"Jody??... Jody??? Hey! Jody!!!"
Jody's light blue eyes flickered as if she were zoning out. What she saw was someone snapping their fingers. When she turned toward the voice, it was none other than Syd Barrett.
He looked really worried about her... and next thing she knew, Jody and everyone else were already sitting inside the meeting room.
Just how spaced out had she been not to realize that Syd had carried her here?
"...Syd..."
Jody's mind began to reboot. As she regained her senses, she found herself surrounded—everyone clearly concerned. Syd stayed right by her side.
"Whoa... this one's really out of it..."
Syd gently patted Jody's cheek.
"You dead or what?"
Grab.
"...Still... not dead..."
Jody turned and gave him a soft smile—but the daze in her eyes lingered.
"What did that old lady say to you?"
Syd shook her by the shoulders. But what he got in return was a look from Jody... a look he had never seen on her before.
It was the look of fear. Undeniable. Syd felt it instantly—his partner was trembling inside.
"..."
Even Sera swallowed hard, waiting tensely for the answer...
"...Nothing... really... Your mom just made small talk, that's all..."
"I don't buy it. Since when does small talk leave you looking like this? Tell me... right now. I'll go talk to that old hag myself—"
Syd was clearly furious that his mother had left Jody in this state. Honestly, Jody had never looked like this before. She must've been fed some serious mental poison. And Syd felt like he should take responsibility somehow...
But Jody still stuck to her story.
"It's nothing... I just... I was just stunned by your mom, that's all..."
"Jody..."
He knew it wasn't true. But Syd persisted—until Roxxy had to come over and tug his arm.
Roxxy shook her head at her brother—telling him not to push any further. She ended up dragging him away to talk outside...
Syd didn't want to go—but in the end, he left.
And in that moment of silence, someone else came to sit in Syd's now-empty seat.
Mickey Mannix.
He sat down exactly where Syd had been, right next to Jody. From the looks on everyone's faces, it was clear—Mickey understood her better than anyone right now.
"That's Annie for you," he said.
Jody turned to him.
"If you're aiming big... that's what you're gonna face."
He continued:
"Annie loves her kids. If you're trying to take a diamond out of her hands... expect some bloodshed."
"......."
"......"
Jody let out a long sigh. But... she didn't respond. Instead, she turned her head toward someone else who was standing nearby, arms crossed, listening quietly...
And she spoke.
"...It was you, wasn't it... Toshi..."
"? "
Toshi blinked, frowning in confusion at what Jody just said.
"...You're the one who told her... You weren't really asleep that day, were you?"
Jody turned to him—her eyes brimming with contained anger. She didn't explode, but her tone made it clear.
"....."
"You... the one I trusted... The one who figured Sera and me out from the start... The one who can read people better than anyone... It wasn't Mickey. It was you, wasn't it..."
"......."
"......."
"........."
Toshi froze. Then he shifted posture—bowing his head, clasping his hands behind his back in silent remorse... and he spoke.
"...I'm sorry."
"......."
He met Jody's eyes and added,
"This wasn't personal."
"......."
"........"
"Is there anything else you haven't told me... Toshi?"
"......"
"No... there's nothing else..."
"'Nothing else'...?"
"About you and Syd... I swear, there's nothing else."
"......"
"I'm sorry... but like Mickey said... Annie guards her children. I didn't want to meddle in your business... I really didn't want to do this..."
Toshi repeated again—before quietly excusing himself and walking away in guilt...
Leaving only Mickey at her side now.
"...I'm not here to make excuses for Annie..."
"...."
Jody looked up at him.
"....."
"...But one thing I swear—everything she does, she has a reason for it."
"......."
"......"
"She's going to pull me away from you guys... Mickey..."
Jody said quietly.
"When all this is over... I won't see you again..."
She turned to him—her eyes showing fear. Fear of the separation she'd been warned about from the start. And she knew it—Annie meant it.
"......"
"She knows everything... Everything that's happened... Everything about me... Every step I take..."
Jody put her hand to her forehead.
"........"
"...So this is what it is..."
Mickey let out a faint smile... then stood up.
"She hit you hard, huh..."
"....."
"...Don't worry. That's normal for her."
"...???"
"..."
"'Normal'? What do you mean..."
"...I mean, you're not the first."
Jody's eyes widened.
"...What do you mean?"
He didn't answer. He just gave her shoulder a few light taps, then walked away...
Leaving that cryptic line hanging in the air for Jody to unravel on her own.
At the same time, Sera came striding up to Mickey.
"Hey—what's going on with Jody? With Toshi? What happened just now? Explain it to me—"
Mickey: "Is this your business?"
"...Ah."
Then Mickey got smacked.
Outside...
The Barrett siblings were arguing—in Thai.
Syd was about ready to explode.
"Karn! Was it you who told Mom?! No way Jody ends up like that unless she used her ult! No one's ever made her go that far unless it's about us! You told her about me and Jody, didn't you?! I've told you over and over—there's nothing going on between us! What the hell don't you get!?"
"Hey! What?! It wasn't me! Okay, fine, maybe I suspected something between you and Jody—but I swear I never told Mom a word!"
"Then who—!?"
As they argued, Syd spotted someone stepping out of the meeting room.
Toshi.
And with his razor-sharp intuition—everything clicked. Without hesitation, he stormed over to the Japanese boy and grabbed his collar.
"You! It was you, wasn't it!? You couldn't keep your damn mouth shut!?"
It almost turned into a fight. Toshi was slammed against the wall—though he didn't resist. He knew. He knew what he did was wrong. But it had been an order from Annie Barrett—one he couldn't disobey.
Syd was breathing heavily, fury radiating off him. Behind him, his sister noticed something and asked:
"...Syd... why are you so mad? If what you say is true... if there's nothing going on between you two... then why are you so worked up?"
"...!"
Her words hit him like a brick.
Right. Why was he this angry?
If nothing happened—if it was just a joke, or shipping, or fan rumors—why was seeing Jody hurt making him lose it?
"...."
Syd slowly let go of Toshi. He pointed a shaky finger.
"Yeah... yeah, you're right. If it's not true... then why should I care? Hell, Mom's probably losing her mind in there for nothing. Hah!"
He released Toshi, who stood silently—ashamed. Deep down, he couldn't take it anymore. But for now, keeping it hidden felt like the best option...
Maybe Jody would tell Syd herself—eventually.
8:00 PM
Evening.
After finishing her day's routine—working out, eating—Jody Johansson was back in her room. Wearing her favorite turtleneck and shorts, she lay back against the headboard, watching YouTube via iPad connected to the Smart TV.
Yet her mind kept circling back to everything that had happened.
Now that she had calmed down, she began piecing it all together.
Really... Toshi wasn't wrong. He was just following orders. If it had been Jody in his place, she wouldn't have had a choice either.
And Syd's mother... even from their very first encounter, it was clear how much she loved her children. Of course a mother would scan someone thoroughly after hearing what happened with Syd...
Legally speaking, Jody was in the wrong. She was 19. Syd, only 17. In some places, that's already a criminal offense.
And for the first time, Jody understood Annie Barrett's professionalism.
Because through everything she said... nothing was set in motion until after the long-term mission. Annie never interfered with Syd and Jody's deal. She didn't meddle in Sera's blackmail clip either.
She kept her distance—but was fair. She dealt with matters case by case, never mixing personal with professional.
Realizing this, Jody couldn't help but respect her.
Annie Barrett was calm. Composed. Even after hearing the full truth, she never lost her cool.
Still... their first impression had gone terribly. That hadn't changed.
And most importantly—
Annie knew Jody's true intentions. She'd seen through her in a single glance. Something even Toshi hadn't picked up on.
And then there was something else...
The new mystery Mickey left behind.
"You're not the first."
"..."
Which meant—someone had come before her.
Just as she was pondering this—
Ding-dong!
"!? "
"..."
Jody got up from bed, turned off the iPad and TV.
When she checked the pad by the door, she saw it was Roxxy Barrett.
No need to think—she opened the door.
"...Karn?"
"...Feeling better? After getting hit with Mom's ultimate?"
"...Yeah."
Jody nodded.
"A little."
"Don't worry too much about my mom. At the end of the day, she's not trying to kill you."
"...Wow. That's some next-level optimism."
Roxxy chuckled, relieved to see Jody looking better.
"So... what's up?"
"Everyone's fighting over souvenirs Mom brought back. Like literal dogs over a bowl. Pathetic, honestly. You wanna come?"
"Souvenirs?"
"She brought stuff for everyone. It's in my room right now."
"...Sure."