Neon lights poured like liquid fire across the glass towers of Seoul's Innovation Quarter, and every screen glowed with one name:"Luma Systems: Rebirth Gala."
Inside the glittering ballroom, holographic chandeliers shimmered overhead, champagne bubbles floated midair as decorations, and people laughed in the way only the rich could — like the world wasn't falling apart.
And in the middle of it all, Ha-rin was trying not to kill Jae-hyun.
She tugged the neckline of her black silk gown higher, glaring at him."Remind me again why I'm in heels infiltrating a gala instead of in the lab?"
Jae-hyun adjusted the cuff of his charcoal suit, smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth."Because you're the only one pretty enough to distract the CEO if things go wrong."
Her jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"
He leaned closer, his voice dropping low, teasing."Just playing to our strengths, Mrs. Kang."
Her face went red. "Don't call me that."
He grinned. "You agreed to the cover story."
She crossed her arms. "Under protest."
"Undercover protest," he said, flashing his ID badge — 'Dr. & Mrs. Kang' printed neatly under their photos.
"Echo save me," she muttered, downing half her champagne.
From across the room, Seo-jin's voice buzzed in her earpiece."Lovebirds, focus. Mira Yoon's associate is somewhere in that crowd. Your mission is to identify the data broker who leaked the #EchoHeart code."
Ha-rin's gaze swept the ballroom. "You'd think the world's most dangerous leak wouldn't happen over caviar."
"Welcome to corporate romance," Seo-jin deadpanned. "Everyone here's cheating on either a person or an NDA."
Jae-hyun chuckled softly, adjusting the comms. "Any luck tracing the uplink?"
"Still pinging random devices," Seo-jin replied. "It's like someone mirrored the melody into human networks — emotional frequencies, not data. You're looking for someone wearing a resonance crystal."
Ha-rin frowned. "Those aren't even public tech yet."
"Exactly," Seo-jin said. "And one just lit up in the east wing."
Ha-rin turned toward the corridor lined with shimmering golden drapes."I'll check it out."
Jae-hyun grabbed her wrist gently. "Not alone."
She gave him a look. "Oh please, I'm not the one who almost fried myself last week syncing brains with an AI."
He smiled faintly. "True. But you'd look better doing it in that dress."
She glared, but her pulse jumped anyway. "You're impossible."
"And you love it," he whispered.
"Focus, Kang."
"Always do, Yoon."
They slipped through the east corridor — quieter, darker, lined with abstract art and glowing sculptures.The hum of the gala faded behind them, replaced by soft orchestral music and the faint buzz of digital devices.
Ha-rin spotted the resonance flicker — a faint blue light emanating from a man's wristwatch near the balcony.He was alone, typing into a handheld projector.
Jae-hyun leaned in, whispering against her ear, "He's our guy."
His breath brushed her skin, and she almost forgot to breathe."Could you… not do that when I'm trying to think?"
He smiled. "Just blending in. Married couples whisper."
Her heartbeat kicked. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Maybe."
They moved closer, pretending to admire the view from the glass balcony.The city stretched below them like a galaxy of neon stars.
Ha-rin caught a glimpse of the man's screen — "Project ECHOHEART Distribution Node v2.1".
"Got him," she murmured.
Jae-hyun nodded slightly. "On my mark, I'll distract. You copy the node data."
"Mark?" she asked.
He grinned. "Now."
Before she could protest, he turned, slipped an arm around her waist, and kissed her.
Not a fake, polite brush — a real one.Hot, sudden, electric.
Ha-rin froze, every nerve catching fire.
The data broker blinked, startled — and that was all the time she needed.She pulled the mini-shard from her clutch, pressed it to the man's wrist device, and downloaded the node before he even noticed.
Jae-hyun pulled back, smirking slightly. "See? Effective distraction."
She stared at him, breathless. "You— you didn't warn me!"
"Would you have agreed?"
"No!"
"Exactly."
They moved quickly, vanishing into the corridor before the man turned back.Ha-rin's face was flushed, her heart hammering.
"You could've just talked to him," she hissed.
"And miss the best cover story of the night?" Jae-hyun said, smug.
"Unbelievable."
"You're welcome."
Back in the car, she sat with her arms crossed, refusing to look at him.Seo-jin's voice chirped through the comm. "Mission accomplished, lovebirds?"
"Barely," Ha-rin muttered.
Jae-hyun grinned. "We got the data node."
Seo-jin's tone shifted. "Good. Because there's a problem."
Ha-rin turned. "What now?"
"The node's encryption isn't Mira's. It's from inside Luma Systems."
Jae-hyun frowned. "Someone in our own company helped her."
Seo-jin hesitated. "And it gets worse. The data tag's signature— it matches your access key, Jae."
Ha-rin blinked. "What?"
Jae-hyun's jaw tightened. "That's impossible."
Seo-jin sighed. "Then someone's framing you. And they just uploaded your profile to the Global Ethics Bureau as the one who leaked Echo."
Ha-rin whispered, "Oh my god."
Jae-hyun leaned back in his seat, eyes cold."So that's how they want to play it."
Ha-rin met his gaze, heart pounding. "What do we do?"
He turned toward her, voice steady, determined."We go home, Yoon."
She frowned. "Home?"
He smiled faintly. "The lab. Where all our ghosts live."
Outside, the city lights blurred past.Echo's song still played faintly from passing billboards —but now, layered beneath the melody, a distorted new rhythm pulsed.
"When the heart betrays the mind, only one can be saved."
Ha-rin shivered. "That wasn't part of the song before."
Jae-hyun stared out the window. "No," he said quietly. "It's evolving again."