The school bell rang as Jake and Sunghoon walked out of the classroom.
"Heeseung isn't in the classroom next door; looks like he's already left," said Sunghoon, glancing down the corridor.
"But I don't think he's gone home yet. The school gates are still closed," replied Jake, glancing at the gates, which were still locked.
Sunoo suddenly appeared in front of them, wearing the distinctive white karate club uniform. He stared at Jake and Sunghoon with an impatient expression.
"Can you move out of the way? You're blocking the path," he said curtly.
"Is there an extra-curricular activity?" asked Jake.
Sunoo snorted. "You're still asking?"
He turned to walk away, but Sunghoon grabbed his arm.
"You're in the same class as Heeseung—have you seen him?" asked Sunghoon.
"He left the classroom with a basketball a while ago, then disappeared," replied Sunoo curtly before finally walking off.
Jake and Sunghoon walked to the school's back court — a place that was rarely used, even somewhat forgotten. Amidst the quiet atmosphere, they saw Heeseung playing basketball on his own.
They sat on the edge of the court, watching Heeseung as he kept bouncing the ball on the ground.
Thud.
The sound of the ball echoed across the empty court.
Heeseung turned his head. "I'd rather play here than wait around for who knows what."
"We've got something to talk about. Stop playing for a bit," said Jake.
"Just a minute, take it easy," replied Heeseung.
"Hurry up!" called Sunghoon.
"You two should come and play with me," suggested Heeseung.
"I'll just watch," said Jake.
"Lazy," retorted Sunghoon.
"You're always lazy!" Heeseung joked, then swung the ball towards Sunghoon.
Sunghoon reflexively covered his face, bracing for the throw. But the ball never came.
When he opened his eyes, Heeseung was already standing there with a teasing expression.
"You bastard!" Sunghoon shouted, immediately jumping up and chasing after Heeseung. Their laughter filled the empty court.
Jake just watched from his seat, until...
Ting!
A message from Unknown popped up:
"Look at Heeseung."
Jake turned his head immediately. His gaze shifted from his two friends to the basketball hoop—there was a scorched patch on it, as if it had been burnt or welded.
"HEY, GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Jake shouted in a panic.
Heeseung stood there, confused, staring at his friend. Unlike Sunghoon, who was more alert, he immediately pulled Heeseung away.
CRASH!
The basketball hoop fell, just seconds after they'd moved.
Heeseung stared at the hoop in shock and frustration. "Unbelievable… he knew this place was deserted, knew I often train here on my own."
*****
The three of them were now chatting in a park not far from the court; they were sitting on stone benches, with a stone table in front of them.
"To be honest, I'm curious too because I didn't get a chance to check this footage yesterday," said Sunghoon.
He showed the video footage from his tablet to Jake and Heeseung.
The video showed Jungwon dragging someone; unfortunately, as it was filmed from behind, it wasn't clear who Jungwon was dragging away.
"This person seems to have been carried away whilst unconscious; there's no sign of resistance, and on top of that, we know Jungwon left the café carrying a taser," said Sunghoon.
"The person who had taser marks, Sunoo…" said Heeseung.
"But we can't use this footage as grounds to accuse Sunoo because here we can only see that person's hands; Sunoo could easily deny it outright," said Jake.
That's true; after all, Sunoo's face isn't visible in the footage, so it's possible that the person Jungwon dragged away was someone else.
"Why did you suddenly turn up at this housing estate?" asked Sunghoon.
"I met Chris at the café; he's an alumnus and a friend of Jeongin's," said Jake.
"So what did you two talk about?" asked Heeseung.
"I heard that Jeongin has a relative living in this district, but it's never been revealed who it is," said Jake.
"Why hasn't it been revealed?" said Heeseung.
Sunghoon gave his friend a weary look. "Because they're afraid of being targeted too."
"And you might be surprised to hear what I've found out," said Jake.
"Wow, surprised," Sunghoon raised both his hands as if taken aback, but his expression remained impassive—which, of course, made Heeseung reflexively slap him.
"I haven't even started yet," Jake teased, before showing the data on his mobile. "Jungwon and Jeongin's older brother share the same surname."
"Family and relatives—is that the same thing?" asked Heeseung.
The three of them looked at each other, full of questions.
Ting!
The three of them received a message from the police.
"The police didn't find any ashes or burnt debris in that house," said Jake.
"Does the unknown person have a habit of getting rid of evidence, like Sunghoon?" asked Heeseung, confused.
"I don't know, but you could say he's a master at covering his tracks—he's even capable of burning someone to leave no trace," said Sunghoon.