(Jae-rin / Jay's POV)
Life in Seoul didn't slow down after that night.
If anything, it became even faster.
The small card Park Hyun-woo had given me stayed in my pocket for three days before I finally called him. My hands were shaking the entire time.
But when he answered, his voice sounded calm and professional.
And that was how everything started.
Now my days were completely different from when I first arrived.
Mornings were for language classes.
Afternoons were for writing music.
Evenings were for practicing.
Sometimes I still performed in Hongdae, but now there were always cameras around.
People were curious about the masked singer.
Some fans had even given me a nickname online.
"The Girl With The Hidden Face."
My friends loved it.
Yuna practically screamed the first time she showed me a fan page.
"Jae-rin you're trending!"
Minjae laughed.
"You're basically a celebrity now."
I shook my head.
"Not yet."
But things were changing.
Fast.
A few weeks later I recorded my first official song in a small studio.
When I heard my voice through professional headphones for the first time, my heart nearly stopped.
It sounded… real.
Like the dream I never believed could happen was finally happening.
Still, not everything was easy.
Some nights were quiet.
Too quiet.
That was when memories came back.
Section E yelling during class.
Angelo lecturing everyone like he was our teacher.
Tita Gemma cooking dinner while we argued at the table.
And…
Keifer.
I would sometimes sit by my small window looking at the city lights and wonder what everyone was doing.
Did they notice I was gone?
Did they care?
A small painful thought crossed my mind.
Did he care?
I quickly shook the thought away.
It didn't matter anymore.
That life was over.
The girl named Jay didn't exist here.
Here in Seoul…
I was Kang Jae-rin.
And slowly…
My music was beginning to reach people far beyond the streets of Hongdae.
(Keifer's POV)
The private investigators sat across from me in the quiet office.
Their expressions told me everything before they even spoke.
"We're sorry," the older one said.
"We searched airports, immigration records, bus stations, and travel agencies."
He slid a folder across the table.
"We found nothing."
My jaw tightened.
"Nothing?" I repeated.
He shook his head.
"It's like she disappeared completely."
For a moment I couldn't breathe.
Jay… gone.
Just like that.
I stood up abruptly and walked out of the office before they could say anything else.
That night I went somewhere I had been going almost every evening recently.
My private bar.
It was a quiet place I owned with a few friends. Normally it was for parties and celebrations.
Now it was just me.
The bartender placed a glass in front of me without asking.
He already knew.
I picked it up and drank the entire thing in one go.
Then another.
And another.
The alcohol burned my throat, but it didn't stop the thoughts.
Her laugh.
Her stubborn attitude.
The way she used to argue with me over the smallest things.
I slammed the glass down on the counter.
"Another."
The bartender hesitated.
"Sir… maybe you should—"
"Another," I repeated.
My phone buzzed on the counter.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Finally I looked at the screen.
Aries.
I answered.
"What?"
His voice came through the speaker.
"Keifer… you've been avoiding everyone."
I scoffed.
"So?"
"So stop drinking yourself to death and come outside," he said.
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because Section E is here."
I looked up.
Through the bar window I saw them.
Edrix leaning against a car.
Ci-N arguing with someone.
Angelo standing quietly near the gate.
Even Aries.
All of them.
Waiting.
For a moment I just stared at them.
Then I grabbed my jacket and walked outside.
The moment Angelo saw me, his expression hardened.
"You look terrible," he said.
"Thanks," I muttered.
Ci-N crossed his arms.
"The investigators still found nothing?"
I shook my head.
"No."
Silence fell over the group.
Edrix kicked a small stone across the ground.
Aries looked at the sky.
Finally Angelo spoke quietly.
"She used to sit right there during family dinners," he said.
No one responded.
Because we all knew.
Everything felt empty without her.
I shoved my hands in my pockets.
"I'm not giving up."
They all looked at me.
"I don't care if she's in another city… another country… another continent."
My voice dropped slightly.
"I'll find her."
Because somewhere in the world…
Jay was living her life.
Breathing.
Walking.
Laughing.
And the thought that she might never come back felt worse than anything.
So no matter how long it took…
I would keep searching.
Even if she didn't want to be found.
Even if she hated me forever.
Because the truth was something I finally understood too late.
I didn't just miss Jay.
I loved her.
And that realization hurt more than the silence she left behind.
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