《Did you find something?》 My voice echoes in my office, with all the paperwork, documents, my computer hating me, a typical and messy office.
《Something, but I don't know if it's important.》
I open my hand to the woman in front of me. 《Any information could be important, let me see.》
Joy hands me a red folder.
《This is information I was able to get from the manager's secretary.》 Joy sits up crossing her legs.
《Mmh ...》
I read all the papers carefully.
《He kept it inside a safe, that's the first thing that made me curious about those documents.》
《You did well, great job.》
I leaf through one sheet after another, I always find the same symbols, writings and information.
《These documents also take me back to the same place.》
《To SNU?》 She asks.
I nod, touching my chin. 《Yes.》
All this is strange, but not too much. All the tracks I have tried always lead me there.
《What's special about that university?》 You can see an annoyed tone in my voice.
《It's one of the most prestigious, Taehyung. The real question is what's not special about that university.》
I lean back. 《Chaerin studies there.》
《Ah!》 The blonde claps her hands together. 《You talk about the girl who is theoretically speaking your stepsister, with whom you were fucking with no commitment, but you fell in love, then she ran away, leaving you alone as a dog due to the death of your parents and because of the baby, after which in the end she choose and went with your best friend?》
I stare at Joy in disbelief after her truthful and detailed summary, unfortunately.
《Your skills scare me, how do you know so many details? I never told you anything in full.》
She raises an eyebrow. 《It's my job to uncover secrets and it was so easy.》 She says as if nothing had happened.
《Your love life is worse than that of a friend-zoned one.》 She says with a chuckle.
《Do you still have to bullshit me?》 I ask laughing.
She gets up doing a somersault. 《It's funny, there's nothing I can do about it if you're a loser.》
《Thanks Joy, you know how to lift my self-esteem.》
She gives me a gallant bow, smiling.
《What would you do without me.》 She says hitting her hair with her hand.
《I hate you, but I need you.》
《I know, now what are your plans?》
《I will enrol in university.》
《You? Serious?》 She holds back a laugh.
I rest my back on my chair, crossing my arms.
《Are you calling me stupid?》
《Not stupid, but you are less intelligent, crafty and shrewd than me.》
《Basically I'm paying you to get insulted by you.》
Joy raises her thumbs. 《You got there!》
《Come here and help me understand what college life is like, I have to solve that mystery.》
It's been months since I left. I travelled a bit, then returned to Seoul when I discovered that Yoongi disappeared leaving Chaerin alone. But then I met Jimin in that lingerie shop ...
I left the next day to do some tours around Korea, alone. I made some successful investments and have a small hefty sum aside.
Talking, being and living with oneself opened my mind. It was healing. I continued therapy with my psychologist in remote.
But then I got bored and decided to go to my old house in Daegu. I lived there with my mom and dad. I inherited it after my father died, I never dared to go there because it brought too many memories to the surface, but now the time has come.
There wasn't much in the house, like in the other rooms, just useless furniture we had left there, with the thought that we would go and get it but we never did, I don't even know why.
The last thing I checked was the attic, there I found several trunks that I took with me because I knew they contained photos, books and other things of my parents.
But not only.
I found some old cassettes, the kind that was used in the eighties and nineties. About the time my parents got engaged and married to have me.
It took me a while to find a cassette tape player, but I found it in a box at the bottom. It was all dusty and didn't work. I had it repaired and luckily it works.
I was so immersed in this, I wanted to hear what was inside. Maybe recorded music from the band my parents had or maybe 80s music.
And yes, some tapes contained those things, but others didn't.
Like the one, I'm listening to now.
"You have to stay away from there."
It's a female voice.
"Don't-don't listen to their book or them"
The cassettes have all messages like this, one separate from the other.
They "manipulate and-" one of the cassettes was damaged.
"If they find me, I'm dead."
She is a young girl and she sounds scared. The voice occasionally trembles as she speaks.
She made me feel uncomfortable, I immediately turned it off and put it away. I wouldn't want you to get a weird girl out of the box.
I put everything back as before, but after that day I kept thinking about it, every day. What did that girl mean? Above all, why was it in the attic of my house? Did my parents have anything to do with it?
As hard as I tried, questions like that kept running through my head. So I decided to go back, listen again, but that bad feeling stayed with me, and it got worse when I found another bigger box full of those cassettes.
It all started from there.
《What are you thinking about?》
《About the path I have done in recent months.》
《Why want you to solve this mystery so bad?》
《I feel I have to.》
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