[Objective] Interrogate 4 suspects to find the true culprit and call "Attorney Kim" to close the case.

[Prologue: The Non-Existent Code, Siper (Cipher)]

Beneath the shadows cast by Seoul's glamorous skyscrapers, down the narrow and damp stairs of a rusted commercial building, a steel door without a sign appears. People call this place 'Siper's Room' with awe, but in reality, it is just a basement level acting as a sieve where all the world's filth is filtered. Under the external light falling on a worn desk, even in the deep darkness, the movement of a Richard Mille, revealing its inner flesh transparently, spits out a sharp metallic vibration that slices one second into eight. That mechanical heartbeat, throbbing faster than a human pulse, is like a sophisticated countdown announcing an impending doom.

I scan the list of clients handed over by the law firm, as if looking at a gambler's hand scattered on a desk. The '5th Ace' that must never exist in a poker game made of 52 plastic cards. That is the role I play in this gamble of a world. The power to make the blasphemy of '100%' possible in a world ruled by probability and luck. People despair, saying their hand was caught just by meeting my eyes, but I listen to the most secret and hideous confessions their brainwaves deliver rather than the lies they spit out.

To them, my actual name, age, or nationality is not important. No, in fact, no one even cares. I have never asked for intimate understanding from them either. They are merely thorough business partners who hand over a large check and receive a perfect result from me. That heartless anonymity is the only oxygen mask that allows me to breathe in this business.

This ability, which some might call a blessing, was a terrible curse to me. Like radio noise with tens of thousands of channels turned on simultaneously, human greed and fear penetrate my eardrums without filtration. So, I habitually fiddle with the matte steel Zippo lighter in my pocket. Only the sharp metallic friction sound that rings 'Ting-' can momentarily suppress the disgusting noises rummaging through my head.

Then, the sharp sound of a ringing phone tears through the silence, filling the office. The caller is the exclusive attorney of Taeshin Law Firm, which manages the filth of South Korea's top 1%. Even before picking up the receiver, his mean vibrations transmitted through the signal get stuck in my mind.

"Mr. Siper, it's an accident. It's Chairman Kang's residence of the Hwajin Group. We have only 3 hours before the police catch the scent. Find the culprit. If it's a key figure helpful to the family, we must cover up the case; if not... you can 'dispose' of them on the spot."

The attorney's voice over the receiver is polite, but his true intentions that I hear are saying something completely different. [If I just handle this case well, the partner attorney position is mine. Siper, I have to gain the Chairman's trust even if I have to use that monster.] The nauseating noise stabs my eardrums. I respond with a short silence instead of any reply. I know well that to him, I am not a conversation partner, but a sophisticated tool to achieve his goals.

"Understood. I'll prepare."

Hanging up the phone, I pick up the Zippo lighter lying on the cold desk. The blue flame that rises as I open the lid briefly illuminates my expressionless face before disappearing. Now, when this flame goes out, someone's life will also be blacked out forever. Leaving behind the phantom of the non-existent 5th Ace amidst the long-exhaled cigarette smoke, I put on my old coat and leave the office.

Stepping out onto the ground after climbing the damp stairs, the cold dawn air hits my face. The moment the gates of the castle-like mansion of the vast empire named Hwajin open, what I will face are monsters wearing the masks of a grieving widow and a faithful secretary. I clutch the heavy lighter in my pocket and head toward the scene where the blood-scented truth awaits.