EPISODE 47 – The Clumsy Knock
One month had passed since Miran's funeral.
The CHIPER headquarters remained lifeless—quiet as a grave. Dust gathered on the once-buzzing desks. None of the five members had returned since the funeral day. After one month, Kevin decided to end this group. He called everyone to the CHIPER HQ for a last time goodbye and to take their things. Everyone arrived with a sad expression. Minjae was forced to come by Guen and Kevin.
Silence. A profound, echoing, almost sacred silence.
The once-vibrant command room of CHIPER was now cold and abandoned, shrouded in dust sheets, the monitors dark, the keyboards untouched. It was a tomb, a monument to their lost friend, a place they couldn't bring themselves to return to, haunted by her absence. The air was stale, heavy with the weight of unspoken grief and shattered dreams.
Then, one afternoon, their phones buzzed—at the exact same time, a synchronized chime that cut through the stillness of their separate, isolated lives. It was an unexpected tremor in the quiet, a faint spark of hope, or perhaps, dread.
Each one had received the same message.
A video mail… from Miran.
Kevin was the first to open it, his heart hammering against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against his sorrow. He hesitated, his thumb hovering over the play button, dreading what he might see, what he might hear.
Her face appeared on screen, recorded in a small, nondescript room, her eyes soft, a faint, melancholic smile playing on her lips. She looked tired, but resolute, a ghost from the past, living and breathing on the screen.
"Hey… if you're watching this," her voice began, a little shaky at first, then gaining strength, though tinged with a deep sadness, "then I'm probably not there anymore." She paused, her gaze distant, as if seeing beyond the camera, into the future, into their grief. "I know you'll be mad. I know Minjae might hate me for leaving like this, for not telling him everything, for not saying goodbye properly. But I wanted to explain. I needed you to understand. I needed you to know."
"I came to South Korea not just for work… but to escape my past. My brother. ZEROFACE. I wanted to build a new life, far from the shadows he cast, far from the blood and the lies."
Guen's hands trembled violently as she watched, tears already blurring her vision, her face contorted in a silent cry, her medical training unable to prepare her for this kind of pain, this kind of finality.
"I joined CHIPER not to hide—but to live. To feel like I was human again. You all… you made me feel like I had a family. For the first time. A real family." A tear traced a path down her cheek on the screen, a single, glistening drop, but she quickly wiped it away, a gesture of strength even in her vulnerability.
She continued, her voice growing softer, more intimate, a tender farewell. "Kevin… thank you for always trusting me with decisions, for seeing past my past, for believing in my mind, even when I doubted myself. You were the steady anchor, the mind I leaned on, the leader who guided us. Thank you... for letting me be part of your world, for showing me there was more than just the shadows I came from." Kevin's face was wet with tears now, his controlled facade finally cracking.
"Guen… you always protected me even when I didn't ask, even when I tried to push you away, when I thought I didn't deserve it. You're the kind of sister I wished I had, the one who always saw the good in me, who healed not just bodies, but souls." Guen buried her face in her hands, a choked sob escaping her, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"Alex… you genius hacker freak. You annoyed me a lot, with all your tech jargon and endless energy, but you always made me laugh, even when I wanted to cry, when the world felt too heavy. Thank you... for always making chaos feel like home, for making me feel less alone in this crazy world, for showing me joy." Alex was openly weeping now, his shoulders shaking with silent, profound grief.
"Dohee… you were the sister I never had. You understood me so well, even when I couldn't understand myself. I always admired your strength, your heart, your unwavering moral compass. You gave me a voice when I had none, you taught me to stand tall, to fight for what I believed in... I'll miss your scolding, your fierce loyalty. Never stop protecting others the way you protected me, the way you fought for me." Dohee was crouched on the floor, holding her chest, gasping for air, unable to breathe through her torrent of tears, her heart shattering into a million pieces.
Then she paused, her eyes welling up again, her gaze searching, as if she could see him through the screen, reaching out across the divide of life and death.
"Minjae…" Her voice was barely a whisper, thick with emotion, a fragile thread of sound.
Minjae, who had been standing frozen since the video began, his body rigid with shock, finally looked up, his eyes filled with an unbearable pain, a raw, exposed wound. He stumbled forward, reaching for the screen, his fingers pressing against the cold glass, as if he could touch her, pull her back.
"I love you," Miran said softly, a single tear escaping, tracing a path down her screen-face, her voice cracking with the unbearable weight of her confession, a final, desperate outpouring of her heart. "I never said it enough. I should have. Every single day. But you gave me happiness I never thought I deserved, a joy so pure it scared me, a light in my darkest corners. You made me feel like I belonged… like I was truly seen, truly loved. I'll wait for you in my next life, Minjae. I promise. Find me."
Everyone's eyes were full of tears, their hearts aching with a collective, profound sorrow, a shared burden of loss. Minjae let out a guttural cry, a sound of pure, unadulterated agony, falling to his knees before the screen, his hands pressed against the image of her face, his body wracked with sobs that tore through him, shaking him to his very core.
"I just have one last wish." Her voice, though faint, held a surprising strength, a final command from beyond.
"Don't stop CHIPER."
"Please… don't let my death become the reason to quit. Don't let it be in vain. Don't let my sacrifice be meaningless. We built something bigger than ourselves, something good in this broken world. We helped people. We saved lives. Don't let it end with me. Don't let my sacrifice be for nothing. Continue the fight."
Her voice cracked slightly, a final tremor of vulnerability. Then, the screen went dark. Everyone remained in a stunned silence, trying to hold back their fresh tears for Miran.
The silence cracked with a sharp knock on the HQ's door.
Kevin, who had stopped by alone to pick up a few files, frowned and walked to open it. Before he could even touch the handle—
BANG!
The door burst open. A girl stumbled in dramatically, tripping over her own feet and landing flat on the polished floor.
"Aigoo! My poor nose!" she whined, rubbing it as she pushed herself up. "This isn't how I planned to make my grand entrance!"
Kevin blinked. "Who... are you?"
The girl dusted herself off and beamed. She wore a white lab coat far too long for her short frame, glasses slightly crooked, and hair in a messy bun barely holding together.
"I'm Micha! Chemical and toxicology specialist. Miran's most trusted assistant and BFF!" she grinned, eyes sparkling. "And I come bearing gifts!"
She raised a small brown leather diary, worn and cracked with time.
Kevin's breath caught. "That's… Miran's?"
Just then, the others started arriving one by one—Dohee, Alex, Guen, even Minjae last, walking in quietly. They stared at the unexpected intruder.
Micha turned around dramatically and gasped, pointing at Minjae.
"OHHHHH so YOU must be MINJAE?!"
Everyone stiffened.
"You're soooo handsome, my god! I always thought Miran exaggerated when she said you were heart-throb level, but I see now—my eyes are blessed!"
Dohee choked on her own spit. Alex turned to the side, trying not to laugh. Guen blinked, whispering, "Oh no… she's one of those."
Minjae's jaw clenched. "Who is she?" he asked coldly, refusing to meet Micha's excited eyes.
"Oh right! Sorry! Sorry-sorry-sorry," Micha stammered, doing a little hop. "I'm Micha, Miran's lab partner! I know all about CHIPER. Well… not officially… I might've seen you guys on secret missions once or twice or five times—BUT I WAS SO IMPRESSED!"
She turned to Kevin. "Sir, you're like Batman but richer and with more jawline. And Guen—Guen!! You're my inspiration! So calm, so hot in black coats, and those death stares? ICONIC!"
Guen raised a brow.
Alex whispered to Dohee, "She's chaotic."
Dohee sighed, "She's definitely not Miran."
Micha clapped excitedly. "Anyway! I have something very important!" She placed the diary carefully on the table. "This diary… is everything Miran never told you. Her research, her plans, her fears… her love. She gave this to me before everything went down."
Kevin reached out for it gently, eyes misty. But Minjae stepped forward, icy and hard.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
"I'm here to give this. And… I want to help. I want to join CHIPER," Micha said sincerely. "Miran wanted me to live, so I want to do something with that life. Please."
Minjae scoffed. "We're not hiring."
"Oh come on!" Micha pouted. "I have two degrees in toxicology, I studied under one of the most feared North Korean biochemists—who by the way almost poisoned his own coffee—and I can make laughing gas from banana peels! Also, I'm a great baker."
She added proudly, "I once blew up a watermelon trying to make portable nitroglycerin. It was messy, but also kind of beautiful."
Everyone stared.
"...It's a gift," Micha explained, flipping her hair dramatically—and knocking over a pen holder in the process. "Oopsie!"
Guen snorted under his breath.
"Oh and Alex! You look so serious in videos but in person—awww, you have dimples!" Micha leaned toward him like she discovered a secret. "You're adorable. Like a dangerous little cinnamon roll."
Alex froze, clearly unsure if it was a compliment or an insult.
Kevin turned his face away to hide a chuckle. Even Dohee cracked a small smile.
Minjae's face, however, remained stone.
"Out," he snapped.
Everyone flinched.
Dohee touched his arm. "Minjae... please, take it easy. She's just—"
"No. I don't care. This isn't a place for fangirls or clowns," he growled.
"HEY!" Micha folded her arms. "I may be weird, but I'm not useless."
She quickly pulled a laminated resume from her pocket, complete with stickers. "Here. Double PhDs, five publications, and a cat that can sniff cyanide—well, he thinks it's tuna, but still! Also, I once diagnosed a man's poison just from his sweat smell."
Alex blinked. "That's… kinda cool actually."
"Oh, thank you!" Micha beamed. "Also, I can identify over 42 toxins by taste, though I don't recommend it. My tongue's still recovering from arsenic week."
Dohee burst into laughter. Guen shook his head with a rare smile.
"I told you, Minjae," Kevin murmured, amused. "She's a walking cartoon."
"I'm serious! Let me join! I promise I'll work hard. I'll even bring cookies. Miran said I made the best explosive cookies—well, explosive in terms of flavor, not chemically."
Minjae turned away, trying not to show the small twitch of his lip.
"I'm also good with kids! And puzzles! And I cry during animal documentaries so I'm emotionally available—unlike some people," she said, throwing a side glance at Minjae.
That did it.
Minjae grabbed her wrist. "You've done your part. Now leave."
"Wait—"
He dragged her toward the door.
Kevin opened his mouth to stop him, but Dohee shook her head lightly, whispering, "Let him. He hasn't spoken in a month. Maybe yelling at someone is what he needs."
As Micha was pulled out of HQ, her voice echoed back.
"Geez, Miran was right. You are dramatic."
Minjae dragged her all the way to the main gate. "Get lost now, or I'll hit you so far that even you can't recognize your face."
She looked at him with a softer tone, rubbing her wrist. "You're hurting me less than your glares, you know," she muttered. "I loved her too, you know. In my own stupid way. She trusted me."
Still silence. Minjae didn't reply.
The door slammed shut.
Everyone stood in silence for a moment, the diary resting between them like a ticking heart.
Then suddenly—
Alex burst out laughing.
"She called me a cinnamon roll," he chuckled.
Dohee smiled. "I… actually missed this. Someone being normal. Or well… her version of normal."
Kevin carefully opened the diary and whispered, "Maybe Miran knew what she was doing. Sending her here."
They all nodded.
Except Minjae, outside, standing in silence.