On a freezing morning, the sky over Seoul was covered with thick gray clouds, as if the entire city could sense that something unnatural had begun moving in the shadows.
In the backyard of Minsoo's house…
Amid the cold fog, his body lay collapsed near the concrete drain.
His clothes were completely soaked.
He was lying on his side, his face pressed against the wet soil, his cold breath stirring dust particles right in front of his trembling lips.
His unfocused eyes remained fixed on the drain in a terrifying silence.
A drain that, just hours ago, had swallowed a piece of evidence capable of destroying his entire life.
In a world that cares nothing for emotions…
only for evidence.
He bit down hard on his trembling lower lip until it turned pale.
And one question kept gnawing at his mind without mercy:
The necklace was around Lee Woo Jin's neck the last time I saw him…
How did it end up with me?
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Images replayed endlessly inside his head.
The dressing room.
The encounter.
The necklace.
The hallucinations.
The blood.
But every path led to the same emptiness.
A broken voice slipped through his clenched teeth:
— "I…"
He stopped.
His breath trembled.
— "I'm not…"
He closed his eyes tighter, as if trying to convince himself.
— "A killer."
But even he…
was no longer entirely sure.
Seoul Central Police Station
The usual chaos was absent.
No casual jokes.
No tired laughter.
Only the hum of machines, the constant tapping of keyboards, and the breaths of men who had not slept for hours.
In the center of the interrogation room, the large screen suddenly lit up.
Everyone stood in silence.
Officer Lee said without lifting his eyes from the report:
— "Final results confirmed."
Chief Inspector Kim stepped forward slowly.
His hands in his pockets.
His sharp eyes fixed on the screen.
Images of evidence appeared one after another:
Teeth.
Fingernails.
Blood samples.
Then the final report.
Kim said in a low voice:
— "All human remains belong to Lee Woo Jin."
Some officers exhaled in relief.
Their shoulders loosened slightly.
As if they had all been waiting for this grim confirmation to end part of the mystery.
But Officer Lee immediately added:
— "Except for one thing."
Tension returned instantly.
Everyone turned back to the screen.
A magnified image of a fingernail appeared.
The officer continued:
— "Twenty-one fingernails were recovered from the layers of clothing."
His tone shifted slightly:
— "All belong to the victim… except the right pinky fingernail."
Murmurs spread.
Quick whispers.
Uneasy conclusions.
Officer Min stepped forward cautiously:
— "Sir… could it belong to the killer?"
— "No."
Kim's answer was immediate and firm.
He approached the screen.
The image zoomed further.
The root of the nail was intact.
Clean.
Complete.
Kim said in a cold, controlled voice that filled the room:
— "This is not a broken nail."
He looked up slowly.
— "It was pulled out."
A heavy silence fell.
Then he continued:
— "And no one removes their own fingernail and leaves it behind so carelessly."
He slowly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, but did not light it.
He kept staring at the image for a long moment before saying:
— "We have another victim."
Later…
Inside a Seoul subway station, life continued in its usual rhythm.
Fast footsteps.
Doors closing.
Announcements repeating over loudspeakers.
Laughter blending with the noise of arriving trains.
Among the crowd, three high school students walked together, joking loudly.
— "I swear, she kept looking at me during class!"
One laughed sarcastically:
— "You're living in a romance drama."
The third pushed him playfully:
— "Wait for me, I'm going to the restroom."
He entered the public bathroom with light steps.
It was crowded, but most stalls were empty except the last one.
He walked toward it smiling to himself.
His thoughts were louder than the place itself.
Did she really like me?
He tilted his head slightly.
Should I ask for her number?
He smiled with childish confidence.
No…
I'll let her ask first.
After finishing, he pressed the flush button absentmindedly.
At first, he noticed nothing.
Then—
he froze.
He stared into the toilet.
The water was not clear.
It was red.
A thick, dark red.
As if blood had dissolved into it.
He raised one eyebrow, then let out a nervous laugh.
— "Very funny…"
He called out:
— "Hey! Is this a prank?"
He leaned closer.
— "A stupid joke…"
Then he lifted the tank lid.
In that instant…
everything disappeared.
Sound.
Thoughts.
Even his breath.
Inside the tank…
was a human head.
Glassy eyes half-open.
Pale, swollen skin.
And lips frozen in a terrifying expression.
His legs gave out instinctively.
He hit the wall behind him.
Then his scream erupted inside the bathroom.
Minutes later…
The entire station had become a crime scene.
Yellow tape sealed the area.
Bystanders gathered behind barriers.
Whispers spread like fire.
Inside the bathroom, the coroner knelt slowly in front of the tank.
He examined the head in silence for a long moment.
Then said:
— "We have finally found the head of presenter Lee Woo Jin."
A quick glance revealed something important:
The red color inside the tank was not blood.
— "Dye."
An officer approached.
But the coroner suddenly raised his hand.
— "Wait."
He narrowed his eyes, staring into the slightly open mouth.
He carefully put on gloves and inserted metal tweezers.
He stopped suddenly.
— "There's something inside."
He pulled it out slowly.
A small sealed plastic bag emerged.
Strangely clean compared to the horrific scene.
Inside it…
a folded piece of paper.
The team gathered as it was opened.
The writing was in dark red ink.
Straight.
Calm.
Without a single tremor.
One officer read aloud:
— "Do you think she is lucky?"
Silence fell.
Then he continued:
— "Let's play a game."
Faces stiffened.
— "If you discover who the missing pinky nail belongs to within one week…"
He paused unconsciously.
Then continued:
— "I won't kill her."
At the bottom of the note…
a single signature:
"The Purifier."
No one spoke for several seconds.
Then one officer whispered:
— "I won't kill her…?"
Inspector Kim slowly lifted his head.
— "We have a living victim."
He added:
— "A woman."
Genetic results appeared instantly on the screen.
Female match.
Kim stared at the note.
— "The countdown has begun."
In the surveillance room…
CCTV footage played rapidly.
Endless faces.
Similar bags.
People entering and leaving nonstop.
Then—
— "Stop here."
The image froze.
A man appeared carrying a black bag.
He walked unnaturally fast, constantly looking back, wiping sweat from his forehead.
They followed him through the cameras.
Corridor.
Stairs.
Corner.
Then he entered the same bathroom.
Minutes passed.
He came out…
without the bag.
— "We found him."
Later…
The man sat inside the interrogation room.
His face was pale as death.
His hands trembling uncontrollably.
— "I didn't do anything…"
His voice came out like a rasp.
— "I swear… I didn't know what was inside the bag."
His voice suddenly broke:
— "He threatened me!"
The words spilled out desperately:
— "He said he knew about my affair…"
He lowered his head in shame.
— "He told me to just take the bag… leave it there… and go."
He looked up at the officers, terrified.
— "That's all… I swear."
Inspector Kim stood slowly.
He picked up the tablet showing the note.
He stared at the final line for a long moment:
"I won't kill her."
Then said calmly:
— "He's not hiding."
He looked at his team.
— "He's enjoying this."
His gaze returned to the red signature:
"The Purifier."
Then he said:
— "Seven days."
Outside…
The city continued moving as usual.
People laughed.
Cars passed through the streets.
Bright screens lit up the roads.
But somewhere inside this city…
an unknown woman was counting her breaths.
Waiting to see whether she would be saved…
or become the next victim in The Purifier's game.