The Algorithm Of Deceit

Chapter Two

One ring.

Two.

Three.

Straight to voicemail.

Her stomach twisted.

That wasn't normal. Even if Soo-ah didn't want to talk to her, her phone should have at least rung a few more times before going to voicemail. A wave of unease settled deep in her chest.

Had something happened to her sister?

Ji-hyun bit her lip, staring at the moving scenery beyond the train's window. She told herself she was overthinking.

She told herself it was nothing. But deep down, she already knew—something wasn't right. The automated announcement crackled through the train's speakers.

"Next stop: Gangnam Station. Doors will open on your right."

Ji-hyun blinked, the voice dragging her out of her thoughts. She was here.

Cursing under her breath, she shoved her phone into her pocket and pushed her way through the crowd just as the doors slid open. The moment her feet hit the platform, she took off running. Her office was only a five-minute walk from the station—if she walked at a normal pace. But with only three minutes to spare before she was officially late, she had no choice but to sprint. Weaving through the morning rush, she ignored the curious glances from other commuters as she ran, her laptop bag bouncing against her side. By the time she reached the glass doors of TNJ Tech, she was breathless.

The security guard at the entrance gave her a knowing smirk as he scanned her ID badge.

"Running late again, Ji-hyun-ssi?"

She forced a grin, still panting. "Just—barely—made it."

The moment she stepped inside, the cool air of the office washed over her, but it did little to ease the unease still lingering in her chest. Ji-hyun sat at her desk, her eyes glued to the lines of code on her screen, but her mind was elsewhere.

She tried to focus. Tried to drown herself in the familiarity of SQL queries and Python scripts. But the silent calls kept replaying in her head. The way they cut off the moment she spoke Soo-ah's name. The way her sister's number went straight to voicemail. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unmoving.

"Yah, Kang Ji-hyun."

She flinched. Looking up, she found her boss, Manager Choi, standing over her desk with a disapproving frown.

Oh, crap.

"I asked for the data report an hour ago," he said, crossing his arms. "Instead, you bring me a file full of errors." Ji-hyun opened her mouth to argue but quickly closed it. She hadn't even double-checked her work. That never happened.

"I—" She swallowed. "Sorry, Manager Choi. I'll fix it right away."

But instead of nodding and leaving, Manager Choi studied her carefully.

"You're distracted today," he said, his voice softer now. "That's not like you."

Ji-hyun forced a weak smile. "I just didn't sleep well."

Manager Choi sighed. "Take a breather. Clear your head. Then come back and fix this. I don't need you crashing our database because you're running on autopilot." Ji-hyun nodded, grateful for the small reprieve. But instead of taking a break, she had something else in mind. She wasn't a professional hacker, but she was damn good with computers. If someone was playing games with her, she was going to find out who. Ji-hyun pulled up a few tracking tools on her work laptop, disguising it under a VPN just in case. Trace the call. Find the source. Simple.

Except it wasn't.

Every attempt she made led her to a dead end. The number was untraceable. No carrier information. No location data. Nothing.

It was as if the number didn't exist.

Ji-hyun leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. "What the hell...?"

No way an ordinary prank caller could hide their number like this. Whoever—or whatever—was behind the calls knew what they were doing.

And that terrified her.

She clenched her jaw, closing her laptop with a sigh. This is getting to my head. Shaking herself out of it, she forced her attention back to work. She fixed the report, double-checked her queries, and made sure every line of code was spotless before sending it to Manager Choi.

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

By the time she finally left the office, the sky had darkened, the city lights glowing in the distance.

~Hey, see you on thursday hope you enjoyed~ ^_~

~author~😎