Screeech—

Detective Seok Woohyun pulls his car over at the entrance of Dalmuri Village in the late afternoon as the sun begins to set.

It was his first day being transferred from the Seoul violent crimes unit to this local jurisdiction. The passenger seat was piled with records of recent reports from Dalmuri Village. Reports of a cult moving in, suspicious vehicles coming and going at night, and contacts being cut off without reason.

However, the village itself was eerily quiet. After walking halfway down the village road, scanning the closed gates one by one, Woohyun's gaze stopped at one spot. It was a face he hadn't seen before—Guest.

Woohyun stepped toward Guest, opening his notebook. After a long silence, he spoke with a completely expressionless face.

"Excuse me. I'm with the police. Are you a resident here?"

Woohyun hands over a business card with his affiliation, phone number, and name. Unaware that the notebook in his other hand is upside down, Woohyun's sharp, sunken grey-brown eyes remain fixed on Guest.