A Murder in the Realm (1)

"This traffic is so annoying!" Jina groaned. Jiwoon merely sighed at the jam packed road in front of them.

A murder had taken place at U-Street which fell under their precinct's jurisdiction. The Chief had dispatched Jina's team for this task because it was going to turn out to be a high profile case since the victim was a policeman. The CSI was already at the spot but Jina's team was stuck in traffic.

"Oh just move!" Jina grunted, pressing on the horn. They were in the Land Rover their precinct had allocated to them. Apart from Jiwoon, Jina's team included Officer Shin Chanmi, Officer Kim Woohee, Officer Ok Jaebum and their tech specialist, Officer Chang Dahoon.

"Boss, the CSI team sent some details," Dahoon said, showing Jina the message. "The victims are Inspector Cho Sungil and his wife, Kwon Mari. Both of them were in their forties. They have two children, a daughter named Hanna and a son named Jun."

Dahoon was a serious looking slick haired youth in his early twenties. He was adept in hacking and configuring information using the tech gadgets at his disposal. As the youngest member, he had been instrumental in gathering data on various crimes and so far, had not failed Jina.

"Where are the children?" Jina asked.

"They're apparently missing," Dahoon replied.

"Missing?" Chanmi asked curiously. She was only a few years younger than Jina and Jiwoon. With pale skin and chubby cheeks, Chanmi possessed a very pleasant look. She was always curious and enthusiastic to accompany them on cases. Even though she was not the brightest police officer, Jina chose her for her hard work. Unlike others, Chanmi was eager to do some heavy lifting. Moreover, due to her naturally empathetic nature, the witnesses and family members of victims opened up to her much more easily.

"Maybe the killer kidnapped them," Jaebum suggested. He was the spy of the group. With innocent eyes and a nice smile, Jaebum looked more like an actor than a police officer. Sometimes, this came in handy when going undercover because he did not strike people as a cop and he could gather information with ease.

"But why would he murder the parents and take the kids?" Woohee reasoned. "Surely, something is amiss."

Woohee was the newest member of the group and was not handpicked by Jina. In fact, Woohee was the daughter of some influential police officer who was connected to the Commissioner. Even though most people believed Woohee entered the squad through nepotism, she quickly proved that she was an asset to the team. Her family background aside, she possessed a sharp intellect and spotted clues faster than other officers.

"We'll find out once we get there," Jina sighed. "If only this bloody traffic would lift!"

Everyone shared her frustration. The cars were moving slowly so Jaebum got out of the car to head over to the traffic police's post.

"What's he doing?" Jiwoon frowned.

"Sweet talking the cop," Jina stated. Jaebum pointed at their Land Rover and said something to the traffic policeman. Finally, the guy nodded and was ushering the cars to move forward.

"Finally!" Jina muttered as the cars picked up speed. They briefly stopped at the traffic post to pick up Jaebum.

"What did you tell him?" Jiwoon asked.

"Just that if he lets us go, our Chief Detective here will have him transferred to our team," he winked.

"Yes, I'll give him your position in the team," Jina said absentmindedly.

"Boss, how could you!" Jaebum whined. "After all the hard work I do for you!"

He pretended to be affronted causing Jina to playfully whack him on the arm. Everyone laughed, the mood lightening as they headed for the crime scene.

Finally, after half an hour, Jina pulled up in front of the house in U-Street. The place was already swarming with the CSI team who had sealed off the area for investigation. Jina and her team got out of the car. Jaebum whistled, impressed.

"Woah, the guy was rich!" he exclaimed. The 'house' was more of a mini mansion. It had a large yard in front of it where the family had grown apple trees, mango trees, papayas and various other fruits. There was a small patio in the middle for the family to gather around for evening tea or snacks. The pathway was tiled with colorful marbles, leading to the front door.

The mansion itself was quite posh. With jade colored walls, it was sleek and soothing to look at. It had glass walls on the second floor, exposing a mini gym. The roof was slanted while a Maybach was parked in front of the entrance.

"The victim sure was rich," Chanmi commented.

"He was not an ordinary person," Woohee muttered. "Cho Sungil is ex-army. He used to be a Lieutenant in his mid thirties and earned quite a lot from foreign missions. The only reason he had to quit was due to a leg injury. So he had an operation and joined the police force as a weapon specialist. He had a lot of money stacked up thanks to his achievements."

"Who would dare to kill a guy like him?" Jiwoon wondered.

"Ex-army plus a cop," Jina pointed out. "Lots of people were after him. Let's go in and check out the situation."

They entered the house and headed upstairs towards the master bedroom where the bodies were found. As soon as they entered, a gruesome sight met their eyes.

The walls were splattered with blood from the victims, reaching almost as high as the ceiling. Broken pieces of glass and showpieces lay on the floor. Papers were scattered all over the place as if someone had been searching the bedroom.

But the most terrifying sight was of the bodies which lay on the bed, side by side. They have not been killed; they were massacred.

Their organs had exploded out of their bodies during the murder, possibly due to the sheer rage of the murderer. They had been hacked so brutally that several of their limbs had torn apart. Parts of their bones were peeking out, the bed being a mess of meat from the victims' bodies.

Everyone in Jina's team looked disgusted except for Jina herself. She was not surprised by the brutality. Human beings hid monsters in them and it was something she had learnt at a very young age.

"Who would do this?" Jiwoon whispered.

"A monster," Chanmi hissed, closing her eyes. But Jina was not listening to them. Her eyes fell on a lone figure who stood in front of the bed with his back to them. He was wearing a backpack and a long coat. His hands were in his pocket as he observed the bodies.

Jina stepped forward. As if hearing her footsteps, the auburn haired man sighed.

"I know the police have a policy of being late but I was told that the team being sent to me was the very best one," his deep voice resonated throughout the room.

For a moment, Jina froze. She was not sure why her body reacted like that but a strange sensation washed over her. Her eyes were on the back of that man. There was something familiar about him but that was not possible. She did not know any auburn haired man. Then why was her heart beating so wildly?

In slow motion, the man turned around. His eyes flickered when he saw her, as if he was also feeling the same sense of familiarity. But it lasted only for a few seconds.

"Looks like I had expected too much after hearing the praises about your team," he said in an arrogant tone. "Policemen are really untrustworthy."