Third Guard: So… how has your life's journey been, Teer?
Teer's eyes scanned the corridors and calculated escape routes in his mind.
Teer: If you want the full story, perhaps you should buy my biography from the market. It contains most of it.
Third Guard: No, no, no. I don't want the public version. I want the story you've never told anyone—your deepest experiences.
Teer's expression turned serious.
Teer: Alright… but there's one condition. You tell me which floor Annu is on.
The third guard's eyelids drooped slightly, suspicion radiating from his gaze.
Third Guard (mocking, with a hint of menace): Sorry, Teer… even if I told you her location, her locker opens only with my key. I assume you wouldn't want Annu dead.
Teer (calmly): I'm only concerned about her safety. That's all.
Third Guard (low, shrill voice): I haven't even opened her room yet. She could still be hungry. And in that darkness, who knows—she may have encountered rats, or worse.
Teer didn't flinch. He kept observing the surroundings as if unconcerned, even though every detail registered in his mind.
Third Guard: Fine. I'll take responsibility for her safety. But now, you answer my question.
Third Guard (thinking): I need to distract him, to slow his analysis with my question… yet somehow, he's the one distracting me.
Teer smiled subtly.
Teer: I've solved countless national and international cases. Yet, there's one case that defeated me—the Katil case. You may have heard of it.
Third Guard: Yes… I've heard. Continue.
Teer: Many detectives have tried to uncover the ghost leader of that global syndicate. I can't speak for them all, but there was one person who completely shook me. Someone so young, she deduced things I couldn't figure out even after decades.
Third Guard (feigning interest): Really? Who was this person?
Teer: A thirty-five-year-old woman, ten years in IBII. She has a rare gift: a body and presence that unravels the hidden depths of people's minds. She can turn regret into weakness, manipulate emotions to extract the truth—but her greatest weapon is sheer stubbornness.
Third Guard: So she thrives on risk… which means she can be broken too, right?
Teer: What you call "risk" has claimed the lives of many who dared oppose her. She is merciless, even death bows before her ferocity.
Third Guard: Incredible… what did she discover about Katil that eluded you?
Teer: Katil is a labyrinthine organization. The leader is only heard of, never seen. We caught countless assassins, but those we thought were leaders… none truly were. Every apparent leader had another above him. Each "father" had a father.
She patiently traced these lines, eventually reaching the spine of Katil's KRA—the Katil Record Association. She hid her identity as an interrogator, and over three years, cultivated a relationship with him. Slowly, he changed—broken, regretful. Eventually, he was found hanging at home. Officially, the court ruled it wasn't suicide; some Katil members were implicated. Yet she had uncovered crucial information: Katil did indeed have a supreme leader, known only as One Sach—the Only Truth. To this day, she seeks him.
As Teer spoke, they moved floor by floor. The first floor had a single guard; the second floor, ten to fifteen. All lockers were iron-clad, some briefly opened under watchful eyes. Distant screams echoed—people lamenting, crying, lost in despair.
Third Guard (a hint of respect): Three years… and all she learned was only that much.
Teer: Every extraordinary ability has its limits.
Third Guard (excited): Really? And what are those limits?
Teer remained silent, letting his observation speak. The third guard, wary, dared not press further, sensing Teer could see his impatience.
They reached the third floor. Teer examined the cells and corridors with calm precision. The guard hesitated—he could no longer gauge him.
Teer softly spoke, almost whispering.
Teer: Neither any other detective nor I—has ever uncovered Katil as fully as she did.
The third guard leaned in, listening intently.
Teer: Yet even she never discovered One Sach's true identity. And there is only one reason for that.
Third Guard (low, almost a whisper): And what reason is that?
Teer (steady, calm): I was the One Sach at that time.
[Chapter 8: Walking Through the Corridors Ends]