Han Seona hummed a tune as she drove her car.
Today was the day she went out for volunteer work.
People always praised her, asking how she managed such a tough job as a nurse while also volunteering…
But for Han Seona, it was actually a day she looked forward to.
‘Idiots. Why wouldn’t anyone do something this good?’
She stopped her car at a red light, glanced through her rearview mirror, and stole a look at the back seat.
Boxes loaded in the back seat.
All of them, IV Fluid and Nutrient Solution she had swiped from the Hospital.
“I wonder how much I’ll be able to make today.”
Han Seona kept humming as the light turned green and she stepped on the gas.
By now, the Elderly must be gathering at the Senior Citizens’ Center, waiting for her.
Han Seona would go there, and for about 100,000 won each, she would secretly inject the Elderly with Nutrient Solution she’d snuck out of the Hospital.
“It’s not really volunteer work, it’s just Sales… but so what? If they want me to do it for free, they should pay me more.”
She grumbled to herself, driving along the winding road.
Thunk!
The car kept shaking on the uneven road.
Feeling herself sway, Han Seona scowled.
“They work people to the bone and pay us peanuts, so that’s why I come all the way out to places like this.”
She frowned, staring at the poorly paved country road.
If she wasn’t making good money, she would never come out to places like this.
“I should’ve become a Doctor, not a Nurse.”
When she was young, it seemed cool to become a Nurse.
But now that she was one, the work was hard and the pay was low.
On top of that, it was one of those jobs where you even had to clean up after the Elderly.
It’s no wonder her fellow Nurses always praised her for volunteering on her days off.
If it weren’t for this extra income, she would’ve quit ages ago.
“I make money, and the Elderly don’t have to go all the way to a Hospital. It’s a win-win.”
She nodded, convincing herself with her own words.
Of course, it was against the Law for a Nurse to give injections without a Doctor’s prescription.
Even more so with Elderly patients, who, due to aging and weakened immunity, could experience unpredictable side effects—so extra caution was needed.
“I’ve done this so many times, what could possibly go wrong?”
She’d done it countless times, so she was sure there’d be no problem this time either.
And even if there was a problem, she could just run away.
She was only working at a university Hospital for the steady paycheck.
In truth, she made more from these house call injections.
Even if something did go wrong, she could just get a job at a regional Hospital and keep doing the same thing.
“It’s not even that much. I only use stuff that’s about to be discarded, so I won’t get caught.”
She only used drugs that were about to expire, and the patients were all Elderly.
There were so many possible issues, but Han Seona ignored all of them.
She diligently drove on, heading toward the Senior Citizens’ Center.
“Oh my, Seona, you’re here?”
“Still no boyfriend these days? My grandson…”
As soon as she arrived at the Senior Citizens’ Center, people came out to greet her.
Grandmothers and Grandfathers with warm, friendly smiles.
Among them, an Elder walked out with a cane.
“Well, you’re here?”
Unlike the gentle faces of the other Elderly, his eyes were sharp.
His back was bent as he hobbled with his cane.
Whenever she faced him, she found her gaze drawn to him, more so than the other Elderly.
“No matter how many times I see him, there’s something odd about him…”
Han Seona forced a businesslike smile, pushing away her thoughts.
Whatever she felt, he had been a trustworthy business partner without incident until now.
“Yes, Village Chief. Long time no see.”
“Well, shall we get started?”
The Elder’s lips curled up into a sly grin as he asked.
There was no subject or purpose to his words, but Han Seona understood right away.
“Yes, I’ll go get the things from the car. Just a moment.”
She nodded and walked over to her car.
And there, near her car, she found a little girl.
“What’s this? I’ve never seen this kid before.”
Though it was in the Capital region, this was a tiny, remote village—even young people were rare.
Almost everyone was Elderly; there were hardly any young people at all.
So seeing such a young girl wandering around alone was odd.
Han Seona looked the girl up and down with curiosity.
“Wow. She’s really pretty.”
She gaped in surprise and muttered unconsciously.
A fancy dress trimmed with black lace.
Milky white skin and long, black hair.
Eyes sparkling like jewels.
You wouldn’t see a child like this even in Seoul, let alone in a village full of Elderly.
The girl stared intently at Han Seona, then turned and ran off somewhere.
Han Seona, without thinking, reached out to grab the girl—then snapped back to herself.
“What was that? Why did I try to grab her?”
She wasn’t sure, but she’d felt drawn to the girl.
It was almost like she was possessed by a ghost.
Realizing she’d tried to grab the girl without thinking made goosebumps rise on her skin.
“Oh, right, this isn’t the time for this.”
Han Seona shook her head, pushing the girl from her mind, and walked back toward her car.
IV Fluid, Injection Needle, Tube…
She took out all the necessary tools from the car and closed the back seat door.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and looked around, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh, she disappeared already.”
Is it really okay for a kid to wander around alone here?
Thinking that, Han Seona headed to the Senior Citizens’ Center.
***
After hearing the story from Se-re-hen, Lee Jaehyun frowned.
“So… you’re saying she’s selling stolen goods at the Senior Citizens’ Center?”
“Yes. Well, it didn’t look all that useful to me, but… she was selling it for money.”
Se-re-hen shrugged as she spoke.
At her words, Lee Jaehyun stroked his chin.
There’s no way people would buy something useless for money…
Either Han Seona was running some kind of scam, or Se-re-hen was talking from a demon’s perspective.
What might be important or dangerous for humans could be worthless to a demon.
Thinking that way, he was reminded once again that Se-re-hen wasn’t a person, but a demon.
“From now on, even if Se-re-hen is nonchalant, I can’t just let things slide.”
She might look like a human, but Se-re-hen was definitely a demon.
What she considered nothing could be important to Lee Jaehyun, so he needed to be careful not to get confused.
Resolving himself, Lee Jaehyun spoke up.
“Either way, I need to check for myself.”
What was certain was that Han Seona was committing Crime at the Senior Citizens’ Center.
Now that he’d found something suspicious, it was time to check the scene.
“I’ll know what she’s up to when I see it with my own eyes.”
Lee Jaehyun muttered as he started his car.
***
Soon after, he arrived at the Senior Citizens’ Center, located about forty minutes from the city.
“There’s a Senior Citizens’ Center even in a place like this.”
Lee Jaehyun murmured as he looked around.
After a rough drive on the unpaved road, he arrived at a village so small, he wondered how many people could possibly live here.
He got out of the car and walked to the building that served as both Village Hall and Senior Citizens’ Center.
From the outside, it just looked like an ordinary Senior Citizens’ Center.
He could hear the sounds of people inside.
“That’s the car. She took stuff out from there.”
Se-re-hen pointed at a car parked to the side.
Lee Jaehyun turned and looked at the car she indicated.
A blue Rea parked in the lot next to the Senior Citizens’ Center.
A compact car popular among Sales workers.
Lee Jaehyun walked over to the Rea and peered inside.
“The tint is so dark, I can barely see… Is she carrying something that shouldn’t be seen in public?”
He pressed his face to the window and looked inside, but couldn’t see much.
The tint was much darker than on most cars.
Such heavy tint was rare on a compact, making it even more suspicious.
He used his hand to shield his eyes, and finally, he could faintly make out the inside.
“Doesn’t look like there’s anything special.”
He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
The only unusual thing was a first aid kit.
But considering her job as a Nurse, that wasn’t that odd.
“Did she already unload everything?”
He snickered and glanced at the Senior Citizens’ Center.
According to Se-re-hen, Han Seona had brought the goods into the Senior Citizens’ Center.
If the Crime-related items weren’t in the car, Han Seona must have them now.
Lee Jaehyun walked over toward the Senior Citizens’ Center.
Creak.
As he stepped inside, the Grandmothers and Grandfathers looked at him with curious expressions.
“Who are you?”
“Hello, it’s nothing special… I’m looking for a place to move, and I saw the Senior Citizens’ Center so I just dropped by.”
“What’s a young man doing at a Senior Citizens’ Center?”
“It’s for my Grandmother. I live with her, but she doesn’t like Seoul because it’s too busy. I was looking for somewhere quiet, and I saw the Senior Citizens’ Center, so I stopped in without thinking.”
“Oh, you’re a good grandson. Come in, come in.”
As Lee Jaehyun made up an excuse, the Grandmothers and Grandfathers welcomed him.
Following the Elderly inside, he kept glancing around the interior of the Senior Citizens’ Center.
“Is there only one entrance? One door inside… The restroom was outside, so that’s not it. Is that a small room or a storage space?”
Out of habit, he scanned the area, checking possible escape routes.
It had been a while since he’d done this—he almost felt like his old self as a detective.
Except now, it wasn’t the past, but the future.
“If worst comes to worst and Han Seona tries to run, all I have to do is block the way to the parking lot.”
There were fields and open space in all directions, so she had plenty of ways to run, but that wasn’t a big problem.
He could just chase her down.
He just had to keep her from getting in her car.
“But where is Han Seona?”
He glanced around, looking for her, but didn’t see her anywhere.
He hadn’t heard a car start, so she had to still be at the Senior Citizens’ Center.
Just as Lee Jaehyun thought that, a door to a small room on one side of the Senior Citizens’ Center opened, and Han Seona stepped out.
Her eyes met Lee Jaehyun’s, and her pupils trembled slightly.
“Huh?”
Han Seona let out a small sound.
Lee Jaehyun gave a slow, thin smile.
“So there is something.”
Trembling pupils, a flustered expression.
A typical reaction when someone’s hiding something.
He didn’t know what, but it was clear that something illegal was going on in that room.
Lee Jaehyun gave a slow, thin smile.
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