Under the Fog of Seoul E-Book

Danniel Paraiso Da Silva

• Herausgeber: epubli
• Kategorie: Abenteuer, Thriller, Horror
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 295

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

When award-winning Korean screenwriter Ji-Woo returns to her hometown after her brother's mysterious death, she believes she is simply dealing with grief and the ghosts of her past. But the truth runs deeper—and more dangerous. As Ji-Woo traces her brother's last steps, she discovers that he was about to expose one of the darkest secrets of the powerful Hyun Group conglomerate. At the center of this mystery is Kang Jae-Hyun, the enigmatic and charismatic CEO of Hyun, who seems to harbor more secrets than he lets on. He may be the killer…or the only person capable of protecting her from what is to come. As Ji-Woo becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving neural control, sentient artificial intelligences, and secret projects, she finds herself torn between her head and her heart, between the past she wants to forget and the future she may not survive to see. Under the Fog of Seoul is a thrilling literary drama that blends psychological suspense, forbidden romance, family drama, and dystopian science fiction. In a city where no one is who they seem, the greatest threat may lie within you.

Leseprobe

Copyright

© 2025 by Danniel Paraiso

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations used in critical reviews or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is entirely coincidental.

Under the Fog of Seoul

Connected by Fear, Separated by Truth

Synopsis

When award-winning Korean screenwriter Ji-Woo returns to her hometown after her brother’s mysterious death, she believes she is simply dealing with grief and the ghosts of her past. But the truth runs deeper—and more dangerous. As Ji-Woo investigates her brother’s final steps, she discovers that he was about to expose one of the darkest secrets of the powerful conglomerate Hyun Group.

At the center of this mystery is Kang Jae-Hyun, Hyun’s enigmatic and charismatic CEO, who seems to be harboring more secrets than he lets on. He may be the killer… or the only person capable of protecting her from what is to come.

As Ji-Woo becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving neural control, sentient artificial intelligences, and secret projects, she finds herself torn between her head and her heart, between the past she wants to forget and the future she may not survive to see.

Under the Fog of Seoul is a thrilling literary drama that mixes psychological suspense, forbidden romance, family drama and dystopian science fiction. In a city where no one is who they seem, the greatest threat may be within you.

Under the Fog of Seoul - Book 1

Connected by Fear, Separated by Truth

Book 1 of the Series

Daniel Paradise

Dedication

For those who love even when the truth hurts.

For those who dare to ask, even when silence is safer.

And to all the hearts connected by invisible threads of courage —

who face the shadows, even without promises of light.

This book is for you.

Daniel Paradise

Index – Chapters of Under the Fog of Seoul

• The Return

• The Brother’s Notebook

• Hyun’s Shadow

• The Man with Cold Eyes

• The Keys to the Vault

• The House in Beomgye-dong

• Eyes that Watch

• The First Meeting

• Kang’s Lie

• Severed Connections

• Corrupted Memories

• The Camera on the Ceiling

• Voices from the Past

• The Rain of Daejeon

• The Blood Code

• Three Unwritten Rules

• The Truth About Min-Jun

• The Hidden Room

• When the Mirror Breaks

• The Underground Network

• Perfume in the Mist

• Silent Threat

• Ye-Rin, the Traitor

• The Kiss and the Trap

• A Body in the River

• Tae-Hyun’s Dilemma

• Fragments of Consciousness

• Mother’s Scars

• The Blue Virus

• The Fall of the Satellite

• The Hyun Dossier

• Unspoken Words

• Ji-Woo 1.0

• The Eye of the System

• When Everything Falls Apart

• The Kiss Before the Storm

• The Code of the Heart

• Twin Scars

• The Reset of Destiny

• Scream in the Silence

• Planted Memories

• The Meeting on the Roof

• A Call in the Dark

• Kang’s Choice

• The Mother’s Trace in the Labyrinth

• The Future in 0011101

• When the Mist Swallows Everything

• The End Game Begins

• Echoes of the Abyss

• Is Brother Still Alive?

• DNA & Deprogramming

• The New Ye-Rin

• Between Two Worlds

• Ji-Woo’s Awakening

• Forbidden Memory

• The Mind of the Father

• Flames in the City

• The Second Kang

• The Eyes of the Phoenix

• Inverted Cycle

• The Ultimate Archetype

• Blood in the Net

• Min-Jun’s Last Diary

• The Shutdown

• The Resurrection of the System

• The Unified Mind

• Ghosts of Line 2

• The Heart of the Labyrinth

• When the Copy Wakes Up

• The Reflection in the Cage

• The Last Camera

• Silent Destruction

• Memories vs. Machine

• The One Who Carries My Face

• The Last Heart That Beats

• Epilogue – The Echo of the Machines

• Acknowledgements

• About the Author

Chapter 1 – The Funeral in the Mist

The sky over Seoul was overcast, as if the city itself was silently mourning. A thick, damp, cold mist descended over the skyscrapers, obscuring their outlines and turning the lights into distorted shapes. It was a gray morning, where even the birds seemed to have forgotten how to sing.

Han Ji-Woo stood motionless in front of the closed coffin, wrapped in a long, dark coat, the hood partially covering her face. The umbrella in her right hand trembled slightly, more from the effort of holding herself steady than from the constant wind. Her eyes were dry, and that was what frightened her the most. The pain inside her could no longer find an outlet—it was packed like a rock in her chest.

Around him, the few people present seemed to be there out of formality. Min-Jun’s old college classmates, one or two journalists, and a middle-aged man who was watching everything from afar, without coming closer. Ji-Woo saw him, but didn’t recognize him. The absence of his parents—who had died five years ago—made everything even quieter.

Min-Jun, her only brother, her only blood family. An investigative journalist, brave, idealistic, lonely. She hadn’t spoken to him in over two years, ever since he started acting like someone who was constantly on the run. He called, texted, but never said where he was or who he was with. And now, here he was, inside a sealed coffin.

“Overdose,” the coroners said. A quick, impersonal report.

But Ji-Woo knew his brother. He would never put anything in his body that could compromise his reasoning. He was meticulous. Cautious. Obsessive. Something didn’t make sense. Nothing did.

When the ceremony was over, the guests left one by one. She remained there. Until the gravedigger approached.

“Miss Han?” he asked, his voice low and hesitant.

She nodded.

— Your brother left something with me. He said that if anything happened to him… I was to give it to you alone.

From his coat pocket, the gravedigger took out a sealed plastic envelope, crumpled with age. Inside, a silver key with a strange symbol — a sort of stylized “M” — and a piece of paper folded several times.

Ji-Woo took it with trembling hands and opened the note.

“Trust no one. The secret is on the 49th floor. Mirae Tower.”

She felt her stomach churn.

Mirae Tower was the beating heart of one of South Korea’s largest corporate empires—the Mirae Group. Founded by Choi Byung-Ho and now led by the enigmatic Seo Jae-Hyun, the youngest and brightest CEO in the business. A man whose presence filled any room before he even walked in. Handsome, charismatic, known for avoiding scandal—and for controlling information like a modern god.

Ji-Woo folded the paper again and put it in her pocket, saying nothing. As she left the cemetery, she felt a growing uneasiness, as if something—or someone—was watching her from somewhere in the mist.

A Few Hours Later

Min-Jun’s apartment in the old Mapo neighborhood was exactly as the police had described it: cold, cluttered, sterile. Ji-Woo walked in slowly, hesitantly, and immediately recognized his brother’s scent—a mix of strong coffee, old paper, and something metallic.

She ran her fingers over the overturned table, the overturned chair, the laptop that had been collected by authorities. There were fingerprints on the walls, as if someone had been struggling. But investigators found no signs of forced entry.

He sat on the couch and closed his eyes for a moment. The silence was piercing.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed something strange: the wall next to the bookshelf was darker in one specific spot. He approached. With effort, he moved the bookshelf a few inches — and there, wedged between the bricks, was a second envelope.

Inside was a faded photo: Ji-Woo and Min-Jun in a café, two years ago. In the background, barely visible, a man watched from the sidewalk. Tall, in a dark suit. His face was partially obscured by the shadow of an awning.

But Ji-Woo recognized the eyes. Intense. Impossible to forget.

Seo Jae-Hyun.

Behind the photo, a new handwritten sentence:

“If I die, start with him.”

Back in his small apartment, Ji-Woo locks all the doors. Night falls on Seoul like a heavy curtain. As he prepares for bed, something catches his attention. On his bed, a white envelope, identical to the one he had received at the cemetery.

She opens it with trembling hands. Inside, just one sheet:

“You’re on the list.”

And, just below, a signature in red ink, almost faded:

Mirae Group – Confidential

Chapter 2 – The List

The white sheet of paper still fluttered between Ji-Woo’s fingers, even though the windows were closed. The silence of the apartment, once familiar, now felt claustrophobic. Every sound—the ticking of the wall clock, the hum of the old radiator—seemed amplified. She didn’t know how long she stood there, staring at the sentence written in impersonal font:

“You’re on the list.”

That sentence sounded like a sentence.

There was no return address, no signs of tampering on the door. Nothing had been forced. The only possibility was that someone had come in—and gone out—while she was gone. What’s more, someone knew where she lived. They knew she would investigate. And they wanted her to know it.

With trembling hands, Ji-Woo took out his cell phone and called the only person he still trusted in Seoul.

— Yoon Hye-Ri. I need you.

Coffee in Itaewon

The café was small and inconspicuous, one of the few places Ji-Woo had used to hide from the world before moving to Busan. Hye-Ri arrived looking her usual elegant self—beige trench coat, low heels, hair pulled back in a loose bun. A brilliant criminal lawyer, she had been Ji-Woo’s friend since college, but their lives had gone in opposite directions.

“You look pale,” Hye-Ri said, sitting up. “It’s about Min-Jun, isn’t it?”

Ji-Woo didn’t answer right away. She took the envelope out of her bag and placed it on the table. Her friend took it cautiously and read the contents.

— Did you show this to the police?

— They wouldn’t believe it. Just like they didn’t believe the report. They’re treating it like suicide, or something he did on his own. But you know how Min-Jun was. This is no coincidence.

Hye-Ri hesitated for a moment.

— What about the name “Mirae Group”? That’s dangerous, Ji-Woo. They have eyes everywhere. Including inside the prosecutor’s office.

“So you know too?” Ji-Woo whispered, leaning in.

Hye-Ri looked around before answering, as if she felt the fog approaching inside the cafe.

— I know enough to say that if Min-Jun was involved with them, it wasn’t suicide. But you need to be careful what you find out. There are things that even justice can’t reach here.

—

At night, Ji-Woo went to Mirae Tower. The 57-story building rose like a tower of steel and silence, lit from below like a kind of modern altar. The “M” symbol—the same as the key—glowed red on the glass facade.

She stopped across the street, staring. The 49th floor. Why that floor? What could her brother have discovered there?

He picked up his cell phone and typed the name:

Seo Jae-Hyun.

The first image showed a young man in a black suit, with perfectly groomed hair and a restrained smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Interviews, awards, charity events. No public blemishes. A man who was too perfect.

And then, as if by a sign of fate, a black car pulled up in front of the main entrance. The door opened.

It was him.

Jae-Hyun walked down with slow steps, accompanied by two security guards. His gaze was fixed on his phone, but for a second—a single second—he looked up. And looked in the exact direction where Ji-Woo was.

Their eyes met. A glance. An instant. But something about that exchange was more than chance.

He saw her.

And he recognized.

—

When Ji-Woo returned to the apartment, the room was even colder than when he left. And there was something on the bed again.

This time it was a black folder. No lock.

Inside, five files. Each one with a photo on the cover.

And a name.

• Han Min Jun

• Kim Tae Wook

• Park So Eun

• Lee Joon Myung

• Han Ji-Woo

All dead. Except her.

Pinned to the top of the folder was a handwritten post-it:

“The five of them knew. You were the last to find out. Run.”

—

On the bathroom mirror, scrawled in steam, a sentence appeared as Ji-Woo breathed:

“You are already marked.”

Chapter 3 – The Detective and the Names

The mirror was still dripping. The words written in the steam were slowly disappearing, as if the warning itself wanted to be forgotten.

“You are already marked.”

Ji-Woo stepped back, her chest heaving. The folder with the five names still lay open on the kitchen table. This wasn’t a hunch anymore—it was real. A web. A silent stalking. And by the looks of it, someone wanted her to figure it all out…or die trying.

She typed the name of the second person on the list on her cell phone:

Kim Tae-Wook.

The first link took her to an obituary. Car accident. Collision with a truck. Instant death.

The third name: Park So-Eun.

Missing for three months. Last seen entering a private clinic in Gangnam District.

The fourth: Lee Joon-Myung.

Freelance journalist. Found dead in an Incheon hotel. Cause of death: cardiac arrest.

And they all had one thing in common.

They were investigating the Mirae Group.

—

Seoul Police Department

In Room 312 of the Seoul Central Police Station, Detective Kang Do-Yun was slowly typing on his computer when he received an anonymous email.

Subject: “They are being killed. One by one.”

Attachment: five PDF files, with the same names as Ji-Woo’s folder.

Kang was a straightforward man. Methodical. A former military man, with eyes that seemed to read intentions before they were spoken. For months, he had been investigating strange patterns among cold cases like accidents or overdoses. But there was never enough evidence. Never any clear connections.

Until now.

He opened Han Min-Jun’s file and muttered:

— Someone is putting the pieces together.

—

The next morning, Ji-Woo woke up to a loud knock on the door. She approached cautiously, her cell phone already dialed 112, but on the other side there was only a card stuck with tape.

Kang Do-Yun – Investigator, Central Police Station.

Call. Urgent.

You are in danger.

Unsure whether it was a trap or a true ally, she hesitated for long minutes. Until the doorbell rang again. This time, she peeked through the peephole. A tall man with a tense expression was holding a folder identical to hers.

Ji-Woo slowly opened the door.

— Han Ji-Woo? I’m Detective Kang. And I think we’re dealing with the same thing.

—

They sat in the room. The fog outside seemed thicker. As if it knew that inside, two people were breaking through an invisible barrier.

“They’re all dead except you,” Kang said bluntly.

— And do you believe it wasn’t a coincidence?

— Coincidences don’t leave identical traces in three different cases. And now this envelope… do you have any idea who might be behind it?

“Mirae Group.” She hesitated. “Or… Seo Jae-Hyun.”

The detective raised his eyebrows in surprise.

— That’s a serious accusation. Do you have any proof?

— No. But he was watching me. I have an old photo. And… he saw me last night. He knew who I was. Like he was waiting for me.

Kang was silent for a few moments. Then he spoke:

— You are not safe. Not here, not anywhere. But if your brother trusted you to continue what he started… perhaps this is our only chance to bring down this silent empire.

—

Kang opens his folder. He takes out a sixth file.

— There’s a name that wasn’t on your list.

Yoo Na-Kyung.

Former employee of Mirae Group. Worked on the 49th floor. Disappeared six months ago.

“What’s on the 49th floor?” Ji-Woo asked.

Kang looked into her eyes gravely.

—No one knows. Not even the staff. It’s like that floor doesn’t exist. But Min-Jun knew. And now… we both need to find out before it’s too late.

—

That same night, in a dark room on the 49th floor of Mirae Tower, Seo Jae-Hyun watched footage from a security camera.

The last one showed Ji-Woo in front of the building, looking up.

He smiled slightly.

— She started looking. Time to move the pieces.

And then he pressed a button on the intercom:

— Bring Na-Kyung. Alive. For now.

Chapter 4 – The Forgotten Witness

Ji-Woo’s apartment was now a makeshift fortress. Curtains were drawn, doors were locked with extra locks, and a small recorder was activated in every corner of the room. Detective Kang Do-Yun paced back and forth, organizing the files on the desk.

“Yoo Na-Kyung disappeared after suddenly resigning,” he said. “No medical history, no banking activity. Like she evaporated.”

Ji-Woo flipped through the documents, concentrating. There was a photo of Na-Kyung: young, short dark hair, serious expression. On the Mirae Tower badge, an unusual identification: Department K-49.

— What is Department K-49? — she asked.

— Officially, it doesn’t exist. But I have contacts at Mirae Group. People who owe me favors. One of them told me that any employee assigned to that floor signs extremely strict confidentiality clauses. In fact, they can’t even confirm that they work there.

— And why is that? What could be so secret?

— That’s what we’re going to find out. But first… we need to find Na-Kyung.

—

The next morning, Kang took Ji-Woo to the old town of Incheon, where an informant had claimed to have seen Yoo Na-Kyung a few weeks ago. The neighborhood was a maze of narrow alleys, shuttered shops, and graffiti-covered walls. The sky was dark, as usual.

They stopped in front of a small guesthouse with a worn-out facade. An elderly woman greeted them suspiciously.

“Yoo Na-Kyung?” she repeated, after seeing the photo. “She rented a room for a few weeks. Quiet. But she suddenly disappeared. She left this.”

She handed over a notebook of notes. Erasures. Scribbles. And a page where Na-Kyung had written the same sentence over and over:

“The elevator doesn’t stop at 49.”

“She was trying to get out,” Ji-Woo said, his voice low. “But something was stopping her.”

Before they could continue, the sound of tires screeching on the street made them freeze.

Two men in suits got out of a black car.

— Get down! — shouted Kang.

Shots rang out through the boarding house windows. Shattered glass flew everywhere. Ji-Woo fell to the ground, covering his head. Kang pulled out his gun and returned fire. There was a brief exchange of gunfire until the attackers fled, leaving the car behind.

—

Kang pulled Ji-Woo by the hand.

— Hurry. They’ll be back.

They ran through narrow alleys, past abandoned markets and forgotten warehouses. Ji-Woo felt his heart racing, the metallic taste of fear in his mouth. Finally, they entered an old underground parking lot.

“Who were they?” she asked breathlessly.

— I’m not sure, but they probably weren’t the police. Trained people. Professionals. Someone doesn’t want us to find Na-Kyung. And now they know we’re close.

—

That night, now safe in a hotel booked by Kang, Ji-Woo returned to Na-Kyung’s notebook. He noticed that some of the pages were glued together—carefully.

She separated the leaves with a thin knife.

Among them he found a note in small print:

“The main elevator never stops at 49. But there is another. Basement 3. Access by master key only. If you’re reading this… run. They know.”

—

At Mirae Tower, Seo Jae-Hyun receives news of the failed attack.

He just smiles.

— Let them find the elevator.

His assistant watches him, confused.

— Sir, isn’t that risky?

— It is necessary. If she is as much like her brother as I believe… she will go all the way down. And there, she will see what everyone tried to hide.

Jae-Hyun turns to the window, looking at the city swallowed by fog.

— And when she finds out… it will be too late.

Chapter 5 – The Phantom Elevator

The lights of Seoul flashed like a coded map as Ji-Woo surveyed Mirae Tower from the parking lot of a nearby building. Basement 3 was off-limits to the public—only employees with high-level clearance were allowed to descend there. But Ji-Woo now knew what he was looking for: the second elevator.

Beside him, Kang Do-Yun prepared two fake badges and a USB stick with invading software.

“The Mirae Group is protecting the data on the 49th floor as if it were state secrets,” Kang said, checking his watch. “We’ll have to be quick. Twenty minutes at most. If they find out, we won’t even have time to call for help.”

Ji-Woo took a deep breath. He knew he was crossing a line of no return.

— If Min-Jun has come this far… then so can I.

—

Disguised as outsourced IT employees, they entered the building through the garage. Security was tight, but Kang had bribed the right security guard with the right kind of blackmail. No one questioned them.

In Basement 2, they found the steel door with the ancient Mirae symbol, almost erased.

There was the second elevator.

No visible buttons. Just a dark panel.

Kang plugged the flash drive into the terminal hidden in the wall. For twenty seconds, only the silence of the tower responded.

So — ping.

The door opened.

The interior was different from that of a regular elevator. Mirrored. Cold. And at the back, a metal panel showed only one button:

“K-49.”

—

When the door opened on the 49th floor, Ji-Woo felt the weight of the atmosphere change. The air was thicker. The lights were dimmer. The hallway before them was long, with mirrored windows on both sides.

Locked rooms. Reinforced glass. Every room felt like a laboratory—but without the typical sounds or smells. Everything was too clean. Too cold.

They advanced to a door with the inscription:

Classified Archive – Sector K.

No electronic lock. Just a manual key—identical to the one Ji-Woo had found in his brother’s old apartment.

She turned the key. The door opened.

—

Inside were physical and digital files. Videos. Photographs. Medical reports. A still-on monitor showed a woman sitting in a glass room, being interrogated by a figure just off camera.

Ji-Woo recognized the woman’s face.

Yoo Na-Kyung. Hello.

The caption below the recording read:

Dossier K-04: SILENCE Project.

Kang quickly accessed the files. The data was encrypted, but he was able to extract a simple excerpt—a partial transcript of Na-Kyung’s writing:

“They’re testing on people. Neural control experiments. They’re using disposable staff. Floor 49 is just a facade. The data… the data is in Basement 4, but nobody talks about it. Because nobody leaves there.”

Ji-Woo froze.

— What is Project Silence?

Before Kang could respond, an alarm sounded.

Unauthorized access alert.

Sector K-49.

Security activated.

Kang pulled Ji-Woo by the hand.

— Run!

—

They ran down the dark hallway, hearing heavy footsteps and orders shouted in Korean. Cameras turned. Doors locked behind them.

As they reached the elevator, Ji-Woo looked back one last time. At the end of the hallway, a man was watching silently.

Seo Jae-Hyun.

He didn’t run. He didn’t scream. He just smiled.

As if he wanted them to see all of that.

—

Hours later, in a secure building outside the city, Ji-Woo watched Na-Kyung’s video again. She had dark circles under her eyes. She was shaking. But her eyes spoke the truth.

— If you’re watching this… you know. They’re coming for you. And everyone you love. But someone has to tell the world. Someone has to survive for this.

The screen went blank.

On the balcony, Kang smoked silently.

— What do we do now? — Ji-Woo asked.

He tossed his cigarette away, staring at the city below.

— Now… let’s go to Basement 4.

—

At Mirae Tower, Seo Jae-Hyun receives a new report.

— They accessed Sector K.

“I know,” he said calmly. “And that’s why now… they must know the true ‘Silence’.”

Chapter 6 – The Underground Labyrinth

Ji-Woo and Kang stood silently in the small makeshift apartment, watching the city of Seoul stretch out before them. The heat of tension still hung in the air, and although they were out of immediate reach of their pursuers, they knew they didn’t have much time.

— Basement 4… — Ji-Woo repeated, trying to understand the weight of those words. — And what’s down there?

Kang stood up, grabbing a folder full of documents he had managed to steal from Mirae. Among photos of Na-Kyung, medical reports, and encrypted codes, there was something else: an old floor plan of Mirae Tower, with enigmatic markings.

— This is where everything begins and ends, Ji-Woo. This floor… is not just an archive. It is where the experiments begin. Where the “products” are molded. If Mirae has any connection to what happened to your brother… this is the place.

He pointed to the plan, more precisely to what appeared to be a hidden area, a blocked space between Basement 3 and 4.

— We need an access key. And the only way to get it is to go to the top.

Ji-Woo frowned.

— The top?

— We need to find the person who controls the tower’s security system. Someone who knows everything, but who hasn’t yet been corrupted.

Kang put away the plant and looked at Ji-Woo, his gaze grave.

— And that’s where betrayal comes in.

—

Hours later, they arrived at a small café in the city center. The smell of roasting coffee and the buzz of conversation masked the tension that hung over them. They sat down at a dark table, where an ordinary-looking man with glasses and gray hair was already waiting for them.

“Lee Sang-Hoon,” Kang said, bowing slightly to greet him.

“Ah, the famous Detective Kang,” the man replied, his smile somewhat forced. “And you must be Ji-Woo, the new star at Mirae. Or rather, someone much more interesting.”

Lee Sang-Hoon was a former Mirae Group hacker, known for his skills in breaking into systems and revealing the empire’s secrets. But there was a reason he was here, now.

“I want my share,” Lee said, staring at Ji-Woo. “Mirae is stronger than anyone imagines. And I know what’s behind this whole quest.”

Ji-Woo looked at him, puzzled.

— What do you want in return?

He smiled, but it was a bitter smile.

— A safe route out of the country. And some guarantees that the files I can release… won’t end up in the wrong hands. Can you offer me that?

Kang watched Ji-Woo, waiting for the decision. Time was running out. They knew that Mirae had probably already tracked their movements.

Ji-Woo didn’t hesitate.

— What do you know about Basement 4?

Lee leaned back in his chair, his eyes scanning the blueprint Kang had shown him earlier.

— Basement 4… is where the “products” are stored. They’re not just documents. They’re people. Projects, experiments. But most importantly: the key to access this place is unique. A code… that only Director Jae-Hyun knows.

Ji-Woo remained silent, taking in his words.

— And how did we get the code? — he asked, already feeling the weight of each decision he made.

Lee smiled, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

— We need to go to it. To the top.

—

The next day, Kang and Ji-Woo infiltrated Mirae Tower once again. Their objective was now clear: they needed to get close to Seo Jae-Hyun, the Director, and obtain the key to Basement 4. But it wouldn’t be easy. Security was tighter than ever, and Kang knew that any mistake now could be fatal.

When they reached the 40th floor, the level closest to the top where Jae-Hyun used to work, they encountered an unexpected obstacle. One of Jae-Hyun’s trusted employees, Kim Jin-Soo, recognized them immediately.

— What are you doing here? — he asked, with a cold and hard expression.

Ji-Woo remained calm, hiding his nervousness.

— We’re just going through some files… This is our last chance to find something. Before the Mirae Group changes everything again.

Kim Jin-Soo looked at her, seemingly convinced, but something in his eyes suggested he knew more than he was saying.

— Be quick. Jae-Hyun is waiting for new reports. Don’t get in trouble.

As Ji-Woo and Kang tried to access a distant computer terminal, something moved in the shadows.

Kim Jin-Soo was watching them, his eyes much more attentive.

—

As Kang typed on the terminal, Ji-Woo felt a chill run down her spine. Kim Jin-Soo had disappeared. She looked to the side, only to see the silhouette of a man quickly approaching them.

Seo Jae-Hyun.

He wasn’t angry. He didn’t seem worried. Just… calm.

“I knew you would come,” he said, his voice calm but full of venom. “You didn’t know it would be like this. But it doesn’t matter. Everyone will get what they deserve.”

With a cold smile, he took a step forward.

— And I can start now, if you want.

Tensions flared. Ji-Woo and Kang were at a point of no return. The game of cat and mouse was just beginning.

—

At Mirae Tower, Kim Jin-Soo looked at his watch. Seo Jae-Hyun was right. The next move was fatal. And he had his own mission to fulfill.

Meanwhile, Ji-Woo and Kang prepared to face the nightmare they had gotten themselves into.

—

Chapter 7 – The Truth in the Mirror

The soft glow of the lights on the 40th floor of Mirae Tower was oppressive. The silence that followed Seo Jae-Hyun’s announcement was heavy, as if all of reality around them had frozen into a single point of tension. Ji-Woo and Kang were frozen, aware that they had arrived at the moment they had avoided for so long.

Seo Jae-Hyun, with his impeccable posture and enigmatic gaze, slowly approached.

“I knew someone would come here. Not you specifically, but someone. Everyone thinks they can hide the truth, but it always finds a way to emerge,” he said, his voice soft but with a calculated coldness.

Ji-Woo couldn’t hide his fear. His brother, Min-Jun, was somewhere down there. What had he discovered? And how was it connected to her?

Kang was alert, his hand close to his gun, but he knew that in this situation, any false move could be fatal.

“What did you do to him?” Ji-Woo asked, his voice tense but determined. “What did they do to my brother? To Na-Kyung?”

Jae-Hyun smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. It was a smile of someone who knew more than he could tell.

— You still don’t get it, Ji-Woo. He wasn’t just looking for your brother. He was looking for the source of all this. Project Silence. Mirae isn’t just a company. She’s a living experiment, and you’re more involved than you realize.

Kang took a step forward, moving slightly away from Ji-Woo.

— What are you saying? What is this Project Silence? And why is it so important?

Seo Jae-Hyun looked at him with morbid interest.

— Project Silence began as a way to create absolute control over the human mind. Not just psychological manipulation, but something deeper, more deeply rooted. We’re talking about neural reprogramming. And Mirae, for many years, was just a facade for something much bigger.

Ji-Woo swallowed hard. The idea of neural reprogramming was terrifying. But the feeling that his brother had discovered something unbearably big was becoming reality.

“What did Min-Jun find out?” she insisted, now completely focused on Jae-Hyun.

Jae-Hyun’s smile widened.

— He didn’t find anything. He hid the truth. And here you are, trying to pull back the curtain, and you don’t know what you’ll find behind it. What your brother did… was try to destroy a system that cannot be destroyed.

The tension in the room rose, and the silence that followed seemed deafening. Kang started to move, but Seo Jae-Hyun held up his hand, stopping him.

— Don’t move. You still don’t understand. What happened to Na-Kyung, what happened to your brother, what’s happening to you now… it’s all part of a cycle that can’t be broken. You were chosen.

Ji-Woo stared at him.

— Chosen for what?

Jae-Hyun took a step forward, his eyes fixed on her.

— To be the next experiment. The next level. Everything you’ve experienced so far, all your choices, the signs you’ve followed, have always been part of Project Silence. Your brother knew that. That’s why he died.

The revelation was a direct blow to Ji-Woo’s heart. The truth was beginning to dawn on her, but it seemed impossible to swallow.

“This isn’t possible. It can’t be,” she muttered, taking a step back, almost as if she expected the world around her to disintegrate.

Kang, for his part, was analyzing Jae-Hyun’s every move. Something was wrong. Jae-Hyun’s words were too calculated, as if he was playing a power game, testing their reactions.

And then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the room. They were no longer security, but someone in authority.

Kim Jin-Soo appeared, his expression dark and worried.

— Mr. Jae-Hyun, the security of Basement 4 has been compromised. We must act now.

Jae-Hyun looked at him calmly.

— Let them go. What they don’t know is that by getting this far, they have already fulfilled their part of the plan.

Ji-Woo and Kang exchanged a look. They didn’t know if they were targets or pawns in an even bigger game, but reality was unfolding before them.

Seo Jae-Hyun smiled once more.

— It might be too late to run away, Ji-Woo. Once you know what really happens in Basement 4, there will be no turning back.

—

Kang pulled Ji-Woo out of the room before Jae-Hyun could do anything else. They knew they couldn’t trust him, or anyone else. Basement 4 was closer than ever, and the only thing stopping them from going down there was time.

In the tower corridors, they heard the sound of hurried footsteps and the rapid communication of officers. Security was on high alert.

“Let’s get out of here,” Kang said, already heading towards the fire escape.

But before they could escape, the sound of a door being opened echoed through the hallway.

Seo Jae-Hyun appeared at the door, with an enigmatic smile.

— I’ll wait for you downstairs. In Basement 4. Where the truth finally reveals itself.

—

That night, as Ji-Woo and Kang planned their escape, Jae-Hyun watched from his office. His eyes shone with the coldness of someone who had already won the match.

— Let them run. They’re already inside the maze.

Chapter 8 – The Gates of the Abyss

Dawn enveloped Seoul like a cold, silent veil. The city lights vibrated in the distance, indifferent to what was happening beneath its foundations. Ji-Woo and Kang quickly descended through a maintenance tunnel behind the Mirae Tower building. According to the data stolen by Lee Sang-Hoon, that forgotten tunnel led to a hidden entrance: a way to reach Basement 4 without triggering the main sensors.

“It’s too quiet,” Kang muttered, his gun drawn, his senses on alert. “They want us to go in.”

Ji-Woo carried a flashlight and, in her backpack, copies of Min-Jun’s documents. She still remembered the last sentence he had written: “The truth is not in what we see, but in what they hide from us.”

The narrow tunnel led to a steel door with no visible markings. Next to it was a biometric access panel, which Lee Sang-Hoon had managed to unlock with a combination of codes and fake fingerprint samples.

“Ready?” Kang asked, looking at Ji-Woo.

“I never have been,” she replied, pressing the button.