Crimson Verdict
Chapter 1: The Crimson Chess Piece
The rain had started just after midnight.
It wasn't the kind of rain that washed away the city. It fell in a steady rhythm, turning the streets of Seoul into mirrors of neon lights and blurred reflections. Sirens echoed through the empty roads as black police vehicles stopped outside the tallest residential tower in Gangnam.
On the top floor...
Someone had died.
The penthouse belonged to Lee Doyoon, a billionaire businessman whose influence reached politicians, corporations, and even the police.
The apartment was worth millions.
The security system was impossible to bypass.
No broken windows.
No forced entry.
No missing valuables.
Yet Lee Doyoon lay motionless on the white marble floor.
A single stab wound pierced his chest.
His eyes remained open, frozen in terror, as though he had recognized the person who killed him.
Blood spread across the polished floor like crimson paint.
Beside his right hand...
Rested a red chess king.
Nothing else.
Detective Jeon Jungkook stepped inside.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dressed in a black coat that was already damp from the rain.
His expression remained unreadable as he slipped on a pair of gloves.
Jungkook
He looked around once.
No panic.
No unnecessary words.
Only observation.
Jungkook
"Time of death?" he asked.
some officer
A forensic officer checked his notes.
"Approximately between 11:40 p.m. and midnight."
some officer
"No one sir"
some officer
"Disabled for exactly nine minutes."
Jungkook
Jungkook frowned.
Jungkook
He clicked his tongue.
Someone had planned this.
Perfectly.
Jungkook
He crouched beside the body.
Jungkook
The victim's expensive watch had stopped at 11:53 p.m.
Jungkook
Only the wound remained.
Professional.
No hesitation.
The killer knew anatomy.
No fingerprints.
No footprints.
No DNA.
Nothing.
Jungkook
His gaze shifted toward the crimson chess piece.
Jungkook
He picked it up carefully.
King.
Red.
Hand-painted.
Not part of any ordinary chess set.
Who leaves a chess piece at a murder scene?
Not someone trying to hide.
Someone trying to send a message.
officer
"Detective Jeon."
One of the officers hurried over.
officer
"The commissioner is on his way."
Jungkook
Jungkook stood.
"Why?"
officer
"He... brought someone."
Jungkook
"I don't need consultants."
officer
The officer hesitated.
"It's an order."
Jungkook
Jungkook sighed.
Wonderful.
Another self-proclaimed genius.
The elevator doors opened.
Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
Jungkook didn't bother looking.
？？？
"I expected more blood."
Jungkook
The unfamiliar voice was calm.
Almost amused.
Jungkook slowly turned.
Standing near the entrance was a man wearing a charcoal-black overcoat over a black turtleneck. His dark hair fell neatly over his forehead, and his expression was impossibly composed.
His sharp eyes swept across the room, lingering on every detail.
As if he already knew the story hidden behind the walls.
Police Commissioner Kim Namjoon walked beside him.
namjoon
Jungkook nodded.
Commissioner Kim continued.
namjoon
"This is Professor Kim Taehyung."
Jungkook
Jungkook stared.
"A professor?"
namjoon
"Criminal psychologist."
Jungkook
"I didn't ask for one."
Jungkook
"I don't need one."
Jungkook
"Then why is he here?"
namjoon
Namjoon folded his arms.
"Because the last three impossible murder cases he consulted on were solved."
Jungkook
Jungkook looked Taehyung up and down.
taehyung
Taehyung offered a polite smile.
taehyung
"It seems we're working together."
taehyung
"You'll get in the way."
taehyung
Taehyung chuckled softly.
Jungkook
"I've been called worse."
chapter 2
taehyung
Ignoring Jungkook completely...
taehyung
Taehyung walked toward the body.
He never touched anything.
He simply looked.
His eyes moved from the victim...
To the dining table...
To the broken wine bottle...
To the empty chair.
He stopped.
taehyung
A faint smile appeared.
Jungkook
Jungkook noticed.
"See something funny?"
taehyung
Taehyung didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he asked,
"Was the wine tested?"
taehyung
"There were two people here."
Jungkook
"We already know that."
taehyung
"No."
Taehyung smiled faintly.
taehyung
"I think there may have been a third person."
Jungkook
Then Jungkook can challenge him
"Based on what?"
taehyung
"The disturbance in the room doesn't match a simple meeting between two people. It's only a theory until we find evidence."
Taehyung slowly walked toward the large window.
He looked outside at the rain.
Jungkook
Jungkook stepped closer.
"That's speculation."
taehyung
Taehyung finally met his eyes.
"No."
"It's behavior."
Their eyes locked.
Neither looked away.
The tension was immediate.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
Almost everyone else quietly backed away.
A forensic officer suddenly rushed in.
some officer
"Detective!"
some officer
"We found something."
He held out a small evidence bag.
Inside...
Was a folded photograph.
Jungkook
Jungkook carefully unfolded it.
His expression hardened.
The photograph showed five people standing together fifteen years earlier.
Four faces had been crossed out with red ink.
One of them...
Was Lee Doyoon.
The first victim.
The fifth face...
Hadn't been crossed out.
At the bottom of the photograph, someone had written in neat handwriting:
The entire room fell silent.
Taehyung's smile disappeared.
He stared at the photograph.
taehyung
"...This isn't just a murder."
taehyung
Taehyung looked at him.
His voice was calm.
But his eyes weren't.
taehyung
"Someone has been planning this for years."
Outside...
Thunder shook the night.
Neither of them realized that this was only the first move in a deadly game.
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Chapter 3: The First Suspect
The penthouse was silent.
Only the sound of rain tapping against the floor-to-ceiling windows filled the room.
The officers stared at the old photograph sealed inside the evidence bag.
Five smiling faces.
Four crossed out with red ink.
One name had already become a corpse.
At the bottom...
"Four remain."
Jungkook
"Who found this?"
some officer
"It was hidden behind the painting in the study."
some officer
"Yes, Detective."
taehyung
Taehyung tilted his head, studying the photograph without touching it.
taehyung
"It wasn't hidden."
taehyung
"The killer wanted us to find it."
namjoon
"Why would someone leave evidence behind?"
taehyung
He looked at Jungkook.
taehyung
"It's an invitation."
Jungkook
Jungkook narrowed his eyes.
"You're assuming too much."
Taehyung walked toward the large wall where family photographs hung neatly.
He studied each one.
Vacation pictures.
Award ceremonies.
Business meetings.
Then...
One frame caught his attention.
He frowned.
taehyung
"Detective jeon."
taehyung
Taehyung pointed toward the empty space between two photographs.
taehyung
"Something's missing."
Jungkook walked closer.
Sure enough...
There was a clean rectangle on the dusty wall.
A frame had recently been removed.
Jungkook
"Search the apartment."
Within seconds, officers spread through every room.
Drawers opened.
Cabinets were emptied.
The penthouse became a maze of hurried footsteps.
Kang Minseo (Detective)
"detective."
Jungkook
Jungkook hurried toward the study.
Inside...
A hidden compartment behind the bookshelf had been discovered.
Minseo carefully removed a black leather folder.
Inside were several documents.
Property deeds.
Bank transfers.
Old newspaper clippings.
And...
A list of names.
Five names.
The first one—
Lee Doyoon.
Crossed out.
The remaining four...
Han Jisung
Park Seungho
Choi Hyunwoo
Kim Yura
Jungkook
"Background checks."
Kang Minseo (Detective)
"Immediately."
taehyung
Taehyung quietly picked up one of the newspaper clippings.
The headline read:
taehyung
Date:
Fifteen years ago.
taehyung
"...Interesting."
Jungkook
Jungkook: "You found something?"
taehyung
Taehyung handed him the article.
Taehyung: "These five people."
He pointed at the names.
Jungkook
Jungkook read silently.
The article mentioned five university students who had gone hiking together.
Only fragments of the story remained.
Most of the report had been cut away.
Just then...
A phone rang.
Everyone froze.
It wasn't anyone's cellphone.
The sound came from...
The victim's office desk.
Kang Minseo (Detective)
Minseo carefully opened the drawer.
An old flip phone vibrated inside.
No caller ID.
Kang Minseo (Detective)
"Should I answer?"
Jungkook
Jungkook nodded.
She pressed the speaker button.
Silence.
Then...
A distorted voice echoed through the room.
？？？
"You're already too late."
The officers exchanged nervous glances.
Jungkook
Jungkook's expression hardened.
？？？
"I expected someone smarter."
？？？
"Instead of asking where I am.....ask where the next body is."
The room remained completely silent.
Even the rain seemed louder.
A technician hurried forward.
After several tense moments...
He looked up.
His face had turned pale.
Technician
"Commissioner..."
Technician
"The call..."
He swallowed.
"...came from inside this penthouse."
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