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Chapter: The Place Where His Silence Began
The room was silent—too silent.
Everyone stood staring at each other, eyes wide, breath caught in their throats. The file lay open on the table, its last page trembling under the weak light. Jongsuk was the first to break the silence.
"What the hell do they want…?" he muttered, voice low and sharp.
But no one answered.
Because all their attention was frozen on the signature at the bottom of the document.
A familiar signature.
A signature none of them ever expected to see there.
"Ahn Min-ji."
Jaeahn's fingers stopped moving. Her eyes locked on the name, her breath shaking.
Jihu swallowed hard. "Is this… Mom's sign?"
"Obviously it's her sign," Jaeahn replied, but her voice cracked at the end. "But if she's connected to this… we need to find out."
Do Hwan quietly slid forward a piece of paper from the file—an old address.
They all exchanged a look.
A decision.
A fear.
Tomorrow… they would search.
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The Next Morning
Everything appeared normal—sunlight, breakfast, casual chatter.
But beneath it, each of them carried heavy questions that no one dared to ask aloud.
The address led them to:
32-FH, North Side — Houngy District.
A place too close to the orphanage where Jaeahn and Jongsuk grew up.
They split into two teams.
Team 1: Jaeahn, Jongsuk, Eunwoo
Team 2: Jihu, Do Hwan — sent to investigate Min-ji's home.
Before parting ways, Jaeahn held Jihu's wrist tightly.
"Don't get caught. Hear me?"
Jihu nodded. "Okk."
And they separated.
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Inside the Car
Eunwoo looked at Jaeahn's reflection in the window.
He hesitated, then whispered:
"Big sis… what do we do if your mom is really behind this?"
Before she could answer, Jongsuk tapped Eunwoo's head lightly.
"Just shut up," he said.
Jaeahn frowned. "Why are you shutting him up? He asked something logical."
Jongsuk glared. "What do you 'do'? Grab her collar and drag her to prison. That's it."
"But big sis… she's your mother…"
Jaeahn's eyes darkened.
"Who's my mother…?"
She stared outside, jaw clenched.
"I'm an orphan. I don't have a mother or father."
"Hey! Don't say that!" Eunwoo shook her arm.
"You have me, you have Jongsuk, and Do Hwan hyung. You have us."
A soft, angelic smile formed on Jaeahn's face.
The kind she rarely showed.
And they arrived.
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The Abandoned Building
The structure stood like a ghost—silent, hollow, and heavy with memories no one wanted.
As soon as they stepped inside…
Jongsuk froze.
Not just froze—
His breath collapsed, his legs stiffened, his pupils widened.
Jaeahn's voice softened instantly.
"Jongsuk? What happened?"
He said nothing.
Couldn't say anything.
Because this was the place.
The place where he disappeared.
The place the world lost him for those days.
The place that broke him.
A violent flashback exploded in his head—
Cold floors.
Hands grabbing him.
The sting of needles.
The burning of hunger.
The sound of metal cages.
His body shook.
His breath shortened.
His vision blurred.
Jaeahn caught his arm.
"Hey—HEY—just breathe, okay?"
Her voice cracked with fear.
But it was too late.
His knees caved.
And he collapsed against her chest.
---
At the Park Nearby
Eunwoo supported Jongsuk's head on his lap.
Jongsuk was unconscious, pale, his breathing uneven.
Jaeahn ran around looking for water, medicine—anything.
When she came back, Jongsuk slowly opened his eyes.
His first words were:
"Where's… Jaeahn…?"
"She's right here," Eunwoo said.
Jaeahn sat beside him, touched his forehead gently.
Her voice trembled.
"Are you okay?"
He nodded weakly.
She stared at him for a long moment.
Then, softly:
"Soo… what was that inside?"
"What?" he whispered.
"Don't lie to me, Jongsuk."
Her voice was so soft it hurt.
"Tell me what happened there."
Silence.
Long, painful silence.
Finally he whispered.
"That… is the place where they trapped me."
Jaeahn's breath stopped.
Jongsuk continued, voice breaking:
"They took my blood every day…
beat me…
didn't feed me…
sometimes until I passed out…
and when they were done, they threw me away like trash."
His voice fell apart at the end.
Jaeahn's eyes filled instantly.
She pulled him into a tight hug.
"And you didn't think to tell me…?"
Her voice shook.
"Aren't we partners…?"
Tears slipped down her face silently.
Eunwoo, too, was on the verge of crying.
It was the first time…
Jaeahn cried for someone that wasn't her brother.
---
Back to the Building
"You stay here," Jaeahn told him.
"Rest. I'll go with Eunwoo."
But Jongsuk grabbed her wrist.
"No… let's go together."
"You're not fully okay—"
"I'm fine. Let's go."
And she didn't argue again.
Inside, they found something—
An old videotape.
An old phone.
And threatening letters.
Jaeahn showed them to Jongsuk.
"Can I ask something?"
"Hm?"
"When they trapped you… did you see their face?"
Jongsuk nodded slowly.
"Yeah… but I barely remember. It was a woman. But I can't recall her clearly…"
Before he could finish—
BANG!
A gunshot tore through the air.
They turned around—
BANG!
Another one.
The chapter ends.
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