On a Monday morning five weeks later, I received a call. I wasn't sure who it was, because I was in the shower. When I tried to call back, it went straight to voicemail. Just as I was about to put my cellphone back down, it buzzed in my hand. A text. 

«Chanyeol isn't dead.» it read. It was an unknown number again. 

I dropped my cellphone to the soft carpet bedroom floor. What was the meaning of this? I couldn't believe what this was telling me. It's a hoax. It's a cruel prank, a ruthless joke. But I hadn't told anyone but my family and his family. So how did anyone find out? And why were they suddenly flipping my world back upside down when I was finally getting used to the pain? Why were they opening healing wounds? 

«Who is this?» I texted back. 

There was no reply for a long time. Just when I was about to break down from the nerves, my phone buzzed again. Lunging for it, I quickly realized it was just a reminder that work starts in an hour. I had to go bright and early. Northerners work well for less, the bosses are on a lay-off spree. 

I woke up Chanyoung and quickly dressed his sleepy body, so still and heavy he was almost a corpse. The menacing voice in my head added, just like his father. I shook my head and pulled on his shirt and his skinny arms through the sleeves. 

"Eomma..." he groaned. "What time is it?" His mumbles were barely audible, but I was able to barely make out what he was saying. 

"It's very early. I need to drop you off to Yura-gomo's house, okay? Jihong's house. You can go back to sleep, I'll carry you." I picked him up and carried him to the entrance where I put his shoes on for him and then my own. I was used to skipping breakfast, and he could just as well have some at his aunt's house when he actually woke up. I got him into Chanyeol's car. I don't know why, but it was always his car, no matter how alive he wasn't. I'd just gotten my driver's license last month and it was such a relief. 

Yura's house was on the way to work, so I could drop Chanyoung off there for the day. The woman running his usual daycare had just fallen ill, so she couldn't take care of him anymore. I needed to look for a new babysitter. Crud. 

Lost in my train of thought, I missed the turn onto Yura's street. I did a (technically illegal, but no one was around to see) U-turn. I got into her apartment's parking lot and made my best effort not to wake my sleeping child when I picked him up from his car seat. 

When I got inside, I dialled up her unit and she opened the door. I got onto the elevator and pressed the wrong number. What is wrong with me today? I pondered as I pressed the button twice to cancel it out and pressed the right one. The doors dinged a little too loud for my liking, and Chanyoung stirred. 

At her door, Yura whispered, "Here, I'll take him." as she took Chanyoung's weight into her own arms. 

I whispered a sincere, "Thank you." before leaving. Her door slowly closed. 

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. It was another anonymous text. I was almost afraid to read it. But my eyes flew over the blocks anyway. 

«Lucky Café, you know it? Meet me in 15.» the text read. 

"You, who?" I asked myself in frustration. I convinced myself that it must be a coincidence that Lucky Café was where he'd taken me on that first date. Back then it had a different name, but after the owner changed, they changed the name. 

«You expect me to skip work to meet some random person I don't even know?» I wrote, but I hesitated on the 'send' button. 

Before I could send, the sender predicted what I was going to say. «I have answers you want. The government is telling you he died because they don't want to go to the trouble of finding him.» 

"What the hell?" I asked myself, but this person was giving me an offer I would actually be an idiot to refuse if it was true. I needed to test my chances. 

I got back in my car decisive. I still hadn't texted back. I took to my phone again. «What do you look like?» 

***

A male, average height, wearing a bright red hoodie. That was what I was searching for, and so far no one met the criteria. It was way too hot for a hoodie, what was this guy thinking? 

I sat down at a table. A waitress saw me and smiled. "Hello, welcome to Lucky Café, what can I get you?" 

"Large black please." I said. She nodded and left. 

I took out my phone and called my supervisor to tell her I would be a little late because my son had a doctor's appointment. She excused me since I almost never was late and this year I'd only used a single one of my sick days and it was already August. But I still felt like this was a tick on her nearly spotless "Reasons to Fire Min Seulyoung" list. 

I checked my phone for the time. 7:38, fourteen minutes since the text that asked me to come here. Was he one of those people who came exactly on the dot? Just