Chapter: Where You Didn't Tell Me You'd Be
Win didn't believe it.
Not at first.
Even after Ter's mother's words echoed in his head—"His father dropped him there"—his mind refused to accept them as truth. It felt wrong, like a sentence spoken in the wrong language. Ter was supposed to be at home. That was what he had said. Clear. Simple. Certain.
Yet here Win was, sitting in his car outside Ter's house, the engine running, hands gripping the steering wheel too tightly.
"If he came to my house," Win muttered, staring straight ahead, "then why didn't he tell me?"
The question circled endlessly, biting into his thoughts.
He pulled out his phone and checked the time. Too much time had already passed. If Ter had really gone to his place, he should've been there by now. Or at least texted. Or called.
Win unlocked his phone and dialed.
Ringing.
No answer.
Again.
Still nothing.
His jaw tightened. Without thinking further, he put the car in gear and drove straight toward his own house, heart beating faster with every red light, every slow vehicle in front of him.
Empty House
Win parked hastily and unlocked his front gate, almost jogging inside.
"Ter?" he called out instinctively.
Silence.
The living room was exactly how he'd left it that morning. No shoes by the door that didn't belong to him. No bag tossed carelessly on the sofa. No familiar voice complaining about the air being too cold or too hot.
Win moved through the house quickly, opening doors, checking rooms he already knew would be empty.
"Ter?" he called again, louder this time.
Nothing.
The silence pressed heavily against his ears.
"He's not here…" Win whispered.
A strange uneasiness crawled up his spine. He pulled out his phone again and called Ter.
No answer.
Again.
Straight to ringing. No rejection. No decline. Just… unanswered.
Win stepped back outside, shutting the door behind him with more force than necessary. The evening sun had begun to dip lower, the sky slowly turning orange, then faintly purple. Time was slipping away, and Ter was nowhere to be found.
"Where did you go…" Win muttered.
Searching Without a Map
He didn't stop.
Win drove aimlessly at first—down familiar roads, past places Ter often visited. The small store near the corner. The quiet lane where they sometimes walked when Ter didn't feel like talking. The empty basketball court.
Nothing.
Win even stopped his car and got out, calling Ter's name openly, not caring who heard him.
"TER!"
People glanced at him strangely. Some slowed down. Some ignored him. No one answered.
He checked his phone again.
No missed calls. No messages.
His chest felt tight.
Okay. Think.
If Ter wasn't at home… and wasn't at Win's place… then where could he go?
Win drove to a friend's house—someone Ter occasionally visited just to mess around, waste time, escape lectures.
He knocked.
"Is Ter here?" Win asked the moment the door opened.
The answer came quickly. "No."
Another friend.
Another knock.
Another shake of the head.
"No, haven't seen him."
With every door that closed, the unease inside Win grew heavier.
By the time he got back into his car, the sky had darkened further. Streetlights flickered on one by one, illuminating the roads in pale yellow light.
Win leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.
Where would you go… when you don't want to be found?
That's when something clicked.
His eyes snapped open.
"…The park," he whispered.
Not just the park.
The café near it.
The place Ter mentioned casually once. The place close enough to escape to, far enough to feel free.
Win grabbed his phone again and was about to start the engine when it rang in his hand.
The name on the screen made him freeze.
Farm.
Win answered immediately. "Where the hell are you?"
Before Farm could reply, Win spoke again, voice sharp with frustration. "Do you know where Ter is? He's not answering my calls."
Farm didn't sound calm. In fact, he sounded oddly excited and confused at the same time.
"Heeey, Wiiiinnn," Farm said, the words stretching oddly as if he was moving while talking. "Where are you, huh?"
Win clenched his teeth. "Farm. What's going on?"
Farm shifted the phone from one ear to the other. Win could hear movement, distant sounds of traffic.
"Why?" Farm asked casually. "Something wrong?"
"I'm asking you," Win snapped. "Where is Ter?"
There was a brief pause.
Then Farm said, "Oh. That."
Win straightened. "That what?"
"I just saw him," Farm continued. "With someone strange."
Win's breath caught. "What do you mean, strange?"
"Wait," Farm said. "I'll send you pictures."
The message notification came almost instantly.
Win opened it.
The world narrowed to the screen.
The Picture That Changed Everything
There were two photos.
Not blurry. Not unclear.
Clear enough to see Ter standing outside the café near the park.
Clear enough to see a girl beside him.
Close. Too close.
Win stared at the images, his thumb hovering over the screen.
Ter's posture looked stiff. His shoulders slightly hunched. His hands clenched at his sides. And the girl—her face wasn't fully visible, but the way she leaned toward him felt… familiar.
Win's expression hardened.
"…Damn it," he muttered.
Without another word, he threw the car into gear and sped off.
Evening Chase
By the time Win reached the park area, the sky had darkened completely. The café lights glowed warmly against the night, people moving in and out, laughing, talking, living their normal lives.
Win parked without caring where and ran.
His lungs burned as he crossed the street, eyes scanning desperately.
Then he saw them.
Ter was coming out of the café.
And beside him—
The girl.
Win started running faster.
"Ter!" he shouted.
Ter turned.
For a brief second, their eyes met.
Everything changed in that second.
The girl noticed too.
She stepped back immediately, her expression unreadable, then turned away without a word. She didn't argue. Didn't ask questions. She simply walked off, disappearing into the crowd like she'd never existed.
Ter stood frozen.
His face had gone pale—unnaturally pale. His hands trembled, sweat visibly forming on his palms. He looked like someone caught between two disasters, unsure which one would strike first.
Win reached him, breathless.
Before either of them could speak—
A familiar, heavy voice cut through the air.
"Ter."
Ter's entire body stiffened.
Win turned slowly.
Ter's father stood a few steps away, his expression firm, eyes sharp, taking in the scene in one glance.
"Why are you here?" his father asked calmly—but there was no warmth in it.
Ter reacted instantly.
"We—we came to get snacks," he said quickly, words tumbling over each other. "Win's mom asked him to get some, and I came with him."
Win barely had time to process before Ter continued, voice rushed.
"And—uh—we were just leaving."
Ter's father's gaze shifted.
"And who was that girl?"
The question hung heavily in the air.
Win felt Ter nudge him sharply, a silent signal.
Win swallowed.
"That's—uh—my cousin," Win said quickly. "She was just passing by."
Ter's father studied Win for a moment longer than necessary.
Then he nodded. "I see."
Ter exhaled shakily.
Win forced a smile. "Uncle, we still have some work left. I'll drop Ter home."
"There's no need," his father replied. "I came to pick him up anyway."
Ter opened his mouth. "Dad, I can—"
"I said it's fine," his father interrupted.
Something hard passed between them—something Win didn't fully understand.
Ter's father turned away.
"I'll be in the car."
As he walked off, he glanced back once.
The look he gave Ter was sharp enough to cut.
After He Left
The moment his father disappeared from sight, Ter moved.
He started walking fast, almost running, away from the café, away from everything.
"Ter," Win called, catching up. "Hey—slow down."
Ter didn't stop.
Win jogged beside him. "Bro, chill. If you don't wanna go home, stay with me."
Ter stopped so suddenly that Win almost crashed into him.
Ter turned.
His eyes were glossy, filled with something dangerously close to breaking.
"You don't need to say that," Ter said sharply. "I'm the one who has to go there in the end."
Win froze.
The tone wasn't anger.
It was resignation.
Win fell silent.
Ter looked away, jaw clenched, shoulders tense as if carrying an invisible weight.
"And what the hell were you doing with that girl?" Win finally asked. "You know exactly how she is."
Ter laughed bitterly. "I don't wanna know this."
Then, after a pause, he added quietly, "And yeah. I know she's playing."
Win had no words left.
He watched Ter walk ahead, every step heavy, every movement controlled, like someone afraid of making a mistake.
Win's mind raced.
Why was Ter so terrified of his family… yet so fearless with everyone else?
The question burned inside him.
And for the first time, Win realized—
This wasn't just about lies or secrets anymore.
It was about something deeper.
Something broken.
Something neither of them knew how to fix yet.