Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Chapter 8 — (The Missing Piece)
Saturday — 10:30 a.m. — Seo-jun's House
Rain tapped against the windows.
Seo-jun sat at his desk, staring at the small box he had prepared for Soo-ah.
He hadn't opened it since that night.
His phone buzzed.
MIHO: Come over. We need to talk.
A few minutes later, Seo-jun arrived at Miho's house.
Han-seok was already there.
Me-yongi was sitting beside Miho.
Han-seok looked at Seo-jun.
“You look terrible.”
Seo-jun gave him a cold look.
“Thanks.”
“You're welcome.”
Miho sighed.
“Can you two not fight for five minutes?”
Han-seok shrugged.
“Fine.”
Miho placed her phone on the table.
“I found something.”
Seo-jun looked at her.
“What?”
“Soo-ah's last message.”
She showed them the conversation.
SOO-AH: Can I tell you something later? It's important.
Below it was another message.
MIHO: Of course. Tell me at the party.
Soo-ah had never replied.
Seo-jun stared at the screen.
“When did she send that?”
“About an hour before the party.”
Han-seok frowned.
“So she was going to tell you something.”
“Maybe,” Seo-jun said.
Me-yongi quietly asked,
“What if something happened before she could tell you?”
Seo-jun looked at everyone.
“Then we need to find out what happened that day.”
12:00 p.m. — Soo-ah's House
The four friends stood outside Soo-ah's house.
Nobody spoke for a moment.
Seo-jun finally knocked.
Soo-ah's older sister opened the door.
The moment she saw them, her expression changed.
“You…”
Seo-jun spoke gently.
“We just want to ask you a few things about Soo-ah.”
Her sister looked uncomfortable.
“I already told the police everything.”
“We're not trying to cause trouble,” Seo-jun said. “We just want to understand what happened.”
She hesitated.
Then she stepped aside.
“Come in.”
They entered.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
Seo-jun looked around.
“Soo-ah's room… can we—”
“No.”
Her sister answered immediately.
Everyone looked at her.
She quickly added,
“There's nothing there.”
Seo-jun frowned.
“Okay.”
They sat in the living room.
Seo-jun leaned forward.
“Can I ask you something?”
She nodded reluctantly.
“How was Soo-ah that day?”
Her sister looked down.
“She was normal.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Did something happen?”
“No.”
“Did anyone come to see her that day?”
Her sister suddenly looked at him.
“No.”
Seo-jun noticed the hesitation.
“Are you sure?”
“I said no.”
Han-seok looked at her.
“Maybe someone called her?”
“No.”
Miho quietly asked,
“Did she seem scared or upset about anything?”
Her sister's expression tightened.
“I don't know.”
Seo-jun lowered his voice.
“Please. If you know anything at all, tell us.”
She looked at them.
Her eyes suddenly filled with tears.
“I don't know anything!”
Everyone fell silent.
She stood up.
“Just leave.”
Seo-jun stood too.
“We're only asking because she was our friend.”
“I know!”
Her voice broke.
Then she wiped her tears angrily.
“I don't know how Soo-ah died.”
Seo-jun froze.
She continued,
“And anyway, Soo-ah took her own life. It's already over.”
Miho's face fell.
Her sister looked away.
“Forget her.”
Nobody spoke.
“Take care of yourselves…”
Her voice became quieter.
“And let me take care of myself.”
She pointed toward the door.
“Please… just go.”
Seo-jun stared at her.
“Okay.”
The four slowly walked outside.
The door closed behind them.
12:20 p.m.
They stood silently outside the house.
Han-seok was the first to speak.
“That was weird.”
Miho looked at him.
“What?”
“She was acting like she wanted us gone from the moment we arrived.”
Seo-jun nodded.
“And she kept saying she knew nothing.”
Me-yongi looked back at the house.
“But she's Soo-ah's sister.”
Han-seok frowned.
“Exactly.”
Miho looked at Seo-jun.
“Did you notice how quickly she said nobody had visited Soo-ah?”
“Yeah.”
“And then she got emotional when you asked again.”
Seo-jun looked at the closed door.
“There was something she didn't want to tell us.”
Han-seok nodded.
“But what?”
Nobody had an answer.
They started walking away.
Seo-jun looked back one last time.
The curtains on the second-floor window suddenly moved.
He stopped.
“Wait.”
The others turned around.
“What?”
Seo-jun stared at the window.
Nothing.
The curtain was still.
He shook his head.
“Nothing.”
They continued walking.
But one thought stayed in all four of their minds:
Why was Soo-ah's sister so desperate to make them leave?
To be continued…