AGENT 28

[The two months since the death of Ahn Youngmin, the Gucheon City serial killer who plunged the entire nation into terror, have already passed. Serial killer Ahn Youngmin was raised in an orphanage in Seo-gu, Gucheon City, and was adopted at the age of three—]

“Tell them to change the TV to something else. How is Yongnae supposed to eat with that on?”

At the Section Chief’s words, Dawon, who had been diligently working his spoon, immediately raised his hand and shouted.

“Auntie! Please turn the TV to something else!”

“The remote is in front of the register!”

Dawon, who had a loud voice, made the request without even looking at the restaurant auntie, but the response from her was that she was busy, so he should turn it off himself.

“Yongnae. Go get the remote.”

In the end, Yongnae, who was sitting in the outermost seat, stopped eating under Dawon’s direction and headed to the counter to get the remote. Originally, the Section Chief’s instruction was to change the screen because he thought it would be uncomfortable, but in the end, it was the body, not the eyes watching the news, that became more uncomfortable.

[Joe Minwoo, known as the last victim, has caused an even greater shock as he was revealed to be the youngest son of Representative Joe Byung-hyun, who resided in the same neighborhood.]

No. Even so, the eyes were indeed the part that was more uncomfortable. Yongnae stopped on his way to get the remote and stood still, staring silently at the face of the killer disclosed on the left and the pixelated face of the last victim appearing on the right.

Killer and victim.

Victim and killer.

“…”

Although it was pixelated, Yongnae could tell. That person on the right, appearing now as the last victim. That person was the one. The true culprit of the Gucheon City serial murders.

The whole world was currently being deceived. The face of a person Yongnae had never even seen was being shown as the culprit of the Gucheon City serial murders, and the true culprit was being presented disguised as the last victim.

When he first encountered this news, Yongnae had fallen into a panic and could do nothing.

But even now, he could do nothing.

“Are you performing a memorial service standing there? Hurry up and come eat.”

“Ah, yes…”

Yongnae picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

Many things had happened over the two months.

Since the injury to his head was not severe, Yongnae was able to be discharged a week later; however, the research institute, worried about post-traumatic stress disorder, told him to rest more, so he was able to rest for three more weeks as paid sick leave. Consequently, Yongnae was able to avoid going to work at the institute for a total of over a month, and that month was a painful one, the likes of which would never occur again in his life.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he dreamed of the man, and whenever he closed his eyes, he heard the man’s voice. But this was not the painful part. What was painful for Yongnae was—

‘Seeing as they just threw you away along with the corpse, you’ve outlived your usefulness.’

‘Did you think there would be something more if you saw him again?’

‘Weizhen said it back then. That someone like you wouldn’t be able to endure it.’

It was the image of the killer, who always followed whenever the man appeared. The killer scratched at Yongnae’s insides by saying the things he least wanted to hear. Or else he would murder the man.

That was what he hated most. Killing the man. Because the murder that bastard committed was not murder, but rape. He hated the rapping of the man most of all. He hated it so much it felt as if his brain were melting.

Even though the guy was already dead, Yongnae hated it so much that he wanted to kill him again himself if he could.

‘Stop it…!’

‘Stop it?’

‘…No, no! Don’t stop!’

Yet, at some point, it was a repetition of the man coming back to life and moving again. The killer would disappear, and the man would appear again to embrace him or stroke his face. Or else…

‘Ah, mm…’

‘Do you like it?’

‘Yes, yes… I like it…’

‘I like it too—.’

He continuously dreamed of the man’s genitals and his own genitals rubbing together.

And the remaining month was a war that broke out whenever he went to work. Having found out somehow, people from various media outlets visited and chased him around, asking him to explain the situation at that time.

However, even if he wanted to explain, there was nothing to say. He had nothing to say other than that he was kidnapped and did what he was told, and when he came to his senses, he was in the hospital.

Actually, there were many things he wanted to say.

That the killer everyone is seeing on TV right now is not the culprit. That the fellow appearing as the last victim is the true culprit of the Gucheon City serial murders. But he could not say any of it.

Because that is what the man wanted.

‘Those guys, they say they all fled to Hong Kong.’

‘…What?’

Tring—

[Yongnae, it’s Jung Seokhyun, who went to the same elementary school as you. I’m contacting you because I was worried. I saw the news. Congratulations on catching the culprit.]

Was there a friend named Jung Seokhyun when he attended elementary school? He does not remember. However, the Jung Seokhyun he remembers is,

‘I thought it would be Jung Seokhyun or Glasses-Taeil…’

Only that name he had spat out, saying it would suit Weizhen. If so, this text was sent by Lee Suji, who, along with Yongnae, was the only one who knew this truth. He seemed to be severely injured, but he was alive. It was a great relief.

While Yongnae was briefly relieved by Lee Suji informing him of his survival, he could not hide his horror at the news that came on when he turned on the TV.

In the news, the man, who was not the culprit, was being presented as the culprit, and the true culprit was disguised as a victim. Yongnae was so shocked that he pointed at the TV and hurriedly stood up, but,

[I saw the news. Congratulations on catching the culprit.]

The content of the text soon came to mind.

He didn’t know a single thing about what was going on, but the man desired for him to testify exactly as it appeared in the news.

So he did. When detectives visited and asked if this person was the real culprit, Yongnae nodded and said yes.

‘You’re saying this person is the real culprit?’

‘…Yes.’

‘Mr. Kim Yongnae, please check the face once more. Is it truly the real culprit?’

‘…Yes, that is correct.’

‘That can’t be. Not a single thing about Ahn Youngmin’s daily life and the killer’s pattern matches up…!’

He even went as far as actually meeting Professor Jeon, the profiler from “I Want to Know That,” which he used to watch so much. That person was extremely frustrated and said there was no way this person was the culprit, but there was nothing Yongnae could say to him.

Actually, seeing Professor Jeon, he did waver for the first time. That among the guesses he made back then, there was one that was wrong. That the fellow hadn’t developed a taste for murder and killed only male victims, but was simply a gay man who was impotent.

Well, setting all that aside, there were many things he wanted to say.

About where he first met the man, and about that ecstatic feeling when they first met. About how cool the scene was when the man appeared before he was killed by the murderer.

And about how beautiful the man’s face was.