After leaving the apartment, White walked down the street, following the address Luna had given him. The path led him toward a park, in front of which a large, black luxury car was parked. At the entrance gate, he looked around but saw no sign of Luna.
Suddenly, the car window rolled down.
"So, you came," a voice called out from inside.
"I came. But why are you in the car? I didn't know you were rich," White teased.
"Well, there are many things you don't know about me. We can talk about that later, but first, come join me."
The driver opened the door, and White slid into the seat beside her. As the car started moving, he turned to her.
"Where are we going? And what did you want to talk about?" White asked.
"I will tell you, but first, how did things go with your mother?" she asked calmly.
"I wouldn't say it went entirely well, but... I don't even know how, but she agreed to stop abusing Shu," White said, his tone unsettling.
"So, the photograph really worked. She must have been terrified that someone—"
Before she could finish her thought, he interrupted. "No, it didn't go the way I planned."
"What do you mean?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Well, after she saw the picture, I was somehow able to lay the groundwork for a conversation. I tried to convince her to stop physically abusing Shu, but that wasn't working. So, I brought up our past."
"Oh, I see… and?" she pressed.
"I don't know why, but knowing that the child she abandoned is still alive somehow changed her attitude toward me. She went totally calm, as if she were surrendering to her fate… I don't even understand why she was doing any of this," he said.
"So, what I found out really is true," Luna said with a gentle smile, as if she knew a secret White didn't.
"What do you mean by that?" White asked, confused.
"Well, the thing I was about to tell you is… I looked into the details of your mother's life. I found out that she has been visiting a police station regularly."
"A police station?" he repeated, bewildered.
"Yes, I was shocked at first, too. I visited the station she goes to, and as soon as I showed them her picture, the officers recognized her immediately. They've known her for years."
"Wait… I'm lost. What are you trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is, she was looking for someone. After talking with the officers, it was confirmed that she had been visiting that police station for nine straight years."
White's expression shifted. Before he could speak, Luna continued, her voice turning dead serious.
"She was searching for her lost son… White, it means she was searching for you."
"Searching for me? But why?" he pressed.
"I don't know why. Maybe she felt guilt, or maybe she had other motives. But after listening to you, I'm certain she was feeling a profound guilt—one she suppressed for so long that it turned her into a monster. She was a woman who blamed herself until she found a toxic way to release her frustration."
White's eyes widened. "The things you're saying…"
"Yes, the story matches Shu's perfectly. Your mother was being consumed by her own guilt."
"You mean… there's a chance her emotions took a physical form, just like Zen and Shu?" he questioned.
"Well, I can't say for sure without confirmation, but it's highly likely. However, there is a major difference between Shu and your mother." Luna paused, catching her breath as if she were holding something back. "Where Shu's guilt leads to self-sacrifice, your mother's guilt drove her to vent her frustration on someone else. If what I'm thinking is right, then—"
"Wait, don't tell me…" White panicked.
Suddenly, White's phone rang. He picked it up with shaking hands.
"White! There's a problem… Shu's mother…"
Hearing the rest of the sentence, the phone slipped from his hand and dropped to the floor of the car.
"Hello? White! White!" the voice cried out from the speaker.
"W-White?" Luna's expression changed as she looked at him.
He turned to her slowly. His voice shook, and his eyes were wide with horror.
"M-Mom… she took her own life."