"Shouldn't we give Juno a proper burial?" I asked Kook the next morning while we were having breakfast.
"Well, we should. But only should. We're not going anywhere near that forest again. And Juno's deep in the woods. If he were nearby, I'd say we could try bringing his body back, but he went way too far. I don't think we'd survive if we went in there again," Kook said, grimacing.
"Ugh… this is so awful," I sighed.
"I think so too. But for now, let's focus on figuring out how to get out of here. This place is nice and all, but we can't stay forever."
"You're right. I have no idea what we should do," I shrugged.
"I actually… have a feeling Juno knew something," Kook admitted, making my eyebrows shoot up.
"Knew something? Like what?"
"I think he knew what that book was about. And yesterday, he went into the forest on purpose—not just out of curiosity," Kook said seriously.
"You're not serious," I laughed in disbelief.
"He didn't have to go there. And if he heard the wolves howling, like we did, why didn't he run back? He could've easily returned safely, but instead, he ran deeper into the forest, away from the houses."
"And how exactly do you know this? This is ridiculous! Why would Juno run straight into his own death? That makes no sense, Jungkook!" I raised my voice.
"I saw the tracks yesterday, Jimin," Kook said quietly. "At first, his footprints in the snow were close together. Then suddenly, the distance between them grew—he started running. He wanted something from the forest badly enough to risk his life. And think about it… we walked all around this place but never found that little path into the forest. Juno found it right away. He must have known the book, but for some reason, he didn't want to tell us what it was about. That's why he found the way so easily."
"There's only one way to find out… First, we have to figure out exactly what that book is about. Then we can judge," I said firmly.
"There's bound to be something in Juno's house. He wouldn't have left us without answers. At least I wouldn't."
"Then what are we waiting for?" I said, and I was already running out the door with Kook on my heels.
We went straight into the house next to mine—Juno's. Inside, it looked almost the same as mine or Jungkook's.
"Holy crap… I knew it! I knew it!" Kook exclaimed, and my jaw dropped too.
The living room in front of us was completely torn apart, like someone had ransacked the place.
"Juno must've been searching for something…" I murmured in amazement.
"Why didn't he tell us? We could have figured something out together. He didn't have to go into that forest alone," Kook said, sounding sad.
"Wait… do you hear that?" I asked, concentrating.
"The record player's running…" he observed.
Go ahead where the Christmas lights end.
Look to the left, where you smell gingerbread.
Look, how beautiful is the white and black cat…
I caught those lines from the song.
"It's in English, but I don't speak English," I sighed.
"I do… It says: Go straight where the Christmas lights end," Kook translated.
"Uh… does it mean this Christmas light garland that ends near the stairs?" I asked uncertainly.
"Probably. Just go there, I'll tell you the rest."
I stepped over candles, cushions, and books scattered on the floor and stood by the stairs where the garland ended.
"Do you smell gingerbread?" Kook called.
"Not really."
"Then find a spot where you do."
I walked a few steps forward, and soon, a strong cookie scent hit my nose.
"Got it!" I shouted.
"Look to your left. What do you see?"
"A bookshelf."
"If I say 'white and black cat,' is there anything related to that there?" Kook asked as he came up beside me.
"I don't know… maybe we should look for a book?"
"Let's try. We're on the right track."
We scanned the books quickly, and then Jungkook shouted, "This must be it!" He pulled out a book with a cat on the cover, and as he did, something fell from the shelf. I immediately picked it up.
"This looks like an old recipe. It lists the ingredients," I said, studying the yellowing paper.
"Are we seriously supposed to bake something? Is that really what we need to do?"
"Well…" I started, but Kook took the paper from my hands and examined it himself.
"Jimin, this recipe's just a decoy. Look at the back," he said, handing it back. On the back was a drawing of a key and a river.
"There's a key in the river?" I frowned.
"Or… a key to the river?" Kook guessed.
Then another song started playing, and Jungkook slapped his forehead. I stared at him, confused.
"Of course… The river is the key, 'cause it saved you and me… It's an old English song. My wife listens to it. That's why I know it," Kook explained.
"Oh, okay… Then let's go to the river," I said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the bridge.
Since we hurried, we reached it quickly and stared at the water.
"Okay, you're the brains here. What do we do now?" I asked him.
"Well… I don't know… Is there something in the water?"
"I think… Juno beat us to it," I said, staring at a spot where clear signs showed that someone had climbed out of the river.
"When could he have done this?" Kook asked, stunned.
"Probably while we were sleeping."
"How did he even know there was something in the water?" Kook frowned.
"You said yourself you think he knew the book. I think he knew exactly where and what to look for without any help. Let's go back to his house," I suggested, and he silently turned back.
When we got inside, we stopped and looked at each other.
"What do we even do now? Juno cut the thread to the solution. We have no idea what was in that river…" I sighed.
"No idea. But he was definitely searching for something. Let's have lunch, then figure out what to do next, okay? We've made it this far; we'll make it the rest of the way too," he said, opening his arms.
"I hope so," I replied, and we hugged each other tightly.
So… the story has started to unfold. Jungkook and I are going to figure out the ending. That much I know for sure.