hyejin
i sit across from our family investigator, the air in the room heavy with tension. my mother is next to me, her presence kinda comforting but also a reminder of the gravity of the situation. the investigator, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes, leans forward slightly, his notebook open in front of him. he looks like one of those very intimidating secretaries of even more intimidating bosses.
"miss hyejin, could you walk us through what's been going on at the coffee shop? has anything unusual happened recently?" he asks, his voice calm but probing.
i take a deep breath, steadying myself. "everything has been going fine at the shop," i begin, trying to sound confident, especially with mom being here. "we've had our usual flow of customers, no major issues with suppliers, and the staff's been reliable."
he nods, jotting down notes. but i can tell he's waiting for more.
i hesitate for a moment, glancing at my mother. her eyes are filled with concern, and i feel a pang of guilt. i know i have to mention the risk i took, but i don't want to drag anyone else into this mess—especially not haerin. this was my decision, and i should own up to it.
"oh um, a-actually, there was one thing," i admit, my voice quieter. "i... i made a decision recently. a bit of a risky one. it seemed like a good idea at the time, and i was convinced it would help the shop."
the investigator raises an eyebrow. "what kind of risk?"
i swallow hard, trying to find the right words without giving away too much. "i invested in something ... new for the shop. it required a bit of funding, but i thought it would pay off in the long run." i pause, choosing my words carefully. "looking back, maybe i should have been more cautious."
my mother's eyes narrow slightly. she's worried. especially now.
the investigator leans back, his pen tapping lightly against the notebook. "could this decision have any connection to the missing funds?"
i shake my head, though doubt lingers in the back of my mind. "i don't think so, cuz the funds ... they were in a separate account, handled by my mother and me."
at that, my mother pulls out her phone, scrolling through messages. "i've been getting texts and calls from the bank," she says, her voice strained. "they alerted me about the withdrawals. we've already reported it, but ..."
she hands over the phone to the investigator, showing him the notifications. he takes the phone, his eyes scanning the screen, and i can see the wheels turning in his head.
"did you receive any unusual messages or calls before this happened? anything that seemed out of place?" he asks, directing the question to both of us.
i shake my head, but my mother looks thoughtful. "there were a few ... strange calls, but i didn't think much of them at the time. i just assumed they were spam."
the investigator nods, handing the phone back to my mother. "we'll need to look into those as well. every detail matters."
i sit there, feeling a mix of frustration and guilt. i know i took a risk, and now i can't help but wonder if that decision somehow led to this. but i can't let myself spiral into paranoia. not yet.
the investigator's pen stops moving, and he looks up from his notebook. "miss hyejin, we're going to need the contact information for all of your staff members. it's standard procedure, and it will help us rule out any internal issues."
a chill runs down my spine. i hadn't thought about this part of the investigation, and now my mind races. if i hand over the contact list, it means jungwon will find out about this mess. he'll know that something went wrong, that my careful plans crumbled. and worst of all, it would mean he was right. the thought gnaws at me, making my pride ache.
