Ciphertext – Chapter 24: Corporate Hell

Luciel stood outside the skyscraper that Mr. P had directed him to, smack bang in the middle of bustling Jongno-gu. It was a swanky 20-floor office tower that looked as though it would be full to the brim with high-flying execs. This was certainly his idea of an elite corporate hell, so much so that he wondered whether Jumin should have accompanied him after all. But as much as everyone in the RFA was concerned for her welfare, this was his own personal challenge. He needed to see with his own eyes that Eun-ji was unharmed and use whatever means necessary to get her back.

As he entered the foyer through the revolving doors, he noted the pristine marble floor and the strange artistic centrepiece of two identical angels embracing that greeted him. The décor seemed somewhat out of place, like it didn't really belong in such a new building. Then again, perhaps these objects just didn't appeal to Luciel's tastes. He stood there for a moment, gazing up at the religious symbols. Their eyes were sinister, and yet the pure white colour of the stone they were carved in suggested serenity. Without really thinking about it, Luciel clasped his cross pendant in one hand and hoped, silently, that everything was going to be okay. Maybe he would wake up from this dream soon and his life would jump back a few days so he could do that semi-heroic time-travel rescue thing. But this was reality, and right now he needed to fight his corner 707-style.

The woman behind the desk noticed him standing there, admiring the twin angels and walked over. Luciel was lost in a trance, but saw her approaching from beneath the rim of his glasses. He turned to face her and put his hands down by his sides, snapping out of his momentary daze.

"Excuse me. Is everything alright?" said the woman, smiling sweetly.

"Uh … yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Thank you. Just … looking at this statue. It's … mesmerising."

"Yes. It's actually an artefact from a museum in Italy. We're so lucky to have it on display in our office building in South Korea. Isn't it just lovely?"

"Hmm …" Luciel said, pondering the small details of the figures once more. "Italy, huh?"

"May I ask if you are here to meet with someone?" she asked, looking over his attire suspiciously.

Luciel clocked her sudden concern and zipped up his hoodie, as though it would somehow smarten him up a little. "Ah, yeah. Actually … I'm here to see Mr. P"

The woman led him over to the reception desk. She looked confused as she searched through the names of the building's company workers. "Alright. I'm not certain about this. Which firm does he work for?"

"I uh … actually have no idea. He just invited me here." Of course, all the important information was missing, which was extremely unhelpful.

"Well, 'Mr. P' … now, really, that could be anybody. Pae, Pak, Park. Don't you have any more details?"

Suddenly his smartphone started to vibrate in his jacket pocket. "Oh, excuse me. I'm getting a call."

"It's okay. Just let me know when you are ready. Help yourself to some water if you're thirsty," she said, motioning to the water cooler by the desk.

As he suspected, the call was coming from Mr. P, Luciel quickly moved a few paces towards the plastic cups and swiped to answer it. "Mr. P – I'm here. Now tell me how the hell I'm supposed to find you!" his tone was calm, yet demanding. He positioned the phone between his ear and shoulder whilst he poured himself a drink.

"Saeyoung Choi. Long time no speak. How are things going?" came Mr. P's voice from the other end. It sounded too high-pitched to be the man's real voice, so Luciel guessed it had been altered to further obscure his identity.

Why the extra precaution?

Luciel took a hard gulp of the crystal clear water and threw the cup into the bin. "Long time no speak?" he repeated. "When have we ever spoken to each other? You insist on holding remote meetings with Vanderwood only, and even that's via an encrypted chatroom which changes its algorithm every 2 hours."

"Oh? Do you feel left out? Well, I don't have any reason to get you involved in all the boring, legal stuff, so I just let you get on with your job."

Luciel raised his voice a little. "I don't care if you're my boss right now or what you involve me in when it comes to work. Just cut the small talk and just tell me where the fuck she is!" He really didn't have time for niceties when Eun-ji was in danger.

The woman behind the reception desk overheard him and looked up briefly. As their eyes met, Luciel quickly turned to face the other way, heading back over to the angel statue. Then, he cupped a hand over the microphone so he didn't have to talk so loudly.

Mr. P let out an aggravated sigh. "Ughh. You came all this way, so you must really be into this chick, huh? I have to say that whenever I hear about hackers getting into this 'love' business, it sickens me, but I guess you don't leave me much choice." He paused for a few seconds. "Stay where you are. I'll come down and get you."

"Mr. P!" Luciel tried, but the call had already come to an abrupt end and the line was dead.

Damn! Now what am I meant to do?

He put his phone away and just clenched his fists in frustration, hitting them against the foot of one of the angels. Suddenly, the ground began to shake around him. He huddled up to the statue and grabbed onto a piece of stone that was jutting out from the base.

Earthquake!?

As he looked around the building, he noticed that nobody else seemed to be paying attention to what was going on. People's legs were effortlessly gliding across that marble floor, as they transported their cases and coffees, chatting with co-workers and clients. None of this was affecting them at all.

Can't they feel what's going on here? Don't they have any sense of personal safety?

Then, the floor gave way and the once rock solid marble split and cracked beneath Luciel's feet. He began to descend along with the two angels into what felt like a deep, dark underground hell chamber. His fiery imagination had always been so full of conspiracy theories, space adventures and hacking secrets, but this was altogether too surreal to comprehend. This time, he was being taken beyond his own mental boundaries and into the unknown. His eyes began to cloud over and his mind went blank.

Shit … I can barely concentrate on anything right now.

Eun-ji …

Just like the marble, the lenses of Luciel's glasses gradually started to splinter with the sudden drop in pressure. He managed, awkwardly, to slip them off and store them securely in his pocket. The last thing he needed at that moment was for the small shards of glass to destroy his precious eyesight. Falling to his knees, he tried to maintain his grip on the base as best he could. He was only sinking further and further into what seemed like the never-ending abyss below. The walls twisted and meandered into dark swirling pools of psychedelic confusion. His head throbbed and ached. He just wanted this to all to come to an end.

Then, as swiftly as it had happened, some familiar objects from the foyer slowly came back into focus. Luciel felt a few light beads of sweat trickle down his face as he realised just how hot his whole body had become. He panted to try and catch his breath and looked up at the graceful statue that was towering over him; protective yet disconcerting. Although everything was slightly blurry without his glasses on, every part of the thing was still intact; nothing broken, nothing cracked. He remained sitting for a while, his head resting in his hands, trying to make sense of the strange experience that had just overwhelmed him. Then, pushing himself up from the floor, he tried to lean against the base and regain his usual sense of balance.

A dark and fuzzy figure neared Luciel, and his throat felt coarse and dry. He took an educated guess as to who the man was.

"M-Mr. P ..."

"Yes. It's really me. Come on, Saeyoung. Let's play a little game, shall we?" He extended his hand outwards. "Join me in Paradise."

His voice sounds … different

"Take me … to her …" Luciel managed, half of his words disappearing into thin air. He tried to take the man's hand. "I want … to see her … right now."

But his body was so weak that he could barely stand and each time he spoke, it only caused his head to pulsate harder. His legs buckled and he fell to his knees once again, shaking dreadfully.

I can't give up now, I just can't. But my body … feels so heavy …

Mr. P took a cigarette from his jacket pocket and lit it, smirking as he held it in his mouth. "That's it, Saeyoung. You've got the right idea. Get down on your knees and pray to God, because you're not going to last much longer in this place."