The Algorithm Of Deceit

Chapter ten

Darkness stretched endlessly around her, thick and suffocating, pressing against her skin like an unseen force. A cold shiver ran down Ji-hyun’s spine as she took cautious steps forward, her bare feet sinking into the unseen ground. The air was thick with something unplaceable—something heavy, something wrong.

Then, a voice.

"Ji-hyun…"

Her heart clenched.

"Soo-ah?" she called out, her voice shaking as she turned in every direction, searching desperately.

The voice echoed again, distant yet painfully familiar. "Ji-hyun, help me…"

Panic gripped her as she began to run, her breath ragged, eyes darting into the abyss. The harder she ran, the more distant the voice became. The darkness around her thickened, pressing in from all sides, suffocating. Then—

Cold.

Her foot slipped, and suddenly, she was sinking. Black, murky water rose up, swallowing her legs. She struggled, but the more she fought, the deeper she was pulled in.

Hands.

Shadowy, grotesque hands formed from the inky depths, wrapping around her ankles, her wrists, clawing at her skin. They dragged her down, deeper and deeper, the weight of them pressing against her chest. She gasped for breath, but the darkness filled her lungs, tightening around her throat.

"Soo-ah!" she screamed, reaching out, desperate.

But the voice was gone.

A violent tremor shook the world around her. The abyss cracked. The ground beneath her split apart.

Ji-hyun's eyes snapped open.

Her breath was heavy, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared at the ceiling of her room. Sweat clung to her skin, her sheets tangled around her legs as if trying to hold her down.

A sharp, grating sound pierced the silence.

Her alarm.

Her hand shot out, blindly smacking at her nightstand until she found the device, silencing it with a single tap. The bright numbers on the screen glared back at her.

6:00 AM.

Ji-hyun groaned, running a hand through her messy hair, her fingers getting caught in the tangled strands. She sat up slowly, still shaken by the dream, the weight of it clinging to her bones. It wasn't the first time she had dreamed of Soo-ah, but this… this had felt different.

Her sister wasn’t just calling her name this time.

She was begging for help.

Ji-hyun clenched her fists, trying to shake the eerie feeling creeping up her spine. Dreams were just dreams, she reminded herself. Nothing more.

Pushing herself out of bed, she stretched, rolling her shoulders and letting out a slow breath. Today was important. She had taken the first step with gun training, but it wasn’t enough. If she wanted to be fully prepared, she needed to master the physical side of combat as well.

Taekwondo.

The memory of it was sharp in her mind—her and Soo-ah, side by side, matching uniforms, their feet skimming the mat as they practiced together. Soo-ah had always been the better one, her kicks precise, her stance unwavering. Ji-hyun had done it just for fun, to spend time with her twin.

But after Soo-ah left for the military, Ji-hyun had abandoned it completely.

She hadn't wanted to do anything that reminded her of the sister she had lost.

But now?

Now, she had no choice.

She needed to be strong. She needed to survive.

Tugging on a simple black workout set, she pulled her hair into a high ponytail, tying her shoelaces tightly before grabbing her gym bag. She took a quick look at herself in the mirror—her frame had changed over the past weeks, her muscles more defined, her posture sharper.

She was getting closer.

But she wasn’t there yet.

Grabbing her keys, she headed out, locking the door behind her. The early morning air was crisp, the faint scent of spring lingering in the breeze. Ji-hyun inhaled deeply, pushing aside the remnants of her nightmare as she hailed a cab to the dojang.

One week.

One week to sharpen her skills before she put everything into motion.

She had wasted enough time mourning. Now, it was time to fight.

*******************************

Sweat dripped down Ji-hyun's temple as she exited the dojang, her body sore but her mind sharper than ever. She pulled out her phone, checking her notifications as she wiped her face with a towel.

A single message lit up her screen.

"Request approved. Delivery in one week's time."

Ji-hyun’s lips curled into a small, satisfied smile.

Finally.

The leverage she needed. Whoever the anonymous people were, they needed her just as much as she needed them. This wasn’t just a game of cat and mouse anymore—it was a negotiation. And now, she had a card to play.

"One week," she murmured to herself, gripping her phone tighter. "That’s all I need."

Before she could dwell on her thoughts any longer, her phone buzzed again, this time with an incoming call. Ji-hyun glanced at the screen—Eun-ha.

She hesitated before answering. It had been a while since she had last spoken to her friend properly.

"Hello?"

"Ji-hyun-ah!" Eun-ha’s voice was bright and full of energy, as always. "You’ve been ignoring me, haven’t you?"

Ji-hyun sighed. "I’ve been busy, Eun-ha."

"Yeah, yeah, you and your mysterious ‘things to do.’" Eun-ha huffed dramatically. "Anyway, I don’t care. I want to see you. Meet up with me today?"

Ji-hyun glanced down at herself—sweaty, dressed in workout gear, hair slightly damp from the intensity of training. She wasn’t exactly in the best shape for a meetup.

"Where?" she asked, already deciding that she would go.

"I’ll send you the location. Let’s meet in an hour?"

Ji-hyun nodded, even though Eun-ha couldn’t see her. "Fine. I’ll be there."

"Good! Don’t be late, or I’ll make you pay for everything!" Eun-ha laughed before hanging up.

Shaking her head, Ji-hyun tucked her phone into her bag and flagged down a cab. She had just enough time to shower, change, and clear her mind before meeting Eun-ha.

It had been a long time since she had spent time with a friend. Maybe, just for a little while, she could pretend she was still the same Ji-hyun from before.