"Khan?" Jai approached Arkhan, who was still frozen in place, his face pale and hands trembling.
"Call... the police," Arkhan whispered weakly.
Without another word, Jai picked up Arkhan's fallen phone. The moment he saw the screen, his legs gave out and he sank to the floor. Tears began to fall.
"Damn it..." he muttered, quickly dialing the police.
Seeing Jai's reaction, the others approached in curiosity and concern.
"What's going on?" Nero asked.
Jai simply showed them Arkhan's phone screen. Everyone fell silent. Their faces turned pale as they looked at the photo.
"This... this can't be real," Sandy said in disbelief.
"I don't know if it's real or just edited. But the police will be here soon—let them find out," Jai said.
The atmosphere in the house turned heavy and tense. Fear gripped the five young men, who could now only exchange anxious glances.
A few minutes later, a knock on the door startled them.
Knock knock knock.
Sena, just arriving home, was surprised to find two police officers at the door. He paused, unsure what to say.
"Sena," Sandy called, opening the door. "Come in. I'll explain everything."
Sena entered, followed by the two officers.
Jai immediately explained what had happened. After examining the photo, the police confirmed it was genuine—no digital manipulation was detected.
"You said you received a threatening message?" one officer asked Arkhan. "Can you show it to us?"
"Sorry, sir. The sender deleted all the messages... and I didn't get to take a screenshot," Arkhan replied nervously.
"We can try to recover them, but it'll take time—and we need to take your phone," the officer explained.
"I'm sorry, sir... I can't give up this phone. I still need it for daily use," Arkhan said.
"Khan, come on. I'll buy you a new one," Jai urged gently.
"That's not the only issue. I've got important data here, and I'm really comfortable using this phone."
The officer sighed. "Alright. In that case, we'll proceed with a search for your missing friend, who is now officially declared missing."
After the conversation, the police left.
"So... Joan's really dead?" Sena asked quietly.
"Hush! Don't say that yet. We can still hope he's alive. Maybe it's just a kidnapper's trick," Sandy said, trying to stay hopeful.
"Please wait until the police find my brother," Jai added through tears. Levan hugged him, trying to comfort him.
"On your way home, did you see anything strange, Sen? Like someone following you?" Arkhan asked.
"No. Everything was normal. Just a regular walk home," Sena replied.
"What kind of threat did you get, anyway? Why didn't you let the police trace it?" Levan asked.
"I was afraid it was just a prank... and we'd end up panicking over nothing," Arkhan said.
"But you looked seriously scared, Khan," Nero said suspiciously.
"I was just... worried. I didn't think it would go this far," Arkhan deflected.
Suddenly, Jai's phone rang. It was a call from his father. Hesitantly, Jai answered.
"Hello, Dad?"
"What the hell is this message you sent? Don't joke around, Jio!"
"Dad, this isn't a joke! Im even called the police, and they said the photo was real. Most likely... Joan is gone..."
"Tch, that guy... Disappearing when there's work piling up. I knew he was unreliable. You should just take over the company, Jio."
Jai clenched his fists, holding back his anger. Tears streamed down his face.
"You're insane! Joan is MISSING—maybe DEAD! And all you care about is your damn company?! I told you from the start—I don't want to be your successor. Don't ever talk to me about the company again... and don't look for me or Joan ever again!"
Furious, Jai hung up.
"Take it easy, Jio..." Sandy said softly.
"My dad has no heart. His child is missing, and all he cares about is work. He doesn't care at all!" Jai sobbed in the corner, hugging his knees.
"Calm yourself first. We all need rest. Tomorrow, we'll think more clearly," Levan said.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. My whole body aches," added Sena.
"Alright, everyone back to your rooms," Sandy said.
They all slowly headed to their rooms. Nero, walking last, silently observed each of his friends. When his gaze fell on Sena, he narrowed his eyes.
"Is that... a mark? Or a wound?" Nero thought.
"I don't remember Sena having anything like that before..."