A/N: Hello~ Hope everyone had a good week:) Here's an update for you, technically a day late, but I haven't gone to bed yet, so it doesn't count;) Thank you for all your kind comments and for understanding about last week! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

MC staggered back when Saeyoung tugged on her arm. He pulled her away from the door as they watched V get tossed to the ground like a tattered doll rather than a human being. It was a wonder he didn't fight at all. He coughed when a cloud of dust blew into his face.

Vanderwood inched towards the couple. "Isn't he on the queen bee's side? Why is he here?"

Saeyoung gave a scoff, but didn't reply. MC chewed on her bottom lip and watched as V brought himself into a sitting position. He seemed worse than he had been before, as if he had suddenly been given the job of Atlas.

She understood the implications of what V did. She had seen firsthand how it affected Saeran…Saeyoung…the entirety of the RFA. But she couldn't help the pity that welled in her chest as she watched him struggle to get a footing.

She stepped forward, ignoring Saeyoung's admonitions, and grabbed onto his arm. Her wrist felt a twinge of pain at the effort, but she pushed through to help him to his feet.

"Thank you, MC," he muttered, giving her a small smile.

"How did you know—"

"I'm not completely blind yet," he said. He scanned the area until he spotted Saeyoung and Vanderwood standing nearby."Saeyoung, how is your injury?"

Vanderwood muttered something to the younger man as V stretched his arms forward. His fingers brushed against Saeyoung's hoodie. "Here you are."

Saeyoung stared at his hand for a long while, a battle raging behind his eyes. The movement was delayed, but he yanked himself away. "Don't touch me," he snapped, pushing V back with his good arm. "Why are you here?"

"I thought you were with Rika," MC questioned. Her memories were mostly hazy now, due to the sedatives, but she did remember that much. He averted his gaze from her.

V's hand dug around in his pocket before he procured a phone. "Here," he said, holding it out to no one in particular. "Use it to call Jumin."

"Oh! Is that a phone?" Vanderwood exclaimed. "You stole it? Nice! We can finally—"

"Be careful," Saeyoung interrupted. "Anything coming from him could be used to spy on us."

MC narrowed her eyes at the object. Something about the round bulb at the top resonated in her mind. She tapped the top of her head a few times before it came to her. "Isn't that Saeran's phone? It fell out of his pocket when he was helping me."

Saeyoung lifted his eyes from the ground to look at V. "Is this bugged? Is that why you brought it here?"

"Saeyoung, no," V said. The urgency in his voice grew as he once again held out the device. "This phone was mine. I had lost it weeks ago, soon after I resigned from the RFA. It seemed Saeran had picked it up."

None of them made a move for the phone. V swallowed and shifted it in his hands. MC observed his growing discomfort. He was placed in an awkward position…there was no way he would've volunteered for something like this. To her surprise, his fingers grasped the edge of her sleeve. "I suppose I should apologize to you, MC. I recognized it when he kicked it away…after you fell on the floor. I'm sorry, but I had to use you as a distraction to get it back."

So, that's why he suggested she be brought here? MC was unsure if she felt exploited or glad that she ended up being useful in her discombobulated state. The latter had yet to be determined.

Neither Vanderwood nor Saeyoung went for the device, as if V had coated it in poison or something. While she was still wary, MC was a tad exasperated at their behavior. They had little choice now. She took the phone from the older man's hands. She tapped the screen, but it was turned off—most likely to conserve energy. "What's this bulb on the top for?"

"Bulb?" Saeyoung muttered. He abruptly snatched the phone out of her hand and examined it. "This is…the phone you gave me before. This is supposed to blink red if it's bugged. The sensors can't catch it."

Vanderwood's cry of delight momentarily dispelled the gloominess in the air.

"Right," MC said. "You can send the coordinates to Jumin…Saeyoung?"

He didn't seem to hear them. He kept staring at V, his expression changing from anger to sadness at any one moment. The tension in the air was thick and uncomfortable.

"There's not much battery left," V said, his eyes darting towards the guards. "Whatever you have to do, you'll need to do it quickly."

Saeyoung contemplated a little longer, his fingers hovering over the power button but never pressing down. "This might be a trap," he said, sounding more as if he were convincing himself. "We can't trust him."

"That's true," Vanderwood muttered. "But it's a chance at escape."

Saeyoung gave no response, his focus still plastered onto the phone.

MC licked her lips. "I…I don't think it's a bad idea to try," she offered. "If Saeran found the need to keep it away from me, it's a threat to them, not us. Besides that, I want you to get treated as soon as possible."

The red head glanced up at her, his lips turning downwards in displeasure. He obviously wasn't happy that she disagreed with him, but he seemed to take in what she said. "If you think so…alright."

Vanderwood clicked his tongue in annoyance. "We've worked together for years, but you'll take the word of your little girlfriend over mine?" He pinched Saeyoung's cheek hard. "So devoted, aren't you?"

The younger man pushed his hand away in annoyance. MC frowned, sensing the traces of Saeyoung's old behavior returning. He usually responded lightly, even in situations like this where most people would consider wit inappropriate. Instead, there was something dark brewing behind his increasingly cold mien, and MC feared it would surface soon.

He once again turned to V. "Before that…I need to hear your excuse."

V paused before reluctantly agreeing. "There's no use in hiding anything now. MC, you have questions too, I'm sure."

The offer should have relieved some of the uneasiness weighing down on her shoulders. But, it only grew heavier as Saeyoung started questioning V. She listened patiently, trying to click together the pieces of the story in her mind. But everything seemed off. Saeyoung was finally getting the answers he deserved, but the worried lines creasing his forehead only seemed to get deeper. More so, there was something odd about V's responses…excusing Rika, claiming it to be his fault. Everything contradicted the scarring image of the woman's manipulative smile.

"Saeyoung," V said, shutting his eyes. "I know it can never be enough, but I am sorry."

The younger man heaved a sigh. "It's too late to apologize."

"I know," V said. He suddenly straightened and eagerness entered his demeanor. "But I believe Rika can be like how she was before. Saeran might return to you then."

MC blew a puff of air through her lips, remembering the borderline unhealthy obsession Saeran had with the woman. "That's hopeful…but I'm not sure that's the answer."

V opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by another one of Saeyoung's questions.

"And what about telling everyone that Rika had died? Was that your idea?"

"Yes...It was too dangerous to reveal the truth and involve everyone," V replied. "So I lied that Rika died and tried to distance the RFA from her."

"How do I know that you're not trying to trick us again?"

"Hmm…Well, he's blind," Vanderwood commented, scanning V up and down. "It'll be a piece of cake to take him down."

MC cast him a disapproving look. She eyed V cautiously. "So why were you so adamant on seeing Rika earlier? You could be a spy as far as we know."

"I knew she would've sent you through the…well, their process, if I didn't stall for time," he replied. "I played the bad guy to earn Rika's trust and talk with her."

MC ran her fingers through her hair, trying to wrap her mind around all their hassles in the past few weeks. "I don't get it. All of this—" she gestured vaguely to the cell. "This is all because you and Rika had a fall out a few years ago?"

Regret flickered behind his dull eyes, but he gave no response to her. He turned to Saeyoung once more. MC fell silent as he continued to explain Rika's condition, but her mind was too conflicted to devote her whole attention to it.

What had she gotten into? The idea of Mint Eye was scary enough, but now hearing about Rika's supposed reasoning behind it…MC was starting to realize the depth of the danger they were in right now. Frustration threatened her sanity. All this time, she had been dragged into this…game of Rika's, being used to inadvertently hurt the very people she had wanted to help simply by existing. Did V know all this time? Before she entered the chatroom, was he planning this as well? Did she even have a chance to choose for herself?

"When did Saeran get involved in all this?" Saeyoung's sharp tone snapped her out of her spinning thoughts.

MC braced herself. The hesitance in V's expression made her doubt that he would even answer. But he did…each sentence falling like a weight in her stomach. Rika manipulated Saeran…twisted his mind to hate his twin…for information? The thought made her sick to her stomach.

"So," Saeyoung said in barely a whisper. "I made the special security system to stop my own brother?"

MC felt helpless watching his internal struggle. He stared blankly at the ground, confusion and hurt etched into his features. His fists were clenched tightly, and his knuckles grew white. She feared any more shocking news would send him over the edge. Still…there were more unanswered questions.

"How long has he been exploited?" MC asked when Saeyoung remained in his stunned silence. "It's hard to believe that a year or two made him…well, like that."

She waited patiently for the answer. V opened his mouth, but nothing followed. The unspoken confession remained on his silent tongue, and MC let out a short laugh in disbelief. She always believed relationships could be mended with enough truth…that people could be good no matter what they might've done. For the first time since she entered the RFA, that belief was shaken. Rika and V? It didn't matter their motives…one twisted an innocent boy and the other stayed silent and let it happen. How was that fair?

The room fell into thick silence. The only sound was the occasional footsteps above them. Soon enough, Saeyoung's ragged breaths joined them. MC turned to him, daring to touch his elbow. He didn't look at her, but tears brimmed at the edge of his eyes.

"What were you doing?" Saeyoung's voice finally broke the silence, even though it initially came out quiet and wavering. He took a step forward, his hand hooking under the collar of V's shirt. "When I decided to leave, you told me to trust you. You…you have no idea how hard it was to leave him. What were you doing!"

He grew louder with every syllable. Silent tears streamed down his face. MC winced when V let out a broken apology. Her heart cracked as a few strangled sobs escaped Saeyoung's throat. She hated it. She hated to think how hard he worked for years to protect his brother, only to find his entire world ripped from underneath him.

"I'm sorry will never be enough," Saeyoung replied, his voice cracking. "I will never forgive you, even if you never meant for this to happen. I will never-"

It happened too fast for MC or Vanderwood to intervene. She blinked and Saeyoung had used both hands to shove V against the wall. His fist collided with V's jaw with a sickening crack.

"Saeyoung!" she scolded, though her feet were frozen into place.

Vanderwood was the first to break out of his stupor and rush forward. He tried prying the young hacker off of V. "Hey, hey! Calm down. You're hurt right now."

Saeyoung shoved him off, picking V up from the ground by his shirt. He shook him roughly. "Saeran, my brother…what are you going to do? Turn everything back! It's all because of you!"

"Saeyoung," V rasped. "It's all my fault."

"We were just used. We were innocent, and you two used us," Saeyoung choked. He gritted his teeth and threw V back onto the wall again. "You and that—that savior. I'm going to do everything to destroy both!"

MC hissed as Saeyoung once again swung at V. Blood trickled from the older man's lips.

"Saeyoung, that's enough," MC said, though she was unsure if he even heard her in his rage.

Vanderwood cast a nervous glance towards the entrance. MC didn't need to follow his gaze to know that the guards probably heard the clamor. Whether or not they cared was another issue. "Seven," Vanderwood whispered. "Don't. Not now."

Saeyoung pulled his arm back, ready to land another blow. MC didn't blame him. Not really. He was angry and hurt, and all those years of pure loyalty had only turned around to stab him in the back. Still, MC couldn't let him go on. While V may have deserved, she knew Saeyoung would only deteriorate from guilt later. She stepped forward, clasping his arm and tugging him back. His muscles were taut underneath her fingers, and she wondered how he was stomaching the pain from his wound. "Saeyoung, I understand how you feel. Really! But please think of yourself!"

He ignored her, ramming V back against the wall with surprising strength. MC swallowed the fear that he might do some serious damage and stepped in front of him, pushing back against his chest. "Saeyoung, stop!"

His eyes flickered down to hers, and he abruptly let go of V. He looked down at his own hands, growing more and more pale. He sighed sharply, turning away from her and taking a few paces back. MC exhaled shakily. "You need to calm down," she said, attempting to keep her voice steady, even if she was trembling. She had seen him angry before, but never like this. He only nodded, sending a glare towards V who gasped and coughed on the ground in attempt to recover his breath.

"Th-thank you," the mint haired man muttered.

"Don't thank me yet," MC replied, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I…I have questions too. Why me? Did you know that whole time that I was being used as a pawn?"

V wiped the blood from his mouth on his sleeve. "I suspected…Rika had something to do with you when you first appeared."

"So, you let her be used without saying anything?" Saeyoung burst. "She could've been hurt! Kidnapped—blown up! Why the—"

"Saeyoung," MC interjected. He looked at her with disapproval, but she met him equally. He didn't like her talking to V…but she had the right to know how she ended up there. After a few moments, he backed down, and she went on. "So, was Saeran using me for information?"

V shook his head. "They all wanted to absorb you into Mint Eye…along with the rest of the RFA. If I didn't accept you, I knew they would just take you away. You would've disappeared without a trace. But…Saeran did try to take you earlier. It failed because Saeyoung won over him."

MC gnawed on her bottom lip. So, she had no choice after all, whether or not she accepted or refused their invitation. She was unsure if she should've thanked him or not.

She inhaled sharply, taking a moment for her brain to process everything she just learned. "And you? How did you get involved? Aren't you part of Mint Eye?"

Again, V shook his head. "I disguised myself as a disciple and stayed here…to acquire information."

"That's why we couldn't reach you," Saeyoung said from the other side of the cell. He was leaning against the back wall, his right hand hanging loosely by his side and his left roughly tugging at the string of his hoodie.

"So," Vanderwood muttered. "The mystery is solved."

MC wasn't so sure. The story only branched out into further questions, going far deeper than she originally believed. Why her? When had they planned this? Why did they drag two innocent boys into this whole mess? They were only given facts, not reasons.

"I don't know," Saeyoung said. His demeanor seemed a lot calmer, but MC couldn't help but notice the patch of blood on his clothes had gotten larger. "But knowing more isn't going to do anything, unless there's something that will change Saeran back."

"If Rika changes, I think there's a possibility Saeran will realize the truth," V replied.

MC shook her head, giving an exasperated sigh. "How do plan to change her mind?" she asked. "No offense, but being thrown into prison doesn't speak well of your persuasion skills."

V shifted uncomfortably, resting his arms on his knees. "I'll let her destroy me until she's satisfied," he replied. An unsettling determination hardened his features.

"What do you mean?" MC ventured.

Saeyoung pushed himself off the wall and approached them. "He could be lying…about all of this. But it makes sense…" he groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. "I feel so complicated right now. But we need to get out of here first. Vanderwood, turn on the phone. We can access my virtual IP server and tell Jumin where we are. It should take ten minutes."

The group dispersed. V retreated to the other end of the cell, and Vanderwood and Saeyoung attempted to remain in the darker parts of the area. MC stood in the middle, unsure of herself…and her place in all of this.

Her eyes landed on V as he absentmindedly drew lines in the dirt. The frustration she felt minutes ago had subsided. Before she could change her mind, she crouched down beside him. Her trust in him was shattered, and she was still angry at him for what he'd done. But that didn't mean she felt no compassion. "Are you okay?" she asked.

V nodded numbly. "I deserved it," he said. His breath hitched in the middle of a bitter laugh. "I've made a mess, haven't I?"

"Yeah," she replied bluntly. She lowered herself into a sitting position, examining the scratches on her wrist which had begun to burn again.

"MC," he hesitated, his mouth opening and closing before he let out a sigh. "Do you think…maybe…he might forgive me?"

She scoffed. "I thought you said that he shouldn't."

"I did," V said. "And I believe it. It's just I hoped…Nevermind."

She pursed her lips, once again battling the conflict between her head screaming at her to ignore him and her gut telling her that V's motives went far deeper than holding secrets. She couldn't seem to figure him out. "You never know," she shrugged. "It'll take a lot, but maybe…"

"Do you ever feel like you want to fix everything, only to find out you can't?" he said, his head falling back against the wall.

MC hummed. "You have no idea."

"I've been going about it the wrong way," he said, shifting his eyes to where Saeyoung and Vanderwood spoke in hushed tones. "I know that now."

All the negative emotions she had before dissipated at his confession. There was something about the way he spoke that truly reflected his inner remorse. He continued to say he didn't deserve forgiveness, but MC could tell he was aching to be accepted again. She wondered how long he had spent alone, hoping for Rika to return his affections.

He rubbed his eyes wearily. "If God gives me the chance, I want to try to fix things," he said. "I made Rika the way she is, so maybe I can help her again—even if she hates me afterwards. I'll make sure Saeran and Saeyoung are fine, and if they want I'll disappear forever. And you…I don't think I can ever apologize to you. You were the most innocent one dragged into all this."

MC stayed silent, unsure how to respond. The way he spoke almost sounded like a will. Just before it grew awkward, Saeyoung called her name. He gestured for her to join him, shooting V a skeptical look. She didn't fight him and stood.

She brushed herself off and took a step forward before pausing. With a small sigh, she turned back around to face V. "Listen…if you want to start fixing things, I think you need to start being honest with yourself—and with others. Hiding things only hurts all parties involved."

His lips turned upwards. Despite his eyes not focusing, there was still kindness behind them. "Thank you," he nodded. "And, MC? Take care of Saeyoung. I've known him many years, and…well, you know how he acts like he's okay."

She knew that all too well.

"MC," Saeyoung called again.

She took a deep breath and returned to him. When she sat next to him, he didn't tear his eyes away from the phone in his hands. She wrapped her arms around his middle. He shuddered underneath her touch, and it only beckoned her to hold him tighter. "I love you."

Saeyoung tensed for a moment. "Why the sudden confession?" he said, his words coming out weakly.

"Because I can see the guilt gnawing at your conscious," she replied. "I just thought you needed the reminder."

"I should've never left Saeran—"

"You had no choice," she intervened. "We'll get him back, Saeyoung. We've gotten this far."

He cleared his throat and turned his head away from Vanderwood. MC didn't miss the tear he dashed away with his thumb before he pressed a kiss to her hair.

His lips twitched in a half smile as paused to pat her head. "I love you, too," he said.

MC watched patiently as Saeyoung typed away strings of code she couldn't decipher until finally the phone shut off. Her breath hitched. Was that it? Their last means of escape gone?

"Don't worry," Saeyoung said, setting the phone aside. "I got the message out. It should be enough."

"So now what?"

Vanderwood leaned back stretching his legs out in front of him. "The only thing we can do," he said. "We wait and hope your rich friend gets here in time."

A/N: Oh, V...sigh. Hope you liked this chapter! It was interesting trying to make MC a bit more involved in the whole...mini interrogation scene. I hope it came out well! As always, thank you for reading, and I always enjoy hearing feedback from you guys! Have a good weekend.

Also, Happy Birthday to Zen! Yay:D