After Story 176

Guessing the right one out of three. It was perhaps an answer that one could guess through coincidence or intuition.

However, Changsik showed no hesitation as he chose someone. It was as though he could really prove that he could see a number that signified someone’s number of murders.

Daecheol took Changsik outside the police station.

“Did you really see it?”

“I wish I didn’t see it instead.”

“You couldn’t see anything from the others, but you could see a 1 from that woman?”

“Yes.”

“Geez, that’s crazy.”

“It sounds absurd, doesn’t it?”

“If you were in my shoes, would you believe it if I said I can see something like that?”

“If I couldn’t see something like this, then I would’ve treated it as nonsense.”

“I’m feeling exactly like that right now. But what can I do? I said I’ll try believing in you.”

It wasn’t something he could just end after just one check. Even mass-produced items undergo numerous checks under the guise of quality assurance, so there was no way he could believe what was practically supernatural with just one test.

“I went to the court numerous times,” Changsik said.

“The court? Why?”

“So that I can look into it. Just a month ago, I didn’t know what the numbers signified. Everyone had a zero after all. So, I just considered myself as having a rather peculiar disability and didn’t even tell other people about it. Even if I did, people would look at me strangely, like you did.”

Two men in uniform entered the police station. Changsik chased those people with his eyes and spoke,

“That was when I coincidentally found out. My friends and I attended a trial together, and I saw the number 1 on the shoulder of the defendant. It was a murder case.”

“So you found out what the numbers meant.”

“At first, I denied it. I thought that it must be a coincidence and that there was no meaning to the numbers. That’s why I kept attending court trials of murder cases.”

“Were there numbers on other criminals as well?”

Changsik nodded before shaking his head. That was a vague expression of whether he saw it or not.

“There were two people who were being tried for murder, and they even admitted to it, but they had a zero on their shoulders. In other cases, I could see a clear number on the defendant, but two people had a zero.”

“That’s not that good. If you get a zero even if they committed murder, that means it’s useless.”

“It was just two people, and the rest were right.”

“You see, the importance of law is not sending a hundred criminals to prison, but to save one innocent man. There’s no one who will believe your eyes, but if the reliability of your eyes is questionable, then even I can’t help you.”

“I know, that’s why I’m frustrated to death. If I couldn’t see anything, I could at least pretend that I don’t know, but what can I do? I see it. I see those numbers!”

Changsik shouted before walking outside the premises of the station. The passersby looked at Changsik before walking past again.

Daecheol grabbed his own hair. Ever since he was young, he stayed away from horror movies with ghosts.

When he happened to come across one, he would yawn before eventually falling asleep. They were just too childish.

He knew from a young age that a punch flying toward his face was much scarier than ghosts that don’t even exist.

“I must be crazy.”

Daecheol ran and grabbed Changsik. He didn’t chase after even his girlfriend when they broke up, but today, he chased after a college boy twice.

“You said checking, right? That you’ve had those eyes for all your life, and if you checked it, then you should’ve come to some kind of conclusion, right?”

“You said it was unreliable though.”

“It definitely is not reliable, so let’s check it again together. Are you a stuck-up old man or something? Also, you aren’t the only one who can get angry. I can get angry too.”

Changsik drooped his shoulders and looked at the floor.

Daecheol felt bitter. He was a kid who could see strange things, and even his sister went missing on top of that, so he must be feeling chaotic.

Just as he thought up to that point,

“Oh, I almost forgot. This is the thing that bothered me the most when we talked at the café.”

Changsik raised his head without a word, seemingly not having the energy to respond at all. While Daecheol found it pitiful, there was something he had to hear from Changsik’s mouth.

“The fact that your sister went missing, and the fact that you can see murder counts. How are these two related? If they aren’t related, there is no way you would act so sensitively. Hey, you. Look at me in the eyes. You’re thinking that your sister isn’t missing, but murdered, right?”

Because if not, nothing would explain why the college boy in front of him was angry. Changsik’s droopy face started trembling. Daecheol instantly realized that anxiety and sadness were shaking Changsik’s body up and down.

“Detective. What do I do about my sister? I want to believe that she’s alive, I know that I shouldn’t be thinking like this, but…”

Maybe he was teetering on the edge. Daeceol put on a bitter expression and patted Changsik who looked like he was about to collapse.

“I’ll listen to you. I’ll listen to everything so don’t cry.”

* * *

“From 4 to 5?”

Changsik repeated what he said to Daecheol, who was frowning.

“You said that it was the number of murders with your own mouth, right?”

“Yes.”

If not, there was no other reason for the number to increase. The fact that 4 became 5 meant that he had done it again: killing someone else.

“If what you say is true, you know that it’s a serious problem, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then you should’ve filed a report right aw..”

Daecheol shouted before blinking his eyes a couple times and sighing.

Report. This was the first thing that came to his mind.

He wanted to do it. He wanted to file a report more than anyone else. However, he was treated like a lunatic when he brought up the matter of numbers to the policeman who was in charge of filing missing reports. He already saw the response from the police. Why would he bother reporting?

“I think my neighbor killed five people, so investigate him. Would you investigate a person and issue a warrant and all that just based on what I said?”

“If a warrant could be so easily issued just because of a personal report, then everyone who earned some hate would’ve been reported already.”

“What do you think would happen if I say the proof is a number that only I can see?”

“Fine. I misspoke. At least I’m listening to you. I know these days people don’t like the cops, but we’re all doing our best, so don’t hate us too much.”

Daecheol took out a notepad. He started writing something down.

“First of all, we can’t ignore the timing overlap. Your sister going missing and the number on your neighbor increasing… it would be for the best if there are no relationships between these two incidents, but…”

Daecheol trailed off. Changsik kept his mouth shut.

If these two incidents were that of cause and effect, it would signify the death of his sister. Just imagining him made his heart beat uncontrollably faster and gave him the urge to vomit.

“You haven’t seen this man recently?”

“I haven’t.”

“Don’t you know anything? If you’re neighbors, you must have run into each other a few times.”

“We were at most close enough to say hello. Like normal people.”

“How old is he?”

“Around the early thirties.”

“His physique?”

“Better than me. He’s not as buff as you, but he can be considered healthy. He does look quite chubby in some parts, but he looked like he would be athletic.”

“You don’t know his job, do you?”

“I don’t, but I’ve never seen him wear a suit. The time of day I met him was different every time too. If he’s a salaryman, there’s no way he would be at home at 4 o’clock.”

“He might be unemployed then.”

“I’m not sure.”

“What’s his personality like?”

“He’s very amicable. He greets me first, and he looked so kind that I couldn’t think of him as a murderer. That was why I kept thinking when I verified the number. Did such a person really commit murder? Is this number really related to murder?”

Daecheol stopped writing.

“Do you know what the serial killers that were caught until now had in common?”

“I don’t.”

“It’s that they look like good people. Those who profit from going around showing themselves off as criminals are only the mafia. The ones who commit deliberate murder generally don’t look the part on the outside. They look neat, polite, and kind. They know that their attitudes are what puts their target’s guard down and what makes them safe.”

Daecheol looked more detective-like than ever. Changsik could feel some kind of strong dogma, as well as some unknown sadness.

The fact that he listened to the absurd story without considering him a lunatic also seemed to be for some personal reason rather than the sense of duty as a police officer. Changsik could only estimate that the college girl from five years ago was the reason.

What he could say for sure, was that he finally met an ally.

“It doesn't look like the man next door has moved?”

“No. I checked his mailbox on the first floor and the bill that was there disappeared. It means he took it.”

“But he doesn’t come back home?”

“He might have come throughout the night, but for now, I can’t hear the sound of the door while I’m awake.”

“You weren’t watching him all the time, were you?”

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

“For the past week, I keep listening for sounds from his house.”

“But you’re in college. What about classes?”

Changsik smiled bitterly.

“I don’t know. I’m thinking I should take the semester off.”

“It’s your problem, so I can’t say anything easily, but you should really go to college. This whole ordeal might be irrelevant. You know what I mean, right?”

“I do think that, but I can’t get any studies done like this right now.”

“True. Anyway, think carefully. The matter of your sister is important, but you should also take care of your own life. Only then will she not feel sorry. It’s a pain if family members suddenly feel like they owe a debt to each other.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For listening to me and telling me all this.”

Daecheol brushed up his hair with his hand.

“You didn’t tell your parents about this, did you?”

“I haven’t. You see, I went to the hospital when I said I could see numbers when I was young. I can’t remember anything else, but I do remember mom’s worried face back then. So that’s why I didn’t say anything.”

“Good. From now on, tell me everything. I’ll help you as much as possible. But you know that I have work to do, right? I’m a detective so I have quite a lot to do. I can’t focus all my resources on this.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Daecheol closed the notepad.

“For now, forget about the man next door. Even if you do see him, don’t make anything obvious and act like usual. If your eyes are true, this is no joke.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Also, your eyes. I’m going to make some time to check them a few more times. After that, we’ll have to find out the reason why even some murders have a zero.”

“You really believe me?”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I’m trying to believe you, but I’m not fully trusting you.”

Daecheol stood up as he put his phone against his ear.

“For now, I’ll be leaving. Don’t do anything strange and stay still. If something happens, call me through the number I’m giving you. Oh, do you have a phone?”

“I do”

“That’s good.”

Daecheol wrote down a number before leaving.

* * *

“Should I walk like this and stop here?”

“Yes, I think that’ll be for the best, “ Maru said to the approaching Gangwhan.

The morning shoot at the set was over, and now they had to shoot outside in a residential district in the middle of the night. Shooting in this kind of place would result in complaints even if the TV station gained permission beforehand, so the best thing was to shoot and leave as quickly as possible.

“I saw you doing pretty well with Hojoon-hyung.”

“He’s very good. I just hopped on the ride.”

“That sounds like it’ll be all my fault if this doesn’t look good. I’m clearly way too twisted, aren’t I?”

“You heard that right. I’m placing full faith in you.”

A dog barking from one of the apartments became quiet. At the same time, the lights were turned on. The production crew got into position and the actors also got ready.

“Alright, then. Let’s do this as quickly as possible.”

The shoot began with producer Cha’s words.