⚠️ Content Advisory
This series is rated 16+
It contains themes and scenes that may not be suitable for younger audiences, including:
Mild violence and psychological tension
Mentions of crime, corruption, and moral conflict
Occasional strong language
Emotional and mature themes related to loss, identity, and humanity
[ Viewer and reader discretion is advised ]
Chapter 6 : Mask behind all the mystrey?
The weather was unusually calm today.
Clear skies, a soft breeze, and sunlight that didn't feel heavy on the skin.
Was this a sign of something good finally approaching?
Or merely the quiet wave before something far worse arrived?
Sometimes, the most dangerous days look exactly like this—
peaceful.
Kye finally found himself standing at the entrance of his home.
It had been a long time.
Inside, Mira looked up the moment she heard the door.
"Today you suddenly remembered us?" she said with a half-smile.
"You usually don't even receive our calls."
Kye removed his shoes, his expression neutral.
"It's not like that," he replied calmly.
"I was just busy. Nothing more."
Mira hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"Kye… about that matter—"
"Please stop," Kye cut in before she could finish.
"I've already forgotten about it. And I know you didn't really mean it back then. It was the first time something like that happened, so I'm not overthinking it anymore. Let it go."
His voice wasn't angry.
Just distant.
Mira stayed silent.
At that moment, the door opened again.
Daigo entered, carrying shopping bags, his presence filling the room with warmth.
"So," he said cheerfully, "what's the plan for food today?
If you want, we can go out somewhere. What do you say, Kye?"
For a brief second, Kye paused.
Then—
he smiled. Lightly.
"…Alright."
The scene shifted.
Kye and his parents were now inside a museum.
They had lunch together, walked through exhibits, and explored the halls slowly.
To anyone watching, it looked like an ordinary family enjoying an ordinary day.
Laughter echoed softly.
Time seemed to pass without resistance.
Daigo glanced at Kye during lunch.
"So, how was the food?"
Kye replied quietly,
"It was good. It's been a long time since I ate something made by mom."
Mira's eyes softened.
"Then why don't you come back and live here again?" she asked gently.
Kye shook his head.
"No, mom. I'm sorry. I need to live my life in a different way now."
After a pause, he added,
"Don't worry though. I'll start receiving calls regularly… and I'll come home every weekend."
Mira and Daigo exchanged a look.
"Then that's fine," they said together.
Suddenly, Kye's gaze drifted away.
The voices around him faded.
His thoughts sharpened.
Something isn't right.
There have been kidnapping reports even near this museum.
So why is there no investigation here?
Why does everything feel so… normal?
He glanced around.
Security guards stood casually.
Visitors moved freely.
No tension. No urgency.
Shouldn't security be tighter?
Or is there another reason?
His jaw tightened.
I need to find out—
as soon as possible.
Evening settled quietly over the city.
The sky carried a faint orange glow near the horizon, slowly fading into pale blue. There was no wind—only a gentle stillness, the kind that felt peaceful on the surface, yet strangely empty. Street noises were distant, muted, as if the world itself had lowered its voice.
Kye sat alone in his room.
The lights were off, except for the dim glow of his phone screen reflecting in his eyes. He leaned back against the bed, posture relaxed—but his mind was anything but calm.
His fingers moved across the screen.
A group chat was open.
Members:
Aiko
Kyle
Kye
Kye:
"So… tomorrow's plan is confirmed?"
A few seconds passed.
Aiko:
"Kye… I still can't believe this. You suddenly started talking again?"
Kye frowned slightly.
Kye:
"Both of you—get serious. Stop wasting time."
Almost instantly, another message popped up.
Kyle:
"Alright, alright, Mr. Serious. So the plan is confirmed, right? From your side too? And the location?"
Kye:
"Yeah. Everything's confirmed. So we meet tomorrow."
For a moment, the chat went silent.
Then—
Kyle & Aiko (together):
"Done!! 👍🏻"
Kye locked his phone and placed it beside him on the bed.
The room fell silent again.
His gaze drifted upward, unfocused, as his thoughts pulled him backward in time.
A memory.
Kye stood just outside his apartment, adjusting his jacket as if preparing himself for something heavier than a simple trip.
Behind him, Arisa's voice stopped him.
"Kye… you're going home suddenly?"
He turned slightly.
"You never really told me much about your family," she added softly.
Kye rested a hand on her shoulder, his grip firm but reassuring.
"Listen to me," he said calmly. "I'll explain everything once I come back. You trust me, right?"
Arisa hesitated, then nodded.
"If you do, then that's enough," he continued. "Before this serious mission begins, I need to clear things with my family… and my friends."
His eyes darkened for a moment.
"I've already been a terrible son… and an even worse friend."
Arisa looked at him quietly, then forced a small smile.
"If that's what you're saying… then okay. We'll meet next week, Kye."
He nodded.
"Take care of yourself. I'll be going now."
"Bye," she said softly.
Kye turned and walked away—his footsteps carrying him in the opposite direction, away from her.
Back to the present.
That's why I came back home, Kye thought.
If I'm being honest… I wanted to see my parents and my friends. No matter what happened, they played an important role in my life.
I couldn't just disappear from them like that.
Scene shift.
Darkness.
Cold concrete walls. Dim lighting. The air felt heavy—stale.
A place that resembled a prison.
Inside, a man in his early thirties sat restrained, his face bruised but his eyes sharp. Standing before him was another man, dressed in a black uniform.
The uniformed man smirked.
"So," he said casually, "how does it feel being here?"
The restrained man slowly lifted his head.
"Shut your mouth," he replied coldly. "All your secrets will come out soon."
His lips curved into a bitter smile.
"People aren't as stupid as you think."
The man in black laughed.
"Oh yeah? And who's going to bring out the truth, huh?"
He leaned closer.
"A traitor like you?"
His laughter echoed briefly through the room—then stopped.
The next moment, he kicked the man hard in the ribs.
"Watch your tongue," he growled. "Understand?"
The darkness swallowed their shadows as the echoes faded..
The morning arrived warm and bright.
Sunlight spilled across the crowded roads, reflecting off passing cars and shop windows. People hurried along sidewalks, conversations overlapping, horns echoing—everything looked normal. Too normal. Just another busy day woven into the routine of the city.
Inside the house, Kye adjusted his shoes near the door.
"Alright, Mom. I'm leaving."
Mira looked up from the kitchen, her expression soft.
"Take care of yourself," she said gently. "And come back soon."
Kye nodded once and stepped outside.
Moments later, he was already walking toward the highway, blending into the flow of people and traffic, disappearing into the noise of the city.
Back inside the house, silence settled again.
Mira stood near the window, watching the road for a few seconds longer than necessary.
"The house feels normal again… doesn't it?" she said quietly. "Right, Daigo?"
Daigo set down the bag he had been holding and exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah. I missed this," he admitted. "No matter what happens, Kye is still my son."
He paused, his voice lowering with resolve.
"I've decided something. From now on, I won't interfere in his life anymore. I won't let my work stress spill onto him."
Mira turned toward him.
"It's not too late," Daigo continued. "I'll try—really try—to become a proper father."
Mira sighed, half-exasperated, half-relieved.
"That's enough now," she said, brushing it off.
They exchanged a small smile—quiet, genuine.
Scene shift.
A car moved smoothly along the road, heading toward the outskirts of the city.
Inside, Kye sat in the back seat while Kyle drove. Aiko sat beside him, staring out the window.
They were heading to see a waterfall.
Kye watched the passing scenery, his thoughts drifting.
Kyle's dad is a huge businessman, he thought. One of the biggest in the country. He comes from a seriously rich background… yet he never acts arrogant about it.
His gaze shifted briefly toward Aiko.
And Aiko… forget it. I don't want to think about her. Maybe I'm still angry.
"Kye?"
Aiko's voice snapped him back to the present.
"How were your days back there?" she asked. "At home?"
Kye blinked once.
"They were… fine," he replied shortly.
The car rolled on.
Time passed in fragments.
Laughter echoed near the waterfall. The sound of rushing water drowned out the city's noise. Small moments—jokes, shared food, quiet smiles—stitched the day together.
For a while, it almost felt peaceful.
And just like that, the week ended.
Kye found himself back in his apartment.
It wasn't that he enjoyed every moment. Each day, without fail, he spent two to three hours digging—collecting clues, researching patterns, connecting dots.
And the more he learned, the clearer it became.
This wasn't the work of ordinary criminals.
The precision.
The cleanliness.
The way everything vanished without a trace.
This was the work of a large organization.
Highly polished.
Highly coordinated.
Definitely not amateurs.
Kye lay back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Alright," he murmured. "Time to sleep."
A faint, dangerous smile curved his lips.
"Tomorrow, things are going to get interesting."
He closed his eyes.
"Let's see… who exactly tries to save them from my hands."
The morning began like any other.
The sky was clear, the air mild and pleasant. Sunlight rested gently over the city, neither too warm nor too cold—one of those ordinary mornings that felt almost deceptive in its calm.
Kye and Arisa walked side by side along the same route where they had argued last time. The streets looked normal, alive, unaware of the tension quietly following them.
Arisa finally broke the silence.
"Kye… will you tell me something?" she asked. "Why did we come back here?"
Kye lifted his gaze forward.
"Do you see that orphanage ahead?"
Arisa frowned. "I see it—but what does that have to do with our plan? Have you seriously lost your mind? Be honest."
Kye shook his head calmly. "No. Come with me."
They entered the orphanage together.
The moment they stepped inside, the sound of children laughing filled the air. Several kids were playing in the open ground, running freely, their carefree voices echoing under the open sky.
Suddenly, Arisa froze.
Her eyes locked onto a young boy.
For a brief second, his face overlapped with a memory—her younger brother's smile, his eyes, his presence.
Her heart tightened.
But then the boy looked up at her and spoke.
"Who are you?"
The illusion shattered.
Arisa snapped back to reality. Her gaze drifted upward toward the sky, her vision blurring as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Why…?" she whispered. "Why did this have to happen to you… brother?"
Kye watched her quietly.
She never shows it, he thought, but inside… she's always broken. Incredible, Arisa.
He stepped closer and gently patted her head.
"Don't worry," he said firmly. "Your brother will reach you safely. Maybe not today—but he will."
Arisa raised her voice, frustration spilling out.
"How can you be so sure?" she cried. "What if he isn't even alive?"
Kye met her eyes.
"He is," he said without hesitation.
He took her hand and began walking, handing her a handkerchief.
"Now stop crying," he added softly. "Your brother wouldn't want to see you like this."
As they walked, Kye thought to himself—
The key point is this: they aren't killing the children. Not a single body has been found. No ransom demands either. Which means their motive is something else entirely. And because of that… there's a very high chance the kids are still alive.
They stopped in front of the orphanage head.
An older woman—somewhere in her late forties—looked up at them with mild surprise.
Kye spoke calmly.
"Can we adopt a child?"
Arisa's eyes widened in shock.
"What are you saying?!"
Kye leaned closer and whispered into her ear, "Stay quiet for a moment. Trust me."
He then pulled out documents.
"Here is our marriage certificate," he continued smoothly. "We'd like to adopt this child. If you agree, we can proceed with the remaining documentation."
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"You seem to be in quite a hurry," she said. "You don't look very old either. Newly married?"
"Yes," Kye replied without hesitation. "You could say that. Shall we go inside and talk?"
Later, the two of them stood outside the orphanage.
Kye exhaled deeply. "Hmph… I'm exhausted. It took way too long. We didn't get full legal rights—only temporary authority."
Arisa snapped.
"Kye, my head is spinning. Are you going to explain anything to me? Why did we adopt a child? And since when are we married?"
Kye broke into a wide smile.
"That," he said, "is the biggest part of the plan."
He continued, "I've been preparing those documents for days. This was all so we could adopt a child."
Arisa clenched her fists. "But why?"
Kye's expression darkened slightly.
"Our plan is simple," he said. "We use the child as bait."
Arisa stared at him. "How?"
"Tonight," Kye explained, "we leave him alone on empty roads—places with minimal CCTV coverage. If I'm right, they'll come. And the moment they do… we follow them."
Arisa recoiled.
"Have you completely lost it?" she shouted. "You're putting a child's life in danger! Do you even have a heart—or is it made of stone?"
Kye looked at her steadily.
"There's no other way," he said coldly. "And don't worry. Nothing will happen to him as long as I'm there."
Arisa shook her head. "Still, Kye—"
He cut her off sharply.
"Enough," he said. "Come with me. We need to go home. Time is short."
They walked away together—one filled with fear, the other with resolve.
Night fell heavy and silent.
The streets were swallowed by darkness, streetlights casting long, broken shadows across the empty road.
A man dressed in a white suit stood near the corner, phone pressed to his ear. His posture was relaxed—but his eyes were sharp, alert.
"Boss," he said quietly, scanning the area. "There's something strange here. A kid is sitting alone. I don't know why, but it feels like he's here… on purpose."
There was a brief pause.
A voice answered from the other end—calm, indifferent.
"So what?" the man said. "Pick him up. We only care about children. You understand?"
The white-suited man hesitated.
"Yes, boss, but… something feels off."
The voice cut him off instantly.
"What's the worst that could happen?" the man said coldly.
"At most, another bucket will be filled with blood. So stop overthinking and do your job."
The call ended.
The scene shifted.
We finally see the lower half of the man referred to as Boss.
He sat comfortably in the shadows. A faint light revealed a deep scar running across his face—old, jagged, permanent.
His eyes remained hidden.
But his smile…
That smile was terrifying.
Slow. Deliberate. Hungry.
"It seems something interesting is about to happen," he murmured to himself.
"I was getting bored anyway."
The darkness around him felt heavier—as if it was listening.
End of Chapter 6.