Perfect — let's roll into Chapter Two, where Detective Lee Jungkook enters the scene and the mystery starts to grow. This chapter will fo
Chapter Two – The Outsider
The corpse was secured by the time dawn broke over Jinhwa. Yellow tape stretched across the forest entrance, flapping in the morning wind. Villagers gathered at the roadside, whispering and craning their necks for a glimpse of the body being carried out.
Yoo Hara stood just beyond the tape, her uniform still damp from last night's storm. Her report was finished, neat on paper, though she had omitted one crucial detail. The victim's ghost spoke to me. No one at the station would believe it, and even if they did, it would be the end of her career.
She folded her arms, ignoring the curious stares of the villagers. They'd be gossiping all day, spinning stories of curses and demons. By nightfall, half the town would believe the dead man was haunting the forest already.
Hara wished they were wrong.
A black sedan pulled up to the tape, tires crunching over gravel. The car door opened, and a tall man stepped out, his dark suit pressed sharp, his gaze sharper still. He moved like someone used to command, his every step efficient and unhurried.
Detective Lee Jungkook.
Hara recognized the type instantly: Seoul-born, trained in the city's unforgiving pace. Too young for the weight of his reputation, yet confident enough to wear it like armor. His eyes swept across the scene, taking in details with unnerving precision.
"Detective Lee," the station chief greeted nervously, hurrying forward. "We didn't expect you this soon."
"The moment Seoul HQ heard Dongseok's name, this became our priority," Jungkook replied. His voice was low, steady, a man who wasted no words. "Where's the body?"
The officers led him toward the van. Hara stayed where she was, her jaw tight. She knew what came next. City detectives always treated village police like children—useful for traffic accidents, useless for real work.
Still, she felt his eyes on her before he even turned.
"You found the victim?" he asked.
The attention was sudden, direct. Hara met his gaze, surprised at the weight behind it.
"Yes," she answered evenly.
He studied her for a beat, as though trying to read more from her face than her words gave away. "Circumstances?"
Hara's mind raced. She couldn't say the dead man called to me. Instead she said, "I was on patrol. The storm had just started. I saw something in the trees and checked it out."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
A flicker of doubt crossed his expression, but he didn't press. Instead, he turned to the chief. "I'll need access to the scene. Full reports from everyone on shift. And the local officer stays with me."
Hara blinked. "What?"
"You know the terrain," Jungkook said, as though it were obvious. "And you found the body. You stay."
He didn't ask. He ordered.
The chief hesitated, clearly uncomfortable, but nodded. "Of course, Detective. Officer Yoo will assist you."
Jungkook gave her a short, measured glance before walking toward the forest line. Hara's fists clenched at her sides. She wasn't sure if she hated his arrogance or admired his confidence. Maybe both.
Behind her, the whispers stirred again, faint and bitter.
"Good. He doesn't know. Only you can hear me. Only you can help me."
Hara stiffened, her throat dry. Jungkook was already striding ahead, unaware of the presence trailing them both.
She followed reluctantly, realizing her burden had just doubled. Not only did she have to survive this case—she had to hide the one truth that bound her to the dead.
And Kim Dongseok's ghost wasn't going to make it easy.