The laughter in the car was loud—too loud. It was a jagged, frantic sound that bounced off the glass and filled the cramped space, but it didn't reach Jae Ahn's eyes. She and Do Hwan exchanged a look that lasted only a second, a silent agreement to play the part.
"Heaaa!" Jae Ahn choked out, wiping a fake tear from her eye. "Eunwoo, stop joking around. You've got a concussion and you're seeing ghosts. Just rest well, okay? Your brain is playing tricks on you."
Eunwoo opened his mouth, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "But big sis, I'm telling you"
"Rest," Do Hwan interrupted, his voice firm, cutting through the boy's protest. He leaned back, his eyes darting toward the sleeping Jongsuk in the rear seat. "Close your eyes, Eunwoo. That's an order."
Eunwoo slumped against the door, muttering a small, defeated "Okk."
Jae Ahn gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. "I have to pick up some documents from the office before we head home," she said, her voice returning to its professional, clipped tone. "We'll make a quick stop. Everyone okay with that?"
Do Hwan nodded. "Okk."
From the back, Jongsuk let out a muffled, half-asleep "Okk," his head lulling against the window. He looked so peaceful, so vulnerable, that Jae Ahn felt a pang of nausea hit her. She drove toward the office, the city lights blurring into long, neon streaks of red and gold.
The Secret in the Hallway
When they arrived at the office, the building was a monolith of glass and shadow. As Jae Ahn stepped out, Eunwoo hopped out after her, his footsteps unsteady.
"Big sis? Can I go with you?"
Jae Ahn didn't stop. She didn't even look back. "Okk. Just keep up."
The hallway was sterile, the air smelling of floor wax and stale coffee. Their footsteps echoed with a hollow, rhythmic thud. Eunwoo walked a step behind her, his shadow stretching long against the wall. He kept glancing at her, his lips moving as if he were practicing a sentence he was too afraid to say.
Before he could utter a word, Jae Ahn stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't turn around.
"I know what's concerning you, Eunwoo," she said. Her voice was a low whisper, barely audible over the hum of the air conditioning.
"Hnnnn? What, big sis?" Eunwoo's face shifted instantly, the confusion being replaced by a sharp, cold dread.
"About what you saw at the road crossing," she said, finally turning to face him. Her eyes were hard, boring into his.
Eunwoo stopped. His legs felt like they were made of lead. "Big sis... then why did you laugh in the car? Why did you make me look like a fool?"
"Because," Jae Ahn hissed, stepping closer until she was in his space. "I don't want anything to happen right now. Jongsuk was right there, Eunwoo. If there is someone out there who looks like him, someone dangerous I need you to listen to me carefully. If you see that person again and anything happens, run to me. Do you hear me? You don't say a word to anyone else. Not Jongsuk. Not the police. Only me."
"But big sis!"
"No! Nothing!" she snapped, her hand clutching his arm. "Just tell me. Only me. Okk?"
Eunwoo swallowed hard, seeing the sheer desperation in her eyes. "Okk, big sis. I promise."
"Good. Now, let's grab these documents and get home."
The Shadow of a Number
After dropping Jongsuk and Do Hwan off at their respective doors, the apartment felt unnervingly quiet. Jongsuk had been so exhausted he'd barely managed a "Good night" before stumbling into his place.
Inside her own home, Jae Ahn slammed the door and locked every bolt. Eunwoo stood in the kitchen, watching her with wide eyes.
"Did something happen, big sis? Why are we being so secretive?"
Jae Ahn sighed, throwing her keys onto the counter with a loud clack. "Look, the reason is... our new case. We found evidence of someone who resembles Jongsuk exactly. A double. Someone who is killing people while Jongsuk gets framed for it. We are dealing with a shadow, Eunwoo. We have to be careful. If anyone finds out we know, they'll come for us next."
Eunwoo's face went pale, but he nodded. "Okk. I get it. Okk, big sis. Let's... let's grab something to eat. I'm starving."
"Nope," Jae Ahn said, already walking toward her desk, her laptop under her arm. "I have to study these documents. You eat, then go straight to sleep. Don't stay up late. You need your brain to heal."
"Okkkk," Eunwoo said with a small, polite smile, though his eyes remained worried.
Jae Ahn sat on the sofa, the blue light of the screen reflecting in her tired eyes. She pulled up the CCTV footage from the night of the incident. She watched it once. Twice. A dozen times.
She slowed the frame rate down to a crawl. There. In the video, the figure stopped. He seemed to hear something a sudden noise that wasn't part of the background hum of the city. He turned his head just enough for the camera to catch a flash of his jawline, his eyes. Then, his hand moved to his pocket. His phone glowed. Someone was calling him, but he didn't pick up.
"Oh, shit," she muttered, leaning closer. "The number... the rain is blurring it. It's right there on the edge of the screen."
She tried to enhance the image, her fingers flying across the keys. The numbers were a mess of gray pixels. "I need to figure out what that noise was. Was it a car? A whistle? Something made him turn."
Her head began to throb, a dull pulse behind her eyes. "Aaaaa, my head. I'm going to die if I don't figure this out," she groaned, collapsing back against the sofa cushions, the laptop heavy on her lap.
A Midnight Visitor
Ding-dong.
Jae Ahn jumped, her laptop nearly sliding to the floor. "Nooooo. Again? Who is it now?"
She checked the peephole. It was Jongsuk. She unlocked the door and threw it open. "The door was unlocked, you could have just come in," she grumbled, but her eyes softened when she saw what he was holding.
Snacks. A bag of spicy chips and two sodas.
"Whoaaa," she whispered. "How did you know I was craving snacks?"
Jongsuk just gave a small, tired smile. Because I know you better than you know yourself, he thought, though he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he just shrugged. "I was eating, so I thought I'd bring you some."
"Okkkk," she said, stepping aside. "Actually, you're finally here. I have something for you to see."
She pulled him over to the sofa and pointed at the frozen frame on the screen. "Look at this. He got a call. He didn't answer it. And listen really carefully to this sound right before he turns."
Jongsuk leaned in, listening to the static-filled audio. "That's my point," she said, her voice rising with excitement. "He was being followed, or he was being watched. That noise wasn't an accident."
"Okk," Jongsuk said, his face darkening as he stared at his own likeness on the screen. "Give me a copy of this. I think I know someone who can help us clean up the audio and find that number."
"I'll ask Eunwoo. He's a genius with this kind of tech stuff. He can do it in his sleep."
Jaeahn paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Hnnnnnn? How did you know Eunwoo knows stuff like this?"
Jongsuk hesitated, her mind racing. "That... uh... Eunwoo told me himself. He's always bragging about his computer skills."
"Okk," Jaeahn said, though she didn't look entirely convinced. "Well, it's late. Go to sleep, Jae Ahn. Tomorrow we have to go back to the crime scene and start from the beginning."
Jongsuk left, the door clicking shut behind him. Jae Ahn finally climbed into bed, her body aching for rest. She fell asleep almost instantly, but sleep brought no peace.
The Bridge of Nightmares
The dream was vivid. She was standing on a high bridge, the wind howling around her, smelling of salt and cold iron.
"Don't leave me!" a voice screamed. It was a voice she knew, but it was distorted, broken.
She turned, and there he was. A figure standing in the shadows, his face half-hidden. "You..." she whispered in the dream. "You're a killer."
The figure lunged at her, and suddenly, the feeling of falling took over. She saw herself jump from the bridge, the dark water rising to swallow her whole.
Jae Ahn bolted upright in bed, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. She was drenched in sweat, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She hugged her knees to her chest, trembling in the dark room.
"It's okk," she whispered to the empty air, her voice shaking. "It's okk. It's not going to haunt you anymore. It was just a dream."
She checked the clock. 3:00 AM.
"Why the hell am I seeing this after so many years?" she whispered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Now I can't even sleep. Oh God... I have so much work to do tomorrow."
She tried to lie back down, tried to close her eyes, but every time she did, she saw the water. She saw the bridge. The sleep wouldn't come back. She stayed awake for the rest of the night, watching the sun slowly bleed into the room, her mind already back on the blurry phone number and the man with Jongsuk's face.