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….

“A place where only the dead spirits can go but can’t return?” Hobin asked, feeling confused. “But you can go there anytime you want? What is it? Afterlife?”

“Not really,” Jina winced. “It’s kinda hard to explain but from my experience, there are three possible places a person goes to after they’re deceased.”

“Tell me about the ghosts first,” Hobin said. “Why are the spirits of these people still here?”

“Not everyone can come back as ghosts after death,” Jina explained. “They must have a lot of regret or an unfulfilled wish which keeps them bound to the living world. Like in Minki’s case, it was his regret of not being able to fulfill Wonho’s last wish and also his desire to protect Haeji was strong. He had too many things tying him here.”

“Also, remember the teen drug case?” she asked him. Hobin nodded. 

“The one where the girl killed her parents,” he stated.

“The parents of that girl also came back as ghosts,” Jina revealed. “They’re the ones who told me that their daughter killed them. Their regret was that they could not take care of their daughter properly and were also afraid that she would hurt their son.”

Hobin frowned, trying to take in the information. “What happens when their wishes are fulfilled?” he asked.

“They move on,” Jina shrugged. “As I said, they can go to three possible places.”

She held up one finger. “First one is the Afterlife. If a person dies without any regrets or moves on peacefully, they’ll end up there. I don’t know what happens there because I’ve never seen it. No one has seen it and no one can return from there. Not even me. I’ve heard from shamans and exorcists that it’s a place where only pure souls can go for reincarnation. That’s a rumor so I don’t know much about it.”

“Second one,” she said, holding up two fingers. “Is the place I can visit. It’s the World of the Dead.”

“That’s a lame name,” Hobin muttered.

“What else can we call it?” Jina snapped. “House of the dead? Wonderland? Anyways…”

She cleared her throat.

“This is where souls go for rehabilitation,” she said. “People who have done terrible things but have a little bit of remorse in them. Souls which can be purged of their deeds before they can go to the Afterlife for reincarnation. Think of it as a rehabilitation center for souls.”

“But there are some souls who move there willfully,” she sighed. “People who gave up on life and simply want to roam around freely on their own in a place where nothing can reach them. They want to go there because they feel at peace. These souls aren’t bad people but they just need some time to get to terms with their thoughts before they can move on. My dad once encountered such a soul there who thought of it as a home. He never told us who she was but she probably moved on to the Afterlife by now.”

“And the third one?” Hobin asked.

“Hell,” she simply said. “But unlike the other two, Hell has its own rules. People don’t just die and go to hell. There’s a condition. Whether a person was good or bad while they were alive, they will end up in hell only if they make a deal with a demon.”

“There are demons now?” Hobin scoffed. “That’s bullshit!”

“Says the guy who can literally read memories of people,” Jina shot back. “Of course there are demons! They can even live among humans! But if someone does a deal with any demon, then they’re doomed. A demon will do anything as per the deal. But the price is too high.”

“What is it?” Hobin frowned.

“The price is their soul,” Jina revealed. “If you make a deal with a demon, your soul will be taken to hell after the time on the contract expires. From then on, you’re just doomed. No Afterlife, no World of the Dead. It’s just an eternity in the hellfire.”

Hobin winced. He had no intention of finding out more about any of these places.

“You seem to know a lot about this,” he stated. “Even though you can go to only one of those places.”

“I’ve had an encounter with a demon before,” she admitted. “We managed to get rid of it but I saw a glimpse of Hell. It is not a place I want to see again.”

She shuddered at the old memories. The night was growing darker and she let out a yawn.

“Look, we’re going to work together from now on,” she said. “And now that we know each other’s secrets, maybe we should put our differences aside and start working as a team? That way, we can help more people.”

Hobin gave her a wary look. “I have no intention of helping people,” he said out loud. “I’m here for something else and once that goal is achieved, I’ll leave. The only reason I’m helping the police is so that I can-“

“Find Wang Taehee’s culprit?” Jina finished the sentence for him.

Hobin froze upon hearing that name.

“How do you know about her?” he demanded.

“Your brother told me,” Jina said in a sheepish tone. “But if you just tell me what happened to her, I might be able to help you! Come on! I can see ghosts. Maybe one of the serial killer’s victims has returned as a spirit? Then we might get a clue on how to catch him.”

To her surprise, he was walking away. 

“Hey!” she called him. “I can help-“

“Sorry, Tinkerbell,” he said, without turning back. “This is something I need to do on my own. Ghosts or not, that serial killer isn’t some you should mess with. He’s my opponent and I’ll bring him down myself.”

With that he left the rooftop, leaving behind a very confused Jina. She stood there for a while before deciding to go back to her apartment. 

If he wants my help, he’ll have to ask, she thought.

….

Hobin locked the door behind him and slumped on the floor. 

“Damn that TInkerbell!” he cursed in a low voice. He was not angry at her but rather at himself. Even after five years, the thought of that case made him go weak. Why was it so hard for him to let go of his obsession with that killer?

“Save me…doctor, please!” 

The voice of a young college student was echoing in his ears, tormenting him.

“You failed me…” Taehee had uttered those words to him the last time they met. “You didn’t save me, doctor! You failed me!”

Hobin shut his ears, trying to drown out the voice but they were all in his head. He stood up and rushed to the bathroom to wash his face. His heart was beating erratically and his head was a mess as the memories of Taehee’s tears haunted him. 

He leaned over the sink, trying to calm down but it was impossible. Looking at his reflection he was shocked.

A pair of red pupils were glaring back at him. The man in the mirror looked like him but had crimson eyes as if filled with blood. But there was something else.

Long raven wings were attached to the back of his reflection, spreading out wide.

“AH!” Hobin yelled and clawed his back but there was nothing there. He looked back at his reflection to see that his eyes had returned to normal.

“What the fuck?” he groaned, running a hand through his hair. He racked his brain for answers but found none.

What was going on?