"AHHH!!"
Two high-pitched screams pierced the air—one from the store owner's wife, the other from her daughter.
A third scream—far more agonized—came from the knife-wielding lunatic now writhing on the floor, his arm twisted behind his back.
Holding him down in a perfect submission lock, Ma Sido turned to glare at the officers standing behind the two FBI agents.
"What the hell are you guys waiting for, idiots? Take him away!"
Jack and Clay stepped aside, clearing a path for the officers to escort the terrified mother and daughter out of the store.
Ma Sido, still gripping the lunatic's wrist, realized that the man was clutching his knife in a death grip.
Annoyed, he gave the guy's fingers a painful twist.
"Let. Go. Of. The. Knife."
"AHH! YOU BASTARD, LET ME GO!!"
"You like stabbing people, huh?" Ma Sido sneered, twisting the lunatic's wrist further. He then angled the knife downward—
And stabbed it right into the guy's butt cheek.
"HOW DOES THAT FEEL, HUH?! DOES IT HURT?!"
The lunatic screamed, thrashing wildly.
Jack and Clay, seeing where this was going, casually moved closer to the entrance—blocking the view of the curious onlookers outside.
"Ma Sido, we're in a hurry to get to the school," Jack coughed, subtly reminding him to wrap it up.
"Huh? Oh, right! Almost forgot!"
Ma Sido finally pried the knife out of the lunatic's grip and tossed it aside.
With one hand, he effortlessly lifted the guy off the ground—
Only for the bastard to suddenly lunge forward and sink his teeth into Ma Sido's hand.
"AH, SH*T!!"
On pure instinct, Ma Sido shoved him away.
The lunatic stumbled back—
And immediately charged forward with a raised fist.
SMACK!
Ma Sido's massive hand swung out, delivering a thunderous slap that spun the lunatic in midair.
The guy collapsed in a heap, completely unconscious.
"The hell is wrong with you?! Who bites people?!" Ma Sido grumbled, shaking his hand. The muscles on his face jiggled from the movement.
Clay turned to Jack, looking skeptical.
"So… this is what you meant when you said Korean cops were all cowards?"
Jack hesitated.
Clay narrowed his eyes.
"Because I gotta say… that didn't look very cowardly."
Jack sighed and shrugged. "I mean… technically, you're not wrong."
After all, they'd somehow ended up with the one Korean cop who completely ignored the rules.
—
Gangnam District, Seoul
Seoul's metropolitan area housed over 26 million people—more than half of South Korea's total population.
And at the heart of it all was Gangnam, the country's wealthiest and most desirable district.
Even before that one viral song, Gangnam had already been Seoul's commercial and fashion hub.
New office buildings, luxury apartments, high-end shopping districts, and entertainment centers lined its streets.
This was where K-pop idols, celebrities, and even a few infamous adult film stars lived.
With Ma Sido leading the way, Jack and Clay arrived at the high school where both Jessica Townsend and Grayson Faber had been working as English teachers.
Just as Ma Sido was about to leave, Jack called out to him.
"Ma Sido, if you're not too busy, why don't you stick with us for the next couple of days?"
"Huh?" Ma Sido frowned. "I am busy."
Jack leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"Chinese liquor. On me. After the case, we're staying a couple more days. I could use a local guide."
Ma Sido's tiny eyes lit up.
"Ohhh. I get it."
He flashed a grin that made his already round face scrunch up like a dumpling.
"Alright, alright. If it's a request from a prosecutor, I can't refuse. What are we investigating?"
As they walked into the school, Jack and Clay gave Ma Sido a brief rundown of the case.
"We need to find out where Barbara Walker's body was first dumped before being moved to the landfill," Jack explained.
Ma Sido scratched his head. "Okay, but… what the hell is geographical profiling?"
"It's the idea that criminals tend to operate within a specific area," Jack clarified.
"If we find where Barbara Walker's body was originally dumped, we might be able to figure out where our suspect lives or works."
Clay added, "Alice tried making some calls, but Seoul's trash disposal system is ridiculously complicated. We need someone who can navigate the bureaucracy."
Ma Sido grunted. "You're probably looking for the Clean & Environmental Bureau's Waste Management Division."
"Eh, whatever. Just send me the details later—I'll take care of it."
—
By now, they'd already made their way into the teachers' office.
Having a local cop with them made things much easier—especially when that local cop looked like a mob enforcer.
It took no time at all to find their target.
"Grayson Faber?" Jack asked.
The man in question—a young, white American—looked up.
"What's up?"
He didn't seem too surprised to see fellow Westerners approaching him.
That changed the moment Jack pulled out his badge.
"Jack Tavoler, FBI. This is Agent Spencer. We have some questions about Jessica Townsend."
"…Oh, uh… okay."
Grayson's expression turned… complicated.
He hesitated for a moment, then forced a stiff smile.
"Sure. Let's… uh… go somewhere private to talk."
Jack sighed internally.
Here we go.
The moment Grayson stepped out of the office—
He sprinted.
Jack and Clay didn't even react.
Because—
BAM!
Grayson was sent flying backward before he even made it three steps.
His face collided with the floor, his body sprawled out in a completely unconscious heap.
Standing over him, looking comically innocent, was Ma Sido.
The massive man blinked down at Grayson's unconscious body.
Then he turned to Jack and Clay.
"Uh…" Ma Sido scratched his head. "He, uh… ran into my hand."
Jack rubbed his temples.
"Sure. Let's go with that."
Clay smirked.
"Since you knocked him out, you wake him up."
Jack sighed. "I swear to God, if he forgets English when he wakes up…"
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