Episode 4: The Body That Wasn't Daniel

The drive to the abandoned construction site felt endless.

Rain poured heavily against the windshield as Kiaan drove in complete silence. His grip on the steering wheel tightened every few seconds, while Anny sat beside him, staring blankly out the window. Her heart pounded so loudly that she could barely hear the sound of the rain.

One thought kept repeating in her mind.

"Please don't let it be Daniel..."

Kiaan noticed her trembling hands. Without taking his eyes off the road, he quietly handed her a bottle of water.

"Don't assume the worst until we know the truth."

Anny nodded, though her voice refused to come out.

Nearly thirty minutes later, the black sedan stopped near an unfinished building surrounded by police vehicles. Yellow barricade tape fluttered in the wind, and flashing red-and-blue lights illuminated the dark evening.

Ethan was already waiting for them.

The usually cheerful detective looked unusually serious.

"Kiaan."

"What do we know?" Kiaan asked immediately.

Ethan glanced at Anny before answering.

"The victim is a man in his early thirties. We found Daniel Winter's wallet in his jacket pocket."

Anny's knees weakened.

Kiaan instinctively caught her before she could fall.

"Easy."

She whispered, "Take me to him."

Ethan hesitated.

"Are you sure?"

"I have to know."

The three of them walked toward the temporary forensic tent. Every step felt heavier than the last. The air smelled of wet concrete and damp earth.

A white sheet covered the body.

The forensic officer slowly uncovered the victim's face.

Anny stared for several seconds.

Then tears rolled down her cheeks—not from grief, but from relief.

"It... it isn't Daniel."

She covered her face and cried uncontrollably.

Kiaan gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

For the first time that day, he allowed himself to breathe.

But Ethan's expression remained troubled.

"If it isn't Daniel..."

"Then why did he have Daniel's wallet?" Kiaan finished.

No one had an answer.

One of the forensic officers approached them carrying a transparent evidence bag.

"We also found this."

Inside was an old silver key attached to a faded blue keychain shaped like a tiny star.

The moment Anny saw it, her eyes widened.

"I know this..."

She carefully took the evidence bag.

"I gave this keychain to Daniel on his seventeenth birthday."

Kiaan exchanged a meaningful glance with Ethan.

Someone had deliberately left clues.

Someone wanted them to investigate.

Just then, another officer hurried toward them.

"Sir, we found a phone hidden inside the victim's pocket."

The screen was cracked, but it was still working.

Ethan unlocked it with help from the forensic team.

There was only one saved video.

He pressed play.

The screen flickered before showing a frightened man tied to a chair inside a dark room.

His face was bruised, and he looked directly into the camera.

"If anyone finds this..."

"...tell Anny..."

His voice broke.

"...I'm sorry."

Anny gasped.

"Daniel!"

It was her brother.

The recording had clearly been made only a few days earlier.

Daniel looked exhausted, but he was alive.

Before he could say anything else, a masked figure appeared behind him.

The screen suddenly went black.

Silence filled the tent.

Anny clutched the phone with shaking hands.

"He's alive..."

Kiaan nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"But someone wants us to know it."

Outside the tent, hidden among the parked vehicles, a hooded figure watched them through binoculars.

The stranger quietly spoke into a small earpiece.

"They've seen the video."

A deep voice answered from the other end.

"Good."

"Phase One is complete."

The hooded figure disappeared into the darkness before anyone noticed.

Meanwhile, Victor stood in front of a giant wall covered with photographs, newspaper clippings, and red strings connecting dozens of names.

At the very center of the board was one picture.

It showed four smiling high school students.

Anny.

Kiaan.

Ethan.

And Daniel.

Victor slowly traced Daniel's face with his finger before smiling.

"Seven years ago..."

"You all buried the truth."

He picked up a lighter.

"The time has come to dig it back up."

The flames reflected in his cold eyes as the photograph began to burn.

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