THIRST

10PM, the day of Kang Jurin's murder

The moon was rising in the dark sky, casting a silvery glow over the Mayor's mansion. The lamps in the private garden stood tall, their light piercing the night. Inside the garden, the creaking sound of a wooden swing echoed briefly, only to be drowned out by the cold, commanding voice of Kang Chaewon.

"Dare to speak against me?" she declared, her stiletto heels pressing down on a man beneath her. The man writhed in agony as the unyielding woman continued to apply pressure to a crotch area.

"Ahhhhhh!!!! Sorry! I'm sorry, ma'am!! I didn't say a word in front of the cops! Please, let me go, ma'am!" he pleaded, his palms clasped together in a desperate plea for forgiveness.

A sinister smile graced Kang Chaewon's lips as she relished in the man's pain and fear. She turned her gaze to one of her bodyguards and ordered, "Take him home and ensure he never opens his mouth again for the rest of his life."

The bodyguard, with a lowered head, approached the man, pulled him to his feet, and forcefully escorted him out of the Mayor's mansion.

"Honey, you're taking this too far," Kang Minseok, her husband and the Mayor, walked into the garden, where Chaewon conducted her illicit drug business.

Chaewon, who had been swinging gently on the wooden swing, got up and retorted, "Don't interfere with my affairs. I know what I'm doing. I won't allow any weeds to grow in my garden that could poison me in the future. It's better to root them out before they become a threat," she said, her cold eyes fixing on a nearby rosebush as she patted it.

Kang Minseok sighed, recognizing that he had no influence over his wife's criminal activities, which had propelled him to his position as Mayor over the past decade. The recent murder of Kang Chaewon's nephew had taken a heavy toll on her business. After her brother's death, her nephew had served as a shield to protect her from the legal consequences. Now, with his mysterious murder, more rivals were emerging, seeking to exploit Chaewon and topple Kang Minseok from his mayoral office.

Unbeknownst to her parents, their daughter, Jurin, had overheard this conversation as she strolled through the garden before heading to the parking area to depart for the nightclub. To her, this lifestyle was a routine, and she paid little heed to her parents' activities. Jurin had grown up as a carefree, privileged heiress in a household with significant political influence. The arrogance of wealth was evident in her heavily made-up face.

At the nightclub, Jurin danced the night away with her university friends, sipping expensive liquor. While momentarily separated from her friends, she stood at the bar to down one final shot before leaving. There, a young man with a strange air approached her.

"Want to share?" he inquired, offering her a glass filled with a drink intended for Jurin.

"I don't share my things. I can buy you another vodka shot," she retorted, snatching the glass from his hand.

"Well, if you won't share your things, how about letting me share mine?" he suggested, adopting a soft tone. Jurin scrutinized him, noting his attractiveness, as well as his upscale clothing and accessories. Yet, something about his eyes troubled her; they betrayed the influence of drugs, something she had encountered numerous times.

"What do you want to share?" she inquired, her sharp gaze locked on him.

"My bed," he replied, edging closer to Jurin's face, eliminating any space between them.

"I don't do one-night stands. Leave," Jurin declared, gulping down her vodka and slamming the glass onto the counter as she walked away from the man.

"You should give it a try. I won't disappoint," he called out, following her.

"Merely saying that is disappointing enough," she replied, opening the bar door. Jurin exited the bar, but she couldn't shake off an unsettling feeling. She wandered back toward her car, and as she approached it, her attention was captured by a suspicious shadow cast under a streetlamp from the opposite alley.

Intrigued, she ventured down the alley slowly, only to be shocked by the sight of her boyfriend passionately entangled with one of her best friends. The rage within her began to smolder, but she suppressed it, realizing that causing a scene here would only tarnish her father's reputation further. Nonetheless, the betrayal she witnessed from those she held dear left her seething.

Furious, Jurin stormed back into the bar, flinging open the door. However, the strange man she had encountered earlier was nowhere to be found. She dashed out of the bar in a frenzy, making her way to her car. When she reached her vehicle, she was startled to find the same man standing by the driver's side.

"Why are you standing here?" she asked, her voice quivering as she struggled to hold back tears.

"Because I can't afford to lose the things I want to possess," he replied, his gaze cold, before lunging forward and sealing her lips with his. Jurin succumbed to his forceful kiss, letting her pain from the betrayal flow out.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked softly as their passionate embrace continued as they entered inside her car.

"To show you heaven," he answered, his hand gripping her thigh while the other rested on the steering wheel.

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2 AM

Kang Jurin awoke, rubbing her eyes, only to find herself alone in the bed. She glanced around and heard the sound of a shower coming from the bathroom. Swiftly, she gathered her scattered clothes strewn across the floor. As she reached for the blue satin gown, her gaze fell upon an identity card dangling from the red leather jacket the man had been wearing.

"Jung Bomin, assistant cameraman... CBS news," she read, noting the details on the card. Curiosity piqued, she found a wallet lying on the nearby chair and opened it, revealing a driver's license.

"This address... it's... Jung Jonghyun's residence, the parliamentary elections candidate... which means he is..." Jurin began to put the pieces together, discovering the dual identity of Bomin.

"I thought you wouldn't stand up until the morning after that rough sex we had,"

Bomin, freshly showered and clad in only a towel, emerged from the bathroom. Jurin was taken aback, caught red-handed in her attempt to uncover a stranger's secrets.

"Well, I should be going," she stammered, realizing that Bomin had caught her trying to invade his privacy.

"No, you can't. Now that you know my true identity, you can't leave," Bomin insisted, moving closer to Jurin. She was alarmed and placed the cards back on the chair. As Bomin advanced, she pushed him away with a pair of heels she had picked up. Bomin, however, seized her arm forcefully, attempting to prevent her from escaping with his secret exposed. In a struggle of wills, Jurin fought back and eventually bolted from the motel room.

She sprinted downstairs, her keys in hand, with Bomin following closely behind.

"Kang Jurin!! Listen to me!!" he shouted.

Jurin opened the car door, oblivious to the fact that it was already unlocked. She settled into the driver's seat and watched Bomin racing toward her. Her trembling hands started the car's engine, but before she could pull away, a gloved hand emerged, seizing her. Speechless and gripped by fear, Jurin's gaze met a person clad in black, occupying the backseat. Without warning, that ominous hand pulled out a knife and struck her across the face. The shock and pain left her unconscious.

The intruder then climbed over into the front seat, pushing Jurin's unconscious body into the back. Taking control of the car, they sped away from the Naksan Beach Resort.

"Jurin!" Bomin's desperate cry echoed from a distance as he saw Jurin sprawled unconsciously from the car's window. He tried to run further toward his own vehicle to follow Kang Jurin but was abruptly halted as someone injected his neck from behind.

Startled, he turned around, exclaiming, "Who the hell..." before succumbing to unconsciousness within a matter of seconds. An unknown figure loomed before him, causing the world to blur and fade into darkness.

Everything blacked out after that moment. 

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9 AM, Present day. National Intelligence Center.

Kang Minseok paced back and forth in the corridor, his face shrouded in darkness. Two days had passed since the murder of his daughter. His wife sat inside, undergoing police interrogation. His mayoral position hung in the balance. He peered through the glass door and saw Kang Chaewon reclining in her chair, her expression blank. She turned to him, offering a fake smile painted on her red lips.

"You don't appear to be grieving much for a mother who has lost her child. Moreover, you haven't shown any interest in the investigation of your nephew, Jeon Sungho's murder. Can you explain the connection between these two victims from the same family?" Kim Haneul fired his questions as he sat across from Kang Chaewon in the interrogation room.

With a chuckle, she replied, "Quite polite, Haneul-ssi. I thought you might resort to pulling my hair to extract answers, now that you've laid your hands on me after nearly three years." She leaned back in her chair and rested her hands on the desk between them.

"Good to know you keep tabs on the intelligence department too. Can we dispense with the pretense and get to the point? Why has the serial killer targeted your family? Do you believe it might be related to your drug business?" Haneul pressed, but Chaewon maintained the demeanor of an experienced criminal.

"Drug business? What are you talking about? I've never heard of such a thing. I'm just a housewife, the Mayor's wife. How can you level such serious allegations against me?" She feigned panic, covering her face with her palms.

Haneul rolled his eyes. He had been investigating Kang Chaewon for the past three years. Her drug network had sprawled across the capital city. After his transfer from the Busan office to Seoul headquarters, he had compiled a substantial body of evidence against her. However, each time, she used scapegoats to shield herself, ensuring that someone else took the fall for her crimes. She was fearless, calculating, and ice-cold.

"Your daughter is dead, Kang Chaewon. Ten years ago, you had the Mayor bury all the files related to this case, perhaps because the victims were ordinary citizens. But now, your own daughter has been brutally murdered by that psychopath. Speak up, damn it!" Haneul raised his voice, trying to break through Chaewon's stoic facade. But she remained unmoved, a peculiar amusement glinting in her pale face.

"Sir, please control your emotions. She is Kang Chaewon. We must stay within our limits," Minjae pleaded from inside the control room, observing Haneul becoming increasingly agitated by Chaewon's demeanor.

Kang Chaewon left the interrogation room, a wide smile still gracing her face. Minseok trailed behind her like a puppet on her strings. Kim Haneul remained seated, slamming his hand on the desk in frustration, his anger simmering beneath the surface.

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5 PM, Naksan beach

Seong-ah wandered along the shoreline as the sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the sea. Her white floral dress billowed in the coastal breeze, her silky black hair twirling around her as it danced with the winds, occasionally veiling her eyesight. She used her fingers to gently tuck her hair behind her ears. As she strolled, the sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention. Seong-ah turned around to investigate, only to be startled by Hangyul standing right behind her.

"What the—please use your words and call my name! Don't sneak up and startle people!" Seong-ah scolded, her hand pressed to her heart as she tried to recover from the shock.

"Why are you walking here alone?" Hangyul inquired, his voice calm and measured.

"Me? I'm collecting evidence against you," she replied with a pretentious smile, turning around to continue her walk. Hangyul followed closely behind.

"Weren't you the one who told me to leave you alone yesterday? Stop stalking me now!" Seong-ah shouted, her irritation evident. Yet, Hangyul remained silent and continued to trail behind her.

Seong-ah decided to ignore him and focused on scanning the area for any suspicious objects near the crime scene. Hangyul stood beside her, watching her strange behavior with his arms crossed. She was completely absorbed in digging through the sand, searching for a small bottle she had hidden from Haneul during their previous visit. She hadn't had the chance to retrieve it then, as the area was swarming with police officers.

"I remember stumbling over a small bottle that day," Seong-ah mumbled, her fingers sifting through the sand. "Haneul and I were talking near the car. To keep it hidden from him, I buried it here. Did someone already find it?" She continued to dig, trying to locate the bottle.

"Looking for this?" Hangyul suddenly produced a transparent glass bottle from his pocket and held it in front of Seong-ah's eyes. Her hands paused in the sand as she stared at the very bottle she had concealed. "Hyaa! Why did you take it?" she exclaimed, snatching the bottle from his hands.

Seong-ah uncorked the bottle and observed the whitish powder adhering to the bottom. She cautiously sniffed it, her brows furrowing. "Kang Chaewon... what are you up to?" she murmured, recognizing that the powder was a sample of the cocaine involved in last year's high school substance abuse cases. Kang Chaewon had been the primary suspect but managed to clear her name by doing a huge charity to the affected school.

Hangyul suddenly noticed a dark shadow closing in behind Seong-ah. The sea had grown eerily quiet, the winds had stilled, and the sun was setting, casting a growing darkness over the beach. The shadow vanished as the encroaching darkness swallowed the sand.

Hangyul stood protectively behind Seong-ah, who was engrossed in examining the bottle, lost in a thought.

"Seong-ah, we need to leave," he insisted as he took her hand and led her forcefully away from the beach. She resisted his pull, but he was determined to get them out of there as quickly as possible.

"Hangyul, stop! Stop dragging me!" she protested as they reached his car. He gently released her but then swiftly ushered her into the car. Hangyul sped away from the beach, keeping a vigilant eye on the rearview mirror. A lingering dark shadow remained at the spot, staring at Hangyul with malevolent intent. The night of murder, he felt the familiar shivers racing down his spine, something he had longed for since his release from the mental asylum. But tonight, with Seong-ah by his side, he resisted the pull of darkness. There was something about her that restrained him, something connected to his past that he was unwilling to relinquish. He was determined to protect her at any cost, for she was the water that quenched his thirst for destroying others.