"Tell me you're joking," Ji-Tae said into the phone held against his ear.
"No. She's gone. I checked her room this morning and even last night, but she isn't here." The person at the other end of the phone anxiously replied.
"Last night?" Ji-Tae frowned, his eyes narrowing into dark slits. "Are you saying she has been absent from the orphanage since yesterday, and you're only finding out now?!" He snapped. The rise of his voice told the person on the other side of the phone that he had lost it.
"I... I didn't know." The voice quivered in trepidation. "Two days ago, I had spotted her with Mrs. Lin, but I didn't attach any meaning to it, as she is always with the kids. And this morning, when I asked, someone said she saw them leave yesterday morning, at 5 am." The person nervously stuttered.
"So from 5 am yesterday till now, you just noticed she is missing?" Ji-Tae asked incredulously.
"I'm sorry, sir."