Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Dread on the Wharf
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Meanwhile, at the dimly lit dockside.
Park Hyun-jin shook her head in disbelief, replaying what had just happened.
“That fucking bitch! She dares bring a cop?”
She kicked an empty soda can lying on the wharf and yelled.
The can Park Hyun-jin booted clanged sharply, arcing through the air before splashing down onto the water’s surface.
Soon swallowed by the waves, it vanished from sight. Staring at it, she thought back to the cop she’d just met.
“Acting all high and mighty like some old fart, trying to screw me over? Just you wait—I’ll rip that Song A-ram bitch to shreds.”
Park Hyun-jin ground her teeth and muttered under her breath.
The cop had claimed to be Song A-ram’s cousin, but of course, she didn’t buy it.
She knew full well Song A-ram had no friendly relatives.
It had to be a lie to cover up Song A-ram reporting her to the police.
‘That mangy bitch Song A-ram dares report me? Tomorrow at school, I’ll kill her.’
The cop would back off soon enough anyway.
He couldn’t babysit Song A-ram 24/7.
She could deal with Song A-ram then.
With that in mind, Park Hyun-jin racked her brain, plotting how to torment Song A-ram.
She’d already used up most of her usual tricks.
What was left could get her in real trouble if she touched them.
But that wasn’t enough to stop Park Hyun-jin, whose eyes blazed with rage.
“Just wait till I see her at school tomorrow. I’ll show her what real hell is.”
Park Hyun-jin sneered with a venomous smile.
At that moment, Kim Sun-woo tapped her shoulder.
“Hey, what?”
“Yo, what’s that?”
Park Hyun-jin snapped, shoving his hand away roughly.
Kim Sun-woo ignored her and pointed somewhere.
Following his finger, she saw the sea.
Just the sea.
A quiet sea, without even a single small fishing boat in sight.
“What d’you mean, what...? Huh?”
Irritated but looking where Kim Sun-woo pointed, Park Hyun-jin’s eyes widened.
It was hard to see in the dark.
But ‘something’ floated far out, in the middle of the sea.
Truth be told, things floating on the sea weren’t unusual.
Boats, buoys, all sorts of ocean debris...
Plenty bobbed on the waves.
But this felt off.
Somehow wrong.
She narrowed her eyes to slits and stared quietly.
“What... is that?”
She wasn’t the only one who saw it—Kim Sun-woo and the others frowned one by one, peering in the same direction.
Soon, they pinpointed the source of the unease.
“Am I seeing this wrong? That thing... it’s ‘floating,’ right?”
“......”
“......”
Oh Yeon-seo pointed with a trembling finger, but no one answered.
Park Hyun-jin rubbed her eyes in disbelief, blinking at the hazy shape still there.
At first, she thought it was on the water.
But no.
It hovered truly above the sea—in midair.
“......What the hell is that?”
Come to think of it, something was wrong.
A chill prickled her skin, making her shiver.
The sea... was too quiet.
No—too still.
The sea being noisy at this hour would be odd, but this was beyond odd.
‘Since when?’
Since she kicked the can?
Or when Kim Sun-woo tapped her shoulder?
She didn’t know.
But the waves made no sound.
Realizing that, the hairs on her body stood on end.
“F-Fuck... arm...”
Someone whimpered a curse.
But no one spoke up.
They all sensed something was gravely amiss.
No sounds reached them anymore.
Meanwhile, that thing drew closer bit by bit to Park Hyun-jin’s group, growing larger.
“U-Uwaaaah!”
The three kids spun around and bolted from the wharf at full speed.
Park Hyun-jin, her face drained white, fainted on the spot.
And shortly after.
Serhen, who had just been a white ghostly figure, grumbled as she tossed aside the sheet.
“What? I was gonna mess with them more, but they passed out already.”
She clicked her tongue, looking down at Park Hyun-jin sprawled on the wharf.
Then, she blew a breath toward the girl on the ground.
The black-ethered breath slipped straight into Park Hyun-jin’s nostrils.
Moments later, the fainted girl grimaced and writhed.
“Ugh... uh...”
Staring down at Park Hyun-jin, who babbled incoherently and twisted her face.
Serhen spoke.
“Now you’ll know what happens when you bully your friend. Your dreams will teach you.”
Come to think of it, she’d threatened to show them hell.
From now on, every night Park Hyun-jin slept would be hell.
Serhen gazed down with a truly demonic smile, then vanished.
* * *
Meanwhile, while Serhen reveled in her demonic display.
Lee Jae-hyun was on the phone with Park Dae-hyung, driving somewhere.
He’d been talking with Song A-ram and her father, the gukbap restaurant boss, when Park Dae-hyung called, telling him to head to Incheon Western Police Station—so he’d left right away.
Park Dae-hyung had asked him to request case files there but hadn’t hidden his worries.
—It’s an old case, so they might be touchy about digging it up. With your rank, they could get pissy and refuse. If it goes south, call me right away.
“I’ll handle it politely.”
Lee Jae-hyun replied lightly.
It was a case from five years ago.
Dragging it up now would naturally irk Incheon Western Police Station.
Especially since it looked like he was exposing their failure to investigate properly back then.
Lee Jae-hyun knew this well from dealing with other stations and making cooperation requests.
So he just drove on calmly.
Park Dae-hyung seemed more worried, nagging him the whole way to Incheon Western.
—Yeah, they’ll probably hand it over if you ask nicely. Don’t stress too much.
“Got it.”
—Call if there’s trouble. Don’t try to handle it alone.
“I’ll keep in touch.”
Lee Jae-hyun ended the call with Park Dae-hyung.
He glanced right at a white building by the road.
Above its right side gleamed a golden eagle clutching the taegeukgi and mugunghwa, next to blue letters.
Incheon Western Police Station.
Lee Jae-hyun turned the wheel and pulled into the station.
He parked haphazardly, got out, and strode inside briskly. Cool air greeted him.
He’d been to Incheon Western a few times as a detective, so it wasn’t too unfamiliar.
Lee Jae-hyun scanned the interior briefly and moved on.
The man at the front desk looked up and spoke.
“How can I help you?”
“Good work. Hanseong Police Substation Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun.”
“Yes, Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun. Nice to meet you. What brings you to Incheon Western?”
The man narrowed his eyes.
Hearing “patrol officer,” he showed a hint of disdain and clear wariness.
A higher rank might mean unrelated business.
But as a mere patrol officer, he might stir trouble—hence the caution.
Understanding this, Lee Jae-hyun got straight to it.
“I’m here about a case from five years ago.”
The man tilted his head.
With dozens, hundreds of cases, “five years ago” didn’t ring any bells.
Lee Jae-hyun continued.
“A car plunged into the sea—driver survived, passenger died...”
At that.
Whether because it was a fatality or it had been notable here.
The man nodded as if recalling.
“Ah, yeah, that case. I remember. But why’s Hanseong Substation suddenly asking about a five-year-old case...?”
Fatal cases carried weight.
A unrelated patrol officer from Hanseong asking was bound to raise eyebrows.
Instinctively sensing hassle ahead, the man squinted at him.
Lee Jae-hyun kept his explanation brief.
“We nabbed an IV auntie, and her accomplice turned out to be the driver from that case five years ago. Digging in... we found evidence it wasn’t an accident, but intentional murder.”
“Huh...? Murder?”
The man asked, flustered.
Lee Jae-hyun poking into a five-year-old case was one thing; evidence of murder was another.
As the man hesitated on how to respond, Lee Jae-hyun opened his mouth again.
“What did you just say?”
A chilling voice came from behind Lee Jae-hyun.
He turned at the sharp female tone.
Eyes like the voice, stiff lips.
Black straight hair over her shoulders.
He knew instantly.
Detective.
Her aura screamed it.
Her outfit too.
Plainclothes, not uniform... classic detective style.
Denim pants and high-neck jacket? 100% detective.
Not that detectives had a dress code.
‘Denim pants and high-neck jacket? Nailed it.’
He wore the same damn thing daily.
It was contagious.
Other detectives dressed that way, so he did too.
Lee Jae-hyun bowed slightly in greeting.
“Hanseong Police Substation Patrol Officer Lee Jae-hyun.”
“Yes, I’m Inspector Oh Seo-hyun. Did you just say murder from five years ago?”
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun shot back quickly.
Seeing her interest in the five-year-old case, Lee Jae-hyun nodded.
“Yes. Not an accident—murder.”
“Evidence...”
“We have it.”
“......Can we talk privately?”
Inspector Oh Seo-hyun eyed him.
Lee Jae-hyun had no reason to refuse.
She clearly knew the Park Chun-beom case best here at Incheon Western.
Perfect for what he came for.
“Of course, Inspector.”
He replied without hesitation.