Souvenir - Chapter 9.2
The question weighed heavily on his mind.
Just then, his smartphone vibrated.
A new directive appeared on the screen.
“Suspicious object found near the target facility. Proceed to the site immediately.”
Letting out a deep sigh, he steeled himself and set off.
As he made his way toward the site, the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cityscape.
The research facility loomed in the dimming light, its eerie glow standing out against the darkening sky.
Cautiously scanning his surroundings, he whispered to himself, “Tonight, I have to find something…”
At that moment, he caught a glimpse of movement in the distance.
Lowering his stance, he concealed himself and reached for his binoculars.
A tall, slender figure draped in a black coat was surveying the area, carefully retrieving an object before slipping away into the darkness.
His pulse quickened.
But his expression remained unreadable.
Later that night, he returned home, seamlessly blending back into his domestic façade.
His wife sat on the sofa, flipping through a magazine under the warm glow of the living room lamp.
He quietly took a seat beside her and spoke.
“I’ve been assigned to a new project.”
She paused, closing her magazine, her gaze filled with genuine interest.
“Really? That’s wonderful! I know you’ll do great. If you ever need support, don’t hesitate to rely on me, okay?”
He nodded, offering a faint smile.
Yet inside, conflicting emotions churned.
Though their shared life provided warmth and security, her words felt like a distant beacon—comforting yet painful.
His mission was dangerous, isolating.
And she had no idea.
After dinner, he retreated to his study, meticulously organizing the day’s findings.
He combed through surveillance footage and reports, searching for patterns in the facility’s rumored brainwashing experiments.
Then—his eyes locked onto a specific video frame.
A shadowed figure stood before a suspicious device inside the facility.
Something about their silhouette felt eerily familiar.
Later that night, he returned to the living room, spending a quiet moment with his wife.
Soft music drifted from the television as she murmured, “You should rest a little. You’re always working so hard…”
He smiled but couldn’t suppress the weight of his duty.
“Thanks… but there’s still so much left to do.”
She looked at him with a quiet sadness, her expression a mix of concern and understanding.
“Just… don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”
That night, before sleeping, he stood by the window, gazing at the research facility under the moonlight.
Within him, anxiety and determination intertwined.
This darkness had to be exposed.
No matter the cost.
Day by day, the puzzle pieces of his investigation started forming a clearer picture.
One detail stood out—something he had overlooked in his past surveillance.
A name surfaced.
A girl.
“Who is she?”
Cross-referencing with the missing persons list, his breath caught in his throat.
If his hypothesis was correct, this could be a major breakthrough.
The following day, he reported that he would be working remotely, using it as a cover to conduct an investigative briefing with FBI headquarters.
“Terano, I’ve compiled the materials. Take a look.”
His colleague, Terano, a member of the investigation unit, appeared on the screen.
“This… This is something big.”
A highly classified file was shared through the secure channel.
As the document loaded, a chilling image appeared—footage of white-coated scientists injecting an unidentified substance into a restrained girl.
His eyes darkened.
“What the hell is this…?”
Terano’s expression darkened.
“They’ve delved into ’emotional control’ as well.”
“You’re saying… they’re manipulating personalities?”
“It’s more than that. Look at this list. The names of the missing children match the facility’s test subject codes.”
“So they were… ‘sold’?”
Silence fell across the screen.
“…We have no choice but to shut this facility down—immediately.”
A Week Later, Suu Went Missing.
So many things had happened. Yes, too many.
And now, I found myself in a place that couldn’t have been more ill-suited for me.
“Where did you bury Suu?”
Where could I have possibly buried Suu?
From somewhere unseen, voices rained down on me:
“I’m disappointed in you.”
“I always thought something was off about you.”
“There was something unnatural about your relationship, even though you were parent and child.”
“You were distant and secretive, like you were hiding something.”
When did the gears start to slip out of place?
In a cold, sterile room, a burly man with sharp, unreadable eyes bombarded me with questions.
“There are testimonies that you engaged in ‘inappropriate contact’ with Suu.”
Inappropriate contact?
“…What are you talking about?”
“There’s testimony that says, ‘That night, we were terrified.'”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Wait, this must be a misunderstanding. You’re talking about the sleepover, right? They just took some cream from the bathroom.”
“But there’s testimony stating that ‘you were watching them.’ ”
“…I was ‘watching’?”
As if just looking was a crime.
“Who said that?”
“We can’t reveal that yet. First, we need to document your statement.”
Their gazes carried nothing but suspicion, as if I were a liar, as if my words held no weight.
“Who exactly did you hear this from?”
“Before that, you still haven’t fully addressed the matter of inappropriate behavior.”
“Ah… I think when Suu came to get a drink from the fridge, we ran into each other. Her right hand was sticky, so I lifted her arm and said something like, ‘You’ve used too much.'”
“And then?”
“Not long after, Rasha came to me, saying she wanted to talk. She shared some things about her family.”
“At that time, you picked up a cream jar from the floor and handed it to her, saying she could use it?”
“Yes. That’s all that happened.”
Silence.
They didn’t believe a single word I said.
No matter what I said, no one here was on my side.
In that moment, I regretted not remaining silent.
“Who gave you Suu and Rasha’s testimonies?”