They all gathered in the living room.
Ava sat curled on one end of the couch, Ethan standing near the window with his phone in hand. Kira was pacing, arms crossed, mind racing. Jack stayed close to her, quiet but alert.
Ethan finally spoke.
"I found something."
Everyone went still.
He turned the phone around.
"My dad's old work emails. One thread was deleted but not fully erased. It mentions a payment approval connected to Jun seo's department. Same time as the kidnapping."
Ava's breath caught.
"So… he was involved."
Kira stopped pacing.
"I told you. He hid something."
Jack stepped closer to Kira instinctively, his hand brushing her sleeve, grounding her.
"That's why," Jack said calmly, "I think we should tell your moms. All of them. They deserve to know."
Kira hesitated. Her jaw tightened.
"Hm… I'm not sure. I don't know if I actually trust them."
The room went quiet.
Ava looked up sharply.
"…Are you saying my mom would hurt me?"
Kira turned, eyes flashing.
"Everything is not always about you, Ava. Don't forget I included my mom too."
Ava stood up.
"Oh. So everything is not always about you either, huh? Nice, Yoonkira. Nice."
The words landed heavier than Ava probably meant.
Kira's face fell.
"That's not what I meant."
Jack immediately stepped in.
"Okay. Enough. Both of you."
He gently touched Kira's arm.
"Kie, come with me. Let's cool down."
Kira hesitated, then nodded, following him outside.
⸻
Outside
The evening air was cool, quiet compared to the storm inside her chest.
Kira leaned against the porch railing, rubbing her arms.
"I didn't mean it like that," she muttered.
"I just… what if we're wrong? What if telling them breaks everything?"
Jack stood beside her, not too close, not too far.
"You're scared. That doesn't make you bad."
She laughed bitterly.
"Neo jeongmal… you're too calm."
He smiled softly.
"Someone has to be."
Kira looked down.
"I trust Ava. I do. I just don't trust the past."
Jack nodded.
"And that's okay. But hiding it will only make it worse. You don't have to carry this alone."
She swallowed hard.
"…Maybe."
Jack gently nudged her shoulder.
"We'll do it together. Okay?"
Kira nodded slowly.
"Okay."
Inside the house, Ava watched them through the window, guilt tugging at her chest.
Nothing was broken yet.
But something had definitely shifted.
....
Ava sat on the edge of the bed, knees pulled to her chest. The house felt too loud even though no one was really talking. Her chest felt tight, like she had said something she couldn't take back.
There was a light knock on the door.
"Ava… it's me," Ethan said gently.
She hesitated, then sighed.
"Come in."
Ethan stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He didn't rush to talk. He just sat beside her, leaving a little space, like he always did.
After a moment, Ava whispered,
"I didn't mean to snap at her."
"I know," Ethan replied quietly.
"You're scared."
That was it. That simple sentence broke her.
Ava's eyes filled.
"What if everything I thought was safe isn't? What if my mom knew something and didn't tell me? I'm tired of being the last to know things about my own life."
Ethan turned to her then, really looking at her.
"You're allowed to be angry. And you're allowed to be hurt. But Kira is scared too. This stuff goes deeper than both of you."
Ava nodded slowly.
"I know. I just… when she said she didn't trust our moms, it felt like she was saying my mom could hurt me on purpose."
Ethan shook his head.
"I don't think that's what she meant. I think she's afraid of finding out something she can't undo."
Ava let out a shaky breath.
"Why do you always say the right thing."
He smiled softly.
"I don't. I just care about you."
She looked at him then, really looked at him. The steadiness in his eyes. The way he never made her feel rushed or broken or too much.
"I like you," Ava said quietly.
"I mean… I really like you. Not because everything is falling apart. But because when I'm with you, it doesn't feel like it is."
Ethan's expression softened.
"I like you too, Ava. And I'm not going anywhere. Even when things get messy."
She leaned her head against his shoulder. Not dramatic. Not rushed. Just calm.
For the first time that night, Ava felt like she could breathe.
Outside the room, the mystery was still waiting. The truth was still tangled.
But in that moment, she knew one thing clearly.
She wasn't alone.
Ava stood outside for a long moment before knocking. The house was quiet again, the tension still hanging in the air like unfinished words. She took a breath and stepped into the backyard.
Kira was sitting on the low step near the garden, knees pulled close, staring at nothing. Ava hesitated, then walked over slowly.
"Kie…" she said softly.
Kira didn't look up at first.
Ava swallowed.
"I'm sorry. What I said earlier wasn't fair. I was hurt, but that doesn't mean I get to make everything about me."
Kira finally looked up. Her eyes were tired, not angry.
"I know. I shouldn't have snapped either. I'm just scared, Ava. Of what we might find."
Ava nodded.
"So am I. But we're supposed to be scared together, right?"
That earned a small smile from Kira.
Before either of them could say more, Jack cleared his throat from a few steps away.
"Hey. I thought maybe you could use some air."
Kira stood up, brushing her hands on her jeans.
"Yeah. I think I do."
She glanced at Ava.
"We'll be back."
Ava nodded, watching them walk a little distance away.
⸻
Jack and Kira stopped near the fence, the night breeze cool against their faces.
"You okay?" Jack asked gently.
Kira sighed.
"Not really. But better than before."
He nodded.
"You don't have to decide everything tonight. Or protect everyone at once."
She laughed quietly.
"Neo jeongmal… you always say things like that."
Jack smiled.
"I mean them."
She looked at him then, really looked at him.
"Thank you. For pulling me out before I said something worse."
He shrugged.
"That's my job. Apparently."
For a second, the world felt calm again.
Until footsteps interrupted them.
⸻
Judith appeared at the edge of the yard, holding something small and rectangular in her hand.
"We need to talk. All of us," she said, her voice serious.
They regrouped inside. Ava, Ethan, Kira, Jack, all gathered around the coffee table. Judith placed a small disk drive on it like it weighed more than it should.
"I found this hidden in one of the old boxes from the lake incident," Judith said.
"It took me weeks to get it working."
Ethan frowned.
"What's on it?"
Judith plugged it into the laptop.
The screen flickered, then stabilized.
Video footage.
Grainy. Old. Shaky.
The lake. The same dock. The same summer.
A man's voice off camera.
"Make sure she doesn't run."
Ava's breath hitched.
Then the camera turned slightly and caught a familiar figure in the background. Not clear enough to fully see his face, but clear enough to recognize his posture. His watch. His stance.
Kira's blood went cold.
"That's… that's my uncle," she whispered.
Silence fell heavy in the room.
Judith closed the laptop slowly.
"This video proves he wasn't just hiding things after. He was involved back then."
No one spoke.
Jack reached for Kira's hand without thinking. She didn't pull away.
Ava looked at the disk drive, heart pounding.
"So this is it," she said quietly.
"The proof we needed."
And in that moment, they all understood.
The mystery was no longer just fear and suspicion.
It was real.
And it was finally unraveling.