005. Misfortune

July 7, 2024, Sunday evening.

Yu-na Lee held onto her boyfriend's arm one more time, reluctant to let go.

"What's up? We're going to see each other at school tomorrow, so why are you being so clingy?"

Her boyfriend smiled as he looked at her.

"What? Don't you want to hug me?"

Yu-na deliberately pouted.

"No, it's not that... But you seem a bit off today. Is something wrong?"

He looked at her with concern.

Yu-na hesitated for a moment. In truth, she had an unsettling feeling deep inside. She didn’t know what it was, but it felt like this moment could be the last.

“No, I’m just tired, I guess. I’m fine.”

Yu-na forced a smile, but she knew it was a strained one.

Her boyfriend glanced at his watch with a worried expression and spoke.

"Shouldn't you be heading back? If you keep staying late, your mom will start worrying again."

It was just past seven in the evening.

Normally, her mom would have called by now to urge her to come home, but oddly enough, there had been no calls today. That fact, combined with her strange feeling, made her even more uneasy.

'She's probably just busy.'

"Okay, I'm going now."

Yu-na gave her boyfriend one last longing look. When he nodded, she quickly turned and started walking.

As she made her way home, the uneasiness in her heart lingered. The street, sparsely lit by streetlights, seemed darker than usual. She quickened her pace without realizing it.

'I'm just in a weird mood today, that's all.'

The closer she got to her home, the more she felt a chilling, unnatural sensation. Even though the wind was calm, a coldness seemed to wrap around her entire body.

When she reached the front door, Yu-na took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.

'Why am I feeling like this? Am I really that unwell?'

As soon as she opened the door, she noticed something unusual: the house was eerily quiet.

There was no sound from the TV, nor the usual noises from the kitchen. The house, steeped in darkness, seemed as if it was trying to erase any trace of life. The silence was oppressive, enveloping her in dread.

'Mom should be nagging me by now...'

As she entered the living room, the darkness pressed in on her. She reached for the switch to turn on the lights, but just then, she felt something strange beneath her feet. The sensation was unfamiliar and cold.

Yu-na froze for a moment, then glanced down to see what was at her feet. The sight that greeted her seized her heart in fear.

The moment she turned on the light, her eyes were met with cold, lifeless bodies. They were sprawled across the floor like discarded dolls.

The fact that there was no smell somehow made the scene feel even more surreal. Yu-na staggered backward and retched.

“Ugh.”

She tried to convince herself over and over again.

'It must be another one of Dad's pranks.'

But as she got closer and touched her father’s arm, she could no longer breathe. The hair on his arm felt far too real, and the sensation forced her to confront the harsh reality.

“Dad...? Mom...?”

She called out in a trembling voice, but of course, no answer came. Her whole body started to shake uncontrollably from the shock.

'Where is my brother?'

Her mind swirled with confusion. Her brother should have been home.

For some reason, his bedroom door was slightly ajar. On any other day, she wouldn’t have paid attention to it, but now, the half-open door seemed ominous. With trembling hands, she pushed the door open.

What she saw on the other side made her breath stuck in her throat. Lying on the floor was a headless body. Her last hope shattered into pieces.

“Aaah!”

A scream burst out of her, but it brought no comfort to her paralyzed body. Fear and shock hit her all at once, weighing down her consciousness.

Her vision began to blur, and Yu-na's body crumpled onto the cold floor.

---

Monday, July 8th, 2024.

As soon as the alarm rang, I opened my eyes. I had fallen into such a deep sleep that I didn’t even know when I had drifted off yesterday. Normally, I would wake up at least once and toss and turn, but ever since committing the murders, I hadn’t woken up once and slept soundly.

"Is this also the result of my ability?"

I thought about it for a moment, but I quickly concluded that it didn’t matter at the moment.

I slowly opened my ears.

Ever since I gained my abilities, it became a habit to listen to the sounds around me when I woke up in the morning. Although it had only been a few days, I had already become refined enough to selectively hear sounds within a hundred-meter radius.

-It seems finding the culprit won’t be easy.

A voice coming from downstairs. The word "culprit" sharpened my hearing.

"They’re detectives."

-The guy is meticulous. Not a trace on the CCTV.

-Which means it's likely someone who lives here. They could have avoided the CCTV by using the stairs.

-Exactly. What about the last person they met or spoke to?

-I checked the phone records, and the last person they spoke to has a solid alibi.

-Then the last person they met must be the culprit.”

They hadn’t identified the culprit yet. That meant my plan had worked.

-Let’s ask the residents later.

Even though I knew the police investigation had begun, I was still calm. All the clues were already gone. Even if they tried to find a connection between the man downstairs and me, the only thing they could find would be...

"Wait a minute..."

Suddenly, a sense of unease crept in. Something unknown.

I focused and retraced my steps to find the source of the discomfort.

"The elevator, the notice!"

Someone besides me must have read the notice too. If they testified to the police...

"Wait... I can just say I was too scared to get involved. They have no evidence, so how could they arrest me?"

The tension that had risen quickly dissipated, and my body felt relaxed again. The weight lifted from my shoulders. There was nothing to worry about.

From Friday to yesterday, I killed twelve people in total. But I no longer felt any guilt. There was no need to.

I discovered something about myself that I hadn’t known before. I was a simple person. That’s why I was able to resolve the situation I’m in now so easily.

"If it’s irreversible, if nothing can be changed, don’t worry about it. Worrying won’t change anything."

Thanks to quickly adapting to this absurd situation, I found my path.

Executioner.

Though the word was cringe-worthy, there was no better term to describe someone like me who dealt with those who broke the law.

Anyway, today I had somewhere to go after work to secure capital. My destination was a rural area, four hours away by car.

"How long would it take if I ran?"

I pondered for a moment. It was a chance to experiment.

The limits of my ability: speed, jumping power, etc.

"It’s worth it. But should I hand in my resignation today?"

For a moment, I thought there was no need to rush. I could check things out myself and make a decision later. No need to count my chickens before they hatch.

Time moved particularly slowly today. I couldn’t focus like usual.

"Well, I am about to secure a significant amount of money. It makes sense."

Just in case, I stopped by my house right after work.

I planned to move via the apartment rooftop. Jumping from building to building would allow me to move freely without leaving a trace.

"They wouldn’t have CCTV installed in the sky."

Just as I finished getting ready and was about to put on my shoes at the entrance, the detectives arrived.

“Hello. Are you Mr. Cheol-su Kim?”

Two detectives stood in front of me. One of them was looking at me with a cold gaze, while the other was holding a notebook. I squinted my eyes as I observed them.

“Yes, I’m Cheol-su Kim. What... is this about?”

The detective smiled slightly as he spoke.

“We’re here to ask a few questions about the murder that happened downstairs. Do you have a moment? Were you heading out somewhere?”

“Yes, just to the convenience store.”

I nodded lightly and answered. It was an expected situation. There was nothing to worry about.

“Oh, I see. Did you know Mr. Han-su Lee, who lived downstairs?”

“No, I’ve never seen him before.” “They say Mr. Lee posted something in the elevator.”

“The notice? Yeah, I saw it... but I didn’t go because I was scared. These days, there are so many murders because of noise complaints between neighbors.”

The detective briefly looked away as he processed what I had said. While he mulled it over, the tension in me loosened, but I didn’t let my guard down.

“What were you doing yesterday?”

“I went to the convenience store during the day and spent the rest of the time at home.”

“I see. Thank you for your cooperation.”

I slowly closed the door. But I immediately listened to the conversation they had as they left.

“Is it really okay to end the investigation this easily?”

“He said he was at home.”

“But couldn’t he have used the stairs?”

“Look, did you see the victim’s size? An average person couldn’t have taken him down. You think that guy killed three people?”

I exhaled softly. As expected, the police had no evidence.

---

Seongwon Special City, Universe Special Investigation Bureau Headquarters.

Director of the Universe Special Investigation Bureau, Geon-U Lee, was sitting in his office, watching live news coverage.

“So, professor, are you suggesting that the ‘Cheongsol’ town office incident, the ‘Eunha’ neighborhood case, and the recent family murder were all committed by the same perpetrator?”

The news anchor asked the criminal psychology professor.

“Yes. All of them... ahem.”

The renowned criminal psychologist paused to clear his throat before continuing cautiously.

“Sorry about that.”

“No problem, please go on.”

“The common thread among the victims is that they were all found with their heads smashed in. Because of this, I believe it’s highly likely that the same person is responsible for all the cases. Furthermore, the perpetrator left no trace behind.”

“If, as you suggest, these are the acts of the same person...”

The camera zoomed in on the professor, who concluded with a grave expression.

“It’s very likely a serial murder case.”

Beep.

Geon-U calmly pressed the remote to turn off the TV. Inside him, a curiosity about this unknown culprit had already ignited.

“I want to open this case.”

Suppressing his emotions, Geon-U reached for the phone on his desk.

The person on the other end picked up after just two rings.

“Hello, Commissioner.”

-It’s been a while, Director. Is this about the serial murders?

The police commissioner immediately grasped Geon-U’s intent. This conversation followed a well-worn pattern between them.

“Yes.”

-We’ve just reached the same conclusion ourselves.

“Then, we’ll take over from here.”

After ending the call, Geon-U turned his gaze toward the glass wall. The entire cityscape of Seongwon Special City spread out before him.

This was a view even wealthy people couldn’t afford. Yet, his mind was focused on something far different.

“I hope this one’s at least a little more fresh.”

<Yu-na Lee>