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Before the sun grew hot, Beomjin arrived at Cheongryong Judo Hall. It sat just beyond the city center, where traffic began to thin—a three-story building that was neither old nor new.
A faded blue banner flapped along the outer wall, and beside the entrance hung a small sign reading [Cheongryong Judo Hall]. Despite the grand name, the place carried no imposing air—but according to the map app, it had decent reviews.
As soon as he opened the door, the thick blend of sweat and mat rubber filled his lungs. The gym was empty. No shouting, no sparring—only silence lingering in the air.
“Hello? Is anyone here?”
He called out, half hoping someone would answer.
“Who’s there? Here to take a tour?”
A middle-aged man poked his head out from an office. His hair was short and thinning, his skin darkened by the sun. Wearing a judo gi top and workout pants, the man introduced himself as Director Jeon Sang-ho.
“Good morning. I’m from the Special Beast Investigation Unit.”
“The Investigation Unit…? There’s been no trouble here. What’s this about?”
“I’m here about a student named Gwak Jeong-woo. I heard he trained here. Could I ask you a few questions?”
At the name Jeong-woo, Sang-ho’s face stiffened.
The friendly tone vanished, replaced by a faint look of annoyance.
“Ah, Jeong-woo? Yeah, he trained here. Haven’t seen him around lately, though.”
Sang-ho’s eyes drifted across the empty gym with indifference.
“I heard he hasn’t contacted anyone for several days.”
“Well, you know how kids are. Just because they stop calling doesn’t mean something happened. Happens all the time.”
He began edging back toward his office, clearly eager to end the conversation.
“You haven’t tried reaching out to him?”
At the persistent questioning, Sang-ho waved dismissively.
“They’re not children. These days, even part-timers just quit without a word.”
He faltered, realizing how evasive he sounded under Beomjin’s steady gaze, and added defensively,
“Look, his mom came by a few times asking the same thing. But why’s everyone looking here? It’s not like I told the kid not to show up. Honestly, I’m the one who should be asking why he disappeared. And it’s not just him.”
“Not just him? Are there others missing?”
Ah—he’d said too much.
Sang-ho grimaced, caught in his own slip, and exhaled heavily.
“‘Missing’ sounds dramatic. But yeah, there were a few kids who hung out with Jeong-woo a lot. Since last week, the three of them haven’t shown up together.”
“Three of them? And these friends are…?”
“Who knows—maybe they drank too much or went on a trip. Boys that age do dumb things.”
“Can you tell me their names?”
Sang-ho sighed, finally answering in a dry tone.
“Park Sun-ho and Choi Dong-jun. But are you sure you’re not overreacting? Jeong-woo’s mother’s the type who—well, let’s just say she worries too much.”
Before Beomjin could respond, the front door opened.
A man in his twenties, smaller-built and visibly tired, stepped inside.
“…Good afternoon.”
Half-asleep, he entered out of habit—but his nose twitched mid-step. Lifting his head, he froze as soon as he saw Beomjin.
He gasped softly. Sang-ho blinked in surprise.
“Sun-ho? You haven’t called in days!”
The timing was almost too perfect. Clearly, this was one of the friends Sang-ho had just mentioned. The director patted the young man’s shoulder warmly.
“Good thing you came. You’re close with Jeong-woo, right? He hasn’t been answering calls either—maybe you can tell this man something. Where did you say you were from again?”
“I’m from the Special Beast Investigation Uni—”
Before Beomjin could even finish, Sun-ho spun on his heel and bolted out the door.
“What the—?”
“Wait!!”
Beomjin chased after him immediately, leaping down the stairs two at a time. He followed the boy’s scent, sharp and distinct. Outside the building, he caught sight of Sun-ho roughly thirty meters ahead. The moment Sun-ho realized he was being chased, he dashed into the nearest building, taking the stairs upward. Beomjin followed close behind, tracking the echo of his footsteps.
Gradually, he could hear the labored breaths. Sun-ho was slowing down.
Thud. Thud-thud!!
“Damn it!”
His voice cracked in panic.
Crash!
“Stop!!”
Beomjin reached the top floor and shouted.
Sun-ho was clawing at the rooftop door, his face streaked with tears and snot, trembling in pure terror.
“Fuck—come on, open!!”
The harder he yanked the handle, the louder it rattled—until the old doorknob finally snapped clean off.
“Mr. Park Sun-ho?”
Beomjin called softly, climbing the last few steps with the gentlest voice he could muster.
“Aaaah! Somebody help me!!”
Sun-ho slammed his fists against the steel door again and again. The metal began to warp under the blows. Beomjin stopped where he was, careful not to approach further.
“Calm down. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m from the Special Beast Investigation Unit. I just want to ask about Gwak Jeong-woo—that’s all.”
But Sun-ho kept trembling, pressing himself flat against the door as tears streamed down his face.
“Please, please don’t kill me. I don’t know anything—I swear! I don’t know what happened to Jeong-woo or Dong-jun! I don’t know what came after, so please… please!”
His voice broke as he slid down the door, sobbing.
Beomjin crouched in front of him. The Rat Beast-Blooded boy was shaking so pitifully it almost hurt to look at him.
“I’m just investigating what happened to Gwak Jeong-woo. You don’t have to be afraid. Can you tell me what happened?”
He waited patiently until, after a long silence, Sun-ho wiped his eyes and finally lifted his head.
“…You’re serious? You’re not here to take me away—you’re really looking for Jeong-woo?”
His voice was still wary, but his breathing slowly steadied.
“That’s right. It’s been over a week since he disappeared. Were you with him when it happened?”
“…Yeah. With Jeong-woo and Dong-jun. Then somehow I was the only one who escaped.”
“Tell me everything you remember.”
It began a week ago—on Saturday night, at a small drinking party. Jeong-woo, Sun-ho, and Dong-jun had met an old senior who offered them an easy part-time job: clearing out supplies from a restaurant that had gone bankrupt.
While they were working, they were given drinks. The moment they finished them, everything went black.
“When I woke up… we were in a basement. In some kind of cell.”
“A cell?”
The unexpected word made Beomjin repeat it. Sun-ho’s body trembled as he recalled it.
“There were others too—not just us. But I was the only one who got out. I found a weak spot in the wall and… and crawled through…”
He swallowed hard and couldn’t go on. Beomjin waited a few seconds before continuing gently.
“When was this?”
“…Last week. Monday.”
“And since then?”
“I’ve been hiding. In my house. A whole week. I only came to the gym today to pick up my stuff. I was planning to move out.”
Beomjin could barely imagine the fear he’d been living with. If his story was true, Jeong-woo wasn’t just missing—he’d been abducted.
Piecing the situation together, Beomjin suddenly looked up.
“Then why did you run from me?”
“…Because…”
Sun-ho averted his gaze. After several hesitant shakes of his head, he finally spoke.
“…That night, when we were locked up, I heard voices outside the bars. One of them said… he was from the Special Beast Investigation Unit.”
!!!
For a moment, time stopped.
Beomjin froze, breath caught in his throat, eyes locked on the trembling man before him.
Was he lying? No—the heartbeat, the fear—it was all real.
“You’re sure you heard those exact words?”
“…That phrase, I remember clearly. It was a low man’s voice.”
Sun-ho shuddered, opening his eyes wide as if the memory itself clawed at him.
“Do you remember what kind of Beast-Blooded he was?”
At Beomjin’s question, Sun-ho closed his eyes again, brow twitching as he tried to recall.
“The whole place stank—blood, sweat, something rotten—I couldn’t tell for sure. But… it wasn’t a dog. More like… a badger.”
A badger.
Beomjin ran through every member of the Special Beast Investigation Unit in his head.
But as far as he knew, there wasn’t a single badger Beast-Blooded among them.
“One more question. Do you remember where you were being held?”
“…No. I was being chased while escaping—it was late, and I didn’t have time to check. I did see a sign from the taxi window though… something like Miram Trading? I’m sorry.”
Beomjin gently shook his head, calming the boy’s guilt.
“It’s fine. You’ve been through something no one should ever face. I’m the one who startled you.”
Even standing up, Sun-ho couldn’t stop trembling.
“…Can I go now?”
“Of course. Thank you for telling me. What you said might help us find Jeong-woo and Dong-jun.”
“…Okay. Then, I’ll go.”
Leaving a timid bow behind, Sun-ho hurried down the stairs.
Even after stepping outside, Beomjin’s mind revolved around one thought:
There was a badger inside the Special Beast Investigation Unit.
As he searched for Miram Trading on his phone, his thoughts automatically flipped through every name and case file he knew from the Unit’s database. The company search turned up nothing useful.
But one name surfaced in his mind—
Yoon Sang-hak.
A man in his late forties, a Unit agent infamous for trouble. Before the regression, Beomjin had crossed paths with him several times—each time ending in conflict. Sang-hak was eventually dismissed for misconduct, leaving a stain on the Unit’s record.
If anyone within the organization were capable of such a thing, it would be him.
Let’s confirm it.
Beomjin grabbed his phone and called Jinyoung.
“You’re saying Yoon Sang-hak might be involved?”
Sitting in the passenger seat, Jinyoung turned to him—once, twice, three times. Beomjin leaned one arm against the wheel and gave a short nod.
“I’m not certain yet. But if the kidnappers used the name of the Unit, it’s worth checking.”
“Still, connecting it directly to Senior Yoon—that’s a stretch, isn’t it?”
“That’s why I’m confirming it.”
“So that’s why you called me?”
She sighed.
“Yeah. You’ve got better connections in the Unit than I do. I figured you might’ve heard rumors I haven’t.”
“What am I, your personal NamuWiki?”
Her heart rate quickened—he could hear it—but Beomjin kept talking as if he hadn’t noticed.
“The Yoon Sang-hak I knew always had rumors about chasing money. Never admitted his own mistakes, no matter what.”
“Mhm…”
Jinyoung pursed her lips.
“That lines up with what I’ve heard too. Lazy, always scheming, badmouthing people behind their backs. The type who keeps dirt on everyone.”
“Exactly.”
Even with that reputation, it was a wonder Sang-hak still had his badge.
They soon arrived at the Special Beast Investigation Unit HQ. Inside the office, Jinyoung greeted one of Sang-hak’s colleagues, a round-faced agent typing away at his computer.
“Senior Yoon Sang-hak? He’s on leave right now. Is it urgent?”
“Not really, I just wanted to ask him something. When did he go on leave?”
“About a week ago, I think. Actually… it should be ending soon. Hey—when’s Senior Yoon back?”
“Tomorrow’s his last day off. He’ll be back the day after.”
“Got it, thanks.”
“Appreciate it. We’ll come by again the day after tomorrow.”
Jinyoung smiled and waved goodbye. Behind her, Beomjin stayed silent—but his nose twitched faintly.
“There’s a smell.”
“Yeah,” Jinyoung murmured. “I smell it too.”
While she jotted down Sang-hak’s number and address, Beomjin’s gaze had already shifted elsewhere. It wasn’t just instinct.
The scent of rot.
A trace scrubbed clean.
A suppressed beast’s stench leaking through the cracks.
Someone was hiding something—and doing it well.
I can’t wait until the day after tomorrow.
The elevator dinged open.
Stepping in, Beomjin muttered quietly,
“Let’s move. The hidden shadow… it’s already on the move.”
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