CHASING THE TRUTH

Chapter 7: Jun-yu's Discovery

Jun-yu couldn't sleep.

The image of the black car remained in his mind.

Whoever had been inside wasn't lost.

They weren't waiting for directions.

They were watching.

And Ted's apartment had been their target.

The next morning, Jun-yu arrived at Bobie's apartment earlier than usual.

To his surprise, Ted, Zuan, Minho, and Bobie were already there.

Minho was telling an exaggerated story.

"...and then the dog started chasing me for absolutely no reason!"

"For no reason?" Bobie laughed.

"You stole its hotdog," Zuan reminded him.

"That is not the point."

The room exploded with laughter.

Jun-yu normally would have joined in.

But not today.

Something was bothering him.

Ted noticed first.

"Jun-yu."

Everyone turned.

"You okay?"

Jun-yu hesitated.

Then he sat down.

"I saw something last night."

The room immediately became quiet.

"What happened?" Bobie asked.

Jun-yu explained everything.

The black car.

The tinted windows.

The person watching Ted's building.

The way the car drove away after being noticed.

As he spoke, Ted's expression became serious.

"So you're sure?" Ted asked.

Jun-yu nodded.

"Very sure."

Minho stopped smiling.

"That's creepy."

"A little too creepy," Bobie agreed.

Zuan crossed his arms.

"Do you think it has something to do with Aria?"

Nobody answered immediately.

Because everyone was thinking the same thing.

Finally, Ted spoke.

"I don't know."

But even as he said it, he wasn't convinced.

The timing felt too strange.

Ever since Aria entered his life, unusual things had started happening.

The mysterious phone calls.

The threats.

And now someone watching his apartment.

Jun-yu leaned forward.

"I think we need to find out who that car belongs to."

Ted looked at him.

"How?"

A small smile appeared on Jun-yu's face.

"Leave that part to me."

That evening, Jun-yu returned to the same street.

The weather was colder than usual.

The sidewalks were nearly empty.

He waited.

One hour passed.

Then another.

Nothing.

Just as he began thinking the car wouldn't return

Headlights appeared.

A black sedan slowly turned the corner.

Jun-yu immediately recognized it.

The same car.

The same dark windows.

His heart started racing.

Carefully, he took out his phone and snapped several pictures.

The vehicle stopped across from Ted's building again.

Just like before.

Watching.

Waiting.

Observing.

Jun-yu zoomed in.

This time, he managed to capture part of the license plate.

A grin appeared on his face.

"Got you."

The next day, the group gathered again.

Jun-yu placed his phone on the table.

"I found it."

Everyone leaned forward.

"The car came back?"

Jun-yu nodded.

"And I got pictures."

Ted stared at the screen.

A strange feeling settled in his stomach.

Because now the situation felt real.

Very real.

"What do we do now?" Minho asked.

Jun-yu looked at Bobie.

Bobie looked at Ted.

Then Jun-yu spoke.

"We find out who owns the car."

Suddenly, Ted's phone vibrated.

The room went silent.

Aria.

Ted answered immediately.

"Hey."

But the voice on the other end wasn't Aria.

Ted froze.

The others noticed instantly.

His face had gone pale.

"Who is this?" Ted asked.

The voice laughed softly.

A cold laugh.

A dangerous laugh.

Then the stranger spoke.

"If you care about Aria..."

The room became deathly quiet.

"...stop looking for the truth."

The call ended.

Ted slowly lowered the phone.

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Because one thing had become painfully clear.

Someone knew exactly who they were.

And someone was afraid of what they might discover.

The game had officially begun.