SEOUL โ JUNE 2022
The first hint came in the form of an unseasonable chill. Not in the air, but in the data streams.
๐๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐: ๐พ๐ค๐ง๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐. ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฃ: ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ช๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ง. ๐๐ช๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐จ: ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐-๐๐ค๐ค๐ฃ, ๐๐๐ค๐ข๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐๐ก๐๐๐จ, ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ค๐ง๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐-๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ, ๐ฃ๐๐ช๐ง๐ค๐ก๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ค๐ง๐๐จ.
They were inside the castle walls. The private investigation firm hired by Choi Min-wooโ"Blackwater Consultancy"โhad penetrated Oh Group's own HR systems. They weren't just looking for a past; they were looking for a physiological explanation for the impossible.
Je-Hoon stood in the center of his penthome gym, sweat drying on his skin after a brutal, Marco-optimized workout. The threat was digital, but it felt more invasive than any knife.
"Activate the Jin-Hwa protocol," he said, his voice low.
๐ ๐๐ฃ-๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐ฎ: ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐. ๐๐ค๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ช๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฉ๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ก. ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ๐ช๐ข๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ก๐ค๐๐จ (๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐จ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐: 3 ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐จ, 7 ๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐จ). ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ค๐ง๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ: ๐ฅ๐ช๐ง๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข '๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ฃ๐ฎ' ๐ค๐ฃ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ค๐ง๐, ๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐.
The Jin-Hwa Elixir was the perfect coverโplausibly exotic, subtly effective, and completely untraceable in its "real" form. A rare Chinese herbal supplement that promised gradual, long-term optimization of body and mind. It explained his enhanced reflexes, his preternatural calm, his strategic clarity. It was the lie that hid the truth of Marco.
And now, Marco was weaving that lie into the very fabric of his digital identity.
---
THE PROBE
The investigation manifested subtly at first. An overly friendly HR manager called to "update his wellness profile." A corporate doctor's office reached out, offering a "complimentary executive health screening" due to "anomalous readings in his last mandatory check-up."
Soo-jae confronted him about it over breakfast in their shared kitchen. She wore a silk robe, her hair still damp from a shower. The domesticity of the scene was at odds with the tension in her voice.
"HR Security flagged a query from an external IP that bypassed two firewalls. They traced it to a shell corporation linked to Blackwater. They're looking at you. Specifically, your health data." Her eyes were sharp. "Is there anything they could find?"
Je-Hoon spread marmalade on toast with precise, steady movements. "No. My medical history is unremarkable. A childhood bout of pneumonia. A clean bill of health."
"And the gala? Your... performance?"
He met her gaze. "I've been taking a supplement. A Chinese herbal regimen called Jin-Hwa Elixir. For years. It's known for gradual cognitive and physical optimization. It's perfectly legal, mildly effective, and explains any minor... enhancements."
She stared at him, her calculator's mind whirring. "Jin-Hwa Elixir. I've never heard of it."
"It's not mainstream. It's expensive, and its effects are subtle and cumulative over a five-year cycle. It doesn't show up on standard drug panels. I have the receipts, the shipping records. Marco has already seeded them into my corporate profile."
Her expression didn't change, but he saw the moment she decided to accept the storyโnot necessarily as the whole truth, but as a viable, defensible narrative. "Send me the details. I'll have our legal team pre-emptively document it as a disclosed personal wellness practice. If they're digging for doping or bio-hacking, we'll give them their answer wrapped in silk."
It was a partnership in action. He provided the cover story; she provided the institutional shield.
---
THE INTERCEPT
The investigation turned physical a week later. A man in a delivery uniform was caught tailing Je-Hoon's security detail. When detained, he was found to have a high-end biometric scanner disguised as a phone.
[Interrogation transcript (via security comms): Subject admits being hired by Blackwater to obtain a live skin cell sample or saliva from 'Subject Lee' for 'comprehensive metabolic and genetic panel.']
They wanted to test the Jin-Hwa story. To see if his biology matched the legend.
This was a more dangerous line to cross. Physical evidence could be fabricated, but it was riskier.
Marco's solution was elegant. [Proposal: Allow a contaminated sample. Use nano-particles to temporarily alter surface cell metabolism to match expected Jin-Hwa biomarker profileโelevated ginsenosides, specific alkaloid traces. The sample will confirm the supplement story while showing 'diminished returns due to long-term use,' explaining why rivals wouldn't see dramatic effects if they tried it.]
They allowed the tail to get close enough in a crowded market to brush against Je-Hoon's sleeve, collecting a few shed skin cells from a pre-treated patch on his jacket. The sample, when analyzed, would tell the story they wanted told.
---
THE CONFRONTATION
The investigation came to a head not in a dark alley, but in a brightly lit conference room. Choi Min-woo, emboldened by whatever his investigators had found (or not found), requested a "courtesy meeting" with Oh Soo-jae to discuss "mutual concerns."
He brought his lead investigator, a cold-eyed woman named Seo Yun-ji, and a file.
Soo-jae allowed the meeting, with Je-Hoon present. They sat on one side of the table, a united front.
"Director Oh," Choi began, his tone dripping with false concern. "These are turbulent times. We must ensure stability. And that means understanding our... partners. There have been questions about your husband's remarkable capabilities. Questions that could cause unrest among shareholders."
Soo-jae's smile was arctic. "My husband's capabilities are a matter of public record and shareholder profit. If you have questions, ask them."
Choi nodded to Seo Yun-ji. The investigator opened the file. "Lee Je-Hoon-ssi. Your rise lacks a clear precedent. Your strategic successes exhibit a pattern recognition rate statistically improbable. Your physical performance at the gala exceeds the 99.9th percentile for untrained males of your age and build. Our investigation sought a plausible explanation."
She slid a sheet of paper across the table. It was a lab report. "We obtained a biological sample. The metabolic panel shows elevated levels of ginsenoside Rb1, pseudoginsenoside F11, and trace dendrobine alkaloidsโa signature consistent with a long-term, high-grade regimen of a rare composite supplement."
She looked up, her eyes challenging. "Jin-Hwa Elixir. A five-year optimization course. You've been taking it for approximately three and a half years."
Je-Hoon didn't flinch. "I have. It's a personal wellness choice."
"It's a performance enhancer," Choi cut in.
"It's an herbal supplement," Soo-jae corrected, her voice like cracking ice. "Legal in every jurisdiction. His disclosure of its use is on file with our HR and legal departments. Are you alleging a crime, Choi Min-woo-ssi? Or are you simply embarrassed that your multi-million won investigation uncovered my husband's taste for expensive Chinese herbs?"
Choi's face tightened. The revelation was a dud. It explained everything just enough to be boring. It made Je-Hoon seem dedicated, even quirky, not monstrous.
Seo Yun-ji wasn't finished. "The metabolite levels are consistent with long-term use, but also indicate diminishing returns. The supplement's efficacy declines after the primary course. Your... peak performance should not be possible based on these levels alone."
Ah. The final challenge. The gap between the cover story and the observable truth.
Je-Hoon leaned forward, his gaze locking onto the investigator. "You're assuming the supplement is the only variable. You've analyzed the herb, but you haven't analyzed the mind using it. Discipline. Focus. A lifetime of honing cognitive patterns. The Jin-Hwa Elixir didn't create my abilities. It harmonized them. It's the difference between a sharp knife and a sharp knife in the hand of a master chef. The tool is only part of the equation."
The room was silent. His answer was unassailable because it was philosophical, not scientific. It appealed to the unquantifiableโtalent, will, mastery.
Choi Min-woo looked from Je-Hoon to Soo-jae's unyielding face. He saw a wall. His investigation had hit it and crumbled. He had nothing.
"This meeting is over," Soo-jae said, standing. "My husband's health regimen is not a subject for corporate espionage. If Jincheon has concerns about Oh Group's leadership, file a formal query with the board. Otherwise, get out of my building."
Choi and his investigator left, defeated.
---
THE AFTERMATH: TRUST & THE VARIABLE
That night, on the penthouse terrace overlooking the city, Soo-jae handed Je-Hoon a glass of whiskey. "The Jin-Hwa story is brilliant. Flawless. It's almost too good."
He took the glass. "It serves its purpose."
She turned to him, the city lights reflecting in her dark eyes. "It's a cover story. A beautiful, intricate lie. I know it, and you know I know it." She stepped closer. "But you trusted me with it. You gave me the lie to wield as a shield. In our world, that trust is more valuable than any truth."
The "probability variable" wasn't a number in his head now. It was a physical presence in the scant centimeters between them.
"The investigation is over," he said.
"No," she whispered. "Theirs is over. Mine isn't." She reached up and touched his face, her fingers tracing the line of his jawโa gesture of terrifying intimacy. "I don't need to know what the Jin-Hwa Elixir really is. I just need to know that you will always stand here, with me. That your secrets are our secrets."
Her lips were inches from his. The contract, the clause, the cold logic of their mergerโit all melted away in the heat of her gaze.
"And if I do?" he breathed.
"Then," she said, her voice barely audible, "we rewrite the contract."
She closed the distance.
The kiss was not part of any calculation. It was a variable introduced that changed every equation that came after it. It was the sound of a sunset clause triggering, not in a court of law, but in the silent space between two hearts that had learned to beat in sync.
When they parted, the world had shifted. The investigation was a closed file. The real inquiryโinto what lay between themโhad just begun.
---
[End of Episode 16]
[Status: Investigation Neutralized. Jin-Hwa Cover Story Validated.]
[Key Development: Physical Intimacy (Kiss). 'Sunset Clause' now active in practice. Trust deepened to core level.]
[Next Episode: The Merger of Hearts & Assets]