Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Hyun Soyeon Betrayed Us.

Namgung Hyung spoke with a troubled expression.

Why was he suddenly bringing up Hyun Soyeon?

I turned to him with a questioning look, and he frowned before answering.

"…The only people who knew about this tunnel’s location were me and Hyung-nim."

"…Ah."

"And yet, that guy is here waiting for us. I think you know what that means."

Hearing his words, I furrowed my brows.

Only two people knew about the tunnel.

And now, Father was sitting here, waiting, like he’d known exactly where we would emerge.

There was only one explanation for this.

And before I could process it further—

"Correct answer."

A soft, delicate voice rang out beside Father.

Hyun Soyeon appeared, her beautiful face peeking out from behind him.

"…Hyung-nim."

Namgung Hyung looked at her with an incredulous expression.

She met his gaze with an awkward smile.

"I'm sorry."

"This is a hell of a backstab, you know?"

"I didn’t have a choice."

"A choice? What the hell does that mean?"

Namgung Hyung's voice grew cold.

Was he upset that his plan had failed?

Or—

‘Is he angry because Hyun Soyeon betrayed him?’

It was probably both.

But for me, that wasn’t the issue here.

‘More than her betrayal…’

Why had Father listened to her?

That was the real problem.

I quickly assessed the situation, scanning the area for any hidden threats.

‘Not many people are around.’

If I wanted to, I could force my way out.

But—

‘The same applies to them.’

If we started a fight here, reinforcements would immediately flood in.

‘Hmm.’

I hesitated.

Should I just give up?

If I threw Namgung Hyung under the bus now, I could probably get out of this unscathed.

But…