[The broadcast has ended.]
No matter how many times I refreshed the page… nothing changed.
Did he see the comment?
I nearly pulled my hair out from overthinking. What should I do? Should I go warn them…?
I shook my head from side to side. No, no. This isn't my problem. Don't get involved…
But…
I stopped where I stood and glanced at the fuzzy ball on my bed.
What if something bad happens to them because they didn't notice the thing crawling on the ceiling?
Anxiety and guilt slowly began to fill my chest.
I exchanged long looks with the little black ball.
"Should I go…?"
Co co
Co co
"Is that encouragement? Thank you, sweet Sika."
I patted the head of the cute bird that had stubbornly refused to leave me and return to its tree… though it still dodged my hand.
Co co
Co co
"Alright, alright, I'll hurry!"
For a moment, it almost felt like the adorable bird was shaking its head left and right in disappointment.
It was twelve thirty.
I grabbed the bag hanging on the coat rack behind the door, slipped my phone inside, and picked up the black ball.
Its texture was still utterly disgusting—like my hand had gotten tangled in a clump of hair.
Whatever.
I'd still take it with me. I didn't know what exactly happened with that monster with the face, but it hadn't appeared again since that day. I'd keep it for emergencies.
"You stay here. I can't take you with me."
I pointed at the bird.
Co—
A trace of disappointment seemed to color its voice.
Now all that remained… was sneaking out successfully.
---
The policewoman swiftly drew her sword and slid it back into its sheath in one fluid motion, then turned the doorknob.
The identity of the person standing before her was extremely surprising.
What are you doing here?
"Sarah Mayes? What are you doing here?"
The officer crossed her arms firmly in front of her chest, standing resolutely before the civilian woman.
"Do you realize the kind of trouble you're in right now? This is trespassing on private property!"
"Officer! What happened?"
A calm, deep voice came from the darkness at the end of the corridor.
Sarah Mayes turned in surprise.
Where did this man come from?!
He walked forward with slow, confident steps… but paused when he noticed something metallic beneath his foot.
A phone?
He picked it up.
When he turned it over, he noticed the rear camera was still running.
"Is it recording?"
His finger was about to press the button to stop the camera when—
[Orchid: Mr. Suleiman! Look!]
The moment his eyes landed on his name, his brows furrowed.
How…? Who is this person called Orchid…?
His eyes widened, and he nearly froze in place when he read the next message.
[Orchid: On the ceiling!!]
Then he pressed stop.
Above me…?
His head slowly tilted upward.
The sight made his gray pupils shrink as his eyes widened further.
The two women noticed the sudden change in the man's expression and instinctively turned their heads to see what he was looking at.
For a moment, the policewoman's expression distorted, while the journalist narrowed her eyes, trying to understand why the man was staring at the ceiling with such a face.
But…
The officer quickly recovered.
"Ma'am, you are under arrest for trespassing on private property!"
She grabbed the journalist roughly and turned her around so she had to face her—
or more precisely, to stop her from seeing any more.
Swiftly, the man in the suit pulled a device from the inner pocket of his jacket.
It resembled a radiation meter.
The needle trembled uncertainly between 0 and 10.
Just as quickly as he had taken it out, he slipped it back into place.
The entire action happened so fast that the journalist had no chance to notice—or suspect—anything.
"Sir!"
The short-haired policewoman gave a formal salute to a man wearing a police uniform. Judging from the rank on his shoulders, it was immediately clear he outranked her.
"Sir, we apprehended a civilian trespassing at the fire site on the ninth floor, accompanied by another young man who attempted to film, but I couldn't catch him."
The officer glanced at the woman who was emptying her pockets and placing her phone into a basket, just as the policeman had ordered.
She obeyed calmly.
But the police chief's eyes narrowed.
He simply couldn't believe this mask of obedience—
especially from a journalist.
And even more so from Sarah Mayes.
"Take her to the police station," he ordered decisively.
"Search her thoroughly."
And he didn't forget to add a single word that revealed his deep caution.
"And… you two?"
The officer did not recognize the woman wearing a police uniform that clearly did not belong to his team, nor the suited man standing beside her.
If trespassing was a crime, forging a police identity was a far worse one.
Yet they had approached him calmly—
even handing someone over directly, as if they didn't care whether their identities were discovered or not.
Such behavior made an experienced officer like him hesitate.
But it didn't stop him from blocking their path.
"…We—"
The man in the suit took out a wallet from his pocket and opened it, silently showing the officer what was inside.
The policeman's eyes widened so much they nearly popped out.
"Sir!"
He immediately gave the man a respectful salute.
You could say the entire scene flipped in a single instant.
"We'll be leaving now. Oh—and… we'll be keeping this."
The man lifted the phone, showed it to the officer, then pocketed it.
"As you wish, sir."
The officer had no authority to object—even if he wanted to.
The suited man and the policewoman quickly left, disappearing around a corner of the street.
At the corner where a black-windowed jeep was parked, the policewoman's face—only minutes ago delicate, smooth, and flawless—was now melting like wax.
If Maryam had seen that appearance, she would have jumped to her feet in shock.
Because the woman she knew…
was Lina.
Lina tore off the short-haired wig and tossed it into the vehicle.
"Ugh, that was suffocating!"
She glanced sideways at her boss in the driver's seat. He was flipping through the phone with intense focus.
"Why did you take the phone?"
"Someone recognized me."
He turned the screen toward her. It displayed the video the streamer had recorded.
His finger pointed at a specific comment:
[Orchid: Suleiman! Look!]
"Ah… tonight is truly full of surprises."
"Let's head back. I want to eat noodles and get some sleep."
Lina yawned, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Orchid… who is that…?"
Suleiman murmured.
Then he put the phone down, started the car—
and drove off.