Joon-ho stared at the screen.
JI-AH.
The phone continued ringing.
Hana looked at him.
"Why does it say not to answer?"
"I don't know."
Min-jae stepped closer.
"Answer it."
Joon-ho hesitated.
Then he pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
For several seconds, there was nothing but silence.
Then a quiet voice came through.
"Joon-ho."
His eyes widened.
"Ji-ah?"
Min-jae immediately moved closer.
"Put it on speaker."
Joon-ho did.
"Ji-ah, where are you?" Min-jae asked.
A pause.
"Min-jae…"
His voice became unsteady.
"It's really you."
"Yes."
"I thought you were gone."
"I know."
"Why didn't you come home?"
"I couldn't."
"Why?"
Another long silence followed.
"Because someone made sure I couldn't."
Hana's heart tightened.
"Who?"
Ji-ah didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she asked,
"Is Hana with you?"
Hana froze.
"Yes," she answered.
"Then listen carefully."
Her voice became quieter.
"Don't trust Mr. Kang."
Min-jae looked at Joon-ho.
"We already know about him."
"No," Ji-ah said. "You don't."
"What do you mean?"
"He isn't the person who started the rumor."
Hana's eyes widened.
"Then who was?"
Ji-ah took a shaky breath.
"The person who started everything is someone much closer to you."
Min-jae frowned.
"Who?"
"I can't say it over the phone."
"Ji-ah, please."
"I need you to understand something."
Her voice softened.
"I didn't leave because I stopped loving you."
Min-jae's eyes became wet.
"I know."
"No, you don't."
There was pain in her voice.
"I left because I thought it was the only way to keep you safe."
Min-jae looked down.
"You should have told me."
"I wanted to."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because I was being watched."
Hana glanced around the street.
"By who?"
Ji-ah didn't answer.
Instead, she said,
"Tomorrow. Six o'clock. The old train station."
Min-jae shook his head.
"Someone warned us not to go there."
"That's why you have to."
Hana looked at him in surprise.
Ji-ah continued.
"There's something waiting for you there."
"What?"
"A box."
Min-jae frowned.
"What kind of box?"
"My old notebook."
Hana's eyes widened.
"But we already found your notebook."
"No."
Ji-ah's voice became serious.
"You found the copy."
Silence.
"The real notebook is still at the station."
Min-jae stared at the phone.
"What is inside it?"
"The truth."
Before he could ask anything else, the call suddenly ended.
Joon-ho looked at the screen.
"Ji-ah?"
No response.
Min-jae immediately called back.
The number couldn't be reached.
Hana took a slow breath.
"So the notebook we found was a copy."
Joon-ho nodded.
"And the real one contains whatever Ji-ah was hiding."
Min-jae looked toward the dark street.
"We're going to the station."
Joon-ho shook his head.
"You heard her. Someone is watching us."
"Exactly."
Hana looked at him.
"Then we need to be smarter."
They stood there silently for a moment.
Then Hana noticed something