-This used to be my house. Park Dong-Joon and I froze in place. It was because this house, where Lee Tae-Gil caused the disappearance incident twenty years ago, turned out to be Choi Sung-Hyun's house. Park Dong-Joon seemed unable to believe it and asked me again. "What, what did he just say?" "He said... this is his house." I also felt dazed and couldn't think straight. If it was twenty years ago, Choi Sung-Hyun would have been nine years old. And at that time, there was only one nine-year-old boy living in this house—Lee Hyun-Sung. He was the son of Lee Tae-Gil, the culprit of the serial disappearance case in Seongnam that inspired Missing – The Lost Ones twenty years ago. However, after Lee Tae-Gil was arrested and his wife took her own life, Lee Hyun-Sung, who had no surviving relatives, was sent abroad to the U.S. by Park Dong-Joon himself to be adopted. And it was said that he had died there in an accident. But now, Choi Sung-Hyun was claiming that he was Lee Hyun-Sung. -Honestly, I didn't think you wouldn't recognize me at all. My last name changed, but the name didn't change much. Sung-Hyun. It's just my original name, Hyun-Sung, rearranged. Park Dong-Joon started trembling as if he had been electrocuted. "Hyun-Sung is dead... I even checked the death certificate myself..." -I almost died. Those crazy adoptive parents were high on drugs and set the house on fire. But I ran away that evening because I was tired of getting beaten every day. Luckily, an elderly Korean immigrant couple took me in, and that's how I survived. Quite a life, huh? The U.S. police had assumed that Lee Hyun-Sung died since the adoptive parents were found burned and the boy was missing, so they issued a death certificate. They had no idea he had been taken in by another childless Korean immigrant couple. Now realizing the full story, Park Dong-Joon collapsed into his seat in shock. I supported him and shouted toward the abandoned house, "Then why didn't you just live your life quietly? Why come back ?" Choi Sung-Hyun replied as if it was obvious. -Why else? To take revenge on the man who kept my father in prison until he died and drove my mother to her death. -Yes. People called him a monster, but to me, he was my only precious father. So what am I supposed to do? As his son, I had to get revenge. Don't you think? His casual tone while talking about revenge was chilling. "Then why didn't you confront Mr. Park directly? Why involve Lee Jun-Sung and Lee Soo-Yeon?" -Oh, that? Because that's what scares Park Dong-Joon the most. Our dear Mr. Park goes insane when kids go missing. 'If I hadn't stopped it, who knows how many more child disappearance cases would've happened in Gwacheon?' If someone with deep knowledge of criminal psychology had caused confusion within the missing persons task force, the police would have kept catching the wrong perpetrators every time. -But well, it's all over for me now. Still, I'm curious about one thing... Jung Yoon-Ho, how did you figure out I was suspicious? My disguise was perfect, wasn't it? 'Because I'm a regressor, because I had Everyday, and because I had Miso.' But I had no reason to tell him that. "You only thought it was perfect. So, do what Mr. Park said and turn yourself in! You're not getting away from here anyway! It's a dead end and the SWAT team will be here soon!" -Turn myself in? So I can rot in prison for life like my dad? Don't make me laugh. I'll choose where I die myself! He shouted, seemingly ready to die. Yet even he, who had no emotions, wavered a bit at the approach of death. His voice turned rough. That's when Park Dong-Joon snapped out of it. He grabbed my arm and cried out with a trembling voice. "Sung-Hyun..." A loud voice echoed from the abandoned house. -I'm telling you, I'm not Sung-Hyun. I'm Lee Hyun-Sung. "Even so, to me, you're still Sung-Hyun." -You're so damn stubborn. Fine, call me whatever you want! Park Dong-Joon steadied his voice and shouted. "Sung-Hyun. It's not too late. Drop the gun and come out. If you turn yourself in, your circumstances might be taken into account. So pay for what you've done and start over. I'll help you. You were always a good kid, remember?" -Good? You're mistaken. I'm not good. To be precise, I can't feel emotions. I don't even know what good means! You should know that by now, right? I've been acting all this time. In front of you, in front of Soo-Yeon! However, Park Dong-Joon didn't give up. "No. You're not that kind of kid! You were a kind child when you were Choi Sung-Hyun, and even back when you were little Lee Hyun-Sung. You're just lost right now! And you're saying everything you did was an act, but that's impossible, Sung-Hyun. Both Soo-Yeon and I were so comforted by you!" Choi Sung-Hyun spoke in frustration. -No, that's your delusion and your hope. It was all an act! And how could a psychopathic bastard be normal? Look at me. I came here for revenge. I even kidnapped people. And you still don't get it? I'm just like my father. A psychopath. That blood... you can't escape it. Choi Sung-Hyun shouted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. That's when my phone vibrated. So much had happened among the police since morning that it wasn't impossible one of them had leaked information to the press. However, that wasn't it. [Notification: Today's Fortune of the Day has been registered.] Wondering what it could be, I checked the message. [Date: February 12, 2021] [Fortune of the Day: What you see on the surface is not everything. Do not hold prejudices.] At first, I thought I had misread it. It was exactly the same fortune I saw yesterday. I immediately checked yesterday's fortune again, and the same phrase was still there. 'Why is the same message showing up again?' Yesterday, seeing Choi Sung-Hyun's gentle appearance helped me stay alert. On the contrary, the man standing before me now was a full-blown psychopath. He had returned to Korea to avenge his parents and had turned into a monster tormenting the very man who helped him—Park Dong-Joon. However, now the message said that what I saw wasn't everything and told me not to hold preconceived notions. 'How is that even possible? Is it telling me not to see a criminal as a criminal?' No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't understand. I sincerely wanted to ask Everyday what it's trying to tell me. Then, the clue to the answer came from a very unexpected place right beside me. "You're... not Lee Tae-Gil's child... Sung-Hyun." I turned my head as Park Dong-Joon continued speaking in a choked voice. He was saying that Choi Sung-Hyun—Lee Hyun-Sung—wasn't Lee Tae-Gil's son. I stared at Park Dong-Joon, stunned by the absurdity of what he was saying. Just then, I heard Choi Sung-Hyun shouting from the abandoned house. -You're going to say I can live differently from my dad? You're wrong. My fate was already set. So stop trying to change it. Park Dong-Joon shook his head over and over and shouted back. "No. That's not what I mean... I'm saying you're literally not Lee Tae-Gil's son!" -...Fuck. What the hell are you saying!! "It's just as I said, Sung-Hyun. When you were a baby, Lee Tae-Gil and his wife, who couldn't have children, adopted you. You are not their biological child!" -What... did you say? I was just as shocked as Choi Sung-Hyun. The boy whom Lee Tae-Gil had given all his affection to turned out he wasn't his biological son, but an adopted child like me from an orphanage. Suddenly, Choi Sung-Hyun's voice began to tremble. -No... that can't be. That makes no sense. My dad treated me so well! That doesn't make sense! "I don't get why that psycho only cared for you either, but who knows what went on in his twisted mind? But one thing's certain. You are not his blood. I found out after you went to America and I can prove it. And you say you have no emotions? That's ridiculous. Before that day's incident, you were a kid who laughed and talked all the time! I saw it with my own eyes!" Everyday was telling me that what I saw now, Choi Sung-Hyun looking like a psychopath, wasn't his true self. 'Same person, same words, yet the meaning is completely different.' At that moment, I realized what was happening to Choi Sung-Hyun. He was going through post-traumatic stress disorder. If the original Lee Hyun-Sung had been a child who smiled easily and expressed emotions well, then the arrest of his father and his mother's suicide must have triggered the PTSD. And I could recognize it, because I had experienced PTSD myself after Miso's death before the regression. Back then, the doctor had diagnosed me with extreme agitation and said I would feel a suffocating sense of doom. I managed to overcome it by overworking myself, but I couldn't get rid of the compulsive behavior and ended up writing out everyday's schedule entry in a planner like a journal. Then I remembered one of the PTSD symptoms the doctor had once warned me about back then. 'Emotional blunting.' It referred to a condition where emotional expression disappeared, resulting in no anger nor sadness. Sometimes even moral sense faded and all emotional responses like joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure vanished. It made a person seem like a psychopath, but it was very different from psychopathy. It wasn't something one was born with, but it was a psychological symptom from trauma. Which meant it could be treated, even if it wasn't easy. "Sung-Hyun. This all happened because you were traumatized that day. You know PTSD, right? The reason you can't remember anything before that day is also because of the shock. I should've paid more attention when I sent you to be adopted. I'm sorry. I just didn't know anything back then. So now... just stop and come out. If you get treatment, you can return to your old self, Sung-Hyun. Please, don't give up on life !" That probably explained why Choi Sung-Hyun hadn't really harmed Lee Jun-Sung or the private investigator he kidnapped. Perhaps due to the shock of what he had just heard, Choi Sung-Hyun was left speechless. That's when Park Dong-Joon stepped forward. I grabbed his arm. "Mr. Park, what are you trying to do?" "I have to go talk to him myself." "If he intended to shoot us, he would've done it already. And don't worry. I've got this on." When Park Dong-Joon tapped his chest, a dull thud sounded. It was the sound of the bulletproof vest under his raincoat. "And if we hesitate, the SWAT team will arrive soon." Since an armed officer had gone into a remote place on his own, it was possible that an order to shoot had already been given. Park Dong-Joon said he couldn't let that happen and was determined to finish what he couldn't twenty years ago. After a moment of thought, I replied, "Then let me go with you." I turned to Lee Soo-Chan. "Soo-Chan. Do you have a bulletproof vest?" "The staff has some, but please don't go in. We'll go instead." Lee Soo-Chan tried to stop me, saying he would go himself. He has always been someone I'm grateful for. However, if someone who didn't understand Choi Sung-Hyun went in, it might only provoke him. Besides, I was confident I would be safe. If I were really in danger, Everyday would have warned me first. "It's okay. I won't get hurt." I reassured my worried siblings and put on the bulletproof vest. Then I gripped my phone tightly in my left hand. I checked Everyday one more time, but the fortune of the day hadn't changed. Still, I held the phone firmly just in case it updated again and turned to Park Dong-Joon. "Mr. Park. Let's go now." The large-framed Park Dong-Joon stepped in front of me and spoke. "Understood. But stay behind me. No matter what happens, I'll protect you." "It's too dangerous to go from the front. Let's take this path." Park Dong-Joon, recalling his memories from twenty years ago, guided me down a narrow trail leading to the back door of the abandoned house. The rain-soaked grass along the trail brushed against our raincoats, making soft sounds. The rear outer wall of the abandoned house where Lee Tae-Gil used to live had collapsed. Even the inner walls of the master bedroom and the smaller room had crumbled, so we could see the interior clearly from where we stood. Choi Sung-Hyun was sitting in the middle of the master bedroom with his head hanging low. Rain dripping from the ceiling pattered against his raincoat. He was only three meters away, yet he didn't notice us approaching at all. Wearing his raincoat, he was gasping for breath with his body trembling uncontrollably. At that moment, Choi Sung-Hyun reached into the pocket of his raincoat and slowly pulled out a gun. Immediately, Park Dong-Joon stepped in front of me. But Choi Sung-Hyun, shaking all over, raised the gun toward his own head. There was no time to lose. Park Dong-Joon instantly pushed off the ground and dashed into the bedroom. I followed right behind him. The old wooden floor creaked and cracked beneath our feet. Choi Sung-Hyun reflexively turned his head. His unfocused eyes stared at us. Park Dong-Joon shouted as he lunged his massive body toward Choi Sung-Hyun. "Sung-Hyun! Nooo!" At that moment, I leapt and grabbed Choi Sung-Hyun's right hand holding the gun. As Park Dong-Joon's large body tackled Choi Sung-Hyun to the floor, I seized his wrist with all my strength. The gun slipped from his weakened grip and fell to the floor. At the same time, Park Dong-Joon, Choi Sung-Hyun, and I tumbled onto the floor together. My face hit the worn-out linoleum floor. The smell of moss, mold, and dirt rushed up to my nose all at once. But instead of disgust, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over me. That's when Park Dong-Joon sat up. He seemed to have hurt his left shoulder in the fall and couldn't lift his left arm. After confirming the gun was lying far away, he yelled at Choi Sung-Hyun, who lay flat on the floor. "You little punk! How could you try to end your life like that!!" Breathing heavily, Park Dong-Joon raised his right fist. However, that fist never hit Choi Sung-Hyun. Looking at Choi Sung-Hyun lying there, Park Dong-Joon opened his hand and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Sung-Hyun... even if it takes a lifetime, I'll help you heal. So... repent, accept your punishment, and get treatment... okay?" Park Dong-Joon pleaded in a voice thick with emotion, telling Choi Sung-Hyun that he could be freed from the crime Lee Tae-Gil committed 20 years ago. Perhaps because Park Dong-Joon forgave him and begged him or the shock of learning he wasn't Lee Tae-Gil's biological son, Choi Sung-Hyun suddenly began to shed hot tears as he lay. Then he slowly started to speak. "Mr. Park... I'm sorry..." As if the emotional blockage of twenty years had burst, Choi Sung-Hyun confessed his wrongs with tearful sobs. Park Dong-Joon's efforts had created a miracle and his emotional blunting had vanished. At that moment, Park Dong-Joon trembled and hugged Choi Sung-Hyun even tighter with one arm. "No, I'm the one who's more sorry. Back then, I thought sending you away was the best thing. But I was stupid. If I had known you'd suffer , I wouldn't have let you go! I would've taken care of you myself! I'm truly sorry." Then, Choi Sung-Hyun sat up. He opened his arms and hugged Park Dong-Joon tightly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Park. I'm sorry. Sob. I shouldn't have treated you like that... I was wrong." And so the two of them held each other and cried for a long time in Lee Tae-Gil's house. The sound of gravel being crushed echoed through the mountains as the SWAT team vehicles approached. I quickly spoke to Park Dong-Joon, "Mr. Park, I think it's the SWAT team." Park Dong-Joon released the hug and wiped his tears. "Sung-Hyun. First, let's turn yourself in." With tears streaming down his face, Choi Sung-Hyun nodded. "Yes, sir." Now that the emotional blunting had disappeared, Choi Sung-Hyun's judgment had returned. With a bitter expression, Park Dong-Joon pulled out a pair of handcuffs with his right hand. But since he couldn't lift his left arm, he couldn't properly fasten them. Choi Sung-Hyun gave a faint and bitter smile before he cuffed his own right wrist first. A sharp metallic sound rang out. "Please secure the other side, Mr. Park." Park Dong-Joon clenched his teeth and fastened the other cuff on Choi Sung-Hyun's wrist. Choi Sung-Hyun wiped away his tears and spoke. "I, Lieutenant Choi Sung-Hyun, surrender myself to Chief Park Dong-Joon." Park Dong-Joon held back his tears and responded. "I, Chief Park Dong-Joon, confirm the surrender." I spoke from the side, offering to be the witness. Then Park Dong-Joon tried to stand up with effort. Choi Sung-Hyun supported Park Dong-Joon with his cuffed hands. "Are you okay?" "Sigh... I'm fine. Let's get out of here." Choi Sung-Hyun paused briefly and looked at me. "Mr. Jung. I caused you a lot of trouble. That person who got hit on the head... I think you knew him. Please pass on my apology." Choi Sung-Hyun's eyes, now clear, were no longer the same. It was just like Everyday had told me. I nodded. "I understand. I'll let him know." "And about the child... Sigh... I really have no words for what I've done." Just as I was about to say I understood, one thing came to mind that I needed to confirm. Before the regression, Choi Sung-Hyun had caused five serial disappearance cases in Gwacheon. So if I asked him what he intended to do with Lee Jun-Sung, I might be able to figure out what really happened back then. And depending on his answer, I might decide whether I could forgive him or not like Park Dong-Joon. "Let me ask just one thing. What were you planning to do after kidnapping Jun-Sung?" Choi Sung-Hyun let out a sigh. "Well, about that..." And at that moment, he began to say something I had never expected.