Chapter 109

“Where is she?!”

“Yeah, where’s she hiding?!”

“I won’t let her get away!”

Amidst the chaos caused by the virgin ghosts’ outbursts, Shin Su-jo subtly raised her hand.

“Silence.”

The virgin ghosts immediately quieted down at Shin Su-jo’s command. Kang Jin discreetly observed this interaction with admiration.

These ghosts snap to attention around her.

Having skillfully silenced the ghosts, Shin Su-jo turned to Kang Jin.

“You understand what this means, don’t you?” As Kang Jin met her gaze, she continued, “People who enter this realm typically have one of two reactions: they either try to resolve the lingering regrets of the ghosts or completely ignore them.”

“Ignore them?”

Kang Jin’s question elicited a smile from Shin Su-jo.

“Like you, Kang Jin, everyone here understands about ghosts and the afterlife.”

“I see.”

“So…do you have any idea what will happen to that vile man when he dies?”

“He’ll go to hell,” replied Kang Jin confidently.

Shin Su-jo nodded in agreement with Kang Jin’s response.

“That’s right. That’s why people don’t worry much about him. Even if justice isn’t served while he’s alive, eventually, everyone meets their end…and for him, it will be hell.”

“But still, there were victims who suffered and sacrificed due to his actions, weren’t there?” Kang Jin pointed out.

Shin Su-jo acknowledged this with another nod. “That is true as well.”

“And if he were still alive and roaming society, there would be more victims.”

Kang Jin’s words made Shin Su-jo chuckle.

She’s laughing?

As Kang Jin looked puzzled, Shin Su-jo waved her hand dismissively.

“My apologies.”

“Why did you laugh?”

“I suppose I’ve been around here for too long. This kind of perspective…it doesn’t resonate with me anymore.”

“Why is that?”

“Spending time with ghosts makes death seem less significant. After all, dying either leads to this existence or returning to the afterlife.” Shin Su-jo gestured towards the virgin ghosts, and Kang Jin nodded understandingly.

‘Considering she has lived alongside ghosts for several decades…’

It seems she’s accustomed to death being not an end but rather a new beginning.

She appeared indifferent towards dying. Shin Su-jo continued her thoughts.

“But it’s truly unfortunate for these women who couldn’t live their lives properly due to that bastard.”

“Is there no way to help them?”

“If it were solely about dealing with ghosts, I might have some ideas, but matters of this world…I’m at a loss.”

“I see.”

“But…there is another approach you could consider.”

“What do you mean?”

In response to Kang Jin’s question, Shin Su-jo opened up.

“There are those who advocate for ‘the right to know’ among the public.”

“The right to know? You mean journalists?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“So, you’re suggesting we inform reporters?”

“Are you suggesting I should leak information to reporters?”

“Yes, just give them some tidbits. They’ll investigate on their own… forcing the police to reopen the case.”

“But will reporters write articles without any evidence?”

“You don’t seem to understand how journalists operate.”

“Oh really?”

“They’re the type who would write about burnt rice if they saw someone turn on a faucet.”

“So, they’d report diarrhea after hearing a fart joke?”

“Exactly.”

“How do we avoid being caught in our deception?”

“With numerous online news outlets and tabloid-like reporters these days, all Kang Jin needs to do is inform one of them about what he knows. They’ll write the article and investigate further themselves. Although there’s a problem with sensationalist journalism, it can be useful in situations like this. Give them a nudge, and they’ll exaggerate even the smallest details.”

Kang Jin’s mind raced at Shin Su-jo’s suggestion.

Not bad. And once the article comes out, as Su-jo said, the police will investigate, and netizens will start digging up dirt on that jerk.

As Kang Jin pondered his next move, Shin Su-jo stood up.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes, let’s go, girls.”

At her words, the virgin ghosts rose from their seats.

“I’ll be back, Kang Jin.”

“Sure thing. Take care.”

After Shin Su-jo and the ghosts left, Kang Jin waited for a moment before speaking aloud:

“Bae Yongsoo, Bae Yongsoo, Bae Yongsoo.”

Fwoosh!

Bae Yongsoo materialized upon Kang Jin’s call.

“What happened to him?”

“He was transferred to the hospital.”

“The hospital?”

“He kept screaming about ghosts, so they thought he might have hit his head and took him there.”

“Which one?”

“Kyung-hwa Hospital.”

Kang Jin considered Bae Yongsoo’s information for a moment before nodding and heading outside.

Kang Jin nodded and left the store.

“Should we go check it out?”

“I need to investigate something.”

They took a taxi to Kyung-hwa Hospital. Upon arrival, Kang Jin followed Sung Yongsoo to the emergency room where they found the suspect. As soon as he entered, Kang Jin knew exactly where their quarry was—the ghosts had gathered around him.

He gestured for Choi Hocheol to approach.

“By any chance, do you know if these female ghosts have evidence against him?”

“Evidence?”

“Or maybe the location or time of death?”

At Kang Jin’s request, Choi Hocheol spoke with one of the female ghosts before hastily returning.

“The guy collected hair from women he killed behind his kitchen sink.”

“Hair?”

“Some psychopaths keep mementos from their victims.”

Kang Jin’s eyes narrowed at Choi Hocheol’s words.

“He is crazy.”

“Yes, and it seems he gathered all the bodies together.”

“Gathered them?”

“He buried all the corpses in one place.”

“All of them?”

“Except for the victim from Suwon murder case. The other victims were buried together somewhere.”

The body of the victim from the Suwon murder case was discovered, leading to the publicization of the incident. However, the bodies of the other victims weren’t found, preventing their cases from gaining attention. In South Korea, there was a 97 percent resolution rate for murder cases but a significantly lower rate for missing person cases. Without discovering a corpse, incidents were classified as missing persons rather than homicides.

“Where is this location?”

“Dokgo Mountain in Gyeonggi-do.”

As Choi Hocheol explained their location to Kang Jin, he grew frustrated. It was hard for him to pinpoint where they were based on the description alone.

“But how did you move the bodies?”

“By car.”

“I thought you used the subway.”

“There’s a car at the motel.”

Kang Jin squinted his eyes at Choi Hocheol’s response.

“So during your initial investigation, you didn’t use a car.”

They avoided driving to prevent being captured by CCTV and instead relied on public transportation.

“He’s quite cautious,” Choi Hocheol remarked, nodding in agreement. Kang Jin glanced towards the female ghosts, then stroked his chin thoughtfully.

With this information, it seems we’ve gathered enough kindling… Now, it’s time to ignite the fire.

Swoosh!

He scanned his surroundings and noticed several CCTV cameras installed throughout the emergency room. After observing them for a while, Kang Jin exited the hospital.

I need to contact someone without exposing myself.

As Choi Hocheol had warned him earlier, if he made any missteps, Kang Jin could become the prime suspect. Checking the time, he ventured outside.

Even at dawn, lights were still on at the KBC newsroom.

“Ugh!” Kim Dong-sung, a seasoned reporter, stretched his stiff neck with a groan, looking visibly tired. He picked up his phone and sent a group message to his junior colleagues stationed at the university hospital and police station:

<Drunk driving incident at Geonbuk University Hospital, driver age 23.>

Kim Dong-sung scanned through the incidents his juniors had sent and issued instructions on which ones were worthy of news coverage.

<Nonhyeon: Investigate reasons for running away. Focus on juvenile delinquency angle.>

<Yes, sir.>

Having given brief directives to pursue these stories, Kim Dong-sung rubbed his eyes and glanced around the room. Each team had one member left on duty, either sleeping or checking their phones like him.

As he watched them, rubbing his eyes again, Kim Dong-sung opened up internet news sites. Sometimes breaking news surfaced online first.

Riiing, riiing!

Hearing a phone ringing somewhere nearby, Kim Dong-sung turned, located the source, and quickly rolled over to it.

Whrrr…

Kim Dong-sung rolled his chair toward the ringing phone and picked it up.

“This is KBC News.”

“I have some information to report.”

At those words, Kim Dong-sung grabbed a notepad from his desk.

“Please go ahead.”

“Do you remember the murder of a female college student in Suwon?”

“The Suwon case…” He racked his brain for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I do recall that. The information you’re reporting pertains to…the Suwon murder case?”

A hint of skepticism crept onto Kim Dong-sung’s face. Most tips received by the network were pranks or false alarms. Even with such serious matters as murder cases, there were plenty of lunatics who found amusement in spreading misinformation.

Moreover, considering this was not about any recent incident but rather something from several years ago…the likelihood of it being false information increased significantly.

“Yes.”

“What kind of tip do you have for us?”

“The culprit behind the Suwon case is currently at Kyung-hwa Hospital’s emergency room.”

Krrrk.

Kim Dong-sung pulled his chair closer and spoke with curiosity piqued.

“At Kyung-hwa Hospital’s emergency room?”

“Yes.”

“Does the police know about this?”

“The police… Can I share my story first before getting to them?”

“Oh! Please go ahead.”

“A person accompanied by the police arrived at Kyung-hwa Hospital’s emergency room due to property damage and disruption of business at a convenience store near Kyungwha University. That individual is the murderer in the Suwon university student murder case. However, there is no evidence right now.”

The mention of lacking evidence made Kim Dong-sung slightly uneasy.

A slight tension appeared on his face.

‘No evidence?’

The lack of evidence actually increased the credibility of this tip-off.

“The perpetrator…”

[I will tell you about him first.]

“Please proceed.”

[He has been staying at the XX Motel in Nooncheon for the past ten days and moving to Kyunghwa University’s Villa 00 via subway. He was searching for his target. His car should be parked at the XX Motel.]

“Do you have any evidence?”

[At the XX Motel, you’ll find his car. Check if the car moved by monitoring the motel’s CCTV footage, then review the convenience store cameras near Kyungwha University during lunch and dinner times. You’ll consistently see him there.]

Kim Dong-sung quickly jotted down notes, surprise evident on his face as he listened to the informant.

“I’ll tell you where the body is.”

“The body?”

“Gyeonggi-do Dokgo Mountain…”

Kim Dong-sung quickly jotted down what his caller was saying.

“That’s not enough to locate…

[I will provide clear evidence that he is the culprit once you find him. And I will make this call to other broadcasting stations and newspapers as well. You need to move fast.]

Click!

With the abrupt end of the call, Kim Dong-sung looked at the phone receiver.

“Click… It’s a payphone.”

At the end of the conversation, he faintly heard a sound rarely encountered nowadays—the click of a payphone handset being hung up.

For a moment, Kim Dong-sung stared at his notes. They contained all the information from the recent phone call:

“KyungHwa University Villa 00 Convenience Store, Vandalism and Business Interference…”

After reviewing the contents of the note, Kim Dong-sung quickly typed on his phone:

As soon as he sent the message, it was marked read almost instantly. Then…

<Yesterday at 8:45 PM, male, age 29. Wihyeong Police Station.>

<Any peculiar circumstances?>

<Claimed to see ghosts; currently transferred to Kyung-hwa Hospital.>

He saw ghosts?

Kim Dong-sung raised an eyebrow at the text and quickly replied.

<Anything else?>

<Appears mentally unstable, claiming to see a woman he killed.>

The content of this last text made him stand up abruptly. He then called the junior colleague who had messaged him.

“Hey, upperclassman.”

“He claims he sees the woman he killed?”

“Yes, but it sounds like he’s crazy.”

“Crazy…”

Kim Dong-sung almost yelled, “You’re the crazy one!” but managed to bite his tongue just in time. With other reporters around, he needed to keep things under wraps as much as possible.

“Head over to Kyung-hwa Hospital immediately and cover this story.”

“A story?”

“I’ve received a tip-off. Apparently, that guy is the murderer of the Suwon university student.”

“But with just a tip-off—…”

“Just get moving!”

With that, Kim Dong-sung hung up and quickly dialed another number.

“What’s up?” The groggy voice on the other end prompted Kim Dong-sung to whisper softly.

“Can you come out right now?”

Instantly, energy surged into the recipient’s voice upon hearing Kim Dong-sung’s request.

“What’s up? Did something happen?”

“I just received a tip that could be huge if it pans out.”

“A tip? Any facts to back it up?”

“I’m about to verify them now… The information seems credible. I’ll call you once I confirm everything.”

“Gotcha! I’ll tell Myunghyun to stay on standby at the office. You head straight there.”

With that, Kim Dong-sung ended the call and slowly rose from his chair with a groan.

“Ugh!”

He deliberately shuffled out of the newsroom as if exhausted.

Shhhf.

As soon as he was outside, he quickly started running while making another phone call.

“Minsung, you’re near the Nooncheon Police Station, right? Go to Motel XX and—”

Kim Dong-sung squinted, realizing something.

I didn’t check his name.

He muttered under his breath.

“Call Taksung and confirm the name of the guy at the hospital before heading to the motel. Once you get there, check if he checked in and what car he’s driving. Do whatever it takes! Bribe the owner if necessary. Damn, I haven’t even had dinner yet… Fine! If they refuse to show you, ask them about their fire extinguishers. Say something like, ‘There have been many fires lately, so we need to do some investigative reporting on whether your motel has proper fire safety measures…’ If they still won’t cooperate, call me.”

With that, Kim Dong-sung hung up the phone.

Fire safety equipment was typically the weakest aspect of motels. Most inspections usually focused on this area, so if Minsung encountered any issues with it, he was instructed to inform Dong-sung immediately.

As he spoke, Kim Dong-sung rapidly pressed the elevator button.

“Dokgo Mountain in Gyeonggi-do… But where exactly is it?”

As he thought this, Kim Dong-sung started checking Dokgo Mountain’s location on his phone.