It was a tough nut to crack. The disappearance of Y/N and Grace was tangled up with the police, and altering government records required serious authority. That meant going back to Incheon, back to when Y/N, Wooyoung, and the rest of the team were working together. They had to reopen Mr. Lee's case, the one that had propelled Wooyoung forward but had also led to his breakup with Y/N. That case had changed everything back then, and perhaps it was about to shake things up once more.

Wooyoung had everything packed up again, ready to head off to Incheon. He hadn't been back since he transferred to Seoul, and the thought of returning stirred up a lot of memories. Every street and every corner reminded him of the times he spent exploring with Y/N, making it tough to revisit. With a frustrated sigh, he realized it had been almost three weeks already, and impatience was creeping in. Nevertheless, he grabbed his bag and made his way to the airport where Yunho and his team were waiting.

As he boarded the plane, Wooyoung felt a mix of uncertainty and nervousness, making it perhaps the longest flight of his life. Why did fate have to play such cruel tricks on him? The woman he loved was out there somewhere, yet he couldn't be with her. All he wished for was a chance to have Y/N back in his life. Little did he expect the onslaught of media attention awaiting him at the airport.

Cameras flashed, microphones were in his direction, and questions rained down on him, but what cut through the noise was one particular reporter's inquiry about Y/N and Grace's disappearance.

"Mr. Wooyoung, what do you have to say about your wife and child's disappearance? Did you try to bury it under the recent events in Seoul?" The pointed questions dripped with disdain, hitting a nerve with Wooyoung.

It was true, the disappearance had been overshadowed by the chaos in Seoul. The timing was too perfect, almost like it had been planned. Despite Wooyoung's pleas, the authorities had put Y/N's case on hold until now, and the reporters were taking full advantage of it. Already sensitive to the matter, Wooyoung lost his cool and threw a punch at the reporter who pushed too far.

As chaos ensued, Yunho and his team quickly escorted Wooyoung away, leaving the stunned reporters behind, exchanging bewildered glances as they processed what just happened.

The whole drama with the immigrants and that poor woman they harassed? blew up like wildfire, completely stealing the spotlight from Y/N and Grace's disappearance. It was a double-edged sword for Wooyoung. Being stuck in the Seoul police department meant he couldn't officially handle the missing persons' case down in Jeju. But with all the media frenzy surrounding the September 20th incident, it gave him a chance to dig around unofficially for any leads on Y/N and Grace.

The thing is, Wooyoung's hunches led him nowhere, and the media didn't miss that. He couldn't figure out how the reporter got wind of Y/N and Grace. He never spilled the beans about them to anyone. Just as he was about to grill the reporter about it, he got yanked into a taxi before he could even open his mouth.

"That looks like it hurts," remarked the reporter holding the notepad, his face twisting in sympathy as he passed an ice bag to soothe the swollen and red cheek of his colleague. The reporter shot him a glare, snatching the ice bag away.

"Of course, it hurts, Jongo, thanks a bunch," the reporter replied through gritted teeth. "How dare he punch me," he muttered, pressing the ice bag against his cheek.

"How did you find out about his wife and child being missing?" Another voice piped up from a nearby table in the café where they sat. A man with an imposing figure and intense gaze approached them, his sharp cheekbones adding to his imposing presence. "It was kept under wraps by the police and never made it to the news," he said, pulling up a chair at their table.

"And who might you be?" the reporter inquired.

"Mingi, from the Busan police department," the man replied, his deep voice carrying an air of authority.

"I'm Hongjoong, the head reporter, and he is Jongho my colleague." the reporter introduced himself, gesturing towards his teammate, Jongho. "We heard rumors that Wooyoung was covering up his family's disappearance to protect his reputation, likely involving someone from within. We picked it up from a conversation in Incheon, but it was too vague to verify. Now, here we are," he added, indicating his bruised cheek. "Seems those rumors weren't so baseless after all," he concluded, earning a nod from Mingi.

"Yes, if this information got out, it means there's a mole within," Mingi remarked, eyeing the ID card ribbons of Hongjoong and Jongho, which bore the name of their company, ‘PERFECT SCHEDULE’ "Do you happen to know who his wife is?" Mingi inquired, prompting looks of confusion from both Jongho and Hongjoong.

"How would we know?" Jongho responded.

"I assumed since she worked at your company, you might've known Y/N," Mingi stated matter-of-factly, eliciting shocked expressions from the duo.

"Y/N," they echoed in unison.

They couldn't believe their ears. Y/N, kidnapped? Y/N having a kid? When did Y/N tie the knot? A flurry of questions swirled through their minds. "Our Y/N, our intern Y/N," Hongjoong murmured, reminiscing about the old days when Y/N was just a rookie under his wing.

Y/N and Jongho started out as colleagues, fresh faces in the field. But soon, they formed a formidable trio known as 'DEAR'—short for deadly reporters. They worked shoulder to shoulder, and Y/N's foreign background gave her an edge as a fluent linguist, landing her a spot in the crime branch at the Incheon police department.

Saying goodbye to their trio was inevitable for Y/N, but she remained close to Hongjoon and Jongho, until that fateful day five years ago.

"What can we do?" Hongjoong interjected, his tone laced with concern.

"Yeah, please tell us," Jongho added, his expression mirroring the worry evident on their faces.

Mingi, excusing h