Code 1: The Mission

(Location: NIS Headquarters, underground meeting room.)

The atmosphere in the room was tense. At a long table, several agents sat with serious expressions, staring at a large screen displaying data about the latest cases. The names of the missing victims were shown, along with photos of them before they disappeared.

"There's a new report," the heavy voice of the NIS director who had just entered the room broke the silence. "We found the same pattern. Teenagers going missing for several weeks."

One of the agents typed quickly on his laptop, displaying a graph showing the points where the victims had disappeared.

"But the location..." The words of one of the captains were interrupted by something that didn't make sense. "At the school?" he continued with a look of reassurance, as did everyone else at the meeting, which was met with a reassuring nod of the director's head.

"In the past three months, five students from Hanseong High School disappeared without a trace. There are no witnesses, no CCTV footage, and no ransom demands," said the agent in charge of displaying the graphic, who is known to be agent Lee.

All the agents remained silent, watching intently.

Agent Kim, the woman who was the team leader for the cybersecurity division, with her hair neatly tied up, took a sip of her coffee before speaking. "What do they have in common?"

Again, Agent Lee nodded towards the screen. "All the victims were scholarship students. They come from underprivileged families."

The screen switched to displaying a graph of digital transactions. "But there's something more strange. A few days before their disappearance, they all received different amounts of money in their accounts, but they were all large enough for high school students."

Agent Min Woo, the captain of Covert Operations Division 1, who had been silent, leaned back in his chair. "Where did the money come from?"

"We're still tracking it, but it's most likely from an anonymous account using an illegal transfer system."

The room fell silent again. All the team leaders in the meeting now knew that the case was not just an ordinary kidnapping.

NIS director, Mr. Cha, looked at them one by one. "We need someone inside. Someone who can infiltrate as a student and find out what's going on."

His eyes ended on one of the captains.

The man Mr. Cha was watching without looking back kept turning his chair right and left while thinking and realizing he was being watched. "Someone from my team?" said the captain of Covert Operations Division 2, Baek Sang Joon, while pointing a finger at himself.

**

The automatic doors opened as Na Jae Hoon stepped into the NIS main building. The cool air from the air conditioner immediately greeted him, a far cry from the heat and humidity of Cambodia that he had just left. His black jacket was still dusty, a remnant of a long journey he hadn't had time to tidy up.

"I'm back!" Jae Hoon exclaimed as he arrived at his team room. Everyone there just raised their heads to see the enthusiastic Jae Hoon by the door.

"Shouldn't you be happy I'm back in one piece?" Jae Hoon's cheerful smile was replaced with a bitter one.

The young woman who was his partner only chuckled lightly. "Isn't that the way it should be?" said Agent Mi Rae, still staring at her computer screen without paying attention to Jae Hoon, who was right in front of her.

"Wow, Noona," said Jae Hoon, who was rewarded with a small book throw by Mi Rae. "Noona, what?" Mi Rae finally looked at Jae Hoon, although a little annoyed.

Jae Hoon, who stroked his arm due to the book throwing, immediately left Mi Rae with a slight chuckle. "Sunbae, where's the captain?" asks Jae Hoon when he arrives in front of Agent Woo Tak, who is also his partner.

Again, his partner only looked at his computer screen. "Currently in a meeting," said Woo Tak without looking at Jae Hoon.

"Wow, I didn't know that this room is so cold right now," said Jae Hoon, surprised. Jae Hoon immediately went to his desk.

However, he found his favorite strawberry cake and a piece of paper that read 'I know you're going to keep your body intact, but we're not sure of your life. haha.' 'From your two partners for a long time.'

Jae Hoon's two partners immediately stood up right after he read the letter. "Welcome our Jae Hoon!" the two agents said and hugged Jae Hoon alternately. Jae Hoon, amused by the treatment of his two seniors, only grumbled and immediately devoured his strawberry cake with a smile.

"You have to go undercover to the school!" said Captain Baek, who pointed at Jae Hoon with the folder in his left hand who had just arrived from an important meeting. 

Still chewing his cake and struggling to swallow, Jae Hoon widened his eyes. "Me?"

Jae Hoon's two partners were equally surprised.

"This is very urgent and has entered the red list," Captain Baek said as he walked toward his desk. Jae Hoon, who needed an explanation, immediately went to Captain Baek, followed by his two partners, who were also curious.

"Seriously, didn't I just come back from a tough mission?" said Jae Hoon in front of his captain. Captain Baek is focused solely on the computer in front of him to open the files his team needs while Jae Hoon is trying to protest against him.

"At school? For what case?" asked Agent Mi Rae, curious.

Captain Baek, who had found the file he was looking for, immediately printed the file and shared it with his three members, who were still curious. "Exploitation of teens." 

The three members immediately looked up at Captain Baek, who had been focused on flipping through the pages of the file given to him by Captain Baek. "Exploitation in high school?" asked Woo Tak.

Captain Baek nodded. "Our target is Hanseong High School." With his arms crossed over his chest, Captain Baek began to explain further. "All the victims found have the same pattern, they are students from families with economic issues."

Jae Hoon continued flipping through the pages he was holding, a puzzled expression on his face. "So, they choose vulnerable targets. But who's behind it? A student? A teacher? An outsider?"

Captain Baek sighed. "That's still what we don't know."

"There is no clear pattern in how they operate. No names appear repeatedly, no concrete evidence pointing to a single suspect." Captain Baek looked at his three subordinates seriously. "What we know is that the school is the center of it all."

"Then what should Jae Hoon do there?" Mi Rae asked finally. Jae Hoon simply glanced at his senior with a look of disapproval.

"Become a student," Captain Baek said seriously.

The three of them just stared in disbelief at what their captain had just said.

***