Eun-jae barely registered his words. His mind was still stuck in that nightmare, the phantom sensation of hands pinning him down making his stomach twist. Sweat clung to his skin, his clothes sticking uncomfortably to his back. His throat was dry—aching, raw from the scream.
His fingers twitched against his lap. He hated this. He hated this.
With a sharp inhale, he turned away, forcing his expression into something blank, something cold. He wouldn't let Caesar see. He wouldn't let anyone see.
"I… I'm sorry," he muttered, barely recognizing his own voice. It sounded hoarse, small.
There was a heavy silence.
Caesar didn't respond right away, and Eun-jae could feel the weight of his stare, analyzing him, reading him in a way that made his skin crawl.
"Fucking bastard," Eun-jae thought bitterly, clenching his jaw. "What, you think I need your damn pity? Tch. As if."
"Get it together. You're not that weak little kid anymore. You don't cry. You don't break."
His body still trembled slightly. A pathetic reminder that no matter how much he willed himself to forget, his body never did.
And that pissed him off more than anything else.
weight of exhaustion sat heavy on his bones, but that wasn't what irked him the most. It was the unmistakable presence of Caesar's voice grating against his already frayed nerves.
"You looked like you were having a goddamn nightmare. Are you fine?" Caesar's voice cut through the tense silence, laced with an unusual edge of concern.
Eun-jae groaned, pressing his fingers against his temples before running them through his hair. "What happened?" he asked, deliberately sidestepping the question.
Caesar arched a brow, eyeing him like he was trying to gauge whether he was lying. "You really don't remember anything?"
"Nope. Nothing." Eun-jae let out a low groan, shifting his weight slightly as he sat up. His muscles ached, his mind felt foggy, and worst of all, he had a sinking feeling in his gut that something was horribly off.
"Well, then it's for the better. You might be embarrassed."
Eun-jae's eye twitched. "Quit beating around the bush and tell me what happened, Caesar." His patience was already hanging by a thread, and this insufferable man was playing coy with him.
Caesar hummed, clearly enjoying himself before he finally relented. "Well, I went back to our cabin, and guess what? You weren't there. Thought you might've been in the shower, but nope. You were gone. So, being the kind and caring soul that I am, I went looking for you. And lo and behold, I found you laid out on the bathroom floor like a tragic damsel in distress."
Eun-jae scoffed, rolling his eyes. "First of all, I am not a damsel. Second, I wasn't just 'laid out'—I was attacked." He rubbed at his sore neck, recalling flashes of what had happened before everything went black. "I went out looking for Hyun-ji because he wasn't in his room, but then someone jumped me. I don't know if it was Hyun-ji himself or someone working with him."
Caesar tilted his head, thoughtful. "Did you get a good look at their faces?"
"No," Eun-jae admitted begrudgingly. "Everything happened too fast."
"Well, that makes two of us." Caesar leaned back, stretching his arms behind his head. "I didn't get to see their face either. And honestly? What if they were armed? I had to put myself first."
Eun-jae inhaled sharply, forcing himself to unclench his fists before he did something regrettable—like rearrange Caesar's smug face. "This guy is of no help at all," he seethed internally. His jaw tightened, and his fingers twitched as he strained to resist the overwhelming urge to punch him square in the nose. "Useless. Absolutely useless."
"But did you at least confirm if they were men sent by the Karpov-Troitsky?" Eun-jae pressed.
Caesar waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I think they were just thugs."
Eun-jae narrowed his eyes. "And what makes you say that?"
Caesar hesitated for a second before shrugging. "Well… they kinda… seemed like white supremacists."
Eun-jae blinked. "Huh?"
"I'm saying you got attacked by a racist," Caesar clarified, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
"That is not possible," Eun-jae thought, a deep frown settling on his face. "I'm very sure it was someone working for Hyun-ji, or Hyun-ji himself. But if it wasn't any of them, then where did Hyun-ji disappear to?" His mind raced with a thousand questions, trying to piece together the puzzle. "The train made no stops last night or this morning. So where the hell did he vanish to?"
His thoughts took another sharp turn, and suddenly, he found himself side-eyeing Caesar. "And come to think of it… where was Caesar all this while?" His suspicion mounted, the paranoia gnawing at the back of his mind like a relentless itch. His gaze darkened as he studied the blonde beside him.
"Something isn't adding up here," he mused. "And I'm going to find out what."
The low hum of the engine filled the space between them, a steady rhythm that did little to ease the weight of suspicion lingering in the air. The city lights streaked past the windows in blurs of neon and gold, casting fleeting glows across Caesar's sharp jawline. He had one hand on the wheel, his fingers tapping idly against the leather, his expression unreadable. Not a single glance in Eun-jae's direction. Not even a flicker of acknowledgment.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy, before Caesar finally spoke, his voice smooth, languid, like he had all the time in the world.
"Oh?" he drawled, lips curving ever so slightly. "Are you suspecting me of something? Or is this just because I didn't come rushing in to save you like some fairytale knight?"
Eun-jae scoffed, arms crossed tight over his chest as he slumped back into his seat. "Tch. I went looking for you and Hyun-ji but you two were conveniently nowhere to be found." His tone was clipped, sharp, laced with irritation.
Caesar hummed, the corner of his mouth twitching up in amusement. "That's funny," he murmured, finally sparing Eun-jae a quick, fleeting glance before turning his attention back to the road. "Because you never actually showed up where I was."
Eun-jae's brows furrowed. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"
"The driver's compartment."
Silence.
For a moment, all Eun-jae could do was blink.
"…Huh?" His frown deepened as he straightened in his seat. "Why the hell would you go there? What, you suddenly had the urge to play train conductor in the middle of a mission?"
Caesar let out a quiet chuckle, low and knowing. "Unlike you," he started, drawing out the words, "who conveniently decided to take a little nap on the job—"
Eun-jae's jaw nearly unhinged. "Excuse me?! I did not fall asleep! I was just—"
"—completely unaware?" Caesar finished smoothly, his smirk widening as he cut him off with practiced ease. "Meanwhile, I was actually keeping an eye on Hyunji all night."
Eun-jae huffed, crossing his arms even tighter. "Okay, detective Caesar. And what, exactly, did you see?"
Caesar's smirk didn't waver. "He left his cabin."
Eun-jae rolled his eyes. "Wow. Earth-shattering observation. Maybe he had to piss."
Caesar gave him a look, unimpressed. "At a time when he would normally be reading? And when we hadn't even arrived at his supposed destination yet?"
Eun-jae opened his mouth, then promptly shut it.
Okay. That was actually weird.
Caesar continued, voice still casual, but there was a sharpness to it now, an edge. "It was suspicious. So, naturally, I did what any responsible agent would do and followed up. Went to his cabin, talked to the attendant in charge of that section."
Eun-jae tilted his head slightly. "And?"
"She answered immediately. No hesitation."
That made Eun-jae pause.
Train staff were usually trained to be discreet. If she answered that quickly, it meant something was off.
Caesar glanced at him, as if reading his thoughts. "Exactly. But what she said? Even more interesting."
Eun-jae narrowed his eyes. "Spit it out."
Caesar's fingers drummed lightly against the steering wheel. "She told me Hyunji had asked about changing his destination. Mid-route."
Eun-jae's breath hitched slightly.
"And since it's protocol," Caesar continued, "she told him the only person who could approve such a thing was the train driver."
Eun-jae's stomach twisted. His brain started working overtime, piecing things together.
"But…" he muttered, mostly to himself. "Hyunji should've had a ticket to Moscow from the beginning. Why the hell would he suddenly want to change destinations?"
It didn't make sense. Hyunji wasn't reckless. He was calculating. He planned everything meticulously, down to the second. If he was changing his destination now, it wasn't a whim. It was because something had changed.
Then, suddenly, realization slammed into him like a freight train.
His eyes widened. "No way."
Caesar smirked, his gaze flickering to him before returning to the road. "Oh, yes."
Eun-jae sucked in a sharp breath. "The train driver…"
"Was working for the Karpov-Troitsky."
Eun-jae swore under his breath, running a hand through his hair. "That bastard—"
Caesar chuckled. "He was planning an escape the entire time," he mused, like this was all some elaborate chess game and Hyunji was simply another piece on the board. "Realized we were onto him and tried to disappear before we could close in."
Eun-jae clenched his fists. "I knew something felt off. And here I was, thinking we had him cornered." He shook his head, lips pressing into a thin line. "Tch. He fooled us."
For a moment, Eun-jae's mind lurched back—back to that dark, bloodstained room, the flickering overhead light barely illuminating Morgan's terrified face. The man had been a mess: bloodied, bruised, shaking so hard his teeth clattered like a cheap wind-up toy. The memory of the knife in Eun-jae's grip—glinting, slick, dangerous—was still vivid.
"S-Someone from the Karpov-Troitsky would contact Hyunji," Morgan had stammered, his voice a pitiful whimper. "B-But I don't know the method! I swear!"
Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Eun-jae had been seconds away from flaying the truth out of him, but the bastard had already given up before the blade had even kissed his skin.
And now—now—everything clicked into place like the final piece of a twisted puzzle.
His eyes snapped open as reality slammed back into him.
"So that's how they were going to make contact," Eun-jae thought, jaw tightening. It had been right under their noses this whole damn time.
He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple as he glanced at Caesar, who still looked obnoxiously calm behind the wheel.
"So?" Eun-jae muttered, tilting his head back against the seat. "What happened now? Let me guess—you lost them?" He let out a heavy sigh, already bracing himself for the inevitable disappointment.
Caesar made a vague, noncommittal sound. "Uhhh… yeah. And no."
Eun-jae's head snapped toward him so fast it was a miracle he didn't sprain something. "Which is which?!"
Caesar's lips quirked up in amusement, but there was something sharp in his gaze—like he was leading up to the real punchline. "In short? Hyunji didn't get off at Vladivostok."
Eun-jae's brows furrowed. "Wait—what?"
Caesar's smirk widened, clearly relishing the moment. "After meeting the driver, there was a helicopter already waiting for him."
For a second, Eun-jae just stared.
Then, he blinked.
Then, he blinked again.
"Hold the fuck up," he said, lifting a hand. "A helicopter?! On a moving train?! Are we in a goddamn action movie now?!"
Caesar chuckled, the sound low and entertained. "More like a very well-planned escape sequence."
Eun-jae pinched the bridge of his nose. "You better start explaining before I reach over and strangle you."
Caesar hummed thoughtfully, like he was deciding just how much to indulge him. "Alright, alright. Since you asked so nicely…" He threw Eun-jae a sideways glance before returning his focus to the road. "Here's how Hyunji pulled it off."
Eun-jae crossed his arms, waiting.
"The driver—who, might I remind you, was very much working for the Karpov-Troitsky—was already in on it," Caesar began, his voice smooth and composed, like he was detailing an elaborate chess match. "As soon as Hyunji made contact, the plan was set into motion. The driver started gradually slowing down the train—not enough to be obvious, but just enough that the average passenger wouldn't notice."
Eun-jae's eyes narrowed. "But you noticed."
Caesar flashed him a grin. "Of course I did. Do I look like an average passenger?"
Eun-jae groaned, throwing his head back against the seat. "God, I hate you."
"No, you don't."
"I do."
Caesar ignored him and continued, his tone almost lazy—like he was too good at this, like he had Hyunji's entire playbook memorized. "Anyway. Once the train was moving at just the right speed, the chopper—conveniently already waiting—closed in. And then, well, you can imagine the rest."
Eun-jae clenched his jaw. "Hyunji climbed out."
"Bingo."
"While the train was still moving."
"Give the man some credit," Caesar mused. "I mean, he didn't hesitate. One swift movement, climbed up the side like he's been training for this his whole life, and—boom—into the chopper." He made a flicking gesture with his fingers, like flicking a cigarette out a window. "Gone. Like a ghost."
Eun-jae inhaled slowly through his nose, exhaled through clenched teeth.
"So, let me get this straight," he said, voice deceptively calm. "You're telling me that while we—the supposedly elite, highly-trained professionals—were running around thinking we had him boxed in, this motherfucker was out here casually reenacting a scene from a goddamn spy thriller?"
Caesar snorted. "Pretty much."
Eun-jae swore so violently it could've melted steel.
Caesar just chuckled, drumming his fingers against the wheel. "Relax. I managed to track him."
That made Eun-jae pause. His head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing. "How?"
Caesar's smirk turned downright smug. "I may or may not have slipped a tracker into his food."
Eun-jae blinked. "His food?!"
Caesar grinned, clearly enjoying himself. "Mmhm. Right into his fancy little imported steak dinner."