Chapter 490: Chapter 490
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Sitting on a chair after Yoon Jung In, Kim Hye Hill uttered, “Does it matter to us who’s becoming the nationwide Number one? The actual Number one has been missing from a year ago, but as far as I know, there’s no problem with it.”
Yoon Jung In and I exchange eye contact. Switching his gaze to Kim Hye Hill, Yoon Jung In replied, pretending to be nonchalant, “Yeah, right, I’ve steadily watched it being such a hot issue, but I still have no idea.”
While we started to have our lunch, I, on the other hand, was lost in thought. It was a bumr that Hwang Siwoo’s current situation wasn’t updated to the entire school since the ranking battle had beco the talk of the town. If kids knew about the injured Hwang Siwoo, soone would co forward and reveal or give a clue about the reason for his injury; Ban Hwee Hyul would likely be the center of attention too.
Anyway, we couldn’t help it. The ranking battle or whatever was none of my business. Thinking that way, I casually lifted my spoon.
* * *
After school, we decided to go visit Ban Hwee Hyul’s house as Yoon Jung In suggested. Our teacher, Mr. Noh, also provided us the address without hesitance when we told him the two of us would go check his house.
He added with a low voice, “You two can keep this as a secret, right?”
“Huh?”
Mr. Noh Min Chan continued with a dark face, “Hwee Hyul, he’s actually living alone. He doesn’t have any adults at ho.”
“Oh...”
“He does have a father, but I heard he’s working far away from ho, so make sure to knock on the door and just co back if no one’s inside. If Hwee Hyul’s still not at ho, I’m gonna call the cops this ti.” Mr. Noh added with a look of guiltiness, “I should have paid more attention to him...”
Watching him speaking that way, Yoon Jung In and I soon left the office.
Looking down at the note with an address on it, I murmured, “Ah, I kind of knew it, but he’s really living nearby our house.”
“Really? You know that way to get there? Cool.”
“I don’t take this route often but do know where it is roughly.”
The place was about 10 minutes-walk from turning into a side road at the alley on the way to our apartnt. It was a complex neighborhood of old houses and tenents, so even though the way to Hwee Hyul’s place seed familiar, it took quite so ti to find the actual location.
As we, at last, arrived at the building where Ban Hwee Hyul was residing, a three-story, glossy brown brick tenent ca into view. The suspiciously haunted appearance made wonder if people were actually living here; although it was dinner ti, there was no indication of people being around inside. The glass door entrance was even a little broken.
Wandering in front of the building, we finally went down to the basent floor and pressed the doorbell. The button went inside deep without hindrance; however, no sound ca from inside. Thus, we had to directly knock on the door in the end.
Increasing the volu of his voice, Yoon Jung In asked, “Is there anyone inside?”
His voice resonated around the basent floor like an echo, but still, no one seed to be around, not even a response returned. Pressing the doorbell a few more tis, Yoon Jung In tossed a question.
“This doorbell doesn’t work, right?”
“Uh-huh, we hear nothing from inside.”
Replying that way, I knocked on the door a couple of tis, but only my hands felt stinging. Again, no response returned. ‘Should we just give up and leave?’ I wondered; however, sothing flashed through my head. I took out my phone.
“What are you gonna do?”
“Trying to call his phone,” I replied then pressed the call button.
Shortly after, a sound like a lody began to flow out over the door. It was definitely a phone ringing.
With our eyes wide open, Yoon Jung In and I exchanged eye contact. I soon banged the door and shouted, “Hwee Hyul, are you ho right now? If you are, please show us your face! We’re really concerned about you.”
Standing beside , Yoon Jung In also raised his voice, “Ban Hwee Hyul! You aren’t supposed to skip classes for days this way! Our teacher told us he’s gonna report to the police that you’re missing!”
However, no matter how desperately we scread and urged him, the door didn’t move an inch, being tightly closed. We, eventually, had to stop knocking on the door and just turn around.
Climbing up the stairs, Yoon Jung In uttered, “Let’s just go today. We should tell the teacher and let him decide whether to call the police or to find the landlord and make them open the door to go inside.”
Nodding wordlessly, I followed him walking up the stairs. As soon as we ca out to the first floor, the broken glass door entrance shone orange in the setting sun.
The way to this place was quite complicated, so a person who’s a stranger here would never make his or her way out alone. Thus, I decided to take Yoon Jung In back to the bottom.
That was when we almost arrived at the familiar intersection. Waiting for the red light signal to change, I threw a glance over the crosswalk thoughtlessly and beca surprised as sothing ca into my sight.
“Eh?”
Quickly lifting his head up from beside , Yoon Jung In began to look around in a hurry. He asked, “Why? Do you see Ban Hwee Hyul? Where is he?”
“No, I didn’t see Ban Hwee Hyul, but...” I hesitated with a pause but soon added, “Maybe I’ve found soone who’d know where he is...”
“What? Where? Co on, let’s go!”
The signal at the crosswalk changed just in ti. Looking forward to becoming close to her enough, I grabbed the girl’s arm.
Being startled, she turned her head to look at ; her dark red hair swayed behind her back.
“Excuse .”
“Geez, it was you...! Hey, don’t pull soone out of the blue. I was about to flip you over,” she muttered.
“Ah, sorry...” The mont I tried to offer my words of apology, her following words made grimace.
“I can’t flip a mosquito over. You may die, yeah... you can die although you’re the Number one in the world of mosquitoes.”
“No, I’m not...” I replied sulkily. My eyes then widened at her following question.
“But good! What a coincidence! Hey, do you know where Ban Hwee Hyul that bastard is?”
“Eh? That’s what I was about to ask you first...”
“What? You don’t even know that too?” Looking perplexed, the girl disheveled her hair in frustration. She then suddenly pulled Yoon Jung In and away from the crosswalk. “Anyway, follow .”
While both of us beca dumbfounded at her action, we bent our steps totteringly upon her vigorous spirit.
The place she headed toward with us was, interestingly, a nearby park where she and Ban Hwee Hyul had a conversation before. It was also where Ban Yeo Ryung’s family and our family often ca over to chill. Around this ti of the year, there were always no people.
With her arms crossed, Dae Lisa cast a question.
“Before talking about it, who is he beside you?”
I replied, “He’s Yoon Jung In, our class president.” As soon as I introduced him that way, Yoon Jung In lowered his head to bow in a fluster. Pointing at Dae Lisa, I uttered, “And this is Ban Hwee Hyul’s friend...”
“ and that bastard who can’t even rember my na...?”
“... Um, she is Ms. Dae Lisa, who’s JUST SOONE Ban Hwee Hyul knows. As a side note, I heard she’s taking quite a high position in the ranking. Anyway, wouldn’t she give us so clues about finding Ban Hwee Hyul?”
As I spoke that way, Dae Lisa changed her pose to cross her arms differently then tossed another question.
“Then you guys also don’t know where Ban Hwee Hyul went, right?”
Pointing at the alley that we just walked out, I replied, “We just visited Ban Hwee Hyul’s house, but no one was inside. Just in case, I called his phone, and there was a sound from inside the house, but he didn’t answer.”
“Really?”
At that mont, Yoon Jung In, quietly listening to our conversation, suddenly intervened, “Just until now, I thought that he was pretending to ignore the call, but now I co to think of it, there was no indication of soone being around. What if he just left his phone at ho and went outside?”
“Hmm... I also think that’s possible...” I replied calmly then diverted my gaze back onto Dae Lisa. Chewing her lips, she was murmuring sothing. I listened carefully to her remark for a second.
“Sh*t, of all occasion... How co Suh Doh Gyum beco that way during Ban Hwee Hyul’s absence now?”
Suh Doh Gyum. Listening to that familiar na slipping out of her mouth, I opened my eyes wide. Right! Since Dae Lisa was one of the top rankers, she would definitely be close to that person, who’s said to be the strongest candidate for the nationwide Number one position.
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