Grief looked different in every house.
But it always felt the same.
The first home was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kang Min and Ara stood at the entrance while Bong Soo spoke briefly with the family.
Low voice.
Careful tone.
Inside, the air felt heavy.
Like something had been taken—
And nothing could fill the space.
"We're here to understand her routine," Ara said gently.
The victim's husband nodded slowly.
Still processing.
Still distant.
"She… she came home like usual," he said.
Kang Min listened.
Watching.
Not just hearing.
"Did she mention anyone new?" Ara asked.
"Anyone she met recently?"
The man shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"She didn't seem worried?" Kang Min asked.
Another shake.
"No… everything was normal."
That word again.
Normal.
Ara glanced at Kang Min briefly.
Then back.
"Did she receive any visitors?" she continued.
"I don't know," the husband replied. "I wasn't home."
Nothing unusual.
Nothing helpful.
Just another life—
Cut short without warning.
"May we look around?" Kang Min asked.
The man hesitated.
Then nodded.
"…yes."
They moved to the bedroom.
Everything was in place.
Clean.
Undisturbed.
Ara opened the wardrobe.
Clothes neatly arranged.
Nothing missing.
Bong Soo checked drawers.
Documents.
Receipts.
Personal items.
Normal.
Too normal.
Kang Min stood still for a moment.
Taking it all in.
No signs of struggle.
No forced entry.
No hidden trace.
Just a life—
Interrupted.
They left shortly after.
The next house felt the same.
Different faces.
Same grief.
A mother this time.
"She doesn't talk to strangers," the older woman said firmly.
Ara nodded.
"We understand."
"She was careful," she added.
Kang Min glanced around the room.
Photos.
Books.
A routine life.
"Did she mention anyone recently?" he asked.
The mother shook her head.
"No."
Bong Soo checked the windows.
Locked.
Su Young moved quietly, scanning the space, noting details.
Nothing.
Again.
Room by room—
They searched.
Closet.
Desk.
Phone records.
Nothing stood out.
No messages.
No threats.
No unknown contacts.
Just ordinary lives.
And that was the problem.
Back outside—
Bong Soo exhaled.
"…this is frustrating."
Ara nodded slightly.
"They're all the same."
Kang Min spoke quietly.
"No connection."
Su Young added,
"No digital trace either."
A pause.
Bong Soo ran a hand through his hair.
"So how does he pick them?"
No one answered immediately.
Because that was the question.
They moved to the next location.
Same process.
Same questions.
Same outcome.
Nothing.
By the end of the day—
The pattern didn't change.
No shared background.
No shared contact.
No visible link.
Just victims.
Chosen.
For reasons they still didn't understand.
Back at the station—
The files were updated.
Each visit documented.
Each statement recorded.
But the result remained the same.
Ara leaned back slightly.
"We're missing something."
Su Young nodded.
"But it's not here."
Bong Soo sighed.
"Then where?"
Kang Min stood in front of the board again.
Looking at the victims.
Not their lives—
But their endings.
"They don't know him," he said.
A pause.
"But he knows them."
Silence followed.