The house had finally gone quiet.
After the long day of graduation, Yerin had expected to fall asleep almost immediately.
Instead, she sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor.
The memories of the day kept replaying in her mind.
The ceremony.
The trophy.
Emily crying.
Min-jae's ridiculous video.
The four of them laughing together.
For the first time in a long while, everything had felt normal.
Almost peaceful.
Do-hyun had gone into the bathroom to take a shower.
Yerin reached for her phone.
She checked the time.
Then she heard it.
A faint sound.
Her head lifted.
She looked toward the balcony.
Nothing.
She waited.
Another sound.
A soft scrape.
Yerin slowly stood.
"Do-hyun?"
The shower was still running.
She looked toward the bathroom.
No answer.
She turned back toward the balcony.
The curtains moved slightly.
Yerin's brows furrowed.
She walked closer.
One step.
Then another.
She reached for the curtain.
Before her fingers touched it—
"Yerin?"
She jumped.
Do-hyun stood behind her.
He had already changed and was drying his hair with a towel.
"What are you doing?"
Yerin turned around.
"I heard something."
"From where?"
She pointed toward the balcony.
"Out there."
His expression immediately changed.
The relaxed look disappeared.
He walked past her and carefully opened the balcony door.
Cold air entered the room.
Do-hyun stepped outside.
Yerin followed.
They looked around.
The balcony was empty.
Nothing moved.
No footsteps.
No person.
Nothing.
Do-hyun checked the corners.
Then the railing.
Nothing.
He came back inside.
"You probably heard something from outside."
Yerin shook her head.
"No."
She looked toward the door.
"I know what I heard."
Do-hyun looked at the balcony.
Then he noticed something.
"Wait."
He crouched near the corner.
Yerin walked closer.
"What?"
He pointed toward the floor.
The balcony door was slightly open.
Yerin stared at it.
"I closed that."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Do-hyun slowly stood.
His expression became serious.
Someone had opened it.
And they hadn't noticed.
Near the edge of the balcony, something small caught the light.
Do-hyun walked toward it.
A small black USB drive.
Yerin stared.
"Was that there before?"
"No."
He didn't touch it immediately.
Instead, he examined the area around it.
Nothing.
No footprints.
No other objects.
Just the drive.
Yerin noticed a small folded piece of paper beside it.
She picked it up.
Do-hyun immediately stopped her.
"Don't."
She froze.
"I wasn't going to touch it."
He carefully took the paper instead.
He unfolded it.
There was only one word.
LOOK.
Yerin stared at it.
"That's it?"
"Apparently."
"Who leaves a USB on someone's balcony and writes 'look'?"
"Someone who wants us to look."
She looked at him.
"That's not reassuring."
"No."
Do-hyun picked up the USB carefully.
"We're not opening this on our usual laptop."
Yerin nodded.
"Then what do we do?"
"We find out what's on it."
Several minutes later, they were sitting together in another room.
Do-hyun had connected the USB to a separate device.
Only one folder appeared.
Inside it—
One video.
Yerin looked at him.
"Play it."
He clicked.
The screen went black.
Then the footage appeared.
It looked old.
The quality wasn't perfect.
The camera was positioned far enough away that the people in the room weren't immediately clear.
Yerin leaned forward.
"What is this?"
Do-hyun didn't answer.
The video showed a meeting.
Several men were sitting around a table.
Documents were scattered across it.
Someone was speaking, but the audio was too unclear to understand.
Then the camera shifted.
Yerin suddenly stopped breathing.
"Wait."
Do-hyun looked at her.
She pointed at the screen.
"Pause it."
He did.
Yerin stared.
Her voice was barely audible.
"That's my father."
Do-hyun looked at the frozen image.
He recognized him too.
Yerin's father was sitting among the men.
Do-hyun didn't say anything.
Yerin swallowed.
"Why is he there?"
"I don't know."
"What's this meeting?"
"I don't know."
She looked at him.
"You believe he was involved?"
"No."
His answer came immediately.
Yerin looked surprised.
Do-hyun continued.
"We don't know when this was recorded."
He pointed toward the screen.
"We don't know who recorded it."
"And we don't know whether this is the full footage."
Yerin looked back at the screen.
"So you think it's fake?"
"Not necessarily."
He paused.
"I think someone wants us to believe something."
The video continued.
Another person entered the room.
Yerin didn't recognize him.
He placed a folder on the table.
The men looked through it.
Then the screen suddenly glitched.
The image froze.
And went black.
Yerin waited.
Nothing happened.
Then—
White letters appeared.
Her expression changed.
Do-hyun leaned closer.
A message slowly appeared on the screen.
Every family has something it cannot afford to lose.
Yerin's fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
Another line appeared.
Soon, one place at your table will remain empty.
Yerin's breathing slowed.
Then the final sentence appeared.
You won't know why until it's too late.
The screen went completely black.
Neither of them moved.
For several seconds, the room was silent.
Yerin finally whispered,
"What does that mean?"
Do-hyun stared at the screen.
"I don't know."
"They're talking about my family."
"Probably."
"One place at our table..."
She stopped.
Her mind immediately went through every member of her family.
Her mother.
Her father.
Ji-hoon.
Her grandmother.
She shook her head.
"No."
Do-hyun looked at her.
"Don't assume the worst."
"What else am I supposed to assume?"
"We don't know what they mean."
"They said someone will be gone."
"They said a place will be empty."
"That's practically the same thing."
"No."
His voice was calm but firm.
"It isn't."
Yerin looked at him.
"Then what do you think it means?"
"I think they want us frightened."
She remained silent.
"They're giving us just enough information to make us fill in the blanks ourselves."
Yerin looked toward the dark screen.
"So they want us to guess."
"Exactly."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Before they could continue—
Yerin's phone rang.
She looked down.
Her expression immediately changed.
Mom.
At this hour?
She picked it up.
"Mom?"
No answer.
Yerin frowned.
"Mom?"
Do-hyun looked at her.
Something wasn't right.
Then her mother's voice finally came through.
It was quiet.
Shaking.
Different from normal.
"Yerin..."
Yerin immediately sat straighter.
"Mom? What happened?"
Her mother didn't answer.
There was only silence.
Then a shaky breath.
Yerin looked at Do-hyun.
He immediately understood.
"Put it on speaker."
Yerin did.
"Mom, you're scaring me."
Her mother's voice came again.
"Yerin... don't panic."
Yerin's heart began pounding.
"Why would you say that?"
Yerin stared at the phone.
Do-hyun moved closer.
"What happened?"
Her mother took another breath.
Then—
Yerin's face went pale.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Long enough to make her stomach twist.
Then her mother finally spoke.
And whatever she said next...
made Yerin completely lose the color in her face.
Do-hyun looked at her.
"Yerin?"
She didn't answer.
She simply stared at the phone.
The same warning from the USB echoed silently in her mind.
Soon, one place at your table will remain empty.
And now—
something had happened.
...To Be Continued...