The call between Vavaporn and Mr. Charlie was brief, cold, and calculated.
"They're not talking," Charlie said.
Vavaporn's voice crackled over the secure line. Two men. Interrogated by my best. Nothing.
Charlie exhaled slowly. Mine won't break either.
There was silence.
Then Vavaporn added, We underestimated the Koreans. They're more rooted than we thought.
"We need to move," Charlie replied. "Before they move first."
Just then, another line beeped on Vavaporn's private device. His eyes narrowed.
He switched lines. "Speak."
"Sir," one of his men said, voice tense, "one of the Koreans… he's asking to talk. He says he has information. He wants to make a deal."
Vavaporn's eyes darkened. "Put him through."
Minutes later, the Korean was sitting in a dark room, eyes sunken, hands trembling. Blood still crusted his lips. But his voice? Steady.
"They're regrouping," he whispered. "Phuket City. That's where the central stash is. Weapons. Documents. Leaders. They'll run if you don't move fast."
Back in Chiang Mai, Vavaporn ended the call with Charlie.
"They're in Phuket," he said.
Charlie didn't miss a beat. "Send the heirs."
By midnight, a private jet had landed on the southern coast.
Jay, Jack, Jeff, and Rin arrived without bodyguards, without backup, under aliases.
It wasn't just a mission.
It was a test.
Again.
They checked into a nondescript hotel by the harbor, two rooms, side-by-side.
Jay and Jeff took one.
Jack and Rin the other.
Phuket was quieter than Chiang Mai. More humid. More distant. But the tension followed them like a second skin.
Jeff sat at the small desk, typing up a fake delivery manifest. Jay stood by the window, shirtless, phone in hand, pretending not to keep glancing at the wall separating him from Jack.
In the room next door, Jack was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, while Rin scrolled through surveillance footage on a burner tablet.
They had barely spoken.
Neither Jay nor Jack could sleep.
The weight of what hadn't been said between them grew heavier with every passing hour.
At exactly 2:07 a.m., Jay picked up his phone.
Jay ➤ Jack:
You up?
Jack ➤ Jay:
Haven't slept.
Jay ➤ Jack:
Meet me outside. Fresh air.
Jack ➤ Jay:
Two minutes.
Jay tossed on a hoodie. Jeff looked up.
"Where are you going?"
"Can't sleep. Need air."
Jeff stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Don't wander. We're on a mission."
"I'm not a kid," Jay muttered.
Jeff sighed and turned back to his laptop.
Meanwhile, Jack pulled on a jacket and stood. Rin raised an eyebrow.
"You okay?"
"Just need some air."
Rin didn't press. "Be careful."
Jack opened the door and found Jay already waiting at the end of the hallway.
Neither spoke as they exited through the back staircase, stepping into the humid Phuket night.
They walked for a while.
Past shuttered cafés. Empty docks. The sound of waves crashing in the distance.
When they reached the edge of the boardwalk, Jay finally stopped and leaned against a railing. Jack stood beside him.
The silence was louder now.
Jay didn't look at him when he spoke. "I thought about what you said. That night. About burning the world down."
Jack's voice was soft. "I meant it."
Jay nodded slowly. "I believe you."
Another silence.
Then,
"I hate this," Jay murmured. "Not… being here. With you. But… this game. This hiding. This pretending."
Jack leaned on the railing too, eyes distant. "I know. Me too."
Jay glanced at him. "Why did you come?"
Jack's jaw tightened. "Because I had to."
"No." Jay stepped in front of him. "Why did you really come tonight?"
Jack looked at him. Eyes cold, but voice shaking.
"Because if I stayed in that room one more second, thinking about you, I would've lost it."
Jay's breath hitched.
"You make me reckless," Jack whispered. "And I hate how much I need it."
Jay stepped closer. "So do I."
Their foreheads nearly touched.
Jack exhaled. "I don't want to lie anymore."
Jay nodded. "We can't tell anyone. Not Jeff. Not Rin. Not until we're sure."
Jack searched his eyes. "Then let's be sure."
Jay touched his cheek gently, like he didn't trust the moment to be real.
Jack's hand caught his wrist. Held it there.
They stood like that, hearts pounding.
Then Jay whispered, "Say it. Just once."
Jack's voice cracked. "I want you."
Jay smiled sadly. "I've always wanted you."
Jack didn't wait this time.
He leaned in.
And their mouths collided, not like the first time, with blood and adrenaline, but slow. Desperate. Real.
Jay wrapped his arms around him, dragging him closer. Jack's fingers slipped under his hoodie, pressed against bare skin. They kissed like the world might end before morning.
Because it might.
Far above, in their separate rooms, Jeff and Rin stared at the empty beds.
Jeff muttered, "He's not just getting air."
Rin didn't look up. "Neither is Jack."
A long pause.
Then Rin added quietly, "They've already chosen."
Jeff exhaled. "We better decide if we're going to cover for them."
"Or stop them?" Rin asked.
Jeff didn't answer.
Neither did Rin.
Because somewhere deep down, they both knew that it was already too late.