Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Red String of Fate
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A black energy extended from Serhen and enveloped Lee Jae-hyun, but he didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.
Lee Jae-hyun blinked and looked around.
Serhen was staring at him with his eyes closed, as if she found it ridiculous.
Beyond that, nothing had changed.
The black energy was still swirling around his body.
Lee Jae-hyun let out a hollow chuckle as he watched it.
It didn't hurt... He wasn't sure how to describe it exactly, but it felt like a warm breeze gently wrapping around him.
"What the...?"
Before he could fully process the absurdity, the black energy, having coursed through his entire body, began to gather in one spot.
Lee Jae-hyun raised his left hand as he watched the energy slowly converge.
The black energy floated fluffily over his left hand like a blanket, then began to sink in and disappear as if being absorbed.
As the black energy started absorbing into him, Lee Jae-hyun shook his hand lightly, but the energy continued to seep slowly into his left arm without any other changes.
A brief moment passed like that.
The black energy was completely absorbed into Lee Jae-hyun's left hand and vanished.
Then, out of nowhere, a single red thread appeared on his pinky finger and tied itself there.
"It's a thread that connects you to the fateful bond you desperately desire. People commonly call it the red string of fate."
Serhen finally tossed out the explanation.
Lee Jae-hyun furrowed his brow as he examined the red thread on his pinky.
"A bond I desire?"
He was momentarily flustered by the sudden appearance of this thread meant to connect him to a romantic partner, but Lee Jae-hyun quickly grasped Serhen's intent.
It couldn't be about linking him to a lover out of the blue.
She had said it would help him find evidence, so this red string of fate was meant to lead him to uncover Park Chun-beom's crime quickly.
This was the first time she'd used such an ability—something only a true 'demon' could wield—so Lee Jae-hyun realized she was genuinely coveting Park Chun-beom's karma.
'Right now, the bond I need is someone connected to the Park Chun-beom case—someone who knows something, has evidence, or witnessed it.'
He muttered it to himself inwardly, and the red thread tied to his pinky began to undulate and extend bit by bit.
The thread stretched slowly toward a nearby restaurant.
Was that where he'd meet someone connected to the case?
Lee Jae-hyun followed the red thread into the shop.
* * *
Ding-a-ling.
A small bell rang as he opened the door and stepped inside.
The savory aroma of gukbap greeted him.
The owner, who had been in the kitchen, hurried out and greeted Lee Jae-hyun.
"Welcome. Have a seat wherever's comfortable."
As the owner spoke with a smile,
Twitch.
Lee Jae-hyun's pinky finger trembled faintly.
He looked down at his finger, drawn by the odd sensation.
The red thread tied to his pinky extended, wriggling, and soon began swirling around the gukbap restaurant owner.
It seemed this man was the key connection to solving the Park Chun-beom case.
With a hint of anticipation, Lee Jae-hyun pulled out his police badge and spoke.
"Excuse me, I'm not here as a customer. I'm looking into an accident from five years ago."
"An accident from five years ago? Why are you asking about that?"
The gukbap restaurant owner narrowed his eyes, eyeing Lee Jae-hyun warily.
Was it because the customer he'd assumed turned out to be a cop investigating?
It seemed like an excessive level of caution for that alone, which puzzled him.
But Lee Jae-hyun understood the man's wariness from his next words.
"Cops and reporters were in and out nonstop because of that incident five years ago, causing a huge fuss. Talk of bad vibes and all that kept customers away for a while."
"Ah..."
The gukbap restaurant owner sighed repeatedly as he spoke.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded, understanding his plight.
Just like haunted houses don't sell well,
In a neighborhood reliant on tourism, rumors of an accident would kill business.
Reopening an old case would hurt sales for merchants, so he was wary of Lee Jae-hyun stirring things up.
He continued without hiding his grumbling tone.
"Business has been picking up a bit since last year, but if rumors spread again about bad energy from that accident site, it'll be trouble. Five years ago, some cop made a racket claiming it wasn't an accident death but intentional murder. In the end, it was ruled an accident, so what's the point now?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."
"No need to apologize that much... Since you're here, have a bowl of gukbap before you go."
Lee Jae-hyun apologized politely, and the owner, perhaps embarrassed by his own griping, waved it off.
Lee Jae-hyun, known as the Mad Dog among fellow cops and criminals alike,
Had these meek moments when gathering evidence door-to-door.
Who would answer questions kindly if you came on strong?
Lee Jae-hyun nodded at the owner's offer of a bowl of gukbap.
He hadn't eaten yet, and it made sense to eat while asking questions slowly.
"Yes, one bowl please."
"Hold on. I'll make it nice and hearty for you."
The owner brightened up and rolled up his sleeves, heading back to the kitchen.
Left alone in the dining area, Lee Jae-hyun sat at an empty table and slowly scanned his surroundings.
The demon-endorsed 'red string of fate' had led here, seemingly connected to the gukbap owner.
He hoped for any clue, but nothing stood out.
It was a case from five years ago—anything there would likely be gone by now.
'He doesn't seem like an accomplice...'
You couldn't tell criminal history from a face alone, but the gukbap owner didn't look the type to be involved in murder.
If he were that connected, Serhen would have mentioned it first.
"Yeah, he doesn't look like he'd taste very good. Doesn't seem like he's lived a bad life."
As if confirming it, Serhen replied.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded lightly and shifted his gaze.
This time, to the TV on one side of the shop.
He didn't usually watch much TV, but now he had to.
A familiar face was on screen.
-The serial killer Myeong Jin-han, who once shook the nation, has finally been sentenced to life imprisonment...
Myeong Jin-han.
The news was broadcasting his life sentence live.
'Life imprisonment in the end.'
Lee Jae-hyun closed his eyes, feeling a strange mix of emotions.
A man who escaped judgment in his previous life had now faced true justice.
Only Lee Jae-hyun knew that Myeong Jin-han, who had taken his own life leading to a dismissal of charges last time, now faced life imprisonment in this life.
No one acknowledged how he'd altered reality to ensure proper punishment.
'Scum like that needs to be locked up, obviously.'
It wasn't for anyone's approval.
He did it simply because it was his job.
Not out of some grand sense of duty,
But he did want a slightly safer world where his family and friends could walk without worry.
Still, revenge burned stronger in Lee Jae-hyun.
He'd caught Myeong Jin-han, his father's killer.
But those from his past life who had toyed with his mother, demoted Park Dae-hyung, still roamed free.
To catch them, Lee Jae-hyun had to climb higher.
First, solve the Park Chun-beom case right in front of him.
Park Chun-beom had killed and was playing the good citizen.
Letting him slip could mean more victims.
This time, he'd targeted elderly folks at a senior center with scams.
'Even with legal punishment, would he commit more crimes?'
Lee Jae-hyun couldn't be sure, but it had to be less likely than if unpunished.
Crime deserves punishment.
A simple truth.
Yet some evade it.
Criminals who hide their deeds forever.
They learn they can sin without consequence and repeat it.
'Catch them first.'
Leave him be, and there could be more elderly victims like those at the center.
Grab him before another suffers.
As Lee Jae-hyun steeled himself, the owner approached with a bowl of gukbap.
He followed Lee Jae-hyun's gaze to the TV, scowled, and spoke.
"Damn that fucking bastard. Serves him right."
The owner snorted in disgust, glanced at Lee Jae-hyun,
Then looked at him with eyes subtly expectant.
"You cops should catch bastards like that, right?"
Lee Jae-hyun scratched his head at the question.
The situation was turning weird.
Feeling his face heat up, he replied.
"Th-that guy's the one I caught."
"...Really?"
The gukbap owner stared in shock, clearly not expecting that.
Lee Jae-hyun nodded, his expression odd at the reaction.
Announcing he'd caught Myeong Jin-han brought immediate awe and wide eyes, which was a bit embarrassing.
A far cry from the wary look when he'd mentioned the five-year-old case.
Lee Jae-hyun cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.
"Yeah, killers need to be locked up no matter what. If that five-year-old accident was actually deliberate murder... We have to catch them, right?"
"...Yeah, we do."
The owner's eyes wavered as he spoke.
A little more persuasion might win him over.
As Lee Jae-hyun prepared to press on,
"Dad, I'm home."
A female student pushed open the door.
His pinky vibrated sharply.
Looking down, the red thread on his pinky shot toward the girl at high speed.
And settled on her left pinky.
Just like on his, a red thread now tied itself to the girl's pinky.