Fatal allure

Episode 3

The fourth victim was found inside a private villa on the outskirts of the city.

Male.

Thirty-eight.

Wealthy.

Dead for less than six hours.

And once again, there were no signs of violence.

The crime scene felt disturbingly peaceful — soft jazz still playing through hidden speakers, a half-finished drink resting beside the couch, and expensive perfume lingering faintly in the air.

Lee Tae-jun stood silently near the body while investigators moved around him.

“Cause of death is still unclear,” Detective Ryu reported. “But there’s something else.”

He handed Tae-jun a photograph.

The victim was smiling beside Yoo Hae-rin at a charity gala held two months earlier.

Tae-jun’s jaw tightened.

Again.

Always her.

“Where is she now?” he asked coldly.

“At Royal Auction.”

Of course she was.

⸻

Hours later, Tae-jun arrived at the exclusive after-party hosted by Royal Auction House.

Luxury filled every corner of the penthouse ballroom — crystal glasses, dim golden lights, soft music, and people rich enough to hide crimes behind money.

But the moment Hae-rin entered the room—

Everything else disappeared.

She wore a dark red satin dress that hugged her figure elegantly, her black hair falling loosely over one shoulder. Men watched her openly while women whispered behind forced smiles.

She looked untouchable.

And somehow, that only made Tae-jun more suspicious.

Hae-rin noticed him immediately.

“You’re starting to appear everywhere I go,” she said softly as he approached.

“Another man is dead.”

Her expression didn’t change.

“Then perhaps you should find the real killer.”

“You knew him.”

“I know many people.”

“That’s not an answer.”

Hae-rin lifted a champagne glass to her lips slowly, her eyes never leaving his.

“You ask questions like you already want me guilty.”

“And you answer like you enjoy the game.”

A faint smile appeared.

“Maybe I enjoy you.”

The words landed harder than they should have.

For a second, Tae-jun forgot the noise around them. Forgot the investigation. Forgot the body waiting at the crime scene.

All he noticed was her voice.

Her eyes.

The dangerous calm surrounding her.

Hae-rin stepped closer until only a small distance remained between them.

“You know what people say about me, Investigator Lee?” she whispered.

“That you ruin every man who gets close to you.”

Her lips curved slightly.

“And yet you keep coming back.”

Tae-jun grabbed her arm before he could stop himself.

The movement was sudden enough to make nearby guests glance toward them.

His voice lowered dangerously.

“If you’re playing with me, Yoo Hae-rin, it’ll end badly for you.”

Instead of fear, amusement flickered across her face.

“And if I’m not playing?”

Their bodies were close enough now for him to feel the warmth of her skin beneath the silk fabric.

Close enough to become a mistake.

Tae-jun knew he should let go.

But he didn’t.

Something about her pulled people in like gravity — beautiful, impossible, destructive.

For the first time in years, Lee Tae-jun felt emotionally off balance.

And Yoo Hae-rin noticed immediately.

That was the truly dangerous part.

⸻

Later that night, Tae-jun returned home exhausted, only to find an unmarked package waiting outside his apartment door.

Inside was a flash drive.

One video file.

No sender.

No message.

His expression darkened as he pressed play.

The screen flickered briefly before revealing security footage recorded inside a hotel hallway weeks earlier.

A man stumbled drunkenly toward his suite.

Behind him—

Yoo Hae-rin appeared on camera.

Alive.

Smiling.

Following the victim into his room only hours before his death.