Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Too Familiar
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“What the hell are we doing on a mountain like this?”
Kim Jun-ho grumbled under his breath as he climbed, his voice thick with complaint.
Lee Jae-hyun didn’t respond, but he couldn’t agree more.
Out of all the mountains, they had to pick this one.
It wasn’t even a proper trail— just rough, untouched wilderness no one would bother with.
‘No wonder shit went down here.’
Lee Jae-hyun clicked his tongue briefly and kept moving.
One big reason murders happen is places like this, cut off from everyone.
No one around to help makes it easy for killers to operate.
“Hey, rookie, you holding up okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good, sunbae.”
Lee Jae-hyun nodded at Kim Jun-ho’s panting question.
He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t tough, but he could manage.
‘All that training wasn’t for nothing.’
His steady workouts had built up his stamina to a reliable level.
“You’re like a damn Terminator.”
Kim Jun-ho muttered that, clearly displeased with the answer.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a brief chuckle, but it faded fast.
His expression darkened as he looked toward the summit.
‘Too familiar.’
Mountains and murders.
The combo hit too close to home.
Felt like a case he’d seen in his past life.
But it wouldn’t quite come to him, so he narrowed his eyes and hurried on.
“Right here.”
Park Dae-hyung, leading the way, stopped in front of yellow tape strung between trees.
He peeked inside, and his face hardened instantly.
“Rookie, no need for you to go in.”
Lee Jae-hyun blinked at Park Dae-hyung’s words.
The stiff expression said it all about the horror inside.
“I’m fine.”
“It’s too soon for you to see this.”
“I’m a cop too.”
Lee Jae-hyun stated firmly.
What, did they think his few years on the force meant he couldn’t handle it?
He’d seen dozens of murder scenes already.
He was confident he’d witnessed every kind of gruesome sight.
Sure, to others, he was just a greenhorn fresh off patrol duty.
“……If it gets to you, say something.”
“Yes, sir. I will, Inspector.”
“Everyone in. Don’t touch a damn thing that could mess up the scene. If you’re gonna puke, step outside.”
Park Dae-hyung headed in, and Lee Jae-hyun ducked under the tape after him.
And then.
After scanning the scene, Lee Jae-hyun got why Park Dae-hyung had tried to hold him back.
“Fucking brutal.”
Kim Jun-ho wrinkled his nose right beside him.
Yeah, that nailed it.
The scene was utterly gruesome.
Just off the summit, in a spot so remote you wondered how it was found, lay two bodies.
Not just dumped or sprawled—scattered, like trash.
The sight turned the stomach on reflex.
“Sadistic bastard.”
“……In years on the force, I’ve never seen anything this vicious.”
Lee Jae-hyun leaned in to examine the bodies closer while the seniors talked.
How to describe the victims’ state?
Like zombies in an apocalypse getting their heads bashed by the hero.
Heads smashed beyond recognition, pulped and shattered.
Flesh splattered everywhere showed the killer kept swinging even after dragging the bodies here.
“Couple, maybe?”
“Likely, if they came up together…… But they might’ve been killed elsewhere, so too early to say. ID check?”
“Nothing yet. No wallet, no smartphone. Fingerprints? Need intact ones for that. They’re talking reconstruction, but it’ll take time.”
Lee Jae-hyun overheard detectives from Ilsan West Police Station murmuring nearby.
No way to ID them, and anything that could help was gone.
“Blunt force, right? Like a hammer…… or baseball bat?”
“Yeah, marks from something heavy like that. Autopsy at the forensics lab’ll tell us more.”
Lee Jae-hyun narrowed his eyes at their words.
Baseball bat, hikers murdered, dead couple.
The traces were too damn familiar—he clenched his fist without thinking.
‘This…… matches that case too perfectly.’
A memory surfaced, one he’d buried.
Around this time, a serial murder case that rocked Korea, unsolved even a decade later.
If this was it……
‘Then it doesn’t end here. If we don’t catch him now, more victims.’
Lee Jae-hyun gritted his teeth at the thought.
In his past life, they never nabbed the killer.
More murders followed.
‘Fourth one was when it got attention.’
Back then, he’d been at a local station, prepping for Violent Crimes.
Not his jurisdiction—Hanseong Substation case—so he didn’t know much.
Didn’t clock it as serial till the media blew it up.
Just figured grudge killing, like any other.
But.
‘I remember the fourth and fifth victims, at least.’
Those hit the news, details leaked.
Right now, all he recalled was they were having an affair……
Still, digging deeper might prevent more deaths.
Tap.
A hand on his shoulder jolted him—he turned.
Park Dae-hyung, face worried.
“You okay? You look serious.”
“I’m fine.”
“Bullshit. Even I get shaky at scenes like this. Me and Jun-ho got it—head down.”
“……Sunbae, what about me?”
Kim Jun-ho blinked at that, pointing at himself.
Park Dae-hyung ignored him, staring only at Lee Jae-hyun.
The look said no arguments—Lee Jae-hyun shut up.
‘I’m really fine.’
Not pleasant, but bearable.
These scenes never got easier, but he’d seen worse.
And he was the only one who knew this case.
‘Maybe I can help. Evidence, ID……’
That sparked the Ilsan detectives’ chat.
‘Hold on…… They said no smartphone yet?’
First case, smartphone.
The keywords unlocked fragments.
Victim’s phone.
Find it, and maybe crack the serial killer.
Phones hold the most secrets off-scene.
Modern souls, inseparable, packed with dirt.
‘Maybe heading down helps faster……’
Info no one else has.
To use it, leave the scene.
Lee Jae-hyun looked at Park Dae-hyung.
“Got it. I’ll head down.”
“Good call.”
Park Dae-hyung clapped his shoulder.
Lee Jae-hyun bowed slightly and started down.
“Where you going?”
He froze at the familiar voice, turning.
Serhen floated midair, spinning playfully.
“Serhen?”
“Long time no see.”
“Digestion done?”
Lee Jae-hyun grinned at her return.
But……
Something off.
Her horns—slightly longer.
Taller too.
“You…… grew?”
“Caught that?”
Serhen beamed as he gawked.
She chattered about digesting it all.
He listened, happy to see her.
But business too.
“Need to find a smartphone. Help? Payment……”
“Last Evil Karma covered it. Prepaid.”
She flicked her hand.
Black energy flowed into him, red threads emerging.
They pointed down the rough trail—Lee Jae-hyun scratched his head.
“……Gonna be a hike.”
He sighed and hurried off.
* * *
Park Dae-hyung watched Lee Jae-hyun descend, tilting his head.
‘Something’s off.’
Couldn’t pinpoint it, but the rookie felt…… different.
Then Kim Jun-ho’s grumble.
“You only care about the rookie. Send me down too.”
“Shut it. You notice anything weird about him?”
He couldn’t focus till he figured the unease.
So he asked.
“Yeah.”
“What?”
“Too much to know where to start?”
“Huh?”
“Weird as hell. Personality flipped overnight, results insane—internal affairs wouldn’t blink.”
“……Not that.”
Park Dae-hyung sighed.
The record was suspicious, sure.
But not what bugged him.
“Dunno about weird, but worried. First scene like this for me. Rookie okay?”
Kim Jun-ho glanced at the bodies, winced, looked away.
Couldn’t stomach it.
That clicked it for Park Dae-hyung.
“……Yeah, that’s normal.”
“Huh? What?”
“Your reaction to the bodies.”
Kim Jun-ho tilted his head at the mutter.
Park Dae-hyung eyed him.
“You recoiled right away.”
“Did I……?”
“Yeah. That’s normal. Body rejects it on instinct.”
“So? Rookie different?”
Kim Jun-ho puzzled.
Park Dae-hyung recalled Lee Jae-hyun at the scene.
Others missed it……
But he saw.
Leaning in.
Face stiff, he spoke.
“Yeah. Leaned toward the scene.”
“What?”
“Wanted a closer look.”
“……That’s weird, yeah.”
Kim Jun-ho nodded, face hardening.
Who leans in on pulverized, unrecognizable corpses?
No one, except jaded vets.
Park Dae-hyung chuckled at the thought.
‘Greenhorn like him?’
He shook his head.
Bzzz.
Phone vibrated.
“Hm?”
“Who?”
“Rookie.”
Why’s he calling already?
Kim Jun-ho tilted as Park Dae-hyung answered.
He hung up, chuckling dryly, turned.
“Jun-ho, let’s go.”
“Huh? Where?”
“Rookie found evidence on the way down.”
“……Our rookie’s one weird bastard.”
Freakishly lucky.
They hurried off, thinking that.