The Encrypted File

"Soo-Jin, wait! The data transfer..." Min-Jun shouted over the radio. "It wasn't sent to an external server... it was sent directly to *your* personal encrypted cloud!"

Soo-Jin stopped in her tracks at the alley mouth, the heavy rain soaking her hair and face. She pulled out her secure tablet and looked at the screen. A single black file had finished downloading, unlocked by a master key.

The neon lights of Seoul reflected on the wet asphalt around her. She was supposed to be retrieving a stolen military database from a black-market syndicate in Gangnam. But this—this wasn't a database. It was an intelligence file containing names, coordinates, and a high-level clearance code that shouldn't exist.

"Min-Jun, erase my digital footprint right now," Soo-Jin commanded, her thumb hovering over the tablet.

"I'm trying, but the syndicate's security team is already tracing the signal! They know the download completed on your device!" Min-Jun's voice was panicked. "Soo-Jin, if they catch you with that file, it's not just the agency after you—it's the entire underworld."

Soo-Jin gripped the tablet tightly and slid it into her waterproof coat. "Let them come."

She stepped out into the main street, blending into the crowd of umbrellas under the flashing billboards of Seoul. Her mission had just changed. She wasn't just an agent anymore; she was holding the deadliest secret in the city.

Soo-Jin, wait! The data transfer..." Min-Jun shouted over the tactical radio, his voice crackling with static. "It wasn't sent to an external server... it was sent.

> Soo-Jin stopped in her tracks at the dark alley mouth, the heavy rain soaking through her dark leather jacket and wet hair. She pulled out her sleek, secure tablet and looked at the glowing screen.

The neon signs of Seoul's Gangnam district reflected off the wet asphalt around her. She was supposed to be retrieving a stolen military database from a dangerous black-market syndicate. But this—this wasn't just a database. It was a classified intelligence file containing real names, exact coordinates, and a high-level clearance code that wasn't supposed to exist outside the President's inner circle.

> "Min-Jun, erase my digital footprint right now," Soo-Jin commanded, her thumb hovering over the dark tablet interface.

> "I'm trying, They know the download completed on your device!" Min-Jun's voice was rising in panic. "Soo-Jin, if they catch you with that file, it's not just the syndicate after you—it's the entire underworld, and possibly rogue members of our own agency."

> Soo-Jin gripped the tablet tightly and slid it safely into her waterproof inner coat pocket.

> She stepped out into the main street, seamlessly blending into the dense crowd of colorful umbrellas under the flashing billboards of downtown Seoul. But her mind was racing. Who sent this file to her private server?

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***