The Flames Remember

Mira'

s become

gh the edges of a photograph, a shadow turning away from me just before everything burns

live with its mechanical heartbeat - taxis cutting through the rain, the hum of neon,

tared at it so long the details feel carved into my skull - the pia

my mind: If you found this

ho ar

- wiped clean. Pages that used to exist now redirect to error messages. A d

ains from a fina

unces merger of Vale Foundation ass

Seoul's skyline. If the Vale Foundation's assets were absorbed by Hanse

ir board membe

van's s

ignore. My cursor hovers over

hey be

s. But the instinctive, pulsing part - the one that feels

til I find Evan's number. My thumb hesitates o

Not

lling him could warn him

e night like needles. My dorm's fluorescent hallway flickers as I pass. Every sound feels ampl

e is in Gangnam, a twenty-minute subway ride away. Maybe there's someth

uth set in a hard line. Somewhere between stations, the lights flicker, and for an instant,

the lights steady,

nt chimes: Nex

s surface warm against my palm, as i

allowed by fog. Even at this hour, the lobby glows with quiet life: janitors polishing marble, a guard a

. But curiosity bur

The guard looks up, his nametag reading Mr. Oh. "

," I lie. "Mr. Han f

here's no one workin

aintly, lowering my voice. "He

the trick. He hesitates, then shrugs. "F

g the button for the thirty-second floor. The doo

istent. My reflection looks pale in the metal wall, eyes darker than befo

cubicles like graves, the scent of paper and ozone hanging in the air. Only

, every st

peaking in English with a faint Korean acce

ath ca

is to me, face reflected faintly in the glass. He turns slowly, and for a moment I can't

Han," I

out warmth. "S

ow do you k

ing for the Vale Foundation. People notice

for graves. I'm l

nds. "You're not the first to ask questions about t

won

the locket around my neck. "That

lungs. "How do y

ys softly. "And because she

on the back of

oice dropping to a

the ground ti

ter when she met him. He worked for the Vale Foundation - inter

eathe. "Yo

ve across the desk. "This is a copy of the foundation's p

pick it up. "Why are

h what she started," he says.

't reach his eyes. "Careful, Miss Lee. When

vator dinging somewhere down the hall. Dan

's t

G

mmering, the flash drive clenched in my fist. Through the glass door, I glimpse movement

v

mach t

ark. "If he finds you here, you'l

, I catch one last glimpse through the glass - Evan standing where I was seconds ago, his f

– "The Man in the Shadows" with Parts

d. Mira's trust fractures completely, par

cont

l. The concrete walls amplify every footstep, every breath. I don't stop

oul - the hiss of tires, the chatter of night cafés, the pulse

ng against the cold brick wall. My hands tremble as I pull out t

ins, the warning in his voice, the fear. If Daniel's right... then every

own a taxi. "Yonsei University dorm

or and motion. I keep checking the rearview mirror. A black se

lse s

etour. He frowns but complies

top here," I whisper, tossing cash onto the seat. I climb o

- tinted windows, license plate smea

tant noodles and recycled air. The attendant barely glances at m

rypted, labeled with dates. One file catc

- names, ID numbers, job titles.

rity Division. Status: Acti

for a second. M

t's

for the Vale

s are linked to it, including Choi Seung-ho and Daniel H

elping me - he's just

he bottom, a final c

le's name, one

e Evan's:

café lights dim for half a second. When

tracking t

ntering. He mutters an apology in Korean, but something about his voice m

tbeat, our

v

at me, unreadable. Rain drips from his

alre

reet, the storm sw

in, shadows. My lungs burn, my shoes slipping on wet concre

. The smell of oil and rainwater fills the a

n - a low, s

ir

ice. Calm, almost gentle.

drive tighter.

d to pro

r the people w

"You don't understand w

the pillar, heart pou

s jacket, eyes dark with exhaustion. "Lina wasn't a

"That's

undation. She planned to expose it - Red Room. A project that used music therapy as a fro

y neck. "That locket - she filled it wit

"You expect me

t you to

ting his face - raw, desperate. "They think you're her," he

on. My voice trembles.

the one who tri

ng between u

ge - the sharp report of a gunshot. Concrete splinters ne

e far end - tall, pr

n mutters, te

shatters. The echo

s, reaching for somet

you a

ne you should

ll, gun steady. His voice cuts through the chaos. "She

ave made her part of

turns fire, the air fills with smoke and noise. I craw

ace is streaked with blood, his e

r a heartbeat

irens fade behind me. When I finally stop, I'm standing on a pedestrian br

pale, haunted. Behind it, faintly, another re

hat do you want f

ice - answers in

there, beneath the photo, a hidden compartment clicks

tr

und - Evan stands at the far end of the

. "They'll kill you fo

ering. "You said you wante

his face looks like it's caught between

ward. "I can't let

you protecti

that hesitation t

ain washing down my face.

ir

by the storm, the chip burning l