14/ / first case

Mon smiled, picking up on Soojung’s suspicions.  “Rather than help, I think we had valuable discussions on how to solve some of the problems. You’re smart Soojung.  Don’t you ever doubt that, ok?  Did you think we would tell just anyone about these gaps?” 

Soojung looked disbelievingly back at him but Mon continued to say, “Do you have any questions?  I’m surprised how well you’re taking all of this.”

Soojung was still very puzzled about what Mon, Jin and Jungkook actually did.

“Who’s M?  And what do you guys actually do?”

They had finally arrived at Jamsil Middle School and Mon motioned for Soojung to follow in through the open gates.  It was 6pm but because the students usually studied until very late in the evening, the school gates would be open until very late. 

As Mon led the way, he said, “M works for the police.  He gives us information about missing people.  We work out if we think it’s a ‘gap’ case or not.  If we think the person has disappeared through a gap, we will go find them.”

“But why is someone from the police giving sensitive information to a university student?”

“Because he owes me.”  Mon said simply.  “I can explain more once you decide if you want to help us.”

“How many people have you found so far?”

“3.  The rate that people go missing from gaps is quite low usually.  But the numbers of missing people have increased in the last month.  We haven’t checked if all of them are a gap case or not yet.  It is a bit strange.”

Mon had guided Soojung towards the end of the schoolyard, near a basketball court.  There was a tall brick wall, which made up the boundary of the school edges.  He examined the dark crack in the brick wall. 

“This is it.” He said as he smoothed his fingers over the slight opening in the wall.  “Gaps usually form in dark places like cracks or shadows.”

He suddenly took Soojung’s hand and placed it over the crack. 

“Do you feel the magnetic pull?”  He asked.

Soojung moved her hand away and towards the crack again.  It was very slight, but there was a pull she felt towards the wall like a strange gravitational pull.

“It’s very faint,” Soojung commented.

“Not all the gaps are the same.  This is a moderately weak gap.  If we slip in this one we cannot stay long.  Weak gaps can disappear.  Then, we will get stuck,” Mon had said it like it was a very ordinary thing to say. 

After seeing the anxious expression on Soojung’s face, he explained, “They disappear very slowly, this one would probably take a couple of years.  It must be extremely weak and unstable for it to disappear.  We won’t go into those.  Don’t worry Soojung.”

“Even if we think someone on the other side is stuck there?”  The thought of her parents stuck on another side of the gap, never being able to be reached scared her.  And even though she didn’t want to admit it, she knew it had been far too long since they had gone missing.

“Always the hard questions.”  He said with a chuckle.  “Depends.  We will discuss the risks and make a decision.  If we knew that there was definitely someone on the other side, like more than 70% sure and we know how weak the gap is, we can do the calculations and see if it’s worth going.  But I’m not going to risk your life to potentially lose you in the gap as well.”

Are you ready?”