Hongjoong sat, his knee bouncing on the bed as he waited for Seonghwa to get back. He knew he should've waited and explained but Chan wanted to get it over with early so he wouldn't miss so much rehearsal time.

And to be fair, the last time he'd tried to tell Seonghwa there might be spies, he'd ended up in an awful argument.

So maybe he was also a little nervous to broach the subject again.

Just then the door clicked open and Seonghwa stepped into the room. Their eyes connected. The door shut, leaving them in silence. Seonghwa was the first to speak.

"You were right."

Hongjoong's knee paused as he stared at Seonghwa in confusion.

"What?"

"About the spy."

Hongjoong felt a rush of alarm.

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"Nothing, JYP just stopped by during rehearsal today and said some things—"

"What did he say to you?" Hongjoong slid off the bed, approaching Seonghwa and holding onto his hands.

"Just a bunch of bullshit to try to get me to throw you under the bus. And I think he got some of it from Hyunjin."

Hongjoong's expression softened.

"I'm really sorry, Hwa. He's playing us like a fucking fiddle."

"No, he's just playing me."

Hongjoong looked at the floor and nodded. He was right. JYP was targeting Seonghwa.

"Well? Where were you?"

Seonghwa walked past Hongjoong to his dresser to change into comfy clothes for the afternoon. Hongjoong sat back down on the bed, curling his knees into his chest.

"There's something I haven't gotten a chance to tell you."

"Okay, well now's the time," Seonghwa said with a soft smile and Hongjoong nodded.

"We got in to KQ."

Seonghwa paused just as he was about to pull his hoodie down over his head. He slid it off, holding it in his hands as he turned to face Hongjoong.

"We did? We made it into KQ?"

"We made it into KQ."

Seonghwa dropped the sweatshirt and ran to the bed, tackling Hongjoong in a hug and the two tumbled backwards onto the soft mattress.

"Oh my God that's amazing! Wha—when—how long ago did you find out?!"

"Last night when I was in the studio—I got a call from Eden. And it wasn't my finest moment—I kind of panicked and made an absolute fool of myself but they really want us. We don't even have to audition or anything. They'll take us whenever we accept."

Seonghwa turned over, his sparkling eyes staring into Hongjoong's in excitement.

"It's really that simple? We can just forget everything here and go?"

"Yeah. We can."

Seonghwa snuggled into Hongjoong's chest, his arms wrapped tightly around him.

His smile was starting to hurt, but he released it as he realized Hongjoong wasn't done.

"So where were you during rehearsal?"

"I was at KQ."

Seonghwa pulled away to look down at Hongjoong.

"You met with them...without me?"

"It wasn't about us—I won't do that again, I promise. I wanted to ask them about...considering Stray Kids for an audition."

Seonghwa turned his head to the side.

"What? After everything they've done to us while we're here?"

"That's the thing...I don't think they're doing it by choice. I think JYP has something on them. He's forcing them to do his dirty work. And...he did that same thing to them, too."

"He had other groups spy on them??"

"Yeah. And they lost a member because of it."

Seonghwa paused, taking in the new information.

"So that's what he's trying to do. He's trying to get rid of one of us. He wants to pit us against each other until one of us steps away."

"I think so."

"Why would he do that?"

"It'll attract media attention for our second debut, so he'll make more money off of us."

Seonghwa nodded, understanding.

"Fucking asshole."

"I know."

Seonghwa laid his head back on Hongjoong's chest and Hongjoong put an arm over his shoulder.

"How do you know all of this?" Seonghwa asked, playing with Hongjoong's fingers as he held them in his hand.

"Last night, when I stepped away, I went to the studio with Chan and Changbin. Turns out they had their suspicions, too."

"Are you sure they're trustworthy?"

"Yeah. They were really hurt by everything going on with Felix."

"Felix?"

"Yeah. I think he's the spy."

"No, the spy is Hyunjin."

"What?"

"Last night—when you left me at their dorm. Hyunjin took care of me. He started asking about why you'd leave me behind and...I talked a little more than I should've. To be fair, I was a little ticked off and a little hungover. And then JYP brought up the same conversation during practice."

Hongjoong let his hand fall, guilt washing over him.

"Fuck...I'm sorry, Hwa. I forgot all about you...That was such a dick move..."

"It was. But I forgive you. I guess it ended up working out in your favor."

"Hwa..."

"Well I helped you find another spy. If you're really certain that Felix is one, too."

"I guess...I'm still really sorry."

"It's okay. So, who does that leave? Could there be any others?"

Hongjoong didn't want to move on from the subject but he knew Seonghwa was invested now.

"We know Chan and Changbin are on our side and Felix and Hyunjin aren't. And I'm pretty sure Minho isn't involved."

"I agree. What about Jisung?"

"They weren't sure either. He's been acting weird lately but they don't know if it's because of everything between him and Minho or if he's actually a spy."

"Yeah...it must be tough. What about the two youngest?"

"Chan seemed pretty certain that Jeongin wasn't involved and I trust his judgment. He wasn't sure about Seungmin but if Hyunjin is involved, Seungmin might be too."

"But maybe Seungmin is just as uninvolved as Changbin. After all, Felix didn't talk to him about it at all—and he didn't talk to Chan either. And everyone says those two are the ones he's closest with."

Hongjoong thought for a moment.

"Hmm, you're right."

"Wait—what if that's what we've been missing this whole time! What if—what if JYP's isolating one person?"

"What are you saying?"

Seonghwa jumped up, energized by his new lead.

"Think about it! If he isolates Felix from Changbin, he's keeping him from having that safe space to talk to. He's creating distance, making him feel alone."

Hongjoong followed suit, sitting up.

"So the only people he can turn to—are the others that are in on it!"

"Exactly! So we know that Han has to be in on it!"

"You're a genius!" Hongjoong smiled excitedly, pulling Seonghwa in for a kiss.

"You're welcome," Seonghwa smiled as they pulled apart.

"So Seungmin and Jeongin are out. It has to be those three."

"So what do we do now?" Seonghwa asked, leaning back against the headboard and crossing his arms.

"Now we play his game. But this time, we're going to win."