The school felt different on weekdays.
Structured.
Controlled.
Kang Min walked through the hallway without slowing down.
Students moved aside instinctively.
Teachers glanced at him.
A quiet presence—but firm.
Inside the principal's office—
The atmosphere was polite.
At first.
"Detective Song, please have a seat," the principal said with a practiced smile.
Kang Min didn't sit immediately.
"I won't take much of your time."
That alone shifted the tone.
He sat down.
Straight to the point.
"I'm here about Song Ji Won."
The principal nodded.
"Yes, she's one of our outstanding students—"
"Remove her name from the academic competition."
Silence.
The principal blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
Kang Min's expression didn't change.
"You heard me."
A pause.
Then the principal straightened slightly.
"That decision has already been finalized."
"Then change it."
A slight tension crept into the room.
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," the principal replied carefully. "The selection involves both the school and the parents' committee."
Kang Min leaned back slightly.
Calm.
But firm.
"Then I'll make it simple."
The principal frowned slightly.
"I'll start looking into the school," Kang Min continued. "As a police officer."
Silence.
Heavy this time.
The principal's expression changed.
Just a little.
"I'm not sure I understand—"
"You don't need to."
Another pause.
Kang Min stood.
"I'll give you time to reconsider."
He turned toward the door.
"Detective Song."
He stopped.
But didn't turn.
"…there's no need for that," the principal said quickly.
A brief silence.
Then—
"We'll remove her name."
Kang Min nodded once.
And left.
The room felt different after he was gone.
Quieter.
The principal exhaled slowly.
Then reached for his phone.
A call was placed.
"…ma'am."
On the other end—
Seo Eun Sang listened.
Silent.
"There was a situation," the principal continued. "Detective Song came in personally."
A brief pause.
"He insisted on removing Song Ji Won from the competition."
Silence.
"I initially refused, but…"
Another pause.
"I agreed."
On the other side, Eun Sang's voice came calm and steady.
"You did the right thing."
The principal relaxed slightly.
"Thank you, ma'am."
"Focus on the school," she added.
"Yes, ma'am."
The call ended.
Her expression didn't change.
Not even slightly.
At CID—
The team was already gathered.
Files were arranged.
Screens prepared.
Kang Min walked in.
Ara glanced at him briefly.
"You're late."
"I had something to handle."
She didn't ask further.
Bong Soo leaned back slightly.
"…this feels serious."
Su Young replied without looking away from her screen.
"It is."
The door opened again.
Prosecutor Lee Tae Jun stepped in.
"Let's begin," he said.
Everyone settled.
Ara moved to the front.
A file in her hand.
She placed it down and looked at the team.
"I'll walk us through what we have so far."
The screen behind her lit up.
Victims.
Locations.
Timelines.
"Five victims," Ara began.
"All with no signs of forced entry."
She clicked.
"Each case shows the same pattern—controlled interaction, no struggle."
Ara continued.
"We've analyzed the locations."
The map appeared.
"They are not random."
She pointed to the marked areas.
"They fall within a controlled range."
Another click.
"This suggests the killer operates within a specific zone."
Bong Soo leaned forward slightly.
"So he stays close to his base?"
Ara nodded.
"That's the working theory."
Su Young added, "But the range is still too wide to isolate a single point."
Tae Jun spoke.
"Then reduce it."
Simple.
Direct.
Ara continued without pause.
"We're now focusing on movement patterns within these zones—areas with limited surveillance and predictable access points."
Kang Min's gaze stayed on the screen.
"We're not looking for randomness," Ara said.
"We're looking for consistency."
A brief silence followed.
Tae Jun nodded once.
"Good "
The room settled again.
Because now—
Everyone understood the same thing.