---
The sun was beginning to set, casting long golden streaks through the dusty windows of the bookstore.
Jun-seo sat on the floor, laptop open, the mysterious flash drive now decrypted.
Hae-rin paced back and forth. Her anxiety hung in the air like storm clouds.
“Jun-seo,” she said, her voice trembling, “what if we’re too late?”
He looked up, eyes intense.
“We’re not. But we need help.”
She stopped pacing. “From who?”
He took a deep breath. “My mother.”
Hae-rin blinked in shock.
“Your mother? The former prosecutor?”
Jun-seo nodded. “She left her job under mysterious circumstances. I used to think she was forced out. But now... I think she left because she knew the truth.”
—
Later That Night – Yeongdeungpo District
They stood outside an old, elegant villa. A place untouched by time—like something from a forgotten memory.
Jun-seo hesitated at the gate.
His hand trembled as he reached for the intercom.
“Omma... it’s me.”
Static buzzed. Then silence.
Finally, the gate creaked open.
Inside, the hallway smelled of sandalwood and faint perfume.
Yoon Mi-young, poised and graceful, stood at the end of the corridor like a ghost from Jun-seo’s past.
Her eyes widened.
“…Jun-seo?”
He bowed slightly. “I’m sorry for coming so suddenly.”
She stepped forward, emotions battling behind her dignified expression.
“I thought I lost you…”
Hae-rin quietly bowed. “Annyeonghaseyo. I’m Hae-rin.”
Mi-young offered a polite nod. “Come in.”
—
The living room was pristine, almost too perfect.
Not a picture frame out of place.
Too much order… it felt unnatural.
As tea steamed between them, Jun-seo placed the flash drive on the glass table.
“I need your help,” he said.
Mi-young stared at it. “What is this?”
“Proof. About the Circle. About what really happened to Mr. Kim.”
Mi-young’s hand froze mid-air.
“I warned him to stay quiet…” she murmured.
Jun-seo leaned forward. “You knew?”
She looked at her son, her eyes sharp as glass.
“I didn’t want to believe it. But yes. I discovered pieces years ago. They threatened to silence me if I kept digging.”
Hae-rin’s voice cracked. “You left the prosecution… to protect your son?”
Mi-young nodded slowly.
“They said if I didn’t stop investigating… Jun-seo would disappear. Just like the others.”
Jun-seo’s throat tightened.
“You let me think you didn’t care.”
“I did it to save you.”
—
Suddenly—
THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps echoed outside the window.
Mi-young’s face went pale.
“They found us…”
Jun-seo bolted up. “Is there a way out?”
Without hesitation, Mi-young strode to a bookshelf, pulled out a thin volume, and twisted it.
A panel clicked open, revealing a hidden passageway.
“Go. Quickly.”
“Come with us,” Jun-seo urged.
“I’ll stall them. If I vanish now, they’ll know you have the drive.”
“Omma—”
“GO!”
With a painful look back, Jun-seo grabbed Hae-rin’s hand and ducked into the tunnel.
—
The Hidden Passageway – 9:45 PM
The darkness was thick and musty.
Old air. Forgotten secrets.
Hae-rin gripped Jun-seo’s hand tightly.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“I don’t know…” he whispered. “But she saved us. That has to mean something.”
At the end of the tunnel, they emerged into a dim alley behind the villa.
Jun-seo looked around. “We need to vanish. Now.”
—
Elsewhere – Inside the Villa
Yoon Mi-young stood calmly as the door was kicked open.
Three men in black burst in.
“Where is he?” the leader growled.
She met their gaze, defiant.
“Gone. Just like your future.”
The man snarled.
“You’re loyal to the wrong people.”
Mi-young smiled faintly. “No. I’m loyal to justice.”
BANG!
A shot rang out.
Glass shattered.
And the world tilted into silence.
—
Meanwhile – An Internet Café in Sinchon
Jun-seo and Hae-rin huddled in a corner booth, eyes fixed on the laptop screen.
The video from the flash drive played:
Mr. Kim’s final message.
> “They are watching everywhere. Every device. Every camera. But here, I recorded my truth with analog tech. No trace. No leak.”
> “The Circle is an elite society of men and women who exploit students for control—bribing their families, blackmailing officials, and threatening those who resist.”
> “To those watching: I hope you burn it all down.”
—
Hae-rin’s face went pale.
“This… this is enough to expose them.”
“But only if the right person shares it,” Jun-seo muttered.
He scrolled through his contacts.
“There’s one man left. Detective Choi—my dad’s best friend. He used to work undercover. He might help.”
—
The Next Morning – Gangbuk District
They stood in front of a cluttered office door:
CHOI INVESTIGATIONS
Jun-seo knocked three times.
The door creaked open.
A weathered man with tired eyes stared back.
“Jun-seo?”
“You remember me.”
“Of course I do.” Choi stepped aside. “Come in. And tell me everything.”
—
As the door closed behind them, Jun-seo felt something he hadn’t in years.
Hope.
But across the city…
As sirens blared in the distance and secrets began to crumble…
A woman’s body was being wheeled from her villa.
Covered in a white sheet.
Yoon Mi-young had paid the price.
And now… the war was personal.
---
To Be Continued…
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