The Algorithm Of Deceit

Chapter Five

Ji-hyun barely remembered the train ride home. Her mind was consumed by the message.

"She is not missing in action."

It repeated in her head like a broken record, each word slicing through her with sharp precision.

By the time she reached her apartment, she had only one goal in mind.

Find out who sent that message.

Kicking off her shoes, she didn't bother turning on the lights as she walked straight to her desk. The glow of her laptop screen illuminated the dim room as she powered it on, fingers already poised over the keyboard.

She pulled up her tracing software, inputting the unknown number that had been calling her. If someone was messing with her, she would find out who.

The software ran through its usual decryption process, scanning for any data linked to the number.

Ji-hyun's eyes flickered to the screen, scanning the results.

No registered owner. No linked devices. No known IP addresses.

A dead end.

She clenched her jaw. No way.

This wasn't a normal number. It was shielded.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she tried again, bypassing regular tracking methods and diving into deeper layers of encryption. But no matter what she did, the system always led her back to a blank screen.

It was as if the number didn't exist.

Ji-hyun leaned back, exhaling sharply.

Her gaze drifted to the nightstand where her twin sister's military pendant lay.

Something in her chest tightened as she reached for it, the cold metal pressing against her palm.

The pendant was simple—worn from years of use, but still intact. She turned it over in her fingers, tracing the engraving on the back.

Lieutenant Kang Soo-ah.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she scrutinized it further, rubbing her thumb along the metal surface.

Then—

She froze.

A small, almost invisible line of numbers was etched beneath her sister's name.

Numbers that looked very familiar.

Ji-hyun's breath caught in her throat.

It was the same number that had been calling her.

Her pulse pounded in her ears as she stared at the pendant, her mind racing.

This wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't be.

The person who called her...

They were in the military.

They knew her sister.

And more importantly—they knew what happened to her.

Ji-hyun's grip tightened around the pendant, her nails digging into her palm.

Someone had been trying to reach her. But why wouldn't they speak? Why send a cryptic message instead of telling her the truth outright?

Was it a warning? A threat?

Or was it someone trying to help her?

She took a shaky breath, forcing herself to think logically.

If this person was connected to the military, that meant they had access to classified information. It also meant that whoever they were, they were careful.