One day in Seoul 🇰🇷

🇰🇷: 33

As we drove back home, the silence in the car was suffocating. Daniel and Nathan were with me, but I could feel the tension hanging heavy in the air, as if it was pressing down on all of us. My hands tightened on the steering wheel, knuckles white as I fought to control the storm inside me. The frustration, the anger-it was all bubbling over, threatening to explode.

Sarang. How could I not have known sooner? How could I have let this happen?

By the time we pulled into the driveway, I was already seething. Every ounce of regret, every second I had wasted not knowing my daughter was mine, hit me all at once. The moment I stepped out of the car and into the house, the floodgates opened.

"Putang ina!" I roared, slamming my fist against the wall, the sound echoing through the empty living room. "I should've known! Dapat noon pa-dapat hindi ko hinayaan na mangyari 'to!"

I was cursing at the walls, at myself, at the universe for letting me be so blind. Every minute I didn't spend with Sarang felt like a knife in my gut. The guilt was unbearable, tearing me apart from the inside out.

Daniel followed me into the house, his expression serious. "Francis, you can't do this right now. Alam ko galit ka, pero this isn't the time for regrets. We need to focus on finding Sarang."

Nathan nodded in agreement, though I could see the tension in his eyes. "He's right. We can't waste time."

I slammed my fist down on the table, breathing heavily, trying to steady myself. "I know. I know we need to focus. But it's all my fault. If I had known earlier... if I had just done something sooner-"

Daniel cut me off, his voice firm but understanding. "Tama na, Francis. Hindi mo kasalanan. We'll find her, pero we need to pull ourselves together. Lahat tayo may mga regrets, but right now, ang importante, we do everything we can to get her back."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the rage inside me. He was right. I couldn't fall apart now, not when Sarang needed me the most. I nodded at Daniel, swallowing down the anger as best I could. "Okay. Let's start."

Nathan had already pulled out his laptop and was working on contacting everyone we knew who could help. We needed information, and fast. Paul was the key, and we had to find out everything about him. I grabbed a beer from the fridge, cracking it open, hoping the alcohol would dull the edge of my anger just enough for me to think clearly.

Minutes turned into hours as we scoured every contact, every possible lead. Beers littered the table as we worked, but none of us were getting any clearer answers. I could feel my frustration growing again. Just when I thought we were getting nowhere, a notification pinged on Nathan's laptop.

"I got something," Nathan said, his voice tense with anticipation. He opened the email, and as the screen loaded, Paul's information appeared before us.

"Paul Sean Driz," Nathan read out loud. "Lives in Canada. Filipino father... Ace Driz."

At the mention of the name Ace Driz, something shifted in Nathan. His expression darkened, and I could see a flicker of pain cross his face. He reached for his pocket, fumbling to pull out the painkillers that Katarina had given him. His hands were shaking as he popped one into his mouth, swallowing it dry.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried about the sudden shift in him.

"I'm fine," Nathan muttered, his voice tight. But I could see it-he wasn't fine. Something about the name Ace Driz had triggered something deep in him, something painful.

We kept reading, pushing through the unease. Paul had grown up in a home for abandoned children called Darting Star Haven, run by none other than Ace Driz. The place had been closed for twenty years, but Ace had opened a new branch in Canada. On the surface, Ace Driz seemed like a man of good reputation, someone who had helped countless children over the years. But as we dug deeper, I could sense that there was something more, something darker hidden beneath all those awards and accolades.