.  Sitting on a chair after Yoon Jung In, Kim Hye Hill uttered, “Does it matter to us who’s becoming the nationwide Number one? The actual Number one has been missing from a year ago, but as far as I know, there’s no problem with it.”


  Yoon Jung In and I exchange eye contact. Switching his gaze to Kim Hye Hill, Yoon Jung In replied, pretending to be nonchalant, “Yeah, right, I’ve steadily watched it being such a hot issue, but I still have no idea.”


  While we started to have our lunch, I, on the other hand, was lost in thought. It was a bummer that Hwang Siwoo’s current situation wasn’t updated to the entire school since the ranking battle had become the talk of the town. If kids knew about the injured Hwang Siwoo, someone would come forward and reveal or give a clue about the reason for his injury; Ban Hwee Hyul would likely be the center of attention too.

  Anyway, we couldn’t help it. The ranking battle or whatever was none of my business. Thinking that way, I casually lifted my spoon.

  * * *

  After school, we decided to go visit Ban Hwee Hyul’s house as Yoon Jung In suggested. Our teacher, Mr. Noh, also provided us the address without hesitance when we told him the two of us would go check his house.

  He added with a low voice, “You two can keep this as a secret, right?”


  “Huh?”


  Mr. Noh Min Chan continued with a dark face, “Hwee Hyul, he’s actually living alone. He doesn’t have any adults at home.”


  “Oh……”


  “He does have a father, but I heard he’s working far away from home, so make sure to knock on the door and just come back if no one’s inside. If Hwee Hyul’s still not at home, I’m gonna call the cops this time.” Mr. Noh added with a look of guiltiness, “I should have paid more attention to him……”


  Watching him speaking that way, Yoon Jung In and I soon left the office.

  Looking down at the note with an address on it, I murmured, “Ah, I kind of knew it, but he’s really living nearby our house.”


  “Really? You know that way to get there? Cool.”


  “I don’t take this route often but do know where it is roughly.”


  The place was about 10 minutes-walk from turning into a side road at the alley on the way to our apartment. It was a complex neighborhood of old houses and tenements, so even though the way to Hwee Hyul’s place seemed familiar, it took quite some time to find the actual location.

  As we, at last, arrived at the building where Ban Hwee Hyul was residing, a three-story, glossy brown brick tenement came into view. The suspiciously haunted appearance made me wonder if people were actually living here; although it was dinner time, there was no indication of people being around inside. The glass door entrance was even a little broken.

  Wandering in front of the building, we finally went down to the basement floor and pressed the doorbell. The button went inside deep without hindrance; however, no sound came from inside. Thus, we had to directly knock on the door in the end.

  Increasing the volume of his voice, Yoon Jung In asked, “Is there anyone inside?”


  His voice resonated around the basement floor like an echo, but still, no one seemed to be around, not even a response returned. Pressing the doorbell a few more times, Yoon Jung In tossed a question.

  “This doorbell doesn’t work, right?”


  “Uh-huh, we hear nothing from inside.”


  Replying that way, I knocked on the door a couple of times, but only my hands felt stinging. Again, no response returned. ‘Should we just give up and leave?’ I wondered; however, something flashed through my head. I took out my phone.

  “What are you gonna do?”


  “Trying to call his phone,” I replied then pressed the call button.

  Shortly after, a sound like a melody began to flow out over the door. It was definitely a phone ringing.

  With our eyes wide open, Yoon Jung In and I exchanged eye contact. I soon banged the door and shouted, “Hwee Hyul, are you home right now? If you are, please show us your face! We’re really concerned about you.”


  Standing beside me, Yoon Jung In also raised his voice, “Ban Hwee Hyul! You aren’t supposed to skip classes for days this way! Our teacher told us he’s gonna report to the police that you’re missing!”


  However, no matter how desperately we screamed and urged him, the door didn’t move an inch, being tightly closed. We, eventually, had to stop knocking on the door and just turn around.

  Climbing up the stairs, Yoon Jung In uttered, “Let’s just go today. We should tell the teacher and let him decide whether to call the police or to find the landlord and make them open the door to go inside.”


  Nodding wordlessly, I followed him walking up the stairs. As soon as we came out to the first floor, the broken glass door entrance shone orange in the setting sun.

  The way to this place was quite complicated, so a person who’s a stranger here would never make his or her way out alone. Thus, I decided to take Yoon Jung In back to the bottom.

  That was when we almost arrived at the familiar intersection. Waiting for the red light signal to change, I threw a glance over the crosswalk thoughtlessly and became surprised as something came into my sight.

  “Eh?”


  Quickly lifting his head up from beside me, Yoon Jung In began to look around in a hurry. He asked, “Why? Do you see Ban Hwee Hyul? Where is he?”


  “No, I didn’t see Ban Hwee Hyul, but……” I hesitated with a pause but soon added, “Maybe I’ve found someone who’d know where he is……”


  “What? Where? Come on, let’s go!”


  The signal at the crosswalk changed just in time. Looking forward to becoming close to her enough, I grabbed the girl’s arm.

  Being startled, she turned her head to look at me; her dark red hair swayed behind her back.

  “Excuse me.”


  “Geez, it was you……! Hey, don’t pull someone out of the blue. I was about to flip you over,” she muttered.

  “Ah, sorry……” The moment I tried to offer my words of apology, her following words made me grimace.

  “I can’t flip a mosquito over. You may die, yeah…… you can die although you’re the Number one in the world of mosquitoes.”


  “No, I’m not……” I replied sulkily. My eyes then widened at her following question.

  “But good! What a coincidence! Hey, do you know where Ban Hwee Hyul that bastard is?”


  “Eh? That’s what I was about to ask you first……”


  “What? You don’t even know that too?” Looking perplexed, the girl disheveled her hair in frustration. She then suddenly pulled Yoon Jung In and me away from the crosswalk. “Anyway, follow me.”


  While both of us became dumbfounded at her action, we bent our steps totteringly upon her vigorous spirit.

  The place she headed toward with us was, interestingly, a nearby park where she and Ban Hwee Hyul had a conversation before. It was also where Ban Yeo Ryung’s family and our family often came over to chill. Around this time of the year, there were always no people.

  With her arms crossed, Dae Lisa cast me a question.

  “Before talking about it, who is he beside you?”


  I replied, “He’s Yoon Jung In, our class president.” As soon as I introduced him that way, Yoon Jung In lowered his head to bow in a fluster. Pointing at Dae Lisa, I uttered, “And this is Ban Hwee Hyul’s friend……”


  “Me and that bastard who can’t even remember my name……?”


  “.…… Um, she is Ms. Dae Lisa, who’s JUST SOMEONE Ban Hwee Hyul knows. As a side note, I heard she’s taking quite a high position in the ranking. Anyway, wouldn’t she give us some clues about finding Ban Hwee Hyul?”


  As I spoke that way, Dae Lisa changed her pose to cross her arms differently then tossed another question.

  “Then you guys also don’t know where Ban Hwee Hyul went, right?”


  Pointing at the alley that we just walked out, I replied, “We just visited Ban Hwee Hyul’s house, but no one was inside. Just in case, I called his phone, and there was a sound from inside the house, but he didn’t answer.”


  “Really?”


  At that moment, Yoon Jung In, quietly listening to our conversation, suddenly intervened, “Just until now, I thought that he was pretending to ignore the call, but now I come to think of it, there was no indication of someone being around. What if he just left his phone at home and went outside?”


  “Hmm…… I also think that’s possible……” I replied calmly then diverted my gaze back onto Dae Lisa. Chewing her lips, she was murmuring something. I listened carefully to her remark for a second.

  “Sh*t, of all occasion…… How come Suh Doh Gyum become that way during Ban Hwee Hyul’s absence now?”


  Suh Doh Gyum. Listening to that familiar name slipping out of her mouth, I opened my eyes wide. Right! Since Dae Lisa was one of the top rankers, she would definitely be close to that person, who’s said to be the strongest candidate for the nationwide Number one position.