The crime scene smelled wrong.
Not just of death.
But of stillness.
Artificial stillness.
⸻
The Alley
Yellow tape fluttered slightly in the cold air.
Officers moved in controlled patterns, their voices low, their steps careful—as if the place itself demanded silence.
Song Kang Min stepped under the tape without a word.
The moment he entered—
He felt it.
That same… unease.
Faint.
But present.
⸻
The Body
The victim sat against the wall.
Not collapsed.
Not fallen.
Placed.
Carefully.
Almost… respectfully.
But the face—
That was different.
Eyes wide open.
Frozen.
Not just in fear.
But in something deeper.
Recognition.
⸻
The Team Arrives
"Still creepy," Lee Bong Soo muttered as he stepped beside Kang Min.
"I hate the eyes."
"You should focus on the evidence," Kang Ara replied, already crouching near the body.
"I am focusing," Bong Soo said. "On the eyes."
"That's not helpful."
"It is emotionally helpful."
A pause.
Then—
Park Jae In stepped forward.
"Enough."
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried authority.
Instantly, the small tension disappeared.
⸻
Park Jae In
He crouched slowly beside the body, his expression calm, experienced.
Nothing about him rushed.
Nothing about him reacted emotionally.
He observed.
Measured.
Understood.
"This wasn't panic," he said quietly.
Ara looked up. "What do you mean?"
Jae In gestured slightly.
"Look at the hands."
They weren't clenched.
Not defensive.
Not desperate.
Just… still.
"Most victims fight," he continued. "Even in shock."
He glanced at the eyes again.
"But this one didn't."
⸻
Something Off
Kang Min stepped closer.
Silent.
Focused.
He followed Jae In's line of thinking.
Then—
"There's no struggle," Kang Min said.
Ara nodded. "No defensive wounds either."
Bong Soo frowned. "So what… they just let him kill them?"
Jae In shook his head slowly.
"No."
A pause.
Then—
"They froze."
⸻
The Detail
"Captain," Ara called softly.
Kang Min turned.
She pointed near the victim's neck.
"There."
Faint.
Almost invisible.
A small mark.
Precise.
Controlled.
Not messy.
Not rushed.
Intentional.
Kang Min's eyes narrowed slightly.
Something about it—
Pulled at his memory.
But not enough to understand.
Not yet.
⸻
Su Young (Remote)
"Guys, I'm sending you something."
Choi Su Young's voice came through their earpieces.
"I pulled data from the previous victims."
Ara stood, stepping aside to check her tablet.
"Patterns?" she asked.
"Yeah," Su Young replied. "Same positioning, same time window, same staging."
Bong Soo tilted his head. "This guy has a routine?"
"More like a system," Jae In corrected.
⸻
The First Theory
Ara looked between them.
"This isn't random."
"No," Kang Min said.
"Then what is it?" Bong Soo asked.
Silence.
Then—
Jae In spoke.
"Practice."
They all looked at him.
"Each victim…" he continued slowly, "…is getting cleaner."
Ara's expression hardened.
"You're saying he's improving."
"Yes."
A pause.
Then Jae In added—
"Which means he's been doing this longer than we think."
⸻
A Shift
Kang Min's gaze darkened slightly.
His mind moved quickly now.
Connections forming.
Pieces aligning.
"Check older cases," he said.
Ara looked at him. "How far back?"
Kang Min didn't hesitate.
"Far enough to miss him."
⸻
A Moment Alone
As the others moved to follow instructions, Jae In remained by the body.
Still.
Thinking.
His eyes lingered on the victim's face.
Then—
Something changed.
Subtle.
But real.
His expression sharpened slightly.
Like he had noticed something… specific.
Something important.
He leaned in closer.
Studied the eyes.
Not the fear.
Not the expression.
But—
The reflection.
Faint.
Distorted.
But there.
He froze.
Just for a second.
⸻
Elsewhere
From a distance—
Unseen.
Someone watched.
Not close enough to be noticed.
But close enough to observe.
Calm.
Patient.
Interested.
⸻
Back at the Scene
"Jae In?"
Ara's voice broke his focus.
He straightened slightly.
"…Yeah."
"You coming?"
He looked at the body one last time.
Then nodded.
"Yeah."
But as he walked away—
Something stayed with him.
Something didn't sit right