Chapter 6: The Investigation Begins
The detective's office wasn't where Hana expected it to be.
Instead of a busy police station filled with ringing phones and officers rushing through hallways, the address led them to an aging building squeezed between a pharmacy and an abandoned bookstore.
The sign outside was faded.
Private Investigator's Office.
Nothing more.
Jungho frowned as they climbed the stairs.
"This place looks like it's falling apart."
"Maybe that's the point," Seojun replied.
The detective's office was on the third floor.
The door creaked open before Hana could knock.
"Come in."
The voice was calm.
Controlled.
The room was dimly lit. Curtains covered most of the windows. Shelves packed with files lined the walls.
And sitting behind a desk was the detective.
As always, his face remained hidden.
A dark mask covered the lower half of his features, while the room's shadows concealed the rest.
Only his eyes were visible.
Sharp.
Observant.
Watching.
"You came."
Hana sat first.
"We received a threat."
The detective held out a gloved hand.
Jungho handed him the letter.
He read it silently.
Not a single emotion crossed his eyes.
"I expected this."
Hana's stomach tightened.
"You expected it?"
"K doesn't like interference."
The detective placed the paper on his desk.
"They know you're moving closer."
Seojun folded his arms.
"Then help us move faster."
For a moment, the detective studied all three of them.
Then he opened a drawer and removed several files.
One by one, he placed them on the desk.
Class photographs.
Attendance records.
Student profiles.
Third-Year Class B.
"K's current hunting ground."
Hana stared at the photographs.
Twenty-eight students.
Twenty-eight possible victims.
"How do we get inside?" she asked.
The detective leaned back.
"I've already arranged it."
All three froze.
"You what?"
"An educational psychology project," he explained. "Temporary student placement. Observation and peer-support program."
Jungho narrowed his eyes.
"You arranged all that this quickly?"
The detective's gaze shifted to him.
"Do you want access or not?"
Jungho didn't answer.
The silence lingered.
Then Hana spoke.
"We'll do it."
The detective nodded.
"Good."
Something about the exchange bothered Jungho.
He couldn't explain why.
But every answer the detective gave felt... too convenient.
---
Three days later.
The gates of Daehan High School stood before them.
Students crowded the entrance.
Laughter echoed through the courtyard.
Groups formed and dissolved.
Life continued normally.
As if a dangerous organization wasn't hiding somewhere inside.
As if Joonseo had never existed.
Hana clenched her fists.
"We find the target."
Seojun nodded.
"We prevent another tragedy."
Jungho adjusted his bag.
"And we don't do anything stupid."
Hana smiled slightly.
"That last part might be difficult."
For the first time all morning, Jungho looked amused.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
---
The classroom fell silent when they entered.
Twenty-eight pairs of eyes turned toward them.
Whispers immediately followed.
"Who are they?"
"Transfers?"
"That guy is handsome."
"They look weird."
The teacher introduced them briefly.
Then directed them toward empty desks.
The whispers continued.
Hana ignored them.
She had experienced worse.
Much worse.
The first few hours passed quietly.
The trio observed.
Everything.
The student who never spoke.
The student who controlled every conversation.
The class clown.
The perfectionist.
The athlete.
The loner.
Everyone.
During lunch, they gathered beneath a tree near the sports field.
Hana spread her notes across the bench.
"Everyone seems normal."
"That's exactly why this is difficult," Jungho said.
"K doesn't target obvious victims."
Seojun nodded.
"They target vulnerabilities."
Before they could continue, a voice interrupted.
"Hey."
A group of boys approached.
Three of them.
Confident.
Arrogant.
The type who thought popularity made them untouchable.
One of them kicked the bench.
"You three think you're special?"
Hana sighed.
Already?
The boy smirked.
"Heard you're some kind of investigation team."
"Interesting rumor," Jungho replied.
The boy leaned closer.
"Maybe mind your own business."
Seojun looked up slowly.
The boy immediately lost some confidence.
There was something unsettling about Seojun's stare.
Cold.
Measured.
Like he was calculating probabilities.
Not emotions.
"Are you finished?" Seojun asked.
The boy blinked.
"What?"
"Your performance."
The other students nearby started laughing.
The bully's face reddened.
Jungho stood.
Not aggressively.
Just enough.
"You know," he said calmly, "people usually become bullies for one of two reasons."
The boy crossed his arms.
"And what's that?"
"Insecurity."
A few students snorted.
"Or stupidity."
The laughter became louder.
The bully's friends were laughing too now.
At him.
His face darkened.
"Whatever."
The group quickly retreated.
Hana watched them leave.
Joonseo would have been cornered.
Mocked.
Destroyed.
But not today.
Not anymore.
"Think they'll bother anyone else?" Hana asked.
Jungho shrugged.
"Probably."
Seojun closed his notebook.
"Less than before."
---
That evening they reviewed their observations.
The detective listened carefully.
Almost too carefully.
Every detail interested him.
Every suspicion.
Every theory.
Eventually Hana pointed at a student photo.
A quiet girl named Minji.
"She's isolated."
The detective nodded.
"Interesting."
"Her friends stopped speaking to her recently," Hana continued.
"Very interesting."
Jungho noticed something.
The detective seemed pleased.
Not concerned.
Pleased.
As though Hana was confirming something.
The feeling unsettled him.
But before he could say anything, the detective stood.
"You've made excellent progress."
Seojun smiled slightly.
The detective placed a hand on his shoulder.
A simple gesture.
Almost fatherly.
"We'll stop this."
For a brief moment, something softened in Seojun's expression.
Something vulnerable.
The detective noticed.
And smiled beneath the shadows.
Jungho noticed that too.
And for the first time, a thought crossed his mind.
What if we're trusting the wrong person?
Outside, hidden somewhere beyond the city lights, another member of K watched new information arrive on a screen.
Three names.
Three photographs.
One mission.
The game had entered its next stage.