Crimson star case

Min Joon stared blankly out the window, the city lights below flickering like distant stars. His mind, however, was consumed by a storm. He turned away with a sigh.

"Let's eat hotpot," Jae Hwan suggested, breaking the heavy silence.

Min Joon nodded, forcing a small smile.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

The meal passed in near silence, save for the occasional clatter of chopsticks and murmured comments. Both men had their own burdens, their own ghosts. After eating, they parted ways.

When Min Joon stepped into his apartment, the quiet hit him like a wave. It wasn't just silence—it was oppressive, suffocating. The kind of quiet that amplified the echoes of the past. He washed up in the bathroom, his movements mechanical. But no matter how much water he splashed on his face, he couldn't shake the haunting images in his mind.

Back in his bedroom, he stared at the ceiling for hours, insomnia gnawing at him. With a groan, he got up and reached for a folder on his desk. He flipped it open.

Classified Document

Case File: Triple Homicide

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Date: March 10, 2004

Victims:

Ji Hoon (16 years old) – Stabbed

Kim Yoon-Ji (42 years old) – Stabbed

Lee Sung-Jae (45 years old) – Gunshot wound

Min Joon scanned the details, his jaw tightening. Ji Hoon… his friend. The boy's face, once full of life, now lifeless in a pool of blood. His parents had fared no better.

Autopsy Report:

Ji Hoon: Multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen.

Kim Yoon-Ji: Single stab wound to the heart.

Lee Sung-Jae: Gunshot wound to the head.

The killer was precise. Ruthless. And yet, there was no apparent motive.

Investigation Notes:

No signs of forced entry.

No witnesses.

A strange symbol—a four-sided star—carved into the front door.

Min Joon's fingers traced the sketch of the symbol in the file. He had seen it before, though he wished he hadn't.

"I will avenge you," he murmured to himself, his voice firm.

The next morning, Min Joon dragged himself into the investigation department. Dark circles framed his eyes, but his determination hadn't waned. He barely had time to sit before a knock sounded on his door.

"Come in," he called.

The chief entered, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Congratulations on solving your last case in record time," he said sarcastically.

Min Joon chuckled dryly. "Thanks, Chief."

Their banter was interrupted by a commotion outside. They rushed out to find two officers dragging a disheveled, drunk man into the station.

"What's going on here?" the Chief demanded.

"This guy was threatening people with a knife," one officer explained.

The man's wild eyes darted around the room. "He's going to kill me!" he screamed. "God is going to kill me!"

The words sent a chill down Min Joon's spine. "Who's going to kill you?" he asked.

"God," the man whispered, his voice trembling.

Min Joon froze. He had heard this before.

"Do you know what this symbol means?" he asked,

showing the man a drawing of the four-sided star.

The man's expression shifted. A grin spread across his face, manic and unsettling. "It's justice. His justice. He'll kill me too."

"Who is 'he'? Why would he kill you?"

"I killed them. I killed five people—for money. Now he'll make me suffer unless… unless you kill me first. Please!"

Before Min Joon could ask more, a gunshot rang out. The man collapsed, blood pooling beneath his head. A figure bolted from the shadows.

"After him!" Min Joon shouted, taking off in pursuit.

The shooter was caught within minutes, his face blank and devoid of emotion. In the interrogation room, he answered Min Joon's questions with eerie calm.

"Why did you kill him?" Min Joon demanded.

"He was impure," the man replied. "People like him poison the world. They deserve to be punished—burned alive, cut into pieces, buried while they scream."

Min Joon's heart raced. The words were identical to those of another killer he had interrogated days ago.

"Do you think the watchman is safe?" the man asked suddenly, his voice laced with mockery.

"What?" Min Joon's breath hitched.

"Justice doesn't rest," the man said, smiling faintly.

Min Joon rushed to the holding cell where the drunk man had been taken. He found him lying on the floor, his back turned. When Min Joon flipped the body over, he staggered back. Foam dripped from the man's mouth, his eyes wide open in terror.

"Who was guarding this cell?" Min Joon shouted, his voice shaking with fury.

The officers exchanged nervous glances. One of them stepped forward, his face unnervingly blank.

"I killed him," the officer said.

Everyone froze.

Before Min Joon could react, the officer pulled a gun from his belt and he said to Min joon, locking eyes with him. "Do you believe in justice?"

The gunshot echoed through the station.The man shot himself.