The hacker had left the chat. Deepak stared at the screen, silent and composed. Despite the pressure, he felt a strange sense of clarity. He had three days. Time was on his side.
But the question loomed—where would he get the money?
His heart whispered the doubt aloud.
"To whom are you going to ask for money?"
Deepak shook his head gently. "No one."
"Then how will you pay him on time?" his heart asked again, anxious and trembling.
A quiet determination crept into his voice. "I'm not going to pay him."
The thought echoed through the silence.
"I'm going to hack his phone."
The room seemed to pause.
Overthinking leapt into his mind, agitated. "What!? Are you mad? He's a hacker! A real one! How can you possibly out-hack him?"
But Deepak's voice remained firm. "He's not a professional hacker."
The brain chimed in calmly. "And why do you think so?"
"No real hacker targets someone with hardly a hundred followers and asks for only ₹5000. It doesn't add up," Deepak explained. "He called me 'innocent'. That's personal. He must know me."
The heart hesitated. "So who do you think it is?"
"One of my classmates," Deepak replied without hesitation.
His heart blinked in surprise. "What? How can you be so sure?"
"Because only someone from school would use that phrase. And more importantly… the way he sent the QR code—it was sloppy. Amateurs try to scare. Professionals don't negotiate."
Deepak's eyes locked on the QR code. "This... this is my key."
Without wasting another second, he turned to his computer, cracked his knuckles, and got to work.
All night long, he typed—line after line, string after string. The dull hum of the CPU filled the room. He worked tirelessly, tracing connections, probing weak points, bypassing shields. And as the first light of dawn crept into the window, success smiled on him.
He had done it.
He had broken into the hacker's phone.
Not only that, he had tracked the source.
He had a name now—Nagesh—and a location. The moment he saw it, he grabbed his phone and messaged Chaitanya.
"I found him."
The reply was instant.
"What!? Who is it?"
Deepak sent the information. "His name is Nagesh. Do you know him?"
Chaitanya replied with shock. "Yes, he's one of our classmates. Don't you remember him?"
"I'm afraid I didn't."
"I don't know his current address," Chaitanya added.
"No problem," Deepak replied with a grin. "I tracked that too."
"Great. I'll give him a good treatment," Chaitanya responded.
"Shall I come with you?"
"Really? Of course you can. Be ready—I'll come pick you up."
Within minutes, Deepak had freshened up and was standing outside, heart racing, eyes focused. The bike rolled up and Chaitanya gestured to hop on.
The road rushed past as they rode through familiar streets, the air thick with tension and anticipation. Eventually, they arrived at a narrow lane and found Nagesh sitting on a concrete step, scrolling on his phone.
As he spotted them, his face paled.
"Hey! What a surprise," Nagesh said, trying to smile. "Long time no see."
But Chaitanya wasn't smiling. "Why did you hack our accounts?"
"What? Why would I do that? I didn't hack your Instagram." Nagesh feigned confusion.
Deepak stepped forward, eyes narrowing. "We didn't mention Instagram."
The smirk faded. Nagesh faltered.
Chaitanya's tone sharpened. "Now tell us the truth."
Still hesitant, Nagesh tried to recover. "Do you have proof?"
Deepak pulled out his phone and displayed the evidence—the messages, the IP, the trace.
Nagesh exhaled. A bitter smile crept to his lips. "I thought I could fool you. But… great job."
"Stop the nonsense," Chaitanya snapped. "Why did you do it?"
Nagesh hesitated, then gave in. "Sahasra."
"What?" Deepak asked, stunned. "Did Sahasra tell you to do this?"
"No! No, she has nothing to do with this," Nagesh quickly said. "I've liked her since sixth grade. I tried so hard to build a connection, but I never had the courage to confess. I was afraid she'd reject me. I just… wanted to stay close to her."
"And?" Deepak asked coldly.
"Then I saw her online, talking to you both. Laughing. Being comfortable. I was scared she might fall for one of you. So I… decided to break whatever bond was forming. I thought if I humiliated you, maybe she'd draw away."
Chaitanya looked at him in disbelief. "You idiot. We're just friends."
"Yeah," Deepak added. "That's all."
Nagesh dropped his gaze, ashamed. "I know. I realise that now. I'm sorry. I'll never do it again."
Chaitanya's eyes narrowed. "This is your last chance. Don't mess it up."
"And remember," Deepak added, his voice low and calm, "I still have full access to your phone."
Nagesh nodded quickly. "Thank you… for not reporting me."
As they walked away, Deepak felt something shift inside him.
All this time, he'd mistaken a passing emotion for love. What he felt for Sahasra wasn't love—it was infatuation, admiration, curiosity. And this whole experience had opened his eyes to the dangers lurking in the digital world, how fragile trust was behind a screen.
More than anything, he now knew he had to step out. To breathe real air. To meet real people.
To live.
They rode back, the wind pushing past them, leaving shadows behind.
"So," Chaitanya asked with a grin, "what's next?"
"I'll drop you home," he continued, "and I'm heading to play cricket."
Deepak paused, then smiled. "Shall I join?"
"Of course! But… what about your disease?"
Deepak laughed softly. "It was cured when I was in seventh."
"What! Then why didn't you ever tell anyone?"
"I was afraid. Afraid of talking to people."
Chaitanya raised an eyebrow. "And now?"
Deepak looked ahead, wind brushing against his face. "Now… I'm confident."
Chaitanya chuckled joyfully. "Then let's explore the world, my friend."
And with that, the two friends rode off into the horizon—ready to live, ready to learn, and finally… ready to be free.
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The End