Meanwhile, at the Commercial District Analysis Team's office.
Assistant Manager Oh Ilman returned from the printer with a stack of documents. When he noticed Jinhyeok's empty desk, he tilted his head.
"Assistant Manager Choi, hasn't the team leader come back yet?"
"I'm not sure. Didn't he go out for lunch?"
"Hmm. He's been gone for an awfully long time just to have lunch. Hasn't it been at least three hours?"
"Huh? Maybe he went out for a site visit."
Manager Park Jongil frowned as he listened to their conversation.
That wasn't like Jinhyeok.
Whenever he had a site visit scheduled, he always told his team members when he expected to return. He would also assign them plenty of work to finish before he got back.
Jongil sprang to his feet and examined Jinhyeok's desk.
"...His laptop bag is missing."
The jacket that should have been hanging over the back of his chair was gone too, along with the documents he had received from the Franchise Operations Team.
That meant he hadn't simply gone out for lunch.
The three employees looked at one another, all wondering the same thing.
"Maybe he really did go out on a site visit!"
"Hang on. I'll give him a call."
Jongil immediately picked up his smartphone.
The call disconnected before ten seconds had passed.
It had been declined.
"...He's not answering."
Just as Jongil stared at his phone in confusion, a short text message arrived.
[Out on a site visit. Let's talk later.]
All three stared blankly at the indifferent message.
Silence.
Then Jongil's face turned deathly pale.
"...He left us behind and went alone! Without even telling us! He sneaked out!"
"Where on earth could he have gone...?"
Ilman adjusted his glasses, making the others even more anxious.
"Do you think he deliberately left without saying anything? Maybe it's a situation that would put us in a difficult position if we got involved..."
His words reminded them of Jinhyeok's past.
Whenever Deputy Manager Kim Seokhun assigned him work that might cause trouble, Jinhyeok had never dragged his team members into it.
Sometimes, he even took difficult assignments away from them and became the one who had to endure all the criticism.
Whenever there was an opportunity to earn recognition, he pushed his team members forward.
But when there was blame to be taken or unpleasant work to be done, he quietly shouldered it alone.
That was the kind of person Jinhyeok had always been in their eyes.
"This is bad. I think he's taken on something really troublesome."
Jongil muttered under his breath.
The troublesome cases that even the Franchise Operations Team had given up on.
None of them would be easy to resolve.
And knowing Jinhyeok, he had probably chosen the most serious problem of them all.
Jongil was biting his lip, convinced he had figured out why Jinhyeok had slipped away, when someone spoke.
"Um... Manager Park?"
"Yeah? What is it, Assistant Manager Choi?"
"Should I try to find out where he went?"
"Huh? How?"
Iseul's mind raced.
She couldn't tell them that she could probably find out by asking Taesik.
This was a situation that called for a well-intentioned lie.
"I'm pretty close to someone in Human Resources. The team leader must have submitted an off-site work request, so I'll ask her about it."
"Oh! That's a great idea! Go and see what you can find out!"
With Jongil and Ilman cheering her on, Iseul pretended to head toward Human Resources and instead made her way to the division director's office.
It was a pointless trip.
Even Taesik had no idea that Jinhyeok had gone to Balsan-dong.
For the next ten minutes after Iseul left, Jongil bombarded Jinhyeok with messages.
[Team Leader, where are you? Did you really go alone?]
[I'm ready to leave right now. Just send me your location. Even if nobody else comes, I should be there with you!]
[Team Leader! Please say something! If you keep ignoring me, I'll have to report you missing. I'm worried about you, Team Leader. T_T]
Something was strange.
The unread indicators beside his messages kept disappearing, but Jinhyeok wasn't replying.
Just as the increasingly desperate Jongil began seriously considering dialing 112, a message finally arrived.
[Call me from somewhere nobody else is around. Make absolutely sure you're alone.]
Jongil's fingers froze.
It was the reply he had been waiting for.
After checking his surroundings, he rushed up the emergency staircase, taking the steps two at a time, and climbed onto the rooftop.
Then he made the call.
"Team Leader, I'm on the roof. There's nobody around."
-Are you sure?
"Yes. I've checked the entire roof. I'm also standing where I can watch the door in case someone comes up."
Jinhyeok's voice dropped an octave.
-Jongil.
"...Yes, Team Leader. I'm listening."
-This is extremely serious. You absolutely must not tell anyone else.
This wasn't the way Jinhyeok usually spoke.
He was someone who rarely showed any sign of distress, no matter how difficult the situation became.
Hearing the weight in his voice, Jongil instinctively straightened his back.
-If word gets out, a lot of people could end up in danger.
"...What's going on?"
-Answer me first. Can you keep this to yourself?
Jongil's voice rose without him realizing it.
He had always trusted and followed Jinhyeok, and it hurt that his loyalty was being questioned.
"Team Leader, don't you trust me? I'm Park Jongil! I'd go to hell in your place if you asked me to!"
-Hahaha. I know. That's why you're the first person I called.
"Just tell me what to do. I'll make sure not even an ant can eavesdrop!"
A short sigh came through the phone.
-Don't get too carried away. Just write this down.
Jongil took out his notebook.
-Eight years ago, a local newspaper in Gangseo-gu went out of business. I think the owner was a man named Han Myeongjin. Find out what article he was working on when everything fell apart. I also want to know where he is and what he's doing now.
"An old newspaper... In that case, I should be able to find it at the National Library of Korea."
-Right. If you can't find enough material, go and see Reporter Moon Daegi. You remember the reporter we met during the artifact investigation in Yangjae-dong, don't you?
"...Yes! The one who gave us the documents related to the artifacts?"
-That's him. I'll send you his contact information. But don't mention Seongun under any circumstances.
That last condition seemed a little strange.
"...What? Why not?"
-...
"Hello? Did I ask something I shouldn't have?"
-Yes. It's too early for you to know. Right now, keeping you in the dark is how I'm protecting you.
"Understood, Team Leader."
Jinhyeok's voice grew serious again.
-There are a few more things you need to remember. Don't search for anything on a company computer. Use your personal laptop.
"...Yes."
-No matter where you go or what questions you ask, don't reveal that you're a Seongun employee. Leave your business cards behind too.
"...U-Understood."
-And one last thing. Don't come anywhere near me.
Jongil's eyebrows trembled.
He could follow every other instruction, but this one didn't seem right.
"Team Leader."
-What?
"...Are you somewhere dangerous right now?"
The other end of the line fell silent.
The veins on the back of Jongil's hand stood out as he gripped the rooftop railing.
