The call came in just after midday. It cut through the steady rhythm of work inside the station, sharp enough to pull everyone's attention at once.
Kang Min picked it up first.
His expression changed slightly as he listened, his posture straightening.
"Location?" he asked.
A brief pause.
"Understood."
He ended the call and turned to the team.
"We've got another body."
That was all he needed to say.
Everything else followed immediately.
Chairs shifted back. Files were left open. Conversations stopped.
Ara was already reaching for her jacket. Bong Soo moved toward the door without waiting. Su Young grabbed her tablet, quickly saving what she had been working on before standing.
Tae Jun remained composed, rising with the rest of them.
"Same pattern?" he asked.
Kang Min picked up his keys.
"We'll confirm on site."
No time was wasted.
They left together.
⸻
The location was a residential area, quiet, the kind of place where nothing unusual was expected to happen.
Police tape had already been set up by the time they arrived. A small crowd lingered at a distance, held back by officers at the perimeter. Curious faces. Whispered conversations.
Kang Min stepped under the tape first, the rest of the team following closely behind.
The air felt heavy.
Not from weather.
From presence.
The body lay inside a narrow alley between two buildings.
Forensic officers were already at work, documenting the scene.
Kang Min approached slowly, his gaze fixed.
Ara followed, her steps measured.
Bong Soo stood slightly behind them, scanning the surroundings.
Tae Jun remained observant, taking in everything without interrupting.
The body was positioned in a way that immediately drew attention.
Placed.
Not dropped.
Ara crouched slightly, studying the details.
The mark was there.
Exactly where it had been on previous victims.
But something else stood out.
Kang Min noticed it first.
"There was resistance."
Ara looked again.
She saw it now.
Subtle, but present.
Marks along the arms.
A shift in the body's positioning that didn't match the original cases.
Bong Soo stepped closer.
"This isn't clean."
Kang Min nodded.
"It never is with him."
He didn't need to say more.
They all understood.
Copycat.
Ara stood.
"The original doesn't leave this kind of trace."
Tae Jun stepped closer, observing without interfering.
"The intention is the same," he said. "But the execution isn't."
Kang Min looked at the body again.
"He's trying to match something he doesn't fully understand."
A forensic officer approached them.
"Time of death is still being estimated," he said. "We'll confirm after examination."
Kang Min nodded.
"Cause?"
"Preliminary signs suggest physical restraint," the officer replied. "We'll know more after autopsy."
Ara glanced around the alley.
No immediate signs of disturbance beyond what was already visible.
No witnesses stepping forward.
No clear direction.
Just another scene.
Another victim.
Another attempt to imitate something precise.
Kang Min stepped back.
"Finish up here," he said to the forensic team.
The body would be transported shortly.
There was nothing more they could get from the location at that moment.
But enough had been confirmed.
They returned to their vehicles without delay.
⸻
Back at the station, the energy had shifted.
Not rushed.
Not chaotic.
But heavier.
Another victim meant less time.
Less room for mistakes.
The board was updated immediately.
A new photo added under the copycat section.
Details written beside it.
Ara stood in front of it, reviewing everything again.
Kang Min remained nearby.
Bong Soo leaned against the desk, arms folded.
Su Young sat at her station, already pulling up relevant data.
Tae Jun stood slightly apart, watching the process.
"We confirm it's the copycat," Kang Min said.
Ara nodded.
"The signs are consistent."
Bong Soo added,
"And the same flaws."
Su Young spoke without looking away from her screen.
"I'll check if this location connects to the previous purchase radius."
"Do that," Kang Min said.
The investigation resumed.
They worked through what they had, comparing details, aligning observations, trying to find something that would give them more than fragments.
But nothing immediate appeared.
Only patterns that weren't complete yet.
⸻
A knock came at the door.
Su Young looked up first.
The forensic doctor stepped in.
She carried a file.
"I have the results from the previous victim," she said.
Kang Min gestured for her to come in.
"Go ahead."
The team gathered again.
She opened the file.
"The cause of death was consistent with physical restraint leading to asphyxiation," she explained. "There were signs of struggle, though not prolonged."
Ara listened closely.
"That aligns with what we saw at the scene."
The doctor nodded.
"Yes. The victim attempted to resist, but it didn't last long."
She flipped a page.
"There were also pressure marks on the wrists and arms, indicating binding with a rough material. Likely cord."
Su Young spoke.
"That matches the purchases."
The doctor continued.
"The positioning of the body was done after death."
Tae Jun asked,
"Deliberate placement?"
"Yes," she replied. "The mark was added afterward, not during the act itself."
That detail settled into the room.
Ara looked at Kang Min.
"He's focused on the image."
Kang Min nodded slightly.
"Not the method."
The doctor closed the file.
"There were no foreign substances found in the system. No chemical involvement."
Bong Soo exhaled quietly.
"So it's all physical."
"Yes."
She handed the file to Kang Min.
"That's everything for now."
"Thank you," he said.
She nodded and left.
⸻
The room remained still for a moment after she was gone.
Then Tae Jun spoke.
"We should visit the victim's family."
The suggestion shifted attention toward him.
Kang Min looked at him.
"Why?"
"Background," Tae Jun replied. "We need to understand her routine, her environment, who she interacted with."
Ara nodded slightly.
"It could give us something we missed."
Bong Soo added,
"Or confirm what we already suspect."
Kang Min considered it briefly.
Then he said,
"We go."
⸻
The victim's house was modest.
Worn, but maintained.
They knocked.
After a moment, the door opened.
A woman stood there.
Middle-aged.
Eyes tired.
Expression guarded.
"Yes?"
Kang Min showed his badge.
"We're here regarding your daughter."
Her gaze shifted slightly.
"Come in."
They stepped inside.
The house carried a different kind of tension.
Not grief in the way they had seen before.
Something else.
Disconnection.
The woman sat down.
"You want to ask questions?" she said.
"Yes," Kang Min replied.
She leaned back.
"Then let's not waste time."
Ara noticed it immediately.
The tone.
Detached.
Bong Soo exchanged a glance with her.
The woman continued,
"But I don't talk for free."
That stopped the room.
Kang Min looked at her.
"Excuse me?"
She held his gaze.
"You heard me."
Ara's expression hardened slightly.
"You're asking for money?"
"Yes."
Tae Jun spoke calmly.
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"Because I need it."
The answer was blunt.
No hesitation.
No shame.
Kang Min looked at her for a moment.
Then he reached into his pocket and placed some money on the table.
"Talk."
She took it without hesitation.
"Fine."
The questions began.
Routine.
Background.
Daily life.
Friends.
Activities.
But the answers didn't lead anywhere.
"I don't know."
"She didn't tell me."
"She comes and goes."
Ara tried again.
"Who did she spend time with?"
"I don't keep track."
Bong Soo asked,
"Did she mention anyone recently?"
"No."
Kang Min watched her carefully.
"You're her mother."
The woman shrugged.
"That doesn't mean I know everything."
The conversation continued.
But nothing changed.
Every question met with distance.
Every attempt led nowhere.
It became clear.
There was nothing here.
Not because there was nothing to find.
But because she didn't know.
Or didn't care enough to know.
After a while, Kang Min stood.
"That's enough."
The woman didn't react.
"Are we done?" she asked.
"Yes."
She nodded slightly, already counting the money in her hand.
They left.
⸻
Outside, the air felt different.
Bong Soo let out a breath.
"That was pointless."
Ara didn't disagree.
"She didn't know anything."
Kang Min looked ahead.
"Or didn't pay attention."
Tae Jun spoke,
"It confirms one thing."
They looked at him.
"The victim had no strong support system. That made her vulnerable."
It wasn't new.
But it mattered.
Kang Min nodded.
"We go back."
⸻
At the station, they returned to their positions.
No breakthrough.
No clear lead.
But the case continued.
Because it had to.
The board remained in front of them.
Another photo added.
Another attempt by someone trying to imitate something beyond their reach.