Twisted Madness (6)
“This bastard—isn't he a total psycho? A fucking crazy psychopath. The victim he raped touches his body...! And what? Dirty hands? I've never seen a piece of shit like this in all my years on the force! OCD rapist—what the hell?!”
The only sounds in the returning car were the engine's rumble and the ragged breathing of Detective Lee Gyu-cheol, grinding his teeth to swallow his rage. It was utterly unlike his usual calm demeanor.
Let's sort this out. The copycat knows the exact details of the seven rape cases Park Si-woong committed in the original timeline. And he's mimicking them perfectly. How is that even possible? Not just regular case files—even Violent Crimes Unit records are classified. No media coverage, no way for civilians to access them.
Two possibilities. A current Violent Crimes Unit cop is the perp? Doesn't make sense. The crimes happened even when the entire unit was deployed elsewhere. No one has two bodies.
So the perp either has access to those records himself—or the pull to hire someone who does.
“But, hyung?”
Detective Lee Gyu-cheol, who had been quietly simmering, finally spoke up hesitantly.
“The Violent Crimes guys are probably fumbling in the dark just like us, right?”
The original scumbag, Park Si-woong, was currently under investigation by Lieutenant Hwang, Detective Kim, and Detective Heo—tailing leads and digging into his background. My call to resolve the separate cases as fast as possible.
Gyu-cheol hesitated before continuing. “Hyung, can we reach out to Taehwa Group's audit team for the Violent Crimes Unit's case status? If they nab the copycat first, our team's gonna look like idiots.”
Screeech!
I slammed on the brakes. My body lurched forward violently.
“Agh! Hyung, what the hell?!”
“Gyu-cheol. What did you just say?!”
“If they catch the bastard first, we're sitting ducks on the Nakdong River! Sure, catching the perp for the victims comes first, but this time our pride's on the line too!”
“No, not that. What you said before?”
“...Before that? I asked if we could contact Taehwa's audit team for the Violent Crimes Unit records. You mentioned last time they have a former headquarters bigwig there.”
Right, I'd said that. Couldn't exactly say I knew the future, so I'd thrown out that excuse.
The detective shot me a look of pure grievance, like he had no idea what was up.
A current cop. Even this thoughtful, level-headed detective bought my bullshit story. A retired police brass involved? Seemed plausible enough.
I rummaged through my wallet. Amid dozens of business cards, a familiar name caught my eye.
[Taehwa Motors CEO Hong Gye-young]
“Gyu-cheol, you get out here and head back to the station. Check for any new leads. I've got somewhere urgent to be.”
“Wait, hyung, where the hell are you—?!”
The car roared, veering toward Teheran-ro and the Taehwa Building.
* * *
“Detective Kang always seems to want something from me. Anyone else would think I owe you a debt.”
On the 35th floor of the Taehwa Building smack in the middle of Teheran-ro, Hong Gye-young finally spoke after a long silence, gazing at the red sunset beginning to fade.
Her grumbling tone didn't match the playful upward curl of her lips as she turned to me.
“So, Detective Kang's request is to tell you the current jobs of former Seoul Metro Police Violent Crimes Unit executives. For the investigation, right?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, Detective Kang Cheol-gu. We're just a company. Why would we know about civil servants' whereabouts?”
“A regular company? Sure, no clue. But Taehwa's different—I'd bet on it. One of the top ten conglomerates, right? Everyone knows big corps like yours have intel networks that eclipse prosecutors and police.”
“A 'public secret' isn't the same as an official fact. Granting your requests means admitting we spy on active and retired officials. If that leaks, Taehwa crashes overnight. Why should I take that risk?”
Her slender fingers interlaced, then propped up her chin—a habit I'd clocked from our few meetings. She'd already half-decided; this was just her testing my reaction nonverbally.
“Worse, if you misuse our 'official' surveillance on officials, the backlash would be massive. Not a loss we can shrug off.”
Clack, clack.
I walked to the massive window of her 35th-floor office where she stood. I lined up beside her. The sun had set; in the pitch-black night, tiny specks of car lights stretched in lines below—like an '90s arcade game screen.
“From up here, it all feels unreal. The people in those cars, in those buildings—they're just lights, dots.”
Her head turned slowly toward me.
“To you, CEO, those specks are people grinding through their lives. That light there...”
She pointed to a beat-up delivery truck.
“...could be a breadwinner dragging his exhausted ass home after 18 hours of packages. That dot...”
A student lugging a bag half his size flickered faintly into view.
“...maybe a kid dreaming of mom's instant ramen after a full day at school. I want to protect that ordinary life.”
A low sigh escaped me unbidden. This new incident—maybe it was because of my regression.
“I'm no righteous cop who can't stand injustice. No blind follower of the law either. But...!”
I met her gaze head-on.
“I don't want a world where the weak get trampled just for being weak.”
I drew a deep breath.
“That's the cop Kang Cheol-gu talking. As a man, here's my real take!”
I stepped closer. Her eyes wavered; she retreated a step.
“My creed: repay favors double, grudges tenfold. Use Taehwa's power for personal shit, and yeah, massive fallout. You're right. But that's why I'm here today—demanding that power.”
Her throat bobbed.
“I promise. Favors repaid with favors, not vendettas. My ask will benefit Taehwa, not harm it.”
Her furrowed brows relaxed as she pulled out her phone, voice lighter, like she'd made a tough call.
“Manager Yang Jin-ho. Call Planning's Manager Sun Woo-bin for me.”
Her small hand extended toward me.
“Third time we've met, first handshake. Duty alone wasn't enough to risk it. But a man's plea? I'll take it.”
“Thank you. Won't disappoint.”
I clasped her hand firmly.
* * *
“Ma'am, this is too risky. Do we really need to expose Taehwa like this for one detective?”
After I left, Manager Yang Jin-ho grumbled at Hong Gye-young, who still stared out the darkened window.
“Tell me about it. I'm wondering why I'm going this far too.”
She turned slowly, mouth opening again.
“When he talked about the victim, I felt his chest ache—like it was his fault. Funny, right? A man forged like steel identifying with a victim's pain?”
“Exactly. That guy—no, Detective Kang—is unpredictable. Too dangerous to keep close.”
“That's why I decided. Unpredictable, hard to read. But he said it plain: repays favors with favors. I'm betting on the weight of his word.”
“B-but!”
“Enough. That's it for today. Head home, Manager Yang.”
Her heels echoed through the vast office as she strode to the door.
* * *
“I didn't see nothing. Like you know, this area's pretty remote. After dark, barely any foot traffic.”
“Got it. If anything comes to mind, call this card.”
Detective Lee Gyu-cheol shook his head and stepped out of the hole-in-the-wall shop near the Jeong-san-dong crime scene.
“Hyung, strike here too. Owner knows zilch.”
“Expected that. Don't sweat it.”
“Not sweating—chest just feels tight. Anyway, I'll nail that fucker myself!”
Maybe because he had a younger sister the same age, Gyu-cheol was laser-focused on Son Ah-young's rape.
Then—bzzz.
My phone vibrated.
“Gangcheon Station, Kang Cheol-gu.”
- Hello, Detective Kang. This is Sun Woo-bin, Taehwa Planning. CEO Hong instructed me to call.
“Ah, hello.”
- As requested, I've emailed the current occupations of former Seoul Metro Violent Crimes execs. Three we could track recently: Superintendent Oh Hee-cheol is now a director at Taeho Group; Inspector Choi Soo-hyuk is exec VP at Gyeongwon Trading. And the most recent retiree, Superintendent Kim Sung-rak, works in Gunwoo Group's Planning and Coordination office. Details in the attachment...
Hold up. Gunwoo Group's ex-Superintendent Kim Sung-rak...
“Ah! Thank you. I'll follow up.”
- Hel...
I hung up fast. It hit me.
Head of Gunwoo Group's Planning and Coordination—officially handles budgets, planning, regulatory reforms. But really...
Park Hyeok-cheol's right-hand man. Blocking tax audits, hiding embezzlement, cleaning up his messes—the shadowy side of Gunwoo.
I never knew Kim Sung-rak was Violent Crimes brass. Demoted in my past life, I rolled in the dirt, no connections to the elite.
Kim Sung-rak could access those records!
“Gyu-cheol!”
“Y-yes, hyung?”
“Contact Detective Heo Seon-sil for rotation now. You back up the lieutenant.”
“Huh? Suddenly? Got it.”
Heo has zero emotional swings. Reads others like a photo—pure objectivity, no personal bias.
She's who I need right now.