Night had fully settled over Hwaseong Dynamics. The usually busy hallways were silent, empty of employees, the dim lights reflecting off polished floors. Outside, the faint hum of the city was the only sound, as if the building itself held its breath.
Tonight's operation would be carried out under strict secrecy—no board members knew the exact date or time. Jae-Hyun had insisted on that to prevent leaks that could warn the spies they were hunting. Only the CEO and the Technical Director knew what was about to unfold. Precision and secrecy were everything; one wrong move could ruin it all.
Mr. Oh moved swiftly down the corridor, followed by three NovaSec employees and the Technical Director. Their footsteps echoed softly against the marble floor. When they reached the operations room, Mr. Oh pulled out his phone and called Jae-Hyun.
"We're in the operations room," he said.
"Perfect," came Jae-Hyun's calm, even voice. "Follow the plan exactly. No improvising."
Inside the room, one of the NovaSec employees plugged in a small USB device—the one Jae-Hyun had handed to Mr. Oh hours earlier. The device held the key to infiltrating Hwaseong's systems.
Earlier that evening, Jae-Hyun had walked Mr. Oh through the plan.
"All you have to do is plug that in. It'll give me access to their control system," Jae-Hyun said, his tone steady, eyes fixed on the screens in front of him. "But make sure all system security is disengaged first, or the system will flag external interference."
Mr. Oh frowned. "Why not just hack them remotely without leaving a trace? Wouldn't that be easier?"
"We need a front," Jae-Hyun replied. "Hwaseong must see us working. If they don't, they won't trust what we find."
Mr. Oh leaned back, thoughtful. "We could pretend to work while you handle everything behind the scenes."
Jae-Hyun looked up, voice low but cutting. "And when their employees ask how we found the spies without touching their systems? What do you tell them?"
He straightened, tone calm again. "This way, everyone sees activity. They'll think NovaSec's team cracked it themselves. It keeps suspicion off the company."
"So the employees think they're fixing the breach while you're doing it yourself."
"Exactly." His tone carried no pride, only logic. "They see a show. I get results."
Mr. Oh had nodded slowly. "You're playing both sides."
"I'm ensuring both sides believe they've won."
Back in the operations room, the air was tense and cold. The USB light blinked once, then steady green.
"All security measures are disengaged," Mr. Oh said. "Proceed."
The hum of machines filled the room as code flooded the screens.
From his office, Jae-Hyun took control remotely. His instructions came through the phone—precise, calm.
"Run backup protocols. Activate control measures. Keep monitoring the signal."
The employees obeyed instantly. The clicking of keyboards echoed through the sterile air.
After a few minutes, one of them turned. "What do we do now, sir?"
Mr. Oh checked the monitors, then his phone. "Now we wait. The system is decoding the encryption. In about thirty minutes to an hour, everything will be ready for us to move forward. Take a break until then."
The employees hesitated, glancing at one another.
"Take a break," Mr. Oh repeated, his voice calm but firm. "Stretch your legs. Don't go far."
They nodded and filed out quietly. Only the Technical Director stayed behind, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the monitors.
"What exactly is happening?" he asked.
Mr. Oh turned to look at the director. "The spies hid their location behind layers of encryption and rerouted connections to throw us off. Our system is unraveling those layers—one at a time—without alerting them. When it's done, we'll have the exact source."
The Director let out a slow breath. "You make it sound simple."
Mr. Oh gave a faint, humorless smile. "It isn't."
When the employees returned, they were quieter, more focused. The room buzzed softly with the rhythm of keys and machines.
Hours passed. The operation moved steadily, guided by Jae-Hyun's unseen hand. Passwords bypassed. Firewalls overridden. Decoy logs deployed.
The Director stood behind Mr. Oh, watching lines of code fly across the screens. "Whoever's behind this… they're good."
"Not good enough," Mr. Oh replied, eyes locked on the data stream.
The final barrier fell. A map blinked to life on the center monitor. Coordinates flashed bright red.
"There," one of the employees breathed.
Mr. Oh read the numbers, then sent them to Jae-Hyun.
"Confirmed," Jae-Hyun said through the line. "Trace verified. Wrap it up."
By now, the clock read 3:00 a.m. The team was exhausted, but no one moved until Mr. Oh gave the word.
"Everyone," he called, "the operation's complete." He listened to the voice in his earpiece.
Jae-Hyun spoke again, steady as ever. "Inform them their part is done. They can take the day off tomorrow. They've earned it. Mr. Oh, handle the legal details with the Director. Make sure Hwaseong locks down their system quietly. We don't want the spies knowing we caught them."
"Understood," Mr. Oh replied.
Then he turned toward the team. "Good work. You're dismissed for the night. Take tomorrow off."
Relief flickered across tired faces."Thank you, sir," one said softly.
Mr. Oh nodded.
As footsteps faded down the corridor, the room emptied until only he and the Technical Director remained.
Mr. Oh reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a small black USB drive, identical to the one used earlier. He held it out to the Director.
"This contains all evidence of the breach—the coordinates, full profiles of everyone involved in the sabotage, and the digital trails. Everything your legal team will need."
The Director took it carefully, staring at it as if it might burn. "You already have their profiles?"
"Names, locations, everything. Jae—" he stopped himself, choosing his words carefully. "—NovaSec's lead analyst worked fast."
The Director nodded slowly. "Impressive. And the risk?"
"Minimal. As long as you keep quiet until we act."
The Director pocketed the drive, still looking stunned. "Your team… you've saved this company tonight."
Mr. Oh gave a small, polite smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Just doing our job."
He gathered his files, shut down the monitors, and looked once more at the empty screens, the faint reflection of his own face staring back.
"Let's go," he said quietly.
The Director followed him out into the hallway. Behind them, the last of the monitors dimmed, the hum of the machines fading into silence.
At the parking lot, the director paused beside his car. "We owe you—your team—a debt. Hwaseong Dynamics would've collapsed without you."
Mr. Oh gave a polite nod. "That's what you hired us for."
"But still," the director insisted, gripping the USB tightly. "Your professionalism… unmatched."
"Don't thank me," Mr. Oh said. "I'm just a messenger."
"For who?"
Mr. Oh smiled faintly. "For the man who sees patterns where the rest of us see noise."
Then he turned and walked away.
Somewhere, far from Hwaseong's headquarters, Jae-Hyun watched as those signals blinked across his own screens, a faint smile on his face.
Another perfect operation—unseen, untouched, and completely under his control.
The next day, the morning sun bled through the glass walls of Hwaseong Dynamics' top floor, painting long, sharp lines across the CEO's office. The air was cold and still, disturbed only by the soft whir of the central air system.
Han Do-Kyung stood by the window, his expression unreadable as he stared down at the parking lot below. From this height, the people looked small—almost insignificant.
Choi Min-Soo entered quietly, holding a slim black USB drive. He bowed slightly before speaking."It's all here, sir," he said.
Do-Kyung turned, his voice low. "NovaSec's team finished last night?"
"Yes. Mr. Oh delivered this after the operation concluded. The files contain everything—names, bank trails, communication logs."
Do-Kyung's eyes narrowed. "Let's see it."
Min-Soo crossed to the desk and inserted the USB. The large monitor on the wall came to life, revealing a folder titled NovaSec_Results. Inside were two files. One read 'Primary Suspect: Park Jin-Ho (Finance)'. The other: 'Secondary Suspect: Yoon Tae-Kyung (Security Division)'.
Do-Kyung froze. His gaze lingered on the second name longer than the first.He spoke slowly. "…Tae-Kyung?"
Min-Soo hesitated before answering. "Yes, sir. The system traced every reroute back to his division. He and Park Jin-Ho worked together to hide financial diversions and trigger multiple security failures. All to make it appear the company was under attack."
Do-Kyung said nothing for a moment. He simply stared at the screen. His cousin. His own blood.
"Show me the logs," he said finally.
Min-Soo clicked open the report. Streams of evidence filled the display—transaction records, encrypted chats, time-stamped data routes. In one corner, screenshots of private messages between the two suspects scrolled by:
Yoon Tae-Kyung: "The system will appear compromised. By the time they trace it, Hwaseong will be in chaos."
Park Jin-Ho: "And when the Board panics?"
Yoon Tae-Kyung: "They'll look for someone to blame. You know who they'll choose first."
Do-Kyung's expression darkened. "They planned to destroy me."
Min-Soo nodded quietly. "Yes, sir. To force a board vote. Tae-Kyung positioned himself as the stabilizing candidate. He even moved company funds discreetly into offshore accounts under Jin-Ho's oversight."
Do-Kyung drew a slow breath, his fingers curling against the edge of the desk. "My own cousin…"
Min-Soo stood silently, watching the CEO's calm shift into something colder.
"Who else knows about this?" Do-Kyung asked.
"No one outside this room," Min-Soo said. "I thought it best to come directly to you."
"Good," Do-Kyung said softly. "Then we handle it quietly."