The mission was simple on paper but riddled with complexities beneath the surface. A hacker had been leaking private photos of young women, shattering their lives overnight. The victims—university students in South Korea—had no idea how their personal images had been stolen. Worse, an underground online group had weaponized these leaks, turning them into a lucrative blackmail scheme. Victims who didn't comply faced even greater exposure, their dignity sold off piece by piece in hidden corners of the internet.
Audrey, Kenzo, Hana, and Damian had tracked the patterns. The victims had reported the incidents to the police, but nothing came of it. Either the authorities were powerless, or worse, some of them were in on it. That left only one course of action: infiltration.
"We need to go in," Audrey stated firmly, her sharp gaze locking onto the dim glow of her laptop screen. "If we can't find the hacker online, we'll find him in person."
Kenzo leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "Most of these victims attend Yonsei University. If the hacker is operating close to his victims, there's a good chance he's a student or someone working within the campus." His voice was calm, analytical.
"So we go undercover," Hana said simply. "We pose as police officers and gain the victims' trust."
"You're suggesting we impersonate law enforcement?" Audrey arched an eyebrow. "That's risky."
Damian grinned. "Risk is part of the job, isn't it? Besides, we can pull it off. I look authoritative enough for a detective."
Hana rolled her eyes. "Maybe a detective from an action movie."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Damian said, smirking.
Audrey sighed. "Fine. But we do this carefully. No unnecessary attention. Kenzo, you dig into their records, see if there's any faculty or student that stands out. Hana, we'll need a direct approach with the victims. If any of them have repressed memories of how this started, you might be able to help."
Hana gave a short nod. "I can handle that."
"And me?" Damian asked.
"Muscle. You keep us safe," Audrey said.
Damian placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "So I'm just the muscle? No brain involved?"
"You use your brain sometimes," Hana quipped.
The next morning, they arrived at Yonsei University. The campus was sprawling, a mix of modern glass buildings and traditional structures. Students bustled about, some laughing, others hunched over their phones. The atmosphere was lively, but there was an undercurrent of tension. Whispers of the recent leaks had left a stain of fear among the female students.
Dressed in business attire, they looked the part. Audrey and Hana wore dark suits, hair neatly tied back, while Damian and Kenzo wore dress shirts with badges clipped to their belts. Their fake credentials were flawless, courtesy of Kenzo's hacking expertise.
Their first stop was the student affairs office. A nervous young woman greeted them at the reception desk, her hands fidgeting with a pen. "Can I help you?" she asked, glancing at them warily.
Audrey flashed her badge. "Detective Lee. We're investigating a case related to student safety. We'd like to speak to some students who have reported privacy violations."
The receptionist hesitated, her fingers tightening around the pen. "That… might be difficult. Many of them are traumatized. They don't want to talk about it."
"We understand," Audrey said gently, her voice soothing. "We're here to help. If they're willing, we'd like to hear their stories and put an end to this."
The woman bit her lip, then exhaled. "I can ask. There's one student who reported an incident last week. Her name is Jiyeon. She's in the library right now."
They found Jiyeon in the far corner of the library, her hands wrapped around a coffee cup, knuckles white, eyes darting around as if she expected someone to be watching. The dark circles under her eyes and the tension in her shoulders made it clear she hadn't slept well in days.
"Jiyeon?" Audrey asked softly, taking a seat across from her. The girl flinched but nodded.
"We're here about the photos," Audrey continued. "We want to stop this."
Jiyeon's grip on her coffee cup tightened. "It won't stop. No one can stop them. They know everything."
"Who's 'they'?" Kenzo pressed, his tone even but firm.
She shook her head violently. "I don't know! I don't even remember taking those pictures. But they have them. And they sent me a message. Pay or everyone sees them."
Hana's expression darkened. "You don't remember taking them at all?"
Jiyeon shook her head. "I swear. It's like… like they were just there one day. Like they stole my memories."
Audrey and Hana exchanged a glance. This wasn't just hacking. Something more was at play.
Hana leaned forward, her voice gentler. "I can help you remember. But you have to trust me."
Jiyeon hesitated, her lips trembling. But after a moment, she gave a weak nod. Hana reached out, her fingers barely grazing Jiyeon's forehead. A surge of energy flowed between them, unseen by the normal eye.
In an instant, Hana saw it—flashes of Jiyeon's past. A party. Laughter. A stranger handing her a drink. Then, darkness.
Jiyeon gasped sharply, jerking away from Hana as if she had been burned. Her breath came in ragged pants, her wide eyes locking onto Hana's. "W-what… what did you just do to me?"
Hana remained calm, lowering her hand. "I helped you remember."
Jiyeon shook her head in disbelief, pressing her hands to her temples. "That was… that was real. I saw it. I felt it." Her voice wavered. "I remember the drink. I remember feeling dizzy… and then nothing."
Kenzo leaned forward. "That's because someone made sure you wouldn't remember. They drugged you, probably used something that messed with your memory."
Jiyeon blinked rapidly, trying to process everything. "But how? How did you make me see it again?" Her eyes darted between them, her panic rising. "Are you really police?"
Audrey exchanged a quick glance with Hana. "We're here to help you. That's what matters."
Jiyeon still looked shaken, her fingers gripping the edge of the table. "I don't understand. This… this isn't normal."
Hana sighed. "No, it's not. But neither is what's happening to you and the other girls. Someone took your memories. I just gave them back."
Jiyeon stared at her, her mind racing. Finally, she exhaled shakily. "I don't care how you did it… if you can stop them, then do it."
Audrey nodded. "That's the plan."
Jiyeon swallowed hard. "Then you should start at Club Zero."
Kenzo frowned. "What's Club Zero?"
"It's a VIP lounge near the university," Jiyeon explained. "Exclusive, high-profile guests only. My friend went there once, and after that… she changed. Like she was terrified of something but couldn't say what."
Audrey nodded. "Then that's our next stop."
As they left the library, Hana turned to the group. "If this is bigger than a hacker, we might be dealing with something worse."
Kenzo adjusted his glasses, his mind already working through the possibilities. "Then we'll need to dig deeper. If someone is erasing memories, it's not just tech. It's something else."
Audrey's jaw tightened. "Then we'd better be ready. Because this is just the beginning."
Jiyeon's hands trembled as she clutched her coffee cup, her knuckles turning white. Her breathing was uneven, her entire body shaking as the weight of her recovered memory settled in. The fear in her eyes deepened, but there was something else too—disgust. She wrapped her arms around herself as if trying to physically shield herself from the horrors she had just relived.
"I… I feel sick," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She rubbed her arms as though trying to scrub away an invisible filth. "I don't want to remember. I don't want to see it again."
Hana's expression softened. She reached out but stopped just before touching Jiyeon's arm. "If you want, I can take it away," she said gently. "I can make you forget again."
Jiyeon looked up sharply, her breath hitching. "You can…?" Her voice wavered between desperate hope and hesitation.
Hana nodded. "I can make sure the memory never haunts you again. But it's your choice."
For a long moment, Jiyeon didn't answer. Her fingers clenched against the fabric of her sweater, her whole body trembling. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to erase the violation, the fear, the shame. But then, she swallowed hard, closing her eyes.
"No," she finally said, though her voice was shaky. "I don't want to forget. If I forget… then it's like it never happened. And they'll keep doing this to other girls."
Audrey exchanged a glance with Hana before nodding approvingly. "You're stronger than you think, Jiyeon."
Jiyeon let out a shaky breath, but her eyes still held doubt. "But what if they find me again?"
"They won't," Damian said, his voice firm and unwavering. "Because we're going to find them first."
Kenzo adjusted his glasses, his expression sharp. "Whoever's behind this thinks they're untouchable. We're about to prove them wrong."
Audrey leaned forward, her tone steady. "This isn't just about stopping them. They will pay for what they've done."
Jiyeon's lips trembled, but for the first time since they sat down, her fear lessened. She wasn't alone. Someone was finally fighting for her.
Hana placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You're not the only victim, but you might be the first step in bringing them down. And we're not going to stop until they answer for everything they've done."
Jiyeon exhaled slowly, nodding. "Okay."
Audrey stood, signaling to the others. "Then let's get to work."
As they walked away, Jiyeon watched them, her fear still present—but now, there was something else in her eyes. Hope.