SECRETS & LIES | VKOOK ✓ [EDITING]

eleven.

The early morning was shrouded in a thick wall of fog, the darkness outside a muted, oppressive gray. The world seemed to be wrapped in a blanket of silence, the kind that invites you to sink back into sleep, but as always, life had other plans.

Jeongguk stirred awake with a loud groan, his vision still blurry from the remnants of deep sleep. His head throbbed slightly, a dull reminder of the previous night's excess. He glanced around, realizing he was back in his apartment, sprawled out in his bed with his so-called lover, Jimin, beside him. The sight wasn't surprising—he had vague memories of being half-dragged into the apartment, presumably by Seokjin, who had probably driven him home.

He reached out blindly for the incessantly ringing phone on the nightstand, his hand knocking over an empty glass in the process. With another groan, he finally managed to grab it, squinting at the screen through bleary eyes. The name flashing on the display made him sigh in irritation. "Who is it..." he mumbled, his voice deep and raspy, still thick with sleep.

"Ah, Guk-ah, what a pleasure—the deep sleeper finally wakes up." The voice on the other end of the line was unmistakable—Jieun, her tone dripping with a mix of sarcasm and familiarity.

Jeongguk frowned, lifting the phone to see the name just to confirm it. Of course, it had to be Jieun. "Jieun-ah... what do you want?" he asked, annoyance clear in his voice. He cast a glance at Jimin, who was still out cold on his side of the bed, his breathing slow and steady. They slept on opposite sides, as they had for months now. No cuddling, no warmth shared between them—it was a far cry from what their relationship used to be.

Jieun's voice cut through his thoughts. "Hoseok told me not long ago you needed help with some kind of code, am I wrong?"

Jeongguk's expression immediately shifted to one of focus. He sat up in bed, his mind suddenly alert. Hoseok had mentioned the code to her? Why did it have to be Jieun, of all people? "And of course, I couldn't refuse to help," she added with a hint of mockery. "So, wanna know what the code says?"

Jeongguk's brow furrowed as he glanced at Jimin once more before slipping out of bed. He was shirtless, only wearing a pair of loose pants, his skin prickling in the cool morning air. Quietly, he made his way to the living room, shutting the door softly behind him to avoid waking Jimin. "What can you tell me about the code?" he asked, pacing the room with his phone pressed to his ear.

"Tsk tsk, not so fast, Jeongguk-ssi. We both know you'll owe me a favor after this, right?" Jieun's tone was playful, but there was a sharp edge to it, a reminder that nothing in their world came for free.

Jeongguk pulled the phone away for a moment, chuckling softly to himself. "Women..." he muttered under his breath before bringing the phone back to his ear. "Lee Jieun, don't play dirty games with me. Just tell me what you want."

She laughed, a sound that was both lighthearted and ominous. "Just come over, Jeongguk-ah. You know the address—I don't need to send it to you. Be here within an hour; I'm traveling to Busan today, so I don't have time to waste with the grand Jeon Jeongguk."