The bus rolled past another stop. The night view of Seongwon Special City reflected in the window felt both familiar and unfamiliar. The streets, shrouded in darkness, remained lively with crowds, while neon signs flickered in chaotic patterns. But Yu-na had no time to appreciate the scenery. Her mind was weighed down by a heavy, unshakable feeling.
She turned on her phone to check the time. 7:25 p.m.
"This is strange."
Yu-na bit her lip. Mom was always the same. If Yu-na wasn't home by 7 p.m., Mom would always call. She had never forgotten, not once.
Mom's familiar voice would always ask, 'Where are you? Why aren't you home yet?'
But tonight, there was no call—not even a text.
"Is she busy? Or maybe she's angry with me?"
Yu-na knew that wasn't the case. Mom wasn't like that. She was always meticulous and attentive. Yu-na tried to reassure herself, but the unease in her heart only grew.
"It's probably just my nerves."
When Yu-na reached the front door of her house, she took a deep breath to calm herself.
"Ah, why am I feeling this way?"
As she opened the door, a cold and unfamiliar air greeted her. A stifling silence. Usually, there would be the sound of the TV news or the clatter of pots in the kitchen—all the familiar sounds of home. But today, everything was gone. The silence was so deep it felt as though time itself had stopped, sending a chill down her spine. The silence enveloped her like an ominous shroud.
Despite her fear, Yu-na moved forward. As she crossed the threshold, the hallway light automatically turned on, casting a dim glow into the living room. The light fell on something sprawled on the floor. It was clearly a person's leg.
"Mom? Dad?"
Her trembling voice cut through the air. She took another step forward and turned on the living room light.
The sight that greeted her struck her like a blow. Two bodies lay on the floor. Their skin was cold and lifeless, ghastly pale. Their limbs were contorted unnaturally, as if the silence of death had replaced the life that once filled the space.
Yu-na staggered back and immediately retched.
"Ugh."
She tried to convince herself, repeating it over and over in her mind.
"It's a prank. Dad's just pulling another one of his tricks."
But as she drew closer and touched Dad's arm, Yu-na found herself unable to breathe.
"Dad? Mom!"
Her voice, trembling with fear, echoed in the silence. She felt her knees weaken, her entire body trembling as the weight of the scene pressed on her.
"...Where's my brother?"
For some reason, her brother's room was half-open. On any other day, she wouldn't have thought much of it, but now that door seemed abnormal. With trembling hands, she pushed it open.
What she saw made her breath catch. On the floor lay a headless body, just like her parents.
She felt the last sliver of hope drain from her as she stared at the gruesome scene.
"Ahhh!"
Terror and shock overwhelmed her, crushing her consciousness and leaving her gasping for air. A dizzying hum filled her ears as the scene blurred and swayed before her.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the cold floor as her consciousness slipped into darkness.
***
July 8, 2024, Monday
Cheol-su woke up as soon as his alarm rang. He had fallen into a deep sleep last night, not even remembering when he had dozed off. He used to wake up at least once, tossing and turning, but ever since he started killing, he had been sleeping soundly through the night.
"Is this because of my abilities? Or..."
Unable to find a clear answer, he let the thought drift away.
"That's not important right now."
Cheol-su focused his hearing. Ever since he gained his abilities, listening to his surroundings first thing in the morning had become a habit. It had only been a few days, but he could already tune in to sounds within a hundred-meter radius.
"It won't be easy to find the culprit."
A voice from the floor below.
The word 'culprit' made Cheol-su's ears perk up.
"He's meticulous. Nothing on the CCTV."
"That means it's likely someone who lives here. They could've used the stairs to avoid the cameras."
"Right. Who was the last person to meet or call him?"
"We checked the phone records. The last call was with someone who has a solid alibi."
"Then the last person who met him must be the culprit."
They were detectives. Cheol-su wasn't particularly surprised, as he had expected this. Besides, they still hadn't identified the perpetrator, which meant his plan had worked.
"Let's talk to the residents later."
Despite the ongoing police investigation, Cheol-su remained calm. All the evidence was gone. Even if they tried to find a connection between him and the man from Unit 901, they wouldn't find anything.
"Wait a minute..."
Suddenly, a nagging feeling crept into Cheol-su's mind, something inexplicable that irritated him.
"What is this... feeling of unease?"
Focusing intently, he reviewed his memories. Then he found the source of his discomfort.
The threatening note the man from Unit 901 had posted in the elevator.
Someone else must have read that note besides Cheol-su. If they reported it to the police...
"Wait... I can just say I was too scared to do anything. Without evidence, how could they arrest me?"
It was true. There was no evidence linking him to the crime.
The tension that had briefly spiked began to dissipate, and Cheol-su's body relaxed again.
From Friday to yesterday, Cheol-su had killed a total of twelve people. Recently, he had started discovering parts of himself he had never known before.
He had always considered himself an ordinary person. But now, he realized he was someone simple. And it was this simplicity that had allowed him to adapt so quickly to the chaos.
"At least I've found my path."
Executioner.
The word felt slightly melodramatic, yet it best captured the essence of someone who punished lawbreakers like him.
In any case, today he had somewhere to go after work to secure capital. His destination was a rural village, four hours away by car.
"I wonder how long it would take if I ran there."
For Cheol-su, this was a good opportunity to experiment with his abilities. It was the perfect chance to test his limits—his speed, jumping power, and more.
'Ugh, why does time feel so slow today? I can't focus.'
Then again, it was hard to concentrate when he thought about the money he would collect that evening. The amount was so massive, it was unimaginable for someone with an ordinary job.
After work, Cheol-su stopped by his apartment just in case. He planned to move via the rooftop, jumping between buildings to leave no trace.
"There's no CCTV in the air."
He finished preparing and put on his shoes at the front door. As he opened it, two men were standing there. Their unfamiliar faces stared at him.
"Oh, we were just about to ring the doorbell. What a coincidence,"
one of them said with a friendly tone.
"Hello. Are you Cheol-su Kim? We're from the Seongwon Police Department."
The man showed his ID calmly, his name and rank clearly displayed. The other man also presented his ID with a slight nod.
"Yes, I'm Cheol-su Kim. What's this about?"
The detective offered a faint smile and said, 'It's about the murder case downstairs. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Is now a good time?'
"Sure."
Cheol-su nodded lightly. It was a situation he had anticipated. There was nothing to worry about.
"Were you heading out?"
"Yes, to the convenience store."
"Ah, I see."
The detective nodded briefly, still smiling, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Did you know Han-su Lee from Unit 901?"
As expected, the question came. Cheol-su deliberately kept his expression neutral.
"No, not at all." "We heard he posted something in the elevator." "Yes, I saw it, but I was too scared to respond. You hear about noise complaints leading to violence or even murder these days."
The detective listened to Cheol-su's words and briefly looked away, his gaze thoughtful as if piecing together a puzzle.
Cheol-su took a steady breath, maintaining a calm expression.
"What were you doing yesterday?" "I went to the convenience store during the day and stayed home the rest of the time." "Did you hear anything unusual, like loud noises or arguments from upstairs?"
Cheol-su pretended to think for a moment.
"Not that I can remember."
"Alright. Thank you for your cooperation."
Watching the detectives walk away, Cheol-su slowly closed the door and immediately tuned in with his enhanced hearing.
[Are we really done with such a simple investigation?]
[He claimed he had been home all day, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary.]
[Couldn't he have used the stairs?]
[Look at the size of the victim. Do you think an ordinary person could kill three people from Unit 901? And blow their heads off? Even fiction wouldn't make sense like that.]
Cheol-su let out a small sigh, slightly irritated but comforted by their disbelief.
"As expected, there's no evidence I'm the killer."
***
Seongwon Special City, Universe Special Investigation Bureau Headquarters
Geon-u Lee, the director of the Universe Special Investigation Bureau, sat in his office, watching the live news.
[Professor, do you believe the incidents at Cheongsol Town Hall, in Eunha-dong, and the recent family murder were committed by the same perpetrator?]
The news anchor addressed a professor of criminal psychology, a well-known figure who frequently appeared on TV.
[Yes, all of them... ]
The professor hesitated, clearing his throat.
[Excuse me.]
[It's fine. Please continue.]
[The victims all share a common characteristic: their heads were completely destroyed. I believe these incidents were most likely committed by the same individual. The perpetrator left no traces, indicating a professional killer rather than an ordinary person.]
The camera zoomed in on the professor's grave expression as he concluded,
[I believe we're dealing with a serial killer who specializes in murder.]
Beep.
Geon-u Lee leisurely pressed the remote to turn off the TV. Curiosity about the mysterious culprit burned in his mind.
"I'd like to open that box."
Suppressing his curiosity, he reached for the phone on his desk.
The recipient answered after two rings.
"Hello, Director."
-It's been a while. Did you call about the serial murders?
The police chief immediately understood Lee's intent. The two had often exchanged similar conversations and were familiar with each other's patterns.
"Yes."
-We just reached the same conclusion.
"Then we'll take over."
-Unofficially.
"Why unofficially? Is something wrong?"
-Well... The public's been criticizing us lately, and we need some results to restore our reputation.
The police chief's request was straightforward: the Bureau would apprehend the criminal, but the police would take the credit.
Geon-u Lee smirked slightly. Nothing in life came free, after all.
"Alright. Our goal is to catch the perpetrator anyway."
-Thank you, Director Lee.
After ending the call, Geon-u shifted his gaze to the glass wall of his office, which offered a sweeping view of Seongwon Special City.
The view was a luxury beyond the reach of even the wealthy, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
"I hope this one will be interesting."