Hana stared at the photograph.
She couldn't take her eyes away from it.
The person standing in the background was someone she had seen almost every day.
Someone who had smiled at her.
Someone who had spoken to her.
Someone she had never once thought to suspect.
"Min-jae," she whispered. "Are you sure?"
He didn't answer immediately.
His fingers tightened around the edge of the photograph.
"Yes."
Hana swallowed.
"Who is it?"
Min-jae finally looked at her.
"Mr. Kang."
Her eyes widened.
"The teacher?"
He nodded.
"But that doesn't make sense. He's a teacher. Why would he have anything to do with what happened three years ago?"
"I don't know."
Min-jae carefully took the photograph from her.
"But he was there that day."
Hana looked at the picture again.
Mr. Kang stood several steps behind Min-jae's sister and Joon-ho. He wasn't looking at the camera.
He was looking directly at them.
"Maybe he was just supervising the festival," Hana said.
"Maybe."
Min-jae sounded unconvinced.
Hana noticed something else.
"Wait."
She pointed at the corner of the photograph.
"There."
A small table stood behind Mr. Kang.
On it was a black notebook.
Min-jae frowned.
"That notebook…"
"What?"
"I remember it."
"You do?"
"My sister had one exactly like that."
Hana looked at him.
"Do you know what was inside?"
"No."
"Then we need to find it."
Min-jae nodded.
They searched through the archive boxes for another twenty minutes.
Nothing.
Just when Hana was about to give up, she noticed a small envelope tucked underneath the bottom of the photograph box.
There was no name on it.
She picked it up.
"Min-jae."
He turned.
"What is it?"
"I don't know."
She opened the envelope carefully.
Inside was a single folded piece of paper.
Hana unfolded it.
Her eyes widened.
It was a handwritten note.
I know what really happened.
Below it was a date.
Three years ago.
And underneath the date were four words.
Ask the person who stayed.
Hana's heart began beating faster.
"What does that mean?"
Min-jae stared at the paper.
"I don't know."
A sound came from outside the archive room.
Footsteps.
Both of them froze.
Someone was walking toward the door.
Hana quickly folded the note.
"Someone's coming."
Min-jae looked around.
"There."
They moved behind one of the shelves just as the door opened.
Footsteps entered the room.
Hana held her breath.
A shadow passed across the floor.
Then a familiar voice spoke.
"I know you're in here."
Hana's eyes widened.
It was Mr. Kang.
Min-jae looked at her.
Neither of them moved.
Mr. Kang walked slowly between the shelves.
"You've been asking questions," he said.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"I warned Joon-ho not to say anything."
Hana's heart dropped.
Min-jae's expression hardened.
Mr. Kang stopped.
"You should have left the past alone."
Hana looked at Min-jae.
He silently shook his head, telling her not to move.
Mr. Kang continued.
"Three years ago, one mistake changed everything."
A long silence followed.
Then he said something that made Hana's stomach twist.
"And now you're making the same mistake again."
His footsteps moved closer.
Hana gripped the note tightly.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
The sound echoed through the room.
Mr. Kang stopped.
Silence.
Then—
"Come out."
Min-jae stepped from behind the shelf.
"Leave her out of this."
Mr. Kang stared at him.
For the first time, his calm expression disappeared.
"You really don't remember, do you?"
Min-jae frowned.
"Remember what?"
Mr. Kang looked at him for several seconds.
Then his eyes moved toward Hana.
"Ask your sister what she saw that night."
Hana's heart stopped.
Min-jae went completely still.
"My sister?"
Mr. Kang turned toward the door.
"Some truths are better left buried."
And before either of them could stop him, he walked out.
Hana stared after him.
"Min-jae…"
He didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the doorway.
Then he slowly looked down at the old photograph in his hand.
There was something written on the back.
Something neither of them had noticed before.
A name.
And beneath it—
a date that was only three days away.