The Tenth Case (9)

Mr. Choi paced back and forth, his hands trembling as he gestured wildly. "They're gone! All three of them, just vanished!" His voice cracked with panic. "Yumi, Seo-yeon, and Mei – our best girls. How could this happen?"

Ko placed a steady hand on Choi's shoulder, trying to ground him. "Mr. Choi, please, take a deep breath. We need you to focus. When exactly did you last see them?"

As Choi struggled to compose himself, I rifled through the stack of papers he'd provided earlier. Employee records, schedules, client lists – all neatly organized, almost too pristine. Something nagged at the back of my mind as I scanned the documents.

Choi's voice rose again. "Everything was normal, and then–"

"Mr. Choi," I interrupted, holding up three separate files. "These women... they're listed under different companies. Yumi works for 'Cherry Blossom Escorts,' Seo-yeon for 'Seoul Nights Entertainment,' and Mei for 'Dragon Lady Companions.' What's going on here?"