Daughter's Phone Call
So-yeon’s daughter was not the kind of child who would wander off without a word. Yet… yet… no matter how many times she scanned the park, she could not see her anywhere. The park was fairly spacious, filled with people enjoying the weekend. Some were jogging, others walking their dogs, and many families had come out for a picnic. But nowhere among them was So-hee.
The unease swelled inside her. Her heart began to hammer wildly. “S-So-hee! So-hee!! Where are you? So-hee!”
Only then did the gravity of the situation hit her. So-yeon began shouting her daughter’s name in desperation. She grabbed every passerby, asking if they had seen her child. But no one had. It made no sense. Just moments ago, So-hee had been running and playing right here. How could none of these people have noticed her…?
The dread surged like a wave she could not contain. “S-So-hee…” Her voice trembled violently as she called for her daughter. Her eyes burned red, tears threatening to spill at any moment.
Belatedly, others realized what was happening and joined the search, but to no avail. The girl was nowhere to be found. It was as if she had simply vanished into thin air.
It was late that night when she finally reported it to the police. A full-scale search for her daughter began. When the officers mentioned the possibility of kidnapping, So-yeon felt her heart being torn to shreds. The tears would not stop. The despair was beyond words. All she could do was sob endlessly.
Like a madwoman, she kept crying out her daughter’s name… but So-hee was nowhere to be found. Nowhere at all.
“Mommy…”
At that moment, the sudden voice made So-yeon flinch awake. She realized she was once again sitting in the pitch-black, empty living room. Ah… she had dreamed of that day again. That unforgettable day, filled with nothing but regret. The guilt still weighed heavily on her. The pain had never truly faded.
So-yeon rubbed her face and let out a long sigh. She rose from the sofa, intending to head to the bathroom, when her phone began to ring. How long had it been? Lately, the only calls she received were from the office. And at this hour, there was no reason for them to be calling.
With a weary expression, she pressed her tired eyes with her fingers and picked up the phone. The screen displayed Unknown Caller.
“What the…?”
She wondered if it was a spam call or someone trying to sell insurance, but it was quite late. Did such calls even come at this hour? Normally she would have ignored it, but something made her press the answer button tonight.
“Hello?” Her voice was thick with exhaustion.
But something was wrong. There was no reply.
“Hello?” she asked again. Still nothing.
“What is this? A prank call?” she muttered irritably, glancing back at the screen. The call was still connected.
“Hello? Please say something.”
Again, no answer. Then, abruptly, the line went dead with a click.
Maybe it was a wrong number? So-yeon shook her head and tossed the phone onto the sofa before heading to the bathroom.
A few more days passed. The mysterious calls kept coming at around the same time. At first she assumed they were wrong numbers or childish pranks, but after the second and third time, a different thought began to take root. Perhaps… just perhaps… it had something to do with her daughter.
It might have been nothing more than a desperate wish, but the idea refused to leave her.
And tonight, in the dimly lit living room, So-yeon sat on the sofa, clutching her phone tightly. Her expression was tense. Several empty beer cans she had drunk sat on the table in front of her.
“Huu…” She took a slow, deep breath. Today, she was determined to get an answer.
Then it came—the familiar vibration followed by the ringtone. Once again, Unknown Caller. Without hesitation, So-yeon answered.
“Hello!”
As expected, there was no reply. Still, a sliver of hope remained. So she tried again.
“S-So-hee? Is that you, So-hee?”
She spoke her daughter’s name carefully. She didn’t know why she believed it was So-hee. It was pure instinct, a desperate prayer.
“So-hee… is that really you? If it is… c-can you tell Mommy it’s you? Please… I’m begging you. Mommy misses you so much… so please… just say it’s you. I want to hear my So-hee’s voice…”
So-yeon’s voice cracked as she pleaded, tears welling up. She prayed with all her heart that it really was her daughter.
She clung to the phone, sobbing for what felt like an eternity.
“Mommy…”
At that instant… the voice of her daughter came through. It was unmistakably So-hee. So-yeon shot up from the sofa.
“So-hee! Is it really you? Is it my daughter So-hee?” Her heart pounded violently.
“Where are you? So-hee, where are you right now? Mommy will come get you! Okay? I’ll come right away! Please tell me. Where are you…?”
“Mommy…”
The voice was very faint. But it was definitely calling for her. So-yeon could not hold back the flood of tears. More than anything, the fact that So-hee was still alive filled her with overwhelming relief.
“Yes! It’s Mommy! It’s me! So where is my baby? Please tell me… Mommy will come find you. Please… I’m begging you. Where are you? I want to see my daughter again… I need to see you…”
She was sobbing as she asked. Then, from inside the phone, came a tiny, mumbled whisper. But she couldn’t make out the words.
“What? So-hee, can you speak a little louder? I can’t hear you.”
She had no idea what the girl was saying. It sounded like she was trying to tell her something, but—
“So-hee… So-hee…”
Then, click. The call ended again.
Panicked, So-yeon frantically tried to call back, but since it had come from a restricted number, she couldn’t. She paced back and forth in frustration. After a moment of hesitation, she threw on some clothes and rushed outside. Her destination was the police station.
Dawn broke. Outside, snowflakes were once again drifting down. The sky was gloomy and overcast. With a beep, the electronic lock released and the door opened. So-yeon returned home with unsteady steps, looking as though she might collapse at any moment. Having stayed up all night, dark shadows hung heavily beneath her eyes. She staggered to the sofa and collapsed onto it.
For a long while she sat there in a daze, until the tears finally broke free again.
She had immediately informed the police about the call from So-hee. Since they were already devoting resources to the search, she had hoped this new lead might bring some hope. She had gone to the station with her phone and explained everything that had happened over the past several days.
The officers, though skeptical, examined the phone. They confirmed several calls from a restricted number and contacted the carrier to trace the origin. After some time, they discovered the calls had come from an abandoned building that had been vacant for years.
So-yeon and several officers searched the derelict structure late into the night, but sadly, they found no trace of So-hee. Some officers later suggested it might have been a prank call. But So-yeon was certain. The voice had clearly said “Mommy.” It had been So-hee’s voice.
She begged the exhausted officers again and again to keep searching the building. They continued until sunrise, but eventually admitted they could find nothing more. In the end, she returned home empty-handed.
So-yeon curled into herself. The chill of the previous night still clung to her body. Yet she did not feel cold. Her only concern was her daughter. Was So-hee shivering in this terrible cold? That thought tormented her most. Even now, was her little girl desperately calling for her mother…?
Several more days passed. After that night, the calls stopped completely. Yesterday, after much pleading, So-yeon had convinced the police to search the abandoned building one more time, but they found nothing. The officers also told her they could not continue pursuing such uncertain leads.
So-yeon felt her heart burning to ash. Today, she had gone to work anyway. She worked at a web design company, handling web design projects. It was currently their busiest season. She could not simply abandon her job to search for her daughter full-time. Her colleagues, aware of her situation, had been understanding and lightened her workload somewhat… but there was a limit to how long that could continue.