진홍색 그림자 | Crimson Shadows (bbangsaz) [COMPLETE!]

XI The Web Tightens

The city was in a frenzy, the public in a state of collective panic. The police were under immense pressure, the media breathing down their necks for answers. But there were none to give. The Night Stalker had struck again, and the randomness of the victims left the authorities grasping at straws.

Detective Kang Haerin sat at her desk, staring at the photos spread out before her. Each one was a crime scene, a life brutally taken. The victims had nothing in common—different ages, backgrounds, even the methods of their deaths varied.

Haerin rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of the chaos. The task force was exhausted, running on fumes, but they couldn't afford to slow down. Every day the killer was free was another day the city remained in fear.

She leaned back in her chair, her thoughts drifting to the latest victim—a young woman named Huh Yunjin. There was something about her death that bothered Haerin, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Yunjin didn't fit the profile of the other victims. She was...different.

Haerin reached for Yunjin's file, flipping through the pages. She had been a bright, young woman with a promising future. No criminal record, no enemies that they could find. And yet, she had been murdered, just like the others.

But as Haerin studied the file, she noticed something—a connection she had overlooked. Yunjin had been working on a project, a research paper on unsolved murders. One of the cases she had been investigating was an old cold case, the murder of a woman named Pham Hanni.

Haerin's heart skipped a beat. She quickly pulled up the file on Pham Hanni, her mind racing. Could this be the link they had been missing? Was Yunjin's research the reason she was killed?

She knew she had to follow this lead. If The Night Stalker had some connection to Pham Hanni's murder, it could be the break they needed. But it was a long shot, and time was running out.

As Haerin prepared to leave the station, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen—it was a text message from an unknown number, "You're closer than you think. But be careful—she's watching you."

A chill ran down Haerin's spine. She scanned the room, but no one was paying her any attention. Who had sent the message? And what did they know?

Haerin knew she couldn't ignore this. The web was tightening, and she was caught in the middle. But if there was a chance to stop The Night Stalker, she had to take it—no matter the risk.

As she left the station, the weight of the investigation pressed down on her. The city was counting on her, and failure was not an option.

But as she walked into the night, the shadows seemed to grow darker, the air colder. And in the back of her mind, a voice whispered a warning she couldn't ignore, 'Be careful, Kang Haerin. The hunter is closer than you think.'

⋆⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺⋆