EPISODE 82 – The Gallery of Lies
The silence in the briefing room at CHIPER headquarters was a deafening weight. It was the kind of quiet that follows a storm, where the wreckage is scattered and the air is thick with unspoken damage. Minjae stood by a holographic screen, his finger idly tracing the contours of a building blueprint. The dried blood on his forehead was a stark, menacing detail. Across the room, Micha sat at a table, her face a pale mask of fear, her hands trembling as she held a tablet.
The mission details were clear: their target was a clandestine data center hidden beneath an exclusive art gallery in the city's financial district. The gallery, named 'The Aether,' was a front, a beautiful lie designed to mask a digital weapon of mass destruction.
Micha tried to focus on the mission parameters, but the words blurred on the screen. Infiltrate. Secure the server. Get out. It was a simple plan on paper, but in reality, it was a waking nightmare. She had to work with him. She had to pretend to trust him. She had to put her life in his hands.
Minjae finally broke the silence. "The blueprints are a decoy," he said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "The real security is in the social hierarchy. The owner, a man named Kwon, is a snob. We need to play the part of a wealthy, arrogant couple to get past the public facade and into the restricted areas. Stay focused, or you'll get hurt." The last line hung in the air, a cold, casual threat that was a direct callback to the hotel room.
Micha didn't respond. She just nodded, her eyes fixed on the tablet. She was a professional. She was a CHIPER agent. She would not break.
The Silent Team
They moved from the briefing room to the equipment bay, where the rest of the team was already working. The air was thick with a shared, unspoken tension. Guen, ever the observant one, noticed the cold divide between them. She walked over to Micha, pretending to check her gear, and whispered, "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Micha just shook her head, her gaze fixed on Minjae, who was ignoring everyone, his focus entirely on his own gear. Dohee, standing by the console with Alex, gave Micha a look of raw, unvarnished sympathy, a silent promise of support that Micha clung to like a lifeline.
Minjae, however, was in his element. He moved with a practiced, predatory grace, his hands moving over the combat gear with an intimate familiarity. He grabbed two micro-transmitters and a pair of discreet earpieces. He threw one set at Micha, who fumbled and almost dropped it.
"Hurry up," he snapped, his voice a low growl. "We don't have all night."
Micha, her hands trembling, fumbled with the earpiece, but Minjae, with a sigh of impatience, walked over and, with surprising gentleness, fixed it in her ear. The closeness of his hands, the faint scent of his cologne, sent a fresh wave of terror through her, and she flinched. He just stared at her, his eyes cold and unreadable.
The Infiltration
They arrived at 'The Aether' in a sleek, black luxury car, a perfect facade for the cover they were adopting. The gallery was a palace of modern art and old money, with marble floors and abstract sculptures. Minjae, dressed in a tailored suit, was a perfect fit. He was the handsome, arrogant playboy who belonged here. Micha, in a cocktail dress that was both elegant and understated, was his perfect accessory.
"Remember the plan," Minjae whispered, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "I'm the collector. You're my beautiful, silent partner. Stay close to me."
He put a hand on her waist, and the touch felt like a brand of fire. Micha flinched, but she forced herself to stand still. He leaned in, his lips close to her ear, a cold whisper that sent shivers down her spine. "You look beautiful tonight, baby. Just like you did in that hotel room."
The words were a brutal punch to the gut. Micha felt a fresh wave of humiliation and fear, but she forced herself to keep a straight face. She was a CHIPER agent. She had to be strong.
They moved through the gallery, a perfect, dangerous couple. They schmoozed with the rich and the powerful, Minjae's charisma a terrifyingly effective weapon. They made their way to a restricted area, an unassuming door hidden behind a large sculpture. Minjae smoothly distracted the guard, and they slipped past him.
The door led to a dark, cold corridor. The real mission had just begun. The corridor opened into a massive, cavernous space, a subterranean lair that was nothing like a simple server room. It was a complex, booby-trapped facility, a labyrinth of servers and wires that was the very heart of the digital attack. In the center of the room, on a massive screen, was an image.
It was a picture of a man Micha knew. Han-sol, the Midnight Thief, was not alone. The picture showed him with another man, their faces obscured in shadow, a symbol emblazoned on the wall behind them. It was the same symbol that was used by the mysterious organization that had taken down their previous mission, the very symbol that was etched on the black feather. They were not just dealing with an accomplice. They were dealing with a ghost, a secret organization that was more powerful and more dangerous than they could have ever imagined.
Who is the man in the picture with Han-sol, and what does this discovery mean for the CHIPER team?