The dim light of the interrogation room flickered above felix’s head, casting a wavering shadow on the cold metal table in front of him. Detective felix had been trained to read people, to see past the facade and uncover the truth, but the man sitting across from him was like no one he’d ever encountered. His name was hyunjin, a prime suspect in a series of murders that had shaken the city. But he was calm—almost eerily so—and his lips held a trace of a smile as he met felix’s gaze with an intensity that was unsettling.
From the moment felix walked into the room, he’d felt an inexplicable pull. It was something he couldn’t ignore, something dark yet magnetic about hyujin. He wanted to look away but couldn’t.
“Why do you look at me like that, Detective?” hyunjin’s voice was soft, almost mocking. “Do you think you can figure me out?”
felix straightened, trying to regain control. “I don’t need to figure you out, hyunjin. I just need you to confess.”
hyunjin chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Confession… Such a simple word, isn’t it? But there’s always more beneath the surface. Isn’t that why you became a detective, felix? To dig deeper?”
The sound of his name on hyunjin’s lips sent a shiver down his spine. “Don’t think you can get in my head. I know what you’ve done. The evidence is stacked against you.”
hyunjin shrugged, his eyes gleaming. “Evidence isn’t the same as truth, is it? You of all people should know that.”
felix felt his resolve waver. There was something intoxicating about hyunjin’s presence, a strange allure that defied logic. He was dangerous, unpredictable, and yet felix found himself inexplicably drawn to him. He didn’t know when it happened—when intrigue had twisted into something closer to fascination.
Over the next few weeks, felix spent more time than necessary poring over hyunjin’s case. Every detail, every piece of evidence, and every encounter with hyunjin left him more conflicted. He tried to convince himself it was just his job, that he was merely trying to catch a killer. But his heart knew better.
As days turned into late nights in his office, felix began to notice something he couldn’t ignore. hyunjin wasn’t just a monster, at least not in the way people assumed. His actions, though brutal, seemed calculated, almost as if he was sending a message. A pattern began to emerge—his victims were all powerful figures who had escaped justice, those who had twisted the system to suit their own needs.
One night, as he stared at hyunjin’s file, a voice startled him.
“You’re starting to understand, aren’t you?”
felix turned, heart racing. hyunjin was standing by the doorway, his posture relaxed as if he’d just walked in from a casual evening stroll. He wasn’t supposed to be here—the building was secure, and hyunjin was supposed to be in custody. But here he was, in felix’s office, looking at him with that familiar, unreadable smile.
“hyunjin—” felix’s voice caught, torn between duty and the inexplicable longing that had settled in his chest.
hyunjin raised a finger to his lips, stepping closer. “You know, I didn’t expect you to see it. But you did, didn’t you? You saw what I was doing.”
felix’s mind was spinning. “It doesn’t matter if I understand. You killed people, hyunjin. You can’t justify that.”
hyunjin tilted his head, his expression softening. “I know you think I’m a monster. But can you deny that some part of you agrees with what I did? You know as well as I do that those people weren’t innocent.”
felix’s silence was answer enough. His moral compass was torn, spinning wildly between right and wrong. He’d sworn an oath to uphold justice, but the lines had blurred ever since hyunjin had entered his life.
“Then why are you here?” felix whispered, struggling to keep his voice steady.
“Because,” hyunjin said softly, leaning closer, “you’re the only one who understands. The only one who’s ever seen past what I’ve done. And maybe, just maybe… you’re the only one who can help me.”
felix felt the weight of hyunjin’s words settle heavily on his shoulders. He was trapped in a moral dilemma, his feelings and his duty colliding. But when hyunjin’s hand brushed his, a sense of clarity washed over him. It was a terrifying realization, one that he knew would haunt him forever.
The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway, a reminder that they had only moments. hyunjin’s eyes locked onto felix’s, a silent plea hidden beneath his composed exterior.
“Help me, felix. Just this once.”
Against every logical instinct, felix nodded. He didn’t know if it was loyalty or love or something darker, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. He hurriedly led hyunjin out a side exit, down through the hidden passages in the police building he knew so well. The air was thick with tension, each step amplifying the risk they were taking.
As they reached the exit, hyunjin paused, turning to face him. “Thank you, felix,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
felix swallowed hard, knowing this was likely the last time he’d see him. “This doesn’t change anything. You’re still…”
“A killer?” hyunjin finished, a sad smile on his lips. “Maybe. But I’ll always remember you as the one who saw beyond that.”
Without another word, hyunjin slipped into the shadows, disappearing into the night.
felix stood there for a long time, the weight of his decision settling heavily on him. He had let a killer walk free. But as he turned to leave, he couldn’t shake the feeling that, in some twisted way, he’d done the right thing.
In the days that followed, he tried to move on, burying himself in his work. But every time he closed his eyes, he saw hyunjin’s face, heard his voice, felt that brief touch of his hand. He had let hyunjin go, but a part of him knew that he would never truly be free from him.
For better or worse, hyunjin had left a mark on his heart—a mark that neither time nor distance could ever erase.
