8 AM, November 2013, Damyang University.
Sun rays gently pierced through the closed curtains, casting a warm glow inside the classroom. Lee Hangyul sat alone on a bench near the window in the corner of the room, absorbed in his work on the laptop, donning a pair of spectacles for the upcoming design assignments. The tranquility was shattered by the sound of approaching footsteps—distinct from Kim Haneul, Hangyul's newfound friend, as they echoed through the corridor. Hangyul, recognizing the difference, remained seated, anticipation etched on his face, waiting for the door to creak open.
A girl entered, clad in tight skinny jeans and a loose T-shirt, her high ponytail swaying with each step. She scanned the room, searching for someone, and her eyes found Hangyul nestled in the corner.
"Hey! Has Kim Haneul been here? My friend mentioned he frequently visits the fine arts department in the mornings. Do you know him?" she inquired, standing near the teacher's desk.
Hangyul met her gaze with a blank expression, but an inexplicable sensation stirred within him... his mind wanted to keep looking at her... His eyes found pleasure in her presence... his heart felt cheerful first time in his life...
"No," he replied, returning to his laptop.
"What do you mean, 'No'? Hasn't he been here, or do you not know him?" she pressed, a hint of confusion on her face.
"Hasn't been here," Hangyul replied, glancing up at her.
"Okay. If he shows up, tell him Yoon Seong-ah was looking for him. Why doesn't he ever answer my calls?" she sighed, walking out of the classroom.
As she left, humming an unfamiliar tune, Hangyul couldn't shake the name "Yoon Seong-ah" from his mind. The resonance lingered throughout the day, distracting him from his lectures. During the lunch break, he found himself sketching, and as Kim Haneul approached, he quietly settled beside Hangyul.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Haneul whispered.
Startled, Hangyul closed his sketchbook hastily. "No, I'm not hungry."
"Why? My mom made a special lunch for you! Look, she cooked gukbap!" Haneul exclaimed, unveiling the lunchbox.
Unable to resist his friend's enthusiasm, Hangyul smiled and began eating. A persistent ring echoed from Haneul's phone, and Hangyul gestured for him to answer.
"No! I'm avoiding her today!" Haneul laughed.
"Yoon Seong-ah?", Hangyul asked softly.
"Don't tell me barged in your class searching for me!", Kim Haneul asked with his eyes wide open.
"Is she your friend?", Hangyul asked.
"Friend? Haha! Childhood best friend! We grew up together in Damyang!" Haneul chuckled. "You want to meet her?"
"No. Not interested.", Hangyul said as he finished eating and closed the lunchbox.
"I know right! She is not your type... she loves to blabber all day! And you won't say a word!! No match at all", Haneul chuckled.
Hangyul stared in blank space, as something stirred within him as Haneul dismissed her.
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8 PM, November 2023, Soyeong Hospital
Doctor Park administered a syringe, injecting its contents into Hangyul's veins. As the sedative began its mechanism, Hangyul closed his eyes, succumbing to the gradual onset of dizziness. The tumult of emotions within him, laden with regrets, resentment, pain, agony, and rage, gradually settled. The weight on his body, heavy with the burden of emotions, began to lighten as the sedative coursed through his bloodstream. His trembling fingers and the intense urge to tear someone apart slowly subsided.
Kim Haneul observed from across the bed, witnessing his dear friend in this distressing state a decade later.
"Hangyul needs these sedatives every day? Are they even safe for his health?" Haneul inquired, addressing Doctor Park.
"Detective Kim Haneul, your concern should be the lives Hangyul may endanger, not his health," Dr. Park remarked, discarding the syringe approaching Haneul the chair where he sat for about an hour.
"Stop framing him. You are well aware of what happened a decade ago.", Haneul rose from the chair looking straight into Doctor's eyes.
"So do you, Kim Haneul. You're well aware of that too...", Doctor Park chuckled.
Haneul, knowing the infamous reputation of Dr. Danny Park, a psychiatrist with a penchant for unethical experimentation using humans, met the doctor's gaze with defiance.
Meanwhile, Hangyul stirred, opening his eyes. Fear flashed across his gaze as he saw Dr. Park standing alongside Haneul.
"Did I... kill someone again?" Hangyul questioned, his eyes searching for answers.
Haneul rushed to reassure him. "No, you didn't. You've never killed anyone, Hangyul.", his voice trembled as he spoke. Dr. Park, with a smirk, observed the exchange.
"Haneul, sorry... I couldn't remember you... But during... this panic attack... a fragment of my past memories just flashed before my eyes when I was unconscious... Kim Haneul... you are an important person to me...", Lee Hangyul said with his broken voice.
Haneul, his voice trembling, pressed Hangyul for details. "How much do you remember?"
"A few bits and pieces, our university days," Hangyul replied, stress evident on his face.
"Stop! Who allowed you to stress your brain, Lee Hangyul? I've treated you for a past decade and I know the amount of memories you can handle!! You are allowed to keep only those memories in your mind!! Detective Haneul, please as his only guardian I request you to leave my patient alone!", Dr. Park interjected angrily, approaching Hangyul.
Haneul, determined, pulled Hangyul from the room. As they walked away, Hangyul looked back at the doctor who stood at the door.
"Wait! Where are you taking me? Haneul!" Hangyul questioned.
Haneul stopped, meeting Hangyul's eyes. "Do you trust me?"
Uncertain, Lee Hangyul stared back blankly.
"I want you to trust me and never return to this mental asylum. Your memories were intentionally erased under the guise of treatment. I wanted to visit this hospital with you, and now that the things have become clear... my suspicions were true... I'll protect you at all costs, Lee Hangyul. I won't repeat my mistakes. Please, trust your friend for the last time," Haneul pleaded, holding his friend's shoulders with tearful eyes.
Doctor Park went inside his cabin dialing a call to someone, whispering over his mobile suspiciously.
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12 AM, CBS News station.
The darkness enveloped the desk room as the lights were extinguished after working hours. A few employees working overtime lingered in the canteen, engaged in casual conversation. Reporting journalists returned with their cameramen to stow away filming equipment. A reporter entered the desk room, only to be startled by Jung Bomin seated near Yoon Seong-ah's desk.
"Hey! You scared me! Why are you sitting there?" the reporter inquired.
Bomin stood up, offering a sheepish smile, holding a notebook. "I need to submit these names to Seong-ah noona by 2 AM."
"But... she's been suspended for three months, right?" the reporter questioned, puzzled.
"Suspensions are not made for Yoon Seong-ah, hyung-nim," Seong-ah remarked, entering the room while sipping her coffee. "Bomin, I assume you're done with the work?" She directed her gaze at him.
"Ah, no... I'm doing it! Haha... see... I'm writing down the names," he said, signaling the reporter to leave immediately. He left the desk room as soon as he sensed the heat radiating out of Seong-ah and no one in the news station wished to face the wrath of their senior reporter.
Seong-ah settled into a chair near her desk, crossing her legs and swinging the chair sideways. Bomin sensed something troubling her since her return from Kang Jurin's funeral. She had urgently summoned him in the office and threw a notebook on his face to list down the names of all the people connected to Damyang serial killings case.
"I've seen countless people for the past decade, reported countless crimes, even interviewed the cruelest of criminals, mafias, gangsters... still, I cannot pinpoint Kang Chaewon's weakness. How can a person be so undefeated?" Seong-ah expressed in frustration, closing her eyes.
Jung Bomin looked up at her, saying, "Noona, Chaewon is someone you should just leave alone. She has it all—money, power, influence, and a psychopathic mind. Why don't we focus on the serial killer for now?"
"Because I know... I know that Kang Chaewon, Lee Hangyul, and the murderer—all of them are connected to each other. Chaewon being Park Heejin's younger sister solidifies my doubt. The killer is hiding under a mask of elegance in that family," Seong-ah sighed deeply, leaning back.
Lost in thought, Bomin suddenly looked up. "Park Heejin, Park Danny, Park Chaewon... all of them are siblings. Park Chaewon changed her surname after marrying Mayor Kang Minseok, and Dr. Danny Park has been treating Lee Hangyul for the past ten years. Park Heejin, Hangyul's mother, died in a suspicious car accident five years ago. No one knows how she got into that accident!"
Seong-ah's eyes widened in surprise as Bomin unveiled the identities of the Park siblings. "Bomin, I instructed you to gather names... where did you acquire this information?"
"Come on, now you know me, right? I come from a political family too! Kang Minseok is my father's old friend; obviously, I can figure out this much information about Kang Chaewon," Bomin smiled mischievously.
Seong-ah knew that Bomin was cunning like a fox, but she couldn't deny his sharp investigative mind. His cute face melted her anger everytime he smiled like that and she was well aware of how dangerous it could be if in future Bomin decide to betray her.
"Noona, don't you think we should delve into Lee Hangyul's past to connect these threads? You told me he can't remember, but we can easily unearth it if we try. Unlike your other cases, why are you moving so slowly in this one?" Bomin questioned Seong-ah's hesitance to investigate Hangyul's past.
Seong-ah had always wanted to do that but hesitated due to her fear of returning to Damyang, the place where her life shattered. She had left it all behind to start anew in Seoul, but her life was completing a circle, leading her back to where it all began. With no other choice, Seong-ah had to return to Damyang to delve deeper into the case.