The captain passed his hand through the gray threads, the cheekbones lost their color when he pulled out a chair to sit in front of the table where Amélie had sat. Jung had given up his own table for the girl to sit between Hwang and him, so they could both explain to the boss what they had found out from Ms. Amoto at the hospital. Hector discreetly caution Na-moo because of the frown he displayed when the temporary seat exchange was suggested. “Don't let the issue between the two interfere with the investigation”, he’d said before going to retrieve the archived documents requested by the doctor.

As much as Na-moo hated to admit it, Hector was right. He couldn't let his personal feelings interfere with his work, yet the reaction he expressed wasn’t purposeful. He tended to take a while to dissociate something from someone once his opinion on a particular subject had been formed. Therefore, it was difficult to shake off the first impression left by Amélie in their failed date.

Upon recalling Sol's message, Na-moo tried to keep in mind all the times he had rushed to judge someone's character. This had happened with Hector when they met at the police academy, and with Sol, back when they first met during high school. Jung seemed too excited for him at that time, and he still hadn't managed to get over the trauma his mother and brother endured while he was at his grandmother's house on the other side of the country.

All Na-moo wanted when he entered the police academy, after high school graduation, was to spend his time alone, in silence, reflecting on how he could help restructure what was left of his family. Na-moo even came to think that Hector was in love with him, and therefore constantly disturbed him when they returned to the dorm after a tiring day of activities.

But it didn't take long for him to realize that was just Detective Hector's way: energetic and talkative. And Hector could only be himself when they were alone, as the officers didn't take cadets with his kind of personality seriously, even if the cadet in question had excellent results in any activity. Hector was like a child with an infinitely powerful battery. And Sol, whom he saw as a snobbish popular girl, was much more than just the heiress of a wealthy family.

Perhaps the same would happen with Dr. Zhou if he tried to get to know her better… or if he allowed the subject he was trying to avoid, so hard, to be addressed.

“There were no cameras around the area where the Amoto family lived. There were also no cameras in the place where the murdered family in the factory resided, nor on the main street leading to the mansion on Hampshire Hill”, Hector explained, dropping a heavy cardboard box in front of his partner and thus pulling him out of his reverie. “We believe the victims were approached by the perpetrator separately and drugged with chloroform, as both had traces of the substance in their blood, as you're well aware.”

Na-moo rolled up his shirt sleeves and pulled out the files from the cases twelve years ago. He’d read those files countless times since he joined the Longino Police Department (without Denyel knowing, of course) and could list each of the crime scenes discovered by the detective in charge at the time — Captain Denyel Lim himself. Including the setting in which the Hwang family had been found, alongside his father's lifeless body.

Thinking about it brought his thoughts to Seung, his older brother, and Yvone, his mother, who would turn fifty-eight on Sunday. A day that would also mark the anniversary of his father's death. Once again, Na-moo's conscience alerted him that he needed to call Seung. His brother only visited the town during times like these, to celebrate Mrs. Hwang's birthday. That way, they could prevent that day from being filled with just tears and condolences. However, Na-moo didn't want his brother to visit them over the weekend with Joo-hyun and the kids. It wasn't safe for Seung's family.

“Why is the murderer obsessed with a foreign poem?” Gina asked, placing a tray with five cups of coffee on the table. The redhead referred to the words murmured by Tsui Amoto after Na-moo left her alone with Amélie in the infirmary.

“Oh my Darling… Life is all about choices, you have to choose… If you're going to cry, if you're going to smile… You have to make a choice…” She quoted the poem aloud. “It's not a popular poem here, in Longino…”

“The poem must have some meaning for him…”

“Or she.” Amélie locked eyes with Na-moo as soon as she was interrupted. The detective kept his gaze on the papers he was flipping through, not really paying her any attention, as he continued speaking: “There's no conclusive evidence that the killer is a man. All the victims were drugged and tied up, even if they were stronger than their captor, they couldn't do anything. Not to mention the gun pointed at their heads, enough to scare any ordinary civilian.”

Dr. Zhou suppressed a sigh, pushing back a few wavy strands in a subtle gesture, and locked her brown eyes onto the detective as she said:

“You're right, Detective Hwang. One should never doubt what a motivated woman can do.”

“Motivated and angry.” Hector emphasized, making Gina laugh at Na-moo's deadly glare towards his partner.

“And that brings me back to the point I wanted to make. The fact that the murderer, and when I say murderer, I'm thinking of a 'human being', okay?” she emphasized, looking at Na-moo. “The fact that they make an analogy using the poem to force a difficult choice for the victims means that, somehow, the poem might be related to them.”

“The original killer let two people survive in the past, and no one has survived until now, except for Tsui.” Gina crisped her lips. “Maybe he's a copycat?”

“The fact that we have only one survivor at the moment doesn't mean it's a copycat. There have been cases in the past where only one of the victims survived, like Miss Amoto”, Denyel refuted the idea with a tired gesture and pointed to the box that Na-moo was rummaging through. “And based on survivors' testimonies, we reached the conclusion that if the victim who needed to choose who would die didn't make a choice, the criminal would count to ten and kill both family members. That's why many committed suicide after witnessing that, as has happened in the current cases. Back then, they were also found in separate rooms. The killer used cameras and radios to communicate with the victim needed to choose.”

“In the current cases, radios were found at the crime scene, both with only the victims' fingerprints. But it was only at the Hampshire Hill mansion that we found evidence that the killer recorded the act. There was a disposal of something similar to what used to hold VHS tapes in the dining room, where the victim who was supposed to choose someone to die committed suicide.” Hector wrinkled his face, repulsed as he spoke. “The victim's wife and son were found dead in the basement, and the wretch took the recording and the camera he used. He knew they would be specific evidence!”

“And as for the poem, you're right, Dr. Zhou.” Denyel continued, giving Hector a gentle shoulder squeeze. “I was the team leader who investigated the cases in the past, but we ended up in a frustrated investigation with seven families destroyed in three months, until the case was closed.”

“Was there no clue that could lead you to a suspect? Even with the poem?” Amélie furrowed her brow. It couldn't be that they hadn't found a single lead, even a small one, that could point them to a potential culprit.

No crime was that perfect. People left traces.

Unless the killer was a vengeful spirit, they would be unable to remain incognito with so many eyes on their actions.

“During the investigation, after weeks stuck at square one, we decided to focus on the poem. It was a tip provided by a high school teacher, Choon-sub Hwang”, the old man glanced briefly at Na-moo. The young man leaned his back against the wall behind him, arms crossed over his chest, ignoring Amélie's questioning gaze.

“Back then, Choon-sub told us that when he started working as a teacher, he was introduced to a Brazilian poem by one of the senior teachers. All the kids who had her as a teacher knew the poem, as it was her favorite. We tried to reach out to her through the principal, but she resigned shortly after Mr. Hwang became her colleague. Naturally, we didn't give up on finding her; she was our first solid lead. Her name was Soo-hee Kang. At that time, she became the prime suspect in the crimes.”