Min-jae couldn't move.
The photograph was still open on his phone.
Ji-ah stood on one side.
Joon-ho stood beside her.
Mr. Kang was behind them.
And the fourth person...
Hana stared at the face.
"Who is it?"
Joon-ho swallowed.
"I think we should sit down."
"That doesn't answer my question," Hana said quietly.
Min-jae finally looked at her.
"It's someone we know."
"Who?"
Joon-ho looked at Min-jae.
Then back at Hana.
"Ms. Choi."
Hana's eyes widened.
"The school secretary?"
Joon-ho nodded.
"She was working at the school three years ago."
Min-jae stared at the photograph again.
Ms. Choi.
The person who had helped them search through old school records.
The person who had given them access to the archive.
The person who had told them that some festival documents had mysteriously disappeared.
The person they had trusted.
Hana shook her head.
"But why would she be in a photograph with Ji-ah?"
"That," Joon-ho said, "is what we need to find out."
Min-jae zoomed in on the photograph.
There was something around Ms. Choi's wrist.
A silver bracelet.
His heart dropped.
"S.H."
Hana looked at him.
"The second bracelet."
Joon-ho's expression became serious.
"Then the bracelet belonged to her."
Min-jae immediately shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
"Why?"
"Because someone could have copied it."
Joon-ho stared at him.
"You're still trying to protect her."
"No," Min-jae replied. "I'm trying not to accuse someone without proof."
Hana quietly agreed.
"We need evidence."
Joon-ho nodded.
"Then we start with the old school records."
They returned to the school the next morning.
The building was quiet because classes had not fully started yet.
Joon-ho led them toward the administration office.
But before they reached the door, Hana stopped.
"Wait."
"What?"
She pointed down the hallway.
Ms. Choi was standing near the notice board.
She was holding a folder.
And she was looking directly at them.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Ms. Choi smiled.
"Good morning."
Min-jae forced himself to smile back.
"Good morning, ma'am."
Her eyes moved toward Joon-ho.
Then Hana.
Then back to Min-jae.
"You three look very serious."
Joon-ho gave a small laugh.
"We're just looking for some old festival records."
"Festival records?"
"Yes."
Ms. Choi's smile disappeared for half a second.
Then it returned.
"I see."
She held the folder closer to herself.
"Which year?"
"Three years ago."
Silence.
Ms. Choi looked at Min-jae.
"Why?"
Min-jae carefully answered.
"We found an old photograph."
Her expression changed.
"What photograph?"
Hana noticed it immediately.
The slight hesitation.
The nervous movement of her fingers against the folder.
Joon-ho noticed too.
"We'll show you later," he said.
Ms. Choi nodded.
"Of course."
She walked past them.
But just before she disappeared around the corner, she stopped.
Without turning around, she said,
"Some things are better left in the past."
Then she walked away.
Hana looked at Min-jae.
"That sounded like a warning."
"It was," Joon-ho said.
They waited until Ms. Choi was gone.
Then they entered the administration office.
After searching through several cabinets, they finally found an