chapter 12

A sound of someone running to leave from behind echoes directly into Dezze's ears. She instantly runs in that direction, but while descending the stairs, she's pulled towards the building. However, the sound disappears from there. Dezze starts searching here and there while gasping, but apart from the wind, she can't sense the presence of anything else.

She glanced around the rooftop, then peered down, but couldn't spot any. Dezze suddenly recalled Jesse and quickly rushed downstairs.

As she frantically scanned the meeting hall, her eyes scoured every corner, but Jesse was nowhere to be found. With growing desperation, she rushed to Jesse's office, her heart pounding in her chest. She flung open the door, and her gaze swept the room, but Jesse was not there. A creeping sense of dread began to suffocate her.

Panic's icy grip tightened around her throat, squeezing the air from her lungs. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps as the familiar terror washed over her. This time, it was different. This time, she felt the weight of her own mortality crushing her. Her vision began to blur, and her knees buckled beneath her. She felt herself hurtling towards the abyss, with no safety net to catch her fall. The thought echoed through her mind like a death knell: "I'm going to die..."

Just as suddenly, the ringing of her phone jolted her back to reality. She quickly checked the screen and saw Jesse's name flashing. With a surge of relief, she answered the call without hesitation.

"Where are you?" she asked urgently. "I've been looking everywhere for you. What happened? Are you alright?"

Jesse respond with her calm voice . "I'm perfectly fine, don't worry," Jesse reassured her. "I'm actually in the CCTV room right now with the security guard. Can you come down to the ground floor and meet me here?"

Dezze quickly made her way to the elevator and took it down to the ground floor.

Dezze flung open the door and enveloped Jesse in a tight hug, squeezing her so hard that Jesse struggled to breathe. Jesse gently patted Dezze's back, trying to calm her down, and whispered, "I can barely breathe, please let me go." But Dezze refused to release her grip. Her voice trembled with emotion as she whispered, "What if something had happened to you? I would have died this time, I swear."

The security guard standing in the room couldn't help but stare at the two women. Dezze suddenly became aware of the guard's gaze and quickly, yet gently, released Jesse from her tight embrace.

The two women, accompanied by the security guard, began to scrutinize the CCTV footage of the entire room, but couldn't spot anyone suspicious. However, upon reviewing the footage from 10-15 minutes prior, they noticed a girl wearing a black hoodie, black trouser and black cap standing in the area. Dezze immediately instructed the security guard to pause the footage, which the guard promptly did.

Her gait and posture clearly indicated that the figure was a girl, who was looking upwards, possibly towards the office of jesse but after few seconds towards meeting hall.She was holding a slingshot in her hand, a device typically used to hurl small stones at targets. However, her face was not clearly visible due to the distance, and only her body could be made out. Dezze's frustration boiled over, and she punched the computer table, the force of the blow causing her pain. But her anger far surpassed her physical discomfort, and her face was contorted in rage.

She once again reached the rooftop, still convinced that the mysterious girl would be there. After scouring the area for what felt like an eternity, her search yielded nothing. Defeated and frustrated, she plopped down, resting her hands on her hips, her eyes scanning the horizon with a mix of disappointment and despair.

After a few seconds, she stood up again, asking herself, "How should I punish you?" She immediately responded by slapping herself, berating, "You're such a useless girl, nobody needs you!" She slapped herself repeatedly, so forcefully that her cheeks turned bright red.

Just then, Jesse appeared, as if drawn by Dezze's distress. She swiftly moved to Dezze's side, firmly grasping both her hands, her expression a mix of concern and alarm.

"What are you doing? Stop it!" Jesse exclaimed, embracing Dezze tightly. "This isn't your fault. Please, stop blaming yourself." But Dezze's self-reproach only intensified as she listened to Jesse's words. Her eyes, already red and puffy, overflowed with tears, weakening her further. The torrent of tears streaming down her face made her appear even more vulnerable.

At that moment, Dezze remained silent, not uttering a word, perhaps her overwhelming disappointment had rendered her speechless. However, Jesse continued to try to break through Dezze's reserve, checking on her throughout their journey and attempting to coax her out of her shell. Dezze responded to Jesse's questions, but the deep-seated disappointment within her remained unshaken.

After dropping Dezze off at her apartment, Jesse headed home. As she drove, she made a quick call to the security guard, granting permission to install CCTV cameras more around outside of the office building. Although Jesse could have involved the police, she chose not to, and neither did she allow Dezze to do so.

As soon as Jesse arrived home, she freshened up and then glanced at her mobile phone, which was lying on the table in front of her bed. She sat down on the bed and sank into deep thought. After a few minutes, she let out a long sigh and picked up her phone from the table, dialing her manager's number.

Within seconds, Manager Sumi answered the phone, and in a soft voice, asked, "Hello, Miss Jesse, is everything alright?"

Jesse response with a question "Did you lose something at the office today?"

Sumi searched her entire body and realized that a black hair clip was missing from her hair. She felt a slight surge of panic but quickly composed herself, responding to her boss, "Yes, I lost a hair clip from my hair. it might have fallen off."

"When?"Jesse asked again, this time with greater depth and seriousness, her tone sending a shiver down Sumi's spine. Sumi's lips trembled as she spoke, but she regained her composure, responding, "I'm not sure, maybe I dropped it around 10 or 10:30 pm while I was on my way home."

"Are you at home right now?" Jesse asked promptly.

"Yes, I am," Sumi replied, curiosity laced in her voice, "Is there something urgent?" She had a hint of hesitation, knowing that her boss wouldn't call her so late at night unless it was something truly important.

"Yes, I just called to remind you to reschedule tomorrow's meeting to 10:30, as I have some additional work. Now, get some rest, and I'll see you tomorrow," Jesse said, before abruptly ending the call.

Meanwhile, Sumi was left feeling perplexed, concerned, and slightly bewildered on the other end of the line.