The deeper you go—
The harder it is to come back.
Kang Ha Eun sat alone, her laptop casting a soft glow across her face.
The newsroom was long behind her.
Now—
It was just her.
And the case.
Ghost Eyes.
Files spread across her screen.
Victim names.
Locations.
Timelines.
She scrolled slowly.
Carefully.
"No connection…" she murmured.
Different ages.
Different jobs.
Different lives.
Nothing tied them together.
But something had to.
She leaned back slightly, thinking.
Then leaned forward again.
"If it's not them…"
Her fingers paused over the keyboard.
"…then it's something around them."
Locations.
She pulled up the map again.
Zoomed in.
Out.
Then in again.
Same conclusion.
Same frustration.
"…what am I missing?"
She stared at the screen longer.
Too long.
But she didn't stop.
Because she couldn't.
That night—
The apartment was warm.
Filled with the sound of something cooking.
Kang Min stood in the kitchen, focused, moving quietly as he prepared dinner.
The door opened.
Ji Won stepped in, dropping her bag carelessly.
"I'm back."
Kang Min glanced slightly.
"You're late."
"I was with a friend."
He nodded once.
"Wash your hands."
She walked past him.
"Okay."
A few minutes later—
They sat at the table.
Ji Won picked at her food for a moment before speaking.
"…she came to school today."
Kang Min didn't look up.
"Who?"
Ji Won gave him a look.
"You know who."
A pause.
Seo Eun Sang.
Kang Min's hand stilled briefly.
Then continued.
"What did she want?"
Ji Won exhaled.
"There was a meeting. Parents, school management… all that."
He listened.
Quiet.
"She suggested I join some academic competition," Ji Won continued.
Kang Min looked up slightly.
"And?"
"I said no."
A small pause.
"She didn't like that," Ji Won added.
Kang Min expected that.
"She never does."
Ji Won leaned back slightly.
"She acts like everything has to be perfect."
Kang Min didn't respond immediately.
Then—
"I'll talk to the school."
Ji Won looked at him.
"You don't have to."
"I know."
A pause.
"But I will."
She watched him for a second.
Then nodded slightly.
"…okay."
The conversation ended there.
Simple.
Quiet.
But it mattered.
Later that night—
Kang Min stood by the sink, finishing up.
His phone rang.
He picked it up.
"Su Young."
"I found something," her voice came through.
A pause.
"What is it?" he asked.
"…I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "But you should come."
That was enough.
"I'm on my way."
The station was already lit when he arrived.
Ara was there.
Bong Soo too.
Su Young stood by her laptop, focused.
"You're here," Ara said.
"What did you find?" Kang Min asked.
Su Young turned the screen toward them.
"I cross-checked the victim locations again," she said.
"Then I ran a deeper analysis on nearby structures—businesses, CCTV ranges, movement flow…"
She paused.
"There's a pattern in proximity."
They leaned in slightly.
"These locations…" she pointed, "they all fall within a certain range of older buildings with limited surveillance coverage."
Bong Soo frowned.
"So he avoids cameras?"
"Not exactly," Su Young said. "He moves through areas where tracking becomes inconsistent."
Ara nodded slowly.
"That would give him more control."
Kang Min's eyes stayed on the screen.
"…but?" he asked.
Su Young exhaled.
"I tried narrowing it down further."
She clicked again.
The screen filled with multiple overlapping zones.
Too many.
"…and it leads to this," she said.
Silence.
Bong Soo blinked.
"…that's a lot."
"Too much," Ara added.
Kang Min didn't move.
The pattern was there.
But it wasn't enough.
Not precise.
Not usable.
"…we can't isolate him with this," Ara said.
Su Young nodded slightly.
"I know."
A quiet frustration settled in the room.
They were close.
But not close enough.
Kang Min straightened slowly.
"Keep it," he said.
Ara looked at him.
"It's something," he added.
A pause.
Even if it wasn't enough—
Yet.