In the Police Station, Task Force Briefing Room, the lights were dim, the atmosphere tense. The whiteboard was cluttered with notes, photos, arrows, and timelines. In the center: the logos of Keunsa Financial Group,Jungwon Enterprises, and a picture of Cha Xiu Min and the director of Jungwon Enterprises now marked with a red "X." Do Hyun stood at the front, flipping through some documents as Soo Hyuk leaned against the table. The rest of the team — Jin Ho, Nam Woo Jin,Park Tae Yang, and two others — sat around the conference table, scribbling notes or tapping on laptops.
Soo Hyuk looked up. "Let's go over this again. Keunsa Financial Group has had underground dealings with both Xiu Min's travel company and Jungwon Enterprises. The only thing tying all three together is dirty money but the problem is Keunsa Financial Group has a lot of dealing with other companies and businesses and we don't know how wide their range is."
Do Hyun added, "And ledger tampering. But now, two of those connections are dead."
"And no witnesses is available to tell what is going on and no one wants to set out since it connects with a big firm." , says Min Seok.
Jin Ho frowned. "So that leaves us with one active player… Keunsa."
"Exactly," Soo Hyuk nodded. "Which means whoever killed Xiu Min and the director might not be a villain. They could be trying to bring Keunsa down."
A beat of silence.
Tae Yang raised a brow. "You're saying we should cooperate with the killer?" .Do Hyun looked around and said : "If it gets us inside Keunsa, yes and know what kind of dealing they are doing. We don't have any legal way in and the higher up might not cooperate with us. But the killer is carving a bloody path through their secrets. Later when we are done with Keunsa then we can face this killer".
Nam Woo Jin, who had been quiet, suddenly pushed a folder toward Do Hyun.
"The DNA result just came in from the hair sample we collected at the Xiu Min scene is out."
Do Hyun opened the folder slowly. His eyes scanned the report.
He froze.
Soo Hyuk stepped closer. "What is it?"
Do Hyun's jaw tightened. He flipped the file around and showed them the profile summary page,an ID photo and a name at the top:
LEE CHAE MIN.
Everyone stared.
Nam Woo Jin blinked. "He's… a professor?"
"Busan Architecture College," Jin Ho read aloud. "Thirty years old. No criminal record." Tae Yang said :"He looks too clean to be called a criminal".
Do Hyun's eyes narrowed. "A college professor... is the one killing these people?. I will have to see for myself".
Soo Hyuk took the picture of Chae Min and post it on the board,looked over the board again, then said, almost in a whisper:
"Then this isn't just revenge. It's personal."
The room went silent as they all viewed the board.
The Next Morning in the Architecture College, Lecture Hall,the sun filtered through the tall windows of the lecture hall, casting golden streaks across the desks. Lee Chae Min stood at the front, dressed in a dark shirt and coat, explaining structural integrity with a piece of chalk in his hand, his voice calm but cold.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
All heads turned as a new student walked in effortlessly confident, wearing a casual hoodie and jeans. His hair slightly messy, eyes sharp and unreadable. The person was Kang Do Hyun.
He glanced around before selecting a seat near the middle of the class. As he walked, a few female students whispered excitedly, nudging one another.
"He's handsome…"
"Is he new?"
Chae Min's chalk paused midair as his eyes met Do Hyun's. A flicker of recognition flashed between them. Chae Min masked it quickly, the police officers from last night,he seems to notice that the mask person was him, but Do Hyun smirked, leaning back in his seat like he had all the time in the world.
Do Hyun's eyes never left Chae Min,studying his expressions, gestures, even the faint twitch in his jaw.
Chae Min adjusted his tone, continued the lecture — steady, composed… but Ha Rin, sitting near the back, noticed the tension between them.
Her eyes darted from Chae Min to Do Hyun "Something's off."She twirled her lollipop slowly in her mouth, whispering to herself, "Who's that guy…?"
Chae Min turned to write on the board, his hand gripping the chalk harder than usual.
Different thought runs through Chae Min mind :
"Why is he here? Have he caught me? What game is he playing?"
The class moved on as Chae Min continue with his teaching not worried again about Do Hyun presence.Soon Later the bell rang. Students began to pack their bags, chatting and laughing as they filed out. Chae Min ended the class with a reminder about their project deadline, masking his unease with a slight smile.
Outside the lecture hall, he was seen conversing briefly with another professor near the stairs. The man nudged toward Do Hyun as he walked by.
"That's a new face. Transfer student?"
Chae Min smiled lightly. "Maybe. Looks like someone's interested in architecture."
They exchanged small talk about Do Hyun studying for a while, but Chae Min's mind was far from the conversation. As the other teacher left, Chae Min's smile faded. He adjusted his coat and made his way down the hall toward his office.
He had a lot of thinking in his mind:"He's not just a cop. He's smart. Calculated. Coming here means he's sure of something… or testing me. Either way, I won't let him distract me."
When Chae Min have entered his office,Chae Min sat at his desk, pulling up files and pretending to work while his mind raced.
A knock came.
He straightened. "Come in," he said, voice steady.
The door opened slowly. Do Hyun stepped in, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. Dressed casually, yet his gaze was sharp ,eyes scanning every inch of the office. "So this is where a murderer works, not bad" ,says Do Hyun.
"What does he want to do now? Arrest me?"
Those were the words Chae Min was thinking as he looked at Do Hyun with a suspicious look.
Both eyes caught each other as tension built between them.