"Some truths sleep beneath the sea.
The problem with sleeping truths… is that they always wake up hungry."
I had my head buried in my arms, half asleep, half dead, considering which would be the better option. Paperwork, it turns out, is worse than death.
Kang's voice had been the last thing I heard before dozing off. Something about "responsibility" and "promotion." I think that means more forms to fill.
I was right in the middle of a beautiful dream — me on a tropical island without a single missing-person report in sight — when the door slammed open.
A man burst into the room, soaked in sweat and panic.
"Help! You have to help me! They're all gone!"
That was… new.
I lifted my head, blinking at him. "You mean your sanity? 'Cause that left about five minutes ago."
He didn't laugh.
Instead, he grabbed the nearest officer by the collar, screaming, "The ship! The ship ate them!"
The whole office froze.
I groaned, dragging myself to my feet. "Sir, if this is about bad seafood, please go to the hospital, not the detective department."
He turned toward me — pale, trembling, eyes wide. "You don't understand… we boarded a tour ship yesterday, heading to the open sea. There were twenty of us. Ten jumped overboard before dawn. The rest—" he swallowed hard "—just vanished."
Kang appeared from his office, looking more serious than usual. "Vanished? How?"
"I don't know," the man cried. "They walked into the ship… and never came back."
The word ship rang in my ears.
"Did you notice anything strange before that?" I asked.
The man nodded. "The sea was calm. Too calm. The guide kept saying something about 'the journey to truth.' He told us not to look back once we set sail."
Kang frowned, his usual laid-back tone replaced with command. "Jihoon. You and Woojin will follow this lead. There's another tour leaving tomorrow. Go undercover. Find out what's happening."
"Me?" I pointed at myself. "Can't we send the guy who actually likes the ocean?"
Kang smirked. "You got promoted, remember? Promotions come with 'field responsibility.'"
I sighed. "I hate my life."
The man was trembling again. "They'll find me, won't they? The ones from the sea…"
Before Kang could answer, I placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll make sure whatever's out there doesn't bother you again."
What I didn't say was — I wasn't sure if I would come back either.
By the time the man left, the mood in the office was heavy. Kang sat behind his desk, scribbling notes.
I stayed back, staring out the rain-streaked window. The sky looked dull, gray — like it had forgotten how to shine.
A ship that makes people disappear.
A dying man who mentioned a "ship."
And that damn name — The Veiled Hand.
Something deep inside me whispered: You're walking into their trap again.
I ignored it. I had no choice but to walk in anyway.
When the day finally ended, I packed up my coat and headed out.
To my surprise, the rain had stopped for once — the first mercy of the week.
At the door, hyejin, our ever-smiling receptionist, waved. "Detective Han, heading home?"
"Yeah. Before Kang decides to promote me again for breathing."
She giggled and fell in step beside me. "You've been working too much lately. Maybe the ocean will calm you down."
"Or drown me," I muttered.
Hyejin gave me a sideways look. "You always talk like that?"
"Only when I'm happy."
She shook her head, smiling. "You're weird, Detective Han."
"Thanks. I take that as a compliment."
We walked side by side through the neon-lit streets, the air cool and clean after the rain.
When we reached the intersection, I waved goodbye and turned toward the market. I still needed supplies.
As I browsed through the dim aisles, my mind wandered.
For some reason, I slipped the old lantern I'd found on my last case into my bag. It had become a weird comfort item. The metal was cold, the glass cracked — but it made me feel… safe.
Maybe it's because every time I held it, I could hear faint whispers.
Or maybe I just liked to pretend I wasn't alone.
The market was almost empty by the time I stepped out. The streets glistened with puddles, the neon lights reflecting like spilled paint.
I bought what I could—snacks, notebooks, a thermos, and waterproof tape. Essentials, obviously. You never know when you'll need to tape a ghost back together.
By the time I reached home, the lights were already on.
My sister opened the door before I could knock. "Oppa!" she said, eyes lighting up. "You're back!"
My mother peeked from the kitchen, smiling softly. "Long day?"
"Yeah. But I brought food," I said, holding up the bag like a trophy.
My sister's grin widened instantly. "Then you're forgiven!"
Dinner was loud, messy, and filled with laughter. My brother, the soldier, had called through video chat; we joked about how he fights humans while I fight… well, "undefined entities."
He said I looked tired. I told him he looked alive. We called it even.
For a while, I almost forgot what kind of world I lived in.
After dinner, I stepped onto the balcony, phone buzzing.
Ha Eun.
"Hey," I said, leaning on the railing.
"Jihoon, are you really going on that ship?" Her voice trembled slightly.
"Yeah. Work stuff."
"I asked my dad if I could go too," she muttered. "He said no. Said it's dangerous."
"He's right," I said quietly.
Silence. Then a sigh. "You always sound so calm. Even when you're not."
I smiled faintly. "It's part of the job description."
"I'll wait for you, okay?"
"Don't make it sound like I'm going to war," I chuckled. "It's just a ship."
"Yeah… just a ship," she repeated, voice trailing off.
I wanted to say something more, something reassuring. But the words didn't come.
When the call ended, I stayed there a little longer, watching the city lights shimmer beneath the stars.
Maybe tomorrow I'd come back with answers. Or maybe I'd just disappear like the others.
Either way, I was used to uncertainty.
The next morning, I woke before dawn.
The air was sharp, the kind that cut through your lungs and told you winter was coming early.
By the time I reached the harbor, the world was painted in shades of blue and gray. Seagulls cried overhead, and fog clung to the sea like a curtain hiding something no one should see.
"Detective Han!"
I turned to see Jung Woojin, the new recruit, running toward me with a bag bigger than his body.
He looked way too energetic for someone about to risk his life. "You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be to get eaten by spirits and dangerous entities and sometimes wierd humans," I said.
He laughed nervously. "You're joking, right?"
"…Sure."
The docks were crowded with people — tourists taking selfies, guides yelling, merchants selling cheap seafood buns.
Woojin was rambling beside me about his first day on the job, how he wanted to "make a difference" and "bring hope to people." I smiled faintly, remembering when I used to sound like that.
As the horn sounded, signaling departure, we climbed aboard.
The ship looked new — white hull, polished deck, fancy logo.
I found us a quiet corner near the edge of the deck. The sea stretched endlessly ahead, swallowing the horizon.
As the ropes uncoiled and the ship began to drift away from the shore, I glanced once at the horizon,and then sailed to whatever thing that's said to be there.