Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: The Killer's Face
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“Whoa, Jae-hyun, slow down a bit.”
Park Dae-hyung, climbing the mountain with Lee Jae-hyun, said while catching his breath.
They were already on their second mountain of the day, so it was no wonder he was exhausted.
But Lee Jae-hyun’s steps didn’t slow.
He glanced back briefly, checked on Park Dae-hyung, then spoke.
“If it’s too tough, I’ll head up first and check things out. Take your time.”
“...Yeah, maybe I will.”
They usually stuck together on duty—no splitting up, as two-person teams were the rule.
Park Dae-hyung generally tried to stay close.
But agreeing to Lee Jae-hyun’s suggestion meant the climb was really wearing him out.
Lee Jae-hyun strode up the mountain.
Climbing wasn’t easy for him either.
Of course he was tired too.
But he had a mindset completely different from Park Dae-hyung’s.
Park Dae-hyung surely wanted to catch the murderer as a cop.
But not to Lee Jae-hyun’s extent.
The serial killings—that they were even happening—was knowledge only Lee Jae-hyun had so far.
Park Dae-hyung just wanted to nab the guy quick.
Lee Jae-hyun was racing up this mountain to prevent another victim.
Silently pressing on, he soon reached the scene.
He began inspecting every inch, in case anything had been missed.
Trees, bushes—he combed through it all meticulously.
Conclusion:
‘Nothing missed at the scene.’
No surprise—the National Forensic Service had already been through.
Anything he could find alone would’ve been spotted ages ago.
“Whew... What now?”
It was just a dead end.
As a cop, moments like this felt utterly pathetic.
Knowing someone would die, powerless to stop it.
Lee Jae-hyun swept a hand over his frustrated face.
“Something wrong?”
Serhen chimed in lightly.
He knew more victims were coming, so impatience darkened his face inevitably.
But Serhen seemed thrilled her horns had grown.
She kept touching them lightly—tap—then smirking repeatedly.
Lee Jae-hyun glanced at her, then spoke.
“No clues at all. Need to catch this bastard.”
“You always get so frantic when lives are on the line.”
“...I’m a cop.”
He didn’t argue with Serhen.
He spat out “cop” like an excuse, though.
Serhen didn’t seem to care, continuing casually.
“Too tough? Want to make a deal?”
“Terms?”
Deals with Serhen hinged on the terms.
Important in any deal, sure.
But especially with her—a demon.
“Bit steep, maybe... Still, wanna try.”
“I’ll do my best, whatever it is.”
Lee Jae-hyun replied firmly.
Giving his all was one of his strengths.
“Let me devour every last bit of Evil Karma from this case.”
“...”
He stared at her silently.
Serhen wouldn’t say “every last bit” lightly.
He’d let her feed on all the karma from criminals he’d caught so far.
Emphasizing “not a scrap left” meant... something he didn’t know yet.
“What if I can’t?”
“I’d just play it safer in future deals.”
A slight credit hit.
No other risks, in other words.
Finally, Lee Jae-hyun nodded.
“Deal.”
Serhen smiled at his words.
A mischievous smile, unlike her usual ones.
She reached into the air.
Black energy flowed out, enveloping Lee Jae-hyun.
* * *
Touching the scene, the world turned ashen.
Time flowed backward simultaneously.
Waterfalls reversed upward, leaves rose to branches.
Laws of the world twisted grotesquely as Serhen spoke to Lee Jae-hyun.
—Think of the time you want to see. We’ll go there.
“Got it.”
Following her, he pictured the scene in his mind.
The ashen sky seemed to read it—time sped in reverse.
The revealed sight...
“Urk!”
Wasn’t pleasant.
Like a horror movie played backward.
Blood sprayed upward in red mists, flesh pieces puzzled back together.
A crumpled skull bottle uncrumpled, popping out.
Crunch! Crunch!
Watching the corpse grotesquely reassemble made Lee Jae-hyun grimace.
He’d seen plenty of bodies as a detective.
But witnessing death reverse was horrifying.
Uncannily realistic recreation.
Finally, the last piece slotted in.
Now Lee Jae-hyun saw the real killer.
‘About 170 cm tall, 20s-looking. Mask and hat hide the face.’
He scrutinized the guy.
This space was Serhen’s temporary creation.
It’d vanish like a mirage when her power ended.
So, memorize every detail of the perp.
‘Build like mine or a bit smaller. Moves faster than expected?’
Lee Jae-hyun tracked every move.
The guy gripped a battered baseball bat—paint chipped everywhere.
Aluminum, glinting through the wear.
He approached the startled victims mid-makeout.
Splat!
No hesitation, he swung.
The man raising his phone to call cops—his hand snapped grotesquely.
The smartphone tumbled down the trail.
Splat! Splat!
The woman startled, tried fleeing—too late.
The killer swung fiercer at her.
She collapsed; he turned on the fleeing man’s head.
Pleas for life.
Offers to do anything.
Endless begging fell on deaf ears.
No— it fueled him.
Savoring their pleas like classical music, body shuddering, he swung.
The frenzy ended only when the silver bat dripped viscous fluids.
‘This psycho beat innocent people that bad?’
Lee Jae-hyun’s face twisted in rage.
There were limits, even for evil.
This exceeded them.
His actions seemed...
‘Like losing reason, venting inner turmoil. Revenge? Betrayal?’
He stopped only long after they were dead.
Swinging postmortem showed his nature.
—Contractor, power’s almost up.
“Got it.”
Lee Jae-hyun eyed the killer grinning madly, bat bloodied red.
Why plan this crime? Unknown.
But...
‘I’ll catch you for sure.’
He’d killed two innocents.
Time to pay.
* * *
The faded world regained color; Lee Jae-hyun returned to reality.
Murder weapon confirmed.
Baseball bat.
‘Worn aluminum bat. Not bought for this—brought what he had.’
Chipped paint, full of dents.
Long-time use, clearly.
‘Baseball player?’
Bat worn to hell, yes.
But mainly—the swing form was pro-level.
‘Not standard game swing—top-down—but precise.’
He recalled the ashen scene.
Bat hit exactly where eyes aimed.
The perp wielded the old bat like an extension of himself.
Frowning at the unbearable memory...
—Satisfied?
Serhen asked.
Happy with the power?
Got what you wanted?
Lee Jae-hyun turned.
Serhen watched, mysterious expression.
Bored with victims’ families before.
Now, intrigued—like a fun toy.
‘Got what I wanted?’
Dunno.
Her playful smile nagged.
‘Missing something?’
He narrowed his eyes.
“Every last bit,” too.
Asking if satisfied irked.
Solved one issue, gained more questions.
Frustrated, he sighed deeply.
‘Recap: My build or smaller. Handles bat expertly. Pro baseball? Don’t assume yet.’
Could be hobbyist.
He recalled recently learned: jumping to conclusions narrows vision.
Gazing down the scene, his eyes deepened.
Tapping his thigh, sorting the vision quick.
‘Excluding sex crimes, serial kills share one trait.’
Killing those linked to him somehow.
For serial killers: abusive homes, school bullying, bad memories fueling violence.
Such cases leave common traces.
The perp’s “message.”
Problem here.
‘...Way off from what I saw before.’
Lee Jae-hyun bit his lip.
Fourth and fifth crimes he knew.
Messages didn’t match this one.
Hence the confusion.
Serial messages change only one way.
‘More than one killer.’
Face hardening at the new hypothesis.
“Hey, kid.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Park Dae-hyung arrived; Lee Jae-hyun turned.
But... his face was off.
Rigid, like trouble.
Park Dae-hyung spoke gravely.
“Just got word—the female victim’s son has no alibi.”
“...What?”
“College kid son lied.”
“Ah.”
Lee Jae-hyun sighed unwittingly.
In serious crimes.
Suspects lie for one reason.
‘...The victim’s son.’
Hiding something that can’t see daylight.