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

"Follow me," he says tersely, already moving.

Confused but intrigued, I fall in step behind him. We make our way to the parking lot in silence, climbing into Seo\'s unmarked car.

As we pull out onto the street, Seo finally speaks. "Didn\'t know you were coming back today. Sick leave over?"

"Yeah," I reply, studying his tense expression. "I\'m ready to get back to work. Where are we headed?"

Seo\'s grip tightens on the steering wheel. "Glad to have you back. We could use you on this one." He pauses, then adds, "Actually, the team needs you."

His words pique my curiosity, but also send a wave of unease through me. What could be so urgent?

We weave through downtown Seoul\'s morning traffic. I try to piece together our destination based on our route, but Seo\'s driving is unpredictable, keeping me guessing.

After about ten minutes, we turn onto a familiar street. My heart rate quickens as I recognize where we\'re headed. Sure enough, the imposing structure of Seoul Central Hospital looms before us.

As Seo pulls into the parking lot, a knot forms in my stomach. A hospital can mean many things in our line of work, none of them good. Is it a victim? A witness? Or something worse?

Seo kills the engine and turns to me, his expression grave. "Ready?"

I nod, steeling myself for whatever awaits us inside.

We stride purposefully through the hospital\'s main entrance, Seo leading the way with a determined gait. The sterile smell of disinfectant fills my nostrils as we navigate the bustling corridors, making our way to the emergency room.

As we push through the double doors, a doctor in blue scrubs spots us and hurries over. "Detectives? I\'m Dr. Ihn. We were told to expect you."

Seo nods curtly. "Where\'s the patient?"

Dr. Ihn gestures for us to follow, leading us through the organized chaos of the ER. "This way. We\'ve moved her to a private area given the... circumstances."

My mind races, trying to piece together what\'s happening. The fact that we were expected, that Seo\'s team was tipped off before the patient even arrived, speaks volumes about the severity of the situation.

We round a corner, entering a more secluded section of the ward. Nurses move efficiently around a bed in the far corner, obscuring our view of the patient.

As we approach, the medical staff parts, revealing a young woman lying motionless on the bed. My breath catches in my throat. She\'s covered in blood, her clothes torn and disheveled. Her face is a mask of bruises and cuts, barely recognizable as human.

"Who is she?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Seo\'s jaw tightens. "A victim. That\'s all we know for now."

The gravity of his tone tells me there\'s more to it. The involvement of the Seoul Investigative Unit, the urgency of our arrival, the brutality of the attack – it all points to one chilling possibility.

"Seo," I say, turning to face him. "Is this... are we looking at a potential serial case?"

He meets my gaze, his eyes hard. "We can\'t rule it out. The pattern of injuries, the location where she was found... it\'s similar to two other cases from the past month."

My heart sinks. Just when I thought I was ready to return to work, to face the darkness again, I\'m confronted with what could be the beginning of another harrowing hunt.

Seo turns to Dr. Park, his voice low and urgent. "Has her family been contacted yet?"

The doctor shakes his head. "Not yet. She was brought in after a passerby found her on the street. We haven\'t been able to identify her."

As Seo continues to confer with the medical staff, something catches my eye. The victim\'s lips are moving, ever so slightly. It\'s barely perceptible, but years of experience have honed my instincts.

Without hesitation, I rush to her bedside, leaning in close to her face. The nurses react with surprise, moving to intervene, but Seo holds up a hand, stopping them.

I strain to hear, my ear inches from the victim\'s mouth. Her breath is shallow, barely there, but I can just make out a few whispered words.

"...heard... voice... mature..."

And then, silence.

I step back, my heart pounding. Dr. Park quickly moves in, checking her vitals. After a tense moment, he looks up, his face grim.

"Time of death, 9:47 AM."

The room falls silent, the weight of the moment settling over us all. But there\'s no time for shock or grief. Seo is already at my side, his eyes intense.

"What did you hear?" he demands.

I take a deep breath, replaying the victim\'s final words in my mind. "She said she heard a voice. A mature voice. That\'s all I could make out."

Seo\'s brow furrows, his mind already working on the implications of this new information. The pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together, but the picture they\'re forming is dark and unsettling.

As the medical staff begin their post-mortem procedures, Seo pulls me aside. "Good catch," he says quietly. "That might be our first real lead."

***

We return to the office, the somber mood from the hospital following us like a shadow. The bullpen is a flurry of activity as we enter, with officers and detectives hurriedly preparing for a briefing.

Seo gathers the team, his voice grave. "The victim at the hospital has been confirmed as part of our ongoing serial case. Let\'s review what we know."

We file into the briefing room, the air thick with tension. The whiteboard is already covered with photos, timelines, and notes. Detective Eum steps forward, clearing his throat.

"Alright, let\'s start from the beginning," he says, pointing to the first set of images. "Our first confirmed victim: Ko Yumi, 24 years old. Found on April 20th at approximately 3 AM in the Guro district of Seoul."

He gestures to a gruesome crime scene photo. I force myself to look, knowing every detail could be crucial.

"Ko was discovered in front of her house, multiple stab wounds all over her body. The brutality of the attack suggests rage or possibly overkill."

Detective Pyo chimes in, "We\'ve reviewed CCTV footage from the surrounding area. So far, nothing suspicious has been spotted. It\'s as if the perpetrator knew exactly where the blind spots were."

The room falls silent as we absorb this information. The lack of CCTV evidence is troubling.

Detective Eum clears his throat, moving to the next set of photos on the board. The room tenses as we brace ourselves for more grim details.

"Now, let\'s discuss what we\'ve recently confirmed as our actual first victim," Eum begins, his voice somber. "Shon Eunhee, 28 years old. Found on February 9th at approximately 5 AM in Gunpo, just outside of Seoul."

He points to a map, indicating the location. "Shon worked as a milk delivery person. She was discovered near one of the old apartment complexes on her route, after she had finished her deliveries and was heading back to report to her supervisor."

Eum gestures to the crime scene photos. I feel my stomach churn at the sight, but force myself to study them carefully.

"Like Ko Yumi, Shon was found with multiple stab wounds all over her body. The level of violence is consistent, suggesting the same perpetrator."

Detective Pyo interjects, "We initially didn\'t connect this case to the others due to the location discrepancy. Gunpo isn\'t Seoul, after all. But the similarities in the MO are undeniable."

Detective Eum\'s face grows even more somber as he moves to the final set of photos on the board. "And now, the victim we encountered this morning at the hospital. Our latest casualty."

He pins up a photo of a young woman, her face full of life – a stark contrast to the grim scene we witnessed earlier. "Jung Mina, 25 years old. Found yesterday, May 7th, at approximately 7 PM near Boramae Park in western Seoul."

The room collectively tenses as Eum continues. "Jung was discovered by a passerby after finishing a date with her boyfriend. Like the others, she had multiple stab wounds all over her body."

I feel a chill run down my spine, remembering Jung\'s final words about a mature voice.

"Any connections identified between the three victims?" I ask, hoping for some thread to pull on.

Eum shakes his head. "Nothing concrete so far. Different ages, different occupations, different parts of the city. We\'re still digging into their backgrounds, but at first glance, there\'s no obvious link."

The room falls into a heavy silence. I pull out my phone, scrolling through the case details, searching for any pattern we might have missed. The locations are spread out, the times of the attacks vary widely...

And then it hits me.

"Wait," I say, my voice cutting through the quiet. All eyes turn to me.

"The dates of the murders. February 9th, April 20th, May 7th… They\'re all Thursdays."