I came to say I love you

Chapter 2: Midday encounter

Jang Ye-jun entered Teokki Keopi carefully. He was ready to bolt the minute he spotted the quirky Sam Areum. He still had his migraine, and he didn't want her to lecture him on the benefits of ibuprofen.

He walked over to the barista and ordered the same thing he had a few hours ago. At the last minute he added a small cup of espresso to the order. Perhaps a simple shot of strong coffee would keep the young doctor awake while on this case.

Young teenage girls were being murdered and there was no rhyme or reason to the victimology. There was no specific type, race, age, or connection between the victims. It seemed like they were being picked at random and then killed. Ye-jun had put together a geographic profile, but that would only tell the NCI so much. Cha Hwa-young was running every search program she had, but again, computers weren't spontaneous, even if they were faster than the average human mind.

Ye-jun took a seat and started mentally going through the case. The girls were found in staged crime scenes. The most recent victim was hung from the rigging of a theater. The first one had been poisoned in a mausoleum. The only thing that linked them was a letter pinned to the body. The letters were always signed from the killer who called himself as Geugjagga Ahjussi (Mr. Playwright).

The first victim was obviously Romeo and Juliet, but the last one was something else. It was familiar, but Ye-jun couldn't remember where. He suspected that it was from another western play which no one in the team quite familiar with. Hwa-young was stumped, but determined to find a play with a hung female.

Ye-jun sighed when the front door opened. Areum came in holding her camera. She had a defeated look on her face.

Chaewon, the barista, looked up from the magazine she was reading. "Didn't get the photos you were hoping for?" she asked.

"One of the pageant girls was murdered last night," Areum sighed as she grabbed a doughnut from a glass display case. She leaned against the front of the counter and looked at the wall of the shop ignoring Ye-jun. "My investigation's been put on hold. At least until the show starts again."

"Omo! So what are you going to do now?"

"The newspaper gave me a story to do in the meantime," Areum answered. "They want me to interview Incheon's new police chief. They want dirty laundry though, and I'm not sure how I feel about that."

"Is there any investigative journalism in this piece?" Chaewon asked. "I mean the new chief is like the epitome of a good cop. Eottokaji?"

"Tell me about it," Areum snorted. "I mean everyone has their secrets, but I can't afford to alienate the new chief. I need his cops to like me, so that they'll give me juicy pieces of meat when I come to them with my questions. I only intend on interviewing him."

"So tell me about the dead beauty queen," Chaewon probed. A murder always attracted the mystery junkie.

Areum turned to look at her friend. "Uhmm the poor girl was a victim of Geugjagga Ahjussi. Strung up from the rigging of the pageant's stage. It was practically a scene out of the Phantom of the Opera."

Ye-jun's eyes widened. That was it! That was the play, rather a musical. He stood up quickly and downed the hot espresso. Areum turned to look at him and grinned.

"Oh Jang Baksa-nim!" she said pleasantly. She crossed her arms as she leaned against the counter again. "Let me guess, you came for an afternoon pick me up," she popped.

"I have to go," Ye-jun said quickly.

Areum made a quiet tsking sound. "Off to go catch Geugjagga Ahjussi?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow.