"Beautiful."
Raindrops beaded on pale skin, catching the neon glow of red and blue lights, each one glittering like the puddles pooling on the concrete road.
The body lay crumpled against the wall, its throat cut in one clean sweep.
Detective Seo Rihan crouched low, the hood of his black leather coat hiding his wild grin. He brushed his gloved fingers near the wound, tilting his head like an art critic admiring a masterpiece.
"Efficient…. Precise," he murmured. "The killer wants us to admire his work."
A Beta detective behind him dragged a hand down his face. "Christ, Rihan! Could you stop sounding excited? The chief's already pissed we let a psychopath like you consult on this case."
Rihan rolled his eyes, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and slipped it back between his lips. "I'm just admiring it. There's nothing wrong with that."
He exhaled a stream of smoke toward the corpse, smiling.
"It's a corpse, Rihan." The detective reminded him, and Rihan stood slowly, turning to face him.
But it wasn't the man that caught his eye, it was the restless crowd being held back by uniformed officers at the edge of the tape.
He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "From the depth of the cut, this was a professional hitman. There are no signs of struggle either which means he was likely struck from behind." His tone was matter-of-fact.
The detective let out a breath of relief, glad Rihan was finally speaking like a professional instead of an amused spectator.
"He was a bartender at the club," the detective explained. "His partner said he went out for a smoke break but never came back."
Rihan spat the cigarette from his lips and bit down lightly on his lower lip. "Has the partner been taken to the station, Minjae?"
Minjae nodded. "You should've come earlier."
Rihan snorted. "The killer was smart to leave no evidence, and the rain has washed away the rest." He turned back toward the corpse, his hazel eyes gleaming with a strange thrill. "What pleasant luck for him."
Minjae frowned but said nothing. By now, he was used to Rihan's madness.
In no time, the first responders lifted the body into the ambulance. Rihan's eyes stayed fixed on it until the doors shut and the vehicle pulled out of sight. Only then did he frown.
"Would you rather sit this one out? You've got a stack of cases more pressing than this, Rihan," Detective Choi Minjae asked. For all of Rihan's unsettling quirks, he was still one of the best detectives in Korea.
"Well, I do have a date with a pretty Omega tonight," Rihan muttered, slipping his hands into his coat pockets, "but I can't get that corpse out of my head." He turned on his heel and began walking toward his car.
Minjae hurried after him. "Rihan, you don't think this is just a hitman job, do you? Why would a professional target an orphaned twenty five year old Beta whose only gig was bartending?"
Rihan opened the driver's door, glancing back with a smirk. "Questions, questions. That's why we do this job, isn't it? To ask and answer them."
Without another word, he slid into the car and drove off, leaving Minjae standing in the rain.
Arriving at his condo, Rihan shrugged off his wet coat, letting his waist-long raven-black hair fall loose before tying it into a messy bun. He headed straight to the shower, later changing into loose black pants and a baggy shirt that hung over his 6'4" lean, well-toned frame.
From there, he walked into an empty room, lit a cigarette, and flicked on the light. The space was lined with disturbing sketches of corpses and a massive detective board that dominated the wall.
Without a word, he sketched the corpse from the alley, pinned it to the board, and added the photo of the crime scene beside it.
"Hmmm." Tilting his head, he flipped the board, revealing six more photos of victims each with the same peculiar cuts. "Who are you, really?"
He blew a stream of smoke toward the board, his lips curling into a dry smirk. "Seven deaths in two months. All orphans, all working ordinary jobs. Every one of them between the ages of twenty three and twenty five."
Grabbing his phone, he dialed Minjae. The detective answered instantly.
"Rihan! I was just about to call you!" Minjae shouted.
Rihan winced and pulled the phone slightly from his ear. "Why? What happened?"
Minjae's voice came fast and frantic. "There has been another murder downtown. It's just like the last one! a twenty three year old Omega, works as a stripper. But this time it's different! His neck was broken before the cut."
Rihan's smile was sharp, almost predatory. "Which means there will be fingerprints. Send me the results now."
"Yes, sir!" Minjae chirped before hanging up.
Seconds later, the files pinged onto Rihan's phone. He uploaded them to his computer and highlighted the data in bold, his eyes narrowing as the pieces began to fall into place.
On the screen, an empty space remained where a photo should have been. Instead, there was only a line of information.
Grim Reaper. Age: 28. 521 kills. 45 assaults. Evidence of kidnapping, Read More...
Rihan's eyes darkened as he stared at the words, cigarette smoke curling around him.
"Grim Reaper… that sounds familiar." He leaned closer to the monitor, his eyes narrowing. Too familiar.
Just then, his phone buzzed. Without thinking, he picked it up. A message from an unknown number lit the screen.
[Hello there, Detective Seo Rihan.]
For a second, silence stretched in the bright room. The lights flickered violently before, slowly, a wild smile spread across Rihan's lips.
"Finally… someone worth my time."