HIDDEN REALMS
THE SECOND COPYCAT MURDER
A woman was driving along the road in the wee hours of the night. A car which was ahead of her seemed to be waiting for her. When she drew abreast of the car, the driver drove into her lane without warning. His failure to turn on his signal lights to show his intentions was telling. The element of surprise was his weapon against her.
 
The deeply shocked woman, Jang Ae Ran, was indignant. Her car had screeched to an abrupt halt. She rolled down her window and snapped, ‘Why did you suddenly barge in?’ Our cars almost collided!’
She drove off in a huff but the mysterious car tailgated her and when the car was next to hers, she opened her window again; she could not resist spouting some withering comments, ‘Are you crazy? This will be recorded on my dash cam! What a crazy man!’
   
Her sharp tone was, perhaps, the precipitating factor in the brutal shooting that followed.
A gun protruded from the window of the man’s car. He shot her, and then turned his car around to face her.
 
The violent driver seemed non-threatening as he calmly walked over and pretended to offer her help.
‘Are you all right? What happened? I’ll call an ambulance for you.’ An eerie smile was etched on his face. The next thing the stunned viewers knew, he had shot her several times.
On his t-shirt was imprinted the Bible verse 8:18.
    
Romans 8:18 is about suffering and misery. ‘I consider that the present sufferings are not worth comparing the glory that will be revealed to us.’
And, 8:18 is also the album of the metalcore band, The Devil Wears Prada. Its bone-chilling lyrics include, ‘The gun trembles in a young man’s hands.’
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ANOTHER COPYCAT MURDER
The NCI team reviewed Jang Ae Ran’s case which had happened around 3 a.m.
According to Yoo Min Young, the woman was a victim of a highway shooter. The perpetrator chose the highway in the small hours when no one else was around. And since the road was newly opened, there were no surveillance cameras.
Why would anyone want to blow her away? It did not make any sense. The NCI team had to find their direction.      
Having considered a few known facts, the very intelligent and analytical Kim Hyun Joon compared the crime to those that were committed by Jang Gi Tae. He spelled out the physical evidence of the crime to the profilers.
VICTIMOLOGY: The victim’s age and gender corresponded with those who had been killed by Jang.
SIGNATURE: The way he killed her with his shotgun reflected Jang’s signature.
MODUS OPERANDI: The choice of location for his murder, the construction area with a bottleneck, was an easy way to trap her. It helped him in the successful execution of his crime.     
Kim Hyun Joon was convinced that the unsub was a copycat killer. The unsub had perfectly enacted a similar murder with the finer details of Jang’s crimes thrown in.
         
But, he stressed that the criminal was not a simple copycat. His modus operandi had evolved and become more sophisticated. Kim Hyun Joon’s conclusion implied that the murderer was not only intelligent and shrewd but also knew exactly what he was doing.
In the midst of their discussion, Chief Director Baek San strode in. Nothing escaped his attention. He was already aware of the 2 copycat crimes which had occurred within just 2 weeks. The NCI was in the media spotlight again. He feared that there would be a huge outcry if the public discovered that the crimes were copycats of the previous crimes that the NCI had already solved.
      Team Leader Kang suggested that they would suppress the media and censor the news. He, himself, was also probably afraid that the media’s rampant speculation would derail their investigation. He wanted to swiftly solve the crimes without interference.  Chief Director Baek San was suspicious of the nature of the crimes as it was as if the unsubs were being guided by the hands of an unseen person.   There was pressure from the higher-ups in the government on the NCI to solve the cases. To encourage the team, he promised to give them his full support and the latitude to bring the cases to a close.   Although they had gone through the case with a fine-tooth comb, Chief Director Baek San’s encouragement set the wheels of the investigation into furious motion. The fired-up men and women on the NCI team were now on a more determined mission to bring the mastermind of the crimes to his knees.       |
THE REAPER'S SIGNATURE THE MASTERMIND
MODUS
OPERANDI AND EVOLUTION
Could the murder of Jang Ae Ran be the work of The Reaper? The profilers were shocked to learn that the dash cam and the GPS navigation system of her car were completely destroyed.
‘He’s not human. How could he do this to someone?’ the homicide detective at the murder site exclaimed.
Having scrutinized the car and the corpse, Kim Hyun Joon suggested that the murderer had visited the site in advance, so the murder was properly planned and organised. It was a meticulously executed crime.    
Turning to Team Leader Kang, Kim Hyun Joon gave voice to his feelings, ‘He even expressed his anger more than Jang Gi Tae.’ The modus operandi had changed.
    
The other profiler concurred on how the unsub had killed the victim.
Lee Han stated, ‘He shot the shoulder first, and after the car stopped, he fired a volley of shots at random.
 
Team Leader Kang also observed that the murderer had used the same method as Jang Gi Tae but the modus operandi had evolved. Comparatively, it had become more sophisticated than the original crimes. Kim Hyun Joon nodded in agreement.
But, the puzzling point was, ‘Who did it?' and 'Why?
      
Lee Han noticed a black ring attached to a black string necklace which had been wound around the victim’s wrist. The necklace was the one which had been worn by Ko Joon Hee, the Criminal Psychology student.
   
It dawned on Kim Hyun Joon that the perpetrator had placed the personal belonging of the previous victim on the body of the current victim.
  
The Reaper’s Signature. Turning to the senior profiler, he emphasized that placing the personal items of the previous victim on the body of the current victim was The Reaper’s signature; it was something that gave him enormous emotional satisfaction.
 
Team Leader Kang instructed Kim Hyun Joon to review Kang Ho Young’s murder again. The review of his friend’s murder in Cheongju might shed new light on how The Reaper operated.
If The Reaper was the mastermind behind the deaths, then, they would have to start the investigation with him.
      
Kim Hyun Joon discussed the crimes with a lady medical examiner and she mentioned that a button was missing from Kang Ho Young's trousers. According to the forensic scientists, there was never a button on his trousers. They had searched the area but did not find it.
‘Did The Reaper remove the button to put it on his next victim?’ The question must have run through Kim Hyun Joon’s mind.
          
Lee Han was also on a mission to uncover the truth about the crimes. He examined a piece of clothing and managed to pluck a button from it.
    
Nana Wang went through the computer records with Yoo Min Young and found a picture of a necklace and a ring with the initials J.H. They speculated that J.H. meant Joon Hee as the necklace belonged to her. The victim’s mother had confided that she had worn the necklace for a few years.
‘Was it stolen by The Reaper and put on the new victim's body? Why would he do that?’
      
Team Leader leafed through the reports on the serial murders and was reminded of his wife, Hae Won’s murder. There was a photograph of the bracelet he had given to his wife.
       He was also reminded of his former superior’s eerie warning, 'The Reaper would never give up.'  
Kang Ki Hyeon’s illness had taken over his mind yet again. Stressed out, he was compelled to take his PTSD (Post Trauma Stress Disorder) medication.
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HIDDEN REALMS Team Leader Kang needed the assistance of Nana Wang in some NCI work but she sheepishly excused herself as she was in a hurry to go for a secret appointment. The fact was she was secretly meeting Ha Sun Woo who had been suspended from her NCI duties.      Ha Sun Woo had previously consulted an expert, a Language and Linguistics professor, on the book written by the reporter-turned-author, Son Suk Ju. The expert opined that the book had signs that it had been penned by two writers. Firstly, different tenses had been used in the book. Secondly, everyone has his or her own writing style but the expressions used in the book did not belong to just one person. If the expert was correct in his analysis, did it mean that the book was written not only by Son Suk Ju but also The Reaper?      
Looking around furtively, NCI’s technical analyst, Nana Wang worried about meeting Ha Sun Woo in broad daylight.
 When they got together, Ha Sun Woo conferred with Nana Wang on the use of the Internet by criminals to commit crimes. Nana Wang explained to Ha Sun Woo that ever since Son Suk Ju's book was published, there had been an increase in secret fan clubs on the Web dedicated to crimes. It meant that The Reaper had won himself a fair number of admirers and worshippers.  
THE WORLD WIDE WEB
THE NORMAL DOMAIN
They were interested in probing these secret websites connected to The Reaper. Nana Wang described the many secret layers they had to pass through in order to get into the targeted website.
‘I looked into every website. First, you access through a normal domain.’
Nana Wang had probably downloaded a specific dark web browser to anonymously access the hidden realms of the deep web and the dark web. It required specific software and authorization to access.
  THE DEEP WEB
AN INVITATION TO VIEW
She explained how a certain secret website could be viewed with the approval of those who had created it. ‘Once that website approves of you, you’ll get an invitation to view that particular website.’
 
THE DARK WEB
THE ADMINISTRATOR’S APPROVAL
But, in order to enter the dark web and view darker or scarier things, there was another step.
‘Once you've got the administrator’s approval, you can finally join the hidden website.’
But, that’s not the end.
 
‘I don’t understand why they create something so horrible,’ she groaned.
Nana Wang was probably thinking - A murder website. A fantasy world. An altered reality. An illegal or immoral haven for cybercriminals where everyone lets go of their inhibitions. The hidden dark web of The Reaper.
 
THE FINAL HIDDEN DOMAIN
THE CODED PASSWORD
OF
THE SECRET CLUB
Another block in the dark recesses of the web. There was a shield to prevent anyone from accessing a completely secret club. There was also a coded password that the members share. Puzzles provide clues to pave the way into the dangerous, secret website where cybercrime is planned.
What Nana Wang had been describing was a stunning revelation to Ha Sun Woo. ‘Hidden Realms’. The secret realms of the rarely explored Dark Web.
 However, Nana Wang felt helpless at not being able to break the final stage. She felt that she might be able to discover something if only she was able to break the barrier. There was a lock on the password.  
Suddenly, Lee Han loomed large in their presence. They were surprised that he had dropped by the place unannounced and seemed to have overheard their conversation.
 
‘I think I know the password,’ he confided naughtily, suppressing a smile. He reached out to take the net book.
‘The secret school book clubs derive their passwords from the contents of books. If we were to say that this was written by The Reaper, not Reporter Son Suk Ju, the first IP (Internet Protocol) number would refer to his first book. If that’s the case, the 3rd Ip number ‘232 would refer to the total number of pages of the book. The 2nd number ‘11’ refers to the number of chapters. And the 4th number ‘27’ refers to the line.'
           
‘The man who undoes the buttons goes past the woman’s hand with rings on it and picks up his glasses.’
Lee Han suggested, ‘Let’s pick words from here and type them in.’
Nana Wang paused to think about the ‘buttons’ and ‘rings’ which were the signatures from the recent serial copycat crimes.
       They successfully accessed the site. Horror awaited them. Some gory images of the past murders appeared on The Phantom Club website. 
‘Buttons and rings had already been used as signatures. What does the word ‘glasses' mean?’ asked Lee Han.
‘What if….’ Ha Sun Woo speculated.
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CRIMINAL REALM
IN
CYBERSPACE
Meanwhile in the NCI headquarters, Kim Hyun Joon and Yoo Min Young were discussing the crime with Team Leader Kang.
‘The Reaper leaves unique signatures that are recognizable by those who study criminology. The media has covered that as well.’
    
Team Leader Kang raised a pertinent question about why the copycat murderer had Kang Ho Young’s buttons.
‘That means that The Reaper and The Copycat murderer are related,’ he concluded.
 
More to the point, according to Kim Hyun Joon, the copycat murderer must be committing murder under the orders of The Reaper or someone related to The Reaper.
The murder cases were getting creepier.
  
The trio were surprised when another trio tripped into the room. First, Lee Han and Nana Wang. Then, Ha Sun Woo.
Nana Wang probably felt more anxious than Ha Sun Woo. A flutter of nerves must have gone down her spine. She was guilty of bringing the suspended profiler back.
     Ha Sun Woo quickly made herself a valuable asset by alerting them to the fact that the unsub had been telling them about the dates of the murders.  ‘What do you mean by ‘He was telling us’? Kim Hyun Joon questioned. 
Team Leader Kang was not too pleased with the appearance of Ha Sun Woo as she had been suspended from her job.
He had a quick change of heart when Kim Hyun Joon placated him, reasoning that she was a valuable asset and positive influence in the NCI. What was more important to them was arresting The Reaper.
Ha Sun Woo promised that she would be cautious about her involvement in the case.
With the help of Nana Wang’s computer expertise, Ha Sun Woo disclosed troubling but intriguing details concerning the criminal activities in cyberspace.
Nana Wang explained that the members of the website, The Phantom Club worshipped The Reaper.
Ha Sun Woo continued, ‘If you look at the dates at the bottom of the page, these indicated the dates of the recent serial murders. Someone has been announcing the murders in advance.’
 
Kim Hyun Joon thought their fears and suspicions had now been confirmed. ‘It’s just like what we thought. Someone has been giving orders and the copycat murderer committed the murders on the given date.’
That meant that any member of the website could be the murderer. They were convinced that crimes were being organised in cyberspace by cold-blooded on-line criminals. But so far, there had not been any indication of the next murder.
     It would have made many people speechless. But, Team Leader Kang was more than intrigued; he wanted the details of the members and the administrators of the website.    
Nana Wang and Lee Han checked the website again.
‘If you look at the pattern of the 1st and 2nd cases, the murders happened within five days after the fanfiction was uploaded. The website is managed secretly and and it has been using proxy servers. It is impossible to track them.’
      
Kim Hyun Joon was worried about the next murder – who the victim would be and which crime would be copied. Neither could they determine the time of the murder.
       All of a sudden, someone uploaded the third fanfiction story. Who would be eliminated this time?     |