Silence filled the room after the deputy left. Joseph remained seated, his body exhausted, and his mind sinking into a whirlpool of questions, until the investigator broke the stillness with his monotone voice:
— "I have nothing to interrogate you about for now… at least not until Hana arrives so we can continue the investigation with her."
The investigator closed his file and stood up without offering Joseph a second glance. Then he walked out.
Joseph sat still for a few moments. Then he rose slowly, feeling his way toward the exit. It felt as if his heart was still trapped back there… in that white room that didn't need bars to be a prison.
He stepped into the building's wide lobby. Everything around him seemed silent—even the air itself felt lifeless. He was about to leave, but suddenly stopped.
A voice…
Someone was at the reception desk, speaking loudly, their features marred by red scratches, a swollen eye, and a trembling hand filled with agitation.
Joseph wouldn't have paid attention—if not for one word that tore through the man's shouting and panic:
"Hana!"
In an instant, everything changed. His heartbeat quickened. His mind lit up, as if someone had thrown a spark into it.
He rushed over, grabbed the man's arm tightly, and said:
— "Did you say Hana? Do you know Hana?!"
The man, clearly shocked by Joseph's urgency, replied hesitantly:
— "Y-yes…"
Joseph didn't wait for him to finish. He pressed harder and said:
— "Where is she?!"
The man stammered, his eyes darting in every direction, before finally speaking in a shaky voice:
— "She… she was kidnapped."
Joseph stepped back, as if the ground beneath him had started to sway.
— "What did you say?!"
The man continued, his voice trembling:
— "We were together this morning… we were going for a walk, but while we were walking, a black car suddenly pulled up in front of us. Men got out… they hit me, I couldn't fight back. The last thing I remember is one of them hitting me hard, and then… darkness."
He sighed helplessly, placing a hand on his head:
— "When I woke up, there was no one around. As soon as I remembered what happened, I rushed here, and on the way I tried calling her over and over, but no one answered."
Joseph, who just minutes ago had been nothing more than a suspect, now found himself at the center of a new storm.
Hana… had been kidnapped.
Joseph stepped back, as if the ground beneath him had begun to sway.
— "What did you say?!"
The man continued, his voice shaking:
— "We were together this morning… we were going out for a walk, but while we were walking, a black car suddenly stopped in front of us. Men got out… they hit me, I couldn't fight back. The last thing I remember is one of them hitting me hard and then… darkness."
He sighed helplessly, placing a hand on his head:
— "When I woke up, no one was there. As soon as I remembered what had happened, I rushed here. On the way, I called her many times, but no one answered."
Joseph—who had been nothing more than a suspect just moments ago—was now at the center of a new storm.
Hana… had been kidnapped.
And this wasn't a random event. Nothing about the timing was accidental.
His features froze, but inside him, something else ignited. Something he hadn't felt since he came back from the maze…
That tearing feeling between power and helplessness, between the urge to kill and the fear of losing himself.
Joseph didn't hesitate for a moment.
He grabbed the injured man's arm and said firmly:
— "Come with me."
He led him out of the agency building, heading toward one destination… Seven Seas Corporation.
The air outside was suffocating despite the cold. The faces of passersby, the cars, the noise of life… everything seemed blurry to Joseph, as if the world had become nothing more than a faded backdrop to what was raging inside him.
They arrived at the building. He stood at the reception desk and said in a direct tone:
— "I want to meet with Lee Sojun."
The receptionist looked up and said calmly:
— "Please wait a moment, I'll contact him."
The receptionist made a call, and after a short conversation, turned to Joseph and said:
— "You may go up. He's available now."
He stepped into the elevator, the man beside him still trembling—not from the cold, but from the terror left behind by Hana's sudden disappearance.
The elevator reached the top floor. The lighting was dim, and the scent of polished wood lingered in the air. Joseph entered the spacious office to find Lee Sojun standing by a window overlooking the city.
Sojun turned to him, his face showing no trace of confusion, only a carefully constructed blend of sadness and surprise.
— "Joseph? I didn't expect to see you today. Is everything alright?"
Joseph answered directly:
— "Hana… was kidnapped."
Lee Sojun's eyes widened in a calculated way, and he spoke in a shocked voice:
— "What? Kidnapped? How? When?"
He began mumbling incoherent words, feigning concern. His hand rested on his chin, and he breathed quickly, as if trying to absorb the news.
— "I'll see what I can do… Don't worry, Joseph."
But Joseph was still unaware of the truth hidden behind those artificial expressions.
Lee Sojun… was the one who ordered the kidnapping.
He was the one who hired the mafia to carry it out.
Because Hana's continued existence… had become more of a threat than an asset.
Joseph left the office, the man beside him still crying, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.
Inside the elevator, Joseph asked in a low tone:
— "What's your relationship with Hana?"
The man paused his weeping for a moment, then replied in a choked voice:
— "I… I'm her companion. We've been together for years… and today, I was going to… ask for her hand in engagement."
Joseph paused, feeling a sharp twinge in his chest, though he concealed it. It wasn't jealousy—but a strange, indescribable feeling.
He nodded and said quietly:
— "I see…"
He placed a hand on the man's shoulder and said:
— "Don't worry… we'll find her. I'll do everything I can to help you."
But deep inside… all Joseph truly cared about was reaching her before she could speak of what happened during that mission.
As the elevator doors closed behind Joseph and his companion, a heavy silence once again settled over Lee Sojun's office.
He walked calmly back to his desk, sat down, and pulled his sleek phone from the inner pocket of his tailored suit. With a single tap, a contact appeared on the screen, saved under the name: "YuGi – UH."
He called.
The phone rang twice, then a dry, quiet voice answered on the other end:
— "Hello."
— "Yugi Muto… How are you?"
The response came quickly, devoid of any courtesy:
— "What do you want?"
Lee Sojun chuckled softly as he turned his chair halfway, gazing out at the cloud-filled horizon through the glass:
— "You're stricter than ever. Have you lost your sense of humor?"
Yugi didn't respond to the joke, so Lee Sojun adjusted his tone and continued:
— "I wanted to talk about… the previous mission. The girl you kidnapped."
— "What about her?"
— "There's someone else… connected to her. We don't want him staying alive."
A brief silence fell on the other end of the line, then Yugi spoke in a heavy tone:
— "And what do you want? For us to take him out too? This time, the price will be doubled."
Lee Sojun didn't hesitate, as if money held no weight compared to the goal he was pursuing:
— "You'll get twice what I paid you for the girl."
A soft sound came through the phone—perhaps a cigarette being lit, or just a contemplative sigh—then Yugi said:
— "Who is this person?"
— "His name is Joseph. I'll send you his number shortly. I want you to contact him… tell him that if he wants to see the girl, he has to meet with you. After that… do what needs to be done."
Yugi paused for a moment, then replied sharply:
— "I didn't ask you to give me a plan."
Lee Sojun smirked and spoke smoothly:
— "Right. Just do what you always do. The important thing is… get rid of him."
Then he ended the call.
He turned off the phone and placed it on the table in front of him. Leaning back into the chair, he closed his eyes for a moment.
In his mind, Joseph was nothing more than an extra piece on a complex chessboard.
And there was no place for unnecessary pieces.
In the corner of a quiet café, at a secluded table near the window, Joseph sat with Hana's companion. The cups in front of them were growing cold, and the coffee steamed into the air untouched.
The silence between them wasn't one of comfort, but of deep concern and heavy sorrow.
Hana's companion stared blankly at the table, his face pale, hands trembling slightly. He spoke in a choked voice:
— "This is all my fault… because I'm weak. I couldn't protect her…"
Joseph looked up at him. He couldn't find the right words to ease the pain, so he simply placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly:
– "We will find her… don't worry, nothing will happen to her as long as I'm alive."
But the words were not just for him; they were for himself as well.
And in that moment, something changed deep inside him.
It was as if the echo of that word — "weak" — pierced him like a spear.
The world around him stopped; the café disappeared, the city's noise faded away, and he was left alone with that voice inside his head…
"What if you really are weak? Would you have lost your sister too?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, the feeling of loss creeping into his chest like a familiar monster he had been trying to bury for a long time.
Then…
His phone rang.
An unknown number.
He looked at it for a moment, then pressed the answer button and said:
– "Hello?"
But what came from the other side was not a greeting… rather, a hoarse feminine voice, mixed with fearful breaths:
– "Help me… please…"
He immediately stood up from his seat, as if an electric current had passed through his body, almost knocking over the chair behind him.
– "Hana?! Is that you?! Hana, can you hear me?! Where are you?!"
But he received no answer from her.
Instead, a strange man's voice came through, cold as knives:
– "You're Joseph, right?"
– "Who are you? What do you want?!"
– "I want you."
A heavy silence fell for a moment, then he continued:
– "If you want to see the girl safe, I'll send you a location… and if you try to be clever… you will regret it."
Then… the call was cut off.
Joseph stood frozen, staring at the phone screen, his breath quickening, his hand gripping the device until his knuckles turned white.
– "What happened?!" his companion shouted as he stood up, his face pale with fear. "What happened to Hana? Tell me!"
Joseph looked at him with eyes full of anger and worry, and said in a steady but charged tone:
– "They called me… it was Hana… her voice… she was begging for help… then a man took the phone and threatened me. He said he wants me."
– "Oh my God…!"
Her companion collapsed back onto the chair, holding his head in his hands, while Joseph stood like a statue, trying to analyze the situation. His heart pounded fiercely, and his mind burned with unanswered questions.
Who were these people? And why did they want him?
But he knew one thing for sure…
He would not leave her, even if he had to cross hell alone.
In a moment of silence, as Hana's companion's groans subsided, Joseph leaned toward him and placed his hand on his shoulder, looking into his tear-filled, confused eyes.
"Don't worry… I will bring her back to you, I promise."
His tone was calm, yet it was like a silent scream from within; a promise not made lightly, but born from a heavy sense of responsibility he could not ignore.
"Get some rest tonight… and when the time comes, you will come with me."
The young man slowly nodded in agreement, though he didn't fully understand what might be asked of him later.
Joseph then took out his phone, saved his number, handed it to Hana's companion, and said:
"Stay in touch. I'll message you before I move."
They parted ways… each heading down his own path, but the heavy feeling lingered over them like a shadow follows the body.
**
On his way home, Joseph sat in the back seat of a taxi, staring out the window at the city lights dancing on the glass, as if they were toying with his anxiety. Everything around him was moving… except his mind, which was sinking into a whirlpool of questions.
"What the hell is going on?"
He thought of the bodies…
Li Lian, Sok Won, and See Hon… how their corpses were found.
"Who found them? And who pulled them out of the maze?"
Then Hana jumped into his thoughts… her trembling voice, her plea for help, the pain in her tone. But the question that felt like poison was:
"How did they get my number?"
Joseph hadn't given it to anyone, and Hana wasn't among those close to him. So how did it happen?
He sensed something moving in the shadows.
As if unseen hands were weaving threads around him, pushing him from one scene to another without realizing the hand controlling the game. As if the stage had been set long ago… and he was just one of the actors.
"Was Hana's kidnapping a coincidence? Or was it a trap?"
The caller's voice was confident, eerily calm. No bargaining, no shouting—just a command… as if everything was under his control.
Did he know Joseph's true nature? Did he know Joseph was the killer of those three? Did he know what had happened inside the maze?
Then he remembered something else…
That entity… that mist that gave him power… was all that was happening now just an extension of that thing?
**
Joseph reached his home but didn't enter.
He stood before the door, hands in his pockets, head bowed, staring at the ground as if searching for an answer.
The darkness around him was thick, and the wind blew quietly through the alleys.
But he felt… the real storm had not yet begun.