Chapter 112
Chapter 112
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Catching the Culprit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Straying from the main hiking trail, an middle-aged woman and a man carrying what looked like a tactical backpack headed toward increasingly deserted paths.
It was a mismatched pair, which only made them look more suspicious.
At first, the woman hadn't noticed the man following her—or maybe she just liked chatting with strangers, who knew.
Either way, she struck up a conversation with him without a hint of caution and burst into laughter.
The man would respond with a casual nod each time.
He looked annoyed even from behind.
‘From the snippets of conversation I can hear... they don’t seem close.’
Lee Jae-hyun trailed them slowly, observing the situation.
He kept a safe distance to avoid alerting them.
They were already off the main trail, so the voices were faint, but now the other hikers were thinning out.
Only the wind and occasional animal sounds filled the air—no more chatter from passersby.
That was why, even at a distance, he could start picking up bits of the man and woman’s conversation.
“Whew, anyway, so that’s when I...”
The woman chattered on, while the man brushed her off with another nod.
They didn’t seem friendly, and from the talk, they’d clearly just met today...
So why were they hiking together all the way into this remote part of the mountain?
‘Does this lady have no sense of caution at all?’
Lee Jae-hyun frowned inwardly.
Maybe it was Korea’s reputation as a safe country, but most people here seemed to suffer from a severe case of safety blindness.
He’d noticed it plenty during his time as a cop.
The man, who’d been listening to her nonstop babble with a blank expression, suddenly glanced around.
Lee Jae-hyun ducked behind a tree.
In that moment, the man casually unfastened one strap on his bag.
Like he was about to pull something out.
To a casual observer, it might look like he was grabbing a snack or water.
Swish.
But something long emerged from the man’s bag.
The moment Lee Jae-hyun saw it, he knew for sure.
This was the guy.
‘I’m stopping him this time, no matter what.’
Lee Jae-hyun sprang into action.
He slipped from behind the tree, moving as quietly and quickly as possible.
Nothing else mattered.
Two victims had already died in this case.
He couldn’t let there be more.
“Hoo...”
By then, the man had fully drawn a baseball bat from his bag. He exhaled as he glared at the woman.
It sounded like he was just catching his breath from the hike.
Or maybe venting a flicker of excitement.
His eyes had changed from their earlier blank stare.
Now they gleamed with murderous intent.
He raised the bat, signaling his target, and swung it down toward the woman’s head.
“You bastard, stop!”
Lee Jae-hyun launched himself at the man.
Too focused on the woman, the guy didn’t react in time to the charge from the side and tumbled to the ground.
Clang! Claaang!
The bat flew from his hand, rolling across the dirt with a racket.
The startled woman scanned them both in panic.
“Kyaaah!”
Her scream echoed through Sindong Mountain.
“W-what the hell...”
“Ma’am! Get back!”
“Huh?”
“I’m a police officer.”
The woman eyed Lee Jae-hyun skeptically at the word “police,” hesitating.
He started to say more, but—
Thwack!
The perp’s fist slammed into Lee Jae-hyun’s side.
Pain surged through him, but he gritted his teeth, wrapped his arm around the guy’s neck, and squeezed.
“You little...”
“Shit...!”
The man thrashed wildly.
He swung punches and tried to bite to pry off Lee Jae-hyun’s arm.
But Lee Jae-hyun clamped down harder, enduring the pain.
Why else was the Mad Dog called the Mad Dog?
Even in agony, once he locked onto a target, he never let go until it was done.
Crunch.
Lee Jae-hyun tightened his grip with every struggle.
The man flailed desperately to break free.
But...
There was no escaping the Mad Dog’s chokehold.
Finally, the thrashing perp went limp, like he’d fallen asleep.
“You okay?”
Lee Jae-hyun turned to the woman.
She let out a yelp and scrambled backward on the ground.
He clicked his tongue at her terrified look.
First things first—he checked the guy in front of him.
He was out cold, but he’d probably come to in 30 seconds.
No time to waste.
Lee Jae-hyun pulled handcuffs from his pocket, slapped them on the perp’s wrists, and only then turned back to the woman.
Her face was pale with fear.
Yeah, but still...
He’d vowed not to let the tragedy from his past life happen again.
And somehow, he’d stopped it.
He plopped down on the perp’s back and raised his radio.
“This is Lee Jae-hyun. Suspect in custody.”
―Give me your position. I’m on my way.
Park Dae-hyung’s clear voice crackled through.
* * *
Ever since the bludgeoned male and female bodies turned up, Ilsan West Police Station had been in chaos.
The Violent Crimes Unit especially buzzed with activity, backing up the on-site detectives and moving as fast as they could.
They were coordinating with Hanseong Police Substation, the local substation handling the case.
Then the second incident hit.
This time, a single man was killed.
Bludgeoned head again.
The perp was toying with the police investigation.
Naturally, Violent Crimes Chief Kim Ho-cheol was furious and gearing up to take direct command.
Two hikers dead was tragic, sure... but to detectives, it was just a new case.
Then another victim popped up mid-investigation.
Same weapon, similar location and MO.
This wasn’t just any case anymore.
‘Serial killer...’
Not certain yet.
But entirely possible.
No clue who the guy was, but would he stop here?
Or hunt for another victim?
They had to ID and nab him fast.
‘Who the hell is this bastard?’
Kim Ho-cheol clenched his jaw, face twisting.
He hadn’t been in the field, but Team Leader Oh Min-seok kept him updated.
Still, no sense of it.
What kind of guy was this perp?
From what they knew...
Impulsive, charging ahead once he had a goal.
The back-to-back killings screamed that.
But why kill?
No connection between the first two victims and the second.
Some link would help narrow suspects...
The son of the victim who’d lied to police seemed fishy, but he’d been at the funeral with cops before the second murder—not him.
“Chief, briefing’s ready.”
A detective approached Kim Ho-cheol.
“Yeah.”
Kim nodded stiffly and headed out.
He entered the conference room, took his seat, and as he did, another detective started.
“Alright, let’s begin the briefing.”
Right then—
“Ch-Chief!”
The door flew open. Another detective rushed in, breathless.
Kim Ho-cheol’s eyes narrowed.
“Another victim?”
He glared at the detective, face hardening.
Serial killings on the mountain.
What else would bring someone bursting in like this?
A new body would complicate everything.
Kim scowled.
“We got him!”
“...What?”
Kim blinked, thinking he’d misheard.
He wasn’t alone—every detective in the room looked stunned.
They’d caught the bludgeoning serial killer?
Who?
How?
The silent stares said it all.
The detective panted as he explained.
“The guy behind these affair-murder cases—they nabbed him!”
“Where is the bastard now?”
Kim’s eyes sharpened.
Head already pounding, and now this news—joy took a backseat to rage.
What kind of psycho was he?
He needed to see the face to cool off.
“Sindong Mountain.”
“Sindong...? Wait, who? Who caught him, and how?”
Kim Ho-cheol stood.
Suspect down—briefing could wait.
“Hanseong Substation Sergeant Lee Jae-hyun. Details on the takedown unclear so far.”
Kim let out a dry chuckle.
That guy again?
Lee Jae-hyun—he’d first heard the name when he and Oh Min-seok cracked the kid kidnapping case.
Saw him second time at the promotion ceremony, jumping from patrol officer to sergeant.
Offered him a spot in Violent Crimes—turned down.
And now he’d solved this too?
‘Maybe I should beg him three times to join?’
“Promising talent,” they said.
Kim hadn’t fully bought it.
But stories about Lee Jae-hyun made him reconsider.
Did detectives really have that spark?
Lee Jae-hyun made you wonder.