Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 209

“What the hell is going on?”Detective Cha In-cheol spat out a curse.”Hey, hurry up!””The traffic is terrible.””Damn it, if we’re blaring the siren this much, they should move out of the way! Those bastards, should I just haul them all in?” Normally, he wouldn’t get this angry at people not clearing the road, but right now, Detective Cha In-cheol was ready to draw his gun and start shooting.He couldn’t help it.”Damn it, a serial killing? This isn’t the 80s!”Gu Young-don wanted to point out that the era had nothing to do with it, but one wrong word and he’d probably get punched. That’s how terrifying Cha In-cheol’s aura was.”Step on it, you punk!””Yes!”As the road cleared, Gu Young-don aggressively hit the gas. Inside the car, which shot forward like a bullet, Cha In-cheol ground his teeth.”Whoever the hell did this, I’ll kill them if I catch them.”The scene was already mostly under control.”…Did you preserve it well?””You’re here?””The body?””They’re recovering it now.””Okay.”As Cha In-cheol stepped inside the police line, a strange sight caught his eye. A young man was sitting on a curb, smoking a cigarette.”Who’s that?””That’s the person who reported it. He called right after finding it.””Is that so?”Cha In-cheol clicked his tongue.”He must be shocked.”It was dark, and if someone saw a corpse while walking down the street, they’d usually be scared out of their wits. Some first responders even developed trauma from such incidents and had to seek psychiatric treatment.”But there’s a bit of a problem.””Huh?””…It seems the witness knew the victim.””They knew each other?””Yes. He says she was a regular at his cafe.””Hmm…”Cha In-cheol approached and whispered.”Is it possible he’s the culprit?””It’s unlikely. He says he didn’t leave his cafe until closing time. It’s a bit far, and looking at the body, it wasn’t recent. The timing doesn’t match.””Is that so?”Cha In-cheol clicked his tongue.If someone found a dead acquaintance on their way home, they’d probably lose their appetite for a while. People don’t usually think about it, but death is something that terrifies people.Cha In-cheol glanced at the scene and approached Kang Jin-ho.”Hello.”Kang Jin-ho slowly raised his head, a cigarette still in his mouth.Cha In-cheol thought the young man’s eyes were incredibly fierce and put on a business smile.”You must be very shocked. I’m Detective Cha In-cheol from the Seocho Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit.””Yes.””You were the first to find it and report it?””Yes.””I’d like to ask you a few questions, would that be alright?”Kang Jin-ho slowly nodded.”When you first found it, were there any other people around?””No, there weren’t.””Not even in the distance?””No.””Hmm, I see. You said you knew the victim?””Yes.””Did you notice anything different about her usual behavior?””Different?””Yes. Anything particularly strange.”Kang Jin-ho shook his head.”I don’t know.”Cha In-cheol frowned at Kang Jin-ho’s seemingly cooperative yet uncooperative attitude.”You’re Kang Jin-ho, right?””Yes.””I know you’re in shock, but your words could determine whether we catch the culprit or not. So, please try to think a little harder, even if it’s difficult. Was there really nothing strange at all?””…No.”Cha In-cheol stared at Kang Jin-ho. On the surface, he seemed to be unable to speak due to the shock of seeing a corpse. It was a typical reaction from witnesses.”Okay, I understand. We need to take your statement, so you’ll have to come to the station with us.””To the police station?””Oh, don’t worry. We don’t think you’re the culprit, we just need your statement as a witness. It might be inconvenient, but please cooperate.””…Yes.”Kang Jin-ho replied and put another cigarette in his mouth.The cigarette butts on the ground made Cha In-cheol frown. Smoking was usually prohibited around crime scenes, but considering Kang Jin-ho’s state, he couldn’t stop him.”Someone get this man a blanket.””Yes!”Cha In-cheol turned away and stared at Kang Jin-ho. Gu Young-don approached him as he watched Kang Jin-ho, who was smoking with his head down.”Hey, Young-don.””Yes, sir.””Did you pull up that guy’s records?””Yes, I did.””What’s he like?””Sir, are you suspecting him? He’s clean. He even received a citizen bravery award before. Good education, solid background.””You know, kid, the real psychos don’t show it on the outside.”Gu Young-don waved his hand as if it was absurd.”You really suspect him? His alibi is perfect. Why are you doing this?””Young-don, do you trust me?””What are you talking about all of a sudden?”Cha In-cheol stared at Kang Jin-ho, who had his head down, and slowly opened his mouth.”That guy, he’s not human.””…Huh?”Cha In-cheol didn’t say anything more and put a cigarette in his mouth.’His eyes aren’t human.’You learn things doing this job.It’s a shitty job.In South Korea, over 300 people die from murder every year. Gu Young-don had seen at least 200 murderers since he started this job.Some of them were terrified after committing a murder on impulse, while others didn’t understand the severity of their actions and even got angry.But the ones that chilled you to the bone were the ones who showed no emotion. The ones who perfectly understood what they had done, and that it was a crime.Psychopaths?No.It wasn’t a mental illness. They weren’t unable to empathize, nor did they have mental issues, but they didn’t see killing a person as any different from wringing a chicken’s neck.Innate killers or humans who had their emotions cut off.At first, he didn’t know.But as he gained experience, he learned.That there was a separate category.Those who didn’t feel guilt from killing, the innate or acquired villains.’Usually, it’s someone like that.’The moment he saw the gloomy, rage-filled eyes, he knew.This guy was not normal.”A citizen bravery award? Good education?” Those things didn’t matter. Murderers didn’t walk around with ‘murderer’ written on their foreheads. When they caught serial killers, they often turned out to be normal young men from next door, or highly educated intellectuals with stable lives.The moment you put on colored glasses because of their background or career, you’re disqualified as an investigator.”I have a bad feeling.””No, sir. I’d usually at least pretend to listen if you said something like this, but this time, it’s really not him. He has an alibi that he was there until the store closed.””What if he fabricated it?””No. It’s a high-value area, so there are five CCTV cameras in front of the store. If he could manipulate them all at once, we wouldn’t be able to catch any murderer. We’d just have to let them get away with it.””…Is that so?”Was he wrong?Cha In-cheol couldn’t help but tilt his head.His gut was telling him that Kang Jin-ho was involved, but this time, the alibi was too solid.’Let’s think rationally.’Just because he was that kind of person didn’t mean he was necessarily the one who committed this crime.The world was wide, and there were many murderers.It was possible for a random murderer to commit a murder, and then another murderer to find it and report it to the police. It was the kind of thing that would make international news.Cha In-cheol stared at Kang Jin-ho.Kang Jin-ho, whether he knew Cha In-cheol was watching him or not, kept his head down and continued to smoke.’But why do I feel so uneasy?’He seemed to be calming himself down.But strangely, to Cha In-cheol, he looked like a powder keg about to explode.A massive powder keg that would swallow the whole world once it went off.Kang Ji-hwan, who had rushed over after hearing the news, was also being investigated. To be precise, he was being questioned as a witness who knew the victim’s whereabouts on that day.”We took pictures together during the day.””So, you didn’t hear where she was going after that?””She said she was busy. It seemed like she had an appointment.””I understand.”Kang Jin-ho calmly cooperated with the investigation.Kang Ji-hwan occasionally looked at him with a worried expression, wondering if he was too shocked.But since entering the police station, Kang Jin-ho hadn’t shown any difference from his usual self. He answered questions diligently and calmly recounted the circumstances of the discovery.’He must be in shock.’Kang Ji-hwan looked at Kang Jin-ho with pity.His son, though he didn’t show it, was a very sentimental person. There was no way he could be calm after seeing someone he knew in such a state.”Thank you for cooperating with the investigation. You can go home now. We may need to ask you for further cooperation, so please be available.””Okay.”As Kang Jin-ho stood up, Kang Ji-hwan put his arm around his shoulder.”Are you alright?””Yes.”Kang Jin-ho nodded.”Don’t worry.”Kang Ji-hwan sighed and patted Kang Jin-ho’s shoulder.”Let’s go.””Yes.”The two men walked towards the car parked in front of the police station. Kang Ji-hwan spoke in a slightly subdued voice, as if frustrated.”A murderer, how could something like this happen…? That bastard deserves to be punished by the heavens.”Kang Ji-hwan’s voice was trembling, as if he was also shocked.”They’ll catch him soon.””Yes, they have to! He’s the one who did that to that kind girl, they have to catch him and make him pay for his crimes!””They will.””…It’s a connection, but it’s heartbreaking.”Kang Ji-hwan sighed and patted Kang Jin-ho’s shoulder.”The detectives will investigate thoroughly. Let’s go now.””Yes, Father.”Kang Jin-ho and Kang Ji-hwan got into the car. Vroom.The car slowly started towards home with a low exhaust sound. Kang Jin-ho sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window.Since they were heading home, they inevitably had to pass by the crime scene. Kang Jin-ho stared at the chaotic scene with the police line, as if trying to burn the image into his mind.”I’ll definitely repay you when I get paid this time!”Her voice seemed to echo vividly in his ears. Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes. His hand on his thigh was trembling slightly.