The Murderer's Favorite

Four: The Mastermind had appeared (Part I)

“Can you stop following me?”

Inspector Gwendolyn Salazar’s voice rang sharp as she glared at the tall, raven-haired man walking beside her.

Julius only smiled, which made her even more irritated. Gwen let out a frustrated sigh.

“We’re working together again… just like old times,” Julius said casually.

Gwen stopped walking and turned to him, her expression hardening.

“Right. But we’re here for work—not to reminisce about the past, Reporter Julius Park. So please… keep your distance.”

Without waiting for his reply, she walked away, leaving him standing there.

Edward, who had been watching from the side, shook his head before approaching his friend. Julius remained still, staring at Gwen’s retreating figure.

“That’s what you get for being too persistent. No wonder she’s annoyed with you,” Edward teased.

Julius snapped out of it and turned to him with a faint, bittersweet smile.

“Is it really wrong to wish… that you could bring the past back?” he murmured.

---

Julius and Inspector Salazar—or Gwen, as he used to call her—were once a couple back in high school.

Their relationship was something many envied. It was strong, almost unbreakable, and people often joked that they were destined to end up together.

But like any relationship, theirs wasn’t perfect.

When they reached college, things began to change.

Jealousy crept in—Gwen over the women Julius interacted with, and Julius over the people around her. Arguments became frequent, and misunderstandings slowly built a wall between them.

They started missing dates. Skipping dinners. Both of them became too busy with their studies, though they tried to understand each other’s situation.

Julius did everything he could to save their relationship.

But in the end, Gwen was the one who let go first.

She chose to focus on her studies, determined to graduate early and support her family.

She moved on with her life.

Julius… didn’t.

---

Edward sighed and gently patted Julius on the shoulder.

“You know,” he said, “like that song To My First by NCT Dream… sometimes things just aren’t meant to be.”

He gave him a small smile.

“Instead of being stuck in the past, why don’t you focus on the present? You never know—there might be better opportunities waiting for you.”

Julius chuckled softly. “Since when did you become a love guru?”

Edward smirked. “Enough gossip. Let’s look for possible evidence.”

Julius nodded and began scanning the area, with Edward following behind him.

“By the way,” Edward added, “I heard our batch is planning a tribute for those who passed away… including Myrus. Are you going? I can go with you.”

Julius shrugged. “Maybe. I might be busy, but I’ll try to make time.”

Edward straightened and glanced at him. “What about Sirius? Will you let him attend?”

Julius froze.

“No.”

The answer came immediately.

Edward sighed again. “Don’t you think it’s time he interacts with others? Isn’t it unfair that he only knows the two of us?”

Julius shot him a sharp look.

“I won’t risk everything we’ve done, Ed. You know what he went through. We were there—we saw everything.”

Silence fell between them.

They both knew.

Those memories still haunted them… but for Sirius, it was far worse. There was a time when he couldn’t even sleep—every time he closed his eyes, nightmares chased him.

“I’m sorry,” Edward said quietly, “but at least think about it. He’s starting to ask questions.”

Julius took a deep breath.

“…I’ll think about it.”

That was the end of the argument.

---

“Edward! Julius!”

Both of them turned at the same time and saw Inspector Gwen waving at them.

They ran toward her.

“What is it?” they asked in unison.

“We found a phone,” Gwen said, holding up a sealed device. “I think it belongs to Myrus Kang.”

There was a baby picture attached to the back, reminding them that Myrus had a live-in partner—though they weren’t sure if he had a child.

“We’ll bring this to the station for analysis,” Edward said, placing the phone carefully inside a storage box.

The investigation was immediately halted, and the entire team returned to the station.

---

News spread quickly.

As soon as they arrived, reporters from different networks surrounded them.

“For now, we still can’t determine the contents of the evidence we’ve gathered,” Edward explained, as cameras and microphones were pointed at him.

“Another question, Detective Yoon,” one reporter called.

Edward smiled politely. “Go ahead.”

“Is it possible that this case is connected to the previous murders of Marina Santiago and Edelita Corazon?”

Edward hesitated.

Before he could answer, Gwen stepped forward and took control.

“At the moment, we have no concrete evidence linking the three cases. Once we do, we will immediately call for a press conference.”

Her voice was firm and professional.

“Excuse us—we still have work to do.”

She walked inside, followed by the others, even as the reporters continued shouting questions.

---

Inside the station, Julius stayed behind, speaking with some of the officers. Many of them gave him wary looks—after all, he had inside connections, which made it easier for him to get information.

“I’ll call you if there’s any update,” Edward told him.

Julius nodded. “Alright.”

He considered approaching Gwen, but she didn’t even glance at him.

So instead, he headed to the parking lot to wait for his crew.

“Well, look who’s here,” someone mocked. “Must be nice having connections.”

Julius smirked. “Maybe try using your brain sometimes, Cleo.”

The other reporter glared at him, but before she could respond, Julius had already turned away and boarded his company car.

---

Back inside, the station was busy as they carefully examined Myrus’s phone.

“Negative, boss. All files have been wiped,” the tech support reported.

Edward sighed and looked at Gwen, who stood with her arms crossed and brows furrowed.

“Is there a problem?” she asked.

“There’s nothing to recover. It’s like the suspect erased everything completely.”

Gwen checked the phone herself—trash, archive—nothing.

“We should send this to an expert. We can’t leave this case unresolved,” she said. “And we need to confirm whether the three murder cases are connected.”

Even though Marina’s case was labeled as a robbery, there was still a strong possibility that it wasn’t the real motive.

---

“Ed, the department head wants to see you,” a police officer called.

Edward excused himself and went to the senior officer’s office.

“Good afternoon, sir. You called for me?”

“I heard you have a suspect in mind,” the chief inspector said.

Edward straightened.

“There’s still no solid evidence, sir… and the person has been dead for a long time.”

The chief raised an eyebrow.

“And who would that be?”

Edward’s expression hardened.

“Serone Kanemoto.”