward. Jungkook's brows furrowed, his disbelief evident.

Namjoon, however, froze, his confusion and shock written all over his face. "Yuri?" he repeated slowly, his tone disbelieving. "Choi Yuri? You're telling me she was behind this? Why? Why would she do something like this?"

The officer glanced between them and asked, "Do you know Choi Yuri?"

Namjoon nodded stiffly, still trying to process the revelation. "Yes. She's the daughter of one of my closest friends. She's... She's been part of our family's life for years. This doesn't make sense."

While Namjoon grappled with his thoughts, Taehyung looked down at his hands, guilt etched into his features. He clenched his fists tightly, the weight of unspoken truths pressing down on him. After a moment, he looked up at Namjoon with an expression of deep regret.

"Appa," Taehyung began, his voice low but steady, "There's something I need to tell you."

Namjoon turned to his son, his face a mixture of concern and confusion. "What is it, Tae?"

Taehyung drew in a shaky breath. "Yuri has been stalking me... for the past three years." His voice wavered slightly, but he pressed on. "It started after that party... the one you hosted after my first big project. She was there, and she wouldn't leave me alone. At first, I thought it was harmless. She's your friend’s daughter, so I tried to be polite."

Jungkook reached for Taehyung's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as Taehyung continued, his voice growing heavier with emotion. "But it didn't stop. She started showing up at the office, at event... even outside our home. I didn't tell you or Eomma because I didn't want to worry you. And... because she's your friend's daughter. I thought I could handle it myself."

Namjoon's face hardened with guilt and anger. "Tae... Why didn't you tell us? You shouldn't have had to deal with that alone."

"I didn't want to ruin your friendship with her family," Taehyung admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I thought I could manage it… but I was wrong."

Yoongi, who had been silently absorbing the conversation, finally spoke. His voice was sharp, cutting through the heavy emotions. "But why did she bribed Jiwon to hack the company? For what?"

Jiwon, still seated across from them, spoke up hesitantly. "As long as I understood, she said she wanted revenge from both Mr Kim and his husband. She wanted to ruin Mr. Jungkook's life. She blamed him for keeping Mr. Kim away from her. She promised me money to help her with the hack. I didn't think she'd take it this far."

Jungkook's jaw tightened, and his protective instincts flared. "She wanted to hurt me to get to Hyung," he said firmly, his voice steady but filled with anger.

Namjoon leaned back in his chair, his face pale. "I never saw it," he murmured, his voice filled with regret. "I thought she was being friendly... supportive. I didn't realize..."

The officer interrupted gently, bringing the focus back. "This is a serious matter. If Miss. Choi Yuri has been stalking Mr. Kim and directed this hack, she will face criminal charges. We'll need your cooperation."

Taehyung straightened, his resolve firm. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's held accountable. This has gone far enough."

Namjoon placed a steady hand on Taehyung's shoulder, his expression a mix of guilt and determination. "I'm sorry, Tae. I should've seen something was wrong. But from now on, we'll face this together. As a family."

Jungkook squeezed Taehyung's hand, his voice filled with quiet strength. "You're not alone in this, Hyungie. We'll get through it, together."

The officer nodded, closing his notebook. "We'll issue a warrant for Miss. Choi Yuri's arrest and begin our investigation. Thank you for your cooperation."

As they left the station, the weight of the situation lingered, but so did the strength of their bond as a family. Together, they knew they would face whatever came next.

—

In her dimly lit apartment, Yuri sat tensely on the edge of her plush sofa, her manicured nails tapping anxiously against the glass coffee table. The faint glow of her phone illuminated her face as it buzzed non-stop with notifications. Her eyes locked on the breaking news headline displayed on the screen.

"Kim Architecture Hacking Scandal: Insider Jiwon Kang Arrested, Investigation Ongoing."

Her chest tightened, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. This wasn't supposed to happen. Jiwon had promised her he would be careful, that he'd cover his tracks. But now, with him in police custody, one question loomed in her mind.

"Did he give them my name?"

Yuri shot to her feet, her bare heels clicking on the wooden floor as she began pacing the room. Her sleek, modern living room, usually a picture of calm sophistication, now seemed suffocating. She stopped in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling window and stared at her reflection, her calm, composed mask beginning to slip. Her normally sharp, confident eyes looked wide and frantic, and her lips trembled as she whispered, "Jiwon, you idiot. You couldn't even do this one thing without ruining everything."

Her mind raced, each thought more frantic than the last. If Jiwon had revealed her involvement, it wouldn't take long for the police to come knocking on her door. She clenched her fists, her perfectly polished nails biting into her palms. She had planned everything so carefully arrenged every move to perfection. How could it all be falling apart now?

The thought of losing everything sent a cold shiver down her spine. Her name, her reputation, her future... it was all on the line. She couldn’t let it end this way. She had worked too hard, sacrificed too much to let her carefully crafted plans crumble because of someone else's incompetence.

Grabbing her phone with shaky hands, Yuri scrolled through her contacts and pressed a number. It rang twice before a rough voice answered, "Yeah?"

"It's me," she snapped, her tone sharp and impatient.

The man on the other end sounded wary. "What's going on?"

"I don't have time for questions," Yuri hissed, her voice edged with panic. "I need you to get the team together. Now."

There was a brief pause, the man hesitating. "Is this about the news?"

"Just do it!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "I'll explain later. We don't have time. I need to take care of something myself."

She ended the call abruptly, her chest heaving as she tried to steady her breathing. Her phone slipped from her trembling hand onto the couch. She pressed her palms against her temples, forcing herself to focus.

If I'm going down, I'm not going alone, she thought, her jaw tightening with determination. Whatever it took, she would make sure she stayed one step ahead. She always had.

—

Namjoon's sleek black car sped down the empty road, the tension inside was palpable. The air was heavy, filled with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Namjoon gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white as the weight of Jiwon's confession at the police station bore down on him. The name Yuri echoed in his mind like a haunting refrain. How had he been so blind to her betrayal? The daughter of his trusted friend... a girl he had once thought of as family... was now at the center of their turmoil. His son's turmoil.

On the back seat, Taehyung sat in silence, staring out of the window. His face was pale, his heart weighed down by guilt. He had known about Yuri's obsession but had kept it to himself, never imagining it would spiral so far out of control. Jungkook's hand rested on Taehyung's knee, a silent offer of comfort and reassurance, but the guilt was relentless.

On the passenger seat, Yoongi leaned against the door, his usually sharp, calculating mind racing. His jaw was set, his body tense, ready for whatever might come next.

The silence was finally broken by Jungkook. "Do you think the police will catch her?" he asked, his voice quiet but steady.

"They will," Yoongi replied firmly, his gaze focused on the road ahead. "But Yuri isn't the type to go down without a fight. She's too deep into this."

Namjoon let out a long, tired sigh. "Yuri... the daughter of someone I trusted. She stayed in our home for days.... How can i be so unaware?"

Taehyung turned to look at his father, his voice soft but filled with emotion. "Appa, you didn't know. You can't blame yourself."

Namjoon shook his head slightly, the guilt etched into his face. "I should've been more careful, more observant," he said quietly, more to himself than to anyone else.

Jungkook leaned forward, his voice calm but resolute. "What matters now is that we stay on guard. Yuri knows we're onto her, and people like her… they don't back down easily."

The car's headlights illuminated the dark road ahead as they drove toward the Kim mansion. But the tension snapped when Namjoon suddenly slammed on the brakes.

"What the..." Namjoon muttered as the car screeched to a halt.

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ᴛ ᴀ ᴇ ᴋ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ

Preview ~

"If you think this ends with you winning, you're more delusional than I thought," he said coolly, his tone carrying a dangerous edge.