THE8 | Junhao | *EDITING*

TWENTY - ONE

| CHAPTER TWENTY - ONE |

Jeonghan's eyes fly open, "You're what?!"

Minghao sighs. This is the fifth time he's had to explain, "I told you, I only took on the case so I can distract them from finding out who I really am. It will give me time to—"

"You know what you're doing, don't you?" Minghao turns at Seungcheol's voice. The man sits straight, hands interlaced on his desk. His look was hard, serious, "You aren't betraying us in any way? You know what you're doing?"

Minghao lets out a breath of disbelief, "Why?" He shakes his head, holding a hand to his chest, "I... I would never out you guys." He slumps his shoulders, mood dissolved, "Do you.. Do you really think that low of me?"

"I just want to be sure you aren't finding a way for this gang to get caught." Seungcheol clenches his jaw, "You know our consequence for betrayal."

Minghao scoffs, shooting up. He slams his hand down on Seungcheol's desk, "I took this mission for a reason, sir." He huffs through clenched teeth, "While I try to figure out who murdered my father in cold blood... I'll lead them away from you." He laughs, "That's the whole fucking point."

Silence.

Minghao rolls his eyes, tugging his jacket back over his shoulders, throwing the hood over his head angrily, "If you even think a traitor like me is capable."

He turns around.

Jeonghan sighs, "The8–"

The door slams.

Jeonghan frowns, turning back to Seungcheol.

"Don't worry about it." Seungcheol shrugs, shaking his head lowly, "He'll be alright." He says, leaning back in his seat with a click of his tongue, "Just let him cool off for a while."

Jeonghan furrows his brows, leaning forward, "What..." He hesitates, hand on the desk, "What did he mean by 'murdered my father in cold blood?'"

Seungcheol doesn't answer for a moment, eyes zoned out on the surface of his desk, but he eventually shakes back to reality.

He sighs, "His entire story is.... complicated, Jeonghan." Seungcheol sighs, shaking his head, "He'll tell you when he's ready, I'm sure. It's just... It's not my place to say."

Jeonghan's sad for Minghao, leaning back in his chair with a small frown on his face, uplifted mood melted away, just as Minghao's.

"He has trauma." Jeonghan sighs, "I know that much. We all do, that's how this whole gang was formed." His voice wavers.

Seungcheol nods.

"But The8.... He has it the worst, I'd say."