A sudden silence fell over the office.
It wasn't just quiet… it was heavy.
"But… when did she go to Busan?" Minji finally asked, her voice trembling between confusion and fear.
Ji-ho looked at all three of them, one by one, then spoke slowly.
"Yesterday. When she came here… she asked me to book a train ticket."
He paused.
"I told her to stay. But she said she needed to find a job… that she had to go."
His eyes shifted toward Minji.
"She even said… if she told you, you wouldn't let her leave."
Minji's expression fell.
"So I booked the ticket."
"But how did she leave without her things?" Minji asked quickly. "Her belongings are at my house."
Ji-ho nodded.
"I took her to your house before heading to the station. But she refused to go inside. She said she didn't want to disturb anyone. She knew you had the extra key."
"She only had a small shoulder bag… and some clothes at her Busan house. So she left like that."
His voice softened.
"I dropped her at the station. There were still fifteen minutes before the train arrived. I insisted on staying… but she told me to go."
"I thought she was just… upset. I didn't want to trouble her more."
He swallowed lightly.
"So I left."
A pause.
"And after that… I haven't been able to reach her. I tried calling a while ago. Her phone was off. I thought it was normal…"
"No, it's not," Minji whispered.
She stood up abruptly.
"I'll call the Busan share house owner."
Without waiting, she rushed out of the office.
—
Since the moment they entered, Jeon.J hadn't really been listening.
His gaze was fixed somewhere else.
On Ji-ho's wrist.
The bracelet.
A familiar one.
His jaw tightened.
"That bracelet…" he finally spoke, his tone low and controlled.
"Oh, this?" Ji-ho smiled faintly, lifting his sleeve and gently running his fingers over it.
"Zoya gave it to me yesterday. I liked it."
For a second—
Jeon.J's eyes darkened.
"Yeah, she had those yesterday," Teahun added lightly. "She even showed us and explained the meaning of those letters."
"Oh? What do they mean?" Ji-ho asked curiously.
"Didn't she tell you?" Jeon.J's voice came out colder than before.
Ji-ho didn't notice. He was still looking at the bracelet.
"No… she just said—"
He smiled softly, recalling it.
"—when you're happy, take their meaning as gratitude… and when you're sad, take them as hope. That way, in every situation, they'll mean something different… something good."
He kept talking… unaware.
But Jeon.J wasn't listening anymore.
Something inside him was snapping.
He didn't understand why.
Why something so small—
a bracelet—
felt so unbearable.
Why he couldn't tolerate even the sight of it… on someone else.
—
The office door burst open.
"Zoya didn't reach Busan!" Minji's voice echoed.
Everyone turned.
"I just spoke to Mrs. Kim Sun-hee," she continued breathlessly. "She checked herself. The door was locked. She knocked—no response. Then she opened it with her key… but no one was inside. There was no sign that anyone had even come."
A chilling silence followed.
"Where is she…?" Minji whispered.
Ji-ho stood up immediately.
"I dropped her there myself—"
"You dropped her there?"
Before he could finish, Jeon.J grabbed his wrist—the one with the bracelet.
Even that didn't stop him.
"You left her there?" Jeon.J's voice shook with anger. "She told you to go, and you just… left?"
He shoved his hand away—
—and walked out.
—
Everyone stood frozen for a second.
Then Minji and Teahun rushed after him.
—
Ji-ho grabbed his car keys and headed straight toward the kitchen.
"Where's Minho?" he asked Mr. Park quickly.
"I'm here—" Minho appeared behind him, but the playful smile on his face faded the moment he saw Ji-ho's expression.
"What happened? You look—"
"Come with me," Ji-ho cut him off.
He turned to Mrs. Lee.
"Please take care of the restaurant today. Something important came up."
Mrs. Lee nodded, her concern clear.
"Go. We'll manage. May God ease your worries."
Ji-ho gave a brief nod and left.
—
Outside, as he got into his car, he noticed Minji's car parked nearby.
He walked over.
Jeon.J was in the driver's seat.
Teahun beside him.
Minji in the back.
Minho opened his mouth—ready to say something—but one look from Ji-ho silenced him.
This wasn't the time.
"I'm going to the police station," Ji-ho said, leaning slightly toward Teahun's window. "We need to check the station footage. We can't do it without the police."
Jeon.J's grip on the steering wheel tightened.
But he said nothing.
"Alright," Teahun replied seriously. "You try from your side. We'll do the same."
"In shaa Allah… we'll find her."
At those words—
Jeon.J's eyes widened slightly.
He didn't move.
Didn't look at anyone.
But he heard it.
He had heard those words before.
From her.
Again and again.
Slowly, he leaned back against his seat.
A whisper escaped his lips—
"…the difference between both of us."
His eyes had turned glassy.
He looked out the window.
"Where are you…?" he murmured, barely audible.
To be continued.....
Regards
ZK