It took hours to decrypt the flash drive.
Tae-yul had borrowed a laptop from a senior in the computer science club—bribed him with two cans of imported Monster Energy and a USB full of pirated K-pop B-sides.
Now, in the dim glow of the AV room, the Grey List watched as the contents unfolded line by line on-screen.
> "This is Division 1's personal archive," Chan-mi whispered. "Encrypted, segmented, blacklisted."
> "And yet it's here," Dae-hyun said. "Thanks to Hae-rin."
No one replied. The silence said everything: they still didn't fully trust her.
Even so, the data was real.
And dangerous.
---
Section One: The Bishop System
A file named "PROJECT BISHOP" opened first.
> "What's 'Bishop' supposed to mean?" Sun-woo asked.
> "Chess piece," Tae-yul muttered. "Moves diagonally. Unpredictable. Cuts across ranks."
Min-ji scrolled down through the document. It was formatted like a report, complete with dates, analysis, and student records.
[PROJECT BISHOP: INITIATED YEAR 20XX – TOP SECRET]
Summary:
> The Bishop System is designed to create elite-level "ghost fighters" within the Crimson structure—individuals who operate without identity, recognition, or armbands. They influence, eliminate, and steer conflicts behind the scenes.
Primary Objectives:
Neutralize rising threats before they reach Division 1.
Sabotage rebellions and non-affiliated collectives.
Control rumor flow, student morale, and hierarchy loyalty.
Codename Examples:
> Bishop 1 – "Crow"
Bishop 2 – "Pulse"
Bishop 3 – "Shadowkey"
Bishop 4 – "Currently active: Location unknown"
Sun-woo read aloud slowly:
> "They've got assassins in the school."
> "No," Dae-hyun said. "They've got ghosts."
---
Section Two: The Clean List
Then they found it.
A folder labeled:
> [CLEAN LIST: PHASE 4 – TARGETS & METHODS]
Inside were names. Student photos. Fight records.
And red marks across every face.
> "This isn't a suspension list," Min-ji muttered. "It's a hit list."
She scrolled—until they saw it.
[Target #12: SHIN DAE-HYUN – Class 2-A]
Status: WATCHED – Strategic Instability
Assigned Method: Frame-and-Expel. Initiate false disciplinary action within 10 days.
Assigned Operative: Bishop 4
> "That's why they erased our footage," Dae-hyun whispered. "So when they pin a false charge, we can't prove anything."
Sun-woo's name followed. Then Min-ji. Then Tae-yul.
All marked.
Phase 4.
The final purge before the next academic shift.
---
Section Three: The Map
One last file revealed a layout—an internal map of Daejin High, updated far beyond anything the students had ever seen.
It included:
Underground floors no one talked about.
Surveillance blind spots.
Secret "re-education" rooms beneath the gym.
> "This is how they control the school," Chan-mi said. "Not with fear. With architecture."
Dae-hyun stared at the screen.
> "If we leak this…"
> "Then we go to war," Min-ji said.
> "We already are," Tae-yul added.
> "No," Dae-hyun said softly. "War is when both sides know they're fighting. Right now, we're just being hunted."
He looked to the team.
> "So let's stop surviving. And start counterattacking."
---
Scene: Upper Division War Room – That Same Night
Kim Ra-on sat alone in a silent control room, his eyes locked on ten different monitors. He held a white bishop chess piece between his fingers, spinning it slowly.
Na Jae-hyuk entered without knocking.
> "They found the files."
Ra-on didn't look surprised.
> "Let them. Fear is more effective when it's confirmed."
> "So what's next?"
Ra-on set the bishop piece down.
> "We prepare the trial."
---
Scene: Morning Assembly – Monday
The entire school gathered in the gym for a rare official assembly. Whispers ran through the crowd as banners were raised—Crimson Division, gold on red.
Principal Jang, normally just a figurehead, took the mic.
> "Due to recent disturbances and unregulated combat activity," he announced, "a school tribunal has been called."
Gasps.
Then, he read from a sheet.
> "Students summoned for formal inquiry: Shin Dae-hyun, Park Sun-woo, Kang Tae-yul, Oh Min-ji."
The Grey List stood silent among the murmuring crowd.
> "Charges include: unauthorized data access, property damage, and instigation of class conflict."
> "Tribunal begins Friday. You may choose a representative. Refusal to participate will result in expulsion."
The mic clicked off.
---
Scene: Hallway Aftermath
Students scattered in every direction—some whispering support, others keeping their distance. The Grey List walked together, heads high.
> "They're playing the long game," Min-ji said. "This isn't about punishment. It's about public humiliation."
> "They want us to crumble in front of everyone," Tae-yul muttered.
Sun-woo slammed a locker. "Let them try."
> "No," Dae-hyun said. "We're not reacting."
> "Then what?"
> "We're flipping the trial. If they want a spectacle… we give them a show."
Chan-mi stepped beside him.
> "You're thinking of leaking the files."
> "No. That would make us criminals."
He pulled out the flash drive.
> "But what if we play their game… and win it?"
---
Scene: That Night – Rooftop Planning
The team gathered at their usual spot. Hae-rin joined them quietly, still under silent observation.
Dae-hyun outlined the plan:
> "The tribunal will be public. Witnesses, records, evidence—manufactured or not. We're not going to fight the charges. We're going to use them."
> "How?" Sun-woo asked.
> "By proving that the Division itself is illegal."
He opened the laptop again and displayed the Bishop Program, the surveillance logs, and the Clean List.
> "We leak this during the trial. Not online. Not through rumors. In front of the faculty. In front of the Captains. In front of the Division."
> "That's suicide," Min-ji said.
> "No. It's rebirth."
---
Scene: A Silent Walk
After the meeting, Min-ji stayed behind. She watched the city from the rooftop edge, arms folded tight.
Dae-hyun joined her.
> "You think I'm being reckless," he said.
> "I think you're burning the ground beneath us."
> "We're a
lready standing on fire."
She was quiet a long moment.
> "If this fails, we don't get a second chance."
> "I know."
She turned to him.
> "Then promise me something."
> "What?"
> "If I go down first… don't come after me. Finish the plan."
Dae-hyun hesitated.
Then he nodded.
> "I promise."
---
End of Chapter 9