Episode 23 – The Vault's Price
The marble corridor beyond the gala shimmered under flickering lights, footsteps echoing like secrets whispered too loud.
Kevin's voice was a low growl: "Vault's this way. Stay close."
Guen moved beside him, heart drumming. Behind, Alex carried a small hacking device tucked into his jacket; Dohee kept pace, heels silent against stone. Minjae walked a step behind Miran, his shadow curling around her like smoke. Even without looking, she felt his gaze — cold, sharp, unrelenting.
They stopped before a heavy steel door inset with a biometric lock.
Alex knelt. "Give me thirty seconds."
Kevin kept watch, hand resting lightly on Guen's back — protective but not soft. Miran shifted, swallowing the tightness in her throat. She still felt Minjae's hand at her neck, the echo of his low warning: "Say it."
She shivered. His presence behind her was suffocating.
Click.
Alex exhaled. "We're in."
---
The vault smelled of stale money and secrets buried too deep.
Rows of shelves held files, flash drives, and black ledgers stamped with red wax. Miran's gaze caught a photograph: the missing mistress, Jung Ha-nee, laughing in an embrace with Congressman Park Min-woo.
Kevin pulled a folder free, eyes scanning its contents. "This is it. Offshore accounts, bribery lists — enough to bring down half the assembly."
Guen moved closer, voice tight. "And blackmail photos. She really did have evidence."
"Which means Park had motive to silence her," Dohee said, glancing at Miran. "This is what she died for… or is hiding for."
Alex's hands were already moving, copying files to a slim drive. "Ten seconds," he murmured.
Miran felt a touch at her wrist. Minjae. He leaned in, voice like crushed velvet. "Look sharp, little scientist. If you faint now, you'll ruin the whole show."
She jerked back, eyes burning with shame and fear.
"Done," Alex whispered. "We need to move."
---
In the dark hall beyond, a security alarm shrieked, splitting the hush into panic.
"They know we're here," Kevin snapped. "Split up, meet at the loading dock."
"Be careful," Guen whispered.
He caught her hand for a single heartbeat, thumb brushing her knuckles. "You too."
---
Miran's breath turned ragged as Minjae pulled her into a side passage, footsteps pounding behind them.
"Faster," he hissed.
"I—I'm trying!" she stammered.
He spun, hand slamming beside her head, trapping her against the wall. "Trying isn't enough," he growled. His eyes were molten shadow. "If you get caught, I won't come back for you. Remember that."
Tears prickled at her lashes. "Then why—"
"Because," he rasped, his voice cracking just a fraction, "you still belong to the team."
Before she could speak, he grabbed her wrist again and dragged her down the stairwell.
---
Outside, red and blue sirens split the night.
Police stormed the mansion as CHIPER disappeared into shadows — unseen ghosts carrying stolen truths.
Kevin led them to a black van waiting near the docks. Doors slammed; tires screeched on wet cobblestones.
Inside, silence reigned. Breathless, shaken, alive.
Dohee broke it, voice trembling. "We got it?"
Alex held up the drive. "Every dirty secret Park buried."
Kevin exhaled, chest heaving. "Good. We send it anonymously to the media — and the police."
---
The next morning, Seoul woke to a scandal no one could ignore.
TV anchors, faces pale with shock, read the headlines:
> "Park Min-woo Exposed: Secret Mistress, Offshore Millions, Blackmail Ring."
Police thank anonymous whistleblowers for evidence leading to arrest."
CCTV showed officers raiding Park's penthouse. In handcuffs, the politician lowered his head, eyes hollow.
---
At the courthouse, reporters jostled as Dohee stepped through marble doors, file in hand.
In court, her voice cut clear and steady: "Your Honor, the prosecution moves to enter into evidence financial statements, testimony, and security footage linking Park Min-woo to multiple federal crimes."
Her words, cold and sharp, drove nails into the last of his power.
When she stepped out, cameras flashed. "Attorney Yoon, are you part of the secret hero group?" a reporter shouted.
She only smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
---
At HQ, Kevin watched the live broadcast on a wall screen.
"She did well," Guen murmured beside him.
He nodded, eyes still locked on Dohee's poised figure on screen. "She gave the team a voice."
"And you?" Guen asked softly.
Kevin's gaze flickered to her. "Still prefer shadows."
For a breath, they stood close enough that silence said what words couldn't.
---
In the lab, Miran watched the news too — but her mind replayed Minjae's darkness: the hand at her throat, the threat whispered like a promise.
He'd saved her, yes. But part of her wished he hadn't.
---
Later that night, Dohee found Alex on the HQ balcony, city lights sprawled below.
"You okay?" she asked.
He didn't answer right away. Finally, he turned, something unguarded in his eyes. "Today felt… bigger than us."
"Because it is," she murmured.
Her hand brushed his — barely a touch, but enough. For once, Alex didn't pull away.
---
As dawn broke, headlines praised "secret heroes" who dared to unmask power. But names remained hidden.
CHIPER had ended the mistress's case — and left the city asking: who are these shadows?
In darkness, Kevin whispered to Guen: "One case down."
She met his gaze. "And the next?"
His jaw tightened. "Always a next."
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