SECTION-2: I REUNITED WITH MY FATHER
Kanire: Fa-ther...
Karun slowly raised his head. With a movement that couldn't conceal the tension in his muscles, he first looked at Kanire. Then his eyes dropped to the floor; as if searching for an answer amidst the shadows. He then raised his head again and locked his eyes directly onto Kanire's. This eye contact was like a silent scream, slicing through the air like a sharp knife.
Karun: What nonsense are you talking about, calling me father?
There was a mix of anger and shock in his voice, so much so that the words he uttered echoed in the air, bouncing off the walls and returning. Even the words themselves didn't want to believe this sentence.
Kanire: Nonsense? Isn't your name Salun?
Karun's face suddenly darkened. He couldn't understand how Kanire knew so much. His voice had dropped a little when he answered, but it still carried a threatening harshness.
Karun: Does knowing my name mean I'm your father? I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but... I don't have a daughter. Never had... I don't even have a child.
Kanire took a step forward. Her eyes were wet, but there was neither despair nor reproach in that moisture...
Kanire: Are you consoling yourself with these lies? Then let me tell you the truths you've even hidden from yourself. The year is 2007... your year of death. Since I had neither my mother, nor my father, nor any relatives left after that... I was left in an orphanage. I didn't know you had died... nor that I was left alone. With every new birthday, sparks would ignite within me; because I was reaching an age where I could reach my father. I would find him... and ask him why he abandoned me. When I turned sixteen, the school administration called me into their office and told me you had died. I didn't believe it... I couldn't believe it. Because no information, no document... no source matched each other. You appear to have died on June 18th, but I was left in the orphanage on June 16th. That is, two days before you died. I didn't understand how this happened and I investigated as much as I could. Finally, I faced the truth that you had faked your death.
Karun: I'm not listening to these lies. None of it is true.
His voice this time was fragile and angry, like cracked glass. But the silent footsteps of fear could be heard within it. Kanire, however, did not avert her gaze, standing upright in front of him.
Kanire: If none of it is true, then why did Karsu, your closest friend and ex-girlfriend, tell me these things? Unfortunately, you left honest friends behind you. While searching for you everywhere, asking everyone I saw about you... that ex-girlfriend who looked at me with pity... handed me a letter on my 23rd birthday. And in the letter were these lines:
To Karsu,
I'm dying today, Karsu. This... is my last day alive. And you're the last person I'm talking to.
I entrust my daughter, whom I love more than life itself, to you, Karsu.
I have to do this. I have to leave.
Don't ever think it's my choice...
While I could never even think of leaving you and my daughter, today I'm leaving you with my own hands.
Don't cry at my grave. Don't ever cry... because I'm not dead. I'm still alive.
I have to live so that nothing happens to my daughter and you.
I have to change my identity.
It's dangerous for even one person to know I'm alive, but... I can't bring myself to abandon you.
That's why I wanted to tell you the truths one by one with these lines.
Don't ever look for me. Don't ask.
Don't try to find out why I did this... it's just for you...
Today is my last day as Salun.
Salun is dead... but I'm still alive.
Leaving you at the orphanage was the hardest day of my life, my beautiful daughter.
I will never forgive myself, I can't forgive myself.
Goodbye, Salun.
Kanire: The events weren't that simple. Karsu was told that I had died... and even the location of my grave was shown. And that was on June 19th. So... when I entered my third day at the orphanage... while my father was supposedly in his second day of death, I was supposedly dead. Karsu Abla visited someone who wasn't dead for years. She decorated my grave with flowers. And I... thought I had no one while growing up alone in the orphanage for years, but she... cried at my grave every day. Oh father... your daughter isn't dead. Your daughter is standing in front of you!
Karun's hands were sweating. He couldn't even stop his trembling fingers when he wiped his hand on his jacket. Tears flowed involuntarily from his eyes, smearing onto his jacket sleeve. He wanted to hug Kanire, he felt that urge throughout his body, but despite what had been told, he couldn't trust her. He began to speak, looking deep into her eyes.
Karun: The information you've given me has no validity for me. I don't believe you.
But Karun, despite knowing that everything Kanire said was true, couldn't tell her the truth without investigating everything. His brows furrowed, lines of tension visible on his face. A storm was raging within him. To corroborate Kanire's story, he stormed out of the room without telling anyone where he was going, closing the door forcefully, as if leaving an echoing anger behind him. Kanire watched him leave; her lips trembled, she fixed her eyes on the floor, and then pressed them to her heart. In the silence, only the beating of her heart could be heard. Soon after, Mavi, with a slight tension in her voice, began to speak.
Mavi: This is a matter between you and Karun. But I came here to find out why you entered the Bar, and now I want you to tell me what's written on the paper.
Delese narrowed her eyes, the impatience building inside her reflecting on her face.
Delese: If we were going to tell you, then why did we write it on paper? What nonsense is this?
Mavi: You wrote it superficially on paper. I want to hear it in detail from you, any other questions?
Delese rolled her eyes, her voice slightly raised.
Delese: Ask your questions, then drop us back where you picked us up. Enough, we just entered your disgusting bar.
Mavi: I won't ask, you will tell. Tell me, one by one, what you experienced, from the first moment you saw the bar until you arrived here.
Delese tilted her head slightly and began to recount. Her voice was resolute.
Delese: My friend and I live in two buildings across from each other and we do our shopping together. That day, brochures for a new market that had just opened in our apartment building were being distributed, and since the new market would be cheaper, we went there to shop. On the way to the market, we saw a bar and I told my friend how long it had been since we had fun, and we talked about it the whole way. When we came across the bar again on the way back, we decided to come to this bar. When we typed the bar's name and location into the internet, we saw that there was no bar there, but an empty lot. Either it was an illegal place and entry was forbidden, or it was a concept bar and the design was like that. The last possibility was that people knew the bar was there, so they didn't feel the need to open a website or mark it on the location, and so we came to the bar 3 days after our market trip to understand why, but the door was closed and the opening hours were written on the door. We thought if the opening hours were written, it must be safe.
Kanire stood upright next to Delese. As soon as Delese finished her sentences, Kanire continued.
Kanire: And if it wasn't safe, we wouldn't have been directly let in at the door anyway. Security didn't ask us anything, we were directly ushered inside. No password was requested, nor were we searched. We just thought it was a classic bar and went in. Since neither of us consumes much alcohol, we directly ordered non-alcoholic drinks. That's why we didn't feel the need to research whether there was alcohol or not because we wouldn't understand the varieties anyway. Afterwards, my friend got bored and we decided to leave, and when the valet told us I didn't have my car, we realized there was something shady about this bar and decided to leave immediately. Because if we continued arguing, those who stole our car might kill us too. We were scared of this and started walking towards the bus stop we saw with quick steps. We didn't call a taxi because the bar wasn't in a place where phones could get reception, when I took out my phone to look something up online while inside, I realized it wasn't getting reception, so we didn't even dare to call. We just wanted to get away immediately. This is completely what we experienced. We didn't want to enter anyone's bar, if there's a fine for this, you can charge it to my car.
Mavi: I understand, okay, you wait here, I'll be back.
The air in the room grew heavy. The girls said nothing, only occasionally uttering sighs indicating their boredom. Time passed slowly. Twenty minutes later, two men entered the room; both had a broken spear tattoo on their arms. The girls had seen this tattoo before. The man who woke them up yesterday and brought them to Yanık also had it, but they still hadn't figured out what it meant. The men who entered didn't introduce themselves, they just stated their Cast levels. Both belonged to Cast2.
Delese's eyes sparkled, she was starting to make a connection in her mind.
Delese----Cast2 and the Broken Spear tattoo match. This means Cast2 serves some kind of security here because they're always the ones taking us from one place to another. I need to remember this, these symbols and Cast levels are very important.
As her thoughts echoed in her mind, the men took them by the arms and led them to the elevator. There were 10 floors in the elevator; the girls weren't surprised by this number as it was less than they expected. They went up two floors from where they were. And a long corridor greeted them, with more doors than they could count. With footsteps echoing in the darkness, they reached the 4th door and entered. The inside wasn't as crowded as they expected; there were 3 men, and they noticed all three had a labyrinth tattoo on their arms. These tattoos were starting to make more sense now.
The tall blonde man began to speak. His name was synonymous with him, he was Sarı (Yellow/Blonde).
Sarı: I know you're being dragged from place to place and inevitably getting scared, but our aim isn't to harm you. All the information and all the times you've stated match, meaning it's all true. We'll let you go, but we need to be sure you won't tell anyone about us.
Without letting him finish, Solgun (Pale/Wan), whose face was as white as a sheet, interjected. That name, reflecting the mood of everyone in the room, the flickering light in their eyes, and the hidden fear in their posture, was exactly like his character. His name, like a faint breeze over a pale, lifeless leaf, was chilling: Solgun.
Solgun's voice, echoing in the dark corners of the room, rang out like a harsh, sharp warning.
Solgun: You will not tell the police, your friends, anyone you know, or even each other after you leave here.
Kanire tried to suppress the rising anger and curiosity within her, maintaining her composure.
Kanire: Why are you so afraid of us telling someone about you? Are you doing illegal things here?
A sly smile appeared on Sarı's face; his eyes were like a almost burning fire.
Sarı: No, your telling someone about us shouldn't scare us, it should scare you. Because do you have even one piece of evidence to prove you met us? You can tell everyone if you want, but you can't escape the truth that you'll end up in a mental hospital. Because no one will believe you, unfortunately.
Delese, stubbornly breaking the silence between them, replied:
Delese: Why wouldn't they believe us? You stole my friend's car, and we went to your bar. You also kidnapped us in the middle of the street.
Sarı, raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a mocking tone:
Sarı: The car has been in front of your building for 1 day. A bar? Which bar? Such a bar never existed. Don't be upset when you leave here and find an empty lot. Did we kidnap you? No such record ever existed.
A spark ignited in Delese's eyes, resolute and fearless.
Delese: Do you think no one saw you demolish the bar? It's clear that we left the house with the car and the car was placed there without us because there's camera footage in the apartment. And it's impossible for you to reach the landlord who would delete those recordings, because even though the man lives in the concierge apartment, his son is a police officer, you can't just waltz into the house.
Sarı's face fell for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and interjected.
Sarı: Demolishing the bar, what nonsense are you talking about? You returned home with the car, don't you remember? Which camera recording? Oh, those broken ones? Tsk...
The last shreds of strength within the girls had run out. They had openly revealed the camera footage because their goal wasn't to leave here, but to stay. That's why they would try every possible way not to be released, but how long could they endure?
Just then, Kanire decided to draw her strongest weapon; she played her last card.
Kanire: My father, where is he? I want to see him, no one can send me away from here without him.
The men looked at each other. They didn't know what had happened between Karun and Kanire. Moreover, for the first time, they were faced with a situation where they couldn't answer the girls' questions. At that moment, Keskin (Sharp), who had been silent for a long time but whose eyes pierced everyone like a sharp knife, began to speak.
Keskin: Your father isn't here? The gas we gave you must have been too much.
Kanire, fixing her gaze on them, never breaking her stance.
Kanire: My father is here. I don't know what you call him, but his name is Salun.
The men only knew each other's epithets; some knew the fake identity names of those they were close to, but they never shared their real names with anyone.
Just then, the door knocked quickly, and Yanık entered. The moment he stepped in, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy. He had managed to hold the girls in his gaze; those stares that unearthed a person's deepest pains, weaknesses, and fears were exactly his area of expertise.
Yanık, his voice harsh and authoritative.
Yanık: Why are these still here?
Delese was uncomfortable with the dark, threatening light in Yanık's eyes, but perhaps she thought she could take control and decided to speak.
Delese: First, take those disgusting looks off us! Can my friend see her father? Enough already, we've been waiting for hours, hungry and thirsty. We're explaining everything every minute. Call her father, let him come!
Delese knew this was wrong, but the anger and desperation rising within her made her voice louder. Yanık took two steps and approached Delese's face:
Yanık: If you raise your voice to me again, leaving here will be a dream for you.
Delese paused for a moment upon hearing this threat. However, what they wanted was not to leave here, so she didn't pay any attention to these words. On the contrary, the fire of rebellion within her flared up even more, and she became even more courageous.
Delese: You're right, they gave you orders, you have to carry them out. Bark at whoever's dog you are. You can't scare me.
Yanık had thought Delese would be afraid of him, that she would remain silent, but her stubborn attitude and defiance, instead of angering him, pleased him.
Kanire could no longer bear it and asked loudly.
Kanire: Can my father come now? What are we dealing with? You'll yell at us, and we'll obey you?
Just then, the room door burst open, and Karun entered. He neither had the courtesy to knock nor asked for permission to enter; for he knew Kanire was in that room and wasted no time in standing directly opposite Kanire.
Karun's voice was harsh and tired.
Karun: Were your words true? Are you trying to drive me insane?
The reason for Karun's angry arrival was that he had ordered his daughter's grave to be dug up. The grave was empty; meaning his daughter was alive. This information had confirmed his suspicions, but he still wasn't completely sure. He meticulously examined the records of the orphanage where Kanire had stayed for years. It was true, his daughter had been placed there. He didn't need to ask Karsu; he didn't need to encounter her again. Because every letter, every word of the letter was directly true. Because Karun kept a copy of this letter under his pillow every night before sleeping, reading it and consoling himself.
Kanire: Father, I didn't expect to find you in this chaotic place. Because we came here not for you, but because we were kidnapped. But by chance, you're here, you're not dead. Why are you here? Where is this place? Please, tell me, I'll stay with you if necessary.
Karun's eyes welled up, his breath caught, and he swallowed.
Karun: Daughter, it really is you, my daughter.
A smile appeared on Kanire's lips; but this was not the sincere, longing smile of a girl who had found her father. This was the triumphant smile of an actress who had successfully played her role, fresh off the stage.
Kanire —
I succeeded.
A man who isn't my father thinks I'm his daughter. Yes... I succeeded.
The real reason for the fear that enveloped me when I first saw Karun was the possibility that our long-prepared plan would collapse right from the start. But it didn't...
Thank goodness it didn't.
I'm here because of him. I'll stay here because of him.
My first name and last name are the same as his deceased daughter's first name and last name.
I hope... I hope that girl is happy where she is now.
The only connection between her and me was our name.
And I, for years, thought Karun was my father.
Because when they left me at the orphanage, they didn't give my ID, or any other official document...
I just told them my first name and last name. That's why the authorities, thinking I didn't know anyone, registered me as an "unknown parent child."
I was indeed left at the orphanage on June 16th.
Coincidentally... Karun also left his own daughter at the orphanage on the same day, June 16th.
He handed his daughter a letter to give to the authorities.
But instead of delivering the letter, the girl left it on a stair step and walked away from the orphanage.
And 3 days later... on June 19th... she died in a tragic car accident.
She didn't have her ID with her, but her small diary, which she always carried, was found.
Since she had written her name and last name at the very beginning of the diary, she was registered with a name on her grave.
However, unfortunately, no one could reach her mother or father.
Karsu, on the other hand, couldn't reach Karun's daughter, Kanire, for a long time.
Because the letter didn't mention the orphanage, nor where his daughter was.
After a while, she started asking the police, going from hospital to hospital.
And the officials at the hospital where Karun's daughter, Kanire, had died told her that she had been buried a week ago.
Two days later, Karun had his own grave built next to his daughter's.
And years later...
While visiting the grave of the man I thought was my father, I saw my own name on the tombstone.
Moreover, I was watching a woman clinging to that grave and crying.
That's when I met Karsu.
Actually, that's how everything started.
My meeting with Karsu was like this, but the real trouble began when I was mistaken for Karun's daughter.
One day after I entered the orphanage, on the morning of June 17th, the caretaker found the letter Karun's daughter had left on the stairs and handed it to the director.
Our first names and last names were exactly the same.
That's why they thought I was Karun's daughter.
On June 18th, Karun officially announced his own death.
And his name and last name were recorded in my population information.
And I, for years, thought I was their daughter.
And I always searched for my father... until Karsu gave me that letter.
"At the end of the letter, it said, 'Leaving you at the orphanage was the hardest day of my life, my beautiful daughter...'"
When I first read those lines, something collapsed inside me.
That's when I started to investigate.
And everything came out, one by one.
My father didn't leave me at the orphanage, our neighbor did.
Because I... had lived with my mother's lifeless body in the house for a whole week.
I had believed she wasn't dead.
I talked to her, I fed her, I hugged her.
Because she... was my mother.
A child's heart cannot easily face death.
Where was my father? Who had done this to my mother?
I still don't know.
But one day... I will find out.
Our neighbor, who found me distraught at home, left me at the orphanage gate.
He didn't even go inside. He quietly walked away.
And I...
I told all this truth to the agents in the service I worked for.
Our plan was ready:
I would enter as Karun's daughter, learn everything through him, and reveal the truth they were hiding.
And now...
I'm right in the middle of that plan.
I'm where I need to be.
I'll stay here.
Karun's real daughter?
Her grave is now in a more peaceful place.
I hope she truly rests in peace.
Karun yelled so loudly at that moment that...
Even the flies circling in the room changed direction and looked at him.
Karun: I can never lose my daughter again... she will stay here!
End of Section 2