"Hey."
I walked over to the man who was pulling a hoodie out of the dryer and putting it on inside out. The man with the hood pulled down low glanced at me.
The man with the long scar from his chin to his lips slammed the dryer door shut roughly, regardless of whether I spoke to him or not.
“You can’t take off your clothes here and wash them, right? Excuse me.”
He just walked past me, who was talking to him. Smi was furious, glared at the man's back, and then started organizing the laundry.
I wasn't in a good mood because I was ignored, but whatever, when you're doing business, you'll have all kinds of customers.
The moment I was about to think positively and move on, I noticed a dark red stain on the washing machine and frowned.
“What is this again?”
It was a washing machine that was presumed to have just been used by a man.
“Oh my, the truth.”
Just one small stain on the white washing machine made the entire laundry look unsanitary. I wiped the stain with a wet tissue.
“What are you asking about?”
The sticky, dark red color crossed my mind, and I thought it looked exactly like blood, but how could that be?
I walked over to the man who was pulling a hoodie out of the dryer and putting it on inside out. The man with the hood pulled down low glanced at me.
The man with the long scar from his chin to his lips slammed the dryer door shut roughly, regardless of whether I spoke to him or not.
“You can’t take off your clothes here and wash them, right? Excuse me.”
He just walked past me, who was talking to him. Smi was furious, glared at the man's back, and then started organizing the laundry.
I wasn't in a good mood because I was ignored, but whatever, when you're doing business, you'll have all kinds of customers.
The moment I was about to think positively and move on, I noticed a dark red stain on the washing machine and frowned.
“What is this again?”
It was a washing machine that was presumed to have just been used by a man.
“Oh my, the truth.”
Just one small stain on the white washing machine made the entire laundry look unsanitary. I wiped the stain with a wet tissue.
“What are you asking about?”
The sticky, dark red color crossed my mind, and I thought it looked exactly like blood, but how could that be?
I wiped it off without much thought, but I felt strangely uneasy, so she brought some Lux and wiped the area hard.
The next day, I saw a news report that a murder had occurred in the area, apparently the work of a serial killer.
“Similar? Hey, no way.”
The description of the suspect on the news was surprisingly similar to that man yesterday. Plus, my coin laundry was on the suspect's expected escape route.
Feeling ominous, I spent the whole day searching for articles about serial murders.
Was the guy yesterday a serial killer? Should I report it to the police?
However, the stains that were presumed to be bloodstains were removed with bleach, and the CCTV footage was all fake except for the one in front of the door.
I frowned. When opening the laundry shop, in order to save some money, I installed a mock-up CCTV camera, except for the one above the main entrance that filmed the entire laundry shop.
The actual CCTV footage wasn't that good, and because it was installed high up to show the entire laundromat, only the top of the head was visible, not the person's face.
'I thought all I had to do was put money and laundry in the washing machine.'
I debated whether or not I should take the video to the police.
But what if the man wasn't a serial killer yesterday, and the police kept coming and going to the laundromat and only spread strange rumors?
Who would want to go to a laundromat where a serial killer might have been? What would the police say if they saw fake CCTV footage?
My worries grew longer and longer as the days passed. And unfortunately, another murder occurred in the meantime.
The victim was an author who had become famous for his work, “As Above, So Below.”
This was a novel that I had read thanks to a coupon given to me by a coworker who felt sorry for me who lived without knowing such fun things.
Although it wasn't a one-sided encounter, it felt like someone I knew had died.
“Oh, I feel uneasy.”
Moreover, it seemed that it was because I had not reported the man who seemed to be the culprit. The guilt that did not go away led me to the author's house.
In a residential area not far from my laundromat, a police line was drawn in front of the murdered author's house, and inside, a current affairs program was filming.
I, who was peeking inside, saw the man again on the other side of the camera crew. The man with the long scar that stretched from his chin to his lips.
“What do you think?”
“Oh my, it’s scary, isn’t it? I said there’s no such thing as a devil.”
The camera crew grabbed a resident and began to interview him. The moment the resident started to scream in fear, calling him the devil, the man laughed.
As if in a very good mood, brightly.
“...”
I got goosebumps from the tip of my toes to the crown of my head. At this moment, why did the phrase “the criminal will definitely return to the scene of the crime” come to mind?
Driven by an unknown premonition, I followed the man. The man entered a goshiwon, and I took a picture of him.
“Let’s just report it.”
It was unclear whether the man was the culprit or not. It was unclear whether the CCTV footage from the store would be helpful as evidence. However, I decided to scrape up all the evidence and report it.
If this helps, there won't be any more victims.
I returned to the laundromat and watched the CCTV footage. After saving the footage from that day onto a USB, it was already dark.
As I took a step toward the police station, my cell phone rang.
It was an unknown number, but I answered without any suspicion since customers of the laundry service often call to inquire.
"Hello?"
“Are you the owner of Yu-Jin Coin Laundry?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you follow me?”
My footsteps as I walked towards the police station suddenly stopped.
“I thought you were following me because you were interested in me.”
Why does it seem like the voice is coming from behind me and not from the other end of the phone? I slowly turned my head.
“You didn’t ask for my number and just took my picture. What’s going on?”
The man with the scar under his lip smiled at me. A very, very ominous feeling stabbed into my mind.
“...!”
I ran without hesitation, counting to eighteen. The man was chasing after me with fierce momentum.
I was also quite confident in my running skills, but I was no match for the man.
“Where are you running to...”
The moment the man grabbed my hoodie and pulled it off, the headlights and the squeak of brakes were the first to hit us.
Soon, with a flash of lightning before my eyes, I was lifted into the air and flew away. Lying on the cold asphalt, only when I let out my last breath did I realize that I had run frantically across the road.
But it was already too late, and I closed my eyes. And when I opened them, I was on a bed in the shabby temple where I had my wedding with Erne.
“You saved a lot of money in your previous life, too.”
Even if you die and come back to life, will that tendency not change?
“...Is that all you can say about my story?”
Although I told Erne something else, such as that the author was in a novel, I still made it clear that the priest was a serial killer.
But is that all there is to the review?
“Oh, you don’t like that review? Then how about this. You did some pretty dangerous things in your past life too.”
It seems that Erne was concerned about that point.
“It’s all in the past, Erne.”
“Is it all really in the past?”
I pretended not to hear Erne's meaningful remarks as he touched the area near his heart that had almost stopped beating several times because of me.
“Anyway, this is what’s important, Erne.”
"What?"
“I know quite a bit about that guy.”
How many news articles did I search for? Even though he wasn't an idol, I searched his name countless times and listened to his story on the news.
“This time, I will definitely catch him and make sure he is properly punished.”
I grabbed the blanket as if it were his hair. It was truly a tenacious evil relationship.
As I was being chased by the bastard and died, my once successful laundry business, my savings, my installment savings, and the beef I couldn't eat flashed before my eyes.
Even in this life, my teeth chattered as I thought about the incense business that had been ruined because of the priest and the godmother who had lost all her spiritual powers.
“Wait, wait, look at me, look into my eyes.”
Erne grabbed my cheeks, saying something like a cult leader. I made eye contact with Erne, then quickly looked down.
What is it? Why do I feel guilty when I didn't?
“These eyes.”
Erne pressed my cheeks together and lifted me up to look at him again. His green eyes were sharp enough to pierce my mind.
“You have eyes that say you’re about to do something dangerous again.”
“Oh, no.”
“It’s not that it’s not true.”
No way? I rolled my eyes and tried to recall what I had just been thinking.
Were you planning to do something dangerous? I think you were thinking of doing something a little dangerous.
Anyway, they say that the eyes of a ghost are sharp. When I avoided Erne's eyes once again, he almost growled in warning.
“Just do dangerous things.”
Erne decided that this time he would show Judith how scary he was when he got angry and why he was nicknamed the Mad Dog of the Empire.
If only Judith could learn how to protect herself without doing anything dangerous, then by all means.
“I won’t do it, I won’t do it.”
I pulled away from Erne's hand that was pressing on my cheek and said that I would never do anything dangerous. I only said it. I did not promise it.
That is, I have done something dangerous again.
The next day, I saw a news report that a murder had occurred in the area, apparently the work of a serial killer.
“Similar? Hey, no way.”
The description of the suspect on the news was surprisingly similar to that man yesterday. Plus, my coin laundry was on the suspect's expected escape route.
Feeling ominous, I spent the whole day searching for articles about serial murders.
Was the guy yesterday a serial killer? Should I report it to the police?
However, the stains that were presumed to be bloodstains were removed with bleach, and the CCTV footage was all fake except for the one in front of the door.
I frowned. When opening the laundry shop, in order to save some money, I installed a mock-up CCTV camera, except for the one above the main entrance that filmed the entire laundry shop.
The actual CCTV footage wasn't that good, and because it was installed high up to show the entire laundromat, only the top of the head was visible, not the person's face.
'I thought all I had to do was put money and laundry in the washing machine.'
I debated whether or not I should take the video to the police.
But what if the man wasn't a serial killer yesterday, and the police kept coming and going to the laundromat and only spread strange rumors?
Who would want to go to a laundromat where a serial killer might have been? What would the police say if they saw fake CCTV footage?
My worries grew longer and longer as the days passed. And unfortunately, another murder occurred in the meantime.
The victim was an author who had become famous for his work, “As Above, So Below.”
This was a novel that I had read thanks to a coupon given to me by a coworker who felt sorry for me who lived without knowing such fun things.
Although it wasn't a one-sided encounter, it felt like someone I knew had died.
“Oh, I feel uneasy.”
Moreover, it seemed that it was because I had not reported the man who seemed to be the culprit. The guilt that did not go away led me to the author's house.
In a residential area not far from my laundromat, a police line was drawn in front of the murdered author's house, and inside, a current affairs program was filming.
I, who was peeking inside, saw the man again on the other side of the camera crew. The man with the long scar that stretched from his chin to his lips.
“What do you think?”
“Oh my, it’s scary, isn’t it? I said there’s no such thing as a devil.”
The camera crew grabbed a resident and began to interview him. The moment the resident started to scream in fear, calling him the devil, the man laughed.
As if in a very good mood, brightly.
“...”
I got goosebumps from the tip of my toes to the crown of my head. At this moment, why did the phrase “the criminal will definitely return to the scene of the crime” come to mind?
Driven by an unknown premonition, I followed the man. The man entered a goshiwon, and I took a picture of him.
“Let’s just report it.”
It was unclear whether the man was the culprit or not. It was unclear whether the CCTV footage from the store would be helpful as evidence. However, I decided to scrape up all the evidence and report it.
If this helps, there won't be any more victims.
I returned to the laundromat and watched the CCTV footage. After saving the footage from that day onto a USB, it was already dark.
As I took a step toward the police station, my cell phone rang.
It was an unknown number, but I answered without any suspicion since customers of the laundry service often call to inquire.
"Hello?"
“Are you the owner of Yu-Jin Coin Laundry?”
“Yes.”
“Why did you follow me?”
My footsteps as I walked towards the police station suddenly stopped.
“I thought you were following me because you were interested in me.”
Why does it seem like the voice is coming from behind me and not from the other end of the phone? I slowly turned my head.
“You didn’t ask for my number and just took my picture. What’s going on?”
The man with the scar under his lip smiled at me. A very, very ominous feeling stabbed into my mind.
“...!”
I ran without hesitation, counting to eighteen. The man was chasing after me with fierce momentum.
I was also quite confident in my running skills, but I was no match for the man.
“Where are you running to...”
The moment the man grabbed my hoodie and pulled it off, the headlights and the squeak of brakes were the first to hit us.
Soon, with a flash of lightning before my eyes, I was lifted into the air and flew away. Lying on the cold asphalt, only when I let out my last breath did I realize that I had run frantically across the road.
But it was already too late, and I closed my eyes. And when I opened them, I was on a bed in the shabby temple where I had my wedding with Erne.
***
“You saved a lot of money in your previous life, too.”
Even if you die and come back to life, will that tendency not change?
“...Is that all you can say about my story?”
Although I told Erne something else, such as that the author was in a novel, I still made it clear that the priest was a serial killer.
But is that all there is to the review?
“Oh, you don’t like that review? Then how about this. You did some pretty dangerous things in your past life too.”
It seems that Erne was concerned about that point.
“It’s all in the past, Erne.”
“Is it all really in the past?”
I pretended not to hear Erne's meaningful remarks as he touched the area near his heart that had almost stopped beating several times because of me.
“Anyway, this is what’s important, Erne.”
"What?"
“I know quite a bit about that guy.”
How many news articles did I search for? Even though he wasn't an idol, I searched his name countless times and listened to his story on the news.
“This time, I will definitely catch him and make sure he is properly punished.”
I grabbed the blanket as if it were his hair. It was truly a tenacious evil relationship.
As I was being chased by the bastard and died, my once successful laundry business, my savings, my installment savings, and the beef I couldn't eat flashed before my eyes.
Even in this life, my teeth chattered as I thought about the incense business that had been ruined because of the priest and the godmother who had lost all her spiritual powers.
“Wait, wait, look at me, look into my eyes.”
Erne grabbed my cheeks, saying something like a cult leader. I made eye contact with Erne, then quickly looked down.
What is it? Why do I feel guilty when I didn't?
“These eyes.”
Erne pressed my cheeks together and lifted me up to look at him again. His green eyes were sharp enough to pierce my mind.
“You have eyes that say you’re about to do something dangerous again.”
“Oh, no.”
“It’s not that it’s not true.”
No way? I rolled my eyes and tried to recall what I had just been thinking.
Were you planning to do something dangerous? I think you were thinking of doing something a little dangerous.
Anyway, they say that the eyes of a ghost are sharp. When I avoided Erne's eyes once again, he almost growled in warning.
“Just do dangerous things.”
Erne decided that this time he would show Judith how scary he was when he got angry and why he was nicknamed the Mad Dog of the Empire.
If only Judith could learn how to protect herself without doing anything dangerous, then by all means.
“I won’t do it, I won’t do it.”
I pulled away from Erne's hand that was pressing on my cheek and said that I would never do anything dangerous. I only said it. I did not promise it.
That is, I have done something dangerous again.
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