✓ SOUR SWEETHEARTS | JAKE

24 - The Day I Lost Everything

The moment Y/N stepped inside the police station, memories of that day came flooding back. The sterile, fluorescent-lit corridors, the hushed voices of officers, and the feeling of despair that seemed to haunt every inch of the building. She could remember how she sat in the same chair, processing the fact that her parents were no longer there for her when she was only a child.

"Please take a seat," The detective ushered her to sit across from him and she did, her fingers fidgeting nervously with the hem of her coat as she settled into the cold, unforgiving chair. "I appreciate you coming here today. I'm sure this isn't easy for you, but we need to gather as much information as possible to move forward with the investigation."

"I understand, Detective," She nodded, her throat feeling dry. "But please don't inform my family. I don't want them to know about this, not until we know for sure."

He leaned forward slightly, his tired eyes never leaving hers. "Your wishes will be respected, Y/N. Now, I know this will be difficult, but can you start by telling me everything you remember about that day? Anything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem."

She could feel herself slipping back in time, back to the innocence of childhood shattered by a single event. "It was a spring evening," She began, her voice shaky. "I had just turned seven... or eight. I was playing outside the house with the neighborhood friends and when it got darker, we decided to go back home. But when I went back home, it was on fire. I remember... the smoke billowing from the windows and the flames dancing against the night sky. I stood there, frozen in fear, watching my home, my parents' laughter, everything I knew and loved, consumed by the flames. I couldn't understand what had happened, but my parents were already gone."

"Did you see anyone around your home that day? Anything unusual?" He looked up from his notepad, watching her brows furrow as she strained to recall.

"I... I don't remember seeing anyone. It all happened so quickly, and I was in shock. I was pulled away from the scene, and someone wrapped a blanket around me. It was the longest night of my life."

He sighed. "The anonymous tip we received suggests that the fire might have been intentionally set. They believe that someone poured accelerants around the house to fuel the fire. Can you think of anyone who might have had a reason to harm your parents, even if it seemed unlikely at the time?"

Y/N thought back to the people in their lives, trying to piece together any possible motive for such a horrendous act. "My parents were kind and gentle people. My father was a businessman and he did charity work. My mom was a teacher. They really had quiet lives, I can't understand why anyone would want to harm them intentionally."

"Your father was a businessman, you say?" Detective Park nodded thoughtfully, his pen hovering over his notepad. "We'll start by looking into your father's business dealings and associations. Perhaps there's something we haven't uncovered yet. It's a starting point, at least."

"Okay. I will cooperate fully, please just find out what really happened that night." She pleaded and he gave her a reassuring smile before she found herself standing outside the police station. She thought she could just move on from that incident but it seemed that night was going to remain a haunting presence in her life. Just like a stranger in the shadows, the truth about her parents' death lingered, waiting to be revealed.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, and the city's lights began to twinkle like distant stars. Y/N's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see a message from Areum. I'm at your place. Where are you?  She stared at it for a moment, knowing well that she needed to tell her about everything that happened, from meeting Jake to the reopening of her parents' case. It was a lot to process, and she needed to speak up or write. Areum was going to hear the words, her notebook was going to record every detail. 

Y/N quickly typed out a response, "I'm on my way home. I've got a lot to tell you." She hit send and began walking briskly towards her apartment. Seoul felt like a city of secrets, with its bustling streets hiding countless mysteries just beneath the surface. She wanted to run away, but she knew that running away would never truly free her from her haunting past. 

By the time Y/N arrived home, Areum was waiting patiently, a steaming cup of tea on the coffee table. Y/N sank onto the couch. "Y/N, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's going on?"

Y/N sighed, her shoulders slumping. If only she had seen a ghost instead of reliving the haunting memories of her past. Y/N couldn't help but feel a chill as she sat down on her couch, opposite Areum, who watched her with concern. "Someone requested to reopen my parents' case. They believe it wasn't an accident."

The way Areum's eyes widened at Y/N's words was impossible to miss. She leaned forward, her voice hushed. "What do you mean, Y/N? Someone wants to reopen the case? After all these years?"

"Yes," She nodded, her gaze fixed on her lap. "A Detective called me and we met earlier. It's just... it just feels too surreal. I thought I had accepted that my parents' deaths were a tragic accident. But now, the possibility that someone might have intentionally caused their deaths is haunting me."

"It's okay, come here," Areum stood up from her seat and wrapped her arms around Y/N who felt comfortable enough to cry. "It's okay to feel overwhelmed, Y/N. This is a lot to take in. But I'm here for you. You don't have to go through this alone." Y/N nodded at her words, but it just wasn't going totake her pain away. She felt it all, as raw as it is, and as much as she wished she could bury it all again, she knew she couldn't.

After a while, Y/N gently pulled away from Areum's comforting embrace and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Areum. I really needed someone to talk to about all of this. It's just... I can't tell anyone about this until we're sure. Whoever requested to reopen the case, they might still be out there, and I don't want to put my family in any danger."

"I agree." She sighed, staring at Y/N while searching her eyes. "Don't worry, Y/N. The truth always finds a way to come out, even if it takes time. If anyone indeed was the reason behind that fire, they can't hide forever."

Y/N managed a small, grateful smile. But she knew, some truths should never see the light of day. She had kept the darkest memories locked away for years, hoping they would fade with time. Yet, fate had other plans, and now those memories were clawing their way back into her life, choking and suffocating her again.