ERIC

Eric stepped into Tyler's apartment, immediately hit with the scent of polished wood and the faint aroma of takeout that seemed to be a permanent fixture here. The living room was in its usual state of organized chaos—papers and open laptops were scattered across the coffee table alongside a half-finished Rubik's Cube. A stack of books teetered precariously on the edge of a shelf, their titles ranging from Financial Analysis to Neural Networks for Beginners.

Seok was already sprawled on the couch, one arm draped over the backrest, scrolling lazily through his phone. Noah, true to form, was rummaging through the fridge, emerging moments later with two beers in hand. Tyler stood near his massive screens, his shoulders slightly hunched, his ever-present hoodie pulled up despite the warm interior.

"Ah, look who finally decided to grace us with his lovesick presence," Seok said, grinning as he set his phone aside. He gestured toward Eric with mock grandeur. "Our resident Romeo. How's the heart, Ricky? Still nursing the wounds from last week?"

Eric rolled his eyes, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on the back of a chair. "It's fine, Seok. I have a plan, remember?"

"Oh, naturally," Seok replied, his grin widening. "Tell me, does it involve poetry under her window or a heartfelt PowerPoint presentation on why she should date you?"

Noah let out a laugh as he passed Eric a beer. "Careful, Seok. He might actually take you seriously. And we all know how your approach works—oh wait, my bad, you never even confessed to Claire."

Seok threw a pillow at Noah, who dodged with exaggerated flair, his snicker echoing in the apartment. However a moment later, he sighed, his expression shifting slightly - looking defeated. "Speaking of relationships going nowhere, Di called me two days ago."

The room quieted, and Eric's eyes flicked to Noah, noticing the tension in his jaw. "She's staying in Germany longer?"

Noah nodded, swirling the beer in his bottle absently. "Yeah, she wants to 'explore a bit.' Of course, she didn't think to discuss it with me first. Just called to inform me."

"Sounds... collaborative," Seok said dryly, earning a half-smile from Noah.

"She's always been like this," Noah admitted, his voice laced with frustration. "Independent to a fault. And I get it, I do. She's brilliant, she has her own life. But sometimes, it feels like I'm just along for the ride. No say, no input. And I can't even fly out there right now."

Silence reigned as all of them drowned in deep contemplation, taking sips of their beers.

"Well, your situation is still better than Eric, so you don't get any points," Seok said trying to lighten the conversation.

"At least I'm making an effort," Eric shot back, throwing his head back and finishing his beer. "You, on the other hand, waved the white flag before the game even started." 

"Effort?" Seok leaned forward, his grin sharp. "Brother, you've been moping for a week. Did you even eat anything that wasn't caffeinated or came wrapped in plastic?"

Eric raised an eyebrow, smirking as he leaned against the counter. "Says the guy who binges rom-coms to avoid his own tragic lack of progress with Claire."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you," Seok retorted, pretending to clutch his chest in mock outrage. "The man who's out here pining over someone he's seen all but five times."

"Don't act like you're any better," Eric quipped. "You've been obsessing over Claire for a decade."

"Gentlemen," Tyler interrupted, his quiet voice cutting through the banter. He was perched on the armrest of a chair, his laptop balanced on one knee. "If you're done arguing over who's more pathetic, we have real problems to discuss."

Seok held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, Ty. Lead the way."

Before Tyler could respond, the massive screen on the wall flickered to life, and a deep, smooth voice filled the room, carrying a hint of dry amusement.

"You guys are so loud, I could hear you through the firewall."

None of them flinched as the sleek, glowing avatar of X appeared on the screen—a faceless figure with piercing blue eyes.

"X," Noah greeted with a smirk, raising his beer. "Couldn't resist hacking into Tyler's system again?"

X's tone was teasing as usual. "I wouldn't call it hacking when it's this easy."

"Right," Seok interjected, rolling his eyes. "Because the rest of us are totally amateurs at cybersecurity."

"I didn't say that," X replied, the faintest trace of a chuckle in his voice. "But Tyler's system? It's like breaking into a luxury hotel with a plastic key card."

Tyler's mouth twitched—his version of a smile—but he said nothing.

Eric stepped closer to the screen, his expression sharpening. "What do you have for us, X?"

The humor in X's tone vanished, replaced by a cold efficiency. "Reeves. He's been busy. Quietly buying up shares from scattered shareholders—mostly the ones who aren't actively involved in board activities."

Eric's jaw tightened. "How many shares are we talking about?"

"Not enough to challenge your majority stake yet," X clarified, "but enough to stir the pot. He's consolidating just enough influence to push his agenda. Think of it as death by a thousand cuts. His goal isn't outright control; it's to destabilize your position and fracture the shareholders' trust in you."

Eric's grip on his beer tightened. "He's playing to break us from the inside." He paused, his mind racing. "Reeves is accumulating small stakes strategically, and when the stock price dips, he'll swoop in and buy even more-"

"-As soon as the value falls far enough, the company will be forced to issue new shares to keep liquidity up," Tyler interrupted, "And when they do, he'll flood in, diluting your control and weakening all of us."

"And not only will this undermine your position, but it'll affect everyone else's stake too, leaving us scrambling for control. That bastard's playing dirty," Noah gritted out, his expression darkening. "This is worse than I thought. If we can't keep the stock stable, we're at risk of losing everything."

"He's forcing your hand," X said, his tone flat but sharp. "If you don't act soon, he'll gain enough leverage to control the narrative. It won't matter how many shares you have if the board thinks you're unstable."

Seok leaned forward, his expression unusually serious. "There's a Korean proverb that goes, 'To confront a wicked person, you must become a wicked person.' Regular methods won't work with Reeves. We need something precise, something he won't see coming."

Eric nodded, his mind already working through potential strategies. Reeves had always been a thorn in their side, but this was more than a nuisance. This was a direct attack on everything they'd built.

X's voice shifted slightly, laced with something coldly assuring. "I've already started feeding him false leads through his proxies. Make it harder for him to maneuver without tipping our hand. He thinks he's gaining ground, but I've set traps. All he's going to get is smoke and mirrors." His voice softened just a touch, almost a chuckle. "You just focus on securing the rest. I've got your back covered from this side."

Eric's lips curved into a faint smile. "I'll hold you to that."

"Good," X replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a stock market to manipulate. Ty, I expect my cut on the usual schedule."

"Yeah, yeah," Tyler muttered, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips.

"You're like our personal James Bond villain," Seok quipped, his grin returning.

"More like Q," X corrected, his tone amused. "But I'll take it."

Noah said, smirking. "You know, for a guy who insists on being anonymous, you sure love the spotlight."

"I don't love it," X replied smoothly. "But if you want the best, you've got to deal with the ego."

Tyler, who had been quiet through most of the exchange, finally spoke up. "Maybe one day you'll show us who you really are. You know, meet us in person?"

X's voice softened slightly, the teasing edge replaced by something warmer. "Maybe someday, Ty. When the time's right."

Eric noticed the slight shift in Tyler's expression—a flicker of something he couldn't quite place. Affection, maybe? He filed it away for later.

The screen went dark, leaving the room in thoughtful silence.

"Well," Seok said, breaking the quiet. "That guy's something else."

"Understatement," Noah muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Sometimes I think he's more invested in this company than we are."

Eric leaned back against the counter, his gaze far away. "He's invested in us," he said quietly. "Not just the company. And that's why he'll always have our backs."

Noah raised his beer. "Here's to turning the tables."

They clinked their bottles together, the tension in the room easing slightly as the conversation shifted to lighter topics. But even as the banter resumed, Eric's mind continued to churn. Reeves had made the mistake of underestimating them before.

This time, he thought, the game would end on their terms.