Chapter 38

The head chef and the kitchen assistant walked down the dim back alley toward the storage shed behind the building.

Beomjin kept a reasonable distance, tailing them quietly.

After a short walk, the two got into a white Ray parked on the street. Moving closer, Beomjin peered through the tinted window.

Their faces lit up as they unzipped the backpack, glowing with the joy of thieves opening a vault of gold.

Got you.

Beomjin knocked sharply on the driver’s window.

“Ahhh!”

Startled, the two screamed and dumped the backpack. But instead of money, tightly wrapped plastic bags spilled out—vacuum-sealed meat, onions, potatoes, chopped fish, and jars of sauce.

“Open the door, please.”

His short, firm tone made the driver obey immediately.

“I saw you leave the store earlier. What’s with the bag?”

The chef flinched but quickly composed himself.

“Ah, Investigator? What brings you out here this late?”

“Answer my question first. That bag—what is it?”

The kitchen lady lowered her head and spoke.

“I’m sorry… these are just leftovers.”

“Leftovers?”

“Yes, ingredients we used a few days ago. It seems the store won’t be open for a while, so we thought…”

“That’s still theft.”

Beomjin sighed, and the chef finally admitted it.

“I know it’s wrong, but…”

He glanced at the kitchen lady, who hesitated before continuing.

“To be honest, that manager—Seo-eun—she’s no better than the boss. If we made a mistake or caused any loss, she’d dock our pay and yell over nothing.”

Beomjin tilted his head. That didn’t match the tearful, gentle woman he’d seen before.

“Is that true?”

The chef nodded.

“The boss was rough, sure, but the manager wasn’t much different. Do you know how many part-timers quit because of them? …Tch.”

His voice carried a mix of anger and resignation.

“I know this was wrong, but we just wanted to eat… to survive.”

The kitchen lady hung her head lower. The chef sealed the bag in silence, and the two turned away.

Beomjin gave a short bow and shut the driver’s door. The Ray started up and drove off with its load of stolen ingredients.

Left standing in the dark, Beomjin took out his phone and began typing notes.

“Seo-eun. Confirm her relationship with the victim.”

But this wasn’t going to end with confirmation alone.

The victim, Seo-eun, and Seoseong.

Outwardly, they seemed like normal acquaintances—but somewhere, invisible threads were tangling them together.

Beomjin’s fingers moved again, almost on their own.

[Something is entangled around Seo-eun.]

The next morning, Beomjin arrived at Special Beast Investigation Unit HQ.

The building was still as chaotic as ever, people rushing in every direction. Jinyoung greeted him, clutching a half-empty coffee cup and looking severely sleep-deprived.

“You look like you haven’t slept,” Beomjin said.

Instead of answering, Jinyoung downed the rest of her coffee in one go.

“I just realized last night we skipped lunch yesterday.”

“Yeah. No wonder I’m still tired.”

Beomjin smirked, remembering the instant noodles that passed for his dinner.

“So, did you get anything useful?”

“Plenty. The victim’s reputation is absolute trash. If we’re not careful, our suspect list’s going to triple. And it’s not just the victim—everyone around him’s got issues.”

Beomjin told her everything he’d heard from locals, and what had happened with the chef and the kitchen lady.

“I knew that manager was fishy!” Jinyoung slammed her hand on the desk. Beomjin flinched as she muttered to herself.

“When I comforted her yesterday, something felt off. She was bawling her eyes out, but the tissues barely got wet. I thought I was overthinking—but I was right.”

While she looked proud, Beomjin asked, “And what about you? Find anything?”

Jinyoung tapped a stack of reports, then turned her tablet toward him.

“I stayed up tracing the victim’s and Seoseong’s bank accounts. Just like you said, there are multiple transfers from Seoseong to the victim—amounts from a few hundred thousand won to nearly ten million.”

“But that’s not all, is it?”

Jinyoung blinked, impressed. “Exactly. Seoseong was also sending money somewhere else—regularly.”

“And?”

“It looks like a ghost account. I tried tracing it, but no luck. No names, no destination, nothing.”

Beomjin bit his lip.

“Something keeps turning up…”

A long silence followed. Jinyoung finally closed her tablet and said,

“I’m convinced. Seoseong’s hiding something. And if you’re right, Seo-eun needs another look too.”

Beomjin rose from his seat.

“I need to meet those siblings again. But first, there’s somewhere I need to stop by.”

“Where to?”

In response to Jinyoung’s question, Beomjin lifted a prepared shopping bag.

The dorms for Special Beast Investigation Unit agents were located not far from HQ, tucked in an ordinary residential neighborhood. The exterior looked like any other small villa, but inside it was tightly secured—layered with surveillance systems and reinforced locks.

Relaxing his shoulders, Beomjin pressed the doorbell for Unit 303. A moment later, a familiar voice answered.

“Oh, it’s you? Been a while. Come in—I was waiting.”

Risa greeted him with her usual blunt expression, oversized shirt hanging loosely on her frame. As Beomjin stepped out of his shoes, a light thudding came from inside.

“Uncle!”

So bright and cheerful — it was Seoyul’s voice.

“Hey, how’ve you… been—”

Beomjin stopped mid-greeting.

The girl who once looked plain and shy had completely transformed in just a day or two. Her hair was styled up neatly, cheeks dusted with pink blush, and lips tinted faintly red. The look was clumsy yet radiant.

Beomjin glanced at Risa, who stood behind her with a smug grin.

“Well? She looks great, right?”

Risa had been assigned as Seoyul’s guardian—a decision made out of worry that the teenage girl would be lonely in Seoul, far from home. Among several candidates, she had been chosen because of her outgoing, confident nature.

In hindsight, maybe not the best choice.

Keeping his opinion to himself, Beomjin smiled. “Yeah… she looks brighter. That’s good.”

Even if it felt like a kid playing with her mom’s makeup, it wasn’t entirely a lie. The once timid, withdrawn Seoyul now stood upright with calm confidence.

“Uncle, come in. I was just packing to go see Grandma.”

“Sorry, Seoyul. I can’t today—the case I’m handling got complicated.”

Her face immediately drooped, lips curving down.

“But here,” Beomjin said, handing her the shopping bag. “A little present.”

Her eyes lit up again as she bowed and took it. Inside was a simple but elegant shoulder bag.

“Wow! What’s this?”

“Your old bag got ruined, remember? Thought you could use a new one.”

“I love it. Thank you!”

Her smile drew one from him too.

“I’m glad you’re settling in well here.”

He shot Lisa a look over her half-closed eyes—one that silently said, keep an eye on her.

“Well, I’ll get going. Be careful on your way to see Grandma, okay? I’ll visit again soon.”

“Thank you for the bag. Goodbye!”

“See you.”

With warm smiles, Beomjin waved and stepped out. Just before the door shut, he glanced back.

Seoyul sat quietly on the sofa, clutching the bag to her chest, face serene and gentle. Too peaceful—and that was what bothered him most. She looked like any normal girl again. But Beomjin knew better.

Inside her, that sleeping power could awaken any time.

Sunlight spilled bright and golden through the afternoon sky as Beomjin walked away. It was time to step back into the shadows. He was headed to meet Seoseong again.

Near Bonabetti Steak House, Beomjin spotted Jinyoung waiting in a nearby alley. She was crouched behind a parked car, munching on a sandwich while keeping her eyes on the building.

“He’s upstairs. Hasn’t come down yet. You gave the gift already? I thought you’d stay for coffee or something.”

“Not exactly the time for that. Let’s go. Ready?”

Beomjin’s eyes were locked on the building entrance. Jinyoung stuffed the rest of the sandwich in her mouth and nodded.

They slipped out from cover and moved calmly toward the target. But after only a few steps, Beomjin froze and sniffed the air.

“Wait… someone’s coming out. Huh?”

The two quickly ducked behind a nearby car. Moments later, two figures emerged—Kang Seoseong, and another woman whose scent made Beomjin tense immediately.

“…Her? That woman’s the loan shark.”

“Yeah. Lynx-blooded. Chuna Na-hyung,” Jinyoung muttered. “Now that’s an odd pair.”

“What’s their connection?”

Peeking from behind cover, Jinyoung whispered, “They look pretty friendly…”

Na-hyung laughed brightly, while Seoseong smiled and gestured animatedly, clearly trying to please her.

“Don’t tell me they’re dating.”

Jinyoung’s eyes gleamed with curiosity. She watched them like a fan tuning into a romance drama.

“That’d be something,” Beomjin murmured.

Their conversation didn’t last long. After a few more laughs, they shook hands and went their separate ways, each getting into their own car.

“Let’s follow them.”

“Which one?”

“I’ll take the Lynx. You tail Seoseong.”

Beomjin hurried to his car, tension prickling his skin. He could still picture that scene vividly—Seoseong, Na-hyung, and whatever they were hiding.

What are they covering up?

He followed Na-hyung’s car through winding alleys and broad avenues, guided by the distinct feline scent only a Lynx-blooded could have.

Her destination wasn’t hard to guess—the direction led toward Haetsal Capital. But before reaching it, her car turned into a small shopping complex just off the main road. She parked in a half-empty lot and disappeared down a stairway.

Beomjin parked farther away and approached cautiously. The building was an aging three-story mix of stores—a dry cleaner, hair salon, convenience store, and an art academy.

A large arrow on the stairwell wall read: [Boiler Repair Shop].

Every instinct in him screamed lie. The Lynx’s scent was thick—sharp with danger.

Beomjin flexed his shoulders, rolled his neck, and began descending the stairs.