The Haven

5. The People with Nowhere to Return (3) The Secret

The same message repeated as the sound faded away. The person who broke my car window must have considered it a constructive destruction. I laid my throbbing head on the pillow.

I woke up in the afternoon. I took the cola from my jumper and put it in the kitchen fridge. I brought Sun-woo's model to the lab and placed it on the desk. Choosing green tea flavor ice cream Do-hyeon had bought, I started my snack, then sat in front of my laptop. I planned to write an email to Valkama.

Pulling on my glasses and rolling up my sleeves, I took a deep breath when my phone vibrated.

"Hello, this is Kim Sun-tak. I was wondering if you had found Sun-woo."

It was a message from Sun-woo's brother.

"Not yet."

I replied briefly.

"My mother is very ill. It seems she may not last a few more days. She's been looking for Sun-woo all day, to the point where she struggles to breathe even with an oxygen tank. I've been trying to find Sun-woo too, but it's tough with having to take care of my mother. If you find Sun-woo before I do, could you please contact me first?"

It was a dense message, scrolling several times to read it all. Perhaps the desire to find Sun-woo was more desperate for his brother and mother than for me. They probably had more regrets regarding things they should or shouldn't have done to Sun-woo.

"Yes, I'm looking for him and will contact you soon."

After replying to Sun-woo's brother, I started drafting an email to Kate.

Hello, this is Hee-jae Yu.

I'm writing today because I have something to ask.Do you know a person named Sun-woo Kim or Wes Miller?He attended Homewood University in the USA, majoring in aerospace engineering at graduate school.I'm wondering if he is affiliated with or has been a supported researcher by your foundation.I would appreciate it if you could let me know.Best, Hee-jae Yu.

After sending the email, a reply came in 10 minutes.

Dr. Hee-jae Yu, this is Kate.

I'm sorry, but we cannot provide information about individuals or researchers associated with our foundation.Thank you.From Kate at the Valkama Research Foundation.

The refusal was more definitive than expected. I sent another email.

Understood. Thank you for the clarification.

I have attached a list of chemicals, including becquerelium, needed for my experiments.
I would appreciate it if you could prepare them for me.Also, unrelated to my research, could you possibly source protionamide for me? It's an anti-tuberculosis drug.I am willing to pay for it separately.Additionally, I plan to send a sample from my last experiment to the foundation.Could you please provide the address?Looking forward to your response.Best, Hee-jae Yu.

I hoped to get their address, planning to visit them using the teleporter immediately, holding Sun-woo's model, to ask why their name was engraved on it and what connection Sun-woo had to them. An email notification popped up on the bottom of my laptop screen.