Ch.4Chapter 4 – Face to Face

# Visitation Day

At 5 PM on visitation day, Shin Jaehyuk left home unusually well-dressed in attire that could pass for an on-duty police officer. He headed to Seoul Southern Detention Center carrying forged documents he had received from Mr. B a few days earlier. The bus rumbled toward his destination with a continuous vibration.

The inside of the prison was quiet. The only people visible were security guards, police officers, cleaners, and administrative staff. Regular visiting hours for civilians ended at 4 PM. Of course, Jaehyuk could still visit despite the late hour because he had prepared a police identity.

There was another reason for impersonating an officer. If an ordinary person had requested a meeting with a notorious serial killer, prison staff and the media would have taken notice, wondering if they were connected to the case. But as an investigator, he was free from such suspicion. The administrative staff and prison guards made no suspicious inquiries, merely making empty assumptions like “another department here to investigate something.”

While the staff processed his paperwork, he reviewed his plan. He had two objectives: first, to discover Kwak Taewoo’s motive and any accomplices behind the murders, as required by his assignment; second, to confirm whether Taewoo was a reincarnated person like himself and learn about the secrets of reincarnation and Eden.

The simplest way to confirm if Kwak Taewoo was reincarnated would be to speak to him in Eden’s common language. But the question was whether he would cooperate.

Considering that he was a psychopath who had been targeting the upper class, even if he were reincarnated, he would likely be uncooperative. Therefore, the process of confirming Taewoo’s status needed to be handled very carefully.

‘Right… I’ll save using Eden’s language as a last resort.’

After completing the administrative procedures and a body search, he followed a guard down a corridor until they reached a room. It was the visitation room.

‘So… on the other side of this door might be someone who, like me, is reincarnated?’

Steeling himself, Shin Jaehyuk opened the door.

***

He took one step into the room. Across the glass partition, Jaehyuk could see a buzz-cut man observing him, making no effort to hide his surprise.

‘Indeed, a master recognizes another master?’

Despite his notorious reputation as a serial killer, Kwak Taewoo was staring directly at Jaehyuk with wide eyes. Jaehyuk also quietly observed Taewoo as he took his seat.

A sturdy build that even the blue prison uniform couldn’t conceal, thick arm muscles stretching the sleeves, a strong jawline, and dark eyebrows. He had the impression of a handsome, masculine man.

‘Such a controlled posture… As I suspected from the videos, he’s quite a master.’

The hands resting on his knees appeared careless at first glance, but they were positioned to defend vital points with minimal movement. His toes gripped the ground firmly while his heels were raised, a stance advantageous for lunging forward in response to a surprise attack.

He was probably assuming Jaehyuk might be armed and taking a position that would allow him to quickly hide behind cover. Jaehyuk was certain this posture was no coincidence.

The guard quietly closed the visitation room door to give privacy to the investigator intently observing the prisoner. As the door shut with a thud, silence fell between the two men studying each other.

Jaehyuk spoke first.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Kwak Taewoo. You’re quite an extraordinary person, as expected.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Investigator Shin Jaehyuk.”

Shin Jaehyuk… Kwak Taewoo murmured the name slowly, as if savoring it. Or perhaps trying not to forget it. Jaehyuk continued.

“It seems we both have many questions for each other. Don’t you think?”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s play a game. A truth game. We take turns asking and answering questions. You can remain silent for one question if you don’t want to answer.”

“Fine.”

Taewoo answered straightforwardly. Jaehyuk was surprised that he was more reasonable than expected. He would have refused to answer others, yet he was agreeing so easily?

Jaehyuk started with questions an investigator would typically ask, both to complete his assignment and to avoid arousing Taewoo’s suspicion.

“Mr. Kwak, is there someone behind your murder cases?”

“No.”

Taewoo’s immediate answer.

Just as expected! Jaehyuk momentarily clenched his fist in excitement at the anticipated response.

Kwak Taewoo’s murders were all committed alone. There was no secret assassination organization that trained him as a professional killer. This increased the probability that he was either a genius or a reincarnated person.

Of course, he could be lying, but Jaehyuk’s decades of keen observation and sharp intuition indicated that Taewoo was telling the truth. Now it was Taewoo’s turn to ask.

“Do you know the name Cha Eunkyung?”

Jaehyuk was taken aback by a question far from his prepared list.

Cha Eunkyung. One of the few names in his limited social circle. She was a police officer with whom Jaehyuk had a personal connection—though it was more that she had caught him hacking and had leverage over him.

But why would that name come from Kwak Taewoo’s mouth?

Jaehyuk quickly analyzed the question’s intent.

‘It’s not strange for a criminal like Kwak Taewoo to know the name of a criminal investigation team leader. Did she arrest him? I haven’t heard from her recently, so I’m not sure. Perhaps she helped with his arrest directly or indirectly, and he holds a grudge. If that’s the case, and I say I don’t know her, he might doubt my identity as an investigator. Plus, he clearly assessed my abilities when he first saw me. He might find it suspicious that someone with my unusual skills claims to be just an investigator. Yes, this question must be a bluff to confirm whether I’m really an investigator.’

Even if his reasoning was wrong, revealing information about her wouldn’t change the situation, especially since Taewoo’s execution was scheduled in just a few weeks.

Jaehyuk concluded it was safe to answer, though with a response fitting his cover identity as an investigator, not their actual relationship.

“Yes. She’s the leader of the Second Criminal Investigation Team at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.”

His eyes narrowed, as if this wasn’t the answer he wanted. For a moment, Jaehyuk thought he glimpsed surprise and bitterness in his eyes. Was it just his imagination?

‘Well, I seem to have handled the first question somehow. The more questions there are, the higher the chance he’ll discover I’m not really an investigator. I should be as direct as possible.’

“My turn. What was your motive for the murders?”

“I’ll remain silent.”

“…Very well.”

He’s choosing silence, as expected. But from the first answer confirming no accomplices, Jaehyuk was already convinced that his motive was exactly as reported in the news.

“What’s your relationship with Cha Eunkyung?”

Jaehyuk was again surprised by Taewoo’s interest in Cha Eunkyung. So the first question wasn’t just an identity check? He was genuinely interested in her as a person.

“She’s a fellow police officer.”

“…I see, so that’s how it is.”

Taewoo growled lowly, seemingly displeased. His eyes burned as he glared at Jaehyuk.

‘His reaction is quite fierce for some reason. Did he notice my lie and is warning me?’

Having achieved his first objective by learning there were no accomplices, Jaehyuk shifted focus to his second and core objective.

“I saw your skills in the crime footage. Where did you learn them?”

“I didn’t learn them anywhere. I taught myself.”

Again, his answer seemed truthful, without a hint of hesitation.

“Let me ask you the same. Your skills are too good for a mere investigator.”

“…No comment.”

To explain his abilities here would require revealing the secret of his reincarnation first. Whether Taewoo was a hidden reincarnated person or not, either way would be disadvantageous for him. Lying was an option, but judging from Taewoo’s reactions to previous questions, he would likely notice. Even lies hidden within truths seemed to trigger a response from him. So silence was the better choice.

Now both men had used their one opportunity to remain silent. From now on, they had to speak only the truth. Since Jaehyuk didn’t want his information exposed, he decided to probe Taewoo’s reaction using direct terminology.

“Do you know what ‘Eden’ is?”

Eden was the name of the world from his past life. But to Earth people, it was known as the Garden of Eden from the Bible. It was a recognizable word. Unlike previous questions, Taewoo hesitated slightly before answering.

“If you mean the Garden of Eden, yes, I know it. The paradise from Genesis in the Bible. Why are you curious about that?”

“There’s a cult called Paradise Church becoming popular lately… I wondered if you might have received orders from them.”

Jaehyuk improvised quickly to explain away Taewoo’s doubt.

Taewoo’s answer to the Eden question wasn’t what he had hoped for. But unlike before, his reaction was noticeably slower. Could he be pretending not to know? It was possible. Jaehyuk concluded that this question alone wasn’t enough to determine whether he was reincarnated or not.

“That was also a question, so it’s my turn again.”

He needed to be careful now. With limited opportunities remaining and visitation time running short, having used his right to silence, he could no longer hide information about himself. Even if he lied, Taewoo would likely sense the inconsistency as he had before.

“Do you know the name of the Demon King?”

“Demon King? What do you… you.”

“Just answer the question.”

Jaehyuk pressed. If he were from Eden…

“Of course, it’s Mara Papias, isn’t it?”

Jaehyuk swallowed. He was speaking sincerely. It was one of the expected answers, but not the one Jaehyuk had hoped for.

Jaehyuk recalled Kwak Taewoo’s personal information he had seen days ago. His now-deceased parents were devout Buddhists who had taken him to temples since childhood. It wouldn’t be strange if he too were a Buddhist follower like his parents.

‘Must be his parents’ influence. Indeed, if you ask a Buddhist about the Demon King, nine out of ten would name Papias…’

The fact that Satan is the lord of hell is common knowledge to anyone from Eden. This made it unlikely that Kwak Taewoo was reincarnated from Eden.

‘Damn, another dead end…’

Regardless of Jaehyuk’s confused state, Taewoo asked:

“When is the Korean War day?”

It was an oddly random and seemingly stupid question, but Jaehyuk didn’t question it. Disappointment filled his chest, leaving no room to focus elsewhere. Jaehyuk answered dismissively:

“June 25th. Two days after your execution. Not long now.”

“…Indeed. That was close.”

Taewoo muttered something, but Jaehyuk, in his disappointed state, didn’t notice.

Hiding his disappointment, Jaehyuk threw his last question, clinging to a thread of hope.

In Eden’s common language:

“「Are you reincarnated from Eden?」”

Jaehyuk waited for his reaction. It was a crucial moment to determine his identity.

Sweat glands, voice tremors, eye wrinkles, finger trembling. His mind focused all attention on Taewoo’s physical responses, senses heightened to detect any hesitation.

‘Please, react…!’

But the response came disappointingly quickly. Much faster than Jaehyuk had expected.

“A foreign language? Sorry, but I don’t understand. I only know Korean and English.”

It was an ordinary answer. Jaehyuk was considerably disappointed.

It wasn’t the reaction of someone who knew Eden’s language. If he knew Eden’s language, he would have at least shown an involuntary physical response of surprise. The balloon of expectation deflated with a hiss.

“It’s nothing.”

From previous questions, he had suspected Taewoo might be hiding his reincarnated status, but apparently not. His voice naturally conveyed his disappointment.

“Yes, that concludes my investigation. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Just then, as if the visitation time was almost up, a guard knocked loudly on the door from outside, indicating he had no time left. Jaehyuk rose from his seat, straightening his clothes.

“Wait. You started the questions, so they should end with mine.”

A deep voice stopped Jaehyuk as he turned to leave. Jaehyuk sighed briefly and paused.

The final question flew toward Jaehyuk’s back as he stood without turning around.

“Do you believe in any god?”

What could that mean? Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.

Jaehyuk took a step and retorted:

“Yes. But it’s a god you wouldn’t know.”

The door slammed shut with a bang, leaving a heavy metallic echo in the room.

***

As the iron door closed, Kwak Taewoo’s poker face crumbled, his serene expression contorting into something demonic.

“Shin Jaehyuk, Shin Jaehyuk, Shin Jaehyuk…”

Kwak Taewoo muttered lowly, recalling the back of the man leaving the visitation room through the glass.

To make sure he wouldn’t forget that name.

How much effort it had taken to hide his hatred until those heels disappeared through the door crack. He swallowed the words he wanted to pronounce against that unforgettable—no, impossible to forget—back of the head.

‘This confirms it. I will definitely kill you.’

***

Outside the prison, Shin Jaehyuk sighed lightly.

‘Kwak Taewoo is definitely hiding some secret. But unfortunately, it seems unrelated to Eden or reincarnation… I completed the assignment, but information about past lives isn’t easy to come by after all.’

Tap, tap, tap—the sound of running footsteps. A familiar female voice called out.

“Hey! You there! Shin Jaehyuk, right! What’s this, a hikikomori going out? To a prison, no less?”

Jaehyuk turned to see the owner of the familiar voice. It was Cha Eunkyung. What a coincidence. Speak of the devil—they had just been talking about her with Kwak Taewoo, and now here she was on his way out of the prison. Surprised by the unexpected encounter, Jaehyuk shrank back.

“Ah… I just had some personal business…”

“What? Should I go in and check myself? You know I’m a criminal investigation team leader, right?”

‘No! If she does that, she might discover my forged identity.’

Jaehyuk decided to mix truth with lies.

“Alright, alright. I’ll be honest.”

“That’s better. How dare you try to hide things from me…”

“Actually, I was hired by the National Intelligence Service to interview the Chopstick Killer.”

Cha Eunkyung responded with surprise.

“The NIS? Wow, you must really be skilled. I’m glad you’re still staying within bounds, though. Even if you’re my informant, the moment you take on assignments that cross the line… you know what happens, right?”

Eunkyung was threatening to arrest him without mercy if he got involved in serious crimes.

“Haha…”

Jaehyuk laughed awkwardly, avoiding her gaze. Eunkyung was turning a blind eye to Jaehyuk’s hacking activities for his livelihood. In exchange, she blackmailed him into cooperating with her investigations as an informant.

Trying to change the subject, Jaehyuk remembered Taewoo’s interest in her.

“By the way, do you know Kwak Taewoo?”

“The Chopstick Killer? No. Never met him. Why?”

An unexpected answer. He had assumed Eunkyung had helped arrest Kwak Taewoo. If they had never met, why was Taewoo interested in her?

“He mentioned you and asked if I knew you, so I thought maybe you had arrested him.”

“No? We’ve never met. Maybe it’s someone with the same name. Besides, I’ve been busy investigating a human trafficking ring for the past few days.”

“Human trafficking? Here in Korea?”

‘Unlike Eden, Korea has no slavery system and generally good public safety.’

She answered with a hint of frustration.

“An elementary school student who went missing ten years ago has returned. According to his testimony, he was kidnapped by strangers and taken to a deep-sea fishing vessel… He worked like a slave on a foreign ship until he built up enough strength to swim to port at dawn and used secretly saved money to pay for passage back to Korea. His mother came to the police station, and they hugged each other and cried so much—it was truly moving to watch.”

“So everyone’s desperate to catch the criminal organization that kidnaps children and sells them abroad. I was at the prison for investigation too.”

She looked at Jaehyuk intently, as if expecting some reaction.

“I’m guessing you’re telling me this because you want my cooperation?”

“Exactly! I like how quickly you catch on.”

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

“Wait, ten years ago? Is the child’s mother’s name Jung Malsook by any chance?”

“Yes! How did you know? Are you familiar with the case?”

Jaehyuk was surprised by the coincidence and genuinely cheered.

“Really! That’s wonderful… She’s a staff member at a restaurant I frequent, and I always thought her story was heartbreaking.”

Now in a good mood from the news, Jaehyuk smiled broadly, unusually revealing some of his personal life to her.

“Ho, what an interesting connection. In that case, you’ll do your best to help find the culprits, right?”

“Alright, alright. But don’t expect too much. If it was ten years ago, there’s probably very little information left.”

It was indeed a strange connection. He was investigating a killer, the killer was interested in a police officer he’d never met, the officer was chasing kidnappers, and the mother of a kidnapped child was someone he knew. A momentarily ominous thought crossed his mind.

‘There have been many strange things happening lately. As if they’re precursors to something massive…’

Trying to shake off the uneasy feeling from that strange intuition, Jaehyuk shook his head from side to side.

‘No way. Nothing’s going to happen.’