File 456: Unsolved

📖 Chapter 2 - Characters Intro + First Contact

Let's continue with the story!

Seoul, South Korea — A quiet café, early afternoon

The rain had just stopped, leaving the city streets glistening under a pale sun. Y/N pushed open the door of the small café, the rich aroma of coffee greeting them. Rhiannon scanned the room quickly, while Yvaine observed quietly, her gaze sharp and thoughtful.

There, sitting alone at a corner table, was the man they came to meet. His dark hair was unkempt, and his eyes held a tiredness that seemed deeper than lack of sleep — a weight borne from something darker.

Y/N stepped forward. "Are you Mr. Gi-hun?"

The man looked up slowly. His English was broken, but clear enough. "Yes... I am."

"We're here from Italy. We saw your complaint. We want to help," Y/N said.

Gi-hun's lips tightened. "Many no believe me. I try tell story... but no one listen."

Rhiannon leaned closer, her voice gentle. "Can you tell us what happened? Anything you remember?"

Gi-hun took a deep breath, struggling for words. "Game... not game. Real life. People... many die."

Yvaine nodded, encouraging. "What kind of game? What made it so dangerous?"

"Children... play children's game, but... death." His voice cracked. "Organ... sold. People taken."

Y/N felt a chill. "You say people were kidnapped? Their organs sold?"

Gi-hun's eyes were earnest. "Yes. Many people... disappear after game."

Rhiannon glanced at Yvaine, then back at Gi-hun. "Did you see who runs it? Who is in charge?"

Gi-hun hesitated, then whispered, "Frontman... he... powerful. Many rich watch... VIP."

Yvaine's eyes narrowed. "And Officer Hwang Jun-ho? You mentioned him?"

Gi-hun nodded. "Jun-ho... police. Try help me. Then... gone."

Y/N exchanged a glance with her sisters. This was bigger than they thought.

Gi-hun's voice grew weaker. "I need help. Before... more die."

"We will help," Yvaine promised quietly. "But you have to be honest with us."

Gi-hun gave a small, tired nod.

Outside, the city moved on, oblivious to the dark secrets waiting beneath the surface.

Gi-hun sat back in his chair, fingers curling around his coffee cup like it was a lifeline. "They find people... broken. Poor. Gamble, debt. Promise money. But no leave."

"They trap them," Rhiannon said softly. "And no one notices they're gone."

"Yes." Gi-hun nodded slowly. "They die. Only one... win."

Yvaine leaned forward slightly, hands folded. "How did you survive?"

He hesitated, eyes darting to the café window like he expected someone to be watching. "I... lucky. And I remember."

"Remember what?" Y/N asked.

Gi-hun looked at her, and for the first time, there was something fierce behind his eyes. "Faces. Rules. Guards... red suits. Black masks. And sound. That... song."

"The music?" Rhiannon asked.

Gi-hun didn't answer. He just hummed a few slow, mechanical bars of a melody that sent goosebumps prickling across Y/N's arms. Something about it was unnatural. Cold. Clinical.

Then he added, "No phones. No escape. And if try... they shoot."

A silence fell between the four of them.

Yvaine broke it. "Do you still think they're out there? Running these... Games?"

Gi-hun nodded. "Yes. Every year. Change city, maybe. But same system."

He pulled a folded paper from his jacket — not the photo from earlier, but a printed record. A bank statement.

"This... is my account. Money they give me. For... win."
He pushed it across the table. The balance was astronomical — the kind of number that made stomachs turn, not from envy, but from guilt.

Y/N stared at it. "They paid you to keep quiet."

Gi-hun didn't respond.

Rhiannon shook her head slowly. "This is bad. Really bad."

"We'll need to go deeper," Yvaine said. "If this is real, we're not just talking about murder. This is human trafficking. Black market surgery. Maybe even international transport."

Y/N's mind was already turning. "We should loop in someone local."

Gi-hun perked up slightly. "Jun-ho's brother... he know more. He was... player. Disappear too."

"Wait," Rhiannon said, brows furrowed. "Jun-ho's brother was in the game?"

Gi-hun nodded solemnly.

Yvaine stood slowly. "We need to move carefully. This isn't just a case anymore."

As the trio gathered their things, Gi-hun stood, swaying slightly.

"If you go too far," he warned, "they find you. They always do."

Y/N met his eyes. "Then we'll be ready."

Outside, 2:04 p.m. — Same Day

The rain had started again, thin and gray like mist. The three women stood by the edge of the sidewalk, half-shielded by an awning.

"So," Rhiannon said, voice low, "we dig into Jun-ho first?"

Y/N nodded. "And we cross-reference missing persons with financial debt records. Anyone with sudden disappearances and no funerals."

Yvaine pulled her tablet from her bag. "And I'll start analyzing the behavioral patterns from Gi-hun's description. This isn't random. It's engineered."

"Think the Games are still going?" Rhiannon asked.

Yvaine didn't look up as she typed. "We'll find out."

Far behind them, a black car idled across the street. No movement. No driver in sight.

Just watching.