Chapter 18: A Murderer’s Smile and a Detective’s Vow

Park Chunbeom hobbled out of the Senior Citizens’ Center.

He wanted to see Lee Jaehyun off as he headed home.

“You’re not feeling well… Yet you still came out to see me off. Thank you.”

“We might end up as neighbors, so this much is nothing. Take care, young man.”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll see you next time. Goodbye.”

Lee Jaehyun bowed and got into his car.

Watching him, Park Chunbeom waved goodbye with a kindly smile.

Vroooom.

Before long, Lee Jaehyun drove away.

The pleasant smile on Park Chunbeom’s face disappeared in an instant.

“That guy is dangerous.”

He stared coldly with sunken eyes at the departing car of Lee Jaehyun.

He knew it instinctively.

“That kid… is a natural enemy.”

Park Chunbeom absently stroked the cane he always carried, recalling an old memory he’d nearly forgotten.

It was the feeling of walking a tightrope, where a single misstep would send you tumbling off a cliff.

It was a kind of warning sent by his survival instinct.

So then, who exactly is that guy?

Fortunately, someone who could answer that question was right beside Park Chunbeom.

“So, how exactly do you know that guy?”

He turned his head, gazing at Han Seona, who stood next to him.

At his question, she frowned slightly and let out a sigh.

“What I explained earlier is everything. I just saw him once at the hospital yesterday, and today was another coincidence running into him here… I can’t even say we know each other.”

“For that, he seemed awfully interested in you.”

Park Chunbeom snorted as he spoke.

Han Seona, too, couldn’t easily reply to that and avoided his gaze.

She had also felt, even if only a little, that Lee Jaehyun was somewhat interested in her.

Soon, Han Seona shrugged her shoulders and continued.

“Who knows, maybe he likes me.”

“…You’re quick to flatter yourself.”

At her answer, Park Chunbeom glanced her up and down with an expression of disbelief.

It wasn’t that he disliked her, but that was about it.

From the start, Han Seona was nothing more than a way to make money for Park Chunbeom—nothing more, nothing less.

Han Seona pursed her lips and frowned, but his answer didn’t change.

Park Chunbeom just let out a dry laugh and spoke again.

“Anyway, you’re saying you two have nothing going on? If that’s true, then that Lee Jaehyun kid really is suspicious.”

For people with no connection at all, Lee Jaehyun’s reaction seemed far too familiar.

And it was also strange that he said he’d be moving here soon.

He claimed to be looking at houses to live in with his grandmother, but who knows what kind of house that even was.

In a neighborhood this far from the city, there aren’t any realtors—people have to go around in person to find empty houses or vacant lots.

But he hadn’t heard of anyone coming around to look at houses.

“For now, I’d better be careful.”

Frowning, Park Chunbeom stared down the road where Lee Jaehyun had disappeared.

Han Seona clapped her hands, drawing his attention.

“Well, you can think about that later on your own. Let’s settle up. I did five people today. Here’s your cut.”

“Hm. Good work.”

From the 500,000 won she got for giving injections to five people, Han Seona handed 100,000 won to Park Chunbeom.

He took the ten green bills and gave a sly smile.

Han Seona, seeing him change so quickly, looked at him in disbelief and scoffed.

“For someone with so much money, you sure do love getting paid.”

“The more money, the better, right?”

Her words were clearly mocking, but Park Chunbeom didn’t care as he answered.

He grinned, counting the bills with a neat rustle, while Han Seona snorted.

“By the way, Park Chunbeom, what did you do when you were younger to have this much money?”

She asked without much thought.

For a so-called ‘ordinary’ man, he seemed to have a lot of assets.

Yet he didn’t have a job.

He just introduced Han Seona to elderly people and took his referral fee as a commission, so she couldn’t help but wonder.

But then—

At Han Seona’s question, Park Chunbeom’s face hardened.

“Seona.”

“Yes.”

She instinctively swallowed as she answered.

There had always been a big difference between his kindly tone and his usual voice when he was acting, but—

This time, it was different again.

If his usual cold voice was like a chill in the wind…

This was the feeling of a knife pressing at her back.

Park Chunbeom watched the trembling Han Seona and continued.

“Let’s not do anything dangerous to each other.”

A clear warning: let’s not get too deeply involved.

At his words, Han Seona nodded, forcing a casual tone.

“Got it. You’re really prickly, aren’t you. Well, I guess you’ve been scamming people all along anyway.”

Anyone could see she was putting on a brave face.

Han Seona tried not to show it, keeping her tone light.

But Park Chunbeom, having already seen through everything, just chuckled and nodded.

“A scam, yeah. That’s what it is.”

Only then did Park Chunbeom smile kindly again, nodding with satisfaction.

A scam is a scam.

He repeated that to himself as he turned around and walked back to the Senior Citizens’ Center.

***

On the drive home, Lee Jaehyun couldn’t help but fall deep into thought.

The first thing that came to mind was—

“How do I put those two behind bars?”

Han Seona was guilty of Illegal Medical Practice.

Park Chunbeom, of Murder.

Of course, there wasn’t clear evidence of Park Chunbeom’s crime, but hadn’t Se-re-hen said, ‘With that much, he’s killed at least one person’?

Lee Jaehyun wasn’t completely trusting Se-re-hen, but—

Se-re-hen had never lied so far, either.

The side she hadn’t yet revealed… How should he put it?

“Should I call it… appetite?”

He couldn’t think of the exact word, but whenever Se-re-hen expressed her desire, she was clear: ‘Hurry up and let me eat.’

Given that, Park Chunbeom being a murderer was certain.

Lee Jaehyun’s own instincts were also screaming that Park Chunbeom was a killer.

From his gaze to his tone, even the air around Park Chunbeom changed.

From the very first moment he’d met Park Chunbeom, Lee Jaehyun had been convinced of his crimes.

And he’d resolved to expose them.

The thoughts that followed were many.

Were the two connected in their crimes?

How could he find evidence?

Questions and answers endlessly flitted through Lee Jaehyun’s mind until—

“You must really be born for this.”

A familiar voice came from beside him.

Lee Jaehyun turned to look at the passenger seat.

At some point, Se-re-hen had buckled herself in.

She was a demon, after all—he figured there was nothing she couldn’t do, so he shrugged it off and spoke.

“Born for what?”

“Being a Police Officer. Even among Police Officers, there aren’t many so eager to catch bad guys. But you, my dear Client, seem especially full of Justice.”

Se-re-hen tapped her fingers on the window as she spoke calmly.

He couldn’t quite tell what she meant.

Was she saying it was good that he was passionate about catching criminals?

Or was she criticizing him for showing a Sense of Duty even after making a Contract with a demon?

He wasn’t sure what she was getting at, so Lee Jaehyun shook his head.

From the start, Se-re-hen was mistaken.

“It’s not Justice. It’s Revenge and Sense of Duty.”

What he felt wasn’t Justice.

It was a deep-seated Revenge toward criminals, with a Sense of Duty as a Police Officer layered on top.

Some might say that’s Justice, but Lee Jaehyun was sure it was different.

He never thought of himself as ‘just’ or ‘righteous.’

In his previous life, he’d been a mad dog.

And in this life, he’d made a Contract with a demon.

Both were far from Justice.

His Revenge and Sense of Duty simply fused into a kind of mission—it wasn’t Justice.

At least, that’s how Lee Jaehyun saw it.

Se-re-hen watched him for a moment before letting out a sly chuckle.

“Well… Whatever works. As long as you let me eat that Park Chunbeom human soon.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”

Lee Jaehyun answered immediately.

Countless thoughts ran through his head, but as they sorted themselves out, his confidence only grew.

“It won’t take long to solve this case.”

At most, it’d take a few days.

With the whole case mapped out in his mind, Lee Jaehyun smiled meaningfully.

***

The next morning.

At the Capital Region Police Station, Lee Jaehyun put his experience from his previous life to use, swiftly processing all the paperwork.

He handled every task assigned to a Police Officer in record time.

Then, carrying the paperwork, he approached Team Leader Oh Jincheol.

“Team Leader, would it be all right if I go out for a field investigation?”

“Suddenly? What’s going on?”

Team Leader Oh Jincheol frowned at Lee Jaehyun’s sudden request.

Not just anyone, but a Police Officer who’d only been at the Capital Region Police Station for just over a month.

Of course he wouldn’t like it, but Lee Jaehyun pressed on, brazen as ever.

“There’s something I want to investigate personally.”

A brief silence fell, and Oh Jincheol slowly looked him up and down.

At last, leaning back in his chair, he spoke.

“What, you aiming to be a detective already?”

“I just have something I want to check out myself.”

Though his words weren’t rough, his eyes and tone made it clear he didn’t think highly of the idea.

So Lee Jaehyun responded calmly.

If he showed any sign of carelessness here, he’d look like a rookie getting cocky after catching just one serial killer.

“Hm.”

Oh Jincheol let out a contemplative breath at the answer.

Lee Jaehyun silently waited for his approval.

Not long after, Oh Jincheol slowly nodded.

“Ask Junho, and if he’s free, go together. If you bring back a result, even better.”

“Yes, thank you.”

At last, permission was granted.

After bowing in reply, Lee Jaehyun saluted and turned to leave.

With permission in hand, now it was time to tighten the noose around those criminals.