I Can Hear a Serial Killer's Voice in My Head

The tension in the room has reached a fever pitch by the time Han returns. As he enters, everyone falls silent, anxiously awaiting news.

Han's face is ashen, his usual confident demeanor shattered. He takes a deep breath before speaking. "I've been informed that I'm now subject to an internal investigation."

The room erupts into chaos. Exclamations of disbelief and confusion fill the air.

"What?" "How is this possible?" "On what grounds?"

Han raises his hands, trying to calm the storm. "The Commissioner has concerns about the handling of this case. They're looking into potential procedural violations and conflicts of interest."

The team exchanges worried glances. The implications of this announcement are staggering.

"What does this mean for the investigation?" someone asks.

Han shakes his head. "I don't know yet. For now, we're to continue our work, but under increased scrutiny."

As the team breaks into small groups, urgently discussing this new development, Han catches my eye and subtly gestures for me to follow him.

We step into the hallway, moving to a quiet corner away from prying ears.

"Listen," Han says in a low voice, his eyes darting around to ensure we're not overheard. "This situation... it might affect you too. You've been closely involved in this case from the start."

I nod, a knot forming in my stomach.

"But I want you to keep pushing forward," Han continues. "I trust you. You're the best chance we have of solving this case and clearing our names."

Han grips my shoulder. "You're a good detective. Trust your instincts. Follow the evidence, no matter where it leads. Even if..." he pauses, swallowing hard, "Even if it leads to one of our own."

I meet his gaze, understanding the unspoken implication. "I'll do my best," I promise.

Han nods, then straightens up, composing himself. "Good. Now, let's get back in there before they start speculating even more."

I find myself on the rooftop of the police station, the city sprawling beneath me as the sun begins to set. The chaos of the day feels distant up here, but the questions swirling in my mind are as loud as ever.

How did Kim Eunji know about our investigation? How did she manage to turn our own findings against us so effectively?

I lean against the railing, the cool metal grounding me as I consider the possibilities. An internal leak seems unlikely - our team has been tight-knit and loyal. But then, how?

As if on cue, Aileen's voice pipes up in my head, sounding impressed. "You know, I think I like Kim Eunji even more now."

I shake my head, irritated. "I don't have time for this nonsense, Aileen."

But Aileen, as usual, ignores my dismissal. "Think about it," she continues, "she got rid of a garbage man who hurt her, and now she's masterfully playing the system. She'd make a great friend, don't you think?"

I'm about to brush her off again when something in her words catches my attention. "Wait, what do you mean 'she's masterfully playing the system'?"

Aileen's voice takes on a tone of genuine curiosity. "Isn't it obvious what I'm talking about?"

"No, it's not," I reply, frustration creeping into my voice. "That's why I'm asking. Share your thoughts, Aileen."

"Oh," Aileen says, sounding surprised. "I'm talking about that middle-aged man who guided her when she was stepping off from the podium. You saw him, right?"

I straighten up, my mind racing. "The Senior Inspector? What about him?"

"Well," Aileen muses, "don't you think it's interesting that she has such high-ranking support? A man in that position could be quite useful, especially if he's... let's say, personally invested in her wellbeing."

The implications of Aileen's words hit me like a ton of bricks. Could the Senior Inspector be the source of the leak? Could he and Eunji be... involved?

"Aileen," I say slowly, "you might be onto something here."

I can almost hear the smirk in Aileen's voice as she replies, "Of course I am. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

Just as I'm about to respond to Aileen, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I fish it out, seeing it's one of my team members.

"Hello?" I answer, turning away from the city view.

"Detective, we've got the detailed analysis report from the scene," my colleague says, his voice urgent. "There's something you need to know about the tetrodotoxin."

I straighten up, all my attention focused on the call. "Go on."

"Well, it turns out Sung didn't ingest the toxin directly. The analysis shows it was dissolved in his stomach contents. This indicates he ate something that contained the tetrodotoxin."

Just as I'm about to respond to Aileen, my phone rings. It's Han. I answer immediately.

"Sir?"

Han's voice comes through, terse and urgent. "Get down here now. We've got something."

"What is it?" I ask, already moving towards the roof access door.

"The lab finally got us the detailed toxicology report," Han says. "Turns out the tetrodotoxin wasn't ingested directly. It was in Sung's stomach contents."

I pause at the top of the stairs. "So he ate something contaminated?"

"Exactly," Han confirms. "We've been combing through the NFS check-in logs. Only two people brought in any kind of food or snacks during the training period."

My grip tightens on the phone. "Who were they?"

"One was Detective Park from Cyber Crimes. The other..." Han pauses for effect, "was Kim Eunji."

My heart rate picks up. "What did Eunji bring?"

"Candies," Han says, his voice grim. "Several of them, according to the log."

The implications hit me like a punch to the gut. Small, easy to tamper with, perfect for concealing a lethal dose.

"Jesus," I mutter.

"Yeah," Han agrees. "Get down here. We need to plan our next move carefully. This could be the break we've been waiting for."

As I descend the stairs, my mind whirls with the new information, trying to connect the dots. I pause on a landing, leaning against the wall as I organize my thoughts.

Kim Eunji seems to have insider knowledge about our investigation - information that's restricted to high-ranking officers within the Seoul Metropolitan Investigative Unit. How did she get it? The answer might lie with that middle-aged man I saw at the press conference - the one with the Senior Inspector rank.

Someone at his level would have access to our confidential reports and ongoing investigations. He could easily feed Eunji the information she needs to stay one step ahead of us.

But it's not just about information. The tetrodotoxin - that's not something a rookie detective like Eunji could easily obtain. It's a controlled substance, tightly regulated. But a Senior Inspector? He might have the clearance and connections to access such chemicals without raising suspicion.

If Aileen's observation is correct, if there's some kind of... personal relationship between Eunji and this Senior Inspector, it would explain a lot. He could be her source, her protector, maybe even her accomplice.

I burst into the office, but as I scan the room, I realize he's not here.

"Where's Detective Han?" I ask, trying to keep the urgency out of my voice.

One of my colleagues looks up from her computer, a worried expression on her face. "He's been called up to meet with the senior officers again. Didn't look too happy about it."

I feel a knot forming in my stomach. Time is running out.

Han used his personal connections to take on this case, to keep me off the suspect list when I was initially under scrutiny. But with the media circus Eunji has created, Han's unorthodox methods are likely to face serious consequences.

The realization hits me hard: to protect Han, I need to solve this case, and fast.

My eyes dart to the empty chair in Han's office. He's put his neck on the line for me, for this investigation. I can't let him down.

I turn back to my computer, a new determination fueling me. The first step is clear: I need to identify that middle-aged man who was with Eunji at the press conference and uncover their connection.

I huddle over my computer, eyes straining as I pull up the footage from Eunji's press conference. The video plays, and I pause it at the moment the middle-aged man appears beside Eunji. His face is partially obscured, but it's the best shot we have.

I open another window, accessing the internal organizational charts of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. I start with Eunji's current department, scrolling through the faces and names of her immediate colleagues and superiors.

I expand my search, looking into related departments, task forces, and special units. The Senior Inspector badge narrows it down somewhat, but there are still dozens of potential matches.

I also start going through the supervisors and team leaders of each case Eunji was involved in. It's a long shot, but if this man has been protecting her, there's a chance he's been positioning himself near her career path.

"I'm going to find you," I mutter at the screen.