EPISODE 49 – The Unconventional Analyst
Minjae stood in the suddenly silent HQ, staring at the empty doorway Kevin had just exited through. "He's lost his mind," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. He could still hear Alex's stifled chuckles and Dohee's lingering giggles from behind him. Guen was just… quietly smiling. Minjae gritted his teeth. This was all her fault. Micha. The walking, talking, human-shaped tornado of chaos.
CHIPER Headquarters - Exterior
Outside, Kevin found Micha proudly hammering a final tent stake into the manicured lawn of the CHIPER HQ. A surprisingly sturdy, brightly colored tent now stood a few feet from the main entrance, adorned with fairy lights. A small, solar-powered lamp cast a cheerful glow, illuminating a makeshift desk piled with scientific equipment and a small, suspiciously fluffy blanket.
"Ah, CEO Kevin!" Micha chirped, spotting him. "Welcome to Micha's Mobile Micro-Lab! Currently accepting applications for a co-founder who appreciates spontaneous explosions and late-night snack runs."
Kevin merely raised an eyebrow. "Kimchi pancakes and explosive cookies, correct?"
Micha's eyes lit up. "Oh, you remembered! Freshly made, emotionally unstable, just for you. Though I might have used a little too much baking soda in the cookies. They tend to… fizz." She winked.
Kevin took a deep breath, the crisp night air doing little to clear the residual scent of grief from his mind. Yet, somehow, looking at Micha, a faint tremor of something akin to normalcy stirred within him. "Micha," he said, his voice softer than Minjae's had been, "come inside. We need to talk."
Micha's grin faltered slightly, replaced by a flicker of genuine apprehension. She knew this wasn't just about cookies. She followed him back into the building, her enthusiasm dampened, if only for a moment.
CHIPER Headquarters - Main Lab
Inside, the atmosphere was still heavy with Miran's absence, but Micha's bizarre entrance had undeniably shifted something. Minjae leaned against a dusty console, arms crossed, glaring at her as she entered. Dohee and Alex exchanged a nervous glance, while Guen simply watched.
"Alright, Micha," Kevin began, gesturing vaguely around the room. "Miran left us with a final wish. To continue CHIPER."
Micha nodded, her usual effervescence replaced by a solemn nod. "I heard. And I believe in it."
"She also left us with this." Kevin held up Miran's worn diary. "And you."
Micha's eyes widened. "Me?"
"Yes, you," Minjae scoffed, pushing off the console. "The walking disaster zone."
Micha ignored him, her gaze fixed on Kevin. "I can help. I know I can. Miran taught me so much. Her methods, her little quirks for analyzing toxins… I even helped her with some of the early ZEROFACE cases, unofficially of course. She called me her 'chaos muse'."
Alex leaned forward, intrigued. "You were involved with ZEROFACE cases? What did you know?"
"Not much directly," Micha admitted, her voice becoming surprisingly serious. "Miran kept a lot to herself, especially about her brother. But I helped with the toxicology reports. There was a unique compound in some of ZEROFACE's earlier attacks, a highly volatile neurotoxin. Miran theorized it had a specific, almost artisanal signature. Something that wouldn't come from a standard military lab."
Guen straightened, her medical instincts piqued. "Artisanal? What do you mean?"
"Like it was custom-made, with a specific, rare precursor," Micha explained, her hands beginning to gesticulate with a newfound precision. "We thought it might point to a specific chemist, someone outside the usual networks. Miran was trying to track down the source of that precursor when… everything happened." She trailed off, her earlier vibrancy dimming.
The gravity of her words settled over the room. This wasn't just random trivia; this was potential intel.
"Miran's diary," Kevin said, tapping the leather cover, "might hold the key to that research. We need to go through it, every page."
Minjae remained silent for a long moment, then pushed himself off the console. "Fine," he bit out, his voice still laced with animosity. "One week. And if you make a single mess, Micha, you're out. And I mean out of the country."
Micha beamed, her eyes sparkling again. "Deal! You won't regret it, brooding boy! This place is about to get a whole lot more… lively!"
Minjae just grunted, turning to head for his own station, a faint, almost imperceptible tremor of something other than anger in his rigid posture.
The Next Morning
The CHIPER HQ was certainly lively. Micha had already set up her mobile lab next to Alex's tech station, a flurry of bubbling beakers and colorful wires. She hummed off-key as she meticulously organized her chemicals, occasionally letting out a triumphant "Aha!" when she found a specific reagent.
Dohee was attempting to navigate the new landscape without tripping over a stray flask, while Guen sat at a different desk, poring over old medical reports, a faint smile on her face as she occasionally looked up at Micha.
Alex, however, was in a state of bewildered fascination. "You really have a cat that sniffs cyanide?" he asked, watching Micha carefully pipet a sample.
"He thinks it's tuna, but yes!" Micha replied, not missing a beat. "He's more reliable than some government sensors, surprisingly. Plus, he's fluffy."
Suddenly, a series of alarms blared through the HQ, cutting through the newfound, chaotic calm. Red lights flashed across the consoles.
"What now?!" Minjae snapped, rushing into the main room, his arm still bandaged from his wound.
Kevin, already at the main screen, his expression grim. "It's a chemical attack. North Seoul. A public plaza. Dozens of casualties. The initial reports suggest a fast-acting neurotoxin."
Micha's eyes widened. "A neurotoxin? Could it be…?"
"We don't know," Kevin said, his voice tense. "Alex, get me the detailed air quality readings. Guen, prep the medical kits, we might be deploying. Dohee, secure comms with emergency services. Minjae… gear up."
Minjae nodded, the anger momentarily forgotten, replaced by a familiar, cold focus. He grabbed his tactical vest.
Micha, however, was already a blur of motion. She snatched up a small, specialized kit from her mobile lab, her expression entirely serious now. "I need a sample from the scene," she declared, her voice devoid of its usual quirks. "If it's that neurotoxin, Miran's diary might have a counter-agent. We were working on it."
Kevin paused, looking at her, then at the flickering screens showing the unfolding crisis. A dangerous glint entered his eyes. "Alright, Micha. You're coming with us. But one wrong move..."
Micha just nodded, her jaw set. For the first time, they saw not a clumsy, eccentric scientist, but a focused, highly capable expert.
"Minjae!" Kevin called out. "Keep an eye on her."
Minjae groaned, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes, a reluctant acknowledgment of her unexpected usefulness.
As the CHIPER team, now with an unconventional new member, prepared to race against the clock, the question loomed: Could Micha's chaotic brilliance fill the void Miran left, and would her knowledge of the past be the key to stopping ZEROFACE's deadly future? And, more importantly, could Minjae handle this "unwanted intern" without completely losing his mind?