Everyone was preoccupied with the brutal death of the broadcaster Lee Woo Jin. The news spread rapidly, setting social media ablaze like wildfire. Images, analyses, rumors… everything revolved around a single crime that had shaken public opinion.
Except for Himi.
To her, Woo Jin's death was nothing more than distant noise… a fading echo compared to the one piece of news that turned her world upside down.
A short message from Detective Bong.
But it wasn't an ordinary message… it felt more like an old hope crashing into the wall of reality.
"I found something that might interest you."
Those few words were enough to pull her out of years of despair and fruitless searching. For years, she had been chasing a shadow… a lost memory… a broken childhood belonging to Minsoo, without finding a single thread leading to the truth.
But now… there was a glimmer of light.
Himi didn't even realize how she got to her car, nor how she started the engine. She was driving fast, the city around her dissolving into blurred lines. Traffic lights, the sounds of cars, even people… everything had lost its meaning.
There was only one thought in her mind:
"Maybe… this time, I'll find the truth."
She gripped the steering wheel tightly, as if afraid that this hope would vanish if her hold loosened.
She kept whispering to herself:
"Minsoo… Minsoo…"
Even the smallest glimmer of hope for him to have a normal life was enough to make her heart tremble.
When she arrived at Detective Bong's office, she felt as though she had stepped into another world… one that did not belong to this time.
The air was heavy, filled with the smell of old paper and dust. Long shelves were crammed with yellowed files, some tilted as if they were about to fall. Papers were scattered across the desk, tangled with dried-out pens and an old computer that emitted a faint buzzing sound, as though complaining about time itself.
Even the light was dim… barely seeping through a half-closed window.
Everything in that place suggested one thing:
Secrets… many of them… yet to be uncovered.
Himi sat in front of the desk, her body still… but inside her, a storm raged.
She tried to stay composed, but her hands betrayed her. Her fingers were tightly interlocked, pressing against each other until her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was uneven, and her gaze wandered aimlessly around the room.
Fear… hope… doubt…
All of them clashed within her.
Detective Bong slowly raised his eyes from behind his glasses, watching her in prolonged silence before speaking.
"Miss Himi…"
His voice was calm… unsettlingly calm.
"You came to my office a month ago."
She lifted her head quickly, as if suddenly pulled back into reality.
"That's right…"
Her voice came out weak, barely audible.
He studied her for a moment, then continued with the same cold tone that seemed to be his nature:
"You said you've been searching for years… without results."
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Yes… I have."
This time her reply was faster… but more fragile.
The detective leaned slightly forward, his fingers interlocked on the desk, then asked in a tone devoid of any sympathy:
"Do you think I found the woman?"
She froze.
The question alone was enough to bring everything back… broken memories… voices… incomplete images…
She slowly shook her head.
"I… I wish so."
Silence filled the room.
Seconds passed… but they felt like an eternity.
Then, without another word, the detective opened one of the piled-up files beside him. He flipped through a few pages with deliberate slowness, as if savoring the tension of the moment.
Finally… he pulled out a small piece of paper.
He placed it in front of her.
"Here is her address."
At that moment… time stopped.
Himi looked at the paper, but she didn't reach for it immediately. There was a hidden fear… a fear that this might be just another dead end.
But something inside her… pushed her forward.
She extended her trembling hand and took the paper.
Her eyes moved slowly over the words… letter by letter…
Then
Her eyes widened.
They filled with tears.
She couldn't believe it.
After all these years… after every closed door…
She was finally holding…
A real thread from Minsoo's forgotten childhood
a lost past that had been the cause of all his independent suffering and tragedies.