Chapter 0: The Cold Before Spring

Spring did not feel like spring at all, as the cold still raged on.
Despite it being the vernal equinox, the fourth solar term when day and night become equal in length, the perceived temperature dropped below freezing, prompting even a cold wave advisory.

–“In the past, our ancestors believed that poor weather on the vernal equinox foretold a bountiful harvest for the year.
Although the sun failed to show itself today and the air remains chilly, we bring you this report on unusual weather with hopes for good news to come.”

Screeech.

As the traffic light changed, the car came to a stop, and the hand gripping the steering wheel loosened.

That was when it happened.

From the passenger seat, the team leader stared out the driver’s-side window and let out a sigh that sounded almost like a lament, muttering to himself.

“Good grief…… she’s here again today.”

At those words, the gaze fixed straight ahead shifted to the side.
A woman who appeared to be in her seventies stood there, looking as though she were holding a one-person protest.
Soo-young’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the handwritten sign.

“She’s asking us to find her son who ran away from home?”

“Mm. She’s been coming every day while you were gone from the agency.
I feel for her, but…… there’s really nothing we can do.”

Soo-young glanced toward the passenger seat.

“Was her missing person report rejected?”

“Well, you know adult missing persons aren’t handled right away.
And when I looked into it, her son had already been in contact with the police.”

“He contacted you?”

“Yeah. Turns out it’s not a disappearance, but a runaway case.
He said he’s choosing not to return and told them not to contact him again before hanging up.
You know Hyun-jin, right? He’s the detective in charge, so I asked him.”

In the case of adults, if there is no suspicion of a crime, the police cannot forcibly return a runaway.
If the individual’s intent has been directly confirmed, that is even more so.

Though this issue has sparked much debate, the absence of an Adult Missing Persons Act meant the police had no grounds to intervene.

“Still, I get why she’s so desperate for help.”

“Why? Is it dangerous?”

“Not exactly dangerous…… apparently the reason he ran away has to do with religion.”

At that, Soo-young’s long eyelashes fluttered.
Her eyes, turned once more toward the window, wavered faintly.

“Oh! Soo-young, the light!”

At the voice from the passenger seat alerting her that the signal had changed, she withdrew her gaze and looked ahead.
Confirming the left-turn signal, Soo-young pressed the accelerator and smoothly turned the steering wheel.

After parking in the agency lot, Soo-young unfastened her seat belt and opened the door.
Something had been bothering her ever since earlier, and in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to walk away.

“Team Leader, would you like to head in first?”

Team Leader Jo, who had just stepped out of the passenger seat, widened his eyes.

“Huh? Why?”

“I’m going to stop by the convenience store for a bit.”

“Oh, sure. Got it.”

Turning her steps toward the annex building rather than the main one, Soo-young entered the convenience store on the first floor.
She picked up two hand warmers and took a warm bottle of soy milk from the heated display.

“That’ll be 5,700 won.”

Just as Soo-young finished paying and turned to leave, she paused and asked at the counter.

“Excuse me, but could I borrow a marker or a name pen?”

“Uh…… yes, here you go.”

Borrowing a name pen from the clerk, Soo-young wrote something on the soy milk bottle.

“Thank you.”

Returning the pen, she stepped outside and headed straight for the front gate.
Her previously obstructed view opened wide, and the elderly woman was still standing there.

“Ma’am, if you keep doing this, it really puts us in a difficult position.
If you keep coming every day without filing a report, you could be charged with obstruction of official duties.”

As the distance closed, Soo-young faintly heard the words spoken by the security officer to the elderly woman.
Explaining that protests without proper procedure could lead to legal action was not, in itself, wrong.

But the old woman pleaded desperately, asking them to understand her situation.

“I—I really have to find my son.”

That was when it happened.

An official vehicle that had just exited the compound came to a stop.
Creak.
The rear door opened, and someone stepped out.
The moment Soo-young saw the man stride forward on long legs, she froze in place.

“……Baek Si-eon?”

She whispered his three-syllable name under her breath.

He was a man with such a distinctive physique and presence that he could never be mistaken for anyone else.
Soo-young tightened her grip on what she was holding.

The Si-eon she knew was a cold, impenetrable man, as though not a single drop of blood would come out even if you stabbed him.
Yet the man standing before her now looked completely different.

After bowing politely, he took off the scarf he had brought and wrapped it around the elderly woman’s neck.
The woman, who had received no attention until now, looked more flustered by the kindness than anything else.

“Oh, my…… why would you do this…….”

“If you catch a cold, it’ll be serious.”

Enduring this kind of cold while standing for half a day would be grueling even for a young person.
Anyone could tell it would be far more exhausting for someone of her age.

As Si-eon opened a pair of gloves and slipped them onto her small hands, he spoke.

“Ma’am, it’s far too cold today.”

“…….”

“If you’re going to find your son, you can’t afford to get sick.”

The old woman’s eyes reddened.

Her face trembled as though tears might spill at any moment, a sight Soo-young could clearly see even from afar.
The man facing her held onto the gloved hand and said,

“You’ve got a lot of luggage.
We’re heading that way anyway, so we’ll give you a ride.”

“Oh, goodness, you must all be busy people…….”

“It won’t take long by car.”

When he turned around, the team members who had gotten out of the vehicle gathered the woman’s belongings.
Watching the scene, Soo-young slowly resumed the steps she had paused.

Click. Click.

Perhaps reacting to the sound of her heels, Baek Si-eon’s gaze landed on Soo-young.
The man, who had been leaning forward, straightened his posture, and his eyes dropped downward.

Soo-young offered a brief bow in greeting, maintaining proper courtesy toward a senior.
She then shifted her gaze to the elderly woman.

Standing before her, Soo-young greeted her politely as the woman blinked her wide eyes.

“……Hello, ma’am.”

Then, just as Si-eon had done, she carefully handed over what she was holding.
After a hesitant glance, the woman accepted the soy milk and hand warmers.
Once again, her eyes asked why she was being given such things.

Had she not heard the woman’s circumstances earlier, Soo-young would not have gone this far.
But having heard them, she could not simply walk past.

“I heard that your son has been classified as a runaway rather than a missing person, which makes it difficult to proceed with an investigation.”

The old woman’s eyes quivered.

“……E-even if he ran away, he’s definitely in danger!
My Jun-young was never that kind of child…….”

Her eyes grew moist again, as if tears might fall at any moment.
The small hand clutching the soy milk bottle trembled.
Soo-young wrapped her own hand around it and met her unsteady gaze.

“If the issue involves religion, one option is to call the number written on this bottle and receive counseling.”

With no paper available, she had written the contact information and organization name directly on the glass bottle.
Only then did the woman look down at what she was holding.

[Institute for Countermeasures Against Religious Harm]

Meeting the gaze turned toward her, Soo-young continued, enunciating calmly.

“They won’t be able to take legal action like the police, but they’ll understand your son’s situation better than anyone.
More importantly, they can help you with things that are difficult to handle on your own.”

The situation facing the woman and her son could not be resolved by clinging solely to the police.
Yet there had likely been no one around to explain or guide her through alternatives like this.
Soo-young believed that simply sharing the burden with someone, rather than shouldering it alone, might allow her to breathe a little easier.

“Th-thank you.”

“Not at all. It’s nothing.”

As the woman bowed repeatedly in gratitude, Soo-young let a gentle smile spread across her lips.

“I hope everything works out.”

“……Y-yes. Thank you so much.”

Her downward gaze shifted to the side.

The moment she met Si-eon’s eyes, the smile lingering on her lips faded.
From the moment she arrived, those pitch-black eyes had been fixed on her, utterly unmoving.

‘What do you think an investigation is, Inspector Han Soo-young?’

Recalling the words he had once said to her long ago, Soo-young bit down on her inner lip.

What he wanted to say, or what displeased him, she could not tell.
Unable to endure the gaze that refused to fall away, Soo-young exchanged a brief nod and quickly turned around.

“…….”

Click. Click.

The eyes that had stubbornly followed her retreating figure dropped only for a fleeting moment.

“Team Leader! Let’s get going!”

At the call directed toward him, Si-eon, who had been standing there as if lost in thought, turned and got back into the car.