Morning at the Central Investigation Division carried a different kind of pressure.
Not urgent.
Not chaotic.
But steady.
The kind that builds when time keeps moving, yet answers remain just out of reach.
Kang Min stood in front of the board again.
The same faces.
The same details.
But now, the team wasn't looking at it blindly anymore.
There was direction.
Su Young walked in with her laptop, placing it on the table.
"They called for a meeting," she said.
Ara looked up.
"Superiors?"
"Yes."
Bong Soo leaned back in his chair.
"That soon?"
Kang Min didn't turn.
"They want results."
No one argued with that.
Su Young opened her laptop.
"I'll present."
Ara nodded.
"You found it. You explain it."
Bong Soo glanced at her screen.
"Just don't make it sound too complicated."
Su Young gave him a look.
"It is complicated."
"That's exactly my point."
A small shift in the room.
Not tension—
Just preparation.
Kang Min finally turned.
"Keep it clear," he said.
"I will."
Conference Room
The room was already prepared when they arrived.
Long table.
Screen at the front.
Seats arranged with intention.
Several senior officers were already there.
Their presence alone made the atmosphere heavier.
Moments later, Prosecutor Lee Tae Jun walked in.
Calm as always.
Composed.
He greeted them briefly before taking his seat.
Kang Min and his team took their places.
A senior officer spoke first.
"Let's begin."
Su Young stood up, connecting her laptop to the screen.
The display lit up.
Data appeared.
She faced the room.
"We've identified a pattern related to the victims of the Ghost Eyes case."
No unnecessary introduction.
No hesitation.
Straight to the point.
She continued,
"It's not directly in their backgrounds, but in the systems connected to their activities."
A few of the officers leaned forward slightly.
"What systems?" one of them asked.
"Service and consultation records," Su Young replied.
The screen changed.
Rows of information filled the display.
"These records were accessed prior to each victim's death."
The room grew more attentive.
Su Young pointed to highlighted sections.
"However, these entries were never completed."
A senior officer frowned.
"Explain."
Su Young nodded.
"Each of these records shows multiple access attempts. But the process stops midway. No full updates. No final entries."
Another officer spoke,
"Could it be system error?"
Ara answered this time.
"It occurs across different locations and systems. The pattern is consistent."
That ruled out coincidence.
Su Young continued,
"We also checked the timestamps."
She switched slides again.
"Most of these accesses happen during low activity periods."
The implication was clear.
Someone was being careful.
Not rushing.
Not careless.
Intentional.
Kang Min spoke,
"This suggests pre-selection."
The room stayed quiet as they processed that.
One of the superiors leaned back slightly.
"You're saying the victims were chosen beforehand."
"Yes," Kang Min replied.
The officer turned toward the prosecutor.
"Your thoughts?"
Lee Tae Jun rested his hands on the table.
His expression remained steady.
"It aligns with organized behavior," he said.
No exaggeration.
No dramatic tone.
Just a measured response.
He continued,
"If the offender is accessing records before each incident, it means they are gathering information first."
Another officer nodded slowly.
"That would explain the lack of randomness."
Tae Jun added,
"It also suggests discipline."
Su Young continued the presentation.
"We attempted to trace the access points," she said.
The screen updated again.
"However, the entries come from different user accounts."
Bong Soo spoke from his seat,
"So it looks like multiple people?"
Su Young shook her head.
"Not necessarily."
She pointed at the logs.
"These accounts are used inconsistently. There's no clear ownership pattern."
Ara added,
"It could be someone using different entry points to avoid detection."
The room absorbed that.
A senior officer folded his arms.
"Which means you still don't have a suspect."
Kang Min answered directly.
"Not yet."
No attempt to soften it.
Just the truth.
The officer nodded slowly.
"At least you have direction now."
Su Young closed her laptop slightly.
"We're narrowing the scope."
The same officer looked at her.
"How long?"
That question lingered.
There was no easy answer.
Kang Min spoke instead.
"We'll continue tracking the pattern. It will lead somewhere."
The officer held his gaze for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Make sure it does."
The meeting shifted toward strategy.
More questions.
More discussions.
Tae Jun contributed when necessary.
Always precise.
Always relevant.
"Focus on access points," he suggested.
"Not just the data itself."
Ara nodded.
"That's what we're doing next."
"Good," he replied.
Nothing unusual.
After the Meeting
The room emptied gradually.
The weight didn't disappear—
But it changed.
Less pressure from above.
More responsibility within.
Bong Soo stretched slightly.
"That could've gone worse."
Ara glanced at him.
"It could've gone better too."
Su Young packed her laptop.
"They didn't shut us down."
Kang Min nodded.
"That's enough."
It wasn't satisfaction.
But it wasn't failure either.
Just—
Progress.
Newsroom — Same Day
Kang Ha Eun sat at her desk, reviewing her notes again.
The same names.
The same locations.
Her pen moved across the page, connecting details that didn't fully connect yet.
She leaned back slightly, staring at what she had written.
"…there's something here."
Before she could continue, a voice interrupted.
"Ha Eun."
She looked up.
Her colleague stood nearby.
"The editor wants to see you."
She blinked once.
"…now?"
"Yes."
That was enough.
She stood up immediately.
Editor's Office
Ha Eun knocked lightly before entering.
"Come in."
She stepped inside.
Her boss sat behind his desk, papers arranged neatly in front of him.
She bowed slightly.
"Good morning."
He gestured toward the chair.
"Sit."
She did.
There was no small talk.
He went straight to it.
"I've been hearing things," he said.
Ha Eun looked at him.
"About what?"
He leaned back slightly.
"You've been finding informations connected to the Ghost Eyes case."
She didn't answer immediately.
Not because she was unsure—
But because she already knew where this was going.
"I've spoken to some of them," she said.
Her tone stayed calm.
Her boss nodded once.
"I told you to stop."
The words were direct.
Clear.
No misunderstanding.
Ha Eun held his gaze.
"I'm just trying to understand the case better."
"That's not your assignment," he replied.
She didn't interrupt.
He continued,
"This is not something you handle alone."
"I'm not interfering—"
He cut her off.
"You are."
That stopped her.
Not harsh—
But firm enough.
He leaned forward slightly.
"I'm getting reports."
Ha Eun's expression shifted just a little.
"Reports?"
"Yes"
That meant her movements were being noticed.
He continued,
"I told you before to stay away from this case."
His tone remained steady.
"But now I'm hearing that you're still going around, asking questions."
Ha Eun sat still.
Her mind moved quickly, but her expression didn't show it.
"I'm doing my job," she said.
"No," he replied.
"You're stepping into something else."
That line carried weight.
Not loud.
But serious.
He leaned back again.
"Listen carefully."
She did.
"If I receive another report about this—"
He paused briefly.
"I won't ignore it."
No raised voice.
No anger.
Just a clear warning.
Ha Eun nodded slowly.
"…I understand."
He studied her for a moment.
"Do you?"
She held his gaze.
"Yes."
A short silence followed.
Not uncomfortable—
Just final.
He picked up a document from his desk.
"You have other assignments," he said.
She didn't reach for it yet.
"I'll handle them."
He placed it down anyway.
"Focus on those."
That was the end of the conversation.
Ha Eun stood up.
"I'll get back to work."
He gave a small nod.
She turned and left.
Outside the Office
The newsroom felt the same as before.
People working.
Phones ringing.
Voices overlapping.
Nothing had changed.
But something had.
Ha Eun walked back to her desk.
She sat down slowly.
Her notes were still there.
The same pages.
The same connections.
She looked at them again.
Her boss's words echoed in her mind.
Stop investigating.
But the feeling hadn't gone away.
That something was there.
Just out of reach.
She picked up her pen again.