Chapter 7

It was a scene so horrific that Beomjin couldn’t even open his eyes fully. In that cramped three-pyeong room,¹ three corpses were scattered in pieces. An arm here, a leg there. Just imagining what had happened made him want to vomit. The floor looked like it was covered with a red carpet, the blood spreading up the walls as well.

The bodies of Beast-Blooded that looked like snake, horse, and sheep were laid out at equal distances on top of a strange pattern drawn on the ground. Severed arms and legs from those corpses had also been placed carefully within the lines of the drawing. In the center lay a head, grotesquely mutilated, as if shredded with malice. Turning his gaze, Beomjin noticed one more headless corpse crumpled in the corner.

“What kind of sick bastard… the taste on this one is garbage.”

Beomjin muttered as he looked at the severed head. The face had been scratched so much it was unrecognizable, but the lingering hatred was palpable.

“Ughhh! What the hell is this?!”

Uwan, who had followed up the stairs, stumbled while clutching the railing. He pressed a handkerchief over his mouth and nose, barely making it the rest of the way up.

“Agents will arrive soon. Jinyoung… she’ll take a little longer. How did you even know something like this was here?”

“I caught the smell back at Seongwondang.”

“Back there? That far? Is that even possible?”

“I swallowed two of those potent doses, remember?”

Uwan stepped back and looked Beomjin over from head to toe. Somewhere along the way, he’d started speaking casually to him. His eyes brimmed with suspicion, and Beomjin found it uncomfortable.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just wondering if the White Tiger’s different somehow. But I can’t tell the difference.”

“I don’t know either. I don’t even know if I really am the White Tiger.”

Beomjin’s flat reply made Uwan change the subject.

“So, who the hell would pull something like this? Damn, what a mess. Three dead?”

“No. Four.”

Beomjin pointed to the shadowed corner.

“All Beast-Blooded?”

“No. Just these three.”

“Who would do this? Whoever it was, they’re not in their right mind. Must be a predator, right?”

Predators were Beast-Blooded who carried the blood of wild beasts.

Beomjin shined his light carefully, avoiding the thick pools of blood. Right to left, then back again. Suddenly, he froze.

“What is it?”

“There’s a pattern on the floor. Look here—stand here, by the railing.”

Beomjin moved Uwan aside to the spot near the staircase.

“What do you see?”

“Look at the placement of the corpses. See how the blood marks connect? It forms a circle.”

“Yeah… you’re right. And there are letters too?”

Uwan trembled as his face twisted.

They couldn’t guess why the drawing was made or why the bodies had been arranged that way, but one thing was clear.

“It’s a ritual.”

“Here? With corpses?”

“The three in the center—snake, sheep, horse.”

“Snake, sheep, horse… sa, o, mi.”^TL/N: Sa, o, mi are shorthand names from the traditional zodiac cycle: Sa = Snake, O = Horse, Mi = Sheep. Koreans often refer to zodiac years this way (e.g., “Sa-year” = Year of the Snake).]

“Exactly. The marks drawn beneath them are ritualistic. The head, hands, and feet are laid out to match the pattern.”

“I see that much. But so what?”

“Sa, o, mi. Those correspond to years in the zodiac cycle. The Year of the Snake, Horse, and Sheep. And this year is…”

“Year of the Snake. Of course—it’s the samjae.“²

Like he’d been hit, Uwan shook his head violently. Beomjin took photos of the scene with his phone.

“Sa, o, mi. During those three years, the unlucky signs are Pig, Rabbit, and Sheep.”

“And?”

This guy was slow. Did he always lack this much sense? As Beomjin debated how much to explain, Jinyoung appeared, dragging her steps up the stairs.

“You made it. Feeling better?”

“I can hold out now. The agents are downstairs setting up a police line. But… it’s even worse up here.”

“Whoever did this, they’re a psycho. No doubt about it.”

On that point, Beomjin and Jinyoung agreed.

“Disgusting. Like some demented artist. Drawing pictures with corpses…”

Jinyoung was speechless at the absurdity. Then, staring hard at the floor pattern, she spoke.

“Almost looks like a demon summoning.”

Her words died away when she truly noticed the corpses laid in their formation. Beomjin picked up the thread of his explanation.

“It’s the work of some crazy Rabbit who wanted to get through samjae without mishap.”

“A Rabbit? You think a Rabbit did this? But one of the victims is a Snake. You’re telling me a Rabbit dragged a Snake here and killed it?”

Uwan shook his head in disbelief, but Beomjin didn’t waver.

“Look at the Snake’s body. The signs of resistance are all over it.”

“Even so, there’s no proof it was a Rabbit.”

At Jinyoung’s counter, Beomjin swept his light across the floor. Pools of blood marked deep indentations in the old wooden boards.

“See the depressions? That’s from stamping feet. Rabbits have a habit of thumping their hind legs when they’re afraid or angry. Whoever did this must have been trembling the whole time.”

The clear deduction left both Jinyoung and Uwan with no choice but to nod.

“Incredible. The cuts on the corpses are jagged too—like the killer’s hands were shaking. But how do you know about thumping? Where’d you learn that?”

Beomjin averted his gaze and lied smoothly.

“Ah… I just remembered it from some animal documentary.”

He had nearly slipped—what came out was knowledge from his past life. Covering quickly, he opened his mouth to finish.

“Anyway, it wasn’t just one Rabbit. We’ll know more after investigating, but at least two people were involved. Maybe three. More than that would’ve drawn attention.”

“Yeah… can’t deny that.”

Uwan nodded. Jinyoung, meanwhile, noticed something by the severed head.

“There’s something here.”

It was a small glass vial, no bigger than a finger, half-hidden under blood. Inside was a bundle of cut hair, tied with a carrot-shaped hair tie, the strands themselves stained red.

A tiny cork stopper sealed the vial, and strange writing was scrawled across the glass. Beomjin opened it and brought it close to his nose. A sharp Rabbit scent stung his nostrils, mixed faintly with the powdery sweetness of baby powder.

Agents from the Special Beast Investigation Unit came up from downstairs. They began photographing the scene, setting up a police line, and securing the area.

“The rest will come out in the report after investigation. For now, let’s head down.”

Uwan led Beomjin and Jinyoung downstairs. Jinyoung stuck close to him, pouting as she whispered.

“Senior, are you sure it’s okay to let someone who isn’t an agent poke around like that?”

“For the moment, we’ll leave him be. He knows what he’s doing, and it benefits us. Besides, I already talked with the director. If he really is the White Tiger, then he’s someone we absolutely need.”

“I still don’t trust a tiger…”

“I know you don’t. But this is also the director’s order.”

“…Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut. But only for now.”

Uwan lifted a thumb in thanks.

In the sunlight, the strands of hair looked brighter—closer to dark brown than pure black.

“Not that long,” Jinyoung murmured as she followed, eyes on the vial. She reached her hand out toward Beomjin.

“Let me see it.”

“Why?”

“I just want a look.”

Beomjin handed it over. Jinyoung pulled out the cork and fanned the air like she was tasting wine. A faint scent floated out. Finally, beneath the overwhelming stench of blood, something else could be detected—subtle, but there.

“Conditioner. With this hair tie and the scent, it has to be a woman’s hair.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“How many men use conditioner? And look at the carrot-shaped hair tie. Take it from me—I’d know a woman’s hair when I see it.”

The standoff between Tiger and Bear was about to start when the Frog wedged between them cut in before it could escalate further.

“So? Whether the hair belonged to a man or a woman, what’s the plan? How do you intend to track them? Let’s hear some opinions.”

Silence. It was good they’d found a lead, but the next step was the problem. After some thought, Jinyoung spoke first.

“What about CCTV?”

“They must have come at night. Even if there’s a camera nearby, there are barely any streetlights here. Would you really catch them?”

Strike one. Beomjin’s dismissive tone made Jinyoung glare. She didn’t back down.

“Then how about looking up the property owner?”

“What kind of idiot would pull this in their own building?”

Strike two. Jinyoung exhaled hard through her nose but held it in.

“Then maybe we check Rabbits with prior—”

“Think about those thumping marks. Doesn’t it sound more like a first-time offender? And add in the ritualistic element—it suggests desperation, not a seasoned killer.”

Strike three. Jinyoung bit her lip, shooting Beomjin a death glare. She looked like she might pounce. Uwan twitched, ready to stop her—but instead, Jinyoung spoke calmly.

“…You’re right. If they were stamping in fear, it’s unlikely they were an experienced murderer.”

Beomjin blinked at her sudden composure. Jinyoung organized her thoughts out loud.

“Four people died here. Abducting that many isn’t easy. And if they weren’t skilled criminals, like you said, it would’ve been even harder.”

“So you’re saying the victims walked here on their own?”

“I’m saying it’s more likely they were lured somehow.”

“They could’ve been killed elsewhere and brought here.”

Listening in, Beomjin finally cut in.

“Getting four people, and the exact signs—Snake, Sheep, Horse—wouldn’t be easy. Hesitate too long and someone notices. Or the victims run. Too risky.”

“That makes sense.”

“Which means they acted quickly. They wouldn’t have had time to abduct people one by one.”

“Right! Then finding a link between the victims might crack this open!”

Uwan slapped his knee in excitement.

“We should head back to HQ. Check for any usable CCTV, find the building owner, confirm the victims’ identities.”

“Let’s do that. My car’s parked over there—not far.”

With her opinion accepted, color returned to Jinyoung’s face. Uwan pulled her forward, then grabbed Beomjin by the arm.

“You’re coming too.”

“Me? Why?”

“You’re taking him along?” Jinyoung frowned.

“Of course. You think you can stir up a crime scene like this and just walk away?”

“I didn’t say that, but…”

Visiting the Unit hadn’t been in Beomjin’s plans. Still, he wanted to uncover the truth now that he was this deep.

“But I’m still an outsider.”

“Nothing to fear. The doors of the Special Beast Investigation Unit are wide open. Come on, come on!”

Uwan herded Beomjin toward the parked car. Jinyoung lagged behind, frowning at their backs.

“Bringing a Tiger along? If we don’t turn this into a tiger’s den, it’ll be a miracle…”

At Uwan’s beckoning, she finally stepped forward with a sigh.