The apartment was heavy with silence. Neither of them spoke, the weight of unanswered questions pressing down between them. Minutes passed like hours.
Finally, Zhang exhaled sharply and broke the stillness. "Uh… do you know something or some—"
"No. I don't." Yuhan cut him off, his voice low, raw. He rubbed his temples, as if trying to massage away the storm brewing in his head.
[Two days ago]
The car screeched to a halt under the harsh midday sun. Zhang leaned back in his seat, casting a glance at Yuhan across from him. "We're here. Go on—this far for that reporter, right?"
"Right," Yuhan muttered, his tone flat, hollow from their last argument. He shoved the door open and rolled his eyes, stepping out onto the cracked pavement.
Zhang followed, clicking the car shut behind him. They stood side by side in front of a house—old, but stubbornly cared for, its paint faded but not forgotten.
"Let's hope we find her," Zhang murmured.
Their eyes met briefly. Then Zhang jerked his chin toward the porch. "Well? Your move."
"You're not coming?" Yuhan frowned.
Zhang chuckled, casual as ever. "Not my job," he teased, smirking.
Yuhan shot him a death glare and flipped him off before trudging up the steps. His finger hovered, then pressed the doorbell.
The wait felt longer than it was. Finally, the door creaked open.
A woman stood there—early thirties, maybe mid-thirties. Her cracked voice carried exhaustion as she asked, "Can I help you?"
Yuhan's eyes flickered past her shoulder. The interior was chaos. Books piled in towers, scattered like fallen leaves.
"H-hi, I'm Yuhan. I was looking for… Miss Daeha?"
The woman stared at him a beat too long before her lips curved into a brittle, almost apologetic smile. "Mom passed away three years ago."
The words hit like a stone sinking in water. Just like that, the trail was gone. The last witness to a homicide—vanished with time.
Yuhan's throat felt tight. His week of searching collapsed in an instant.
"I—I'm sorry. I… I've got to go," she muttered.
She gave him a tired nod, closing the door with quiet finality.
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