The night was dark and heavy, with slow-moving rain clouds rolling across the sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the crumbling buildings of the city's poorer district. On a narrow, deserted street, a man in a black leather coat and a wide-brimmed hat approached a dilapidated house. He lifted his hand and knocked on the weathered door.
"Please… wait a minute! I'm coming!" a voice called from inside.
The door suddenly swung open with a loud creak. The man stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a solid thud. Outside, a scream pierced the rain-soaked street, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who might have been listening.
The next morning, the scene had transformed into chaos. The flash of cameras lit up the room as forensics documented the scene. Police Chief Han Joon‑woo, a stern man in his mid-forties, stepped inside with his two assistants: Detective Lee Min‑ho, a sharp-eyed young officer, and Detective Kim Hye‑jin, a meticulous female forensic specialist.
Suddenly, Hye‑jin emerged from the crime scene, clutching her stomach, her face pale. She vomited violently onto the floor.
Han Joon-woo's brow furrowed. "Hye‑jin! What happened in there?"
She shook her head weakly. "I… I can't go in anymore. Send everything to the lab. I… I'm done."
Min‑ho whispered to the chief, his voice low but tense, "She's usually the strongest among the forensics team… but now… she's completely shaken."
Joon-woo peered into the room through the doorway, his stomach turning. Inside, the room was drenched in black blood. In the corner lay a man's body. His head was tilted unnaturally toward the door, eyes absent, legs twisted so that his feet rested on his shoulders. His mouth hung open in a silent scream.
Joon-woo turned away, his hand gripping his head. "Oh… my God…"Chief Han Joon-woo stepped out of the house, rainwater dripping from the edges of the broken roof. Detective Lee Min-ho followed closely behind him.
"Seal this place," Joon-woo ordered in a low, firm voice. "No media, no leaks. I don't want a single word about the condition of the body reaching the public."
"Yes, sir," Min-ho replied, nodding quickly.
Haejin Police Station
Inside the briefing room, tension hung thick in the air. Joon-woo stood before his team: Min-ho, two senior officers—Park Dae-sung and Choi Young-tae—and a female intelligence officer, Officer Seo Eun-ji.
"Any information on the victim?" Joon-woo asked.
Eun-ji checked her tablet, swallowing nervously. "The victim's name is Kang Seok-jin. Former police officer. Retired one year ago. He lived alone after his wife divorced him."
Min-ho leaned forward. "Any children?"
"No, sir. No known relatives," Eun-ji replied.
Joon-woo's jaw tightened. "CCTV footage from the area?"
Eun-ji hesitated. "That's the strange part, Chief. Every camera near the crime scene… recorded nothing. No movement. No glitches. Just empty footage."
Park Dae-sung spoke up, uneasily. "Neighbors reported hearing nothing. The weather was bad—heavy rain and thunder—so everyone stayed indoors. But… the family living directly opposite the victim's house was in the hospital last night."
Joon-woo's eyes sharpened. "Why?"
"Their fourteen-year-old son collapsed suddenly and lost consciousness."
Joon-woo turned to Min-ho. "We're going to the hospital. You two," he said to the other officers, "dig into Seok-jin's old cases. Anything unusual—bring it to me."
Seorin General Hospital
In a dimly lit ward, a doctor stood before a worried mother and father.
"This isn't a medical illness," the doctor said carefully. "I believe you need… another kind of help."
The father's voice shook. "Who? We don't know anyone like that."
At that moment, a nurse approached quietly. "Sir… take this number. Call them. They might help."
St. Michael's Church
A phone rang.
"Hello," a young woman answered softly. "This is St. Michael's Church. I'm Sister Maria."
"We're coming," the father said urgently.
Inside the church, candles flickered against stone walls. A tall man stood at the altar, dressed in long black priest robes. A silver cross hung from his neck as he whispered prayers from a worn Bible.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
"Brother Father Elias," Sister Maria said urgently, "there's been an incident in Hwarang District. We must go."
Hospital – Night
The boy lay pale and motionless on the bed. Machines beeped softly.
Father Elias and Sister Maria entered the room. The child's father grabbed Elias's arm desperately. "Please… save my son."
Father Elias looked into the boy's face. Suddenly, the child's eyes rolled back—pure white. His lips moved, whispering words no one could understand.
Fear spread through the room.
Father Elias raised his cross and placed his hand on the boy's head. "In the name of God Almighty…" he began, chanting words of exorcism.
The boy screamed—then collapsed back onto the bed. Slowly, his eyes returned to normal.
Tears streamed down the boy's face. He grabbed Father Elias's hand tightly. "Please… help me. I'm scared. He'll come back."
Father Elias sat beside him calmly. "I'm here. Tell me what happened last night."
The boy's voice trembled. "My father called and said he'd be home in ten minutes. I went outside to wait. Then… I saw a man in a black long coat, with a hat, walking toward the next-door house."
The boy paused, breathing fast.
"He stopped… and came to me. He put his hand on my shoulder. I didn't look at him. I kept my head down."
Everyone in the room held their breath.
"He bent down to see my face… but I ignored him. Then he walked away. I thought he was gone."
The boy began to cry violently.
"But… only his body left. His head stayed with me. Floating… right in front of my face."
The room froze in horror.
"That's when I fainted."
Father Elias whispered something into the boy's ear, then stood up. He turned to Sister Maria. "We're leaving."
To the parents he said firmly, "Leave this place. Move far away. Do not tell anyone what you saw."
They left silently.
Later – Hospital Corridor
Chief Joon-woo arrived with Min-ho.
"Where's the family?" Joon-woo asked the doctor.
"They left," the doctor replied. "Immediately."
"And the boy?"
"Just a fever," the doctor said, though his eyes showed doubt.
As the officers turned to leave, a nurse suddenly grabbed Min-ho's wrist.
"Detective… you came for that boy, didn't you?"
Joon-woo turned sharply. "What did you see?"
Her voice shook. "I went into his room secretly… out of curiosity. His eyes were white. He was whispering strange words."
She swallowed hard. "It felt like… something had possessed him."
Min-ho's blood ran cold.