On the other hand, Baki and Seongji Yuk were in their room. Yenna was already asleep in her stroller. It is the rule of babies to sleep early and wake early to destroy the sleep of people who sleep late.
Suddenly Seongji Yuk asked, "Hey, I should check on the kids. It's past midnight. They should be back in their rooms by now, but their rooms were empty."
Baki nodded. "Did you check your phone to see if they called?"
Seongji remembered the call from earlier. He had already charged his phone, so he checked the call history and saw that Vin Jin had called him several times. He tried calling back, but there was no answer.
"Baki, I think the kids are in trouble. Vin Jin called me several times, and now he's not answering. I tried calling the others too, but no one is picking up."
Baki got up and stretched. "Tch! I hope nothing happened. Because if someone is trying to ruin my vacation, it won't end well."
Baki looked at Seongji, who was now wearing the teddy bear baby carrier with Yenna still asleep inside. The image was so strange that Baki had to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"How are you going to fight wearing that?" Baki asked. "You should stay here with Yenna."
Seongji shook his head. "It won't be a problem. Let's not waste time."
They left their room and walked into the dimly lit corridor of the cruise ship. The hallway was quiet, with only the sound of the ship's engines and the occasional creak of metal. Most passengers were asleep.
"We'll split up and cover more ground," Baki suggested, then looked at the baby carrier again. "Actually, no. You're staying with me. I don't want you explaining to people why you're wandering around alone at midnight with a baby."
Seongji adjusted the carrier gently to make sure Yenna was comfortable. "Fair enough. Where should we start?"
"The deck. If they're in trouble, they might be somewhere open. Plus, their new friends looked old enough to drink. Drunk people always end up outside."
They walked through the corridors, their footsteps echoing on the polished floors. Baki's expression got darker with each empty hallway. Seongji kept trying to call the kids, but the calls went to voicemail or rang with no answer.
They climbed the stairs to the upper deck. The night air was cool and salty, with a strong breeze. Seongji put a protective hand over Yenna's carrier. The deck was mostly empty except for a few people smoking in the distance.
"Let's check the pool area," Baki said, pointing toward the large outdoor pool that glowed blue in the dark.
When they got there, the area was completely empty. Pool chairs were neatly arranged, towels were folded, everything looked perfect. No signs of the kids.
"Dammit," Baki said. "They're not here."
Seongji's phone buzzed. He pulled it out, but it was just a low battery warning.
"Great timing," he muttered.
They kept searching, checking the arcade room next. The neon lights were still on, but the room was empty.
"This doesn't make sense," Seongji said. "There should be fifteen of them including their new friends. How could they just disappear?"
Baki replied, "Unless someone made them disappear."
They moved faster, checking the movie theater, the library, and even the fitness center. Every place was empty with no trace of the teenagers.
"The restaurant," Baki said suddenly. "Let's check there."
They hurried to the upper-level dining area. The doors were closed but unlocked. Baki pushed them open and they stepped inside the dark restaurant. Seongji found a light switch that turned on soft amber lights.
They looked through the empty restaurant. Tables were set, chairs were aligned—everything looked untouched.
"Nothing," Baki muttered.
As they turned to leave, they almost bumped into a cleaning worker pushing a cart. His name tag read, Minyul Cheon.
"Oh! Passengers shouldn't be here at this hour," he said, looking confused at Yenna's carrier.
Baki stepped forward. "We're looking for some kids. Teenagers. Have you seen them?"
The worker blinked. "Teenagers? Well, there are many teenagers on the ship, sir—"
"Fifteen of them, a large group," Seongji interrupted. Then he described what they looked like.
The worker hesitated, looking troubled. "Sir, several kids have gone missing today."
Both Baki and Seongji were shocked.
"Missing?" Seongji repeated. "What do you mean missing?"
The worker nodded. "The captain made announcements this evening. He said some teenagers went missing from the club. Security has been doing rounds all night."
Baki's fists clenched. "How many?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but I heard it was quite a few. Maybe ten or eleven? The captain sounded serious about it." The worker looked at their dark expressions. "Your kids might be among them. You should go to the captain's bridge. He's been coordinating the search from there. Third deck, forward section."
"Third deck," Baki repeated, already walking toward the exit. "Got it."
Seongji bowed quickly to the worker. "Thank you."
They didn't wait. Both men moved fast.
"Missing kids," Seongji said as they climbed the stairs. "On a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean. Do you think there's a problem with this cruise?"
"Someone could be running an operation," Baki said.