A massive arm of darkness whipped out and slammed Jeong Hae-jun off his feet. The explosive impact hurled him hard against the concrete floor.
As he rolled across the ground, a lightning bolt of pain shot through his left arm. The agony spread like wildfire, pale smoke hissing from the torn sleeve. His skin was already charred black.
Hae-jun gritted his teeth and pushed himself up. His ears rang with the alarm's echo, but he kept his eyes on the massive figure beyond the blood-red mist.
The specter clung to the ceiling in a grotesque pose. Its unnaturally long limbs sprawled like spider legs across the concrete walls, and two red eyes glared with lethal intent.
A shrill scream burst from the specter's throat as its pitch-black limbs scythed through the air. But this time Hae-jun lunged first.
If I go down now, everyone will die...!
As he sucked in a breath, time seemed to slow. The swirling red mist thinned for an instant, and Hae-jun's eyes blazed with resolve.
The specter's second strike came crashing down, but Jeong Hae-jun threw up his right arm with every ounce of strength. The creature's forearm—flesh and mist intertwined—buckled under his block, sending it reeling. An incredulous flicker passed through its crimson eyes.
It let out a strangled gasp and writhed. Hae-jun instantly swung his left hand up and slammed his palm into the specter's chest.
BOOM! The massive creature crashed into the wall. Concrete cracked and debris flew everywhere, and for the first time the specter wailed in pain instead of fury.
Not missing a beat, Hae-jun leveled his handgun—already loaded with a flashbang. BANG! A blinding flash erupted, flooding the tunnel with white light. The specter's silhouette lurched as red mist blasted away from its body.
"Park! It's getting away!" Hae-jun yelled.
The specter hunched low and suddenly sucked all the surrounding red mist into itself. Its huge form briefly shrank, then sprang toward a side drainage tunnel with beast-like speed. In a blink, the crimson figure vanished into the darkness, leaving only ripples in a filthy puddle.
"Don't let it escape!"
Hae-jun dashed off, panting hard. He flicked his flashlight in quick, rhythmic bursts to signal the others, and Park Jae-min charged after him. The specter's shape slipped out of the large drainage basin and into a side passage, disappearing into pitch-black depths. A faint afterglow of red mist clung to the walls like a fading trail. Jeong Hae-jun and Park followed the echo of splashing water, feet pounding the wet concrete.
Meanwhile, as the red mist cleared, reality slowly returned to the dark sewer tunnels.
Yoon Tae-sik, still gasping for air, staggered toward the central basin. In the gloom, he saw a low shadow move and swung his gun toward it. But lingering hallucinations still clouded his vision, and his eyes wouldn't focus.
"Stop right there! Who are you? Answer me!" he snarled, voice raw and shaky.
A flashlight beam wobbled closer from the other side—it was Choi Do-yoon. But in Yoon's hazy sight, it was hard to tell. The unsteady light made the figure look like the phantom that had terrorized him moments ago. A wave of fear washed over him—it could be another trick.
His finger tightened on the trigger again.
"Detective Yoon! It's me, Choi Do-yoon!" a voice shouted nearby.
Neither man lowered his weapon—panic still pounded in their ears. They stood there, drenched in sweat, guns trained on each other.
At that instant, a deep voice with a thick dialect boomed from the darkness: "Open yer eyes, those things ain't real!"
At the same time, the shadow of a small, stout figure scurried past in the darkness, accompanied by a brief pig-like snort.
Yoon Tae-sik and Choi Do-yoon flinched, blinking in shock. In that blink, their surroundings snapped back into focus.
The hallucinations shattered. The gruesome specter Yoon had seen was gone; only Choi's pale, wide-eyed face remained. The child's eerie sobbing in Choi's ears had stopped as well. Both men were left standing there, panting in the dank tunnel.
"Choi...?" Yoon Tae-sik lowered his gun, voice hoarse.
"D-Detective Yoon... I-I'm sorry...!" Choi stammered, dropping his weapon as well.
They realized with a chill that they had nearly shot each other.
Before they could say more, Jeong Hae-jun's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Is everyone safe? Report your status as soon as you can."
It was distorted with static but unmistakably Hae-jun. Yoon pressed the transmit button. "Yoon Tae-sik here. I'm okay—I've linked up with Detective Choi...!" he answered breathlessly.
"Joining the chase now," Choi Do-yoon added, voice unsteady.
Exchanging a shaky nod, the two men hurried off after Jeong Hae-jun.
The utility tunnels under Gwanghwamun were a twisting maze. Rusted pipes and cable bundles lined the walls, and each time they splashed through a puddle, ruddy water sprayed out.
Jeong Hae-jun ran at the front, lungs burning, but he didn't slow. Park Jae-min and Choi Do-yoon sprinted just behind, determined not to fall back.
A faint trail of red mist lingered ahead to guide them. Wisps of scarlet fog hung in the air, and here and there sticky red slime spattered the floor—some kind of residue, whether blood or something else.
"Trail confirmed… it's still fresh," Park reported over the radio. His helmet cam had picked up the marks, its red light blinking as it recorded.
Hae-jun gave a quick nod. "Roger. Keep up," he said.
The darkness was still thick, but glints of red stains and the periodic flash of their lights showed both the team's positions and the specter's path.
Before long, a huge metal door loomed ahead. Above it hung a sign reading GWANGHWAMUN STATION, and a yellow warning light beside it flashed erratically. The specter had definitely gone this way.
"It went through here!" Hae-jun shouted, barreling toward the door.
One side of the heavy door was already ajar. The floor showed it had been violently shoved open, with bright red slime smeared around the threshold.
Crossing into the station, Hae-jun was hit with the sharp stench of burnt metal and wiring. The inner corridor walls were streaked with sooty black marks, as if electrical fires had raged.
The passage ahead was lit only by faint, flickering emergency lights—just enough to make out shapes. A place normally crowded with people was now eerily empty and silent, completely unreal.
Red droplets dribbled along the stairs and floor, marking a sparse trail. Hae-jun halted and swept his flashlight around. He knew he'd chased the specter right to this spot, but somehow the creature had vanished.
Only the blood-like smears on the floor continued deeper into the station.
"Damn... did it get away clean?" Yoon Tae-sik panted. Cold sweat dotted his brow.
"No. It's wounded and running," Park Jae-min said, pointing at the crimson slime. "It left a trail."
Jeong Hae-jun swallowed his frustration and clenched his fist. Then he drew a deep breath, regaining his composure—charging in blindly could get them caught in another illusion.
He shone his light over the largest bloodstain. The viscous slime reeked like burning flesh. He quickly pulled out a plastic evidence pouch and scooped some in, sealing it tight. His hand was trembling, but his face remained calm.
Moments later, Choi Do-yoon emerged from the tunnel, supporting Officer Kim Hyung-gu from the support team. Kim was unconscious, draped over Choi's shoulder.
"I found him by the station stairs," Choi reported as he gently laid the injured officer down.
Officer Kim's face was ash-gray, his body soaked and scraped up, but his pulse was steady.
"Kim, wake up!" Yoon shouted, dropping to a knee and patting the officer's cheek. Kim's lips twitched, and a faint whisper escaped: "...In the mist... someone's there..."
It might have sounded like nonsense, but after all they'd experienced, none of them could ignore it.
Jeong Hae-jun swiftly turned toward the dark tunnels of Gwanghwamun Station. Somewhere in that darkness, the wounded specter was hiding.
He pressed his earpiece and radioed HQ. "Specter fled underground at Gwanghwamun—seal off the station and send medical teams and backup."
After a brief pause, he spoke to his team. "Everyone, check your injuries and gear, then regroup. Do not chase it recklessly. Hold the perimeter."
As soon as he finished, Yoon Tae-sik moved to guard the corridor entrance, gun ready. Choi Do-yoon knelt beside Officer Kim, one hand still on his gun. For a moment, they all caught their breath and steadied themselves.
Jeong Hae-jun wiped the sweat from his brow, chest heaving.
Above, faint sirens wailed, growing closer—reinforcements were arriving.
Park Jae-min checked their bodycam footage. The recordings were full of static, but even so, the red specter's silhouette and parts of the hallucinations had been captured: the glow of its red eyes, its grotesquely elongated limbs... it was all there.
"It's on film. Now there's no doubt that thing is real," he announced.
Jeong Hae-jun nodded slowly, his eyes still fixed on the darkness.
"Tonight, we put an end to this," he said quietly, jaw clenched with resolve.
Yoon Tae-sik and Choi Do-yoon nodded. Exhausted as they were, fierce determination burned in their eyes.