Cheol-su returned home after finishing off the pesky gangsters.
His body wasn't particularly tired, but his mind was utterly drained.
I've killed so many already...
He trudged into the bathroom and let the warm water fill the bathtub. He didn't even have the energy to turn on the lights. Once the tub was full, he quickly submerged himself. The warm water seemed to wash away the fatigue from his body, but his heart remained heavy.
"Where am I even headed?"
He muttered softly, his voice echoing in the empty bathroom.
In just a few days, he had killed 66 people. The fact that they were all criminals was the only small comfort he could cling to. But even so, he couldn't be sure that what he was doing was right.
"There's no other way."
He suddenly thought of his days as a government employee. The stressful, hair-pulling days had been grueling, but in hindsight, they now seemed peaceful compared to this.
"Ha."
Even though he had set a grand goal of becoming an "Executor," Cheol-su was already realizing how difficult the path would be.
There's no point regretting what's already done. I just need to keep moving forward.
He knew there would be sacrifices along the way. Those sacrifices would inevitably be the people he deemed necessary to eliminate.
Finding his targets wasn't difficult. These days, juvenile offenders received only light punishments for crimes, even if they ran someone over or committed fraud. The law was overly lenient toward perpetrators, seemingly obsessed with the futile hope of "rehabilitation."
But was rehabilitation really possible? Cheol-su wasn't certain, but he believed it was unlikely, except in rare cases.
That alone was reason enough to justify their deaths. This was why Executors were needed—because the law couldn't guarantee perfect justice.
"Time to get out."
He had no idea how long he had been in the tub, but his skin had already become wrinkled.
Emerging from the bath, Cheol-su wrapped a towel around himself and headed to the living room. The warm water had lightened his body, but his heart still felt heavy. However, that feeling didn't last long. As soon as he entered the living room...
"You have no sense of caution. That'll get you killed in no time."
The soft yet icy voice made him instinctively turn toward its source.
A woman with silver hair cascading down to her waist was sitting on the sofa. Her deep blue eyes resembled a frozen lake, and despite sitting still, she exuded an overwhelming presence.
"W-who are you?!"
Cheol-su instinctively took a step back.
"Me? I'm someone here to help you."
"H-how did you even get in here?!"
"I came in with you when you entered."
"And I didn't notice?!"
"If you'd noticed, you wouldn't be so surprised now, would you?"
She tilted her head slightly and smiled. It wasn't a warm smile but one filled with an odd hint of mockery.
"Stay calm. There's gotta be some trick. Could she be… a mutant or something?"
"Thoughts are meant to stay in your head. Don't say them out loud like an idiot."
Only then did Cheol-su realize he had been muttering to himself. His face turned bright red.
"Judging by that blush, you're obviously embarrassed."
The woman slowly rose from her seat. She wasn't tall, but her mere presence was enough to overwhelm Cheol-su.
"I'm Saeya Aelin Artina. Just call me Saeya."
She introduced herself with a grin, tilting her head to the side.
"So, how does it feel to have your life turned upside down, Mr. Serial Killer?"
At that moment, a loud alarm blared deep inside Cheol-su's mind.
"This woman knows everything I've done. Time for a direct approach!"
His heart began pounding, and tension spread throughout his body.
"I don't know what you think you know, but I've only done what I had to do to protect my family―"
"Did it ever cross your mind that the people you killed might have families too?"
Her words left Cheol-su speechless. For a moment, it felt like his chest was caving in.
"Honestly, I can't sacrifice my family for people I've never even met. Besides, they were criminals who―"
Saeya cut him off with a wave of her hand. Her blue eyes glimmered as she interrupted.
"I get it, so calm down. Like I said, I'm here to help you."
"But why is she speaking so informally? She looks younger than me."
"Why the sour face? I said I'd help you."
"Well, earlier you―"
"Enough. Don't get me wrong—I'm not helping you out of kindness."
"Then don't help me. I don't need your help, especially when I don't even know who you are."
"Oh, that's perfect. Then you can help me instead."
"Why would I help you?"
"Because..."
With her hands clasped behind her back, Saeya walked slowly toward him.
"I'm a witness to all your crimes."
"Have you considered that I might just kill you right here and now?"
Despite Cheol-su's threat, Saeya burst into laughter. She pulled out several photos and held them up.
The photos showed Cheol-su killing a drunk driver, murdering high school students, finding drugs and cash, and entering the Black Dragon Hotel—all clear evidence of his serial killings.
"If I die, these photos of you committing murder will be sent to every major news outlet in Korea. Thanks to the handy feature known as scheduled emails."
Saeya waved the photos leisurely between her fingers, her expression relaxed.
"Oh, and I have videos too."
Saeya was proving to be a meticulous and calculating woman.
"If I kill you, those scheduled emails can't be canceled, can they?"
"Exactly. So it's in your best interest to work with me. I have the ability to help you."
"What ability?"
"Foresight."
Cheol-su doubted her claim but couldn't completely dismiss the possibility, considering recent events.
"And stealth."
Stealth seemed believable, given that she had managed to infiltrate his home unnoticed.
"How exactly do those abilities help me?"
"Knowing the future is like seeing the game's rules in advance. As for stealth? It means I can disappear like a shadow whenever I want."
Saeya replied confidently.
"Can you use your foresight whenever you want?"
"W-well, not exactly whenever I want!"
Saeya faltered momentarily, avoiding eye contact before quickly regaining her composure.
"Then it doesn't seem all that useful."
"You'll see how useful it is soon enough!"
"But how can I trust that you really have foresight? You can't prove it right now."
Cheol-su crossed his arms and stared directly at her. His skepticism was clear, and he still considered the possibility that she might be lying.
"Idiot! How do you think I got here? How do I have these photos? All of it was possible because of my foresight!"
Saeya's voice rose, and her gestures became animated as if she were trying to prove her abilities through sheer force of will.
Saeya took a step closer, lowering her voice.
"I came to you for one reason. I saw you opening the 'Gate of Chaos'—the gate that leads to my mother."
Her tone was resolute, but there was an undercurrent of complicated emotions. Her unwavering gaze bore into Cheol-su.
For a moment, Cheol-su was at a loss for words. He didn't fully understand what she meant by "the gate," but the mention of her mother carried a sense of urgency.
She must have a story of her own, huh?
"I need you. If you don't want your family to discover you're a murderer, you'll protect and help me."
***
When Kang-hyeok Lee arrived at the top floor of the hotel, he froze in place.
"Damn it… What the hell happened here?"
Blood streaked down the walls and pooled across the floor, with headless corpses strewn everywhere. The carnage was so brutal it felt as though pure rage had ripped through the place.
Kang-hyeok ran his rough hands over his face, taking a deep breath to steel himself.
We crossed the wrong guy.
Suppressing his fear and disgust, he forced himself to move forward. Then, in one corner, he stopped abruptly at what he saw.
"…Boss?"
Kang-hyeok's voice trembled. As soon as he confirmed that the headless corpse lying on the floor was indeed Tae-su Jang, he couldn't bring himself to speak further. Like the others, Tae-su's body had been reduced to nothing more than a headless shell.
"Damn it. Get the others on the line immediately! Start clearing the bodies right now!"
Gritting his teeth, Kang-hyeok and his subordinates used a hidden passage to remove the corpses. With each body he carried, sticky blood clung to his hands, and the stench seemed to seep into his very skin.
How did it come to this? How could we fall this far?
At the gang's private crematorium, the dark flames roared endlessly. Kang-hyeok stood silently, a cigarette between his lips, watching the bodies consumed by the fire. His expression was calm, but suppressed rage flickered in his eyes.
"Good work. Make sure no one says a word about this outside. Understood?"
"Yes, But what do we do now?"
One of his men asked nervously. Kang-hyeok didn't reply immediately. Instead, he gazed out the window at the city lights and took a slow, deliberate breath.
"We've been humiliated like this. We'll see it through to the end, even if it kills us."
His voice was calm but icy, a tone that sent chills racing down his subordinate's spine.
"I know. We're dealing with someone far beyond what we can handle."
Pulling another cigarette from his pocket, Kang-hyeok lit it with a steady hand.
"So, we're going to bring in others."
"Others? Who?"
"The Tigers and the White Panthers."
His subordinate's expression stiffened at the names.
"Will they even agree to this?"
Kang-hyeok slowly dialed an unfamiliar number on his phone.
"If we warn them that either they take him down, or they'll be next, they'll move."
Cheol-su Kim was no longer just their problem—he was now everyone's enemy.
Ring.
The voice on the other end was rough, like a wild animal's.
"It's been a while, Tiger—Boss Dong-hun."
***
Meanwhile, Yu-na Lee stared blankly at an empty chair.
The funeral hall was silent, emptied of visitors. Yet, the silence was nothing compared to the despair that weighed heavily on her heart
"Where do I go from here?"
With everything lost, even staying here felt pointless. A void was slowly growing deep within her.
At that moment, the door opened, and men in black suits entered quietly. Their cold eyes and stern expressions instantly set her on edge.
"You're Han-soo's daughter, right?"
One of the men addressed Yu-na, his low voice carrying an unmistakable threat.
"Who are you?"
Yu-na forced the words out, her lips barely moving.
"Your dad's… colleague."
But their demeanor felt more like debt collectors than coworkers.
"Did he say anything before he died? Any strange behavior?"
Yu-na shook her head, her movements stiff and mechanical.
"No."
They didn't seem satisfied with her answer but refrained from pressing further. They simply exchanged a glance before turning to leave.
The next day, after the final funeral rites were completed, Yu-na stood aimlessly at the entrance of the funeral hall.
Can I even go back home?
The mere thought of returning to the house where her family was murdered was unbearable.
That house was no longer a home—it was a site of nightmares.
Just then, a man in a neatly tailored suit approached her.
"You must be Yu-na Lee, correct?"
His voice was calm and soft.
Yu-na didn't have the strength to respond. She simply stared at him, her body weighed down after days of barely eating.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Here."
The man handed her a business card. Yu-na stared blankly before accepting it.
The card, simple and text-only, read:
"Director of the Universe Special Investigation Bureau, Geon-woo Lee."