Chapter 40 · Sister's Voice Note

"Ate, they froze the whole—" Neneng's voice cracked, then the message cut dead. Fourteen seconds. That's all I got.

I played it again in the laundry chute stairwell, phone pressed so hard to my ear it hurt. Static. My sister's breath, fast, scared. Then nothing. I played it a third time, like maybe the fourth word would show up if I just wanted it bad enough.

I called back. Straight to voicemail. Called again. Same flat robotic voice telling me to leave a message after the tone.

"Neneng, pick up. Pick up, pick up—" I was talking to a dead line like it could hear me, like it owed me something.

The stairwell door banged open and Jae Min filled it, tie loose, jaw tight in that way that means somebody upstairs already ruined his morning before mine even started.

"You didn't answer the floor page," he said.

"I'm busy."

"Busy." He came down a step, eyes cutting to the phone still glowing white-hot in my fist like it might explode. "Who was that."

"None of your business.