Ciphertext – Chapter 7: Exposure

Luciel woke up at 9am to the sound of a car alarm outside. His head was spinning as a dull ache echoed around his brain. He'd been on a bender in his own house last night and had drunk far too much soju. Thinking of what Eun-ji was doing and who she had been talking to, had been enough to nearly drive him insane.

What if one of the other RFA members had managed to whisper a few sweet words into her ear and ensnare her into their trap? Especially Zen, the bastard. He liked all of them, but when it came to women, he wasn't certain he could really trust any of them to act wisely. Jaehee was another matter entirely. Everyone respected her honest opinions and sense of loyalty. That would never change.

The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted Eun-ji for himself. But this was going to be a tricky manoeuvre.

Throwing on a hoodie, Luciel picked himself up out of his slump and glided over to the PC to log into the app. He needed to know if something had happened overnight while he was passed out on the couch. Whatever it was, it would be wise to brace himself. His heart was getting fragile, but felt he could hold on if it meant he was one step closer to being by her side.

[A NEW CHATROOM HAS OPENED]

707 ENTERED THE CHATROOM

Jumin Han: Luciel.

707: Hey, it's the trust fund kid! Long time no speak. How's business?

Jumin Han: I'm not a child. Anyway, that nickname is getting rather old now. To answer your question, my business is doing splendidly. We are in the process of releasing a new line of cat food, catered towards busy men who own cats.

707: Busy men? Why just men?

Jumin Han: Because I understand the true pain of not being able to be close to my Elizabeth the 3rd on a regular basis. When a man goes on a business trip, leaving his cat behind, it is heart-breaking to endure. I have vowed to remedy this, by creating this cat food line that evokes the loving embrace of its owner. Jaehee is working on the report right now.

707: I won't ask any more questions about your work …

Jumin Han: Do as you please.

707: Have you spoken with Emily yet?

Jumin Han: Oh? The girl who mysteriously appeared on this app? No. I haven't heard anything about it since I have only just returned from my business trip.

YOOSUNG HAS ENTERED THE CHATROOM

Yoosung: Seven! Oh and Jumin too!

Jumin Han: Hello Yoosung.

Yoosung: Hi!

707: Yoosung … did you hear from Emily by any chance?

Yoosung: Oh … about that. She phoned me while I was playing LOLOL yesterday. I was so excited to be able to talk with her that I actually decided to answer it, even though I was raging like crazy with the guild.

707: She called you?

Yoosung: Yeah. Ahh! She has a super cute voice too! I wonder what she looks like …

707: Don't get your hopes up Yoosung. She might not be what you're expecting.

Yoosung: _ ?

707: I mean … just be careful and don't get too carried away thinking about her.

Yoosung: Hmm …

707: Hmm?

Yoosung: Reading Zen's messages from yesterday, it seems like he was a bit upset after sending those selfies to her.

707: And?

Yoosung: I mean … you made it seem like he did something wrong but … he was only being himself and I'm sure he didn't have any bad intentions by asking for her photo. What's wrong with exchanging regular pictures to introduce each other?

707: …

Jumin Han: Are you hiding something Luciel?

Yoosung: Oh, Jumin! You were still here?

Jumin Han: Yes …

707: We need to be extra cautious. If the hacker gets hold of personal information about Emily, she might be put in more danger. In that case, even a photo could be enough to trace her. People can extract data from the strangest places!

Yoosung: Seven. I feel like you're being too serious. I agree with Jumin. Is there something else going on here?

707: I'm

707: Not

707: Hiding

707: Anything!

Yoosung: Whoa! Ok …

Jumin Han: You are often guilty of something when you write in this way.

707: Me? The Great God Seven Zero Seven? Leader of the Starship Enterprise Xylophone Yacht fleet.

Yoosung: The … SEXY fleet?

707: Ya. Obviously ^_^

Yoosung: And what exactly do they do?

707: They play xylophones, whilst riding rockets in tight latex suits and talk about yachts all evening.

Jumin Han: You can be so immature sometimes. But I will admit that talking about yachts does sound riveting. I have five of my own, and I would like to discuss them with other people. Why don't we invite them to the party?

Yoosung: Oh, right! V still hasn't turned up to tell us the party date!

707: First of all, V contacted me yesterday. He's currently travelling in Saudi Arabia.

Yoosung: Saudi Arabia?

707: Yep. He said he'll let us know about the party as soon as he can.

Yoosung: Ohhh … but I hope it's not too long before we get to hold Rika's parties again. I miss them so much!

707: Secondly, we can't invite SEXY fleet to the party, because they don't exist.

Yoosung: You should have kept up the lie. It sounded cool.

707: Really?

Yoosung: No ¬_¬

EMILY HAS ENTERED THE CHATROOM

Emily: Hey sexy! _^

Yoosung: M-me? Are you talking to me?

Emily: Maybe. Have you been a good boy?

707: Emily … what's with the greeting?

Yoosung: What do you mean Seven? She thinks I'm sexy! Oh. I'm blushing …

Emily: I have something to show you all. Keep your eyes firmly on the screen.

Yoosung: What is it? What is it? I'm excited!

Jumin Han: Hello Emily. I'm Jumin Han. I'm also a bit curious to know what it is.

Emily: [attachment: Emily1]

A huge picture spanned the width of the chatroom. It was a shot of someone's naked body. The camera had been angled upwards from the woman's legs, giving a great view of her full, round breasts. Her nipples were perked up and her head tilted backwards in an orgasmic pose fit for the set of a porn flick.

Emily: You wanted to see me, didn't you? You naughty boys (laughs) Oh, but Zen isn't here?

Yoosung: …

Jumin Han: …

707: …

Yoosung: WH-WHAT IS THAT?

Jumin Han: A naked woman.

Yoosung: Thanks for stating the obvious. I mean … Emily … is that really you?

Emily: Of course. I would only show my vulnerable naked self to the people who wished to see it.

Jumin Han: Do you have no sense of shame? You should cover yourself up and show more discretion.

Yoosung: Jumin T_T You're so relaxed about this but THIS IS THE FIRST TIME A WOMAN HAS SENT ME A PICTURE OF HERSELF! How can I remain calm? My body is shaking all over right now. I feel like I'm going to faint!

707: Get a hold of yourself.

Yoosung: Seven. Aren't you surprised about this?

Emily: At least tell me what you think of my body, Seven. Is it to your satisfaction?

707: It doesn't matter whether I like it or not. It's not yours!

Jumin Han: There he goes again, making even less sense than usual.

707: This isn't Emily!

Yoosung: How do you know?

707: I can feel the presence of a hacker at work here.

Emily: Me? A hacker? Don't make me laugh!

707 HAS LEFT THE CHATROOM

Yoosung: Oh. He just left. Emily, what's going on?

Emily: Who knows? Maybe he's just tired of lying to you all.

Jumin Han: What?

Yoosung: I don't understand.

EMILY HAS LEFT THE CHATROOM

Yoosung: Hey! She left too. Jumin – don't you think this seems a bit suspicious?

Jumin Han: It certainly seems so. I will speak with Zen and Jaehee when I can.