Chapter 14

14. Phoenix

Jiseul stubbornly devoted herself to uncovering the passwords protecting the locked folders.

Only after revising and improving the decryption program dozens of times did the passwords gradually begin to reveal themselves.

It was already past six in the evening.

As she opened the encrypted folders one by one, Jiseul realized just how meticulous Junghyeon’s investigation had been.

Meticulous wasn’t even enough to describe it.

He had been obsessively thorough.

The more she looked, the more impressed she became.

Then, while examining the files one by one, she opened a particularly large folder.

A gasp escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Inside was exactly the kind of information they desperately needed.

The contents were far more explicit and far more dangerous than anything they had found before.

After carefully reviewing the files, Jiseul immediately called for Woohyun.

This was something he absolutely needed to see.

“Mr. CEO, come here quickly!”

As Jiseul shouted, Woohyun entered the room a moment later.

“What’s happened?”

Looking puzzled, he approached at her urgent gesture.

The moment he reached the computer, she moved the mouse and showed him the contents.

“I found some important files. Look at this. It’s a suspected list of Phoenix abuse cases. Mysterious accidents and suicides from the last three years. I think Prosecutor Shin investigated every single one personally.”

Jiseul’s voice trembled slightly with excitement.

The achievement of discovering something important mixed with fear over the severity of the case, creating a storm of emotions within her.

It was difficult to sort through everything she was feeling.

[Suspected Phoenix Abuse Cases

1. Assemblyman Kim OO – Traffic accident caused by vehicle hacking. Deceased.
2. Reporter Lee OO – Heart attack induced through pacemaker hacking. Deceased.
3. Attorney Park OO – Elevator system hacked, resulting in fatal fall. Deceased.

…]

The file contained dozens of carefully organized cases.

A politician killed in a traffic accident.

A business executive who suddenly died from heart failure.

A journalist ruled to have died by suicide after jumping from a building.

An NGO activist who died from gas poisoning.

“You’re saying all of these were caused by Phoenix?”

Woohyun’s voice wasn’t loud, but the shock in it was unmistakable.

Even for him, this was an overwhelming revelation.

“Yes. The pattern is clear. Every case involved electronic devices, and all of them experienced unusual malfunctions shortly before death. Some of these victims also overlap with the list Crow and I discovered.”

Lowering her voice, Jiseul continued.

The gravity of the situation made it hard to breathe.

“Every victim was someone who openly voiced their opinions politically or socially. Professors who criticized government policies, journalists investigating corruption, public officials preparing to become whistleblowers…”

“How many victims are there?”

“Seventy-eight cases involving either accidents or threats.”

“And how many deaths?”

“Prosecutor Shin confirmed seventeen, but… there may be more.”

Jiseul’s lips trembled as she answered.

The moment she imagined the horrific reality, a sharp pain stabbed through her chest.

Her breathing became constricted.

Her heart throbbed painfully.

The world seemed to flash white before her eyes.

“At least seventeen people… lost their lives. Because of a program I created…”

Jiseul barely managed to finish speaking through the pain.

Woohyun stared at her sharply.

Concern filled his eyes, quickly turning serious.

Her condition looked that bad.

“Ms. Han Jiseul, are you alright?”

“N-No. Just…”

Suddenly unable to breathe properly, Jiseul grabbed her throat.

She desperately tried to inhale, but only painful gasps came out.

She looked as though she might lose consciousness at any moment.

When her panic symptoms began surfacing again, Woohyun immediately grabbed her hand and spoke firmly.

“Pull yourself together, Ms. Han Jiseul. Calm down slowly. Relax your body. Don’t force yourself to breathe.”

Following his instructions, Jiseul tried her best to relax.

She struggled to push away the horrifying thought that countless people had died because of her.

But it wasn’t easy.

“It’s all… my fault. Somehow… I should’ve avoided… creating a program like that.”

“What are you talking about? Those incidents absolutely weren’t your fault. The people who abused that program are the ones who went insane.”

Woohyun slowly patted her shoulder as he spoke.

Jiseul, who had been desperately fighting for breath, froze at his words.

For some reason, tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

After she finally managed a shaky exhale, Woohyun continued.

“You only created a tool. The evil acts were committed by the people who abused that tool. When a shooting happens, nobody cares who manufactured the gun. The villain is the one who pulled the trigger. Do you understand?”

Holding back her tears, Jiseul slowly nodded.

Woohyun was right.

It wasn’t her fault.

She was a victim of Phoenix as well.

The moment she accepted that, the tight knot in her chest loosened slightly, and she could finally breathe again.

The tears she’d been suppressing finally overflowed.

Several minutes passed.

Only then did Jiseul gradually recover from her terrible state.

The situation had become serious enough that Woohyun had nearly called emergency services.

“Let’s stop for today and head home. You don’t look well at all.”

When she finally regained her senses, she realized Woohyun was still holding her hand tightly while looking at her with concern.

“N-No. I’m fine.”

Jiseul quickly denied it, but Woohyun firmly shook his head.

“No. You’re not fine. You’re in very bad shape. People usually don’t recognize their own condition in situations like this. An objective observer sees it more clearly. From what I can tell, whenever my brother or the incidents connected to Phoenix come up, your symptoms become much worse because of the stress.”

“…Is that so?”

“Definitely. You were fine until earlier. At least until we started reviewing the case files. Ms. Han Jiseul, you need to face reality properly. My brother’s death wasn’t your fault. The crimes committed using Phoenix weren’t your fault either. I think you’ll only recover once you stop blaming yourself.”

Jiseul quietly listened.

But she had no idea how to stop blaming herself.

Logically, she understood that it wasn’t her fault.

Yet her body seemed to reject that conclusion.

The guilt had taken root deep within her subconscious.

“…Okay.”

When Jiseul reluctantly agreed, feeling completely lost, Woohyun added with a serious expression,

“Go to the hospital tomorrow. Get proper psychiatric treatment. If this gets any worse, your life could genuinely be in danger.”

Jiseul silently nodded.

As she looked at Woohyun’s worried face, Junghyeon’s face suddenly overlapped with it in her memory.

That only made her heart feel heavier.

* * *

Monday morning.

Jiseul woke up before dawn, finished showering, and prepared breakfast.

She planned to arrive at work earlier than usual.

Since she still hadn’t decided on a research topic, she intended to thoroughly analyze the WinCare project.

Choosing a proper research subject was her highest priority if she wanted to give a strong presentation at the Regular Demonstration Meeting.

Ding dong. Ding dong.

Just as she was setting stew and rice on the dining table, the doorbell rang.

Tilting her head in confusion, Jiseul hurried to the entrance.

Nobody should have been visiting this early in the morning.

Could it be Songi?

“Who’s there?”

She opened the door immediately after asking and froze in surprise.

The person standing outside was completely unexpected.

Leaning casually against the wall was none other than Woohyun.

“Mr. CEO? What brings you here this early in the morning?”

When Jiseul asked in confusion, Woohyun answered in his usual indifferent tone.

“I came to take you to the hospital.”

“…The hospital?”

“I already booked an appointment with a highly regarded psychiatrist. Get ready and come out.”

“Ah… You really didn’t have to go that far. I was going to handle it myself…”

Woohyun stared at the flustered Jiseul.

Then he rubbed the bridge of his nose with a somewhat tired look.

“If you actually looked like someone who was going to take care of it herself, I wouldn’t have gotten involved. That’s enough excuses. Let’s go.”

Jiseul couldn’t immediately think of a response.

She had considered visiting a psychiatrist, but she hadn’t expected to act on it this quickly.

The situation caught her completely off guard.

The man standing before her seemed to possess extraordinary initiative.

Perhaps that was why he was such a successful businessman.

“At least come inside first. I was just about to eat breakfast.”

When Jiseul spoke awkwardly, Woohyun casually leaned against the doorway.

“Finish eating. I’ll wait.”

“Have you eaten breakfast, Mr. CEO?”

“I usually don’t eat breakfast.”

“Then just eat with me.”

Jiseul led the way into the kitchen.

Woohyun obediently followed her and sat at the table.

Jiseul served another bowl of rice and placed an extra set of utensils in front of him.

“It may be simple, but it tastes pretty good. I’ve been cooking for myself for a long time.”

Hearing her confident declaration, Woohyun reluctantly picked up his spoon.

He somehow looked unconvinced.

“I’ll judge after tasting it.”

“Okay.”

“The smell is good, at least.”

“Okay.”

Jiseul watched him eat with unexpected nervousness.

Warm sunlight streamed into the kitchen.

Birds chirped softly outside.

The atmosphere felt strangely pleasant.

Woohyun didn’t say much.

He simply finished his meal and gave a satisfied thumbs-up.

Perhaps it was because it had been so long since she’d shared breakfast with someone.

For some reason, gentle ripples spread quietly through her heart.