Chapter Five – Shadows in the Village
The evening settled heavy over Jinhwa, but no one lingered outside. Shopkeepers locked their doors earlier than usual, and even the rice wine bar that normally spilled laughter into the street was quiet. Fear was spreading faster than the storm clouds.
Yoo Hara noticed it as she walked the main road with Detective Jungkook. Curtains twitched when they passed. Conversations died mid-sentence. It wasn't just gossip anymore—the villagers knew something, or someone, was here.
"They're hiding something," Jungkook murmured, scanning the shuttered homes. His hand lingered near the holster under his jacket. "Word travels fast in places like this."
Before Hara could reply, her phone buzzed. It was Officer Park from the substation. His voice came through, low and urgent:
"Officer Yoo—trouble at the warehouse by the river. Old man Han said he saw strangers forcing their way inside. He's terrified."
Hara's gut tightened. Strangers. Here.
Jungkook was already moving, his instincts sharp. "Come on."
They reached the warehouse in minutes, their footsteps splashing across the muddy ground. The wide wooden structure loomed against the riverbank, doors half-broken, light spilling through the cracks. Male voices echoed inside—low, tense, dangerous.
Jungkook drew his pistol with smooth precision. He motioned for Hara to circle left as he moved right, both slipping into the shadows.
Inside, two men towered over an old fisherman cowering against the wall. One gripped him by the collar, the other rifled through a crate of nets and tools as though searching for something.
"Talk, old man," one snarled. "You've seen him. Min Jae-ho. Where is he?"
The fisherman stammered, shaking his head. "N-no, I don't know—"
The first man raised a knife. "Then maybe we cut the truth out of you."
Before the blade could fall, Jungkook's voice cut through, cold and steady: "Drop it."
The two men spun. The knife clattered to the ground as they found themselves staring at the barrel of a pistol.
For a moment, silence. Then chaos.
The second man lunged, knocking over a crate. Jungkook fired—a clean shot to the shoulder—and the man collapsed with a scream. The first bolted for the side door. Hara dashed forward, blocking his escape, but he shoved hard against her shoulder. She stumbled, catching herself against the wall as he tore past.
She sprinted after him into the night, her flashlight beam bouncing wildly. Her heart thundered, not just from the chase but from the whisper suddenly slicing through the air.
"That voice—I know him. He was there that night!"
Her blood ran cold. The ghost's fury echoed in her skull. The man ahead wasn't just a thug—he was one of Dongseok's killers.
"Hara!" Jungkook's shout rang out behind her. "Don't lose him!"
She pushed harder, boots slamming against wet earth, chasing the fleeing shadow into the labyrinth of alleyways that twisted between the village homes. Every step felt like she was running deeper into a trap.
And behind her ear, the ghost hissed, "Catch him. Make him pay. Don't let him escape alive."