The shout came again, closer this time. The urgency in the voice was unmistakable. "Baek Ilho! You can't hide from us!"
Baek Ilho's eyes widened, panic flashing across his face. He turned to Minsu and Hyowon, his voice trembling. "They're here. They've found me."
Hyowon moved swiftly, grabbing Minsu's arm. "We need to go. Now."
Minsu hesitated, glancing at Baek Ilho. "What do we do with him?"
Baek Ilho shook his head, his expression torn. "You have to leave. It's the only way to protect yourselves. They won't stop until they—" He broke off, his voice barely a whisper, "Until they find the truth."
Minsu clenched her fists. The truth. It was the one thing she had been chasing, the thing that had brought her back to this village. But now, it seemed like the truth was more dangerous than she had ever imagined.
A loud crash came from outside. Someone was trying to break down the door.
"Go!" Baek Ilho urged. "Now!"
Hyowon didn't need another word. He pulled Minsu toward the back door. They burst into the yard, hearts pounding. The cool night air did nothing to ease the weight of their situation.
Behind them, the door to the house splintered with a deafening crack, and then the sounds of footsteps, hurried and heavy, followed by shouts.
Minsu and Hyowon ran without looking back. The village streets were eerily quiet, but they could feel eyes on them, unseen but ever present. The path ahead seemed endless, and yet all Minsu could focus on was the pressing feeling that something was about to break wide open.
They turned down an alley, slipping between the narrow walls of the buildings, hoping to lose their pursuers in the maze of the village.
Minsu's breath came in ragged bursts. "We need to find somewhere safe."
Hyowon nodded. "We can't go back to your place. We'll head to the old mill by the river. It's abandoned."
Minsu didn't argue. The old mill was the only place she could think of where they might be able to regroup, plan their next move, and maybe even discover more about the truth they were now running from.
As they approached the edge of the village, the sounds of pursuit faded slightly, but the tension remained thick in the air. Every step they took felt like they were walking deeper into a web, with no way of knowing who was pulling the strings.
But Minsu couldn't stop now. She had come too far to turn back.
The old mill loomed ahead, its wooden frame barely holding together under years of neglect. The river murmured beside it, a steady, rhythmic sound that should have been calming—but wasn't.
Hyowon led the way, pushing open the warped door. The inside was dark, the faint moonlight seeping through cracks in the walls. Dust hung heavy in the air, disturbed only by their hurried footsteps.
Minsu bent over, catching her breath. "What now?"
Hyowon moved to the window, peering outside. "We wait. If they don't find us tonight, we'll figure out our next move in the morning."
Minsu nodded, but her mind was racing. Baek Ilho's fear, the village's silence, her aunt's sudden disappearance years ago—everything was connected. But how?
She turned to Hyowon, her voice quiet. "Hyewon-ssi… do you think Baek Ilho is innocent?"
Hyowon hesitated before answering. "Who knows? At least, he helped us when we were in danger."
Minsu's stomach twisted. Had her aunt and Baek Suna dissappeard due to the secret related to the village? Or had something—or someone—forced them to leave?
Before she could ask anything else, a soft rustling came from outside.
Hyowon tensed, gripping Minsu's wrist to pull her back into the shadows.
Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.
Someone was outside the mill.
Minsu held her breath, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
A shadow passed across the window.
Then—a whisper.
"Minsu."
Her blood ran cold. Who knew she was here?