Wendy took a seat in the living room. The chair was soft and plushy, the type that was made of genuine leather. The interior of the house looked just about as fairytale-like as the outside. The living room had a fireplace alive with crackling flames. It seemed to melt the chill from her body. The walls of the house were decorated with ancient looking paintings, both beautiful and mysterious at the same time. Wendy let her eyes wander. Took in the new sights.

“I hope you’re comfortable. I’m sorry for the mess, I haven’t been able to get to cleaning lately,” Mrs. Han said.

She hustled in with a tray of milk and cookies. Wendy immediately jumped up from her seat. Rushed to help. “No, it’s no problem at all. Please, let me help you with that.”

“Ah, thank you, sweetie,” Han Yumi said.

She smiled warmly at Wendy. Handed the tray over to her. Wendy placed the tray down on the wooden coffee table then returned to her seat. The older woman took a seat across from her. Wendy noticed the way she seemed to sink into the overly comfortable chair, as if she hadn’t been able to relax for a long while. It was quiet for a few moments, the only sound was the crackling of the fireplace. Wendy let her gaze drift over to the bright flames before her attention was diverted once more. 

“Jisoo loves winter. When she was little she would always try to sneak out into the backyard to play in the snow,” Yumi said. Her gaze was somber and distant, her smile laden with silent grief.

Wendy was compelled to comfort the woman. Leaned forward and attempted to promise her to return her child to her. Yumi seemed to return to the present, her eyes sparking like the flames in the fireplace.

“You will find her, won’t you? Please. I can’t—“ the woman’s voice broke, sounding cracked and strained, “I can’t live without her. She’s the only thing I have left.” Yumi crumpled over, her face buried in her hands.

Wendy stood up. Quickly made her way around the table to sit down beside the older woman. She smoothed her hand down the woman’s back. “We will do all we can to bring your daughter back home to you. I swear.” 

Wendy felt anger and determination brewing inside of her. Listened to the woman’s sobs and fueled it more. She would get those teenagers no matter what it took.

The woman cried for a few more excruciating minutes. Finally calmed down, hiccuping like a small child. “Thank you. Thank you so much, agent.”

“Of course. Now, if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother, I would like to ask you what kind of girl Jisoo was,” Wendy said.

“No, it wouldn’t be a bother, of course not. Jisoo was a sweet girl. She did well in school, she helped me out whenever she could. Ever since Jisoo’s father passed away, she became a bit distant, but she’s still as bright as ever.”

Wendy nodded. Noticed an obvious warmth in her voice as she talked about her daughter, and was strongly reminded of her own mother back in Canada. She cleared . Shifted slightly continuing. 

“Where was she on that night?”

“She was at her tutoring place. I should have been there to pick her up, but—”

“At her tutoring place near twelve?”

“Y-Yes. She had an exam the next day, and she wanted to study a bit longer.”

Wendy pulled out her notebook and pen from her pockets. Neatly jotted down her findings. “Does the place usually stay open that late?”

“Yes. They stay open until twelve, but Jisoo usually comes back by ten.”

Wendy nodded. Continued to add notes to the pages. “Did you notice anything odd over the weeks before that day? Even months?” 

Wendy looked up. Caught a slight shift in Han Yumi’s demeanor, a little tensing of her body that signalled something was wrong..

“…Yes, actually. This is something that I hadn’t told the police about because I was rather out of it then, but now that I think about it, a few days before Jisoo disappeared, I saw her throw her phone across her room. Jisoo’s very gentle and careful, especially with her things and I was wo