Delay Tactic
Ji-won didn't respond to Seong-min's card.
Not right away.
Instead, he delayed—and in the corporate world, delay is its own weapon.
He spent the weekend feeding the System patterns: internal emails, archived print logs, bonus schedules—all cross-referenced through quiet hours in Kangsan's virtual backlot.
> [Decision Registered]
🔁 Choice Selected: Delay
⚠️ Quest Update – "Feather Under Steel": Status ONGOING
Objective: Uncover the true function of the Asset Optimization Taskforce
Bonus Route Unlocked: "The Fifth Ledger"
---
Monday arrived with a blizzard of directives. Ji-won buried himself in his usual intern tasks, showing no sign of having been approached.
By midmorning, Dae-ho dropped a manila folder next to his keyboard.
"No name. Just said it was time-sensitive. Came from 'upstairs.'"
Ji-won opened it slowly.
The folder contained a spreadsheet—but it wasn't financial. It was a staff rotation table. Dozens of interns, clerks, and junior staff… but every third person had been relocated to departments controlled by Jae-hyun.
More alarmingly, next to Ji-won's name:
> Recommended Placement – Asset Optimization Division (AO-3)
Date: Effective Friday, this week.
He checked the metadata on the file.
It had been created two weeks ago.
> [System Alert]
Discrepancy Detected
This offer wasn't reactive—it was prearranged.
Implication: Ji-won's movements are being calculated several steps ahead.
Shadow Process Detected – "Candidate Profiling Loop"
So this wasn't an invitation. It was a funnel.
Ji-won's hands tightened around the folder. If they were already profiling him, then someone expected him to become a lever inside the system—not just observe it.
Which meant: there was still time to flip the table.
---
⚠️ QUEST STATUS – "Feather Under Steel"
🔄 Ongoing
Ji-won has delayed his answer and uncovered premeditated manipulation.
New Sub-Objective: Infiltrate AO-3's previous operations and identify who was removed before Ji-won's placement.
---
That evening, Ji-won checked the AO-3 staffing logs using a masked login through an abandoned marketing terminal.
There, buried under mundane departure memos, was a flagged record:
> Employee: Kwon Min-jae
Former Role: Taskforce Specialist, AO-3
Status: Suspended pending investigation
Reason: Undisclosed security breach
Last login: 17 days ago
And attached to the file—a blurred audit trail… with one fragment recovered by the System:
> "Trust alpha variant discrepancy – tied to Q4 emergency budget reallocation under Chairman's vault—"
That was no coincidence.
The man Ji-won was set to replace? Found something real. And disappeared for it.
> [System Internal Branch Triggered]
Hidden Objective Available – "What Happened to Kwon Min-jae?"
Status: Ongoing
Lead Required: Locate any remaining contacts or outputs from Min-jae's workgroup
Reward: Permanent Access to AO-3 Backend Systems
Ji-won logged off.
He wouldn't enter AO-3 blind.
If they'd
built a funnel for him, he'd jam it open, walk in with eyes wide, and maybe—burn it down on the way out.
The Receipt Trail
Ji-won knew better than to go straight at the front door of a mystery. In Kangsan, the truth never sat behind official logins.
It hid in low places.
He returned to the mailroom.
Most interns ignored it. It smelled like dust and printer ink, staffed by underpaid temps and night-shift carriers. But Ji-won saw something different: a space where information moved physically, away from server audits and timestamp logs.
He waited until the second shift rotated out. Then he walked straight to the central envelope bin.
"Looking for something?" the supervisor asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ji-won handed him a recycled Kangsan cup holder.
"Delivery mix-up," he lied. "Checking if anything returned."
The man snorted but waved him on.
---
Inside the outbound drawer marked Internal-Caf/Alpha, Ji-won found it:
A bundle of coffee receipts, itemized and sealed in plastic.
Not unusual—until he scanned the QR on one of them and the System pulsed.
> [System Analysis]
Data Signature: Encrypted Identifier Match – Kwon Min-jae
Embedded Metadata:
Timestamp mismatch
Embedded code string
Transfer hash: "TGVnYWN5LUNpcmN1aXQ=" → Decoded: "Legacy-Circuit"
Ji-won's breath caught.
This wasn't a receipt. It was a breadcrumb—a marker Kwon had left, disguised as a corporate transaction.
And it pointed to a Legacy Circuit.
---
⚠️ QUEST STATUS – "What Happened to Kwon Min-jae?"
🟡 Status: Ongoing
Update: Ji-won has found an encrypted payment trail used by Kwon to mark investigation checkpoints.
Next Objective: Follow metadata path to Min-jae's last known meeting point — the internal vending kiosk outside Sublevel 2.
---
The Legacy Circuit was something only the System referred to.
> [System Internal Note]
"Legacy Circuits" are unofficial pathways used by prior insiders to leave messages, caches, or system triggers for later inheritors.
You are now navigating a dead man's contingency plan.
Ji-won returned to the elevator. Sublevel 2 was officially storage overflow. Few ever had reason to visit, and the only active fixture there was an old vending kiosk for late-shift workers.
He stepped out of the elevator as the light flickered above him.
The hallway was silent. No cameras.
The vending machine sat beneath a buzzing tube light—its LED screen showing a strange distortion.
Ji-won approached and tapped the panel.
The screen glitched—then displayed a simple string of text.
> IF YOU FOUND THIS, YOU'RE NEXT.
Audio cue pending…
Click.
From the coin slot, a voice whispered through static:
> "They found me at AO-3. I moved the files to Echo Bunker. If you're Kangsan-blooded, they'll protect you—for a price. Don't trust the lawyer. Not even her."
Then silence.
And a single receipt printed out, marked only with a code:
> EB-X93-KANG
> [System Archive Created]
📁 New Folder: Echo Bunker Access Code Logged
Subquest Added – "Dead Man's Locker"
Status: Ongoing
Objective: Locate the Echo Bunker inside Kangsan's abandoned archive wing
Estimated Risk: Medium
Estimated Reward: Access to Kwon Min-jae's final project + AO-3 bypass code
Ji-won pocketed the paper.
In the underbelly of the skyscraper, the war was no longer about ambition. It was survival.
And he had just walked into the map left by a ghost.
---
The Janitor's Key
Ji-won stood in front of the elevator for a long time, receipt in hand, before pressing the button for Sublevel 4—lower than Sublevel 2, not technically decommissioned, but marked as "Facilities Only" in the internal building map.
The kind of place people forgot existed.
The elevator groaned as it descended. The lights dimmed, and the metal doors creaked open to reveal darkness.
Dust spiraled in stagnant air. The flickering red bulb overhead cast long shadows across pipes and exposed conduit. There were no signs. No cameras. Just the low buzz of ancient machines still running for reasons no one questioned anymore.
Ji-won stepped forward.
A minute later, he heard a sound—soft footsteps, like someone dragging a mop.
Then a voice behind him: low, rough, and casual.
"People don't come down here unless they're running from something… or to something."
Ji-won turned quickly.
An old janitor, mop in one hand, flashlight in the other, stared at him. His eyes were sharp. Too sharp.
"I don't suppose you're here to clean," the man said.
Ji-won swallowed. "No. I'm looking for something called… Echo Bunker."
The janitor didn't flinch. He simply chuckled. "Well, now. You've got the same look that Min-jae had before he vanished."
Ji-won's heartbeat surged.
"You knew him?"
The janitor set down the mop. "I don't know people. I know patterns. He came down here three weeks ago. Same way you did—quiet, off the grid, half-sure he wasn't being followed."
He reached into his pocket and handed Ji-won a chipped access card.
"Most people think I clean dirt. Truth is, I sweep up what's left after secrets rot. Min-jae left this behind. Said someone would come. Someone who still had 'his name but not his chains.' Whatever the hell that means."
Ji-won took the card. It was labeled:
> Echo Bunker Temporary Access – Valid Once
Expiry: Midnight Tonight
> [System Update]
🗝️ Echo Access Card Received
New Entry Added: "Janitor Node – Potential Ally"
Quest Status – "Dead Man's Locker":
🔄 Ongoing
Sub-Objective Complete: Find first key to Echo Bunker
Next Step: Use access before expiration and bypass old lock-pair system
---
⚠️ QUEST STATUS NOTIFICATION
🔍 Main Quest: "Feather Under Steel"
✅ Sub-Objective Complete: Echo Trail Located
🟡 Status: Ongoing
You are now being watched by at least two unseen observers.
New Hidden Variable: "The Blind Strategist" is aware of your movement.
---
Ji-won pocketed the card carefully.
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.
The janitor shrugged. "Because sometimes the filth upstairs starts to stink too loud. And I like my quiet."
With that, he picked up his mop and walked away, disappearing into the foggy corners of Sublevel 4.
Ji-won stared at the single steel door ahead, lights flickering above it.
Midnight wasn't far.
And whatever Kwon Min-jae h
ad hidden inside Echo Bunker… was his next step into the shadows of Kangsan.
---
The door to Echo Bunker wasn't guarded. No camera. No guards. Just a matte-gray panel beside a reinforced steel slab.
Ji-won slid the chipped card into the reader.
It paused. Then blinked green.
With a hiss and metallic click, the vault door slowly opened, revealing darkness wrapped in silence.
The System pinged softly in his retina.
> [System Alert]
⚠️ You are now entering a quarantined network zone.
Surveillance Blackout: ✅ Active
External Tracking: ❌ Blocked
Risk Level: HIGH
— Proceed with caution.
---
Inside, Ji-won stepped into a long, curved hallway lit by low-frequency LED strips. Walls of old fiber wiring lined the passage like veins beneath the skin of Kangsan's past. This wasn't just a forgotten storage wing. It was intentional burial.
The first room was empty save for one flickering terminal.
Ji-won approached, touched the surface—and the screen lit up with Kwon Min-jae's ID, distorted like static ghost code.
Then a prompt appeared:
> "Legacy-B: Voice or Blood Access Required"
– Registered Heir Not Found –
Manual Override Initiated
Insert Verification
Ji-won's pulse raced.
He pressed his palm to the scanner. It buzzed… then turned red.
> Access Denied
"Lineage marker incomplete."
But the System intervened.
> [System Override Routine Detected]
Parsing DNA from residual biometric trail…
✓ Match: 34% Correlation – "Unconfirmed Line of Il-Seong Kang"
Verdict: Provisional Access Granted
The door behind him sealed shut.
---
Inside the next chamber, walls of digital archives lined the shelves. Holographic modules blinked to life as Ji-won passed.
He accessed the first one.
> Kangsan Strategic Audit – Confidential (Red Tier)
Prepared by: Kwon Min-jae
Notes:
AO-3 restructuring is a cover operation.
True goal: Channel assets into Chairman's unlisted vaults.
Sub-project "Phoenix Fund" is built on falsified pensions, forged contracts, and ghost departments.
Ji-won stared.
This wasn't a report.
This was a declaration of war against the board.
---
⚠️ QUEST STATUS NOTIFICATION
🟡 "Dead Man's Locker": Ongoing
New Data Cache Acquired – "Phoenix Fund Report"
Uncovered: Kangsan is hiding an internal investment shell large enough to collapse the company from within.
Hidden Condition Met:
> Blood Recognition Triggered
"Inheritor Pattern Partially Matched – Ji-won"
Legacy Defense Protocol Activated…
---
The lights flickered red. From the far corner, a panel opened with a loud snap.
A voice emerged—digitized and ancient, but unmistakably real.
> "Il-Seong Kang's line always returns. If you are the remnant, then carry the key forward. But know this—once opened, it cannot be closed again."
A small black case slid forward on a tray.
Inside: a crystal data drive and a silver badge engraved with two words:
> "Legacy Null."
> [Item Acquired]
🔐 Legacy Null Badge – Owner Status: Ji-won (Provisional Heir)
Function: Bypass board-level firewalls / Override financial locks
Warning: This badge emits a unique signature traceable by top-tier security.
Ji-won clenched his jaw.
The trap was set. Kwon had built it not just to expose Kangsan's sins—but to pass the match to someone Kangsan never expected.
The lights in the Echo Bunker began to pulse.
Ji-won didn't wait for a second warning. He slipped the Legacy Null badge into his coat lining, downloaded the Phoenix Fund report onto his retinal System, and retraced his steps to the elevator.
But when he scanned the chipped access card again…
> [System Error]
Access Denied: Card usage expired
⚠ Trace Active – 32% Complete
Security Protocols Inbound
He clenched his fists. Trapped.
Then—footsteps.
Deliberate. Confident. High heels.
Ji-won turned toward the hallway, ready for a fight—
And saw her.
Yura.
The assistant to Seong-min Kang. The woman who delivered coffee, managed calendars, whispered strategic updates into the ears of the board heir.
But now… she stood in a sleek crimson coat, a lowlight visor across her brow, and a pistol holstered at her side.
"Long day?" she asked.
Ji-won didn't answer.
Yura walked toward him, tapping her wristband. The elevator lock turned green again.
"I'm not here for your secrets, Ji-won," she said. "I'm here to offer you a choice."
He didn't lower his guard. "You work for Seong-min."
"I work for whoever bets on survival," she said calmly. "And right now, you have something even the chairman doesn't—leverage."
She stepped closer.
"Min-jae wasn't the only one who knew about Phoenix Fund. He wasn't the only one who planned an exit route either. But he didn't finish it. You can."
> [System Notification]
🔔 Hidden Faction Encountered: "Red Ledger"
Alignment: Unknown
Objective: Recruit heirs of suppressed bloodlines with access to financial or historical anomalies
Offer Incoming: Side Quest "Join the Red Ledger"
Rewards:
Training access
Counter-surveillance tools
Sub-network AI called "Silhouette"
Risk: High – Requires partial loyalty oath
---
Ji-won narrowed his eyes. "Why now?"
Yura smiled faintly. "Because now you're marked. Kangsan's internal trace is at 73%—by the time it hits 100, they'll know who activated Legacy Null. But if you come with me, we disappear off their radar. For a while."
Ji-won's hand hovered near the badge.
"What's in it for you?"
"I get to work with someone who has blood and brains," she said simply. "That's rare in this family."
She turned, unlocking the door behind her.
"You have twenty seconds. Walk through this door, and we disappear into the undercity. You stay, and Kangsan's firewalls come for you."
Ji-won looked down at the badge again.
The weight of every lie in his grandfather's empire hung around his neck.
Then—
He moved.
---
> [Quest Update]
Main Quest: "Feather Under Steel" – Branching Path Selected
✅ Joined Hidden Faction: Red Ledger
🔔 Sub-Quest Unlocked – "Silhouette's Trial"
Status: Ongoing
Reward on Completion: Cloaked identity signature, access to hidden network tunnels beneath Kangsan Tower
---
As the door shut behind them, sealing Echo Bunker once more, Yura finally looked at him.
"I'm not your ally," she said. "Not y
et. But I am your only exit strategy."
Ji-won didn't trust her.
But for now—he walked with her into the dark.