Ch.3Chapter 3 – The Chopstick Killer

“Then for the next request… this one is from your country’s National Intelligence Service.”

“The NIS?”

When an unexpected organization came up, Shin Jaehyuk expressed his doubt. If it’s a government intelligence agency, wouldn’t they have plenty of skilled hackers?

“To be precise, Sujeong Enterprise’s Chairwoman Song Sujeong made the request to the NIS, but they couldn’t solve it, so they passed it on to Gehenna. You’ve heard of the Chopstick Killer, right? The request is to investigate his background.”

The Chopstick Killer! A Korean who’s become world-famous recently. He’s a serial killer who travels around the world murdering prominent politicians and businessmen. Despite his masculine appearance and athletic build that suggests he could handle himself in a fight, he’s notorious for his bizarre killing method—stabbing chopsticks through victims’ noses into their skulls. Shin Jaehyuk asked with confusion:

“Isn’t investigating one person something the NIS could easily handle? Or even your subordinates?”

Mr. B answered this obvious question.

“Of course we investigated. The NIS did. We did too. But the problem is that he’s just an ordinary young man with no issues. He flies around killing people he’s never met before, and doesn’t even make threats or demands afterward.”

“On the news, psychology professors have been analyzing him as just a psychopath, saying it’s an impulsive crime stemming from a high school graduate’s inferiority complex toward successful people.”

“No way that’s all there is to it! But believe it or not, intelligence agencies like the CIA and FBI seem to have reached the same conclusion. He’s been caught for a month now with no signal from any mastermind behind him. But realistically, could an ordinary person kill high-ranking officials under protection multiple times with such professional skill? That’s why some people are convinced there must be someone who trained him and gave him orders. People like me. And like Chairwoman Song.”

Well, considering that Sujeong Enterprise’s eldest son was the Chopstick Killer’s first victim, it makes sense she would have such suspicions.

“If there’s a secret organization behind him, we need to know their demands to either comply with their intentions or actively resist them. But since we can’t even see the tail of this organization, the nervous chairwoman apparently filed a request with the NIS.”

“And the compensation?”

“Since it came through the NIS, the pay is a bit reduced. Initial payment of 50 million, with a 100 million bonus for definitive conclusions, plus another 200 million if you find clues about who’s behind him. Of course, we’ll share all the data that we and the NIS have gathered.”

For Shin Jaehyuk, this was a request he had no reason to refuse, as it would cover his living expenses for several months to continue his hikikomori lifestyle. Even if he failed, 50 million won was plenty profitable.

“To boost your motivation, I’ll specially waive the commission fee for this request. And for the next one too. I’m quite concerned about this case myself. If there’s a secret power in the underworld that I don’t know about, I need to identify it as soon as possible to avoid business disruptions. Well, I’m also personally curious.”

Mr. B drove the final nail in. Tempted by the waived commission fee, Shin Jaehyuk made his decision.

“I’ll take the request.”

* * *

“It’s been reported that since his arrest, Chopstick Killer Kwak Taewoo has remained silent during police questioning, revealing neither demands nor motives for the killings. But Professor, you’re saying this crime was a premeditated murder carried out alone due to feelings of inferiority?”

“It’s hard for me to believe as well, but yes, that’s correct. First, according to tests conducted by experts, despite his meticulous crime planning, he scored surprisingly low on intelligence tests. Additionally, psychological evaluations show the perpetrator tends to justify all his actions and maintains remarkable composure despite being in an angry state. This suggests his inferiority complex, stemming from being a high school graduate with no job, manifested as resentment toward the elite…”

* * *

Before officially starting the investigation, Shin Jaehyuk was cleaning his apartment, which was barely habitable. While loading overflowing laundry into the washing machine and clearing out trash, he took a break from vacuuming to sit on the sofa and watch the news.

Flipping through channels, every station was buzzing with the Chopstick Killer’s death sentence verdict. Since the news was just repeating information he’d heard countless times, Shin Jaehyuk aimed the remote at the TV and pressed the power button like firing a gun. With a beep, the TV went dark.

Shin Jaehyuk entered his secret code into the boiler to access his workspace. He turned on his computer and downloaded the files Mr. B had sent to his usual email address. After printing the request file and the NIS investigation documents, he flipped through the papers while sipping cola.

‘Hmm… he’s really clean. Name, Kwak Taewoo. No family. Normally graduated elementary, middle, and high school. Didn’t go to college, probably to earn money since he was an orphan. Given the testimonies from former classmates, this isn’t a fake identity. Similar to what was reported in the news. Nothing particularly suspicious?’

While browsing through unprinted files, Shin Jaehyuk discovered a folder containing videos. They were CCTV recordings of the actual crime scenes. He selected one with decent quality, played it in full screen, and turned up the speaker volume. The large monitor displayed the crime as it happened.

The video showed a quiet bar. A well-dressed blonde man in a suit was sipping a cocktail alone in front of a bartender who was polishing glasses. Two burly bodyguards stood at the bar entrance, indicating the man was of considerable high status.

A muscular man wearing a mask entered the bar after being searched by the bodyguards. It was Kwak Taewoo. He naturally sat next to the blonde man and engaged him in conversation. Unfortunately, the bar’s music made their exchange inaudible. When Kwak Taewoo said something incomprehensible, the man looked at him with surprise. At that moment, Kwak Taewoo raised his hand and thrust a chopstick that emerged from his sleeve into the man’s nostril.

Watching the video, Shin Jaehyuk was shocked for two reasons: first, that a long chopstick could fully penetrate a nostril, and second, that Kwak Taewoo killed someone with such fluid, natural hand movements.

The video continued. When the bartender who witnessed blood gushing from the man’s nostril screamed, the two bodyguards belatedly realized what was happening and aimed their guns at him. Since the blonde man was between the bodyguards and Kwak Taewoo, they couldn’t shoot recklessly.

All the customers fled out the door like an ebbing tide, and the panicked bartender searched for a phone to call the police. While the bodyguards were unable to approach Kwak Taewoo due to the fleeing customers, he quickly escaped through the back door.

When the video ended, the next one automatically played. It continued from where the previous one left off. Kwak Taewoo fleeing through the back door with bodyguards in pursuit. The bodyguards shot at him, but he dove behind cover to avoid the bullets, then seized an opportunity to escape in a prepared car. The video ended there. Shin Jaehyuk played other videos and found they all depicted similar scenarios.

Shocked by footage more disturbing than he’d expected, Shin Jaehyuk fell into thought.

‘An ordinary human with assassination skills like that? It definitely doesn’t make sense…’

In a past life, only top-tier assassins or sword masters could display such skill—maniacs who dedicated their entire lives to assassination and swordsmanship. At that level, one could easily kill with just a twig or a pen.

‘But with Kwak Taewoo’s physical abilities, that should be impossible?’

After examining Kwak Taewoo’s physical examination and regular checkup documents, Shin Jaehyuk sighed. Even to him, this case had many suspicious circumstances. Traveling to foreign countries. The disconnect between exceptional skills and an ordinary life.

‘Could it be that he has sword master-level talent that lets him cut people down like that?’

He chuckled at his own thought, finding it absurd. Then he stopped laughing and fell into deep contemplation.

‘Wait. Could that really be it?’

What if, as the news suggested, it was a premeditated crime by a mentally ill person, but one with extraordinarily exceptional talent that allowed for such clean kills? To Shin Jaehyuk, who had lived in a world where sword masters and assassins actually existed, this hypothesis seemed surprisingly plausible. Then suddenly, a shocking theory flashed through his mind.

‘Could it be! What if he’s a reincarnated person like me?’

If he was a sword master-level individual reincarnated as an Earth human, that would explain his abnormal proficiency.

‘But to make a proper judgment, I need to meet him in person…’

Yet was it worth risking exposure of his identity to meet him?

Shin Jaehyuk groaned softly as he calculated the risks and benefits.

In the worst-case scenario, his identity as a fixer could be exposed. But if Kwak Taewoo was also someone who died in Eden and reincarnated as an Earth human, he might obtain information about past lives or immobile divine power. Also, if he was a reincarnated person who died after Shin Jaehyuk, he might learn what happened to humanity in Eden.

For Shin Jaehyuk, it was a high-risk gamble but with potentially much higher returns.

After reaching a conclusion in his mind, Shin Jaehyuk picked up his phone.

* * *

“Sir, I need to visit the prison. Could you forge some documents for me?”

“You want to meet him in person? Why?”

“The documents show no issues, but after watching the videos, there are things I don’t understand. I think I need to meet him and ask directly.”

Mr. B scoffed incredulously at this absurd suggestion.

“You think he’ll tell you if you just ask? If that were the case, he would have confessed to investigators long ago.”

“From what I can see, that guy seems to have some secret. Looking at his regular medical checkup from a few months ago, his muscle mass was normal then. There must be a reason he suddenly bulked up in just a few months.”

Knowing his reasoning was weak, Shin Jaehyuk trailed off with a flimsy excuse. He could make this request because he knew Mr. B was sometimes an impulsive hedonist who made spontaneous decisions.

“Hmm, interesting. But will anything change if you go?”

“…Anyway, please arrange a forged identity and a visitation request.”

“Sigh, you must have your reasons. Just don’t get your identity exposed. And if you do, don’t mention me. Wait three days.”

“Three days? You usually finish in one day.”

“Well, I’m an expert at disguise, but this needs to be more thorough than usual. As you know, this case is so unusual that intelligence agencies worldwide are focused on it. Security checks will be stricter than normal, and if a forged identity is discovered, we could be branded as the masterminds behind it. That would be the end for us.”

“That’s true.”

Shin Jaehyuk agreed with this reasonable point.

“The cost… Ah, you said your account is empty right now? I’ll deduct the cost from the initial payment and deposit it directly. And as usual, you want the forged identity under your real name?”

“Yes, it’s better than arousing suspicion with poor acting using an alias. And even if they discover it’s a forged identity, they might not expect that it’s actually my real name.”

“Why don’t you just improve your acting skills? It would be so helpful.”

“What use would acting be to a hikikomori like me? I’m not a con artist. By the way, you know to send the initial payment to my tax-saving account, right?”

The voice on the other end of the phone burst into laughter, unable to contain his amusement.

“Kuhehe.”

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“Hahaha. No, it’s just funny how you used to be so cautious about hacking and would never think of tax evasion when you were younger, but now you’ve become so corrupted.”

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, I love it.”

Shin Jaehyuk frowned. That laughter somehow felt sinister and unbearably unpleasant. “Corrupted”—what an distasteful expression. What was so funny?

From the beginning, he was an enigmatic person with unpredictable behavior patterns, shrouded in mystery. This wasn’t just about him being an impulsive hedonist. Despite knowing him for over ten years, Shin Jaehyuk knew only a handful of facts about him. He still didn’t understand why someone of his stature visited an orphanage in a backwater country like Korea, why he personally came even if the hacker development plan was real, or why he showed such excessive kindness to him. Though they used each other, even Shin Jaehyuk felt that Mr. B had an inexplicable goodwill toward him. What could his purpose be… Shin Jaehyuk pondered this unsolvable riddle like a traveler facing an enigma.

When no response came from Shin Jaehyuk on the phone, the other party seemed to take it as a silent dismissal and ended the call with “I’ll contact you in three days then.”