The Missing Child

Seeming to quite like us, the children graciously extended a concession.

“We’ll just do rock-paper-scissors for the tagger!”

This was their way of changing how the tagger would be chosen. While it made no difference to me, it appeared to be a rather grave issue for the children.

In any case, Heemang was ultimately chosen as the tagger.

“Hide! One, two……”

As Heemang counted to ten, Yoon Jihyuk let out a wry chuckle.

“’There aren’t many places to hide here,’ he mused. ‘Perhaps I should have suggested a different game.’

“’It’s already too late,’ I replied.

I squeezed my body into the cramped space tucked beneath the slide. Though it was openly exposed on all sides, making discovery easy if anyone approached, it offered a blind spot to those still atop the play structure.

Yoon Jihyuk clicked his tongue, muttering to himself.

“’How did you manage to get in there?’

Just then, Heemang finished counting, let out a loud shout of ‘Ready or not, here I come!’, and began to dart about. While I couldn’t see the area above, just as I was hidden from their view, I could discern the unfolding events simply by the sounds.

“……Oppa, what are you doing here?”

“Ahahaha.”

Yoon Jihyuk, attempting to find a hiding spot by navigating the long tunnel that linked the platforms, became hopelessly stuck within the narrow confines designed for children. He was, inevitably, the very first to be caught.

“’Well, this is difficult…’ he sighed. ‘So, I’m the tagger now?’

“Yes!”

His voice held a genuine note of disappointment; he must have longed to win, even against the children. Descending with his eyebrows drawn into a V-shape, he took his place before a distant pillar.

“’Since I saw your hiding spots, I’ll count to twenty.’

His diligent manner as he covered his eyes while speaking was somewhat amusing. Still, it seemed he was willing to give them a handicap.

As if this simple game brought them boundless joy, the children giggled, scrambling to secure the most elusive hiding places.

That pink blob over there seemed to be straying from the playground… But the camera staff was following, so it should be fine, right? I didn’t bother moving, instead huddling a little deeper into my spot.

Soon enough, Yoon Jihyuk finished counting and began ascending the ladder onto the play structure. Yet, his climb was brief; halfway up, he suddenly stretched his body out, craning his head downwards.

Towards my hiding spot, to be precise. Yoon Jihyuk’s lips curved into a smirk as he whispered.

“’Jio, you don’t seem very keen on playing seriously, do you?’

“’Well… that’s right,’ I admitted.

“’Understood.’

His tone was almost endearingly cute, the kind that would transcribe as ‘Aa-al-ge-sseo.’ I couldn’t fathom what decision he’d made in that brief moment, but Yoon Jihyuk, instead of catching me, continued his ascent up the ladder.

‘Should I be grateful to have avoided the hassle?’

However, at that precise moment, my leg went numb. It was hardly surprising, given the uncomfortable position I’d been maintaining. I likely wouldn’t be caught anyway, so perhaps I should venture out. I grunted, shifting my body, and managed to extricate my legs. A rush of blood surged through my limbs.

Stepping out a few paces, I looked up at the play structure.

The children, having learned a lesson from witnessing Yoon Jihyuk’s capture by Heemang, were now hidden on the far side of the tunnel. I could see their small heads peeking out, furtively checking if he would cross over. Yoon Jihyuk, too, must have seen their faces appearing and disappearing.

Yoon Jihyuk murmured in a serene voice.

“’So you’re there.’

Despite their location being exposed, the children exchanged knowing glances and chuckled. Their expressions clearly broadcasted the thought: ‘What’s the point of knowing? You can’t get here anyway.’ And indeed, they were correct.

Suho and Heemang appeared to be formulating a plan: to make their escape the moment Yoon Jihyuk descended to cross over to their side. ‘Hmm, clever,’ I thought.

However, Yoon Jihyuk’s subsequent actions entirely defied their expectations.

He no longer attempted to squeeze his frame into the narrow tunnel. Instead, he lightly tapped the top of the tunnel with a loosely clenched fist. The seemingly light sound resonated with surprising solidity, as if confirming the robust construction of the recently replaced play equipment.

Having confirmed its stability, Yoon Jihyuk gripped a pillar and vaulted upward. With a resounding ‘thump,’ he landed his feet atop the tunnel. He then proceeded to run across it, his movements so agile that no concern arose about him losing his balance and plummeting.

‘Seriously, we were supposed to play hide-and-seek, not film an action movie…’

“Kyaaak!”

The children shrieked with laughter, their reaction overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

“Wow! Wow!”

They were so captivated that they didn’t even consider fleeing to search for new hiding spots, instead uttering a string of exclamations. I had half-expected the quiet, introverted Suho to be frightened, but thankfully, his reaction was merely a little subdued, his eyes sparkling with wonder.

“’What, aren’t you going to run away?’

When Yoon Jihyuk inquired with a playful lilt, Suho, a little startled, quickly began to move.

Regardless, Heemang was already utterly captivated by Yoon Jihyuk’s daring display.

“’I want to do it too! How do you do it?’

She bounced up and down, brimming with eagerness, but the spot Yoon Jihyuk had grasped for his impressive leap was barely within a child’s reach, even on tiptoes. This was entirely expected, as the small children, perhaps only 100cm tall, barely came up to Yoon Jihyuk’s knees.

Heemang’s face clouded with a hint of disappointment, as if she had just realized the impossibility of climbing up there herself. Her pride, too, seemed to have taken a slight hit.

‘At this rate, she might start crying…’

Sensing a similar impending meltdown, Yoon Jihyuk flusteredly searched for a compromise to offer the child. Allowing her to walk up there with him was far too dangerous, so he dismissed that idea. Instead, by letting her sit briefly on the spot, he managed to soothe her feelings, if only a little.

‘This is precisely why one shouldn’t perform dangerous stunts in front of children.’

Given the circumstances, the game of hide-and-seek naturally petered out. Suho, who had returned after fruitlessly searching for a new hiding spot, seemed envious of Heemang but too shy to voice his request, instead casting furtive glances at Yoon Jihyuk.

‘Yet he had no trouble telling *me* what he wanted. Was it harder for him because he only considered Yoon Jihyuk a proper adult?’

Regardless, the game they had been playing concluded. My attention, however, was fixed not on the two children Yoon Jihyuk was entertaining, but on Uju, who was conspicuously absent. Ultimately, Uju did not return to the playground even after hide-and-seek had finished.

“’Shouldn’t we go get Uju now?’

I asked the staff member who was currently pointing a camera in my direction.

“’We were just about to try contacting them anyway,’ they replied.

True to their word, one of the production staff members already had a phone pressed to their ear. I hadn’t given the matter much thought until this moment. I had simply assumed that once Uju returned, we would continue playing with the children—be it more hide-and-seek, a new game, or heading home—until they decided they’d had enough.

However, mere seconds after the call connected, her face drained of all color.

“’What did you say?’

Her sharp, sudden voice was undeniably ominous.

“’No, that’s… ha… What are we going to do about this?!’

Having lifted Suho onto the tunnel just once, Yoon Jihyuk, who had since moved on to entertain the children on the swings, sharply snapped his head in our direction.

Other staff members, too, began to murmur and converge.

“’What’s going on?’

A chorus of similar questions quickly accumulated. The staff member, having concluded the call, squeezed their eyes shut and let out a heavy sigh.

“’The child is missing,’ she announced.

“’What?’

“’They said a car came as they were about to enter the alley, and they lost him in the brief moment their path was blocked.’

“’…So what do we do?’

“’What do we do? We have to find him.’

After a tense exchange, the PD issued a directive.

“’Everyone, let’s scatter and search! I’ll remain here, so divide into sections and comb the area.’

The filming was secondary; a five-year-old entrusted to their care had vanished right before their eyes. Everyone was utterly pale with shock, scrambling in disarray.

I, too, felt an identical surge of responsibility. ‘I should have stopped him when I saw him,’ I chastised myself. ‘Why did I just sit there?’

Yoon Jihyuk, having quickly assessed the gravity of the situation, strode purposefully toward our group.

“’Uju is missing?’

“’Ah, yes… We’re searching for him now, so for the time being, could the two of you please take the children upstairs? Please rest inside until filming resumes.’

It was a sound judgment, as lingering here could easily cause the remaining children to grow anxious. Yoon Jihyuk nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly spoke.

“’Since this is an apartment complex, wouldn’t it be wise to request an announcement?’ he suggested. ‘He was wearing noticeable clothes, so if anyone saw him, they might remember him.’

“’Ah! That’s right!’ the PD exclaimed. ‘Mira, did you hear that? Go to the management office.’

She called out to a nearby staff member, giving the instruction. The staff member nodded and hurried away.

“’Then we’ll head inside,’ Yoon Jihyuk stated.

Yoon Jihyuk maintained the same calm demeanor he had before realizing Uju was missing, interacting with the children. They didn’t seem to fully grasp what was happening, judging by their clamor to press the elevator buttons.

“’……Aren’t you worried?’

I asked in a hushed tone, and Yoon Jihyuk offered a bitter smile.

“’Of course, I am.’

‘But you can’t show that to the kids, can you?’ His continued words were entirely logical.

“’I’ll go inside, get the kids to sleep, and then assess the situation.’

“’Hmm, alright.’

The house, now left with only unattended cameras, felt empty. Yoon Jihyuk took the children to the bathroom, suggesting it would be best to wash their hands and feet. I simply washed my hands and pondered where to put the children to sleep.

The living room was spacious and ideal, but that tent was there… ‘Should I move it aside?’

Thinking this, I approached the tent’s entrance. And then.

“……Uju?”

Inside, I discovered a pink lump.

‘What? Why are you here?’