Ko Su-jeong was currently remarried and living with another man.

At the apartment where she resided, the Violent Crimes Unit 1 found her in the underground parking lot.

“Ms. Ko Su-jeong, you are under emergency arrest for the murder of Mr. Kim Gocheong. You have the right to remain silent, the right to refuse statements that could be used against you, and the right to an attorney.”

Ko Su-jeong, looking genuinely incredulous, calmly denied it.

“It wasn’t me. I was the victim.”

“Let’s discuss that at the station.”

“My husband is upstairs. Can I bring him down?”

“Get in.”

As Ko Su-jeong got into the car, Haesu turned around and asked the rookie, “Did you get it?”

“It was a little shaky.”

“It’s fine.”

The rookie showed Haesu the phone. Although slightly shaky, it captured Ko Su-jeong clearly. Haesu immediately sent the video and called Ahn Seo-eun.

“I sent you the arrest footage of Ko Su-jeong as well.”

- “Yes, I saw it. This will actually work in our favor. It’s bound to be sensational.”

“If she committed the crime, she should pay for it. I don’t care about the means.”

- “That’s exactly why I chose you, Haesu. So I should prepare it for broadcast after the first trial, correct?”

“Yes. The content will depend on the verdict.”

- “Understood. Don’t worry.”

“You trust me even though the trial hasn’t concluded yet?”

If she were acquitted, or if someone else came forward as the real culprit, it would be a huge gamble that could backfire on the broadcasting station, Daeseong, and even Haesu and the Violent Crimes Unit 1.

But Ahn Seo-eun followed Haesu’s request without hesitation.

- “If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have made that offer at the convenience store before.”

“…Understood.”

Ko Su-jeong came from a wealthy family. Less than three hours after her arrest, three highly competent law firm attorneys were stationed at her side.

“I didn’t kill him. I was sexually assaulted.”

She repeated the same words like a parrot.

At the first trial, she continued to deny the crime. When confronted with the fact that her husband’s blood was found in the pension bathroom, she changed her statement.

“He tried to rape me, so I stabbed him with a knife, but I didn’t kill him. He was only slightly injured. That must be where the blood came from.”

Brazen lies—and the judge’s ruling.

“While circumstantial evidence exists, it is difficult to conclude that this was premeditated murder, and the evidence is insufficient. I pronounce a verdict of not guilty.”

Bang, bang, bang.

“W-what?”

“What kind of insanity—!!”

The members of Unit 1 who attended the trial, along with the victim Kim Gocheong’s younger brother, were devastated by the ruling.

Meanwhile, Ko Su-jeong abruptly stood up and gave a deep bow to the judge. When she straightened up, she was grinning from ear to ear.

“Thank you! Thank you so much.”

Oh Gaeng trembled with rage at her shamelessness.

Upon hearing the not guilty verdict, Haesu immediately called Ahn Seo-eun.

“She was acquitted. Get the broadcast ready.”

- “This is insane. The evidence and circumstances are overwhelming…”

It was the first time he heard such emotion in her voice.

- “Don’t worry. Once the broadcast airs, the whole country will be talking about Ko Su-jeong.”

“I trust you.”

A few days later, a documentary program covering real crimes and crime suspicions aired.

[This is ‘We Know the Truth.’ I’m your host, Kim Joongang. Today, with the cooperation of the police, we will be covering an ongoing case. A father vanished without a trace.]

The program showed detailed photos and footage provided by Haesu, stirring the audience’s anger and emotions.

[A father who just wanted to see his child was mercilessly trampled upon. Traces of sleeping pills were found in the child’s hair—what does that mean in the context of that day’s ‘paint play’? Was what Ko discarded from the boat really just trash?]

The host paused momentarily, drawing the viewers' attention before continuing.

[This case was ruled not guilty due to lack of evidence, as no body was found. But if the verdict is correct, then where did Mr. Kim go? As a father myself, I can only feel sorrow. The second trial is approaching. Your interest can support a just verdict.]

As always, the host ended the broadcast by posing a question to the viewers.

Although the faces of the victim and the suspect were blurred to protect their identities, the broadcast was more than enough to incite public outrage.

There was no need to wait until the next day. That very night, the internet exploded. A national petition was launched, and links to the case flooded countless online communities.

[Tonight’s episode of ‘We Know the Truth’—perfect circumstantial evidence, but not guilty?]

┗ Whoa, what the hell is this?

┗ If there’s no body, it’s a perfect crime. Not guilty.

┗ Bang bang bang—Not guilty.

┗ Recruiting party members to take down Ko.

┗ Damn… I teared up when he sang in the car.

┗ They’re letting a monster like this walk free?

┗ This is insane. That judge is a bastard!

┗ Someone check if they were bribed.

Gangjin Police Station, Violent Crimes Unit 1.

Unlike the internet, which was in an uproar, the atmosphere in the office was like a funeral.

Even with public support, it was rare for a not guilty verdict to be overturned after the first trial.

Ko Su-jeong had already filed defamation lawsuits against the broadcasting station, the police, and reporters.

The team leader looked gloomy but, being the eldest among them, was the first to pull himself together and rally the others.

“Come on, guys. Get it together. This case is out of our hands now. We did our best, didn’t we? There are plenty of other bastards to catch. Let’s get back to work.”

“Yes, sir…”

At that moment, the rookie shot up from his seat.

“No, this won’t do. We need to find the body.”

“And where do you plan to find it?”

“The ocean!”

“You’re insane.”

“I’m going!”

“Hey, hey, where are you going?!”

Before anyone could stop him, the rookie grabbed the car keys and dashed out. Haesu immediately stood up as well.

“Alright, Shin-dol, go after him.”

“I’m going too.”

“What?”

Unable to give up on the case, Haesu and the rookie set off for Haenam, holding onto a sliver of hope that the body might have drifted ashore.

After a grueling search, they returned looking like beggars.

“Sigh, looking at you two, I can’t even scold you for skipping work all day. Come on, eat some ramen.”

They devoured their ramen in silence. But Haesu was still fixated on the case.

“Why did she kill her husband?”

Since she persistently denied the crime, they could only speculate about her motive based on her behavior during interrogation.

Oh Gaeng, who had handled the interrogation, muttered.

“She kept saying he kept calling, asking to see the child, and it annoyed her. Her current life had to be perfect, but she saw her ex-husband as an intrusion.”

The team leader added,

“There was a fierce custody battle. In the end, the court sided with the mother, so Ko Su-jeong took the child. But then she left the kid with her parents and didn’t even look after them. She didn’t want the child—she just took them to spite the father.”

“She’s a complete lunatic.”

“Was that really all it was? Just because there couldn’t be any obstacles in her life…”

As Haesu quietly speculated about her psyche, his world suddenly turned black.

Clatter, clatter.

A plate of curry came into view. A luxurious dining table was visible, as well as small hands scraping the plate with a child's spoon.

“What’s wrong? Does it taste bad?”

The gaze shifted. At the end of it, Ko Su-jeong was smiling kindly. Her new husband was also there, scolding the owner of the gaze.

“Jeongmin, you need to answer.”

“It’s… delicious.”

At Jeongmin’s response, Ko Su-jeong smiled and said,

“Good, finish it all. Don’t leave any behind.”

But her eyes weren’t smiling.

Not long after, his eyelids grew heavier.

“Dad, I’m sleepy.”

“Really? Dad’s feeling a little drowsy too. Let’s sleep early tonight.”

With those words, his vision went completely dark. A little later, he suddenly found himself gasping for air.

Even though his eyes were open, he couldn’t see anything. Something was tightly covering his face.

Mmmph! Mmmph!

He struggled, but he couldn’t overpower the force pressing down on him.

Then, he heard Ko Su-jeong’s voice. Small but distinct, like an ASMR whisper.

“Die, die, die, die, die, die.”

Gasp—!

“Senior! Senior!?”

Haesu was slumped in his chair, eyes rolled back, his body convulsing before he suddenly jolted upright.

“Haa… haah… haah…”

He gasped for breath and locked eyes with the team leader. The team leader flinched and leaned back.

“What the— Why are you suddenly so scary?”

Judging by the time and surroundings, no time had passed at all. This wasn’t just a dream. It was the victim’s perspective, though it had never happened to him this way before.

“Ko Su-jeong’s new husband—does he have a child?”

“Y-yeah, a ten-year-old… I think his name was Jeongmin…”

The name matched the one he had heard in his vision. Haesu shot up from his seat.

“Her ex-husband isn’t the only obstacle in her perfect life.”

“What do you mean? Don’t tell me…”

As the meaning of Haesu’s words—bringing up the child only to refer to him as an obstacle—slowly dawned on the other team members, Haesu was already rushing out of the office.

“Hey, hey, follow him! His eyes looked like he was about to kill someone!”

At the team leader’s shout, the rest of the team hurried after him.

Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!

Ko Su-jeong’s apartment.

No matter how hard they pounded on the door, she wouldn’t open it. Haesu kicked the door lock sideways, breaking it open.

Inside, in the master bedroom, her husband lay sleeping like the dead despite all the noise. Next to him, Ko Su-jeong was straddling the child, pressing a pillow over his face.

She had completely lost her sanity, shrieking without even turning to look at Haesu.

“Die, die, just die already!”

Haesu dashed forward and kicked her body away.

Thud!

“Kyaaah!”

After knocking her aside, he placed a hand on the child’s nose. He wasn’t breathing. Immediately, Haesu started CPR.

“Kyaaaah!”

At that moment, Ko Su-jeong grabbed a kitchen knife and swung it at Haesu’s throat. He turned and deflected the blade with his bare hand.

Clang!

Then, he seized Ko Su-jeong by the throat with one hand and slammed her into the floor.

Crash!

There was no time to worry about whether she’d survive or about showing mercy just because she was a woman.

With that one strike, she hit her head hard on the ground and lost consciousness.

Without sparing her another glance, Haesu resumed CPR on the child. Moments later, detectives swarmed in, checked the child's condition, and quickly grabbed their phones.

“Yes, the child isn't breathing. CPR is in progress. The address is…”

By some miracle, the child survived. Shin Haesu had been on edge, even as he performed CPR, fearing the worst.

But when the paramedics arrived, the child started breathing again. He received oxygen in time to prevent any brain damage.

Ko Su-jeong was arrested at the scene for attempted premeditated murder.

Moreover, a separate investigation revealed that the judge who had acquitted her had taken a bribe to deliver the not-guilty verdict.

“The defendant, Ko Su-jeong, is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, corpse mutilation, corpse concealment, attempted murder, and bribery.”

Bam, bam, bam—

As the judge announced the verdict, the victim Kim Gocheong’s younger sibling shot to their feet, tears streaming down their face.

“Hhk…”

Shin Haesu, attending as a representative of the 1st Violent Crimes Unit, silently patted their shoulder.

He couldn’t bring himself to say, “At least she’s being punished.” No words could console someone who had lost family. He only felt sorry that they had found nothing more than a three-centimeter bone fragment.

Leaving the courthouse, Haesu immediately called Ahn Seo-eun.

- “Ahn Seo-eun speaking.”

“Thank you for your help with this case.”

- “Sounds like the trial went well?”

“She was sentenced to life.”

- “Shame it wasn’t the death penalty.”

The way she spoke those chilling words in such a calm, gentle voice was oddly eerie.

- “The team at ‘Unanswered Questions’ wanted me to thank you. The rerun had record-breaking ratings. The documentary director even asked to meet you.”

“Please decline politely. Unless it’s for an arrest, I avoid meeting important people.”

At Haesu’s not-quite-joke, Ahn Seo-eun let out a quiet laugh.

- “I figured you’d say that. You’re consistent as always.”

“I’ll be counting on you in the future.”

- “It’s me who should be saying that. I’ll be counting on you.”

Leaving work early in a good mood, Haesu headed home.

From a distance, he spotted Haru coming out, wearing a tracksuit with the hood pulled low. She was carrying bags of recyclables in both hands.

Since he hadn’t been home in days, he had worried about her and called often, but she was managing surprisingly well.

These days, she even bought simple food at convenience stores and took out the trash.

Just as he was about to approach and help with the recycling, a voice called out.

“Hey, lady, come here.”

Four female students were crouched in the corner of the recycling station, smoking cigarettes.

Curious how Haru would handle this, Haesu stopped walking and hid behind a utility pole to observe.

Haru pointed at herself and mouthed, ‘Me?’

“Yeah, you. Who else is here?”

As Haru stepped closer, one of the girls stood up and looked her up and down.

“Damn, you’re tall. Hey, lady, we’re short on cash. Buy us a pack of cigarettes from the convenience store, will you?”

Haru’s brow furrowed slightly. If she didn’t want to kill them, she needed to handle this differently.

Expressionless, she softly murmured something.

“…Shall I give it to you?”

“Huh? The hell did you just say?”

One of the girls leaned in, bringing her ear close to Haru’s lips.

Haru whispered, her voice small but crystal clear.

“Shall I… cut your throat?”