Unevitable | Ryeji |

Chapter 23: Shattered Truths

Yeji's pov:

Rina💋

The pendant's report is here. You should see this, Yeji.

The pendant. The one we found at the crime scene-the one that felt like the key to everything. My heart raced as I stared at the message, a mixture of anticipation and dread churning in my gut. This pendant had been nagging at me since the moment we discovered it. Something about it felt... familiar, like it was tied to a memory I couldn't quite grasp.

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I clenched my phone, my mind racing. Could this pendant be the missing piece to the puzzle, the link between all the brutal cases we've been handling? The memory, it stirred inside me, the way it pulled at the edges of my consciousness-it was like trying to recall a dream that slipped away the moment I woke up.

I couldn't shake the feeling that this pendant was more than just evidence. It was connected to something-or someone-significant. Something buried deep in my past, something I needed to uncover.

I glanced at the clock. It was late, but I knew I wouldn't rest until I saw that report. I had to know what secrets it held. What was it about this pendant that had the power to both haunt and drive me? What memories would it unlock once I held it in my hands again?

I quickly made my way to the headquarters to see the report.

As I walk through the hallway the vivid flashbacks hit me, but I try to suppress them.

The images were sharp, almost painful-a car, shattered glass, a woman's scream. My steps faltered, but I forced myself to keep moving, pushing the memories down as best I could. I couldn't afford to lose focus now, not when I was so close to finding answers.

I finally reached the door to the evidence room, my hand trembling as I reached for the handle. Whatever this report revealed, it would change everything.

I was greeted by Karina, who stood waiting with a serious expression. She didn't waste any time as she handed me the report file."The pendant contains a picture," Karina said, her voice low and measured. "I think it's an old picture of the killer's family."

The words hung in the air, heavy with implications. I hesitated before opening the file, my breath catching in my throat. If this pendant held a family picture, it could provide a direct link to the killer's identity. But more than that, it could explain why this pendant felt so strangely familiar, why it pulled at the corners of my mind with such force.

With a deep breath, I opened the file and stared down at the picture. My heart skipped a beat. The faces in the photograph were hazy, old, but there was something unmistakable about them. A connection-no, a recognition-flashed in my mind, but I couldn't quite place it.

The more I looked, the more the memories stirred, inching closer to the surface, threatening to break free.

The photograph stared back at me, the faces frozen in time. A family of five-two adults and three children. The image was old, worn at the edges, but still clear enough to make out the features. My eyes scanned the faces, searching for something, anything that would explain why this felt so familiar.

And then it hit me like a wave crashing over my senses.

The two adults in the picture were my parents.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the image, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. The man and woman were younger, but there was no mistaking them. My father's strong jawline, my mother's warm, kind eyes-they looked exactly as I remembered them from the few photos I had of them. But this photo... I had never seen it before.