After her quiet breakfast and the brief walk through the village, Minsu felt a strange pull toward the tea shop again. Something about the conversation with Kim Hyowon the day before lingered in her mind, and it wasn't just the calming scent of jasmine tea or the peaceful atmosphere. There was something more—something hidden beneath the surface of his soft-spoken words, his steady gaze, and the calm way he observed her.
Minsu had no intention of digging deeper into her aunt's sudden disappearance. But the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't escape the feeling that there was a connection—something about the way Kim Hyowon had spoken to her, as if he knew more about her than he let on. As if he'd been watching her, or even, perhaps, knew about the pain she had been carrying all these years.
She had never talked much about her aunt's departure, not to anyone in the village. She had simply accepted it as a painful fact—her aunt had left without even a farewell, disappearing into the night, without a single word of explanation. But Minsu was different now. After all these years, she felt a sense of urgency that urged her to uncover the truth.
When she stepped inside the tea shop again, she was greeted with the same quiet atmosphere. The same soothing aroma of tea leaves filled the air, and Kim Hyowon stood behind the counter, just as he had the day before, preparing a pot of tea with a practiced hand.
"Back for more tea?" he asked with a slight smile, though his eyes seemed to catch something else in her expression this time. Perhaps he noticed the subtle tension in her stance or the way her gaze darted around, as if searching for something beyond the tea leaves and wooden shelves.
"I've been thinking a lot about our conversation," Minsu said, trying to sound casual, but the words felt heavier than she intended. "I didn't expect this place to feel so... familiar."
Kim Hyowon gave a small, knowing smile as he set the tea on the counter. "Sometimes, a place has a way of calling us when we need it most."
Minsu nodded but didn't immediately take the cup. Instead, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if something was beginning to click in her mind. She had never mentioned her aunt's disappearance to him—so how did he know? Her aunt had been missing for years, and while there were rumors, no one in the village had been able to give her any solid answers.
She stared at him, her thoughts racing, before she finally asked, "Do you... know anything about someone who disappeared from this village a few years ago? My aunt. She left without saying anything. I was just a high schooler at the time."
Kim Hyowon's expression remained unchanged, though his eyes flickered with something unreadable. For a moment, he was silent, as if weighing the best way to respond. Then, he spoke, his voice low and careful.
"Disappearance, you say? The village has seen its share of strange events, Minsu. Some vanish with a whisper, others with a scream. Your aunt's departure was not the first... nor the last."
Minsu felt a shiver crawl down her spine at his cryptic words. Her heart raced as she tried to make sense of his response. There was something deliberate in the way he spoke, as if he were leading her to something important, but without directly saying it.
"You know something, don't you?" Minsu pressed, her voice now tinged with urgency. "Why did she leave? Was she... taken?"
Kim Hyowon didn't answer right away. Instead, he set another cup of tea in front of her, his gaze never leaving her face. "Some answers are not meant to be found quickly," he said, finally breaking the silence. "But some paths lead to places where things are never truly what they seem. People can be lost for many reasons, Minsu. But sometimes, it's not just the people who disappear—things around them do too."
Minsu felt her stomach tighten, and her mind began to whirl with possibilities. Kim Hyowon's words didn't make sense on the surface, but there was an undeniable weight behind them. Could it be that her aunt's disappearance had more to do with the village than she had realized? And could Hyowon, the tea shop owner, have more to do with it than he was letting on?
Her mind raced as she asked the only question she could, the one that had been hanging in the air between them since she entered. "What do you know about my aunt?"
Kim Hyowon's expression shifted slightly. He leaned forward, the intensity of his gaze sharpening. "I know more than you think, Minsu. But there are things that must remain hidden for a time... until you are ready to see them."
Minsu's heart pounded in her chest as she absorbed his words. She had the overwhelming sense that this tea shop—and perhaps Kim Hyowon himself—was tied to the answers she had been searching for all these years.
She set the cup down gently, the warm liquid forgotten for the moment. "I want to know the truth," she said, her voice steady but resolute. "Please, if you know something, tell me."
Kim Hyowon's gaze softened for a moment, but the mystery in his eyes remained. "The truth is not always kind, Minsu," he replied softly. "But sometimes, it's the only way forward."
Minsu stood up, feeling a deep sense of determination. "I'm ready," she said firmly.
As she walked out of the tea shop, the weight of the conversation hung over her, but so did a sense of resolve. She didn't know where this path would lead or what Kim Hyowon truly knew, but one thing was clear: the mystery of her aunt's disappearance was about to unravel—and it would pull Minsu deeper into the heart of the village's secrets than she could have ever imagined.