I Can Hear a Serial Killer's Voice in My Head

"Han, it\'s me. I\'ve found something. About Jin Dohoon. It\'s... it\'s worse than we thought."

I can hear the rustle of bedsheets as Han sits up, suddenly alert. "What do you mean?"

I take a deep breath and launch into a concise explanation of my night\'s work - the cracked code, the pattern of escalating incidents, and finally, the horrifying discovery of Kim Mi-sook\'s murder.

There\'s a long pause on the other end of the line. When Han speaks again, his voice is tight with tension. "I\'ll be there in twenty minutes. Don\'t talk to anyone else about this."

As soon as I hang up, I turn back to my computer. With practiced efficiency, I begin drafting a brief report, distilling hours of research into clear, concise points. My fingers fly over the keyboard, outlining the decryption process, the pattern of incidents, and the chilling connection to Kim Mi-sook\'s murder.

I\'m just finishing up when I hear the office door open. Han strides in, looking disheveled but alert. Without a word, he pulls up a chair next to me.

"Show me everything," he says.

For the next hour, I walk Han through my findings in detail. His expression grows grimmer with each revelation. When I finish, he leans back, running a hand through his hair.

"This is big," he says, his voice low.

Han stands up, his mind clearly racing. "Keep digging. See if you can find any more victims that match Jin\'s list. I\'m going to call in the team. We need all hands on deck for this."

As Han steps away to make his calls, I dive back into the database, cross-referencing Jin\'s coded names with unsolved murders and missing persons cases.

Time seems to blur as I work. I\'m vaguely aware of Han\'s voice in the background, the urgency in his tone growing with each call. Then, suddenly, the office door bursts open.

I look up, expecting to see our team rushing in. Instead, my heart sinks as I recognize the stern face of Senior Inspector Cho Sang-hyun. He\'s flanked by several officers I don\'t recognize, their expressions hard and unyielding.

Han breaks off his phone call, surprise and frustration flashing across his face. "Inspector Cho, I didn\'t expect-"

"No, I don\'t suppose you did," Cho interrupts, his voice cold. "It seems you\'ve been conducting an unauthorized investigation, Insepctor Han. Care to explain?"

The tension in the room is palpable. Han and I exchange a quick glance, both realizing that this confrontation is not going to go smoothly.

Han straightens, his voice calm but firm. "Inspector, we\'ve uncovered evidence of a serial killer operating in Gwangju. I was just about to brief the team-"

"Your team?" Cho\'s eyebrow rises. "This is a Gwangju matter, Inspector. You\'re here as guests, remember?"

I can see Han\'s jaw clench, but he maintains his composure. "With all due respect, Inspector, this case requires immediate action. Lives are at stake."

The tension in the room ratchets up another notch as Inspector Cho\'s piercing gaze shifts between Han and me. "How exactly did you gain access to Jin\'s phone and our database? As far as I\'m aware, you haven\'t been granted those privileges yet."

Han\'s eyes flick to me, a mix of concern and uncertainty evident in his expression. I feel my throat tighten, knowing that our unauthorized investigation could have serious consequences. More importantly, I don\'t want to implicate Yong, who was only trying to help.

As I struggle to formulate a response, a familiar voice cuts through the tense silence.

"It was me, sir!"

We all turn to see Yong rushing towards us, slightly out of breath and still in his traffic duty uniform.

"Officer Yong?" Cho\'s frown deepens. "Explain yourself."

Yong straightens up, his face a mix of determination and nervousness. "I... I found something strange about the folder names on Jin\'s phone, sir. But I couldn\'t make sense of it. So I asked the detective here for help, since I knew about his experience with complex cases."

Yong\'s eyes dart to me apologetically before continuing. "I gave him access to the phone and... and helped him log into the database. Then I had to leave for my traffic duty shift. I... I didn\'t realize it would become such a big issue."

Cho\'s expression darkens as he processes this information. His gaze sweeps over all of us - Han, me, and the visibly nervous Yong. The silence stretches for what feels like an eternity.

Finally, Cho speaks, his voice tight with controlled anger. "This is a serious breach of protocol. Officer Yong, you\'ve overstepped your authority significantly."

Yong\'s shoulders slump, but before he can respond, Cho continues, "However, given the apparent gravity of the situation, we need to address the findings first."

He turns to face Han and me. "Let\'s move this to the briefing room. We\'ll discuss your discoveries in detail."

As we begin to file out of the office, Cho adds, his voice cold, "And don\'t think I\'ve forgotten about this breach. We\'ll address how to handle our... guests... and their unauthorized activities later."

The walk to the briefing room feels like a march to the gallows. Han\'s face is set in a grim expression, while Yong looks like he might be sick. I can\'t help but feel a mix of guilt for putting Yong in this position and frustration at the bureaucratic obstacles hindering our investigation.

As we enter the briefing room, I catch Han\'s eye. We both know that what happens in the next few minutes could make or break our case - and possibly our careers. But more importantly, it could determine whether we can stop Jin Dohoon before he claims another victim.

I stand at the front of the briefing room, all eyes fixed on me. The weight of our discoveries presses down on my shoulders as I begin to explain our findings. I start with the coded folder names on Jin\'s phone, detailing how we cracked the system and what it revealed about Jin\'s methodical approach to his crimes.

As I speak, I can see the faces of Cho\'s team change from skepticism to concern, and finally to something approaching alarm. I walk them through the escalating pattern of incidents, the correlation between Jin\'s codes and reported crimes, and finally, the chilling connection to Kim Mi-sook\'s murder.

Throughout my presentation, Senior Inspector Cho remains impassive, his expression unreadable. He doesn\'t interrupt, doesn\'t ask questions. He simply watches and listens, his eyes never leaving me.

When I finish, a heavy silence falls over the room. I can feel the tension, the unasked questions hanging in the air. Cho leans back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him.

After what feels like an eternity, he speaks. "Officer Song, bring me the file on Kim Mi-sook."

A young officer nods quickly and hurries out of the room. As the door closes behind him, the silence becomes oppressive. Han shifts uncomfortably in his seat, while Yong stares at the table, unable to meet anyone\'s eyes. Cho\'s team members exchange uneasy glances, clearly unsure how to react to the information they\'ve just heard.

I remain standing at the front of the room, acutely aware of every tick of the clock on the wall. Seconds stretch into minutes as we wait for Officer Park to return. The air feels thick, almost suffocating with unspoken thoughts and suspicions.

Cho\'s eyes bore into me, as if trying to read my thoughts. I meet his gaze steadily, willing him to understand the urgency of the situation. Han clears his throat once, as if about to speak, but thinks better of it.

The tension builds with each passing moment. I can almost hear the gears turning in everyone\'s minds, processing the implications of what I\'ve presented. If I\'m right, a serial killer has been operating under their noses for months, possibly years. If I\'m wrong... well, the consequences don\'t bear thinking about.

Just when it feels like someone has to break the silence or go mad, the door opens. Officer Park returns, a thick file folder in his hands. He places it in front of Cho, who nods dismissal.

As Cho opens the file, the room collectively holds its breath. Whatever is in that folder could either validate our investigation or bring it crashing down around us.

Senior Inspector Cho studies the file for what feels like an eternity, his expression inscrutable. The room remains deathly quiet, the tension almost palpable. Finally, he looks up, his eyes sweeping across the assembled officers before settling on Han and me.

"Based on the evidence presented," Cho begins, his voice measured and authoritative, "and in light of the information in the Kim Mi-sook case file, I am authorizing an official investigation into Jin Do-hoon on suspicion of multiple murders."

A collective exhale seems to ripple through the room. I feel a mix of relief and apprehension wash over me.

Cho continues, his tone brooking no argument. "We will form a dedicated task force immediately. This investigation is to be given top priority."

He turns to his senior officers. "Detectives, I want you to start assembling a team. Pull in our best investigators, forensics experts, and analysts. We need to move quickly but carefully."

Cho\'s gaze then sweeps back to Han, Yong, and me. His expression hardens slightly, and when he speaks, his voice carries a chill that makes me suppress a shiver.

"As for our... guests from Seoul," he says, the word \'guests\' carrying a weight of irony, "and Officer Yong. Given your involvement in uncovering this information, you will be included in the task force."