Min-jae stared at his phone.
The message was still on the screen.
I think it's time we finally talk.
Hana looked at him.
"Who is Ji-ah?"
He swallowed.
"My sister."
"But… I thought she left the school three years ago."
"She did."
"Then how did she call you?"
"I don't know."
Joon-ho stepped closer.
"Maybe you should answer next time."
Min-jae looked at him sharply.
"You knew she was going to contact me?"
Joon-ho shook his head.
"No."
"Then how did you know she was still—"
Min-jae stopped.
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Hana understood.
"You think she's alive."
Min-jae looked at her.
"I've always hoped she was."
Joon-ho lowered his eyes.
"Then you need to stop looking at the past and start looking at what she's trying to tell you."
Hana glanced at the envelope.
"What does the letter say?"
Min-jae hesitated.
"I don't know if I should read it."
"You don't have to read it alone."
He looked at her.
Then slowly opened the letter again.
The handwriting was neat and familiar.
He read silently for a few seconds before his expression changed.
"What?" Hana asked.
He handed her the letter.
She read the first lines.
Min-jae,
If you're reading this, then the truth has finally started coming back.
Don't trust everything you were told three years ago.
I didn't leave because I wanted to.
I left because I had to.
Hana's eyes widened.
She continued reading.
The rumor wasn't the real reason.
Someone found out what I knew.
Someone who was supposed to protect us.
Hana stopped.
"Someone who was supposed to protect us…"
She looked at Min-jae.
"Mr. Kang?"
Min-jae shook his head.
"I don't know."
There was another line beneath it.
And if Hana is with you now, don't let her become part of this.
Hana's heart stopped.
"Why did she mention me?"
Min-jae looked equally confused.
"I don't know."
Joon-ho suddenly stepped back.
"You need to leave."
Hana looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because if Ji-ah mentioned your name, someone else may already know you're involved."
Min-jae folded the letter.
"I'm not leaving her."
Joon-ho sighed.
"I knew you'd say that."
A sudden sound came from the school hallway.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Joon-ho immediately looked toward the door.
"Hide."
Hana's eyes widened.
"Who is it?"
"I don't know."
The footsteps stopped outside.
Nobody spoke.
Then the door opened.
Mr. Kang stood there.
His expression was unusually serious.
"Min-jae."
Min-jae stared at him.
"What do you want?"
Mr. Kang looked at Hana.
Then at Joon-ho.
Finally, his eyes landed on the letter.
His face changed.
"You found it."
Hana stepped forward.
"What happened to Ji-ah?"
Mr. Kang didn't answer.
Min-jae's voice became firmer.
"Where is my sister?"
Mr. Kang looked at him for several seconds.
Then he quietly said,
"She wants you to stop searching."
Min-jae's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Mr. Kang took a slow breath.
"Because the person you're looking for isn't the person you think."
Hana felt a chill run through her.
"What does that mean?"
Mr. Kang looked directly at her.
"It means the truth about three years ago isn't about one person."
He paused.
"It involves all of you."
Before anyone could respond, a phone began ringing.
Not Min-jae's.
Not Hana's.
Joon-ho's.
He pulled it from his pocket.
The caller ID showed only one name.
Ji-ah.
Joon-ho stared at the screen.
Then he answered.
"Hello?"
Silence.
His expression slowly changed.
"Ji-ah?"
He looked at Min-jae.
"She says she knows who started everything."
Min-jae stepped forward.
"Put her on speaker."
Joon-ho did.
A faint voice came through the phone.
"Min-jae…"
He froze.
For three years, he'd imagined hearing that voice again.
"Ji-ah?"
A pause.
Then her voice returned.
"You have to listen carefully."
Hana held her breath.
"Because the person who betrayed me…"
Ji-ah stopped.
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered,
"is someone you trust."