By Zephyria 
An anomaly sat irreverently upon the altar in front of a sun-bleached, weathered shamanic painting. The True Eye Text read only a single character: ‘Oh’. It was undoubtedly the Smiling Man. Jiha felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of those soft, gentle features—a face that looked no older than his early thirties and appeared far too kind. To think that behind that face, which looked as if he would live his life without ever needing the law, lurked a serial killer who had murdered countless people.
「If you’re too noisy, I might just want to kill you, so it would have been better if you’d stayed unconscious until Sunbae arrived.」
Jiha wanted to scream and run away right then and there, but he knew he would certainly die if he did. Biting his lip, Yoo Jiha tried to shield Jeong Ing-bar with his own body as much as possible. His body trembled violently. Terror consumed his physical form.
However, his consciousness was not paralyzed. The contents of the phone call he had overheard in the car had crystallized in his mind while he was unconscious, and Jiha came to understand one fact.
“……When you were human, was your name… Nam Hyeon-woo?”
「Oh, I’ll upgrade your intelligence from the level of an ant to that of a spider.」
The nonchalant, smiling face was even more horrific. Nam Soon-ho, the mother of Jeil Heon’s hubae, Nam Hyeon-woo, had been murdered by the Smiling Man—and the Smiling Man was Nam Hyeon-woo.
“H-how could you… your own mother…?”
「Ahaha. Was that so scary? Why be afraid of something like that? These days, articles about mothers being killed by their sons pop up quite often; matricide isn’t exactly new. I didn’t beat my mother to death just because she wouldn’t make me dinner, you know? Traditionally, patricide is the cliché structure of a heroic epic, but I declare that in the 21st century, matricide should be the motif of our narrative!」
The Smiling Man spread his arms wide and shouted with exaggerated, theatrical flair. Jiha’s face turned pale, trapped in the long-winded monologue that echoed through the low rafters. He was crazy. This man was truly insane.
After rambling for a long time, the Smiling Man stopped as abruptly as he had started.
「Do you have kids?」
“N-no, I don’t.”
「Oh, what a pity. If you had children, you’d understand my feelings! A father, you see, for the sake of his own child, would even…」
It was then. A sharp sound of rending air sliced through the void, and a massive, translucent demonic arm struck the Smiling Man. Before he could even finish his sentence, the Smiling Man was slammed into the wall.
“Yoo Jiha! Get back!”
Whether he had regained consciousness while the creature was babbling, Jeong Ing-bar had stood up, though his face was pallid. Jiha hurriedly scrambled into a corner at the back. He wanted to flee outside, but the windows were too small for even a child to pass through, and the door was right next to the altar. Curling up in the corner of the room to avoid getting in the way was his only option.
As if to repay the humiliation of being used by an Aberration, Jeong Ing-bar drove the Smiling Man back with fierce intensity. The sound of the old altar collapsing and the walls shaking filled the narrow room to the bursting point. There was hope. Jeong Ing-bar was also an Enforcement Division Agent seasoned in hunting anomalies. His contamination must have been the result of a momentary lapse in judgment, so perhaps he could handle this.
Finally, the demonic arm seized the Smiling Man. Bang-bang-bang-bang! Not missing the brief opening, Jeong Ing-bar’s pistol fired. Struck by the Major Abnormal Weapon, a large hole was torn through the Smiling Man’s body, and it began to corrode.
Jeong Ing-bar’s injuries were not significant. It was just as the tension in Jiha’s face finally began to ease. Suddenly, Jeong Ing-bar bent his arm unnaturally and drew a machete from the back of his tactical belt. Then, he used that blade to slit his own throat.
“Captain Ing-bar!”
Blood did not spray toward the ceiling like in a movie. Jeong Ing-bar staggered, clutching his bleeding neck, before falling to one knee. A burst of laughter erupted. From Jeong Ing-bar’s lips.
“Did you think a body used once couldn’t be used twice?”
As if being cornered had been nothing more than an act, the Smiling Man laughed as if he were driven mad with joy, even with holes riddled throughout his physical form.
「Still, it wasn’t bad as a pastime while waiting for Sunbae, so I’ll give you a compliment! I’ll contaminate you beautifully, so do you want to become an Aberration?」
It was the moment the Smiling Man grabbed Jeong Ing-bar by the hair with one hand. Squelch! A sharp, white flash of light severed his arm from the shoulder.
The expression of the Smiling Man, who had been nonchalant even with holes in his body, shattered. His gaze shifted toward the large shadow that had newly appeared.
「……Wow, Sunbae. I am so, so, sooooo glad to see you.」
“A bit modest for a welcome greeting after 17 years, isn’t it?”
Jeil Heon stood there with an expressionless face, shaking off the bodily fluids clinging to the Substitute Blade. Jiha suppressed the urge and relief to shout, ‘Mister!’
With Jeil Heon’s appearance, the Smiling Man withdrew his interest from Yoo Jiha and Jeong Ing-bar, whom he had been toyed with until now. In that gap, Jiha supported Jeong Ing-bar and checked his injuries. As Jeong Ing-bar pressed a handkerchief—given to him by Jiha—against the wound, a hoarse, wheezing sound escaped from his throat and the injury.
Regardless, the Smiling Man completely ignored them.
「That blade, it’s your mother’s Divine Blade, right? Where did you get it? There shouldn’t be any left.」
“I have no obligation to explain.”
「Aha, hahaha! How did you survive the Aberration? I thought you would have fused with it or gone mad long ago!」
“Well.”
「What about the corpse of my child that you kidnapped and killed?」
“I burned it. So it wouldn’t become an Aberration.”
At the mention that Jeil Heon had kidnapped a child, Jiha instinctively tensed up. Contrary to the light exchange of words, the air surrounding Jeil Heon and the Smiling Man was taut with tension. He felt certain that their relationship was not merely that of close senior and junior. There must be a story involved that he could never imagine.
The corners of the Smiling Man’s mouth curled up.
「Fine, fine, fine! You have to answer this one properly. Where is our Yeo-jin?」
For the first time, a faint flicker of agitation crossed Jeil Heon’s face, which had been answering with emotionless eyes.
“……Why ask me about Yeo-jin’s whereabouts?”
「Yeo-jin and you are the same! You returned to being human without fusing with the Aberration because Yeo-jin was dissected and researched alive! That woman Kang Sook-ja is more than capable of doing such a thing! That’s why Yeo-jin disappeared! If it weren’t for you, my child wouldn’t have died, and now Yeo-jin died because of you too!」
The Smiling Man shouted, laughing as if vomiting blood. It was the thought process of a true madman, devoid of reason or logic.
After a moment of silence, Jeil Heon spoke.
“Do you remember the Aberrations you’ve devoured so far?”
「I’ve never devoured one. If I do, there’s a risk my essence will be shaken, so why would I do that? Do I look like some short-sighted idiot who blindly chases power?」
Given the Smiling Man’s attitude, which didn’t seem like he was lying, Jeil Heon closed and opened his eyes once. His indifferent eyes were now washed clean of any trace of the brief hesitation.
“I’ll tell you about Yeo-jin next time.”
「Why? If you have nothing to hide, tell me now.」
“Even if I say something without evidence, you won’t believe me, will you?”
「Huuuum. That is certainly true.」
The Smiling Man’s eyes slowly licked over the Substitute Blade in Jeil Heon’s hand, and then toward Yoo Jiha and Jeong Ing-bar, who were essentially hostages.
「Fine. Since both you and I have our penalties, I’ll withdraw for today. Next time, you’ll have to provide proper evidence. If you bring Yeo-jin’s corpse, I’ll kill you less painfully.」
The void behind the Smiling Man tore open. The wound in the air, similar to the entrance to Mae-gu’s Aberrant Realm, swallowed him and vanished cleanly.
“Jiha!”
As soon as the Smiling Man disappeared, Jeil Heon rushed over. When his face hardened after re-confirming the clear handprints on Jiha’s neck, Jiha quickly shook his head.
“I-I’m okay! I passed out immediately, so I’m not hurt at all! But Captain Ing-bar…!”
As time passed, Jeong Ing-bar’s body collapsed almost completely to the floor, as if he were having difficulty breathing. After quickly assessing the injuries, Jeil Heon made a phone call.
“Sook-young. You know the Prayer Chamber that Mansin Nam Soon-ho used during her lifetime? Send a rescue helicopter there.”
What? This is so sudden, what are you talking about?
“Captain Jeong Ing-bar is injured. His neck was cut; he missed the artery, but it seems his airway is damaged. And he’s been contaminated by an Aberration, so prepare for purification.”
……Got it for now, Sunbae.
After ending the call, Jeil Heon looked back at Yoo Jiha.