UNDERCOVER CODES: THE HIDDEN ALGORITHM

CHAPTER 2: THE SECRET SERVER

Disclaimer:

This story is a work of fiction and a fan-created alternate universe. The characters do not belong to me unless stated otherwise; all rights go to their respective creators. Events, settings, and interpretations are purely products of imagination and are not intended to reflect reality. Please read with an open mind - this is for creative and entertainment purposes only.

- Written with dreams, Ser_eia^^
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SVT University Computer Laboratory, 10:46 p.m.

The lab was empty except for the quiet hum of machines and the faint ticking of the analog clock mounted above the server racks. It was past midnight, but to Wonwoo, time didn't matter. The university had long fallen asleep, but this was when his real world came alive.

Blue light from multiple screens reflected in his glasses as lines of code streamed past-algorithms, encryptions, and hidden commands. His fingers moved fast but precise, unlocking layers that no student should ever know existed. To anyone else, he looked like a nerd debugging council files. But behind the calm facade, the Phantom was working.

A door creaked softly.

"Still here?" Jeonghan's voice broke the silence, lilting and mischievous as always.

The Alpha leaned against the frame, his long hair pulled back, a sly smile playing on his lips. Beside him, Joshua entered, holding two cups of coffee.

"Don't tell me you're decoding the university firewall again," Joshua teased, placing a cup beside Wonwoo.

His tone was warm, but his eyes scanned the screens - analytical, curious, angelic with something sharper underneath.

Wonwoo didn't look up. "The system flagged a ghost line again. A loop that shouldn't exist."

Jeonghan's smile faltered. "A ghost line?"

Joshua leaned closer, whispering, "You mean... them?"

Wonwoo's fingers paused for just a moment before continuing. "It's a connection point - disguised as part of the school's database. It's old code. My code."

A beat of silence. The fans whirred. The implication sank in.

The Syndicate's network - buried inside the university's mainframe. Hidden in plain sight.

Jeonghan straightened. "Who accessed it?"

"No one," Wonwoo replied, eyes narrowing. "Yet. But someone's been monitoring it. From the Business Admin servers."

Joshua and Jeonghan exchanged glances. Business Admin. That meant one thing.

Mingyu's department.

A soft knock broke the tension. Wonwoo froze. He recognized that knock pattern - two short, one long. The kind that echoed down the hallways of the Computer Science wing like a memory.

"Yo, Phantom," came a familiar voice. Too casual. Too dangerous.

Wonwoo minimized every open window with a swift command. The screens went blank, reflecting only his calm expression. He turned just as Kim Mingyu entered, his varsity jacket unzipped, hair damp from practice, looking like the kind of person who belonged in every spotlight Wonwoo avoided.

"You're still here?" Mingyu asked, tilting his head. "Or are you building another one of your secret projects?"

Jeonghan chuckled. "You'd be surprised how many he has."

Mingyu smirked, walking closer. "Maybe I should look into it. Computer Science kids always hide the coolest stuff."

Wonwoo's heart gave a sharp, unfamiliar pulse - not from fear, but something much more dangerous. He caught Mingyu's reflection in the blank monitor and forced a polite smile. "Curiosity can break firewalls, Mingyu. Sometimes, it burns the one who touches it."

For a second, Mingyu's grin faltered - curiosity flickering behind those sharp brown eyes. Then, with a shrug, he stepped back. "Guess I'll leave the hacking to you, Phantom."

He left with that teasing grin, the door closing behind him.

The silence that followed felt heavier.

Jeonghan exhaled. "He's getting closer, isn't he?"

Wonwoo's fingers returned to the keyboard, steady, composed. But his voice was low. "Let him get close. I'll make sure he never sees what's underneath."

On the screen, the system blinked once - a single message appearing in red text:

[CONNECTION ESTABLISHED: THE PHANTOM // THE COMMANDER // THE ALPHA // THE SERAPH]

Joshua's voice softened. "Cheol's going to want an update."

"I know," Wonwoo murmured. "But not yet. Not until I find who mirrored my code."

Jeonghan's smile returned, sharp as glass. "You mean the ghost behind the ghost."

Wonwoo finally looked up from his screen. "Exactly."

Outside, the rain began to fall - tapping against the windows like static, like encrypted messages from the world beyond. And somewhere in the Business Administration building, Mingyu sat in his office, staring at his laptop, where an alert pulsed faintly at the bottom of his screen.

[Unauthorized Access Detected: Server 17-B // Source Unknown]

He smiled faintly, unaware of who the "source" really was.

And in that moment, the phantom and the golden boy had unknowingly entered each other's code.

TO BE CONTINUED..