Chapter 15

Beomjin quickened his pace as the scent grew stronger. But just when he thought he could catch up, the trail vanished at the square, splitting into countless alleys and disappearing.

What the hell?

He froze, momentarily stunned. The place where the scent had divided into multiple directions was scrubbed clean, like someone had run a vacuum over it.

It wasn’t that his nose had failed. The crowd bustled around him, and he could still distinguish each individual’s scent.

When he focused harder, he saw something else.

‘This isn’t normal. They knew I was chasing them and lured me out here, only to slip away?’

Taking a deep breath, Beomjin picked up the heavy trace of amnunbiat. Commonly called motherwort, this herb was special to Beast-Blooded. The juice squeezed from its petals, which bloomed when its fruit ripened, had the power to erase a Beast-Blooded’s scent.

“Well, well…”

Beomjin smirked.

Anyone who knew how to procure and use amnunbiat wasn’t ordinary. But Beomjin wasn’t exactly ordinary himself.

To his eyes, the flower-particle motes looked as clear as snowflakes. Amnunbiat could erase scent, but its own presence was stubborn. Its particles were so fine they dispersed quickly—but even the faintest traces didn’t escape him.

Raising his head, he tracked the drifting fragments. They led toward a large café on the right.

He cleared his throat and walked forward slowly, not once glancing at the café, maintaining distance as though it wasn’t his destination. After passing it, he was sure. The target hadn’t left. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.

At the entrance, his gaze swept the interior like a motorized scanner. Sheep, Rats, Cats, Dogs—several Beast-Blooded were scattered about, drinking coffee alone or in groups. Customers waited for orders, staff moved busily, but the one he wanted wasn’t in sight.

As he walked further in, he suddenly grabbed a man’s sleeve. The loose fabric fluttered like a flag in the breeze.

“Where you going? Thought I wouldn’t notice?”

The man was utterly ordinary. Average looks, dressed like a college student, black backpack slung over his shoulder, wireless earbuds in. Only one thing stood out: the left sleeve Beomjin had grabbed hung empty.

“Who are you…? Why are you doing this?”

The man’s youthful voice trembled. Backing away, he looked like a frightened puppy. The more he flustered, the more eyes turned toward them. A few customers whispered and readied their phones to film.

Beomjin barked at him.

“Hey! You borrow money, you pay it back!”

The café stirred with murmurs. Now all eyes locked not on Beomjin, but on the man. Gasps and gossip buzzed through the room as the man’s face flushed red.

“I never borrowed money! Stop making things up!”

“Lies. Evidence says otherwise. Enough of this—let’s talk outside.”

“I said I didn’t borrow anything! I swear!”

When the man tried to twist away, Beomjin grabbed his collar.

“If you don’t want to make a bigger scene, follow me, you damn Samjokgu¹ brat.”

Beomjin whispered almost kindly, then released him and walked out. Left behind, the man steadied his shaking eyes before quietly following.

In the alley beside the café, Beomjin waited. The man approached, his once-innocent gaze hardened into something feral.

“You with the Special Beast Unit?”

“Yeah. Why, that matter? Thought you’d shaken me off, huh? Didn’t go your way.”

“Tch. What a hassle.”

The man clicked his tongue, malice radiating from him.

“I don’t know why you followed me, but I didn’t do anything. So quit sticking your nose in and leave.”

“Didn’t do anything? Funny, I didn’t even say what this was about.”

Annoyed, the man stepped closer.

“The fox. I didn’t kill her. That’s why you’re tailing me, isn’t it? It wasn’t me. I’ve got an alibi, no motive. Stop wasting your time on me. I don’t like it.”

“You think a Samjokgu gets to say that crap? Then why were you at the scene?”

Beomjin wasn’t about to back down just because the man had a sharp tongue.

Samjokgu—Three-Legged Dog. They had existed long before organizations like the Special Beast Investigation Unit. The first group formed to punish corrupt Beast-Blooded. The origin of their name was murky: some said the founders were dog-blooded; some claimed they cut off fingers to prove their resolve; others said a founder lost an arm in battle, or had a limb taken by the powerful. Whatever the truth, the tradition endured.

Even now, Samjokgu marked themselves by cutting off a hand or finger, proof of allegiance. Rumor said such sacrifice granted greater power, though Beomjin couldn’t confirm.

“You think Samjokgu are nothing but lunatic killers? Wrong.”

The Samjokgu showed no mercy to evil Beast-Blooded. No matter how much blood was spilled, no matter how long it took, they hunted corruption to the end. Their reputation struck fear across the land.

And their greatest battles had always been against gumiho. Nine-tailed foxes were powerful—rivals of the Guardian Deities themselves—blessed with both strength and a beauty that enthralled. Some exploited kings, manipulated nobles, and devoured human livers. Each time, the Samjokgu intervened.

But those battles were bloody. Every clash between Samjokgu and gumiho left casualties, feeding the group’s terrifying legend.

Beomjin pressed on.

“Maybe you’re not a mad killer, but you’ve tasted blood. Three foxes, all found with their eyes gouged out.”

“Right. Someone’s hunting gumiho. I’m hunting that bastard.”

The Samjokgu’s eyes didn’t even blink. The two men leaned closer, faces tense with challenge.

“And how am I supposed to believe you’re innocent?”

“Your belief means nothing. I just do my job. So you’d better stop getting in my way.”

The Samjokgu bared his teeth like a fearless stray.

And Beomjin knew. This man wasn’t the culprit. The Samjokgu weren’t pawns for anyone. Not even Dragons could make them bow.

Lowering the killing intent that had been brimming, Beomjin spoke.

“I’m Baek Beomjin of the Special Beast Investigation Unit. I’m looking for a fox.”

“Samjokgu Kim Gyeonseok.”

The Samjokgu eased up as well.

With that brief exchange, a truce was declared.

Having tested each other, the two men spoke more freely.

“And it’s not just three victims. There’s a fourth. Someone you don’t know about.”

“A fourth? How would you know that?”

“Because I found them myself.”

“You? If a Beast-Blooded was involved, the Unit would know. Especially if it was murder.”

“…It wasn’t murder. But there was definitely an attack aimed at the eyes. They almost died.”

Gyeonseok frowned at that.

“Almost died? Who are you talking about?”

“…Someone I know.”

At his heated reaction, Beomjin smirked.

“Not just ‘someone you know.’ You mean your girlfriend, right?”

The twitch in his body, the darting pupils, the shaky breaths—Beomjin was sure.

“A Samjokgu dating a fox? Seriously? That’s a circus.”

“Is there some law that says I can’t?!”

Gyeonseok snapped, voice rising.

Ordinarily, it was impossible to distinguish between gumiho and ordinary fox-blooded Beast-Blooded. Because of that, fox-blooded were often misunderstood—especially those who exuded natural allure. Rumor even said foxes had spilled more blood than any other lineage because of Samjokgu. The hatred between them ran deep.

Watching Gyeonseok’s ears turn red, Beomjin chuckled.

“Hey, I don’t care who you date. But if your girlfriend got attacked, why are you chasing the culprit instead of protecting her?”

As the words left his mouth, his eyes widened. Everything clicked at once.

“Your girlfriend ran away. And now you can’t reach her, so you’re looking for her.”

At that murmur, Gyeonseok glared back. His eyes held anger, shame, and resignation all at once.

“…Yeah. I can’t sit still. I don’t know where she is, how she’s doing. More victims keep showing up and I’m going insane wondering if she’s hurt too. Damn it, which bastard…!”

“Your fox girlfriend—her family name wouldn’t happen to be Yoon, would it?”

Beomjin asked with a hunch. Gyeonseok lifted his head, speaking carefully.

“…How the hell do you know that?”

His reaction was all the answer needed. The absurdity of it made Beomjin laugh.

“Because the fox I’m looking for happens to be your girlfriend.”

As expected, Horyeon was Gyeonseok’s girlfriend. She’d already been attacked once and had been under his protection—but she’d gone missing two days ago.

“This morning I stopped by the hotel where she was staying, but she wasn’t there. The room looked like a knife fight had broken out, but luckily—or unluckily—there was no blood.”

Gyeonseok let out a bitter sigh, then continued.

“Her phone was still there. I can’t reach her at all. Every time I hear talk of a fox getting attacked or killed, I lose my mind.”

He kicked at the ground and clicked his tongue, his boiling frustration radiating to Beomjin.

“Did you see who attacked her?”

Beomjin’s question made Gyeonseok’s eyes flash. He had only blinked, but they burned with killing intent.

“If that bastard had tried that in front of me, he’d already be dead.”

“Yeah… I believe it.”

It was a convincing answer. When it came to finishing someone off, the Samjokgu were far more professional than the Unit.

“I don’t know where she’s staying now. I searched every place she frequents, but every one of them was trashed.”

“Then maybe another place—”

Beomjin cut himself off mid-thought.

“Wait. If all her usual spots were wrecked, that means whoever’s chasing her knows them too, right?”

“That’s impossible. Those places are…”

For the first time, Gyeonseok’s face turned grave. He began folding his fingers, whispering numbers under his breath. He didn’t stop until he was near twenty. Beomjin asked quietly.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. It doesn’t make sense. There’s something I need to check.”

Gyeonseok shot him a final look before walking away. Beomjin didn’t chase or ask for his contact. The man’s eyes had already promised they’d meet again.

Beomjin gathered his thoughts. Running into a Samjokgu had been completely unexpected. Nothing like this had happened in the past timeline.

Back then, Yoon Horyeon existed too—but she’d been killed. He couldn’t recall the exact date, only that it wasn’t far from today. She had died, but there had been no string of murders, and he had never crossed paths with the Samjokgu.

Something was different.

Why? What had changed?

The gears were misaligned, the flow diverging from the past. Where had it gone off-track? Because he’d taken two doses of Seomdan? Because he’d stopped Huiseon’s case?

Just then, his phone rang, snapping him back. Checking the caller ID, Beomjin realized he’d found the starting point of this altered future. He quickly answered.

“Uncle!”

“…Yeah.”

The voice he hadn’t heard since the accident—his uncle’s breathing—was a miracle.

A faint, labored laugh followed.

“Can’t believe I’m alive. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even hear my own voice now.”

“Are you okay?” His aunt’s voice carried over the line. The metallic rasp of his uncle’s breath made Beomjin’s own chest tighten.

“…Where are you?”

“I’m outside. Uncle, if you’re tired, please rest. I’ll come visit later.”

“No. I’d like to see you now… if you can come.”

His uncle’s voice trembled faintly, as if death hovered close.

Beomjin’s throat itched with questions he couldn’t voice. Heart racing, he forced his answer.

“I’ll come. Right away.”

“Good. Thank you.”

The call cut off abruptly, leaving his chest pounding.

His uncle had woken up. That fact alone made the world feel different.

No—not just feel. It was a different world.

There was no time to hesitate. Beomjin immediately headed for the hospital where his uncle was admitted.