“Oh, you’re here.”
Under the oak tree, Kim Gwang-jin, standing with one hand on his hip and one leg tilted, was the first to acknowledge the arrival of the task force.
At the back, JungYoon, who had been distributing nitrile gloves, hesitated for a moment.
It was because of her unpleasant feelings toward Manager Kim Gwang-jin, stemming from a past incident and memories of the original case.
Jeong-rok, who had just received gloves from JungYoon, seemed to notice and chuckled quietly.
His glance seemed to say, “No good will come from picking a fight.”
Clicking her tongue at his look, Jung Yoon glared at Gwang-jin once more, wondering if he’d change his attitude if she handed him some cash.
She clutched her thin wallet in her pocket and then let it go.
Turning away without a word, she ignored the muttering “Uh, um…” from behind and scanned the scene with her eyes.
The site had been numbered according to pieces of evidence, and markings indicated where footprints had been identified.
Around the corpse, people wearing forensic team vests were collecting evidence.
JungYoon headed directly toward the body.
As the Deokdong Police’s investigation team conversed with the forensics team, she stepped between them and began examining the head first.
The hair was a tangled mess, caked with dried blood.
Deep lines formed on her brow.
An autopsy would be needed to determine the exact cause of death, but based on the visible wounds and their placement, JungYoon concluded that it was similar to the 2000 Deokdong case.
She didn’t say it out loud, but it was possible.
“Have you found the weapon?”
“No. We’ve been searching the entire area, but haven’t found anything that could be the weapon. We are collecting anything that seems suspicious for now.”
“What about witnesses?”
“None.”
While Jung Yoon focused on the body, Jeong-rok approached Kim Gwang-jin.
Meanwhile, Jun-hyuk and Han-gyeol busied themselves collecting evidence with the forensic team.
“Where is the first witness?”
“A local resident. We sent them back after taking their statement at the station. We said we’d contact them if we needed more information.”
Manager Kim Gwang-jin appeared somewhat irritated by Jeong-rok’s question.
Jung Yoon, who was sharply observing the surroundings, clenched her jaw at his curt tone.
His displeased attitude, despite a new case unfolding, made her nearly lose her temper.
“Is there no trail here?”
“There’s one on the other side. This path is rarely used and only familiar to locals. Ever since a new trail opened over there, most people forgot this one existed. I’ve been here a few times myself, but didn’t know about this path.”
At the claim of not knowing, Jung Yoon suddenly stopped moving.
Gwang-jin, now a manager, had been part of the investigation team for that very case 20 years ago when he was a newly promoted officer.
So how could he say it was his first time here?
According to the incident report, over 100 personnel had combed this mountain during the investigation.
It wasn’t a large mountain, and there hadn’t been any new trails back then.
It made no sense that Gwang-jin had no knowledge of this path.
Not remembering would be one thing—but to say he never knew about it?
Troubled, Jung Yoon glanced around the site, then turned toward Gwang-jin.
But all she could see was the back of his head.
He was standing face-to-face with Jeong-rok, deep in conversation.
Suspicion gleamed in Jung Yoon’s eyes as she stared at the back of Gwang-jin’s head.
Noticing the gaze, Jeong-rok glanced toward her, rolling his eyes only.
Then, slowly, he blinked twice—deliberately, as if signaling her not to intervene.
The scene was quickly wrapped up.
Most objects of interest were collected, including blood spatters on trees and footprints.
As officers began to withdraw, Jung Yoon, who had been surveying the area, also began to move with the others.
“Over here! Team Leader! Inspector!”
It was Han-gyeol.
Raising his hand high, he waved urgently. Jun-hyuk, who had been examining markings on a post a bit further away, heard the call and rushed over.
So did Jeong-rok and Gwang-jin.
“These are bones, right?”
What Han-gyeol and another investigator had found while scouring the area for evidence were indeed bones.
Most were not intact but broken into fragments and scattered.
“They look human.”
“Seems like it…”
Jeong-rok leaned out from behind Jung Yoon’s back and replied with a deep sigh.
Jun-hyuk nodded as well.
Jung Yoon thought the same.
It would have to be confirmed by the National Forensic Service, but from the shape of the pelvic bones and such, it most likely belonged to a human.
“That’s everything?”
“We’ll search the area more thoroughly.”
“Forensics team, secure what’s already been found. Take photos. Mark this spot as well.”
After instructing the forensic team, Jun-hyuk moved with the investigation team.
As directed by the forensic crew, they calmly shifted their positions and continued to search for evidence.
“I know you’re all tired, but let’s move a little faster! There’s bound to be more nearby!”
Jeong-rok clapped his hands and shouted to those searching the area.
The investigators, now focused on him, gave loud affirmations and scattered to continue the search more busily.
After about an hour had passed, the back side of the mountain, just a bit away from where the body had been discovered, had been dug up like a beehive.
Exhausted, Hangyeol plopped down onto the clumped-up soil.
Jeongyoon, who had forgotten the last time he straightened his back, finally managed to lift his head.
Crack—a sound like bones realigning came from somewhere in his body. In the distance, Junhyeok and Jeongrok could be seen still digging with their shovels.
“Those two never seem to get tired.”
“That’s why people call them monsters. They’d probably keep going even if you told them to work until tomorrow.”
After a brief rest, Hangyeol stood up, brushing off his rear.
“I’m going to check further over there.”
“Okay. I’ll go this way…”
Jeongyoon stretched his arms while looking toward an upper area that hadn’t yet been disturbed.
There were still many places left unchecked.
After rolling his neck and taking a deep breath, Jeongyoon began walking.
Then, at that moment, a uniformed police officer standing in front of a large tree slightly to the left of Jeongyoon’s position raised his hand high.
“Over here!”
The area, previously filled with footsteps, sighs, the sound of digging, and wind, suddenly fell silent.
Backs that had been bent straightened up, and many men’s gazes gathered on the enthusiastic officer’s raised hand.
“We’ve found something!”
***
The autopsy being conducted by the National Forensic Service needed more time.
The investigation team at Deokdong Police Station decided to first check the forensic team’s reports as they came in.
“How likely do you think it is that this is the same perpetrator?”
Since there was still no solid evidence tying the case to the perpetrator from the previous incident, the special investigation team could only approach it in a cooperative capacity.
Initially, there had been pressure from the commissioner, and they couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that it was the same culprit as the past case, so the investigation team had initially been cooperative with the site investigation.
But as expected, once they returned, their attitude turned passive.
“We won’t know until we get the autopsy results, but the bones that were found don’t appear to be from a recent incident. They weren’t intact either.”
“I think the same. At least those bones aren’t from anything recent.”
“They are human bones, right?”
“The forensic team leader took one look and confirmed they were. Even to me, they didn’t look like animal bones.”
Gathered around a conference room table, the special investigation team members began chiming in one by one, starting with Jeongyoon.
“When do you think the results will come out?”
“They said it was submitted urgently, so probably soon.”
Hangyeol pulled up his sleeve to check the time.
“Detectives.”
As Jeongyoon flipped through the case report, he looked up at the sound of someone entering.
Jeongrok, who had been sitting next to him, followed his gaze.
At the end of their line of sight, a detective peeked in through the slightly ajar door.
“You’re needed. The results on the bones and evidence just came in.”
Waiting idly had been more tiring than moving around.
The special team quickly got up, glad to be summoned.
They were led to another meeting room that was twice the size of the one they had just left.
Already seated was the team chief, who had somehow arrived before them.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Since everyone’s gathered, let’s start with the bone analysis results.”
“Did anything come up?”
“Not much. Nothing significant, but there are marks on the bones that are similar to ones found on the body of Seo Junshim in the previous case. We haven’t found the skull yet, so we can’t determine the cause of death. They say it’s also hard to trace the time of death—there are just too many variables.”
As soon as the team sat down, a detective from Deokdong Station projected images onto a screen.
In response to Junhyeok’s question, he answered concisely, showing photos and explaining the location of the bones found at the site.
Though his voice was slightly raised, he spoke calmly about the details.
Then, he let out a deep sigh with a serious expression.
“But the gender of the bones we found…”
“The gender?”
“It’s male.”