Chapter 110
Due to the early morning hour, there was no traffic, allowing Kim Dongsoo and his team to arrive at Dokgusan Mountain by six thirty AM.
Slam!
Kim Dongsoo closed the car door. “Grab your shovels.”
The two junior reporters accompanying him retrieved their tools from the trunk as instructed.
“You’re really going up there, sir?”
“Well, why else would we be here?”
“But still…”
“Follow me!”
As he spoke, Kim Dongsoo opened a memo saved on his phone just as several cars approached them.
“People sure are active this early in the morning.”
“I know, right? Who climbs mountains thi—”
At his juniors’ words, Kim Dongsoo’s expression hardened when he spotted the logo on one of the approaching vehicles.
“Hey! It’s MBS! Run!” As Kim Dongsoo sprinted away, his clueless juniors hastily grabbed their shovels and followed behind him.
“Skrrrrch!” “Skrrrrch!”
As Kim Dongsoo and his juniors ran towards it, people jumped out of the stopped car.
“Hey! It’s KBC! Come on, hurry up!”
With that shout, more people rushed out from the van marked ‘MBS’ to follow behind Kim Dongsoo.
Vroom! Vroom!
More vehicles arrived at the scene, and their occupants were surprised to see other broadcasting vans already present. They hastily started running up the mountain.
Kang Jin had closed the store for the night, spread out a box as a makeshift bed, and was sleeping under a blanket.
“Kang Jin! Kang Jin!”
The calls roused him from sleep.
“Hnnngh!” Rubbing his eyes, he sat up just as Bae Yongsoo yelled,
“It’s on the news!”
Wide awake now, Kang Jin turned to look at the TV screen.
“This is Dokgusan Mountain located within Gyeonggi-do province. This exclusive report comes to you from KBC. We have rushed here after receiving information about multiple bodies buried by a serial killer. Following these leads, we found…”
Kang Jin changed channels while watching the news. The other networks were broadcasting their regular programs with subtitles providing breaking news updates.
It seemed as if KBC was the first network on scene, allowing them to provide live coverage. Kang Jin switched back to KBC while scanning through various broadcasts.
“These holes seen on screen were dug by our reporters searching for the bodies.”
As the reporter spoke, one side of the screen showed several excavated areas. Some clothing covered something lying at the bottom of one pit.
“[We covered them with clothes to prevent shocking our viewers, but there are three bodies discovered here. Lastly, according to the informant… these bodies are other victims of the Suwon University Student Murder Case from three years ago. In this case, where we don’t know how many more victims there might be, KBC News will provide the fastest and most accurate reporting…]”
[“Hey! Let’s get some footage together!”]
[“Don’t stop me!”]
[“Is this your land?”]
[“Move aside! Hey! Kim Dongsoo! You bastard! Forget about being seniors or juniors! Do you want to die?!”]
Amidst Kim Dongsoo’s voice, the shouts of people were broadcasted. Quickly, Kim Dongsoo turned his head.
“[Stop them! I told you to stop them!]”
[“Hey!”]
The camera panned quickly to follow Kim Dongsoo’s movements.
『 I apologize for the interruption in our broadcast. It seems other media outlets have become quite agitated as we at KBC were quickest to report this story. Let us now focus on the Suwon University student murder case. Here is a former police officer from the Suwon Police Station… 』
As the announcer spoke, a retired police officer from the Suwon Police Station began giving his interview.
Kang Jin watched it while cracking his neck.
Krak! Krak!
Should’ve slept properly instead of napping?
When the news came out, Kang Jin had instructed Sung Yongsoo to wake him immediately. He then went to sleep in the dining room. The second floor was off-limits to ghosts due to Kang Jin’s presence.
While stretching his neck, he heard the voice of the police officer over the TV.
“…the most important question now is whether you called the police?”
“Yes, of course. Based on our investigation, as soon as they discovered the body, they immediately reported it to the police.”
“Then, while contacting them for interviews would be fine, I’d prefer if you could ask them to step back. As previously mentioned, further digging might destroy any remaining evidence.”
“I’ll contact them right away. Regarding the evidence, according to our informant, there’s supposed to be new evidence provided. What are your thoughts on this?”
“We must first assess the credibility of the informant. By the way, who is this informant?”
“I’m not at liberty to disclose that information.”
“They could potentially be a witness related to a murder case.”
“Although we consider them as witnesses, our duty as journalists is to protect their identity.”
“That’s…”
“Oh! And among the information provided by the informant…” The anchor quickly changed the subject, sensing the retired police officer didn’t want to answer that question.
The topic was about yesterday’s arrest of a convenience store vandal at Kyungwha University potentially being linked to the murder case of a Suwon university student.
“We’ll show you some footage now.” As the anchor spoke, video from the motel investigation began playing on screen.
It had been a while since Kang Jin last set foot inside his school. He immediately headed for Lim Sang-ok’s research lab.
Krik!
Kang Jin grimaced upon opening the door, overwhelmed by the strong smell of alcohol emanating from within.
“Ugh, the stench.” Squinting, he opened all the windows and doors in the research lab before surveying the room.
Inside, Choi Kwang-hyun and his juniors were sleeping on Styrofoam mats with empty soju bottles scattered around them.
One bottle per person? Looks like… youth has its perks.
Kang Jin clicked his tongue at the sight of the bottles littering the floor before nudging his juniors awake with his foot.
“Hey! Hey!”
“Grrr…”
Rubbing their eyes, they greeted him.
“You’re here.”
“What’s going on?”
At Kang Jin’s question, the juniors bowed their heads and started cleaning up the room.
As he watched them, Kang Jin shook Choi Kwang-hyun by the shoulder.
“Hyung.”
“Ugh!” With a groan, Choi Kwang-hyun rubbed his eyes and stretched lazily.
“Mmmph.” He opened his eyes slightly to see Kang Jin.
“What brings you here?”
“I came because I figured you’d be doing this again, hyung.”
Then he showed Choi Kwang-hyun the shopping bag he brought with him.
“Let’s eat.”
“Eat?”
“First, go wash up. Brush your teeth too.”
“Do I smell that bad?”
“You reek of rotten fish.”
Following Kang Jin’s words, Choi Kwang-hyun stretched his neck and picked up a container labeled as chili paste from one side. Instead of chili paste, it contained toiletries commonly found on the market.
“Let’s go clean up,” said Choi Kwang-hyun. His juniors gathered their respective chili paste containers and towels, standing to one side.
Kang Jin initially wondered why they stored their toiletries there but realized it was practical: easily accessible, resistant to mold, and versatile enough for various uses, including scooping water.
Near the building housing the psychology department was a small shower area where students could freshen up at school. While Choi Kwang-hyun and his juniors went to wash up, Kang Jin briefly tidied the research lab. As more people entered, he placed the shopping bags on a large table in one corner.
“Did you bring rice?”
“You didn’t bring any rice?”
“I only brought side dishes.”
Upon hearing Kang Jin’s response, Choi Kwang-hyun turned to his junior colleague.
“Microwave some instant rice and boil some ramen noodles.”
“Yes sir.” The junior colleague promptly used the microwave for instant rice and started boiling ramen noodles.
Kang Jin chuckled at the sight.
“I can’t tell if this is a research lab or a dorm room.”
While it was understandable to have a microwave in a research lab, having pots and burners was quite unusual.
“It serves as a study space during the day and a dorm room at night. Who cares about such distinctions?”
“Doesn’t the professor say anything?”
“The professor sometimes sleeps here too and leaves after eating ramen in the morning.”
Shaking his head, Kang Jin took out side dishes from the shopping bag. It included marinated pork stir-fry as the main dish along with various side dishes.
“Oh! Did you make this?”
“Next time, let’s eat at our cafeteria.”
Choi Kwang-hyun took a big bite of marinated pork stir-fry and smiled.
“It’s delicious. You should try it too; it’s really good.”
Following Choi Kwang-hyun’s suggestion, his juniors bowed to Kang Jin.
“We appreciate your cooking.”
“Please enjoy.”
After finishing their meal, Kang Jin and Choi Kwang-hyun walked around campus with vending machine coffee in hand.
“Wow! You’re quite the cook.”
“You enjoyed it?”
“Definitely. Can I occasionally request some side dishes from you?”
“No problem, but you’ll have to pick them up yourself.”
“As long as you offer, I’ll go anywhere.”
Kang Jin watched Choi Kwang-hyun sip his coffee with a smile before pulling out his phone and showing him something.
“Check this out.”
“What is it?”
As Choi Kwang-hyun read the news article on Kang Jin’s phone, his eyes widened.
“Another victim in the Suwon university student murder case?”
“Did you know about it?”
“Three years ago, you stayed with your seniors for about a month in Suwon, right?”
“Were you there as well, Professor?”
“He’s someone who would investigate even without being called to a murder case.”
As Choi Kwang-hyun read the news article, his expression turned sour.
“The police are idiots.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They should’ve secured the informant by any means necessary, even if it meant threatening them.”
Kang Jin flinched slightly.
“Why is that?”
“The informant reported where the body was buried, right? That means they either witnessed the burial…or were the one who buried the corpse. Either way, the first step should have been verifying and apprehending the informant. If they saw it happen, interrogate why they waited this long to report it, or if not…”
Choi Kwang-hyun narrowed his eyes at Kang Jin.
“It likely indicates the informant is the damn culprit.”
Kang Jin looked at Choi Kwang-hyun thoughtfully before responding.
“Isn’t it clear that the informant is most likely the culprit?”
“Of course! In murder cases, the person reporting the crime is always suspected first.”
As Choi Kwang-hyun spoke, he continued searching for news articles and glanced at some comments.
<Catch the informant first!>
<Even if we need to protect the informant’s identity, this situation is unacceptable.>
<Protect them after someone died? Try protecting the murderer of your own parents.>
<From what I see, the informant must be the criminal.>
“See?” Choi Kwang-hyun pointed out as Kang Jin nodded while reading the comments.
“It seems like the informant could be the culprit.”
“People generally think alike. It’s no surprise others share my suspicions.” As Choi Kwang-hyun scanned more comments, Kang Jin opened his mouth.
“Hyung.”
“What’s up?”
“I…I was the informant.”
Kang Jin’s words caused Choi Kwang-hyun to pause momentarily, then he looked at Kang Jin with surprise.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“You were the informant?”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing Kang Jin’s response, Choi Kwang-hyun gulped down his coffee and sat up straight.
“Why did you do it?”
“To catch the bad guys.”
“Then why here again?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking what’s different between when those women died and now?” Choi Kwang-hyun thrust his phone towards Kang Jin. The photo showed police officers setting up a crime scene tape while recovering bodies.
“If you knew about this from before but only reported it now… I won’t let this slide.” Choi Kwang-hyun spoke firmly.
Kang Jin grimaced at Choi Kwang-hyun’s tone before replying, “I just found out yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Tell me more.”
In response, Kang Jin sighed deeply.
“Haaah!”
“Why’s that? Just tell me.”
Kang Jin looked at Choi Kwang-hyun after his reply.
“Hyung, turn around and write something on your phone’s notepad.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you trust me… just try it once.”
Kang Jin’s words made Choi Kwang-hyun roll his eyes before pursing his lips.
“Fine.”
He then turned away from Kang Jin, opened the notepad app, and started typing. As Kang Jin watched Choi Kwang-hyun’s back, he lifted his head slightly.
In front of Choi Kwang-hyun stood Bae Yongsoo. Sung Yongsoo glanced down as Choi Kwang-hyun typed, reading aloud:
“‘Choi Kwang-hyun is a genius cool guy. The one and only greatest man in this world?’ Is he kidding me?”
Bae Yongsoo’s comment made Kang Jin chuckle.
“‘Choi Kwang-hyun is a genius cool guy. The one and only greatest man in this world.’”
As Kang Jin repeated these words, Choi Kwang-hyun abruptly stood up and stared at him.
“You…?”
“Now, try writing some numbers,” suggested Kang Jin.
Taken aback for a moment, Choi Kwang-hyun began typing numbers onto the notepad.
“78472483727.”
This chapter is translated using Omni Translator, Omni's state-of-the-art novel machine translation LLM, and corrected by human editors. If you'd like to read ahead, you can try using our translator webapp to translate the raw text or link for free.