Truth Behind The Glasses | Exo D.o.

Chapter 11

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Your support means the world to me. I couldn't have done this without you, and I'm so grateful we shared this journey together.

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Kiara's Point of View

Operation Goose
I pressed my back against the cold concrete wall, my heart racing as Jinah signalled to me from across the room. My aunt was ahead, already blending in with the bustle of employees walking through the shiny halls of Lim Corporation. We were deep inside enemy territory, sneaking around in the very company my stepmother was about to inherit. Or at least, that's what she thought-since everyone believed I was dead or missing.

We called this Operation Goose. Why? Because my aunt, Jinah, and I were playing the long game-quietly observing, sneaking into places unnoticed, gathering the golden eggs of information we needed to take my stepmother down. If we were right, she had been plotting all along to claim the company once my father died. Now that I was out of the picture, she was preparing to strike. But not if we could stop her first.

I adjusted the loose business suit that I borrowed from one of the junior employees. It was baggy, but it did the job. Jinah had expertly hacked into Lim's employee database and created fake IDs for all of us. We weren't just walking in blindly; we had cover identities, complete with fake credentials, emails, and even backstories. My aunt, who was the mastermind behind all this, always said, "If you're going to infiltrate, do it right."

As we entered the lower floors of Lim Corp, the atmosphere was tense. I could tell something big was happening here. My stepmother was expected to make an announcement soon, but what was she planning behind the scenes? We needed to know before she solidified her grip on the company.

"Kiara, focus," Jinah whispered through the earpiece. "You're drifting. Get your head in the game."

I blinked, shaking off the haze of my thoughts. Jinah was right. There was no room for mistakes. I pulled my hair back into a neater bun and adjusted my wire-rimmed glasses, reminding myself that I was disguised as a low-level analyst. No one would pay attention to me if I kept my head down.

My aunt was somewhere near the boardroom on the top floor, posing as one of the senior executives. Jinah and I were tasked with sweeping the lower levels for any sensitive information that might be hidden in the tech department. If we could access the internal communications, we might find something-emails, financial records, anything that could expose my stepmother's plans.

We moved quickly through the maze of cubicles, passing employees who were too absorbed in their own work to notice us. So far, so good. Jinah motioned for me to head toward the elevators while she entered a side office to download some files from a desktop.

Just as I reached the elevator, my breath hitched. I froze.

Standing just a few feet away, talking to another man in a sharp suit, was Kyungsoo.

My mind raced. Kyungsoo? What the hell is he doing here? He worked in intelligence, not corporate espionage. Why would he be at Lim Corp? I kept my head down, praying he wouldn't recognize me. After all, I was in disguise. But the pit in my stomach tightened as I remembered how observant he was. One wrong move, one glance too long, and he might blow my cover.

I sidestepped toward the elevator, willing myself to act naturally. My hands fumbled for the button panel, and I pressed the button for the tenth floor-where Jinah said we could access the private servers. I tried not to look, but I couldn't help it. I sneaked a glance at Kyungsoo again, my heart hammering in my chest.

He was standing there, as calm as ever, talking to a person. He hadn't noticed me. Yet.

The elevator doors opened, and I hurried inside, grateful to be out of sight. But I couldn't shake the questions flooding my mind. Why was Kyungsoo here? And more importantly, whose side was he on?

"Kiara, what's your status?" Jinah's voice crackled in my earpiece.

"I'm in the elevator, heading up. But there's a problem," I whispered. "I saw Kyungsoo."

"Kyungsoo? What, your Kyungsoo?" she asked, her tone shifting to disbelief.

"Wait, he's not nevermind. And I don't know what he's doing here," I replied, glancing nervously at the elevator's floor indicator as it climbed.

"Keep your cool. We can't afford distractions. If he recognizes you, improvise. Remember, you're in disguise."

The elevator stopped at the tenth floor, and I hurried out. I found the server room easily, using the digital map Jinah had sent me earlier. My fingers moved quickly as I accessed the system, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Kyungsoo. We hadn't spoken in weeks. Not since everything went down with my stepmother's sudden rise in power. Part of me wanted to trust him, but I couldn't be sure. Not now. Not with everything at stake.

Jinah met me a few minutes later, holding a flash drive filled with stolen data. "Got what we needed?"

"Yeah. Downloading it now," I replied, trying to focus. "But we need to get out of here. I don't want to risk another run-in with Kyungsoo."

As we waited for the files to transfer, Jinah kept an eye on the door. "Listen, if Kyungsoo's here, it might mean someone else knows what's going on. Maybe he's working undercover."

"Or maybe he's working for my stepmother," I said darkly, though I wasn't sure if I even believed that myself. Kyungsoo wasn't like that. But I couldn't take any chances.

The files finished downloading, and Jinah yanked the flash drive from the computer. "Let's move."

We slipped out of the server room, blending back into the sea of employees. My thoughts were spinning as we made our way to the exit. My aunt would have gathered whatever intel she could upstairs, and we'd regroup later to piece it all together.

But Kyungsoo's face stayed in the back of my mind the entire time. The way he stood there, so calm and composed-it unnerved me. What if he knew I was alive? What if he was playing a game of his own? For now, though, I had to focus on the mission.

We walked out of Lim Corp with our heads held high, every move calculated. We were in the lion's den, and we'd made it out with the information we needed.

But I had a feeling we hadn't seen the last of Kyungsoo. And the next time we crossed paths, I wasn't sure if he would be an ally or a threat.