Random?
"February 8, 2004. The first victim was discovered near Mt. Socho in eastern Gyeonggi Province. For the next 5 years..."
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Unsolved Cases Task Force.
Photos of victims from the beam projector were illuminating the dark office.
"The culprit attacked only people who were alone at night, regardless of age or gender. A total of 15 victims."
The corner of the office.
The team leader of the Unsolved Cases Task Force, sitting almost lying down.
He was watching the detective's briefing with a rather annoyed face.
"A case where over a thousand police personnel were deployed, but not even a hair of the culprit was found..."
A detective approached such a team leader.
"Team Leader."
A large man with sharp eyes, Inspector Oh, whom Ju-won had encountered before.
"Yeah, what?"
The team leader's annoyed gaze turned to Inspector Oh.
"There is a fellow I want to recommend for this case."
"For the Eastern Gyeonggi Serial Murder Case?"
"Yes."
"Who is it?"
"A fellow who has a record of solving an unsolved case once. He also uncovered a murder case disguised as a traffic accident. A fellow with the ability to find something covered up."
"Where does he belong?"
"He's in the Violent Crimes Team at Gangjung Station."
"Hmm."
The team leader seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded with an annoyed face.
"Do whatever."
At that time, Gangjung City.
-A stabbing incident has occurred nearby right now!
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu and Team 3 members, who received the call from the Team 2 Team Leader, immediately rushed to the scene.
"Which alley did you say?"
Downtown Gangjung City.
Perhaps because it was Saturday evening, there was no room to set foot on the street.
"The alley right next to Gangjung Karaoke! Detective Lee, Detective Kim, you go first!"
Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, who was barely moving trapped in the crowd, waved his hand to Ju-won and Kim Seok-ho who were ahead.
"Yes!"
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho picked up speed.
However, Terra's voice caught Ju-won's ankle.
[Turn right.]
'Right from here? Then we're going around more?'
[The crowd is smaller. The path goes around, but you can save much more time.]
Ju-won immediately turned his body to the right.
"Detective Kim, this way!"
"Yes!"
Running two blocks like that, Gangjung Karaoke mentioned by Team Leader Gu Jin-gu was visible.
Ju-won looked to the side while continuing to run.
Unlike the alleyway Ju-won was running in, the crowd on the main road was immense.
Although there were fewer people than where Team Leader Gu was caught, it seems they couldn't have run anyway.
If he hadn't turned direction as Terra said, he would have been trapped in there and delayed for a long time.
Just as he was thinking Terra is amazingly fast at calculation.
"Detective, over there!"
Detective Kim Seok-ho pointed to the alleyway ahead.
People gathered in a circle.
Between them, a red light wetting the ground is visible.
It's blood.
"Please step back for a moment! It's the police!"
Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho quickly dug into the crowd.
Then a man fallen on the ground bleeding was visible.
"What..."
Detective Kim Seok-ho hesitated.
This man fallen clutching his bleeding stomach. His arm is covered with tattoos so densely that skin is not visible.
This is... no matter how you look at it, a gangster.
'A gang fight?'
Detective Kim Seok-ho and Ju-won's eyes met.
Ju-won quickly took off the jacket he was wearing and covered the fallen man's abdomen.
"Looks like a stab wound."
"Yes, looks like he was stabbed with a quite large weapon."
"Please press here, Detective."
At Ju-won's words, Detective Kim Seok-ho pressed the bleeding area with Ju-won's jacket.
Then Ju-won looked at the people around and asked.
"Has 119 been called?"
"Ah, yes yes! But it's already been 10 minutes and still..."
It was then.
Just in time, paramedics wearing orange clothes were running from afar.
They also seemed to be delayed due to the large crowd like Ju-won and Detective Kim Seok-ho.
"Paramedics! Please move aside!"
The paramedics immediately began to examine the victim's condition.
Then Terra spoke.
[Mr Ju-won, leave the victim to the paramedics and chase the perpetrator. This place has no CCTV. If you lose him now, it will be hard to catch him.]
'Perpetrator?'
Ju-won raised his head.
"!"
Red footprints are visible on the ground.
Visible only to Ju-won's eyes.
[Footprints of the perpetrator running away after stabbing the victim. It appears blood is on part of the shoe. Go straight.]
Ju-won started running immediately.
Detective Kim Seok-ho, who was helping the paramedics, turned his head sharply.
"D-Detective, where are you going?!"
The edge of downtown.
Not far from where the victim stabbed with a weapon appearing to be a knife fell.
'Here?'
[As the perpetrator moved, the blood traces became fainter. This is the last place where traces remain.]
In front of a small building.
Ju-won stopped his steps.
[From inside the building, you won't be able to find the perpetrator's traces with footprints.]
Ju-won nodded and entered the building.
Next to the 1st floor lift.
Ju-won stood in front of the large directory board listing company names for each floor.
"1st floor is all cafes or restaurants..."
[The customers in the cafes or restaurants seen while entering the building just now all had company.]
"You see the perpetrator as 1 person?"
[Yes. If there were 2 or more, the victim would highly likely have died.]
"...Wait."
Ju-won's finger scanning the company names on the board stopped.
3rd floor
"Anytime Loan? Perhaps the victim earlier..."
[You are thinking he might be a gangster related to illegal private finance.]
"The possibility isn't zero. Even if the number of gangsters has decreased these days, it's not like they don't exist."
Ju-won pressed the lift button.
[It seems necessary to verify.]
The 3rd-floor hallway was quiet.
Enough that only the sound of Ju-won's footsteps could be heard.
Ju-won stood at the end of the hallway.
An office with a sign
Murmuring voices are heard through the gap in the door.
Creak—
Ju-won entered.
In an office appearing to be about 66 square meters, large men wearing only black clothes are sitting here and there.
"Did you come to get a loan?"
A female employee looking to be in her early 20s smiled brightly and stood in front of Ju-won.
"...."
Ju-won, glancing at the employee, scanned the inside of the office without an answer.
Simultaneously, Terra started analysing.
"Um... didn't you come for a loan consultation? Excuse me, boss? Let's go to the room first... excuse me?"
Hearing the employee's voice, one man looking like a weasel turned his head slightly.
"What is it?"
Short-cropped sports hair, flesh bursting through a black short-sleeved t-shirt.
Ju-won could tell instantly.
That this place is a loan company run by gangsters.
Although it's not certain if it's illegal private finance with sky-high interest rates...
[It is a place where the interest rate averages over 600 percent. According to the records in the ledger held by the man sitting in the corner.]
At Terra's voice, Ju-won's gaze turned to the man sitting in the corner.
Then instantly,
[Executing zoom function.]
Simultaneously with Terra's voice, the papers of the ledger were magnified and appeared in Ju-won's eyes.
'Borrowed 2.9 million won, repay 5.8 million won?'
[They are inhumane illegal loan sharks with a maximum interest rate reaching 4,400 percent.]
At that moment, the weasel man watching Ju-won strode over.
"If you came to borrow money, just borrow money?"
The weasel standing in front of Ju-won in a threatening posture.
At that sound, the man sitting in the corner looking at the ledger closed it with a thud.
'Terra, analysis result?'
[Look at the water purifier.]
Ju-won's gaze directed towards the water purifier.
Then the bottom of the water purifier glowed yellow.
Terra marked it.
[It appears something presumed to be bloodstains is on it. However, verification is needed.]
Ju-won nodded.
"Can I drink some water first?"
"Water?"
The weasel standing threateningly tilted his head, then as if understanding, gestured with his chin.
"Fine, drink some water and think slowly about how much you came to look for."
"Yes, then some water from that purifier over there..."
But at that moment.
"Wait."
The man who was sitting in the corner holding the ledger stood up.
The weasel in front of Ju-won opened his mouth.
"Why is that, brother?"
"Back pocket of the trousers."
The man holding the ledger pointed at Ju-won's waist.
"Looks like handcuffs."
"Pardon?!"
Instantly, the gazes of all the big guys in the office focused on Ju-won.
"Police?!"
Ju-won sighed.
It seems the handcuffs stuck out of his pocket when he took off his jacket to press the victim's wound.
He just needed to check for a moment.
This looks like it's going to get annoying.
Inevitably, Ju-won showed his police ID from his pocket.
"Police."
The weasel, who was about to turn around, turned his body back to face Ju-won.
"What business does a police officer have here?"
"May I drink some water?"
"There's a convenience store in front, buy and drink."
"Then I thought I'd do some inspection."
"What? No, barging in suddenly, what inspection?!"
The weasel spat out an annoyed voice and took a threatening posture.
Then Ju-won, with a faint smile on his lips, approached him.
"Police received a report and want to do some inspection, why?"
"Report? What report!"
"Anonymous report. That big guys here created a sense of incongruity, something like that?"
"No, what incongruity did we create..."
Then,
"Then do it outside."
The man in the corner said.
'It will be hard to get to the front of the water purifier?'
[Since entering this building, traces of the perpetrator were not visible. Except for the trace appearing to be bloodstains on the bottom of that water purifier. We must check.]
Ju-won opened his mouth looking at the man in the corner.
"Then let's start after drinking a cup of water."
Then the weasel blocked Ju-won's path.
"Do you have a warrant?"
The weasel-like eyes narrow even more.
A vicious gaze unlike a moment ago.
"No matter how messed up things are, can police just poke around an office like this without a warrant? Huh? Even if we look like this, no matter how you look at it, doesn't it seem like the detective is in the wrong?"
"...."
"But did you come alone?"
At the weasel's last words, the air inside the office became chilly.
Big guys looking as if they would rush at Ju-won any moment.
It was then.
"Alone my foot."
A voice was heard from behind Ju-won.
"Have you seen a police officer going around alone?"
Ju-won turned his head sharply.
How did they know to come here; Detective Kim Seok-ho, Officer Han Geon-woo, and Team Leader Gu Jin-gu, who looked haggard perhaps from running and getting exhausted, are standing behind Ju-won.
They approached Ju-won's side.
"You weasel-looking bastard, what are you going to do if a police officer came alone?"
At Team Leader Gu's words, the weasel stepped back stealthily.
Then the sitting big guys approached next to the weasel.
"...."
It became a confrontation situation in an instant.
Of course, Violent Crimes Team 3 wasn't in an atmosphere to be pushed around by big guys either.
Except for Ju-won and Officer Han Geon-woo with handsome faces, everyone has a tough impression, so their appearances make it hard to tell who is a gangster and who is police.
Detective Kim Seok-ho, scanning the big guys with sharp eyes, whispered quietly to Team Leader Gu.
"Team Leader, do you know any of them?"
Usually, while living as a detective, they also manage gangsters within the jurisdiction.
So they get to know gangsters, build acquaintances, and manage that area.
However, Team Leader Gu Jin-gu shook his head.
"They all look similar, but no. What about you? You used to dominate the Gangjung-dong kids at one time too?"
"That was one time. After getting bounced from the team and having my salary cut, I didn't step up if possible because I was afraid of lacking mother's hospital fees."
The two sighed quietly.
It seems Ju-won wants to search this place.
To do that, as those guys said, a warrant is needed.
But getting a warrant isn't easy either.
It was when the two were rolling their eyes in contemplation.
"Oh my! What are you doing!"
Ju-won snatched the notebook that was on the female employee's table.
Then the weasel laughs.
"There's nothing in there, Detective. Why are you acting like this..."
"Kim Seong-jeong 35 million won, interest rate 600 percent. Lee Su-yeon 17 million won, interest rate 500 percent, Seo Ji-woong 20 million won, wow... interest rate 1,000 percent?"
It was Terra's help.
[...Shin Yu-hyeok 30 million won interest rate 700 percent. All is content recorded in the ledger.]
"The legal maximum interest rate is 20 percent, you guys are too much."
"Wh-what..."
The weasel's eyes opened wide.
But it wasn't just the weasel. The man in the corner also rolled flustered eyes.
Then Ju-won put the notebook back on the desk and said.
"Let's check just one thing, just one."
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