Hana
*Two days later*
Our little gang arrived at Daegu. We had rented out a small farmhouse which we were sharing together. We had arrived about an hour ago and unpacked our stuff before all made our way to the living room.
I was sitting down on the couch, my eyes on Yoseob who was playing with Bong-Cha. Those two had instantly become best friends. I could not help but feel warm as I saw them, yet, knowing the reason why we were here, made me feel a certain anxiety.
It scared me how easily things could go wrong. I could not help but imagine what if someone ever took my son or even Bong-Cha. It would drive me crazy and I knew Jin wouldn’t be any better. He was out of his mind about Dylan, I could not imagine if God-forbid it would be our son.
‘Yeobo? Are you okay?’ Jin asked, bringing me back to reality. I forced a smile and nodded.
‘Yeah. I just…I got lost in thought. With everything all of us see every day, it’s easy to get scared when your mind gets lost in the endless possibilities of things going wrong,’ I said.
‘It’s scary for all of us but I guess even more so for parents,’ Misun said just as Yoongi walked in with a tray.
‘Here, I brought some coffee for everyone,’ Yoongi said as he sat the tray down. His wife also sat down next to Misun as everyone reached for the mug.
‘Thanks Yoongi,’ Jin said as I took the first sip from mine. I could not help but smile at how good it was. ‘Also, Misun-ah, I want to thank you for joining us,’ he said.
‘Of course. To be fair everyone wanted to come and help. Jungkook was going to bite my head off because he wanted to come as well, but I couldn’t leave the Chief and Captain without a team, but don’t worry, if we have any serious leads I will ask them to come,’ Misun said.
‘It’s okay Misun-ah, don’t worry. I can understand. Besides, I don’t have anything to go on, just going to look around,’ Jin said.
‘This time, you have us hyung. You’re not doing this alone,’ Yoongi said.
‘Why don’t we go over the facts we have so far?’ Misun asked as Jin nodded. He shifted on the couch.
‘So Dylan was last seen a year ago at a park in Gwacheon. He was five years old at the time,’ Jin began. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. ‘There wasn’t much to go on except a CCTV camera footage which wasn’t clear. The footage showed a woman grabbing Dylan and running away with him,’ Jin explained.
‘And there was never any ransom right? So we can rule out money as motive,’ Misun said.
‘Exactly. The mother was working class so financial status was not the factor in this kidnapping,’ Jin explained. ‘Luckily, no body was found either, so it was believed it wasn’t revenge,’ he added.
‘That can’t be ruled out completely though,’ Misun said as she bit on her lower lip.
‘I agree with you Misun-ah,’ Jin said, nodding to himself.
‘I’m working on the CCTV footage. I’m trying a new, more advanced program to see if I can get a clearer resolution,’ Yoongi informed.
‘That’s good. Jin how do you want to do this?’ Misun asked. I could not help but feel love towards this girl.
She might have been the youngest but she was one of the most mature people I ever met. She was smart and good at her work but she remained humble. She respected other people’s opinion and treated all her colleagues with respect, regardless of ranks. It didn’t come as a surprise that the boys loved her and respected her so much, but being the only girl meant they were really protective of her too.
‘Honestly, I don’t know. I was going to go around and ask the usual questions,’ he said.
‘There is someone we should go to. She owns a small convenience store but she always knows everything about everyone,’ Yoongi said.
‘Sounds good to me,’ Jin said. I knew he was willing to try anything.
‘I have an informant in Daegu. I’ll go to talk to that person, maybe I can get some info from the street people,’ Misun said.
‘Be careful Misun-ah, you don’t have anyone watching your back,’ Yoongi said.
‘Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing,’ Misun said with a smile.
Seokjin
Yoongi and I arrived at the convenience store. He was right in saying that the store was small but loved by the neighbourhood. Everyone just seemed so friendly with one another. We walked, the bell jingling as we did. The woman behind the cash register lifted her head and then smiled widely as she seemed to recognize Yoongi.
‘Yah! Min Yoongi is that you?’ she called out, her voice loud and booming. Yoongi laughs and nods as she comes out from behind the counter.
‘Hello Ahjumma,’ Yoongi said as the two of them hugged. I could not help but smile at the way the woman hugged him tightly. She was short but definitely strong.
‘It’s been so long Yoongi. I wasn’t sure my eyes were seeing right, she said as she let him go. ‘Look at you! You’ve grown so much! You’ve become more handsome but you’ve lost weight. Are you not eating properly ha!’ she exclaimed as she hit him in the tummy.
‘Ahjumma I am eating, but I’m also keeping healthy and exercising,’ Yoongi said. She huffed as she looked at me.
‘And who’s your handsome friend here?’ she asked.
‘He’s a friend from work Ahjumma,’ Yoongi said.
‘Hello Ahjumma. My name is Kim Seokjin,’ I said as I bowed lowly. She chuckled and I looked up.
‘Handsome, smart and well-mannered. What a good combination,’ she said as I could not help but smile as well. ‘So tell me, what brought you here?’ she asked.
‘We actually came to see if you could help us with a case we’re working on,’ Yoongi began as he looked at me to explain.
‘About a year ago, a five year old boy was kidnapped from a park in Gwacheon. We believe that the woman who kidnapped him did not stay in one place and might have travelled so I’ve been checking out different places,’ I explained.
‘Hmm I see. A year is a long time. I’ve read the longer it takes, the—’ she stopped as she looked at me. She bit her lower lip, seemingly embarrassed but I knew she was right. The longer it took to find them, the less chance we had to find them at all. ‘Sorry, how can I help?’ she asked.
‘This is a photo of the boy. His name is Dylan,’ Yoongi said as he showed the photo. She took it in her hands as she looked at it. Her face scrunched and she put on her glasses and put it closer to her.
‘I’m not sure,’ she said. My heart started to race because it was not a definite no. It could be something.
‘It’s okay Ahjumma, just tell us what you think. It’s okay,’ Yoongi reassure her as he exchanged a look with me.
‘Two months ago, a new woman came to live in the neighbourhood with her son. The thing is – she seems a bit – well strange. She doesn’t communicate with anyone, she keeps to herself and is very, very protective of her son. She once let it slip that she’s running away from some people but then said it’s from her abusive husband. The boy in the picture, I can’t be sure, but he looks a lot like him, except the hair colour is different but then again, the boy’s colour doesn’t look natural. It could have been dyed,’ she explained.
‘Oh God, are they still living here Ahjumma?’ I asked as my own breathing got quicker.
‘Yes. I don’t know where exactly but I know the neighbourhood. She went there because she can pay in cash, not leave a trace behind her,’ she said.
‘Do you know her name?’ Yoongi asked. The woman closed her eyes as she tried to recall.
‘Julie, Park Julie I think,’ she said as she nodded to herself. ‘I don’t know if what I’m saying is right boys. It might be that she’s really running from her husband. I don’t want to point to anyone but…’ she said, trailing off.
‘Leave that to us Ahjumma. Thank you so much for your help. We really appreciate it,’ I said.
‘I hope you find that boy you’re looking for,’ she said, offering a warm smile.
Today is a public holiday for us so no school for kids and no work for us. So I started my day by finishing this chapter. I kept it short and sweet so I hope you still like it hehe. Thank you so much for your support. I look forward to your comments.
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." - Lao Tzu
