June 16, 2021
Seoul Police Station
Silence prevailed in the criminal unit room this afternoon. All of the team members who were in the room were focused on their computer screens. There was no conversation between all of them—ah, only occasionally, and even then it was related to their work.
Park Do Chan—leader of team one—glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of the room. The short hand of the clock is already pointing to the number twelve, while the long hand is between eleven and twelve. A smile flashed across the half-century-old man's face. He then rose to his feet.
"Everyone, let's clean up your work for a while. It's time for lunch," Do Chan said excitedly.
The four members, who were all men, immediately sorted out the work they were doing for a moment. Not having finished tidying up the table, the ringing of the telephone interrupted their activities. The phone that stood nearby belonged to their team leader.
Park Do Chan answered the phone right away. Just as he was about to introduce himself as an opener, the man immediately showed a surprised look on his face. The four members seemed to be getting curious about the new phone received by the chairman.
"We'll be there soon. Thank you."
Do Chan put the phone back in its original place while sighing.
"What happened?" Young Dae, one of the team members, inquires.
"The discovery of a dead body, again, in Younggu apartment," Do Chan replied as the other three members—Ji Young, Kang Jae Wook, and Shin Soo Han—sighed heavily, as if they were fed up with such reports.
"Why are you silent? Get moving!" Do Chan exclaimed.
***
Soo Young's apartment
A yellow police line is already installed in front of Soo Young's apartment entrance. Two uniformed police officers stood guard to ensure that no citizen entered, as a crowd of apartment residents had gathered at the same time. They all look shocked by the news of Soo Young's death, who they knew as a kind and polite person.
Park Do Chan and his four members finally arrived at the scene. The man showed his ID to two police officers, and afterwards, all five of them entered the apartment. Inside, forensic officers are already working in accordance with their duties.
The five detectives compactly shook their heads when they saw Soo Young's miserable condition. It has been confirmed that Soo Young is another victim of the same perpetrator who terrorized for a dozen years.
"Do you know the identity of the victim?" Do Chan asked a policeman.
"Yes. Lee Soo Young is the victim's name, and she is 24 years old. She's a final semester student at Baekyeon University," the police officer explained.
"Baekyeon University again," Ji Young muttered. The victim before Soo Young was also a student at the college. With similarities like this, it makes it suspicious if the perpetrator might be a person on the campus.
"And what about the time of her death?"
"The time of her death was about fifteen hours ago."
"That's how it is. Who was the first to find the victim?"
"Kim Jae Mi, her housemate. She found the victim when she got home."
"If I may know, where is he now?" Young Dae, who had been silent, opened his voice.
"It seems to be in the next house to calm down," the policeman replied.
Young Dae rushed out of there after asking the team leader for permission. Not only Young Dae, but the man's partner also came out after the man.
In the next house, Kim Jae Mi sits on a sofa, sobbing at the name of her best friend. Young Dae and Ji Young, who saw her, felt sorry and seemed to be able to feel the pain that the woman felt.
With careful steps, Young Dae approached Jae Mi, who was still sobbing. "Jae Mi," called Young Dae carefully.
Jae Mi's head, which had been bowed, began to lift. "How can I help you?" she asked in the midst of her lingering sobs.
"I'm Jung Young Dae from the Seoul police station. Previously, I was sorry for the death of your best friend," said Young Dae. "I want to ask you a little bit about what happened to the victim. Do you know anything, Jae Mi?"
"I don't know. Last night, I didn't go home because Soo Young invited someone ... guests." The girl with the last name Kim was silent when she remembered that last night Soo Young had invited Ian to the house.
"Jae Mi, what's wrong?" Young Dae asked.
"Ian!" Jae Mi exclaimed in the end.
"Ian?" Ji Young, who was behind Young Dae, raised one eyebrow after hearing Ian's name mentioned by that woman. "Jae Mi, could it be that the last person who was with the victim was Ian?"
Jae Mi undoubtedly nodded. "That's right! Last night, he was invited by Soo Young. Maybe it was Ian! He must be the one who killed Soo Young, and maybe the one who killed the other girls! Soo Young's body condition is just like that of that serial killer victim, isn't it?"
Ji Young looks surprised by Jae Mi's testimony. He is afraid that the Ian Jae Mi he refers to is the Ian he knows—his sister's best friend, Kim Yoo Ri.
"Do you know anything about Ian? Maybe a photo or anything that could help us with the investigation?" Ji Young asked. He wants to make sure the Ian mentioned by Jae Mi is not the Ian he knows.
"I have his picture." Jae Mi reached into her trouser pocket and took out a cell phone. Her finger moved over the screen of the phone, after which he showed Ian's photo to the two detectives. "He's on campus with us, at Baekyeon University," explains Jae Mi, who apparently knows Ian's identity.
Ji Young looks up after realizing that the Ian she knows is the one Jae Mi was referring to. It felt very surprising to him.
"Detective Kim!"
A call from Young Dae breaks Ji Young's daydream. The man looked at his partner. "What's up?"
"What are you waiting for? Let's go see Ian."
***
Baekyeon University
Laughter was heard at the table where Ian and his friends were having lunch. They, except Ian and Seo Joon, laughed quite loudly at Su Bin's humorous story. Young Wang was always able to make his best friend laugh because of the funny story.
"Ji Young?"
Yoo Ri's words that mentioned her brother's name made Ian, Seo Joon, and Min Jee turn their heads because their sitting positions happened to have their backs to Ji Young and also Young Dae, who were walking towards their tables. Yoo Ri immediately got up from her seat and approached her brother because she was curious what wind brought her brother to her campus. But the question was actually not answered by the older brother, making Yoo Ri purse her lips in irritation.
"Hwang Ian?" Young Dae asked after he was near Ian's desk.
"Yes, me, what is it?" asked Ian. I don't know why his foreboding became unpleasant, but it seems that this has something to do with Soo Young's death. The police must have found Soo Young's lifeless body, but how would they know?
Jae Mi.
"Jung Young Dae, from the Seoul police station," Young Dae introduced himself while showing his ID.
Immediately, all eyes in the cafeteria of the faculty of chemistry were fixed on Ian. They all whispered to each other, wondering why a policeman had come to Ian.