Kim Yoon-sung followed the conversation he'd overheard at the warehouse in the port area. The men had mentioned "Building K" and something about "testing on level seven." He didn't know what that meant, but it sounded important.
He spent several days researching public archives and the internet, trying to find any reference to "Building K" in the port area. Finally, he found a mention in an old building record. Building K had been a private research facility that mysteriously closed years ago. The location matched an abandoned industrial complex on the outskirts of the port, the same place the Guardians had pointed out to Min-ah and me.
A pang of foreboding ran through Yoon-sung. Could there be a connection between this K Building and the modified Troubles he had faced? He decided to investigate on his own.
He approached the industrial complex at dusk. The site was surrounded by a high chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. There were no signs of recent activity, but Yoon-sung felt a strange energy in the air, a subtle vibration that reminded him of the Troubles.
He nimbly jumped the fence and entered the abandoned grounds. The buildings were dark and quiet, with boarded-up windows and padlocked doors. Yoon-sung moved cautiously, using his heightened senses to detect any danger.
He found an unlocked entrance to one of the larger buildings and went inside. The place was filled with dust and rusty machinery. The air smelled of neglect and something else... something chemical, something artificial.
As he explored the dark corridors, he heard a noise in the distance, the sound of voices speaking in low voices. He crept closer and peered through a half-open door.
He saw several men dressed in dark uniforms working in a brightly lit room with strange equipment. Some were manipulating containers that appeared to contain dark, twisted creatures, very similar to the modified Troubles Yoon-sung had faced. Others were watching monitors displaying scientific data and complex diagrams.
Yoon-sung instantly understood what he was seeing. This was the place where the Troubles were being created or modified. And the men in the uniforms... they were probably the "agents" he'd heard about.
He realized that the girl he'd seen running in the harbor the other night might have been fleeing from this place. He wondered who she was and what she'd seen.
He decided he had to get more information. He moved stealthily through the corridors, trying to get close to the control room without being detected. He found a vent in the ceiling that led directly into the room. He climbed up and looked down.
He could hear fragments of the men's conversation. They spoke of "the final phase of the project," of "increasing attack capability," and of "controlling dimensional energies."
Suddenly, one of the men turned and looked directly at the vent. For a moment, his eyes met Yoon-sung's. The man frowned, his expression one of surprise and alarm.
Yoon-sung knew he'd been discovered. It was time to leave. Quickly, he dropped down from the grate and began running through the hallways, listening for the voices of the men chasing him. His investigation had led him straight to the heart of the threat, and now he was in grave danger.