Roori
We've just left the old headquarters when we're surrounded.
It's not just Seo-Yun.
He's called for reinforcements.
Susy and the twins block our way in the conservatory.
They look different now: the "family reunited" charade has fallen apart. Now they're hunters watching the prey run away with the loot.
"You look strange," Susy laughs, crossing her arms. "What did you find down there? Gold? Or maybe the reason your father was a failure?"
Min-Jun takes a step forward, but I put a hand on his arm. I feel him tense, ready to pounce, but I shake my head.
"Let go, Min. This is my stuff."
I take a step toward Susy.
I feel my heart beating, but it's not the tachyphrenia that was holding my legs together.
It's a constant rhythm.
Of war.
"Susy, you spent years torturing me because you knew I'd never fight back. It made you feel powerful, didn't it? Hitting someone you can't hit."
"And what do you plan on doing now, little cousin? Cry?"
Susy steps forward, raising her hand to slap me, the same gesture she's made a thousand times.
This time I don't close my eyes.
I grab her wrist in midair.
The surprise on her face is almost comical.
I squeeze hard, feeling her thin bones under my fingers.
"The time for tears is over," I tell her, leaning close to her ear as she tries futilely to break free. "I've seen the videos, Susy. I know your dad was in the car that pushed my dad's. I know everything."
Her face instantly pales.
Bullying feeds on secrets and impunity; now that the secret is exposed, she's just a spoiled little girl with too many sins on her shoulders.
"Move aside," I order, pushing her away with a strength I didn't know I had. "Or the next clue I solve will be like sending your father to prison for murder."
Seo-Yun and the twins exchange a nervous glance. They weren't expecting this. They look at Min-Jun, seeking support, but he smiles chillingly.
"I'd be careful," Min-Jun says, coming up beside me. "Roori has learned a lot from Ava over the years. And I have no intention of stopping her."
The air around us is chilly, thick with anticipation.
They look around, as if waiting for someone to lend them a hand.
Pathetic idiots.
I've waited for years for one of them to stop hurting me, hopelessly.
If it weren't for Min and Ava...
I inhale and walk toward them.
They fan out, like Moses parted the Red Sea.
We pass among them as if they were unimportant shadows.
As we walk away, I hear Susy screaming something, but her voice sounds shrill and helpless.
"Where are we going now?" Min-Jun asks me in a low voice.
"To the Fountain," I reply, looking toward the villa. "We have to find her before midnight. Ava is waiting for us."