The Hidden Scar

Strange Lady

The next day, Jimin led Min Ju into Aera's meeting room, where the team gathered to discuss the latest developments. The room felt charged with a mix of anticipation and tension as they settled down.

"Min Ju, there's something important we need to tell you," Jimin began, his tone careful. "Shi Ho and Nan Hee... they're my biological sisters."

Min Ju's eyes widened in shock as she took in the revelation. "Biological sisters? But... how? When did you find out?"

Aera stepped in, explaining, "We recently did a DNA test. It confirmed that they share the same parents as Jimin."

Min Ju was silent, processing the information. Her brow furrowed as memories from years past seemed to resurface. "This is... a lot. But now that you mention it, I remember someone suspicious from when I was living with our parents during high school."

The team leaned in, curious. RM spoke up, "Could you describe this person? Any details might help us figure out if she has a connection to the case."

Min Ju nodded, thinking back. "She was an older woman, an 'auntie' who would visit regularly. I didn't know her well, but there was something strange about her. She had this mysterious aura, and she kept everything about herself tightly under wraps. I never trusted her."

Aera's expression shifted, a flicker of recognition crossing her face. She interrupted, her voice laced with disbelief. "Was her name... Kim Yeon Joo?"

Min Ju's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes! That's it—Kim Yeon Joo. She always seemed so secretive. I didn't like her much, so I used to pull pranks on her just to keep her on edge."

Jimin frowned, confusion written on his face. "But... why don't I remember her at all?"

Min Ju chuckled slightly, as if recalling the little details. "You were in middle school back then, Jimin. You had school, tuition, and all those activities keeping you busy. Meanwhile, I had afternoon classes, so I'd often see her around the house."

Aera felt her heart skip a beat, a shock reverberating through her as Min Ju confirmed the name. Kim Yeon Joo. The name of her mother—the woman who had left her when she was just a little over a year old. Her hands tightened at her sides, her mind racing with memories she had barely clung to, fragments of stories about a mother she'd never really known.

Seeing Aera's sudden change, Jimin's gaze softened in concern. "Aera... are you alright?" he asked, his voice gentle.

She swallowed, her voice coming out almost as a whisper. "Kim Yeon Joo... she's my mother."

The room went silent as everyone took in Aera's revelation, the weight of it settling over them like a heavy cloud. Even Min Ju, usually composed and self-assured, looked stunned. "Your... mother?" she repeated softly, a flash of understanding dawning in her eyes.

Aera's gaze dropped, the pieces of a painful puzzle clicking together in her mind. "She left when I was just a baby. My father never spoke much about her, but I always wondered why she abandoned us." Her voice broke slightly. "And now... to know she was connected to everything happening here..."

Jimin instinctively reached out, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. "Aera, I can't imagine how you're feeling right now," he murmured, his expression both worried and determined. "But maybe finding her can help us understand why all this happened. If she's the key to everything... then we'll uncover the truth together."

The team exchanged silent glances, realizing that this wasn't just about Jimin's family anymore. Aera's past, her mother's mysterious presence in Jimin's life, and the tragic chain of events leading to today were now all woven together.

Aera took a deep breath, the initial shock giving way to a steely resolve. "If she's involved in this, I need to know why. I need to know why she left, why she's tied to all of this..." Her voice gained strength as she continued, looking at each member of the team. "No matter how difficult this journey is, I'm ready to face it. Let's find her and end this together."

With that, a new determination filled the room. They weren't just investigating a mastermind anymore—they were uncovering the truth of their own tangled histories, bound by family ties, buried secrets, and the unbreakable bonds they had formed 

team threw themselves into extensive research, digging into every scrap of information they could find on Kim Yeon Joo. They worked tirelessly, unearthing details that painted a darker picture than any of them had anticipated.

For Aera, calling this woman "mother" had never felt right. Memories surfaced, memories she'd tried to bury, but which now flooded her mind with relentless force. She could still remember the last fight her parents had, the day before her mother left for good. Her father had come home just a mere ten minutes late, exhausted from work, but that was enough to ignite her mother's fury. The argument escalated into a fierce, bewildering storm, and that was the last time Aera saw her mother in their home.

But even before that, Aera had felt a strange, creeping dread when it came to Kim Yeon Joo. She recalled incidents with their nannies—each time Aera cried or caused a fuss, her mother's response was terrifying. She would get violently angry, and by the next day, the nanny would disappear without a trace. It had happened more times than Aera could count, yet at her young age, she hadn't fully understood the weight of it.

It wasn't until her mother left, abandoning Aera and her father, that the true horror surfaced. When the authorities searched their former home, several bodies were discovered in the basement. To this day, no one knew exactly who was responsible, but Aera couldn't shake the dread that her mother had played a role in it.

Now, as these memories resurfaced, they added another layer to the mystery surrounding Kim Yeon Joo. She wasn't just any criminal—she was someone with a violent, unpredictable nature, with a history steeped in blood and secrets.

Jimin sat across from Aera in the meeting room, his gaze intense but comforting. "Aera, I know this must be unbearable, but these details could help us understand her motives," he said gently.

Aera nodded, forcing herself to push through the emotions swirling within her. "She was... she was always so cold. It's like she didn't care about anyone, not me, not the people around her. She would get rid of anyone who stood in her way without a second thought."

The team exchanged grim looks. This wasn't just a search for a mastermind anymore. They were facing someone whose twisted actions were tied not only to Jimin's past but to Aera's as well