Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Two Perpetrators
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After hearing Oh Min-seok's explanation, Lee Jae-hyun struggled to calm his churning stomach.
"Stay calm."
The fact that the victim had been beaten until every bone in their body was crushed—in a state where resistance was impossible—made his mind go white with rage.
But to catch the perp, he needed to keep a cool head at all times.
"First things first, check the scene."
He hadn't been able to examine it closely earlier because Oh Min-seok had approached him.
Lee Jae-hyun stepped toward the victim's sprawled corpse.
"Huh? Hey, kid, that's..."
"Hold on a sec."
Park Dae-hyung tried to stop him, but Oh Min-seok blocked him, suggesting they watch for a bit.
Thanks to that, Lee Jae-hyun could calmly survey the scene.
"...What're you looking at?"
"..."
Ignoring the murmurs from behind, Lee Jae-hyun examined the body as closely as possible without disturbing the scene.
And...
'Something's off.'
That was his immediate thought upon checking the scene.
It felt like his mind had gone blank from the incomprehensible situation.
Lee Jae-hyun steadied his breathing and moved closer.
'...Is this even possible?'
He narrowed his eyes as he leaned in to inspect the corpse.
How many bodies had he seen so far?
As a detective, he'd encountered all sorts of deaths.
He'd frequented autopsy rooms, desperate to catch killers.
So he was confident his eye for corpses was sharper than most detectives.
"You really wanna look at it like that?"
"..."
"Kid?"
He ignored Park Dae-hyung calling out from behind.
Right now, scrutinizing the body was more important.
"Hmm."
Lee Jae-hyun squatted in front of the corpse.
He didn't touch it.
He just observed it carefully from a short distance.
'The wounds on the arms and face... those are from falling.'
Aside from the back of the head and the side, there weren't many other marks.
Noticing that, Lee Jae-hyun spoke without turning.
"Something's weird."
"Huh? What is?"
Park Dae-hyung came closer and asked.
Lee Jae-hyun pointed at the corpse's arm without looking.
"No defensive wounds."
"...What?"
He could picture Park Dae-hyung's expression without turning.
Defensive wounds.
The injuries sustained while the victim thrashed desperately to survive.
"Look closely—the wounds are concentrated on the upper arms. Barely any on the forearms."
"..."
"And normally, when people fall, they brace with their hands. But check this out."
"No abrasions... on the palms."
"Yeah. They didn't even think to break the fall with their hands."
Lee Jae-hyun's explanation led to one conclusion.
He shifted his gaze to the victim's caved-in skull and continued.
"The victim lost consciousness from the first blow. The rest of the wounds... came after."
"...So after they went down, someone kept smashing them with a blunt object?"
Park Dae-hyung's voice rumbled with fury.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded.
He shared everything he'd observed.
One key point: no defensive wounds.
'Different from the first murder. Way more precise this time.'
Make sure they're dead, you could say.
The first kill had a clumsy edge, but not this one.
One solid hit to kill, then unleashing violence on the body.
Lee Jae-hyun pointed at the victim's skull and went on.
"Overall, this looks way more brutal... but if you just look at the head, this case is milder than the first. At least it still has some shape."
"...I see."
A grave voice came from behind.
Lee Jae-hyun turned.
He'd thought he was explaining to Park Dae-hyung.
But Oh Min-seok had come up and was listening.
"No defensive wounds..."
Oh Min-seok bent one knee and examined the body closely.
Surprise flickered across his face.
"It's true. The body's such a mess, it's hard to see, but how'd you spot this...?"
Hearing the astonishment, Park Dae-hyung inspected it too.
He reacted much the same.
"Find anything else?"
Oh Min-seok asked.
Lee Jae-hyun didn't answer right away, scanning the body.
The detectives' stares felt heavy, but finding perp clues mattered more.
'Left side.'
Narrowing his eyes further, he spoke.
"The killer... seems left-handed."
"Why's that?"
"See? Most wounds slant from upper left to lower right."
He pointed out the wounds across the body.
Left to right.
"When you swing a bat top-down, the angle tilts subtly depending on which hand's on top."
It was something he'd learned in his past life as a detective.
Frequenting autopsy rooms, he'd figured out dominant hands just from bodies.
But he couldn't say that outright.
Lee Jae-hyun pulled out his baton, gripped it left hand high, right low, and swung.
Like a lefty swinging a bat down.
"Yeah."
"Whoa..."
As they marveled, he continued.
"Pros can adjust for it, but this perp didn't. Too focused on killing... forgot to hide their habits."
"..."
"Two possibilities here. Either they were insanely hyped up during the kill..."
He collapsed the baton and added,
"...or they never planned to cover their tracks."
Given the victim photos, the latter seemed likely.
But he figured both.
The body's state screamed perp was amped up.
Still, as he explained, something nagged at him.
Because...
'Gobong Mountain was a right-hander.'
First crime: right-handed.
Second: left-handed traces.
That didn't add up.
Even ambidextrous folks favor one hand.
Swinging a bat locks in a motion; hard to switch without thinking.
"Gobong Mountain showed right-handed traits. Targeted the head repeatedly with the bat."
"Right."
"But this time? Head first, then full-body beating. Not just killing—inflicting pain was the goal."
But that was off too.
Traces suggested varied pain, yet body marks were postmortem.
And above all.
"Finally, this. The photo seals it."
"Photo?"
"Yeah."
Park Dae-hyung tilted his head; Lee Jae-hyun nodded.
Oh Min-seok seemed to guess where he was going.
Not for nothing he's team leader.
"Gobong perp tried erasing every trace."
Yeah, the clincher for Lee Jae-hyun's conviction.
It was in the photo.
"Victim's smartphone, ID—took anything that could link back."
"Yep."
"But not this time. Wanted traces left. Like an artist proud of their atrocity. Snapped pics of the carnage."
"Hmm."
"Leaving it here? Screams someone craving exposure."
Exactly.
The unease between Gobong and this scene.
Same tool, similar spot.
Even method matched...
Except this one thing.
"Putting it all together, my take is..."
"Yeah. This case... Hm?"
Oh Min-seok's face grew peculiar.
Deeply rattled, questioning his own thoughts.
"You thinking what I think you are...?"
"Yeah."
Under their stares, Lee Jae-hyun nodded.
The detectives assumed one perp for both.
Mountain crimes.
Same MO.
All pointed to one killer.
Even Lee Jae-hyun thought so at first.
Past life pegged it as a single serial killer.
But no.
"Gobong and Maebong incidents."
Lee Jae-hyun looked from the body to Oh Min-seok.
"Two different perps."
Yeah.
Seeing the first crime.
And its perp.
That nagging unease?
He knew its source now.
A coward hiding vs. an attention-seeker exposing.
No way they're the same.
Conclusion: accomplices.
Two perps pulled serial murders; no one knew, so unsolved.
But not this time.
He knew for sure.
* * *
Serhen was right.
If lives were at stake.
And he knew the future.
Lee Jae-hyun got overly tense, rushed.
Impatience can help sometimes.
But not for a detective methodically hunting killers.
Past-life him was similar.
Why "Mad Dog"?
Lose reason once, charge like a maniac.
Acted on instinct, no fretting.
Point was, he hadn't been cautious enough.
He'd suspected two perps briefly.
Now? Near certainty.
Many possibilities, sure. Full proof? Eyes only.
'Then I'll see with my own eyes.'
Lee Jae-hyun exhaled and scanned around.
Everyone busily searching the scene.
He called Serhen inwardly; she appeared promptly.
"You called?"
Seeing the surroundings, she smiled, mildly surprised.
"Made it here, huh?"
'Read this place's memories.'
Reading them, seeing firsthand—that'd confirm.
Serhen hummed, then spoke.
"Careful. Back-to-back use might tip the deal's balance."
'Don't worry. I'll snag 'em all. Feed you plenty of evil karma.'
Her warning about overusing powers unbalancing their pact.
Lee Jae-hyun met her eyes squarely.
She eyed his fierce certainty oddly, then nodded.
"Fine."
She waved a hand.
Black energy flowed out, swirled around him, then sank into his body.
Lee Jae-hyun reached out cautiously.
"Two in a row—I'll nap till you feed me karma. Handle it well."
As she spoke, he kept reaching.
"Call me when you absorb those bastards' energy."
He smirked at her words.
Spot on.
His hunch was right.
He surrendered to the graying world.
Moments later.
His eyes snapped open, brimming with ironclad conviction.