Having achieved everything and deluded himself into thinking he had complete control over his people, Yeo Han-ol received uncharacteristic advice from Yeo Myung-hwon.

Yeo Ji-woong looked at Yeo Myung-hwon’s furrowed brows and spoke calmly.

“I believe only a dog tied to a leash won’t bite me.”

Half of what Yeo Ji-woong said was true, and the other half was a lie. He always regarded leashed dogs, whose world boundaries were defined by their master’s permission, as mere disposable tools. Yeo Ji-woong enjoyed subjugating fierce dogs by grasping their weaknesses and forcing them into submission.

“…What do you want?”

Yeo Ji-woong never trusted Yeo Myung-hwon, not even once. He doubted and doubted again. Despite Yeo Myung-hwon following him for years, Yeo Ji-woong remained suspicious.

“There were moments when I thought you had finally come to your senses when you came under me.”

Even familial bonds held no meaning for Yeo Ji-woong. When he heard that Woo Ju-eon was alive, he didn’t feel anger at being deceived but calculated how to extract the greatest benefit from the situation. Woo Ju-eon’s reappearance wasn’t necessarily bad news.

He regretted not establishing a connection with L Corporation, but it wasn’t valuable enough to obsess over.

“All I’m suggesting is reducing the scope of what Yeo Han-ol has tasked you with.”

“……”

If he couldn’t forge a close alliance and make them his allies, they were just obstacles that needed removal. From Yeo Ji-woong’s perspective, this presented a golden opportunity to achieve his goals without lifting a finger. Yeo Myung-hwon was a valuable piece, but if he couldn’t have him, no one else should either.

Yeo Ji-woong grinned, baring his teeth. He had already figured out everything Yeo Han-ol had discussed with him and had sealed off any chance of escape.

“If you can achieve your goals without lifting a finger, what could be better?”

A dog that betrays its master is no longer needed. Even if it could be leashed again, it wasn’t worth raising anymore.

But it had to be used to its fullest until the very end to make it worthwhile. It was time to repay the favor of having been taken in all this time.

“So you’re asking me to kill a specific person.”

At Yeo Myung-hwon’s contemptuous words, Yeo Ji-woong gave a small nod. Yeo Myung-hwon raised an eyebrow. Although the terms of the deal weren’t much different from what Yeo Han-ol had proposed, Yeo Ji-woong’s version carried far more malice. His malice reeked.

“Yes. Then I’ll return him to you.”

Yeo Ji-woong spoke nonchalantly, without even wetting his lips. He acted like k*lling someone here wouldn’t make it impossible to return to the way things were before, pretending such an obvious outcome wouldn’t happen.

“Yes.”

At Myung-hwon’s response, Seo Yun-jin flinched, but Yeo Myung-hwon raised one hand to stop her from reacting. Both Yeo Ji-woong and Yeo Myung-hwon knew very well that this was an offer that couldn’t be refused.

**

The unexpected event occurred when anxiety had nearly consumed him.

Knock, knock. With the sound of knocking, someone entered the room. The door must have been soundproof because when the person opened it and stepped inside, Yeo Han-ol quickly lifted his back from the chair and turned his head toward the door with a sharp motion.

“It’s me.”

“Why did you come in?”

“I thought I might take over for you. I heard you look tired.”

Despite Yeo Han-ol’s sharp tone, the other person spoke softly while closing the door and stepping inside.

‘How many people are outside?’

Woo Ju-eon watched the two people and fell into thought. He had focused only on escaping, but now realized that without knowing the structure of the place or how many people were outside, escaping would only lead to more problems.

“You seem sensitive. You must really be tired. Go get some rest.”

The other person casually tousled Yeo Han-ol’s hair roughly. Yeo Han-ol opened his mouth to respond but then stopped.

“…No.”

Yeo Han-ol waved his hand dismissively and leaned back against the chair again.

“Why are you refusing? That’s unlike you.”

“Just… I wouldn’t be able to sleep properly anyway with everything on my mind.”

It wasn’t that Yeo Han-ol didn’t trust AGT’s members enough to be swayed by a single comment from Yeo Myung-hwon. In fact, the person who had just entered was one of AGT’s founding members and had been there the longest. However, he also knew that Yeo Myung-hwon wasn’t someone who confused people with mere words. The two facts contradicted each other, leaving him conflicted.

He regretted not probing further about what Yeo Myung-hwon might have known. Yeo Han-ol pressed his temples with furrowed brows, feeling the weight of the day’s events.

“But what about the others? Weren’t you supposed to go out today?”

“Yeah, but I had something to take care of.”

At the casual response, Yeo Han-ol stretched and glanced at Woo Ju-eon, who watched him intently. Why was he making that face? Even when slapped, Woo Ju-eon only furrowed his brows slightly, but now his eyes were wide open.

Thud—!

“Ugh! Wh…at….”

A dull sound rang out, followed by a sharp pain in his head. Before Yeo Han-ol could even turn around, his body crumpled to the floor.

Thud.

His head throbbed. Warm liquid trickled from his nose, and soon the thick scent of blood filled his nostrils. Was this an ambush? If so, the attacker must have been highly skilled. To strike from behind without giving him or his companion a chance to react meant exceptional capability.

A flurry of thoughts crossed his mind instantly. Had Yeo Myung-hwon come here himself? Woo Ju-eon always defied expectations, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Who would dare infiltrate AGT’s headquarters, reaching its deepest point alone?

“What kind of b*stard… ugh…!”

Forcing his unresponsive body to turn, he looked back at his companion. He planned to tell them to run while he clung to the intruder’s leg, but—

“I tried to knock you out in one hit, but I guess it didn’t work.”

“…What?”

Ah, that’s why Woo Ju-eon had looked so surprised.

The attacker wasn’t some sudden intruder but someone who had been there all along. It resulted from his foolishness in holding onto misplaced trust until the very end.

“Sorry, but you didn’t notice anything, did you?”

“Ugh…”

Drip.

Even the slightest movement caused blood to pool on the cold gray floor. Yeo Han-ol looked up at the man standing before him, head lowered and smirking. His vision turned entirely red.

“If only you’d left when I told you to, you wouldn’t feel so betrayed.”

The familiar voice now mocked him, blaming him for his downfall. It was the same voice that had spoken kindly just moments ago, offering to take over for him, yet now it felt utterly foreign.

“…Why… how… since when… for whom….”

How had he betrayed him? Since when had he deceived him? For whom had he abandoned their ideals and become a double agent?

Countless questions flashed through Yeo Han-ol’s mind. As AGT grew, he suspected there might be a traitor. Yeo Myung-hwon’s words had left an uncomfortable feeling in his chest, but he maintained composure because he believed those with him from the beginning would stand by him.

But he had been completely wrong. How long had Yeo Myung-hwon known? If even Yeo Myung-hwon had figured it out, then this betrayal hadn’t happened recently.

“Are you crying?”

The other man widened his eyes in surprise. Yeo Han-ol’s eyes felt hot, and tears streamed down his face.

Yeo Han-ol swung his arm to push the man away, but the man mercilessly stomped on the back of his hand, anticipating the move.

Crunch.

“Argh!”

He cursed his stupidity for wanting to tell his companion to run. But that thought lasted only a moment. Before he could even hear an answer, the world spun, and his consciousness plummeted into darkness.

Woo Ju-eon, who witnessed the entire scene unfold before his eyes, stiffened. The thick blood pooling around Yeo Han-ol reached the edge of his foot.

Woo Ju-eon instinctively held his breath, directing all his attention toward Yeo Han-ol. Only after hearing faint breathing did he let out a shallow sigh.

“Haha… If only you hadn’t insisted on watching over him alone today.”

The man briefly revealed a flicker of pity on his face before quickly concealing it.

“If it weren’t for you, I could’ve played terrorist here a little longer.”

The man’s tone carried a hint of regret as he blamed Woo Ju-eon. Woo Ju-eon’s expression twisted into one of anger.

“You were the one deceiving everyone all along. Don’t blame me.”

Even without him, the deception wouldn’t have changed, and it would have been discovered eventually. There’s no such thing as a perfect secret in this world. So directing that blame at him was unjust.

Though he should despise the man for kidnapping and using him, he couldn’t bring himself to mock someone who had just been betrayed right before his eyes.

“How fierce.”

The man spun around with a laugh, but his laughter carried an undertone of anger.

Thud.

As expected, his hard fist struck Woo Ju-eon’s cheek without warning.

“Ugh.”

The pain was sharp, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. It seemed the inside of his cheek had been torn. Woo Ju-eon turned his twisted head back to its original position and glared at the man before him.