Chapter 11: The Breaking Point

It was day five of this forced collaboration, and Evelyn was one more failure away from smashing her laptop.

The Pentagon's security system was a mess—outdated, stubborn, and layered with unnecessary encryption. Every time they fixed one issue, another popped up, like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole.

And the worst part?

Ji-Ah was handling it like a damn machine.

No frustration. No complaints. Just methodical focus, as if she had all the time in the world.

Evelyn, on the other hand, was losing her mind.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, fingers drumming against the desk. "Who the hell designed this? A group of interns with a grudge against efficiency?"

Across from her, Ji-Ah didn't even look up. "Probably."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't sarcasm, was it?"

"No," Ji-Ah said simply. "Government systems are outdated because upgrades take too long to approve. Layers get added without removing old ones. It's a security nightmare."

Evelyn groaned. "And here I thought I was just dealing with incompetence."

Ji-Ah hummed in agreement. That was it. Just a hum.

No irritation, no exhaustion.

How?

How was she still so damn calm?

Evelyn leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms above her head. "Let me guess. You've never lost your temper over work, have you?"

Ji-Ah didn't pause. "No."

Evelyn scoffed. "Liar."

Ji-Ah finally looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "I don't waste energy on things I can't control."

Evelyn rolled her eyes. "And I bet you think I do?"

Ji-Ah didn't answer.

Which was an answer in itself.

2:00 AM – The Bet Continues

It had started as a joke. A way to keep themselves awake.

Betting on everything.

Who could find the next bug.

Who could last longer without coffee.

Who would give up first and crash on the desk.

Evelyn was determined to win.

Ji-Ah, annoyingly, didn't seem to care.

Evelyn sipped her now-cold coffee, watching Ji-Ah type away with unbothered precision.

She exhaled loudly. "I swear, you're a robot."

Ji-Ah didn't look up. "I get that a lot."

Evelyn studied her. Ji-Ah's expression was neutral, her posture straight, her fingers moving at a steady, unhurried pace.

She really did seem like a machine.

No stress. No irritation.

Just focus.

And yet…

Evelyn had seen cracks in that armor before.

Like the way Ji-Ah's lips pressed together slightly when something didn't work.

Or the way she exhaled a little too sharply when Evelyn really annoyed her.

Little moments. Small cracks.

It made Evelyn curious.

What would it take to break her composure completely?

She smirked. "Alright, new bet."

Ji-Ah finally glanced up. "No."

Evelyn blinked. "You don't even know what it is."

Ji-Ah looked back at her screen. "Doesn't matter."

Evelyn leaned forward. "Scared you'll lose?"

Ji-Ah sighed. "What is it?"

Evelyn's grin widened. "First one to snap and yell at the other loses."

Ji-Ah gave her a flat look. "That's stupid."

Evelyn shrugged. "So, you're scared."

Ji-Ah shook her head. "I just don't see the point."

Evelyn smirked. "The point is, I'm going to win."

Ji-Ah didn't respond.

Which, of course, just made Evelyn more determined.

4:30 AM – The First Break

Evelyn had lost track of time.

Her eyes were burning, her fingers sore from typing, and she was seconds away from throwing her computer out the window.

But she refused to be the first to give up.

Ji-Ah, unfortunately, looked completely fine.

Evelyn watched her, trying to find any sign of exhaustion. A twitch. A sigh. A slouch in posture.

Nothing.

She huffed. "You're not human."

Ji-Ah, still typing, responded without hesitation. "And you're predictable."

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Ji-Ah finally looked at her. "You get frustrated when things don't go your way. And when that happens, you either try harder… or start trying to get a reaction out of someone else."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "You think you've got me figured out?"

Ji-Ah's lips twitched. "I think you're easy to read."

Evelyn leaned back, crossing her arms. "Funny. I thought the same about you."

Ji-Ah tilted her head slightly. "Is that so?"

Evelyn grinned. "Mm-hmm. You pretend to be calm, but I've seen you slip. You get annoyed. You just hide it better."

Ji-Ah didn't react immediately. Then, slowly, she said, "And what do you plan to do with that information?"

Evelyn shrugged. "Haven't decided yet."

Ji-Ah hummed. "You should focus on the project."

Evelyn smirked. "And you should stop pretending you don't care about this bet."

Ji-Ah shook her head, going back to her screen. "Go to sleep, Evelyn."

Evelyn leaned closer. "Admit I'm right, and I will."

Ji-Ah exhaled. "You're annoying ."

Evelyn grinned. "That's not a no."

6:00 AM – The Breakthrough

Somewhere between exhaustion and stubbornness, something finally clicked.

Ji-Ah suddenly stiffened, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Evelyn frowned. "What?"

Ji-Ah didn't answer. She just kept typing, her expression unreadable.

Evelyn stood and walked over. "Ji-Ah."

Ji-Ah finally looked up, her eyes sharp. "I found it."

Evelyn's heart kicked up. "You're serious?"

Ji-Ah pointed at the screen. "The encryption conflict isn't actually a conflict. It's looping back because of redundant security checks. If we bypass the duplicates, we can—"

"—Force the integration to stabilize," Evelyn finished, her brain catching up.

Ji-Ah nodded.

Evelyn grinned. Really grinned. "You brilliant, annoying woman."

Ji-Ah shook her head. "Fix it."

Evelyn cracked her knuckles. "Watch me."

She sat down and got to work.

For the first time since this disaster started, they were actually in sync.

No bickering. No competition. Just problem-solving.

It was exhilarating.

6:30 AM – Victory?

The final test ran.

The system processed.

No errors. No failures. It worked.

Evelyn let out a breathless laugh, slumping in her chair. "Holy shit. We did it."

Ji-Ah, for once, looked… pleased. Just a little. "We did."

Evelyn turned to her. "And you thought I was all ego."

Ji-Ah shook her head. "You are. But you're also good."

Evelyn's smirk softened. "That almost sounded like a compliment."

Ji-Ah didn't reply.

Evelyn watched her for a second.

Ji-Ah was different from what she expected. And that thought?

That was dangerous.

She ignored it.

For now.