Episode 32 – Black Echo
Morning rain tapped against glass like a quiet warning. In the law library's hush, Dohee leafed through court records, her mind far from ink and statutes.
Across the table, Alex worked on his laptop, the glow catching sharp angles of his face. His gaze wasn't on the screen but lost somewhere behind it.
News tickers on wall-mounted screens broke the silence:
> "Breaking: coordinated cyber heist hits Seoul's top banks — billions lost, security systems bypassed effortlessly."
Dohee's breath caught. Alex stiffened so visibly that papers trembled under his palm.
"You know something," she murmured.
His eyes, darker than usual, didn't meet hers. "Later," he said, voice low. "We need to go."
---
At CHIPER HQ, tension curled like smoke.
Kevin stood by the main monitor, sleeves rolled, jaw clenched. "Codename: Black Echo," he began, voice clipped. "Over six trillion won stolen overnight. Military-grade encryption. And a signature left behind."
The screen flickered — a pixelated, shifting mask: two hollow eyeholes over glitching static.
> "I see you, heroes."
The room fell silent.
Guen broke it, her voice calm but sharp. "You think it's ZeroFace?"
Alex's shoulders tensed, but he spoke before Kevin could. "It is ZeroFace," he said hoarsely. "The coding pattern… it's them."
Miran, her back still tender from the Jeju wound, shifted uncomfortably. "Who… is ZeroFace?"
"A ghost," Alex murmured. "Real name unknown. Once an AI systems specialist for national defense… until they disappeared."
Dohee turned to him, surprise flickering. "You know them?"
Alex hesitated, darkness pooling behind his eyes. "I used to."
---
Minjae sat on the table's edge, arms folded, eyes narrowed. "So we're chasing some coward hiding behind a screen? Give me a name. I'll drag them out."
"It isn't that simple," Kevin snapped. "This isn't brute force. It's surgical, digital infiltration."
Guen glanced at Alex, worry softening her tone. "You're shaking."
"I'm fine," Alex lied. His knuckles whitened on the table edge.
---
Later, the rain eased, but the mood didn't.
Kevin pulled Guen aside near the stairwell, his voice low. "I don't want you on the data-center run tonight."
Her brow shot up. "Excuse me?"
"It's too exposed. We don't know ZeroFace's reach."
"And you think I'm fragile?" she challenged, heat flaring under her ribs.
"No," he said, softer. "I think I couldn't stand it if something happened to you."
Her breath caught, but anger sparked through it. "Kevin, I've been fighting longer than—"
"I know," he interrupted. "That's what terrifies me."
She swallowed, silence falling like a wall between them.
---
Meanwhile, Miran stood near the window, the ache in her back a dull pulse under bandages. She caught Minjae watching her — eyes unreadable.
"Don't," she murmured.
"Don't what?" he drawled, pushing off the wall to close the distance.
"Don't look at me like I'm broken," she whispered.
His grin faded. "Then don't act like you are."
She flinched; tears welled, but she forced them back.
"I won't be your excuse to stay reckless, Minjae," she choked out.
His smirk returned, weaker this time. "We'll see," he murmured, turning away — but his gaze lingered, heavy with something unspoken.
---
By nightfall, the team regrouped around the conference table.
Kevin briefed them: "We split. Alex and Guen track the money trail through crypto nodes. Dohee and Miran help the legal team trace shell corporations. Minjae and I check the list of possible inside moles."
Minjae cracked his knuckles. "Someone must've unlocked military firewalls. No way ZeroFace did it blind."
Kevin nodded. "Find them — quietly. We can't let the authorities know CHIPER's hunting too."
---
As they stood to leave, Alex's phone buzzed — an unknown number flashing on screen.
He answered. Silence.
Then, filtered through static: "Hello, Alex. It's been a while."
Alex's blood turned to ice. "ZeroFace," he whispered.
> "Still hiding behind heroes? Tell your friends: if they keep chasing me… Seoul will burn."
The line clicked dead.
---
The message appeared seconds later on HQ's main screen:
> "You saved three lives in Jeju. But can you save yourselves?"
Miran's breath stilled; the air felt colder.
Minjae growled, fists clenching. "Come out and say that to my face."
Alex shut his eyes, voice cracking. "They're not bluffing."
---
Morning brought no relief.
At the café downstairs, Dohee caught Alex staring into black coffee, dark circles under his eyes.
"Tell me," she said softly.
He hesitated, then words spilled: "ZeroFace was once my friend… mentor, even. But they changed. Obsessed with power, punishment. I thought they died in an explosion five years ago."
"And now?" she pressed gently.
"I think they want revenge — on the world. And maybe… on me," he admitted, voice breaking.
Dohee reached across, her hand covering his. "We'll face it. Together."
His gaze met hers, pain softening into something almost tender. "Together," he echoed.
---
Back at HQ, Guen studied data maps on the screen, eyes narrowed. "They're moving the money through dozens of dummy accounts — but the pattern… it's deliberate."
Kevin nodded, hand resting briefly on her shoulder. "You see it too?"
She swallowed, feeling the warmth of his hand despite everything. "ZeroFace isn't hiding. They're baiting us."
Kevin's voice dropped. "Then we'll take the bait — carefully."
---
Outside, Miran stood on the rooftop, Seoul's skyline jagged and gray.
Footsteps approached. Minjae stopped beside her, gaze unreadable.
"You're not as fragile as they think," he said roughly.
She turned, surprised. "You think that?"
"No," he drawled, smirk curling his mouth. "I know it."
For a heartbeat, the ache between them softened into something gentle.
Then his phone buzzed, breaking the moment.
---