***

If there was one thing Ryo hated the most in the world, it was to be called to work when he was off-duty. However, the young researcher, Dee, had called in a supposed update, one that he'd been asking for and according to the young man, it couldn't wait. On top of that, Miss Kumiho, who appeared to never go home, stated that she wanted to know about his plan for the new project and whether more developments had been made. Said that Mr. Yok was eager to hear news and it couldn't wait till morning. 

So, here he was, at the biotech department, doing his best to keep his eyes open while a caffeinated Dee explained how he tore the system apart to study all of its components and put them all back together. Ryo thought that the time of him spending nights at the office were long over, but it seemed like that wasn't the case just yet. Glancing at a hyperactive Dee, the poor kid probably didn't get a wink of sleep either, and he wondered whether he had been home these past days or not. 

"Of course the systems placed at a few parts of the island are just prototypes so they'll be updated if needed, but I thought you should know in an instant, sir," he finished his story and Ryo blinked, trying to process everything. 

"Okay, hold on. Let me get this straight; you're saying that the security systems aren't safe after all?" he summed up in one sentence what took Dee exactly 23 minutes to explain. The young scientist nodded his head fiercely, his narrow eyes a little wider than usual due to all that caffeine pumping in his veins by now. 

"Well, not necessarily unsafe either, sir. There are kinks in the system. We have to modify the scent that scares off predators and find a way to not have the gates shoot a charge of electricity after it, because that would totally not be cool for those animals," Dee said seriously. "But the weirdest part, and the most important part- because that's why I called you in the middle of the night, sir-, is that net you talked about," he moved towards one of the fences, grabbing a tablet with which he could control it. Ryo followed a little slower, watching the kid work as he stood beside him. 

"Observe," Dee stated dramatically, pressing a button which startled Ryo since the fence started buzzing. Dee grabbed him by the arm to move him out of the way. Three seconds after that, Ryo had counted, the net flew off, actually sparking with electricity as it landed on the ground where he had been standing mere moments ago. This shocked him to such an extent that he was wide awake now. 

"What the hell was that?" he cursed, since that was a feature of the system that he was not aware of. 

"A charged net, sir. It's seriously the weirdest thing. Apparently, the net falls off whenever an animal comes near, catching it, which doesn't make sense because our company is not supposed to catch animals, we're trying to make machines that can co-exist with them right? Now the amount of voltage on the net alone is enough to render them unconscious which is another thing that is totally not cool, so I was really confused when I researched it, because by my accord, it shouldn't even be on it- unless something changed and we're catching animals now, sir?" Dee blurted out a stream of words at high speed, but Ryo was focused enough to catch all of that. He grabbed the tablet from Dee's hands to deactivate the whole system, including the net, and knelt down to study it. 

"Yeah, 'totally not cool is right', Dee," he mused. "These things are dangerous. I want all the systems that have been deployed so far to be retreated until the development is completed. And I want this net off the final design," he ordered, waiting for Dee to respond with an affirmative, but the young man bit his lip nervously. Unsure whether it was a nervous tick brought on by the amount of coffee he had consumed, Ryo looked at him. "Is there a problem, Mr. Kang?" 

"Well, eh, no, sir, I mean- yes, well- um...maybe, sir?" Dee cringed a little and Ryo only looked at him, one eyebrow lifted. The young man immediately cleared his throat and his lips. "May I speak freely, sir? Just between us?"

"Of course, I wouldn't want you to hold back," Ryo immediately answered, assuring the kid. 

"Okay. Well, you see, there's something bothering me about the security system. Obviously it has its kinks, but it doesn't feel right, and isn't it a little strange that we didn't know about the net? We're not supposed to capture any animals, right? I mean, the reason I wanted to work at E.T. Corp was because of its cutting-edge innovation and research program, focused on ecological and green designs. I don't want to hurt any animals, sir. Animals are cool," he started. "I even asked Miss Kumiho about it when she asked me what I was doing, and she said that there was nothing wrong with the design and that the net should be here, but then you just said that it shouldn't be there, so now I'm a little confused and conflicted. Also, sleep-deprived and possibly constipated, but that's really another issue, sir," he breathed. 

Ryo blinked at hearing Dee speak and he frowned, shaking his head. "Wait. What? What was Miss Kumiho doing in the biotech department?" 

"Oh, she said she was checking up on things, making sure everything was still running smoothly, sir..." he trailed off and bit his lip in concern. "Should I not have said anything?" 

"No, no, it's fine," Ryo mused a little absently before patting the kid on the shoulder. "What exactly did she say about the security system?" 

"She said that once the kinks were figured out, the net would safely capture animals and E.T. Corp could tag them, or something like that? Maybe there's a new project to preserve wildlife, or something, sir? I don't know, to be really honest, I thought it seemed a little bit fishy. I had an internship at the urang utan facility in Bali once and we'd tag wild apes as well to protect them, but we never used measures like this. This stuff right there," he gestured at the net, "that's pretty dangerous." 

Ryo couldn't help but agree with that and the fact that Miss Kumiho apparently went behind his back to browse through his building, didn't sit well with him either. 

"I see," he mused, the cogwheels in his mind spinning. "Thank you, Dee," he then said, patting the scientist on the shoulder. "Hey, listen, I can depend on you, can't I?" he then asked, and Dee blinked rapidly before nodding his head. "Let's keep all of this between us from now on. Do you think you can do that? Don't disclose any information about the system unless I've heard it first, so keep me updated. Anything you might hear that seems a bit off, I wanna know about it, especially if Miss Kumiho is the one to say it." Ryo didn't feel particularly well to have to ask this of the young man, but he felt that Dee was reliable and the scientist seemed to be on the same page as he was when he nodded solemnly. 

"Yes, sir, I understand." 

"Good man. You keep this up, and I might be able to put you on a new, top-secret project," he then said, smiling at him. 

"Wow, really, sir?" Dee asked, looking excited. 

"Yeah, I need a few good men on this new project and you're one of the first to come to mind. So keep up the good work," he stated. 

"Yes, sir!" Dee saluted happily. "Oh, a-and what about the system? Would you like me to update it accordingly?"

"Let's work on retrieving the ones that are already out in the island and then I'll think about what we can do with it," Ryo replied. "Oh, and Dee?"

"Sir?"

"Go home. Get some rest. You've done enough," he winked and the young man relaxed visibly before smiling. 

"Yes, sir. Goodnight," he greeted. 

Ryo nodded and walked towards his office, where he knew that Miss Kumiho would be waiting for him. He pondered whether he should confront her, and the anger he was feeling was motivation enough to do so. He took a few steady breaths before entering his office. 

"Miss Kumiho, you called," he stated, seeing the woman stand by his desk in a straight posture. She turned around and gave a small smile. 

"Mr. Miyano, thank you for coming on such short notice. Mr. Yok is very curious to hear from you. As you can see, he has me working around the clock as well," she gestured at herself, but she didn't appear tired at all. 

"Yes, so I've been made aware," Ryo started, refusing to sit down if she didn't. "It appears that you've been snooping around my facility behind my back, Miss Kumiho, and I'm not quite sure I appreciate that," he confronted, waiting to see what kind of excuses she had to tell him. 

"Ah, I would not necessarily call it 'snooping', sir. I am merely keeping a watchful eye on proceedings, to give Mr. Yok some peace of mind," she smiled charmingly at him, but Ryo wasn't so easily fooled. 

"Is that so? And does Mr. Yok always make a point to spy on his CEOs? I would've thought he'd have more trust in his employees, especially after the talk I had with him a few days ago," he stated, keeping a polite tone, even though his words were rather harsh. Miss Kumiho did not seem to be that rattled at all.

"It is not a matter of trust, I assure you, Mr. Miyano. Mr. Yok has only faith in his employees, but it is his curiosity that is restless and cannot be stilled. I'm sure you understand."

Smooth, lady. Real smooth, Ryo thought to himself. "I see. Well, I can only hope then that you understand that I do not particularly appreciate you walking around my facility, checking up on my employees and interfering in their work, Miss Kumiho. If you wish to be updated with any other projects than the one Mr. Yok handed to me personally, do say so and I'll provide a summary for you," he stated strictly, showing her that he meant business. Miss Kumiho appeared to want to protest, but then she gave a sweet smile that did not reach her eyes and she bowed. 

"Very well. Thank you, sir," she said, but something told Ryo that she wasn't sincere about it. "Now then, may I ask what news you have regarding the Yggdrasil project?" 

Ryo heaved a soft sigh and grabbed his laptop where he had secured data on the foreign object he'd been researching. "I did an extra check up on the dagger," he started. "The data I collected is an exact match to the data Mr. Yok found so far," he said, rereading the data as he spoke. "Truthfully, it's rather remarkable. I thought Mr. Yok had been deceiving me when he said that he thought the dagger was alive, but he's not wrong. Not entirely. I found indications implying that the dagger is a living organism. It's pulsating with energy, but I can't explain such a phenomenon. And the way it's able to regenerate cells, genes, energy- is unlike I've ever seen before," he reported. "But I need more time. I'm thinking about expanding the project in the upcoming week, so Mr. Yok will have to wait until then." 

Miss Kumiho nodded amicably while she typed in notes on her tablet. "That is good news, Mr. Miyano. It sounds very promising. Mr. Yok will be pleased to hear it."

She continued typing while Ryo watched her and looked for signs of fatigue, but couldn't find any. "Have you been here all night, Miss Kumiho?" he asked, wondering why she was still here. He doubted that she was still working only because Mr. Yok told her to stay. 

"Yes, sir," she answered briefly, not elaborating further. 

"Well, you should go home after this, there's not going to be anyone else around anyway," he suggested, secretly because he just wanted her away from the office if he wasn't there either. 

"I'll definitely do that, sir. Thank you, you've made my job a bit easier and Mr. Yok happier," she said in her silken voice. "It must not have been easy having to go back to work at this hour. I hope your wife wasn't too upset," she added. Ryo looked at her. 

"She understands, thank you," he answered rather coolly and Miss Kumiho nodded. She was finished, but she wasn't leaving, which Ryo found more than just suspicious. She looked around his office and her smile widened when she saw the picture on his desk. 

"Oh, is this her? She's gorgeous, sir," she complimented sweetly. "And this, this must be your beautiful daughter. She looks like her mother," she stated, pointing at Jae. 

"Yes, I'm always very grateful she takes after her," Ryo managed to joke, carefully taking the picture away from her and putting it back on the desk. Why was she not leaving? 

"You're a lucky man, sir. There are plenty of people out there that would die for a family like yours," she stated. 

"I am indeed," Ryo kept his answers short since the conversation was making him uneasy for whatever reason. She smiled at him. Always that smile, one that never reached her hazel green eyes. 

"You should return home to them, sir. They must be waiting for you," she mused. 

"I guess I should. Can I offer you a ride to your home, Miss Kumiho?" he suggested since he did not want to leave her alone in his office. Ryo always thought of himself that he was good at reading people, and Miss Kumiho gave him the wrong kind of vibes. Simply put, he didn't trust her. 

"Thank you, but I live nearby. You don't have to worry, sir, I'll make sure everything is locked up," she insisted and Ryo didn't know what to say to that. Too smooth, lady, he thought to himself. 

He jumped when the phone in his office suddenly rang and he frowned. Other than Dee and a few cleaners, there shouldn't be anyone around to call him at this hour. Unless...was it Dee?

"Excuse me," he said and picked up the phone. "Ryo Miyano speaking," he greeted, listening to the other end. "The security system? I think that might be a mistake, we don't have livefeeds installed. Is this the security department? Why are you even still at work, you should be at home," he said listening to the other line. Ryo was well aware that Miss Kumiho had not left his office. 

"No one gave the order to do that. Security footage? Why would you- okay, look, I'll stop by in a moment. Thank you," Ryo scratched his head, a little confused. 

"Is everything alright, sir?" Miss Kumiho questioned. 

"That was the security department. He said that there was some footage that I should see? Do you have any idea what he's talking about?" he asked, not shy about showing his suspicion towards her. Miss Kumiho met his gaze steadily. 

"Ah, I'm sure it's nothing, sir. I think he's talking about the footage from the newly installed security system. They're placed there so that we can record the workings of the system to ensure its safety. I believe it was in one of the memos, sir," she explained. 

"Aha, I see. Well, guess I should head on down to check it out," he walked towards the door, but was stopped by Miss Kumiho, holding his arm. 

"Please, don't bother yourself with such trivial matters, Mr. Miyano. I'll take care of it and report to you in the morning. You should go back home, to your lovely wife and beautiful child. I'll handle this," she offered sweetly. Ryo was inclined to decline, but there wasn't an excuse he could use against her. Reluctantly, he gave in, thinking that there wasn't much harm she could do anyway. 

"Very well. Thank you, Miss Kumiho. After that, I want you to go home and get some rest, alright?" he instructed to which she gave a bow. 

"I shall. Goodnight, sir," she greeted and Ryo left, feeling only a little uneasy. 

Miss Kumiho rode the elevator down to the security department, her face devoid of a smile. When she entered the room, she walked steadily towards the monitors, one sole employee still working there. 

"I hope this is worth it. The CEO nearly caught on," she hissed, to which the employee flinched. 

"Sorry, I didn't know he was still here. But, check this out," he started typing and showed her some interesting footage of a wolf being chased through the woods and being hit by the security system. She leaned forward to observe it closer, attentively taking in the images. 

"There's more than one," she mused, a light chuckle escaping her plump, red lips. 

"Do you see their eyes?" he asked and she nodded, silently watching. 

"They're very fast," she smiled as her eyes sparkled. "Oh, bet that hurt, huh?" she mused as she saw one wolf being stupid enough to get hit by the fence. "Freeze that!" she barked upon seeing a young man running towards the wolf, his eyes shining far too brightly than was humanly possible. His face was blurred, but it didn't matter. A smirk appeared on her face when she watched the other screens, showing a pack of wolves in one shot and suddenly a few young men in the other. The quality of the images had too low of a resolution, but she could see clearly, and - she wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"Rewind and freeze that frame," she said, watching how a group of young men free the wolf from the net, one of them looking directly at the fence and zapping it to deactivation, shutting off the camera in the process. Some of their faces were exposed, though blurry. She moved the employee aside and zoomed in closer on the youths, the smirk on her face widening as her green eyes shone. 

"Well, well, well," she sang, letting out a purr, studying their features. "It's been a while...boys. Mr. Yok will be very pleased," she laughed. "Save the footage on the external hard drive and delete it from the main board. Hand the disk over to me as soon as possible," she instructed. 

"Yes, ma'am," the employee didn't hesitate to follow orders. 

She turned away to let him do his work, while she did hers. Typing the message to her employer, brought a real smile to her face this time. 

Sir, you'll like this and you'll love me more for it. 

It's been a while, but all the hard work and effort was worth it all.

"Ma'am, the footage," the employee called. She tapped the disk against the hightech tablet, uploading the data with ease into the message, the screencap showing brightly lit eyes and blurry, but distinguishable faces. 

Everything is set.

We've found them.