"Lauren Barrett is in danger!"
Jack grabbed his holster from the back of the chair, tossed the car keys to Aubrey, and gestured for Clay to follow.
"Liu Soo-bin doesn't have the courage to face Lee Geon-woo, the man who psychologically manipulated her, and Lauren has been living with him, which means she never had a chance to strike.
The three victims were both practice and catharsis.
Now that Lee Geon-woo is in custody, and the news is everywhere, this is the perfect opportunity for Liu Soo-bin to act."
"I'm coming too." Hannah shoved her laptop aside, grabbed her jacket, and stood up.
Jessica handed her a pistol and a tablet, whispering, "Be careful."
"You all be careful. I'll contact Prosecutor Kim Joon-ho immediately." Jubal called after them as they rushed out.
Lee Geon-woo's apartment in Myeong-dong was only a 15-minute drive from the traditional hanok house where they were staying.
Just as their car merged onto the inner ring expressway, Alice's message came in.
"I found Liu Soo-bin's plastic surgery records. Uh… I don't know how to describe it. I sent the photos to Hannah's tablet."
"Wow…" Hannah's face twisted in discomfort as she turned the screen toward the front seats.
Aubrey, still driving, took a quick glance—and nearly lost control of the steering wheel.
Jack let out a long sigh, finally understanding why the 'White-Clad Woman' legend had been spreading in Itaewon.
Most botched plastic surgeries resulted in stiff facial expressions or unnatural proportions—ugly, yes, but still recognizably human.
At worst, it triggered the "uncanny valley" effect—like those creepy "doll faces" or "snake faces".
But Liu Soo-bin's post-surgery face…
It wasn't just unnatural.
It was inhuman.
Her face looked melted, distorted, like a wax figure left too close to a flame—closer to a victim of acid burns or severe fire injuries than a botched cosmetic job.
Now imagine this figure wandering through dark alleys at night, long hair draped over her face, dressed in white.
Anyone who saw her would probably be scared to death on the spot.
No wonder she was able to easily overpower three women of similar size and strength.
Alice's voice continued over the phone.
"She has severe keloid scarring—it's rare, but she still went through with a canthoplasty (eye-widening surgery) a little over a year ago.
That was three weeks before she and Lee Geon-woo broke up.
Then, after the breakup, she kept going—Botox, multiple rhinoplasties, jawbone reduction surgery… Sound familiar?"
"It's exactly what she did to her victims." Jack's expression darkened.
"She was mentally broken after being manipulated and abandoned by Lee Geon-woo.
She developed Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)."
Mild BDD is common—people obsessing over imaginary or exaggerated flaws in their appearance.
Severe BDD patients feel disgust, shame, and hatred toward these "flaws"—often leading to social isolation or obsessive plastic surgery.
In the U.S., many ethical plastic surgeons refer such patients to psychiatrists.
But in South Korea, a nation obsessed with plastic surgery, things weren't that regulated.
Even though doctors knew about her scarring condition, they kept cutting into her face—for profit.
For someone with severe keloid scarring, even a small wound could lead to extreme tissue overgrowth.
Forget eye-widening surgery or double eyelids—even a simple ear piercing could cause permanent disfigurement.
"So that bastard knew the truth the moment we questioned him," Hannah fumed.
"That's why he was so cocky."
"Or…" Jack added coldly, "he planned to use it as leverage once he contacted his lawyer."
"We're here." Aubrey pulled over.
They rushed out of the car and stormed into the apartment building.
At the penthouse suite, the door was ajar.
Clay stepped forward, yanked it open, and shouted:
"FBI! Don't move!"
Even though they were mentally prepared, the sight before them still sent a shiver down their spines.
A woman with long, dark hair, wearing a bloodstained white dress, stood before them.
Her horribly disfigured face twisted into something monstrous.
On the plush white carpet, a discarded syringe lay next to a shattered picture frame—a photo of Lee Geon-woo and Lauren Barrett's engagement.
Lauren herself was sprawled across the sofa, her breathing shallow—still alive, but barely.
Liu Soo-bin held a scalpel, hovering over Lauren's face, as if preparing to make the first incision.
"DROP THE KNIFE!" Aubrey yelled, gun raised.
Liu Soo-bin responded with a muffled, unintelligible murmur in Korean.
"What's she saying?" Clay muttered.
Jack translated, his voice grim.
"'I will make them all beautiful. Over and over again.'"
Jack's Korean was good, but even he struggled to understand her.
Her severely scarred lips barely moved, turning her speech into a garbled whisper.
"Jack… what do we do?"
Hannah hesitated, gripping her gun tightly.
"I don't think I can shoot her."
She wasn't the merciful type, but standing before this twisted tragedy of a woman, she hesitated.
Liu Soo-bin had killed three innocent women—
But she was also a victim.
A broken woman, crushed by psychological abuse and society's beauty obsession.
Jack gently lowered Hannah's gun.
Then he glanced at Clay and gave him a subtle signal.
In Korean, he spoke calmly.
"Liu Soo-bin.
Drop the knife.
Lee Geon-woo isn't worth it."
Clay lowered his weapon and took a half-step forward, body coiled like a spring—ready to strike.
"You can't insult him!"
Liu Soo-bin's bloodshot eyes widened.
"I love him!
And he loves me!
If every woman looked like me, he would love me again!
He would marry me!
He WILL marry me!"
Before anyone could react—
She pressed the scalpel to her own throat—
And slashed deep.
Clay lunged forward, blood splattering across his face.
Too late.
He could only catch her as she collapsed, lowering her lifeless body onto the carpet.
"Damn it!"
Aubrey turned away, unable to watch.
—
"I think my lips are too thin…"
Alice studied herself in a compact mirror.
"Maybe I should get lip fillers."
Aubrey's face turned pale.
"You're the most perfect woman I've ever seen! You don't need anything!"
Alice narrowed her eyes.
"But you used to brag about those plump, sexy lips.
You said they made you want to bite them."
Aubrey nearly collapsed.
"That idiot I used to be is dead!
I swear on my life, I only love YOU!"
Jessica rolled her eyes.
"Can you two tone it down?"
The rest of the team laughed.
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