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As expected, the bathroom was covered in projected blood stains. The murderer must have killed her here. But then how did the blood stains get in the living room? Did the first attack took place in the bathroom and a struggle ensued in the living room before they returned to the bathroom? But not a drop of blood was found between the living room and the bathroom. Even stranger was that a blood trail had started on the bed sheet.

이제까지와는 전혀 다른 음색이었다.

그녀는 부엌 쪽으로 걸어가서 

서랍장을 열어 무언가를 꺼낸 후에야 다시 입을 열었다.

Her voice sounded different. She walked over to the kitchen and spoke only after taking out something from the cabinet. 

“아까 하시던 말씀 계속해 보세요. 

 제가 알고 있는 건 다 말씀해 드릴테니까.” 

“Tell me what you were trying to say before. I will then tell you everything I know.” 

“그럼 하나만 물을게요. 왜 그랬어요?” 

“I just have one question for you. Why did you do it?” 

“무슨 말씀이신지 모르겠네요.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” 

“저녁 8시 반에 퇴근하고 들어왔더니 이미 동생은 없었다고 하셨죠?” 

“You said when you came home at 8:30, your brother was not here.” 

주머니에서 나원학의 휴대폰을 꺼내 탁자위에 올려놓고 말을 이었다.

Then I took out Na Won-hak’s cell phone and placed it on the table.

“그런데 왜 저녁 9시 38분에 문자를 보내려다 만 흔적이 여기 남아있는 거죠? 왜 죽인거예요? 동생까지” 

“Then why was there a failed text message sent at 9:38 p.m.? Why did you kill your own brother?”

# Interview with literary critic Jeon So-yeong

The killer turned out to be Na Won-hak’s sister. She framed her own brother so that he would become the most likely suspect. But rather than feeling remorseful after getting caught, she maintained that she was a victim of this society. She really believed her claim. But the profiler knows that’s just an excuse because he has seen many times throughout his career as a profiler how a repeat offender loses morality and changes over time.

경찰서를 빠져나와 길게 늘어선 도로를 타고 서울로 향했다.

가는 길 내내 보이는 것은 사람, 그리고 사람들이었다.

그들은 오늘도 만나고 헤어지고 소통하고 단절한다.

I left the police station and headed to Seoul. All I could see on my way to Seoul was people. They meet, part, communicate and sever ties every day.

그들 중에 누군가 살해당하는 일이 생긴다면

우리는 먼저 그 사람의 주변인들을 탐문하고 수사한다.

모든 사람들에게 저마다 내재된 살인을 할 만한 이유가 있기 때문이다.

If someone gets killed, we question and investigate the people the victim had known because everyone has a deep, hidden reason to commit murder. 

그것은 이해할 수 있는, 혹은 이해할 수 없는 일이기도 하다.

그래서 나는 그들처럼 균열된 눈으로 세상을 봐야 한다.

깨진 거울과도 같은 기괴한 시선으로.

나는 이제 그런 것들밖에 보이지 않는다.

That is a comprehensible yet also incomprehensible thing. That is why I have to look at the world with fractured eyes like them. With freaky eyes like a broken mirror. Such are the only things I am capable of seeing now. 

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Shin Jae-hyung (Born in Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do Prov., 1982~ )

Debuted with short story “Jig Dance of His and Mine” in 2007