The office was unnaturally quiet, the hum of computers the only sound. That quiet shattered the moment V stormed into the meeting room, his sharp gaze scanning the staff like a predator.
“Who sent the company’s confidential PDF to the rival?” His voice was low, dangerous, freezing everyone in place.
No one moved. The silence stretched unbearably.
A female employee, pale and shaking, hesitated, her eyes darting nervously around the room. “I… I just—” she began, voice barely audible.
Before she could finish, Taehyung’s hand shot up instinctively. “It’s me,” he said calmly, forcing a mask of control over the storm of panic in his chest.
The room went silent. All eyes turned to him. Taehyung’s heart pounded, but he wouldn’t let her take the blame. He knew she had already told him what happened, and he couldn’t let anyone else suffer.
V’s piercing eyes locked on him. “You?” His voice was ice, cutting through the room like a blade. “You sent it?”
Taehyung’s throat tightened. “Yes… it’s my responsibility. I… I handled it.”
V’s jaw tightened. His sharp gaze burned into Taehyung, unreadable yet full of fury.
“Accident?” V hissed, stepping closer. “Do you even understand what you’ve done?!”
“I… I didn’t mean it,” Taehyung whispered, voice breaking. His fingers trembled as he gripped the papers. “I was only trying to help…”
V’s chest heaved, the room vibrating with his presence. “Help?” His voice thundered. “Do you even realize what could happen to the company?!”
Taehyung flinched. His chest tightened as if someone had squeezed it painfully. The words hit harder than he expected. He wanted to explain, to tell him the truth, but he couldn’t. She trusted me to protect her… I can’t let anyone know.
“You’re lucky I know it wasn’t malicious,” V continued, voice low but razor-sharp, “but one more mistake like this, and it won’t just be papers you have to worry about.”
The files on V’s desk seemed to vibrate with tension. Suddenly, V slammed the nearest folder onto the table, sending papers flying across the floor. Taehyung ducked instinctively, a hot ache swelling in his chest.
“Hyung… please…” His voice trembled. A single tear escaped his eye. He tried to blink it away, but it fell freely.
V froze for a moment, noticing the movement. His sharp eyes softened ever so slightly, but the fury remained. “You… are responsible,” he said coldly, yet his voice had an edge of concern buried under the anger.
Taehyung’s hands shook. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his voice. “I… I’ll fix it. I’ll make sure nothing happens again.”
V’s gaze didn’t leave him. Every tremor in Taehyung’s posture, every quiet sob he tried to hide, seemed to slice through him. Yet he said nothing more. He turned abruptly and left, the door clicking shut behind him, leaving Taehyung frozen, chest tight, tears freely streaming now.
The female employee watched silently, guilt and relief battling in her eyes. She hadn’t expected him to take the blame so easily.
Taehyung lowered his head, fingers trembling as he wiped his face. “It’s fine,” he whispered to himself. “It’s my responsibility… I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.”
And in the quiet aftermath, the office felt emptier than ever. Taehyung realized, painfully, that protecting others sometimes meant breaking yourself under the weight of someone else’s anger—and he would do it every single time for those he cared about.
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