Jake and Joshen stood in the middle of the abandoned construction site, dust clinging to their clothes and questions crowding their minds.
Jake broke the silence first.
"So… where exactly do we find this Han Seok guy?"
Joshen scoffed. "Oh yeah, because I obviously have his address memorized, huh?"
They stepped out of the site, wandering through the half-built lanes, completely clueless. Every turn felt wrong. Every path led nowhere.
Then Joshen suddenly froze.
"Wait—Jake."
"What now?" Jake sighed.
"I saw him. The guy I was talking about earlier… the one who separated himself from his family. Intentionally."
Jake raised an eyebrow, but followed as Joshen moved toward a man standing alone near the roadside.
The man noticed them and frowned.
"Huh? Young man, what are you doing here?"
Joshen didn't hesitate. "You answer my question first. Why did you suddenly disappear this morning?"
The man looked away. "Because my family was searching for me. They were getting close… so I had to leave that area."
Jake and Joshen spoke at the same time—
though only Joshen's voice reached him.
"You need to go back to your family. They need you."
The man clenched his fists. "How could I? I'm just a burden they have to carry around."
Soft, hurried footsteps approached.
"Dad… Dad!"
A small girl ran toward him, tears streaming down her face.
"Dan-bi… you're here?" he whispered. "Your mom—"
"Dad, we missed you," Dan-bi cried, clutching his leg. "Please come back to us."
A woman appeared behind her, arms crossed, a strangely warm smile on her face.
"So, honey," she said in a happily sarcastic tone, "where were you? And who gave you the right to decide whether you want to live with us or not? Who told you you're a burden, huh?"
He opened his mouth. "But—"
"No excuses," she cut in gently. "Just come with us. Who cares if you don't work? I'll support the family. And if you try your best, you'll find a job… or even start your own business."
Joshen stepped forward, relief softening his expression.
"Hey, dude. I'm really thankful for what you did for me. Now it's time to go back."
Inside his head, Jake had already lost all restraint.
"Look at you," he laughed uncontrollably. "All emotional and stuff—HAHA—"
"Just shut up," Joshen snapped. "We still need to find someone… if you remember."
Jake stopped laughing.
Right.
Han Seok.
Right before Joshen and Jake turned away, the man suddenly stopped.
Not abruptly—almost as if he had been waiting for the exact second.
He reached out and gently caught Joshen's wrist. His grip was light, yet firm enough to send a chill straight through Joshen's spine.
Then he leaned closer.
So close that Joshen could feel his breath near his ear.
"If the river is flowing," the man whispered, his voice barely louder than the wind,
"the sun is there to rise. Go there for your next clue."
Joshen stiffened.
Then the man added, almost casually—
"Jake… you can hear me, right?"
Jake froze.
The man let go, straightened himself, and walked back to his family. Within moments, he was laughing softly with his daughter, blending back into a picture so normal it felt unreal.
As if nothing strange had happened at all.
Silence swallowed the road.
Joshen and Jake stood there, unmoving, shock slowly turning into something colder—fear.
"What… the hell was that?" Jake finally muttered.
Joshen didn't answer immediately. His mind was still replaying the whisper, the certainty in that voice.
"Let's ignore how he somehow knew I could hear," Jake continued. "What did he even say? Was that some kind of riddle?"
Joshen exhaled slowly.
"If the river is flowing, the sun is there to rise."
Jake repeated it under his breath, tasting the words. "River… sunrise."
Joshen frowned. "So what? We go to a river at sunrise?"
"Exactly," Jake replied, unusually serious. "And I know a place that fits perfectly."
He paused, then added with a smirk, "But first, we need a place to sleep. I mean—a place for you to sleep, obviously."
Joshen rolled his eyes. "No worries. I'll just hit another guy. Let's go back to that prison for the night."
"Shut up."
Jake's voice cut through him like a slap.
"You're not testing that again. You're sleeping where you've been sleeping for the last three days. No stupid risks."
They walked back in silence.
The cracked floor welcomed them again, cold and uneven. Joshen lay down, staring at the dark ceiling. The man's words kept echoing in his head, refusing to settle.
Han Seok.
The name felt heavier now.
Sleep came suddenly.
Too suddenly.
"Hey."
The voice wasn't outside.
It was inside his head.
"Wake up. We need to go."
Joshen's eyes snapped open.
4:00 a.m.
The city was still asleep as they moved through empty streets. No cars. No voices. Just footsteps and the sound of breathing.
They walked for an hour without stopping.
Joshen finally groaned. "How much longer?"
"Don't you have even a bit of patience?" Jake replied.
Joshen scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You're not walking. I am. You don't know what this feels like."
Jake slowed down.
Then stopped.
"We arrived."
Joshen lifted his head.
They were standing beside a beach.
The sky was still dark, but the horizon had begun to glow faintly—soft shades of orange bleeding into the night. Waves rolled endlessly toward the shore, pulling back and returning in a steady rhythm.
Joshen's breath caught.
"Look, Jake… what's—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
The riddle clicked.
The river was flowing.
And the sun… was about to rise.
Jake stepped closer to the water. "Rivers don't always have to be rivers," he said quietly. "Flow is flow."
Joshen swallowed. "So he meant this place?"
Jake didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the shore.
Something felt wrong.
Not dangerous—aware.
"Joshen," Jake said slowly, "think about it. That man didn't just help people. He appeared exactly when things were about to break."
Joshen nodded. "And he disappeared before anyone could ask questions."
"Exactly." Jake clenched his fists. "He's not lost. He's not broken. He's… directing."
A faint sound interrupted them.
Footsteps.
Not behind them.
Ahead.
Joshen turned sharply. "Did you hear that?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah."
They moved forward.
The beach stretched on, empty and endless. Then—just for a second—Joshen saw it.
A figure.
Standing near the waterline.
Tall. Still.
Watching the sunrise.
"Jake…" Joshen whispered. "There."
Jake ran.
They reached the spot seconds later.
Nothing.
No footprints. No shadow.
Just the waves.
And something else.
A small stone placed carefully on the sand. Carved into it were...