The Second Victim

Park Donghyeon stared down at his phone screen from inside his battered, ancient SUV. With the engine killed, the interior of the car was bone-chillingly cold. Even wrapped in a thick padded coat, the icy winter wind managed to seep through the seams of his clothes.

It had all started thirty minutes ago in a back alley behind a bar in Gangnam. A stabbing had occurred in a secluded spot—devoid of CCTV cameras and foot traffic. A group of drunken men had gotten into a scuffle, and one of them had been rushed to the emergency room, unconscious, with a stab wound to the abdomen.

Witnesses reported seeing a man in a blood-spattered black puffer coat fleeing the alley in a panic. Other detectives were already hot on his heels. Donghyeon was currently scanning the vicinity of the crime scene, double-checking to ensure they hadn't missed anything. He wasn't entirely convinced yet whether the blood-soaked man was the actual culprit or if the witnesses had simply misidentified him. Still, for now, the investigation was heavily leaning in that direction.

That was when a young man's voice crackled through his earpiece.

Donghyeon's hand froze. "What do you mean by that?"

Park Jihun's reply was curt.

Donghyeon's eyes darkened. "The witnesses said he was the one."

"..."

Donghyeon frowned. Logically, it didn't make sense. Yet, he couldn't just brush it off. Whenever Jihun threw out words like that, there was always a reason. "What exactly did you see?"

Jihun answered.

Donghyeon's brow furrowed. "Wait. Three?" Up until now, the detectives had only accounted for two people: the stabbed victim and the blood-spattered suspect who fled. But three?

Donghyeon immediately pressed, "Where is he now?"

"...What do you mean by that?"

Donghyeon's expression hardened. "Who is he targeting?"

The air inside the SUV seemed to drop another few degrees. Donghyeon unconsciously gripped his phone tighter. "Did you see anything else?"

Jihun spoke.

"Where was he hurt?"

Donghyeon fell into deep thought. If the culprit had swung the knife in a frenzy, his hand would have slipped. If it was his first time stabbing someone, there was a high probability that the web of his hand—the fleshy area between the thumb and index finger—had been torn. He immediately calculated his next move. He won't go to a hospital. The moment he steps into an emergency room, a record is created. That left only one option. A pharmacy. Donghyeon said immediately, "I need to check the nearby pharmacies first."

Through the earpiece, Jihun replied.

Donghyeon didn't ask any further. This was enough. From here on, it was his job to get it done. Click. The call disconnected. Donghyeon stared at his phone for a brief moment. Jihun's words burned themselves into his mind.

His mind grew chaotic. If he hadn't known Jihun, he would have dismissed it all as nonsense. But Donghyeon couldn't do that. He had witnessed Jihun's abilities firsthand since the Han Yu-na incident, and the few live streams he had tuned into afterward were far too accurate to be written off as mere coincidence.

He immediately grabbed his radio. "Team Leader, keep tailing the guy you're chasing. I'm going to check the pharmacies near the scene."

The Team Leader's voice crackled back through the static. "Why pharmacies all of a sudden?"

"There's another suspect."

"What?"

"There's a high probability that three people were at the scene. The real knifeman is someone else, not the guy covered in blood."

After a brief silence, the Team Leader demanded, "What's your basis? You wouldn't be doing this without a solid lead!"

"If he was holding the knife, he definitely injured his hand. Since he can't go to an emergency room, he most likely stopped by a nearby pharmacy first."

"Park Donghyeon."

"Team Leader. If we're late, another person might die." Donghyeon spoke with desperate urgency. "If I'm barking up the wrong tree, I'll take full responsibility. But if we don't move now, it'll be too late."

A string of curses echoed over the radio. Then, the Team Leader sighed. "...I'll send the rookie to back you up. Hit the pharmacies and check."

"Yes, sir."

Donghyeon cut the transmission and started the engine. He had never once doubted that the man they were chasing was the culprit. But after hearing just a few words from Jihun, what he had missed became glaringly obvious. Above all, they had to catch the real culprit before he could swing his knife again.

A moment later, Hong Seongjun yanked open the passenger door. A blast of freezing outside air rushed into the cabin. Sliding in, Seongjun asked, "Where are we starting, Sunbae?"

"The nearest pharmacies."

"There probably aren't many open at this hour."

"Which is exactly why we need to move fast."

Seongjun quickly pulled up a map on his phone. "There are three open nearby. One is next to the main intersection, one is at the end of the food alley, and the last one is at the bottom of the hill."

"Guide me to the closest one first."

"Got it."

The first pharmacy was a dead end. The pharmacist, rubbing his sleepy eyes, simply shook his head. The second pharmacy yielded the same result; the only customers had been looking for cold medicine and digestives. With only the last pharmacy remaining, Seongjun asked cautiously, "Sunbae... what if we're wrong about this?"

"We still have one left."

"I know, but I'm just worried."

"Let's check it out first, then judge."

The third pharmacy was tucked away in a secluded alley at the bottom of the hill. Its sign was half-extinguished, and the metal shutter was pulled halfway down. When Donghyeon knocked on the glass door, a middle-aged man emerged from the back with an annoyed expression. "We're closed."

Donghyeon immediately flashed his badge. "Police. We just need to check something quickly."

"...What is it?"

"Within the last hour, did a man come in here in a hurry, injured, looking to buy medical supplies?"

The pharmacist hesitated, then frowned as if remembering something. "Ah, that guy."

Donghyeon's eyes sharpened. "Did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someone come in?"

"Yes. There was one. Reeked of alcohol, with his hat pulled low."

"What did he buy?"

"Disinfectant, gauze, and bandages. His hands were shaking so badly he could barely pay."

Seongjun quickly chimed in, "Did you see where he was hurt?"

"His right hand. Right here, to be exact." The pharmacist pointed to the web of his own hand, between the thumb and index finger. "It looked like a deep tear. He had wrapped some tissues around it, but the blood kept seeping through."

"Was he alone?"

"Yes."

Donghyeon stared at the pharmacist for a brief second before asking, "Which way did he go?"

The pharmacist pointed toward the dark alley leading up the hill. "He walked up that way, toward the studio apartments and villas."

Donghyeon looked up the hill. Dilapidated studio apartments and low-rise villas were stacked precariously along the steep alleyway. Did Jihun say he'd be heading home soon? One of those buildings was highly likely to be the bastard's residence.

Seongjun asked quietly, "Should we call for backup first?"

Donghyeon nodded. "Call them. But we have to head up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now. We don't have time to wait."

The two parked their car in a public lot at the bottom of the hill and got ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out. The biting night air whipped against their faces. Braving the fierce wind, they looked up. The alley above was dark and narrow. Lit windows were few and far between, and power lines tangled messily beneath the pitch-black sky.

Seongjun let out a heavy sigh. "Should we split up?"

"No. We stick together." Donghyeon added grimly, "The bastard has a knife."

Donghyeon moved swiftly up the alleyway, Seongjun keeping close pace. Suddenly, a dull, heavy thud echoed from above. Thud! It sounded like someone slamming violently against a door or a piece of furniture. Immediately after, a young man's voice shrieked, "Put the phone down!"

Donghyeon halted. Seongjun looked up at the same time. "Sunbae."

"It's up there."

As they sprinted up the stairs, a barrage of shouting erupted from inside one of the units. "You crazy bastard, are you even human?! You stabbed someone and you dare hide here?!"

"Shut up!"

"Turn yourself in right now! If you don't, I'll call the police myself!"

Following the shouts, the sound of things crashing to the floor echoed. Crash! Clatter! Donghyeon barked, "Run!"

They pushed themselves to their absolute limits. Reaching the top of the hill, they saw the front door of a villa on the right swinging half-open. Light spilled out from the gap, and through it, they caught a glimpse of a black puffer coat shifting. "There!"

Donghyeon burst through the entrance first. Inside, a middle-aged man in his thermal underwear was pinned against the shoe rack, struggling desperately. He held a phone in one hand while using his other arm to block a younger man from swinging a knife ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at him.

The attacker was indeed a young man in a black puffer coat. His right hand was wrapped in a bandage that was already soaked through with blood, and he held a knife in his left hand. It was exactly as the pharmacist had described.

Gritting his teeth, the middle-aged man screamed, "Get a grip! If you go any further, there's no turning back!"

"Shut up!"

"Go to the police station! You have to take responsibility for what you did!"

"You're trying to hand me over?" The attacker's eyes rolled back in pure madness. "You're really going to sell me out, you fucker!" The knife flashed in the light.

Donghyeon roared, "Police! Don't move!" throwing his entire body forward. Crash! Donghyeon slammed his shoulder into the attacker, sending him reeling. The blade sliced harmlessly through empty air.

Seongjun lunged right behind him, grabbing the attacker's left arm. "I've got his arm!"

"Pin it!"

All three men crashed into the narrow hallway floor together. Thud! The middle-aged man stumbled and fell to the side, and the shoe rack rattled, tilting precariously.

The attacker thrashed like a wild animal. "Let go! Let go of me, you bastards!"

"Drop the knife!"

"No!"

Seongjun gritted his teeth and wrenched the suspect's left arm backward. Donghyeon pressed his shoulder down from the front, completely breaking the man's center of gravity. With his right hand severely injured, the suspect couldn't muster his full strength.

Clatter! The knife clanged onto the floor. Donghyeon didn't miss the opening. He pinned the man flat against the ground, driving his knee into the suspect's back. Wrenching both arms behind the man's back, he slapped the cuffs on. Click. Face pressed against the floor, the suspect shrieked, "Let me go! You motherfuckers!"

"Stay still!"

"It's not over! It's not over!"

Slumped in the corner of the hallway, the middle-aged man clutched his neck, gasping for air, his phone lying forgotten on the floor. If they had been even a few seconds later, he would have been stabbed. Seongjun, panting heavily, stared at the knife on the floor. "Holy crap..."

Donghyeon didn't reply. Instead, he inspected the right hand of the pinned suspect. The web between the thumb and index finger was deeply torn. The tissues and bandages had unraveled, leaving a bloody mess. And there, slumped in the hallway clutching his neck, was the middle-aged man.

The words that had crackled through his earpiece just tens of minutes ago hit Donghyeon like a physical blow. If he had been even slightly late, those words would have become a grim reality. A cold shiver ran down his spine. Jihun had been right. Again. Donghyeon could no longer dismiss anything that came out of Park Jihun's mouth as mere coincidence.