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***

Breathing in and out, savoring the gentle rhythm, Seohyun pauses during her Sunday morning jog. The park buzzes with fellow runners, yet she relishes her solitary stride, finding solace in her own company. For her, the tranquility of this moment fuels her inner peace, a vital preparation for the challenges awaiting her tomorrow. As she moves, both her mind and body synchronize, forging resilience for the day ahead. 

After a brief respite, she resumed her jog, tracing familiar paths around the neighborhood, now on her 20th circuit of the day.

Arriving at the apartment just before 9 in the morning, Seohyun encountered Mrs. Im amid laundry duties in the laundry room. Eager to lend a hand, she approached, but Mrs. Im closed the door before Seohyun could offer assistance. Acknowledging the unspoken cue, Seohyun gracefully accepted the gesture, choosing to retreat to her room.

Settling comfortably into her chair, Seohyun inadvertently grazed her arm against the laptop's mouse, causing the screen to flicker to life. In an instant, a detailed chart materialized, revealing the roster of individuals associated with the National Tennis Club. The comprehensive list spanned from the club's director and president down to specific teams, delineating categories such as the female and male teams along with the doubles team.

Seohyun instinctively reached for the mouse, scrolling through the photos and names displayed on the screen. As she perused, a nagging thought surfaced: the news reports solely spotlighted members of the male team, neglecting any mention of Yoona's team. This raised a flag of suspicion in her mind, especially considering the prolonged absence of the male team from the club. Despite their headquarters' relocation, their vanishing act for months puzzled her, especially in contrast to Hong Nae, who had already departed for the U.S. 

Adding to the intrigue was the absence of updates about Ahn Hyo Seop's group, leaving her captivated by the mystery of their sudden hiatus from training when they had already returned from vacation.

"Ahjussi Kim, he's the key to cracking this mental puzzle," she murmured, reclining in her chair, fixated on the monitor. The aged security guard, absent since the incident, held the answers she sought.

"Why does fear grip everyone, preventing their return?" she quipped a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. "Ahjussi should have been home by now, shouldn't he?" She reached for her phone, fingers tracing the side, and glanced at her messages. Her eyes widened as she realized Byeong-kyu had just sent her a message two minutes earlier.

Opening it, she found a photo sent by her friend—Ahjussi, stepping into his home, accompanied by a terse message: "Hurry, before it's too late."

"Damn it, always blabbing like I'm in a conversation," she cursed, snatching her jacket and helmet as she bolted out of her room. "Back before lunch, Mrs. Im," she called out before swiftly exiting the apartment.

She'd been absent for three days, occupied with a stakeout alongside her friend, stationed outside Mr. Kim's house. During this surveillance, they discovered that the elderly man had lost his job and was actively seeking new employment. This search, however, kept him away from home most of the time.

—

Bracing herself, she pressed the old doorbell twice in front of Mr. Kim's home. She stood before the camera, making sure the old man inside the house could see her from the outside.

After a minute, Mr. Kim's voice echoed through the speaker, "Ms. Seo? Is that you? Omo, come in." He sounded happy when he talked to her and instantly the gate was unlocked. 

"I'll wait outside." Byeong-kyu said and she nodded in agreement as she headed inside. Mr. Kim greeted her with a warm hug by the door which she returned genuinely.

"How are you doing, Ms. Seo?" The old man asked as he guided her to his humble living room. "Hold on, what drink should I prepare?" He suddenly panics.

"It's okay, Mr. Kim. I'm just here for a quick reason." Seohyun declined.

"No, let's catch up. I'll prepare some orange juice then. Hold on a second." said Mr. Kim before he disappeared to his kitchen.

Seohyun was left speechless so she decided to check on the picture frames in the living room. It has photos of his family and his friends. But the photo of Yoona and him was unexpected for her. She smiled, feeling proud that her girlfriend was good to people around her working space.

"Oh, that was when she returned from her first win in Asian Games." Mr. Kim shares when he returned and found Seohyun looking at their photo.

Seohyun swiftly turned her attention to him as she took her seat across him. "You are a fan of Yoona too, Ahjussi?" she wonders.

"Yup. Since she was a rookie." Mr. Kim admitted and smiled briefly as she shared a cup of tea with Seohyun. "So... how is it going?"

"I'm good, but I heard you lost your job, Ahjussi?" 

"Oh, I didn't lost it. I quit my job." 

Seohyun was slightly surprised. "Why? They have a new building now, aren't they?"

"Yes, but I couldn't get myself back to a company that doesn't protect the athletes. It was a tough time for me to even accept the fact that we lost Yoona." Mr. Kim sighed as he took a sip of his tea. "Not only that, the small employees weren't compensated."

"What?" Seohyun couldn't believe what she was hearing. "How could they do that to them?"

"I know right? But how are we going to protest about it? They were focusing on assisting some of the athletes only."

"Like who?"

"The male team. They were given the vacation while Yoona's team was only given a week to grieve and they return to work after that." Mr. Kim continued to share what he knew.

Contemplating the details, Seohyun decided to share her findings by placing the photos of the fire on the coffee table. "Despite the official explanation citing a kitchen accident, my investigation reveals a curious twist. The Director's table appears more significantly damaged than the kitchen itself. Surprisingly, the kitchen sustained only minor damages in contrast to the considerable impact on this office. How does that add up?"

"Have you been investigating all along?" Mr. Kim nearly dropped his cup in astonishment.

She nodded softly and pressed on, "That's precisely why I'm here. I'm trying to ascertain the accurate list of individuals present during the fire. You were on duty at that time, weren't you, Ahjussi?"

"I was. Hmm, let me retrieve the logbook," Mr. Kim recalled the last logbook he had salvaged from the old headquarters, currently stored in his room.

Seohyun lifted the cup, indulging in a few soothing sips of her tea before letting out a contented sigh. Relief washed over her as she observed that the elderly security guard hadn't been coerced into leaving the company. His demeanor exuded innocence, bringing a genuine sense of happiness to her.

Mr. Kim reappeared with a blue logbook, meticulously flipping through its pages to locate the date of the fire. "Here, these are the individuals who entered the building during that specific timeframe," he shared, placing the logbook on the coffee table for examination.

As Seohyun perused the list, her initial assumption proved accurate; all the male team members were indeed present. However, delving deeper, she discovered the unexpected inclusion of two young female tennis players. Both names coincided with those featured in the news articles. "Tzuyu was there too. She never mentioned it to me."

"And Chorong was there. Also if you noticed, two delivery guys were there before the fire happened." Mr. Kim recalled and he flipped a few pages to get the calling cards he received from food delivery guys. "You might as well check on them. I heard the girls ordered fried chicken while the boys ordered donuts." 

Gratefully, Seohyun accepted the cards, saying, "Thank you, Ahjussi. These might prove valuable for my investigation."

"Don't mention, I'm glad to help." 

"However, can you recall the events you witnessed leading up to the outbreak of the fire?" Seohyun, eager for more information, posed another question in her quest for details.

"I apologize for my limited movement; I only left my post briefly to use the restroom. During that short absence, the area was vacant, and upon my return, I discovered that a fire had ignited. I promptly contacted the fire department. Mr. Kim honestly recounted the sequence of events, advising, "To unravel the mystery, consider investigating the individuals listed on that business card. May you find the answers swiftly and resolve the situation." His hopeful words echoed a shared wish for a positive outcome.

Seohyun expressed her gratitude with a nod and a warm smile, saying, "Thank you, Ahjussi. If you ever need assistance, I'd be happy to recommend you to my school." She handed him her business card as a gesture of goodwill.

"Does your school accept old security guards like me?" Mr. Kim grabbed the chance and asked. Seohyun smiled and nodded in response.

***

As Taeyeon enjoyed her daily coffee and immersed herself in a book, a message from her brother's private tennis club interrupted her routine. Swiftly setting aside her coffee and book, she rushed upstairs after reading the message notifying her of her brother's absence from the class the previous day. On reaching his balcony, she discovered Yuri engaged in stretching exercises with headphones on. Without bothering to call out, she surprised him by snatching the headphones away.

"Noona!" Yuri/Yoona quickly composed himself. "What's the matter?" he asked, swiftly snatching his headphones back.

"What's going on? You missed your first class yesterday," Taeyeon conveyed, sharing the school's message from her phone with an undertone of disappointment.

"Oh, there are reasons," Yuri/Yoona sheepishly replied, rubbing the back of his head. "But I promise, starting next week, I'll make sure to attend," he assured.

"Is that so? You better stick to your promise. By the way, someone is coming over to the house now. I don't think it's the teacher, but it seems like they can help you get ready for class," Taeyeon revealed, sharing the additional message she had received. "By the way, where were you yesterday? The driver mentioned you had dinner with someone," she inquired, seizing the opportunity to ask her brother.

"What?!" Yuri/Yoona exclaimed. "He spilled the beans?" He couldn't believe the driver had betrayed his trust. Despite explicitly requesting the driver not to disclose anything about the dinner, it seemed the driver had casually shared the information with his sister.

"I inquired about you last night, and he was truthful then. So, who was it?" Taeyeon moved closer to her brother, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "My little brother is keeping secrets, dating someone without my knowledge?" she teased, leaning in close despite the height difference.

"I... Um... it was..." Yuri/Yoona grimaced, taking a step back immediately. "I'll get my things ready now," he quickly declared, hastening towards the walk-in closet.

"Tsk, whoever it is, she better be someone I know," Taeyeon dismissed with a nonchalant shrug as she exited her brother's room. Instructing the maid to prepare snacks and drinks for their guest, she left the mansion to attend an event she had been invited to.

***

Following a task for Mrs. Im, Seohyun opted to explore the fried chicken spot Mr. Kim had recommended. A bustling line welcomed her, indicating the eatery's widespread popularity, particularly among the city's foreign residents. Eager to step inside, she was momentarily thwarted by a vigilant guard, who politely instructed her to join the queue before gaining entry.

Since she's not a big fan of fried chicken, she called Mrs. Im about it.

"Um, Mrs. Im, I wonder what kind of flavor you like me to buy for you for tonight's dinner?" She asked as she took her place in the queue. 

[What do you mean, Seohyun?]

"You see I'm stopping by a fried chicken restaurant. I know you like them, so how about a fried chicken fest?" 

[That's cool! Just buy whatever is the flavor. I love each of them.] Mrs. Im responded cheerfully.

"Got it. I'll call back later," she responded before returning her phone to her pocket. Lifting her chin, she attempted to gauge the number of people ahead and determine her position in line. A sigh escaped her when she realized she was the 30th person waiting. Frustration crept in as she muttered, "How long is this going to take?" She simply wanted to connect with the person from the business card; why the need for such a lengthy wait?

"Ugh, for the sake of more information, let's practice patience," she encouraged herself, punctuating the moment with a determined double fist pump.

After a while, she finally saw herself moving and moving until she was at the fifth spot. It was a good 2 hours and a half of her waiting in line, her legs were exhausted but she still managed to smile and greet the lady cashier on the counter. "I'd like to take out two boxes of spicy chicken and butter chicken, please. And I'm dining in for 1 box of honey fried chicken." she told her before she handed her credit card. The lady slid it in before she got it back.

"Please wait for fifteen minutes please." Said the lady cashier as she gave her a timer.

She smiled briefly before she looked for an empty table. She saw one next to their aircon and sat down with a sigh of relief. But while waiting, she observes the staff especially those delivery guys that come and go the place. Each of them has a nametag on their uniforms which she can read. "Lee Taemin." She murmured the name on the business card. 

Moments later her orders came and she hadn't seen the guy on the business card. However, she stayed and enjoyed the chicken while still observing the staff of the place.

"Omo, Teacher Seo~" However, a familiar voice spotted her instead. She looked back and found Taeyeon in a face mask with a baseball cap. She could recognize her because of her white porcelain skin and the way she waved her hand in the air. 

"What on earth a singer is doing here?" She muttered as it surprised her.

Taeyeon excitedly takes her seat across from her. "What's up? Why are you alone?" she asked like a close friend.

"I was..." Seohyun paused as she finally caught sight of Lee Taemin who just entered the place and disappeared to the kitchen.