"Phone number and address."
The police officer's tone suddenly turned cold and curt. His gaze fixed sharply on Seoryeong's face.
_What... is this?_
"I mean, you'd better tell the truth, Miss Han Seoryeong."
"..."
"That blood... whose blood is it?"
Seoryeong began to realize the misunderstanding that had occurred.
She didn't know how much blood was visible, but since she had wiped her face with her hands earlier, her face probably looked terrible now. However, she had deliberately hidden the scratched part.
The face that had been crumpled with anxiety slowly returned to a pale, expressionless state.
In the sudden silence, the ticking of the clock hands sounded so loud. Her vacant gaze drifted towards the policeman's jawline.
"If... that's my husband's blood, will you look for him faster?"
---
The search proceeded quickly.
Meanwhile, time seemed to crawl by for Seoryeong.
In just one day, her lips became dry and white, and only a sour taste could rise from her throat.
_Her husband had disappeared._
That one clear truth struck Seoryeong's heart heavily.
The police surrounded the old villa where she lived. They took all her husband's personal information, removed all the CCTV cameras they could find, and conducted a house-to-house investigation.
However, the lie was revealed from a completely unexpected place—by Kim Hyeon, not by Seoryeong.
"There's no record of credit card usage. The company he worked for isn't even officially registered, and the car number doesn't match either. And furthermore..."
Seoryeong stared straight at the policeman's blurry face without blinking.
Although it was impossible, for some reason, the man seemed to be feeling guilty.
"The name Kim Hyeon... is not recorded in the resident registration."
"...!"
"Perhaps Miss Han Seoryeong... is mistaken?"
_What did all this mean?_
She could only gape, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Her legs gave way and her body staggered, causing the guarding policeman to quickly support her. But the warm touch on her cold skin made her feel nauseous, and she roughly brushed them away.
Her breath caught in her throat, her vision blurred. Although she couldn't see clearly, the floor and ceiling felt like they were spinning.
While she was still frozen in shock, the police officers exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.
_"Not a missing person report, but a marriage fraud case…"_
The words faintly reached her ears, but none of it felt believable.
When Seoryeong let out a hollow laugh, the police fell silent.
However, they still continued with unsolicited advice.
"Marriage fraud... isn't actually considered a criminal offense anymore. But if it's proven that there was fraud that caused damages, a claim for compensation can be filed."
"..."
"Just so you know. Knowing the law is important."
With a frozen, pale face, Seoryeong suddenly grabbed the vest of one of the policemen.
"No... that's not possible."
It was **impossible**, impossible for her husband to disappear in such a bizarre way.
It was unacceptable.
This must all be a trick. Everyone here was playing with her.
Seoryeong let out a bitter laugh, clutching the policeman's vest even tighter.
"Have you talked to my neighbors? Did you ask who saw him last?"
"Ah..."
The heavy sigh that followed somehow worsened her premonition.
She didn't want to hear it. The urge to cover her ears was so strong.
"Miss Han Seoryeong, you... don't know?"
"...What do you mean?"
"In this Samhwa Villa... you're the only one who lives here."
"...!"
Her inner chest felt like it had been stabbed.
_This didn't make sense._
This had to be a cruel joke from someone. There was no way this was real.
Even a dry smile couldn't escape her lips anymore.
She had lived in this place for **two years**. She met her neighbors every day, and they clearly lived in the same villa. She didn't know all of them, but at least knew the families on each floor.
There was an elderly couple, a young couple like them, a family with young children. There was also a single man with a dog, and a student living alone.
But now...
"What do you mean...?"
"..."
"I'm asking, what do you **mean**?!"
"Like I said, there's no one living here besides you, ma'am."
"..."
"Every unit in this villa is **empty**."
It felt like her blood was draining down to her toes.
Seoryeong was now no more than an empty plaster statue. No thoughts, no words. Her head felt hot as if it would explode, but her body shivered with cold.
She could only breathe rapidly with a face that no longer showed any expression.
_Doctor... Doctor... What should I do..._
The world she stood on... crumbled in a single day.
_Can I find him again?_
---
It had been almost a month since Kim Hyeon disappeared.
_No, now I don't even know if that was really his name._
At first, she tirelessly went up and down the five-story villa, knocking on doors until her hands were raw.
But just as they said, everything was empty.
Not a single person responded.
_Impossible... That's impossible... There's no way he lied to me... Is this a dream? Or am I already crazy?_
Especially with her eyes that couldn't see anymore, it truly felt like being possessed by a ghost.
Since then, Seoryeong went to the police station every day. It felt like if she didn't do that, her mind would collapse.
"But I didn't suffer any material losses, Officer."
From behind her blurry vision, the vague shapes of people seemed to pass by busily. The police officers who had been facing Seoryeong for weeks showed tired faces, as if saying, _"It's her again today."_
"Whatever his intentions, he still ran away. How am I supposed to know what really happened!"
"There are all sorts of criminals these days, right? What if my husband was the target from the beginning? What if that's why he could disappear without a trace? Please don't stop the investigation here, please search just a little more...! What if an unidentified body is found later...!"
"Damn it, **enough**!"
Finally, the large policeman who was nearly dizzy with all of Seoryeong's complaints stood up roughly from his chair.
"How many times do I have to say the same thing! Whether your husband is missing or not, we have no proof that you were married, not a single official record. So what more are we supposed to look for? I'm sorry, but you've been **scammed**."
"..."
"Please just come to your senses a little. I feel sorry for you, but there's a limit...! If you keep bothering us like this, you could be arrested on charges of obstructing police business!"
The policeman snapped and threatened her.
Even when the report was filed with the main police station, the result was the same.
_Why does everyone insist that I'm the one who misjudged things?_
Seoryeong truly couldn't understand.
She **knew** because they had shared feelings, loved each other, and lived together. Kim Hyeon wasn't that kind of person. He would never be.
"Officer, please investigate just one more time..."
It was then that one of the policemen with disheveled hair gritted his teeth and said—
"Han Seoryeong, after our investigation, you have a record of receiving psychiatric treatment."
"...!"
"You should go to the hospital, not come here."
Even from behind her blurred vision, she could feel the hostile gaze. His sharp and hateful voice felt like a harsh slap across Seoryeong's face.
"In your initial report, you said your husband was bleeding, right? Do you want the investigation reopened? Then you'll be the first one to be affected. We felt sorry for you, that's why we covered all this up. But filing a false report is no small matter. So stop and go to the hospital."
"..."
"Just face **reality**...!"
It felt like her body had been thrown back onto the snowy field.
The cold seeped into her bones.
No parents, no friends—not a single person who could be with her in a moment like this. All that pain was hers alone.
"You have to eat and live too, right?! How long are you going to cling to something that's already over?!"
"Because it's not over yet..."
Seoryeong's voice sounded hollow.
_Because I haven't ended anything yet._
_Because I still can't understand everything...!_
_Because I don't understand a single thing you're saying...!_
Seoryeong hit her own chest, which felt hot as if burning, because of the anger she couldn't suppress.
_No, it's not because I want to hear that he was a con artist._
_What I want to know is my husband's whereabouts._
_I just want to know where he is._
_Is he still alive, is he hurt, did something really happen to him—things like that._
_Because we are husband and wife._
_Because I am his wife._
_Because of that, I have the right to worry._
_If I knew where he was, of course I would have reported it a long time ago. A long time ago...!_
The tears that had been dammed up fell aimlessly.
But from the beginning, it was impossible to report someone missing without a trace like a ghost.
She didn't even have time to grieve because she couldn't distinguish objects, or because she couldn't go far without her cane.
Even when she received the diagnosis that her vision was almost completely gone, she was still immersed in the sweetness of that feeling.
That day, she first connected with Kim Hyeon.
Their tongues intertwined, something hot entered between her legs and penetrated deeply. Even though her eyes were useless, she still followed Kim Hyeon's movements. In the engrossment of the kiss and the warmth of their touching skin, Seoryeong could even digest her sadness.
Kim Hyeon was someone with that kind of power.
A man who could turn sadness into memories.
_So how could I... let you go so easily?_