The figure disappeared before Min-jae could even take a step.
"Wait!"
Min-jae ran toward the doorway, but the hallway was already empty.
Joon-ho followed him outside and looked in both directions.
"Nothing," he muttered.
Min-jae turned back toward the old office.
On the floor, beneath the weak light from the hallway, lay the second silver bracelet.
He picked it up carefully.
It looked almost identical to the first one.
Except this one had different letters engraved inside.
Min-jae narrowed his eyes.
"What does yours say?"
Joon-ho held the first bracelet beside it.
"S.K."
He turned the second bracelet over.
His expression suddenly changed.
"This one says… S.H."
Min-jae frowned.
"S.H.?"
Joon-ho nodded slowly.
"I don't know anyone connected to this who has those initials."
Hana stepped closer.
"Maybe it isn't a person's initials."
Joon-ho looked at her.
"What else could it be?"
"I don't know," Hana admitted. "But whoever dropped this wanted us to find it."
Min-jae stared at the bracelet.
"Which means they're watching us."
Hana became quiet.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Min-jae gently took Hana's hand.
"We should leave."
Hana looked at him.
"But the old train station—"
"We're still going tomorrow," Min-jae said. "But tonight, we don't know who is watching."
Joon-ho nodded.
"For once, I completely agree with him."
They left the building together.
Outside, the evening air was cool, and the streets were almost empty.
Hana walked beside Min-jae.
She glanced down at their hands.
"You're still holding my hand."
Min-jae looked down as if he had only just noticed.
"Oh."
He immediately started to let go.
Hana hesitated.
Then she gently held his hand again.
"It's okay."
Min-jae smiled.
"Good."
Joon-ho, walking a few steps ahead, turned around.
"Are you two seriously doing this right now?"
Hana's face turned warm.
Min-jae laughed.
"We're walking."
"Hand in hand."
"That's still walking."
Joon-ho sighed dramatically.
"I regret bringing you two into this mystery."
Hana laughed softly.
For a moment, everything felt normal again.
Then Min-jae's phone vibrated.
He stopped smiling.
A new message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
YOU FOUND THE SECOND ONE.
Min-jae showed Hana and Joon-ho.
Another message appeared.
DON'T TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE BRACELETS.
Then a final message.
ASK THE FOURTH PERSON IN THE PHOTO.
Hana's smile disappeared.
"The fourth person…"
Joon-ho looked at Min-jae.
"We need to find that photo."
"I have it," Min-jae said.
He quickly opened the picture on his phone.
There they were.
Ji-ah.
Joon-ho.
Mr. Kang.
And the fourth person.
The photograph was old and slightly damaged, but the face was still visible.
Hana leaned closer.
"Wait."
Min-jae looked at her.
"What?"
"I've seen that person before."
Joon-ho's eyes widened.
"Where?"
Hana pointed at the photograph.
"At school."
Min-jae stared at the face.
His expression slowly changed.
"No…"
Joon-ho took the phone from him.
He looked at the picture again.
Then he whispered,
"That can't be possible."
Hana looked between them.
"Who is it?"
Neither of them answered.
Because at that exact moment, Min-jae recognized the person.
Someone they had seen almost every day.
Someone who had been helping them search for the truth.
Someone they had never thought to suspect.
Min-jae's phone vibrated again.
One final message appeared.
YOU TRUSTED THE WRONG PERSON.
Min-jae slowly lowered the phone.
And for the first time since the mystery began, he wasn't afraid of what they might discover tomorrow.
He was afraid of who they might discover tonight.