The lingering scent of Selena's perfume, something expensive and floral, seemed to hang in the air long after she and her media circus had departed. It was a stark, clashing note against the sterile smell of forensics and the underlying tang of blood.

Jae-hyun stood at the threshold of the dining room, his gaze sweeping over the sealed evidence bags and the numbered markers placed on the floor. He turned to his junior. "Sung-min. Did you note everything?"

Sung-min snapped his notebook shut, tucking it into his inner pocket. "Yes, Senior. The scene, the family's initial statements, the timeline, the... dramatic entrance. It's all here."

Satisfied, Jae-hyun moved into the hallway where the Kim family remained, a small island of devastation in the spacious home. Kyung-min and Eun-ji sat together on the bench, their hands tightly clasped. Hyun-woo stood behind them, a silent sentinel of support.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kim," Jae-hyun began, his voice respectful but firm. "We are going to take your son's body now and seal this room. This is a critical part of the investigation. If it is at all possible, I must ask you to stay at your daughter's house next door and leave this home until we officially release it. Living here could contaminate evidence the criminal may have left behind."

Eun-ji nodded mutely, fresh tears welling in her eyes at the finality of his words. Kyung-min just bowed his head in grim understanding.

A short while later, the quiet was broken by the arrival of the ambulance, its lights off, its presence somber. The crew moved with a practiced, respectful efficiency, transferring Kim Min-jun's body onto a gurney and covering him with a dark sheet. The sight of the zipper closing was a punctuation mark of unbearable finality for the family.

Jae-hyun approached them one last time as the gurney was wheeled out. "We will be in touch. We will come back anytime we have new information or more questions. For now, please, do not leave town."

He gave a short, respectful bow, which the family returned numbly, before turning and walking out into the cool night air. Sung-min followed him to an unmarked sedan parked a little way down the street.

Jae-hyun slid into the driver's seat, the car dipping with his weight. Sung-min got in on the passenger side, the interior light illuminating their tired faces.

"Where is your car?" Jae-hyun asked, starting the engine.

Sung-min shrugged, a little sheepishly. "I took a cab."

Jae-hyun let out a soft, non-committal grunt. "Oh." He pulled the car away from the curb, leaving the tragic house behind. The silence in the car was heavy, filled with the unprocessed images of the evening.

After a few minutes, Jae-hyun broke it, his eyes fixed on the road. "So. What did you understand of this case and these people? First impressions."

Sung-min shifted in his seat, eager to prove his deductive skills. "I think the brother-in-law did it. Hyun-woo."

Jae-hyun didn't look at him. "Why?"

"Property," Sung-min stated, as if it were obvious. "Did you see inside that house? Everything is very expensive. Traditional, but high-end. The family business, the restaurant... it's a lucrative trade. But the family is very stingy."

Jae-hyun remained silent, a tactic that always encouraged Sung-min to keep talking, often to his own detriment.

Sung-min took the bait. "They go to their own restaurant to eat as a family celebration. That's stingy! Why not go somewhere else, spend money? Hyun-woo marries the sister, moves in next door, sees all that wealth. Maybe he got tired of waiting. With Min-jun gone, the parents are older, the sister is pregnant... he positions himself to take over everything."

Jae-hyun finally gave him a long, slow side-eye, his face a mask of pure, unimpressed disbelief.

"You are dumb as a rock if you believe that," he said, his voice flat.

Sung-min opened his mouth to protest, but Jae-hyun cut him off.

"I want footage from every CCTV camera nearby. Traffic cameras, doorbell cameras, security cameras from the neighbors. I want a list of every car and every person who came in and out of that street today. Get me everything as soon as possible."

"Senior, that's—"

"Tomorrow," Jae-hyun interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. He was already mentally mapping out the tedious, foundational work of the investigation.

Before turning onto the main road, Jae-hyun slowed the car to a stop. He pulled a crisp, white business card from his wallet, wrote his personal mobile number on the back, and handed it to Sung-min.

"Give this to the mother before we left. I must have forgotten. Tell her to call me if she finds anything suspicious, no matter how small."

Sung-min took the card, the simple weight of it a reminder that while he was spinning theories about stingy in-laws, his senior was already laying the groundwork, trusting his gut, and preparing for the long, meticulous hunt ahead.