||ᴄʀɪᴍsᴏɴ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs|| ᴘᴏɴᴅᴘʜᴜᴡɪɴ ғғ

22

The atmosphere in the mansion was tense as Pond, Joe, Joong, Dunk, and Gemini gathered around the main computer setup. They’d been fighting a seemingly impossible hack, and Gemini was feeling the pressure as he worked to block any third parties from accessing their files.

Joe, anxiously pacing behind him, urged, “Gem, can’t you do something? It’s been hours.”

Gemini’s fingers flew across the keyboard, frustration evident in his tone. “I’m trying, Joe, but I can’t find the loop. Whoever’s behind this is skilled. I’m blocking what I can, but I can’t promise it’ll hold.”

After a few minutes of silence, Dunk muttered, “Damn, where’s Tangwinnie when we need him? Every time we’re in a mess, he bails us out… but now?”

Joong nodded, agreeing. “Right? He’s our best bet. But we don’t know where he’s.”

Dunk snapped his fingers as a thought hit him. “Hey, Gem, doesn’t Phuwin know hacking?”

Gemini stuttered, glancing away. “W-what? No, no, he doesn’t…”

Dunk squinted at him, unconvinced. “Oh, come on, Gem! I remember when Phuwin mentioned teaching you a few tricks. Now, how could he teach you tricks unless he’s a hacker himself?”

Gemini sighed, looking away. “Dunk, don’t drag him into this. Uncle is already worried about him; getting involved with us wouldn’t help.”

Joe chimed in, “We’re not asking him to join the gang, Gem, just for a bit of help. That’s all.”

“That’s the issue,” Gemini replied. “You won’t push him, but Phu… he might insist on joining himself.”

Joe looked surprised. “Wait… what? Why would he want to?”

Joong held up a hand. “Guys, let’s figure that out later. We have an immediate problem on our hands. I think we should call Phuwin.”

Dunk nodded in agreement, and Joe did too. They all looked to Pond, who had been silent, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he spoke up.

“I agree with Gem. We shouldn’t involve him in this. We’ll figure something else out.”

Dunk looked at him, shocked. “Are you kidding? We don’t have time for that. Phuwin’s our best chance right now!”

Joe added, “He’s right, Pond. We’re out of options here.”

Pond sighed, rubbing his temples. “Fine, do whatever you want,” he muttered, turning and walking toward his room.

Gemini looked around, took a deep breath, and finally called Phuwin, explaining the situation. Soon enough, he was on his way to pick him up.

Phuwin walked into the mansion, looking around until his gaze landed on Joe. With a bright smile, he greeted him, “Hey, Phii! How are you?”

Joe grinned, pulling Phuwin into a side hug. “Oh, I’m just glad my ‘little nong’ come to meet me!”

They chuckled together, but Dunk noticed the way Phuwin’s eyes kept scanning the room, as if searching for someone in particular. Dunk smirked, unable to resist teasing, “Looking for your lovely ‘Nara,’ huh?”

Hearing this, Joe and Joong broke into laughter, and Phuwin’s cheeks flushed. But he didn’t back down. With a bold grin, he replied, “Yeah, I am. Where is my Nara?”

Joe snickered. “Oh, how sweet! ‘Nara,’ hmm?” He wriggled his eyebrows, and they laughed again.

Before they could tease him more, Gemini cleared his throat, reminding them of the problem at hand. Phuwin’s expression shifted to serious mode, his usual playful demeanor replaced by a sharp focus.

“Alright, enough with the jokes. Let’s get this sorted out,” he said, following Gemini into the system room.

The room was dimly lit, with only the light from the monitors illuminating the space. Phuwin slipped on his glasses, rolling his shoulders as he got ready to dive into work. He cracked his knuckles and then gave Gemini a quick nod, a silent signal that he was ready.

Gemini nodded back, and the two got to work. Phuwin’s focus was intense, his eyes scanning code at a rapid pace as his fingers danced over the keyboard, typing with impressive speed and precision.

Joe, Joong, and Dunk watched from behind, stunned at the transformation. Dunk leaned over to Joe, whispering, “Is it just me, or does he look like a completely different person right now?”

Joe nodded, equally impressed. “Completely different. He’s in his element.”

Phuwin’s gaze was sharp, a look of pure concentration. His fingers flew over the keys as he mumbled to himself, eyes narrowing every time he found a suspicious line of code.

After a few minutes, Phuwin spoke up, his voice calm but firm. “Gemini, patch that loop on port 459. It’s letting the hack in.”

Gemini’s eyes widened. “How did you even spot that?”

Phuwin shrugged, a slight smirk on his face. “Let’s just say I have my ways.”

Gemini followed Phuwin’s instructions, quickly blocking the weak spot. They continued to work in sync, both of them clicking through files and rerouting information until, finally, the hack was blocked.

Phuwin leaned back, letting out a breath, and gave the others a satisfied grin. “There. They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

Joe clapped him on the back, grinning. “I knew we called the right person. You saved us, Phuwin!”

Phuwin chuckled, waving off the praise. “It’s nothing. Just don’t forget this the next time you need someone with ‘extra skills.’”

Gemini rolled his eyes, but a small smile played on his lips. “Show off.”

They all laughed, the tension in the room finally broken, thanks to Phuwin’s help.

As Phuwin and Gemini worked intensely on the hack, Pond slipped quietly into the room, standing at the back, his presence unnoticed by the others. His eyes fixed on Phuwin, watching as the younger man transformed from his usual playful self into someone serious, sharp, and entirely focused. Pond’s gaze lingered on Phuwin’s face, taking in the way his eyes narrowed behind his glasses, intense and almost fierce.

Wow… Pond thought, admiring how the glasses framed Phuwin’s face, making him look unexpectedly sexy. Get a grip, he mentally scolded himself, quickly pushing back his thoughts. But even as he told himself to focus on the issue, he couldn’t look away from Phuwin, who was so different from the laughing, carefree guy he knew.

A slight smirk tugged at Pond’s lips as he continued to watch Phuwin, silently appreciating the confidence and expertise Phuwin exuded as he worked on the hack.