The school bell rang, signaling the start of class. your seats! The teacher is coming!" someone shouted.
Mr. Won walked in, a warm smile on his face. "Good morning, class!" he said, greeted by a chorus of "Good morning, Teacher Won!"
Woo-sung leaned over to Min-joon, whispering, "Hey, is Ji-hoon sick? Why isn't he in school? Did he say anything to you?"
Min-joon shook his head. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. I'll check on him after school."
Just then, Mr. Won's voice boomed across the room. "What's going on here? Pay attention, class!" His furious gaze swept the room, silencing everyone.
Min-joon and Woo-sung exchanged a startled glance before responding in unison, "Yes, sir!"
The class settled into an uneasy silence, with Mr. Won's stern expression lingering over them.
As the class drew to a close, Mr. Won began to wrap up his lesson. "Alright, that's all for today. Don't forget to finish your homework over the weekend."
The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. The students erupted into chatter and laughter as they packed up their belongings.
"See you all later!" Mr. Won called out, smiling, as the students filed out of the classroom.
Min-joon and Woo-sung walked out together, chatting about their plans for the weekend. "I'm going to study for the math test," Woo-sung said.
Min-joon nodded. "I need to catch up on some reading. And I'm going to check on Ji-hoon after school."
When he reached Ji-hoon's house he heard a loud sound.Thud!!!! which was followed by loud painful
scream.AAaAaaaaaah!
It startled Min-joon really much and he rushed to enter the house.
When he entered the house, his breath hitching as he took in the scene before him. The place was in complete disarray—furniture overturned, shattered glass scattered across the floor. It was chaos, pure and utter chaos. His heart raced as he called out, "Ji Hoon! Ji Hoon!" His voice trembled, echoing through the silent house.
As he stepped forward, his foot slipped on something slick. He staggered, catching himself just in time. Looking down, his mind went blank and his breath caught in his throat. Crimson liquid pooled on the floor—a river of blood. Terror gripped him, and his legs refused to obey as if they'd forgotten how to move. Trembling, he forced himself upright and followed the trail of blood. Each step felt heavier than the last.
When he reached the end of the trail, his heart stopped. A body lay sprawled on the floor, drenched in blood. Min Joon's breathing grew ragged, his vision blurring with tears. "No..." he whispered, shaking as he knelt beside the body. With trembling hands, he flipped it over.
It was Ji Hoon.
A strangled cry escaped Min Joon's lips. His knees buckled, and he collapsed beside his friend, sobs wracking his body. His vision dimmed, his mind refusing to accept the scene before him. Then, something caught his attention—a flicker of movement.
Ji Hoon's eyes opened, weak and fluttering. He was still alive. Hope surged through Min Joon's chest like a jolt of electricity. "Ji Hoon! Stay with me!" he cried, fumbling for his phone with shaking hands. As he dialed for help, Ji Hoon's hand shot up and gripped his wrist, startling him. "Plea...se... sa... save my parents..." Ji Hoon's voice was barely a whisper, each word strained and broken. "I... beg... you..."
Before Min Joon could respond, a sharp pain exploded at the back of his head. His vision darkened, and Ji Hoon's face blurred before him. He turned slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of the attacker. A man stood above him, his face obscured, but one detail stood out—a hand marked with a four-sided star. As Min Joon's consciousness slipped away, the man grabbed him and began dragging him across the floor.
The sound of an alarm jolted Min Joon awake. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. He slammed his hand down on the clock, silencing it with a thud. His body was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving as he sat up. "That nightmare again," he muttered, running a hand through his damp hair.
Rising unsteadily, he stood before the full-length mirror in his room. Dark circles underlined his tired eyes, and the weight of years hung heavy on his shoulders. "I can't believe I'm 36," he said to his reflection. "Twenty years, and I still haven't found him. Ji Hoon's murderer…" His voice broke, but he swallowed hard and straightened his posture.
He headed to the bathroom, letting the cool water of the shower wash away the remnants of his nightmare. Just as he began to relax, his phone buzzed on the counter. He grabbed it with wet hands and answered.
"Captain Joon, we've got a homicide report near the river," the dispatcher said, her voice clipped and urgent. "Victim is a 30-year-old male, stabbed in the heart. Units are en route."
"I'm on my way," Min Joon replied, hanging up without another word.
He dressed quickly, pausing as he pinned his badge to his uniform. His reflection in the mirror stared back at him, judgmental and unkind. Do I even deserve this? he thought bitterly. A detective who couldn't solve his own friend's murder.
Min joon is best known detective.He has solved more than 100 unsolved cases. Whenever other departments couldnot solve a specific case they would hand it to min joon and he would easily solve it.The reason he has still not find his friend's murderer is because at that time he was 16 and the impact on his head from that attack made him unconscious for weeks and when he woke up he just had a blur memory of that incident and couldnot remember the face of the attacker.All he could remember was that symbol of four sided star.He always blamed himself for not saving his friend and can't even remember the face of the murderer which he saw.He went to psychologist for all these years to remember the murderer face but it was all in vain.
The crime scene was already cordoned off when Min Joon arrived. Officers milled about, their faces grim. Jae Hwan, his senior officer, approached with relief evident in his expression. "Captain, you're here."
"What's the situation?" Min Joon asked, his voice flat, his gaze piercing.
Jae Hwan hesitated, unnerved by Min Joon's emotionless stare. "Well… according to the medical examiner, the victim died between 1:30 and 2:40 he was strangled first, then stabbed in the heart. It was likely to reduce the chance of survival."
"And?" Min Joon snapped, his tone sharp enough to make Jae Hwan flinch.
"Um… there's something unusual about this case," Jae Hwan stammered. "On the victim's chest, there's a symbol."
"What kind of symbol?" Min Joon demanded.
Jae Hwan's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's a four-sided star, Captain."
Time seemed to freeze. Min Joon's eyes darkened.The symbol that had haunted him for two decades had returned.