Chapter 42

Chapter 42: The Hippo Hunt #2

“T-thank you…”

Jung Yuri accepted Tae-hyuk’s leather jacket and started to put it on . She wasn’t wearing any clothes besides the jacket she had just put on .

In the end, she wasn’t even wearing any underwear . She was quite tall for a woman so even with a jacket, parts of her body were still exposed . If she didn’t pull her clothes down with her hand, then her butt would be seen .

However, her upper body was more serious . Her chest was big enough to cause every man to take a second look . Thus, the buttons on the jacket could only be done up partway .

“Hah…”

A moan escaped from Jung Yuri’s pale white lips . She hugged herself to warm up her body even a little bit .

She looked so pathetic that Tae-hyuk felt strangely dizzy for a moment . Tae-hyuk stretched his hand out to Yuri and said .

“Don’t get me wrong . I’m not trying to touch your chest . ”

“Uh… yes . ”

Tae-hyuk exercised tremendous self-control as he turned his gaze away from the chest that was visible through the leather jacket .

When he touched Yuri’s forehead, he could feel that it was as cold as ice .

“Haang!”

Yuri shrieked as Tae-hyuk’s hand touched her forehead; however, she didn’t resist .

‘Cold… Still, there doesn’t seem to be any risk to her life . Once her body warms up…’

Severe hypothermia was a risk . The muscles of her body would be stiff and she would feel extreme fatigue .

“Wipe the water from your body . ”

“Haang… Yes…”

Tae-hyuk looked around, but he couldn’t find anything resembling a towel . In the end, he had to take off his t-shirt so that Yuri could have something to wipe her body down with .

“Hum hum . I do laundry everyday so it shouldn’t smell of sweat . ”

“… No . It seems good . ”

Tae-hyuk looked at Yuri’s complexion .

A red glow was starting to appear on the previously white face . Her body temperature was rising, but it was still dangerous .

“Can you get on my back? If we go to a concession stand, then there will be a heater . You can warm up there .

Yuri nodded .

Her lips were blue and her whole body was shaking . Occasional moans couldn’t help emerging from her mouth . The first thing to do was to take her to a safe place, since her legs didn’t work .

Tae-hyuk knelt down in a good posture . Yuri couldn’t support her body properly and fell on his back . Tae-hyuk e felt a heavy weight…

Mulkeong!

“Heok!”

There was something as soft as a marshmallow touching Tae-hyuk’s back . Yuri relaxed her grip on the leather jacket and clung onto Tae-hyuk . In the end, her breasts were touching Tae-hyuk’s back .

‘C-Cold… But very soft… N-no! Wake up Seo Tae-hyuk!’

“Haaang…”

Tae-hyuk’s back was very warm, so a pleasant moan emerged from Yuri’s mouth . She was naked on the back of a man who she didn’t know well . She would’ve been terribly embarrassed if she was in her normal mental state .

However, was it due to the sense of relief from her survival? Jung Yuri couldn’t feel any shame . It was comfortable, as if she was on her father’s back .

Tae-hyuk was more embarrassed about being hugged from behind than Jung Yuri was embarrassed form being on his back . Her legs didn’t move, so he carefully held her thighs with both hands . The soft texture was conveyed directly . Strangely, she smelled good .

‘I-I don’t know who is doing a service for whom!’

Jung Yuri was 170 cm tall, a height that was similar to Tae-hyuk’s . It was harder than he thought to lift up Yuri .

‘But what if I use the Violence skill? I can do it with my stamina!’

Tae-hyuk used the Violence skill . Both hands were holding Jung Yuri’s thighs, so he had to put the iron pipe in his mouth .

Tae-hyuk and Yuri headed to a concession stand . He had to stop once in awhile due to the sound of Yuri’s breathing getting too close . Then he had to calm something excited down .

@

“I am a man . A man who is made for this job!”

Joo Hyun-ho hummed as he walked around the performance venue . Kang-suk was looking at the aquarium, while Joo Hyun-ho’s task was to check this place . There was no one on the stage and in the audience seats . The only place left was the performer’s waiting room . There was a bathtub where animals such as seals and penguins could be washed . If he were the Hippo, then he would commit the crime there .

Joo Hyun-ho was holding a handgun .

“I just picked up a gas gun . It isn’t real like Sunbae’s . Still, isn’t it better than nothing?”

Joo Hyun-ho majored in criminology and psychology and became a profiler . However, in order to serve as an investigator, he completed two years of basic education at the police academy . He knew the perfect method to hold a gun . Furthermore, unlike his frail appearance, he was a master of judo .

“Bang bang! Haha! Isn’t this good?”

Joo Hyun-ho aimed towards an imaginary criminal . He didn’t seem like a genius investigator at this moment .

Hyun-ho released his finger from the trigger and spun the gas gun around .

“That’s enough playing . Then let’s start searching in earnest!”

He walked towards the place where the Hippo was hiding with a serious expression . As he arrived at the back of the performance venue, a door with STAFF ONLY appeared .

‘Here . ’

Hyun-ho looked at the door with a serious expression and kicked it open with his foot .

Bam!

The closed door opened with a loud sound .

“Hands up! If you move then I will shoot!”

Hyun-ho knelt down and aimed the gun forward . Then he looked around .

“Sheesh . There is no one here . ”

The room only contained a large fish tank, rope and buckets .

“Uh, wait a minute . ”

Hyun-ho put the gun away and approached .

“Here… Someone was clearly just here . ”

There wasn’t anyone here . However, the evidence still remained . The fish tank was half filled with water . He checked it by hand and the water was ice cold .

“Let’s think like Archimedes . The tank is half full . This means there was something in the water . Roughly…”

Hyun-ho calculated the volume of the tank and the amount that it was empty .

“… . It sound be one person who weighs around 50 kg . ”

There was a lot of water on the floor . It meant that someone had pulled out another person from the fish tank .

Joo Hyun-ho looked around .

There were rope and several buckets filled with liquid . Hyun-ho checked the contents of the bucket .

“Milk, soy sauce and cooking oil…”

There was only a one metre long tube near the fish tank .

“I should be glad since my reasoning is correct . It is amazing, even if the culprit is gone . ”

Hyun-ho touched the surface of the fish tank . Water was splattered from someone leaving the fish tank .

“This means the person was in here until recently . ”

The surface of the fish tank was smooth . Even if the water splashed, it would flow down to the ground after 10 minutes .

Joo Hyun-ho swallowed his saliva .

“… This is the Hippo’s workshop . ”

And the Hippo was gone . His victim was inside the fish tank .

“Has he killed her already?”

It couldn’t be . The liquids used for the murder were still inside the buckets .

This meant…

Joo Hyun-hos face turned white .

“… Sunbae is in danger!”

@

Cho Kang-suk stood in the dark aquarium . Whether it was from tiredness due to the continuous overtime, Kang-suk’s face was stiff, as if he were a wax doll .

Then someone approached him . Cho Kang-suk felt it and turned around quickly . It was someone that Cho Kang-suk knew .

“Ah . Kim Jong-wook? Have you come to catch the hippo?”

Kim Jong-wook was a police officer working in the jurisdiction . Whenever a murder took place in the area, he was a cop who would take turns guarding the crime scene . Kim Jong-wook was responsible for the bathroom where the hippo committed his second murder . The location wasn’t far from here . It seemed he rushed here after hearing the request for reinforcements .

Jong-wook yelled with a pleasantly surprised face .

“Ah Detective Cho Kang-suk! What’s going on here? The hippo…”

Cho Kang-suk replied .

“I received a tip that the hippo was here so I came to check . It’s been a bust so far, as there’s nobody here . Ah, I need to catch the hippo as quickly as possible . This whole day seems to be all a waste . ”

Kang-suk’s face was covered with a dark shadow .

“Haha, indeed . I ran here after suddenly receiving an order . ”

“Kim Jong-wook should take a break . ”

“Haha! Isn’t this our job?”

Cho Kang-suk stared at Kim Jong-wook with a blank expression .

He was dressed in civilian clothes . He had one hand in his pocket, and his pants were all wet .

“Was it raining outside? Your clothes…”

Jong-wook gave a deep sigh .

“Aigoo . It just suddenly rained . Did you bring an umbrella?”

Kang-suk sighed .

“I didn’t bring one . When I leave then I’ll just use a newspaper . I’d like to call a taxi, but I can’t . You should know . The salary of a detective is poor . ”

“It seems so . You must have suffered . ”

“Anyway, I think that the tip is likely to be a joke . Then, I will look around the performance venue . Do you want to come?”

Jong-wook nodded .

“That seems best . By the way, are you alone?”

Cho Kang-suk paused for a moment before asking in surprise .

“Why do you ask?”

Jong-wook slowly approached Kang-suk and laughed .

“That is…”

The two of them were now close enough to touch if he stretched out his hand . Jong-wook’s mouth twisted oddly . There was a sharp knife in his hand .

“I need to know how many people I have to kill!”

Jong-wook stepped forward and plunged the knife into Kang-suk’s chest .

Puok!

“Keok!”

Kang-suk screamed .

The attack was so unexpected that there was no resistance at all . He instantly fell down .

Jong-wook giggled like he was enjoying the scene and said,

“Ohuhu… I wonder how you knew I was here . Will you listen to me before dying? Huh? Detective Cho Kang-suk . Please say something . Uhahahaha! That’s correct . I am the Hippo . ”

Jong-wook… No, the hippo grinned brutally as he twisted the knife stuck in Kang-suk’s chest .