The station was already active when the team gathered.
Files were spread across desks, screens filled with data, and the board at the center of the room remained divided—Ghost Eyes on one side, the copycat on the other.
Kang Min stood in front of it, arms crossed, studying the details again.
The differences were there.
Clear.
But not enough.
"Let's go over it again," he said.
The team shifted their attention toward him.
Su Young turned slightly in her chair, her laptop still open. Ara stepped closer to the board, while Bong Soo leaned against the desk, listening.
Kang Min gestured toward the copycat section.
"We already know he's not replicating the method," he said. "He's copying the outcome."
Ara nodded.
"The mark. That's what he's focused on."
Bong Soo added,
"And the victims are easier targets compared to the original."
Kang Min looked at the photos pinned on the board.
"The original doesn't rely on force," he said. "The copycat does."
Su Young spoke next.
"And that's where he makes mistakes."
She turned her laptop toward them.
"I went back through the material records again."
Kang Min shifted his attention to her.
"Anything new?"
Su Young nodded.
"Yes."
She zoomed in on a set of transactions.
"These purchases—cord, adhesive, and binding materials—they weren't bought at once."
Ara stepped closer.
"They're spread out."
"Exactly," Su Young said. "Different days. Different locations."
Bong Soo frowned slightly.
"That's deliberate."
Kang Min nodded.
"He doesn't want a pattern."
Su Young clicked again, pulling up a map.
"But there is one."
The locations appeared as small markers.
At first glance, they looked random.
But as she zoomed out slightly, the pattern became clearer.
Ara narrowed her eyes.
"They're within a radius."
Su Young nodded.
"He's moving within a limited area."
Kang Min stepped closer.
"That gives us direction."
Bong Soo straightened.
"But not enough to find him."
"No," Su Young replied. "Not yet."
Kang Min looked at the board again.
"We follow the locations," he said. "Every one of them."
No one objected.
They moved quickly.
Files were gathered.
Jackets picked up.
Within minutes, they were out.
⸻
The first location was a small hardware store.
Old building.
Limited customers.
The kind of place where transactions weren't always tracked in detail.
Kang Min and Bong Soo stepped inside while Ara and Su Young remained outside, checking surrounding areas.
The shop owner looked up as they approached.
"We're looking into recent purchases," Kang Min said, showing his badge.
The man nodded slowly.
"What kind?"
"Industrial cord. Strong adhesive. Binding tools."
The owner thought for a moment.
"We sell those regularly."
"Anyone stand out?" Bong Soo asked.
The man hesitated.
"Not really… most people don't talk much."
Kang Min didn't push too hard.
"Do you remember anyone buying smaller quantities? Not bulk."
The man nodded slightly.
"Yes. That happens."
"Recently?"
"Maybe."
That wasn't enough.
Kang Min thanked him and stepped out.
Ara looked at him.
"Nothing?"
"Not useful," he replied.
They moved on.
⸻
The second location was quieter.
A delivery pickup point.
Automated lockers lined against a wall.
Su Young checked the system.
"There are records," she said.
"Access logs?"
"Yes. But limited."
She scrolled through the entries.
"Most are linked to temporary accounts."
Bong Soo sighed.
"He covered that too."
Kang Min looked around the area.
"CCTV?"
Ara pointed toward a camera mounted above the entrance.
"There."
Su Young accessed the system.
The footage loaded slowly.
They watched.
People came and went.
Nothing unusual at first.
Then—
"Stop."
Ara spoke.
Su Young paused the video.
A figure stood near the lockers.
Face partially covered.
Cap pulled low.
Body language… steady.
Not rushed.
Not hesitant.
Kang Min leaned slightly closer.
"Play it."
The figure retrieved something from a locker.
Turned.
Walked out.
Su Young rewound.
Played it again.
Bong Soo frowned.
"That could be anyone."
Kang Min didn't respond immediately.
He was watching the movement.
The posture.
The way the person walked.
Not enough to confirm.
But not nothing.
"Save it," he said.
Su Young nodded.
⸻
They checked two more locations.
Same result.
Traces.
But nothing solid.
By the time they returned to the station, the energy had shifted.
Not frustration.
Not yet.
But the awareness that they were close to something that refused to fully reveal itself.
⸻
Back at the station, the footage was displayed on the main screen.
Everyone gathered again.
Su Young replayed the clip.
Ara watched carefully.
"The face is covered," she said.
"But the build is consistent," Bong Soo added.
Kang Min nodded.
"Same person."
Su Young paused the frame.
"I'll enhance what I can."
"Do it," Kang Min said.
She got to work immediately.
The rest of the team returned to the board.
Ara looked at the locations again.
"He's staying within this area for a reason."
Bong Soo crossed his arms.
"Comfort zone."
Kang Min shook his head slightly.
"Or access."
That changed the perspective.
Ara looked at him.
"You think he works around here?"
"It's possible," Kang Min replied.
Bong Soo added,
"Or lives nearby."
Kang Min didn't confirm.
But he didn't dismiss it either.
⸻
Elsewhere, Ha Eun sat at her desk again.
Her laptop was open.
The argument with Ara lingered, but she pushed it aside.
Her focus remained on the screen.
She had been going through recent reports again.
Something had changed.
Not in the headlines.
But in the details.
She opened multiple tabs, placing them side by side.
Then she began comparing.
Her fingers moved quickly across the keyboard as she typed notes.
First set of victims.
Second set.
Differences.
Clear.
Too clear to ignore.
She stopped for a moment.
Reading again.
Then she typed a word at the top of her document.
Copycat.
She stared at it briefly.
Then continued.
Signs of force.
Different approach.
Same signature.
She leaned back slightly.
If this was true, then the situation was more complicated than it appeared.
It wasn't one person anymore.
It was two.
Her thoughts moved faster now.
She opened another page.
Looking deeper.
Searching for connections.
Patterns.
Anything.
Her notes grew.
More detailed.
More structured.
The deeper she went, the more questions formed.
And the more determined she became to find answers.
⸻
Back at the station, Su Young called out.
"I got something."
The team gathered again.
The image on the screen had been enhanced.
Still not clear.
But clearer.
The outline of the face remained hidden.
But the frame showed more detail.
Clothing.
Build.
Movement.
Ara leaned slightly forward.
"It's the same person," she said.
Kang Min nodded.
"Yes."
Bong Soo exhaled.
"But we still don't know who he is."
Su Young added,
"Not yet."
Kang Min looked at the board.
Then back at the screen.
"We keep going," he said.
No one disagreed.
Because now, they had something.
Not enough to end it.
But enough to move forward.
And somewhere out there, the person they were searching for continued moving within the same space—
unaware that the pattern he tried to hide was slowly being uncovered.