Chapter 126: Soft Wars and Silent Codes🔥

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I nod, pressing my cheek to his bicep.

"That's because you care. Not because you failed."

He doesn't answer right away.

Just shifts his weight, sets his mug down with a quiet clink, and leans forward until our foreheads touch.

His eyes are closed. Like he's trying to shut out everything else and just... breathe.

"I keep going over every step," he says finally, voice low and rough.

"Every update, every protocol I missed, every goddamn second leading up to that glitch

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"Every update, every protocol I missed, every goddamn second leading up to that glitch. It's like-no matter how much I build, they always find a crack."

There's a beat of silence.

So I say what I know is true, even if my chest's still tight from my own worry.

"Yoongi... you're not the crack. You're the reason we're still standing."

He snorts, but it's faint.

"You don't have to say that."

"I'm not saying it to be nice," I press, leaning into him.

"I'm saying it because I see you. Even when you don't see yourself."

He exhales sharply.

"Yeah, well... I don't really feel like the genius right now. I feel like the guy who let it happen."

"Then let me remind you of something," I say, a little firmer now, my hand finding his.

"We're here because of you. The backup systems? The failsafes? The protocols that caught the breach before it became a catastrophe? That wasn't luck. That was you."

He's quiet for a long time. Then, "You're giving me too much credit."

"No, I'm giving you credit. Period," I say.

"You're allowed to be shaken. You're allowed to be mad. But don't start rewriting the truth to fit your guilt."

His shoulders ease just slightly.

He shifts again-just enough to kiss my temple. The warmth of it seeps through my skin like sunlight.

"You always know how to ground me," he murmurs.

"Good," I whisper.

"Because I'm not letting you float off just because some anonymous hacker tried to scare us."

He finally smiles-small, tired, but real.

"You know, you're kind of bossy when you pep talk."

I grin.

"Only because I learned from the best."

He rolls his eyes, but his fingers curl tighter around mine.

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