The camera hidden in the corner clicked softly. Carlos tilted his head toward it. "Get me my visitor rights reinstated." "Tell them I'm ready to cooperate." He smiled again, slower this time. Like a predator. "It's time he saw me again." Muted voices filled the halls. Nurses walked past with clipboards and sympathy. Soo-jin sat by the window, one arm bandaged, knuckles raw. He stared out at the rain. He hadn't spoken much since the mirror. Just watched. Waited. Breathed. A knock on the door. Detective Ha stepped in carefully, almost nervously. "You've got a request." Soo-jin didn't turn. "From who?" Flat. Not even a question. "Carlos." Silence. Ha stepped forward, offering the folded note. "He's cooperating now. But he asked for you. Only you." Soo-jin didn't take the paper. I didn't need to. Of course he did. His voice was hoarse, barely audible. "…Set the room." Soo-jin stepped inside, slower this time. Not with caution. With exhaustion. Carlos was already there. No cuffs. Just a table between them. He smiled the moment Soo-jin entered, soft, almost tender. "You look tired, love." Soo-jin sat without a word. Their eyes met. Neither looked away."You asked for me," Soo-jin said at last. "I always do." A beat passed. Soo-jin's hands trembled slightly in his lap. He didn't try to hide it. "Why now?" Carlos tilted his head. "Because now, you're listening." Soo-jin scoffed. "To what?" Carlos leaned forward slowly, hands folded. "To me. To yourself. To what's been screaming inside your chest since the day we met." Soo-jin looked away, but not far. Just far enough not to fall in again. "You think this is love?" he asked. Carlos nodded without hesitation. "It's not clean. It's not safe. But yes, Soo-jin. It's love." "And you feel it too." Soo-jin's jaw clenched. He hated how true it almost sounded. Carlos's voice softened. "I can give you peace." "You destroy everything you touch." "Not you." Carlos leaned in closer, voice almost a whisper, "You're the one thing I want to keep whole." Soo-jin's breath hitched. He wanted to laugh. Or scream. Or run. Instead, he whispered: "…Then stop." Carlos smiled, eyes glittering. "Then kiss me." Silence. A heartbeat. Then, Soo-jin stood. But instead of walking away, he bent down slowly… and pressed his forehead to Carlos's. No words. Just a breath shared. Then he pulled back. And walked out. Surveillance recording. The small, white room was quiet except for the faint hum of a ceiling vent. Carlos sat at the table, hands folded neatly, eyes closed. He looked serene. Like someone praying. A therapist sat across from him, notes in hand, voice cautious. "You said you wanted to talk about your… urges." Carlos opened his eyes slowly. Calm. Steady. Unbothered. "No urges. Compulsions." "They're not about blood. They're about justice." "Justice?" Carlos smiled. "There are people in this world who hurt others and smile while doing it. People who get away with it." "But when I do it, people call it murder." The therapist hesitated. "…And Detective Kim?" Carlos's smile faltered just a little. Then returned. "Soo-jin… is different." "He knows pain. He doesn't pretend to be pure." "He's already halfway to me." The therapist scribbled something. Carlos glanced at the camera in the corner. And suddenly, he spoke directly to it. "I could stop killing." "If he asked me to." Pause. Then, softly, "…But he won't." He returned with the same calm expression. In his hand: a small folded paper. One of the guards had slipped it in during his walk back, paid off? Manipulated? Who knows. He opened it. Inside: A list of names. Five. All connected to Soo-jin's past. Bullies. Ex-lovers. Corrupt officials. He touched the first name gently. "Let's see if he still tries to stop me…" He pulled out a blackened match from beneath his pillow, lit it on the stone wall, and watched the edge of the list catch flame. A quiet promise. Then he whispered into the shadows: "I'll take them all, Soo-jin." "And when there's no one left to hurt you…" "Maybe then you'll finally love me back." Rain drummed against the windows again, just like the night Soo-jin cracked. He was back now, barely cleared for duty. His badge sat heavy on his chest, his eyes dull. Like he was only pretending to be here. The young forensic tech handed him a file. "Found this in the alley where they discovered Jo Tae-gyun's body." Soo-jin flipped it open. Photos. Blood trail. Neck wound precise, silent. Too clean for mugging. No money taken. No wallet touched. Then something else caught his eye. A symbol carved faintly on the victim's wrist. Tiny. A single K. His breath caught. The same mark left behind on the others Carlos had been linked to. Before he was caught. "K… for Kim?" the tech asked, clueless. Soo-jin's voice was low, flat. "K for kill."
