Chapter 169:

Lee-yeon recreated the garden she had put off and postponed for so long. She cleaned the soil, carefully selected the seeds, and dug the ground, reliving the day she had let slip away without any motivation.

She cleaned up the broken flowerpots and tilled the soil to plant new ones, though it was regrettable. She threw away the spoiled side dishes without hesitation and filled the refrigerator with dishes that suited her taste.

The second-floor room remained tightly shut, and she spent her days under the sun while eating and sleeping diligently, wondering if fall was coming.

She had a book tucked under her armpit and was surprised by the suddenly cool air. However, as she sat down leisurely, a thought came to her mind, and she immediately called Choo-ja.

“Choo-ja, how’s Gyu-baek doing? Have you been to his house?” She asked anxiously, as if the end of the call tone was creeping up on her.

– “I almost died waiting for your call. I was just about to call you.”

“Summer vacation is almost over, but I have no idea what he’s doing or where he is.”

– “Well... it’s a bit strange.”

“Strange? What do you mean?”

Lee-yeon narrowed her eyes at Choo-ja’s hesitant voice.

“When I last went there, nobody was home, but when I went again today...”

“Who is it?!”

At that moment, someone rang the doorbell and pounded on the front door. Lee-yeon nervously looked at the two pairs of shoe tips visible under the blue door. For some reason, her mouth became dry, and her heart raced.

“I’m from Hwayang Police Station, are you So Lee-yeon?”

At the same time, she heard another voice in her other ear.

– “That kid must be missing, can’t find him anywhere.”

“...!”

With a sudden premonition, Lee-yeon ran to the front door and opened it. As expected, a police officer in uniform was standing there, giving her a sharp look.

“Not at all, he actually disliked them because he thought they destroyed nature.”

“Hmm...”

The police officer furrowed his brow and zoomed in on the screen. As the image of Gyu-baek entering the trunk was enlarged, all four pairs of eyes gathered in one place. They simultaneously tilted their heads and furrowed their brows.

“...!”

“Is that him extending his hand? Do you see it? What is that?”

“Can we enlarge it a bit more?”

Lee-yeon observed Gyu-baek’s unexpected behavior carefully. When the police officer zoomed in on the screen again, Lee-yeon suddenly jumped up.

“What is that?!”

“....!”

“Lee-yeon’s eyes widened.

It was some kind of wriggling pincer shape in a glass box...

She seemed to know what had captured Gyu-baek’s attention and made him casually get in the car.

“It’s a scorpion.”

“Is it a poisonous scorpion? Who on earth would carry such a dangerous thing in the trunk of their car?!”

“Well, people who carry baseball bats around and break into other people’s houses might be capable of it, don’t you think?”

The people who took Kwon Chae-woo, or the people who Kwon Ki-seok was involved with.

Where are you and what are you doing, Gyu-baek?

Her face turned pale.