Special Investigation Team BTS 2

EP 24. Foxy's Doll Shop (3)

김석진

"Then I'll see you next time... Miss Yeoju?"

Yeo-ju, who had spent more time in the alley than expected, was only able to arrive there when Seok-jin and his team left National Assemblyman Park Kyung-joon's house.

I wiped away my blank expression as best I could and asked naturally, “Am I a little late?” I saw Jimin, who was next to me, suppressing his anger, unable to do anything.

박지민

“…Who told you to go through all the discharge procedures? How did you get here?”

Jimin, who had already approached Yeoju, lowered his voice and spoke only as much as necessary. Yeoju, who had disappeared in the blink of an eye, seemed quite surprised to be here.

연여주

"The team leader sent me the address in a group text. I took a taxi to the address. Did you get anything in return?"

박지민

“…Yeon Yeo-ju.”

김석진

"Miss Yeoju, shall we go out and talk for now? The investigation here is over for today, so I think we should go to the Foxy Doll Shop."

Behind Jimin, who was gazing at Yeoju with piercing eyes, Seokjin appeared, speaking softly with a classic smile. The corners of his mouth were smiling, but his eyes weren't.

연여주

“…I see.”

Given the circumstances, Yeo-ju had no choice but to follow the words of her team leader, Seok-jin.

While riding in the car, Jimin and Jungkook sat next to Yeoju and nagged her about why she came all the way here instead of being at the hospital, while Seokjin explained the incident.

The only one who didn't speak to Yeoju was Taehyung. But even though he didn't speak, his gaze was more passionate than anyone else's. If Jimin and Jungkook would scold Yeoju with words, would Taehyung scold her with his gaze?

박지민

"Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly told me you were discharged from the hospital?!"

전정국

"Why did you come out so recklessly without us as your guardians? What if you fall down on the way here?"

연여주

"I'm not the type of person to fall so lightly,"

김석진

"I got a call from the National Forensic Service. They said it's a different drug than existing drugs. It doesn't cause hallucinations or tinnitus, but it's quite addictive. They said you just have to avoid taking it, so be careful."

김태형

"……."

Sigh… My head is already so full of thoughts that it feels like it’s going to explode, and these people are going to make it all go to pieces. The female protagonist tried hard to ignore Jimin, Jungkook, and Taehyung and listened to Seokjin.

연여주

"You said even a 5-year-old child seemed addicted. How did they react?"

박지민

"Hey, are you ignoring what I'm saying? Don't you think my worries are worries?"

전정국

"When I was hurt, you even gave me medicine, so why can't you take care of yourself!!!

김석진

"She had unfocused eyes and was very aggressive. I think it varies from person to person. Unlike my second daughter, who is 5, my first daughter, who is 18, was listless, almost as if she was depressed.

전정국

"Hyung! Why didn't you yell at Yeon Yeo-ju for coming here?! Weren't you worried too? Why are you the only one who's calm?"

연여주

"There's quite a difference in age. Then, that drug might have the effect of heightening the emotions of the person taking it. It might be related to catharsis, so everyone, be careful."

박지민

"Yeah!! Even after being treated like that by Psyche, Katharti... What? Why is Katharti suddenly appearing?"

Pause. Jimin and Jungkook, who had been nagging at the name "Katartis," stopped talking. Seokjin, who had been ignoring them and continuing to talk about the incident, also fell silent.

The heroine didn't answer them right away, but instead thought for a moment. She hadn't even mentioned Yeonjun yet, so could she really reveal his existence? Or, what about the fact that Kathartish's boss might be Knight?

연여주

"……."

전정국

"What? Why are you suddenly silent?"

연여주

"Drugs… that's it. Since it's a drug case, there's a high chance it's related to Kathartish."

"The place Yeonjun is going for this case is dangerous. He wants me to come to the special investigation team. He says I'm in danger because of you guys." Yeoju couldn't bring herself to say the words tangled in her head.

김석진

“Well… I guess that’s true.”

Seokjin nodded without a shred of doubt at Yeoju's words. Was he trusting Yeoju, or believing in Kathartish's evil deeds? Yeoju couldn't tell.

As I continued my walk, somewhat still, I arrived at the Foxy Doll Shop. I'd expected the lights to be on, but it was pitch black, and there wasn't a single person around.

김태형

“The atmosphere is… gloomy.”

김석진

"Let's all get off first. Let's go inside and find out what we can."

With Seokjin's words, people began to get out of the car one by one. The sun was gradually setting, and they were left with only the light of a single streetlight.

The store I approached after getting out of the car was, as Taehyung had described, gloomy. From the outside, the lights seemed off, but up close, I saw a red light glowing inside.

The door, which was thought to be locked, opened slightly with a creak, and the other three followed quietly, with Seokjin in the lead.

Even Jeong-guk, who would normally be joking, was quiet. The oppressive atmosphere weighing on his shoulders was overwhelming.

김석진

“…the smell of rottenness is vibrating.”

As soon as he stepped inside, a strong smell assaulted his nostrils. Jimin covered his nose with two fingers, as if he didn't want to smell it, and Jungkook also covered his nose and mouth with his arms.

Taehyung and Yeoju ended their exchange with a frown, but Yeoju's expression was subtly different. She was familiar with this smell. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she'd lived with it for most of her life.

연여주

“…the smell of a corpse.”

김태형

"…what?"

bang-!!!

As soon as the heroine finished speaking, the door that had been left open slammed shut. Jimin, who was at the back of the four, jumped in surprise and hugged Jungkook's shoulder.

박지민

"Damn it!! Shit!!! Why is the door closing by itself!!!!"

전정국

"Miss, that's surprising. Didn't you close it?"

Jungkook nervously stared at the closed door as he pushed Jimin away from him, who was screaming. Seokjin, who was standing at the very front, also looked back and forth between Jungkook and Jimin, asking what was going on.

As Jeongguk was looking at the door, he lowered his gaze and looked at the floor.

전정국

"…doll?"

Clang-!!!!

전정국

"Oh, shit!!!!! What the hell!!!!!"

The doll on the floor suddenly leaped up and landed on Jungkook's face, and the red lights that had softly illuminated the space shattered simultaneously. Jungkook's curse and Jimin's screams could be heard through the sharp crack.

연여주

"Jeon Jungkook!!!! Don't open your mouth!!!!! Don't breathe!!!!"

Seokjin had told me earlier that the doll's body was laced with drugs. The doll attached to Jungkook's face was also likely to be the same. No, it was certain.

Yeoju quickly pulled a jackknife from her waistband and hurled it at Jeongguk's face. Seokjin, startled by the sudden appearance of the knife, grabbed Yeoju, but was a step too late.

Swish!

전정국

"Cough... Cough!!"

박지민

“Hey, hey…. Jungkook, are you okay?”

The doll, which he had thought would never fall from Jeongguk's face, fell limply with a thud. The three men couldn't see it, but Yeoju saw it clearly.

White thread. This is the thread used to control the marionette.

김석진

"Where did you get the knife? Didn't you quit your job as a member of the organization?"

연여주

"You seem flustered. Your speech has become short."

김석진

"Are you kidding me right now?"

연여주

"There's someone up there. Judging by the way they're targeting us, it's likely one of the Qatari forces. I'll be back quickly, so you, Team Leader, take the kids."

pop-!!!

There was no time to rest. As I was about to grab Seokjin, who was glaring at me with his sharp eyes, asking where I got that knife, and tell him to hurry and get the kids out, something like a rice sack fell from the hole in the ceiling.

My eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the darkness yet, so I couldn't see clearly. The smell, even worse than the one I'd smelled since entering, stung my nose and even stung my eyes.

전정국

“Haa… haa….”

연여주

"Don't breathe!!!!"

Clang-!!!

The burst rice sack could have been drugs. The heroine threw everything she could get her hands on at the doors and windows, shattering every bit of glass.

연여주

"Get out!!!! Don't breathe and get out now!!!"

김태형

"You... you have to go out too!!!"

연여주

"I told you, I'm going to die after I kill the kid I hit with my car."

김태형

"…Hey. Yeonyeoju,"

연여주

"I'm going to kill our own kid right now, so don't worry about anything and just go."

Yeoju spat the powder that had accumulated in her mouth onto the floor along with her saliva, and pushed Seokjin and Taehyung's backs. It would be faster for Yeoju to deal with these people alone than for them to stay here. Yeoju... has a drug tolerance.

After confirming that the three men were completely out, the heroine bent down and pulled out the jackknife from her ankle. That small movement sent a jolt through her abdomen and a tingling sensation in her knees.

I wasn't sure if I could fight properly without using my right arm, but once I drew my sword, there was no turning back. Instead of human voices, the sound of rats squeaking could be heard all around me.

연여주

“…It wasn’t a human baby, but a rat baby?”

The squeaking sounds coming from all over the place gradually converged in one place. Judging by my unseen vision, I knew that wherever the rats were gathered, they were probably where the corpse was.

The heroine brought her left hand, holding the jackknife, close to her nose. She had a tolerance, so she wouldn't become addicted immediately, but her current physical condition was so bad she couldn't tell when she'd collapse.

As my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, I finally saw figures before me. Oh, they weren't human figures, but doll figures.

As if to prove that there were more than one person controlling the situation from above, several marionettes, each armed with a weapon, were present. They all targeted the heroine, raising their weapon-bearing arms and lunging at her.

bang-!!!!

The puppets, unable to keep their balance, simply slammed into the wall, trying to avoid the flying marionettes aimed solely at their heads. The noise was so loud that even a single hit proved fatal.

연여주

“I think I’m past the age to play with dolls.”

Instead of dodging the Pinocchio marionette flying right in front of me, I swung my jackknife in the air, and the puppet that looked like it was about to attack me fell down with a bang.

Swords flew from all directions, and dolls leaped toward the heroine's face. Each time, she would gently twist her body to dodge the swords or swing her sword in the air to knock the dolls away.

As the dolls piled up on the floor, one by one, the heroine's eyes gradually lost focus. She twisted her wrist in the opposite direction, cutting the strings on the last doll. Suddenly, a voice was heard in the empty space.

"…Bombay?"

A warm, gentle voice, unlike the cold and oppressive atmosphere here. The heroine barely managed to hold on to her fading consciousness. In her hazy vision, she saw someone removing the hood that had been covering their face.

연여주

"…who is this."

The name Bombay was familiar, but the person Yeoju saw was someone she'd never seen before. No, upon closer inspection, it wasn't someone she'd seen before. The patient she'd met unexpectedly in an unexpected hospital room two years ago...

"It's me, Knight."

“Our cute Nero… have you forgotten your sister?”

It's clearly the face of a patient named Han Ye-seul... Why is my sister's name coming out of that face, from those lips...?

Wow, I've thrown out all the bait. Nothing more to tell you (neat and tidy). The comment criteria was based on your opinions and mine! Thank you so much to everyone who was concerned 🙇🏻‍♂️💗

(excluding Saddam)

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