Dr.NoH 후아유?

□•AppLE PAcT°■

An apple, Seung Woo, would have appreciated Doctor Baek to be more precise as he stood in front of all the varieties available at the lotte Markt. Seung Woo decided to pick his favorite traditional Korean apple, foreigners preferred to say it was a pear, yet many Koreans like Seung Woo liked to say it was an apple.

Unsure, he decided to choose a few other varieties; Granny Smith, Golden, foreign apples were expensive, Seung Woo thought.

Seung Woo could not get by the fact the woman he saw was Dr. Noh. His mind already portrayed a middle-aged, gray-haired man like any many raised in a patriarchal society. Professor Baek fitted the description he created, but he wasn't the man of the situation.

Never would Seung Woo have imagined a woman in her thirties, not to mention the swiftness of her movements. Seung Woo knew men in the army who did not possess Dr. Noa Noh's efficiency.

Despite all the recommendations, there was something strange about Dr.Noh.

Many questions came to mind.

Why was the doctor in a room like the patients?

And what was the thing about the time? Everyone at the hospital appeared obsessed with hours as if a significant person would arrive?

As he waited to pay at the counter, Seung Woo's thoughts strayed away and floated back to Stein's modus operandi.

First, the psychopath killed twelve women, then nine men.

Now, it appeared to kill regardless of gender, and he was obsessed with these bizarre brain operations.

Psychopaths were like fetishists; they always opted for their favorite victims. History showed other killers who multiplied types of targets, but it was rare. Most of the time, serial killers went after one profile.

What was Stein playing?

What message was he trying to deliver?

Of all his rituals, he kept the brain surgery. Some victims had their brains switched with other victims. The grief the families felt was tremendous.

None of the victims, nor men or women, were sexually assaulted; this added more mystery to the cases. Most serial killers suffered from sexual frustrations, which they displayed on the victim's body. It was impossible to apply general theories to Stein. His murders were clinical, like scientific experiments.

For Seung Woo, this was worse; Stein saw people as his Guinea pigs.

The thought made the inspector's appetite diminish.

Seung Woo was clear of mind, and there she appeared. Doctor Noh spun around like a disc on repeat, which invaded his thoughts. There was much about the woman. Most of the articles he found were from foreign websites. In Korea, Dr. Noh was almost anonymous. It was strange to think someone recognized by a renowned profiler was not a reference in her own country.

Something was odd about the doctor. Apart from her violence, too many things didn't stick.

First, there was the room. Did the doctor live there?

Second, why did professor Baek observe her?

People seemed to respect her, but at the same time, they appeared afraid.

Seung Woo had to admit the woman gave him cold sweat. Dr. Noh was no ordinary practician, thought the man as he left the supermarket and drove home where no one waited for him.

Being alone was not a bother, with no girlfriend or hobbies; only memories haunted and occupied him. Seung Woo slept with ghosts, images that erupted whenever. Sometimes in the most intimate moments cutting short to scenes of heated passion.