Shin Haesu grabbed Im Gi-seong’s face with one hand and dragged him along, tearing off the polka-dot curtain lying on the floor as he went.

Thud—!

He threw the man into the bathroom and covered him with the curtain. At the same time, he swung his tightly clenched fist.

Thud! Thud, thud!!

He didn’t know where his punches were landing. As he kept striking downward, the man sprawled on the floor, taking punch after punch without a moment’s pause.

The curtain was turning red. There were no more groans, no more screams. A fleeting thought crossed Haesu’s mind that at this rate, Im Gi-seong might die. But he couldn’t stop.

“Hhngh…”

At that moment, just as he momentarily halted his fist, a sob—different from Im Gi-seong’s—pierced Haesu’s ears.

Only then did Haesu regain his senses and turn around to see the victim.

Bang, bang, bang

The sound of someone knocking on the door echoed. When Haesu opened it, he saw the youngest standing in a stance ready to break it down.

“You called an ambulance, right?”

“Yes, senior. It should arrive soon.”

Haesu had instructed them to call 119 in advance before he entered.

He wiped his bloodied hands roughly on his pants and took off his detective’s jacket, approaching the woman. She flinched slightly and withdrew a little before stopping.

“Police. Ms. Kim Se-yeong, you’re safe now.”

Even at a glance, he could see her trembling. It was understandable. Haesu had briefly experienced the terror she felt, so he could somewhat comprehend.

The youngest went into the bathroom, pulled away the curtain, and checked if the blood-soaked Im Gi-seong was still alive.

“Hey, this bastard was wearing a wig.”

As he moved the curtain, the disheveled wig slipped off, revealing a severely balding head with three patches missing.

After confirming the man was still breathing, the youngest cuffed his wrists.

“Im Gi-seong, you are under arrest for attempted murder. You have the right to an attorney and the opportunity to defend yourself.”

Im Gi-seong, the perverted serial killer who brutally murdered six people and cut off their fingers, was finally arrested after ten months.

“Ah, for fuck’s sake…”

The Violent Crimes Unit chief grimaced as he answered a call.

“What is it? Don’t tell me…”

“That ‘don’t tell me’ is exactly what it is. The hair found at the crime scene doesn’t match Im Gi-seong’s DNA. Not even his wig’s.”

“Shit…”

Although he was caught in the act of attempted murder, there was a lack of solid evidence to convict him for the previous murders. There were the Mango Market transaction records and his leaves of absence, but they weren’t decisive.

“Damn it, where the hell did he hide the fingers?”

The chief, frustrated, tossed his phone onto the couch.

Since Haesu had beaten him to a pulp, Im Gi-seong was in a coma and couldn’t be interrogated.

Profiler Yang Ji-eun tapped her tablet pen against the table and muttered.

“If he kept them that close even in the military, then they should definitely be at his home. But no matter how much we search, we can’t find them…”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

As Haesu agreed, Yang Ji-eun pointed her pen at him and continued.

“Right? Collectors always keep their prized possessions somewhere they can see them often, even if they don’t touch them. In the place they spend the most time.”

As Haesu listened, something suddenly clicked in his mind.

“The place he spends the most time in?”

“Yes? Yeah, exactly.”

Haesu suddenly stood up and smacked the youngest, who was eating ramen, on the back.

Smack—

“Ack!”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir!”

The youngest quickly spat out the noodles he was chewing and grabbed the car keys. Yang Ji-eun looked at him with pity.

“At least let him finish his ramen…”

The place Haesu took the youngest to was Im Gi-seong’s workplace.

“We’re from the Violent Crimes Unit. Where is Im Gi-seong’s desk?”

“Ah, over there, in the far corner.”

A desk and a set of drawers were pushed away into a corner, untouched in case investigators came.

Haesu immediately searched the drawers. The largest one at the bottom was locked. No need for a key.

Crack!

Without hesitation, he gripped the lock tightly and tore it off. But even after opening it, nothing was inside.

“Should we break open the whole drawer?”

“Obviously.”

Haesu and the youngest completely removed the drawer. Then, something inside the hidden space between the drawer and the cabinet caught the light.

“Holy shit…”

It was a glass case with gold trim.

Inside, neatly arranged like a collector’s display, were fingers. They had been carefully washed, preserved, and arranged immaculately—no rot, no smell, just pristine remains.

There were seven small, square glass cases. Six of them were filled.

“W-what the hell…”

“H-holy… What is that…”

“Damn it, I remember seeing Im Gi-seong carrying those cases… gives me chills.”

“This guy is a fucking lunatic…”

As office workers gathered and gasped in shock, Haesu quickly took off his outer shirt and covered the cases.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, senior.”

As they got into the car, Haesu radioed in.

“We found the victims’ fingers at his workplace. Six in total.”

-“Oh, hell yeah! That’s our assault specialist!”

-“Nice job, Detective Shin!”

-“Good work, youngest too!”

Back at headquarters, they handed the fingers over to forensics. The chief handed Haesu a cup of coffee.

“By the way, how did you find that address back then?”

The youngest stiffened and averted his gaze. Haesu chuckled and answered.

“I had someone at Mango Market look into it.”

“Really? You got connections, huh. Either way, you and the youngest really did everything this case.”

“Not at all.”

“Hahaha, fine, fine. Good job, everyone! Great work, Oh Gang-seok, and the Violent Crimes Unit too!”

-“Why are we just ‘the rest of the unit’…”

The team grumbled but smiled nonetheless.

Thinking about the chief’s question, Haesu called Jung Yeong-su. The moment the ringtone sounded, Yeong-su picked up.

-“Wait, I was helping catch a serial killer?”

His voice was fast and filled with excitement.

“Yeah.”

-“Holy crap, I played a huge role?”

“You saved a life.”

-“Chills…”

“Still, this isn’t something you should normally do.”

-“Then why did you ask me?”

“Only do it when I ask. So, how much should I pay you?”

-“Nah, it’s fine. It was for a good cause.”

“Alright.”

-“Hey, aren’t you supposed to ask twice? If you really insist, maybe… 20?”

“Fine. Good work. But don’t do this kind of thing outside of my requests. Even if they offer a lot of money. If I catch you, it’ll hurt.”

“Yes, yes, I got it. I’ve come to my senses too. Don’t worry.”

Haesu transferred 400,000 won to him. In his heart, he wanted to give him ten times that amount for saving a life, but the fact that he was still young held him back.

It was confirmed that all the fingers matched the victims’ DNA, and a massive headline broke out, announcing that the serial killer Im Gi-seong had been apprehended by the Gwangsu Unit.

[Serial Killer Who Terrorized Gyeonggi Province, Captured!] [Gyeonggi Gwangsu Unit Arrests Serial Killer Im Gi-seong!] [Serial Killer Im Gi-seong Shockingly Kept Victims' Fingers as Decorations—]

┗ Holy shit, what a freak

┗ Execute him, execution, execution, execution!

┗ Cut off his damn fingers, put ointment on them, let them grow back, then cut them off again and repeat

┗ The Gwangsu Unit is seriously incompetent. How many victims are there?

┗ The article says the Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit joined from the sixth victim. Aren’t they the ones who cracked the Red Moon Gate case? They’re seriously skilled. The moment they joined, the case was solved, lol.

┗ Whatever the case, the police caught him in the end. Go, Korean police!

┗ The comment above is definitely from a cop.

┗ Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit deserves a reward! Promote them!

┗ Promote the detective who put Im Gi-seong in a coma!

┗ People keep yelling about promotions. Red Moon was just recent; you think they’ll promote someone again so soon?

The case of a serial killer who murdered six people and displayed their fingers as trophies was as shocking as it was sensational, and public interest was at its peak.

The commissioner of the Southern Gyeonggi Police Department even held a press conference, where the Gwangsu Unit team leader and the Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit leader briefed the journalists.

At the back of the press conference room, detectives from both the Gwangsu Unit and Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit, dressed in uniform, lined up and checked each other’s appearances.

“Damn, I’m so nervous I might die.”

“Why the hell did they have to hold a press conference…”

Oh Kang-seok muttered as he sweated profusely. His usual personality didn’t suggest he’d get nervous, but apparently, standing in front of a crowd was another matter.

“Detectives, please come in.”

At those words, the team leader raised his hand and shouted.

“Yes! Yes, the detectives are coming!”

“Ah, come on, hyungnim.”

Click-click-click-click-click!

The moment the detectives appeared, camera flashes exploded wildly.

Once everyone was seated, the Gwangsu Unit team leader, positioned in the center, began briefing on the case.

“Uh… This serial murder case first occurred on September 11th of last year…”

When the briefing ended, the expected flood of questions came pouring in.

“Is it true that the sluggish investigation took a turn after the Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit joined?”

“Detective Shin Haesu and Officer Woo Kang-chul, who arrested the suspect, are also from the Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit, correct?”

“There’s a lot of talk that these murders were a result of police failure in the initial investigation. Is that true?”

“The suspect has been caught, but the Gwangsu Unit is being criticized as incompetent. There are even rumors of its dissolution. What are your thoughts?”

The Gwangsu Unit team leader silently listened before picking up the microphone.

“Yes, as you said, thanks to the Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit’s involvement—”

BANG!

At that moment, Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit Team Leader Gwak Soo-cheol slammed the table hard. Then, with a deep scowl, he brought the microphone closer.

“Ahem. The suspect was caught… together. Without the foundation laid by the Gwangsu Unit’s investigation, we wouldn’t have caught him. Is the only police officer the one who scores the goal? The goalkeeper, the defenders, and the one who made the pass are all police officers too. That’s all I have to say.”

The team leader abruptly stood up. Seeing that, Haesu, Oh Kang-seok, and youngest instinctively shot up as well and exited the press conference room.

The Gwangsu Unit members hesitated for a moment, but seeing their team leader get up, they all followed suit and left.

“Hyungnim, did you get scolded a lot?”

“Scolded for what? I told the truth. Those journalists always just want to trash the police. I was feeling good about catching the suspect, and they completely ruined my mood.”

Haesu nodded in agreement.

“It’s an inevitable phenomenon. Sensational and negative articles get way more clicks than heartwarming ones.”

“Well, at least my kids were happy to see their dad on TV.”

“The only clip going viral is the one where you lost your temper.”

“They like that too.”

The Gangjin Violent Crimes Unit and the Gwangsu Unit both received a monetary reward and a team commendation.

Unlike the Violent Crimes Unit, who had recently received a rank increase, the Gwangsu Unit had been hoping for a promotion, but none came. However, they weren’t disappointed.

After a short farewell party with the Gwangsu Unit, the Violent Crimes Unit bid them goodbye.

“Thank you for all your hard work. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“No, no, don’t say that. You guys worked just as hard.”

“Those musclehead detectives over there, good job too.”

Instead of responding, Oh Kang-seok flexed his bicep, making it bulge. Seeing that, youngest quickly joined in with the same pose, and Haesu followed by flexing both arms.

“Huh…”

One of the muscular detectives from the Gwangsu Unit responded by tightening his pecs in return.

On the way back to Gangjin City, Haesu rode separately on his motorcycle. He got a call from Oh Kang-seok.

“Yes.”

- “Hey, Haesu, the farewell party ended early. Want to come over? youngest and Hyungnim already agreed.”

“Understood. Send me the address.”

Oh Kang-seok’s house was a typical apartment.

When he entered with his teammates, his wife and children greeted him.

“Daddy’s home!!”

“Daddy, daddy, daddy!”

“Ah, my babies!”

Two tiny children, a boy and a girl, no taller than Oh Kang-seok’s waist, came running and threw themselves into his arms. The boy was six, the girl was four.

Oh Kang-seok lifted them up effortlessly and introduced his teammates.

“These are Daddy’s colleagues.”

“Hello? Juho, Jueun?”

youngest smiled brightly and waved, having memorized their names beforehand to sound as friendly as possible.

“WAAAHH!!”

“WAAAHH!!”

But the moment the siblings saw him, they burst into terrified wails. Oh Kang-seok quickly rushed them into the living room.

“Juho, Jueun, these are Daddy’s friends, friends. Don’t be scared. They’re police officers who protect people.”

“Like Daddy?”

“Yes, just like Daddy.”

youngest stood frozen at the entrance. Haesu nudged him with his elbow before turning to the kids.

“Hi there~ I’m a police officer who catches bad guys!”

“WAAAHHH!!”

“TOO SCARY!”

“The kids really take after Oh Kang-seok, their cries are so powerful.”

“Haesu, that’s only a compliment for newborns.”

“I see.”

In the end, Oh Kang-seok’s wife had to take the children to another room.