Chapter 13: Beyond the Fence

“We’ll go and check.”

At Sergeant Park’s words, Sergeant Lee glanced at Mu-yun’s spot and then nodded.

“Go have a look.

See if there might be other animals as well, so check thoroughly.”

Mu-yun let out a low gasp and quickly covered his mouth again.

Even though he had been roaming around looking for Rambo on his own, he had never had to look inside a designated private property like this.

It was a fence that humans couldn’t cross, but animals could, so if there was an opportunity to see inside, it was right to do so.

It was help from his seniors.

“I’ve got a connection.”

Fortunately, there was a way to contact the owner of the private property.

Hye-shin, who had called around to find out, gave an OK sign.

After briefly explaining the situation and waiting, permission was finally granted.

At the mention that they would enter accompanied by the police, the owner didn’t sound pleased but answered that they understood.

Only after going through the minimum procedures for dispatch did Sergeant Park look at the dog’s owner.

“What does the dog look like?”

Even though its appearance could hardly have changed much in just a few hours, it was important to know its basic features.

“He’s a five-month-old white Maltese.

He looks like this.”

Quickly handed the phone by the owner, Sergeant Park and Mu-yun meticulously memorized the dog’s appearance from the photo saved in the phone’s album.

The entire photo album was filled with pictures of the dog.

A bitter taste lingered in their mouths.

After rechecking the GPS location, Mu-yun drove the patrol car.

It was the mountain directly behind the Seoheung 3-dong Administrative Welfare Center.

It was an ordinary forested area, except for a small village with only a few households and a botanical garden.

“Let’s stop here and walk up.”

As soon as the sign for ‘Mujugol Jinan Park’ came into view, Sergeant Park gave the order.

When Mu-yun parked the car, Sergeant Park got out first and opened the rear door.

After confirming the owner had gotten out, Mu-yun took the keys, locked the car, and looked for the path.

“Let’s go up the trail with the stairs on the right.”

Saying that, Sergeant Park led the way, and Mu-yun followed right behind.

The owner followed behind, reaching out a hand to explain the direction.

“That way.

Up in that direction.”

It was a place with no path.

The grass was overgrown, and there seemed to be no room to step.

Mu-yun narrowed his eyes.

Signs of human passage were visible in this direction.

“Sergeant Park.”

“I see it.”

Sergeant Park stepped aside, pulled out his phone, and asked,

“Did you happen to come up here before coming to the police box?”

Receiving his gaze, the owner nodded.

“Only up to here, just above.

When I went a little further, there was a sign saying it was private property.”

Mu-yun met Sergeant Park’s gaze and nodded.

As the owner had said, after going a bit further, a sign indicating private property appeared.

Mu-yun pulled out his phone and checked both sides.

“To the left.”

“Yes.”

Sergeant Park turned right and shone his flashlight around.

As soon as Mu-yun stepped off the path, he remembered a branch with a thread hanging from it, a thread that seemed to have torn from a piece of cloth of a different color than the owner’s blue jeans.

But there was nothing visible on this side.

He turned back and looked at the barbed wire fence marking the private property.

It wasn’t very high.

Although there were sharp wires wound around the top to discourage climbing, in his experience, it was easily surmountable.

“Officer So!”

Sergeant Park called him over as he was scanning up and down the fence.

Mu-yun hurried to his senior’s side.

Sergeant Park pointed to a dark spot hidden in the shade of a tree slightly to the right.

Mu-yun craned his neck upward.

A thick blanket was draped over the barbed wire, wedged between branches.

It was the same color as the thread they had seen earlier.

Sensing something suspicious at the scene, they meticulously photographed and documented it.

“The owner didn’t say anything else, right?”

“No.”

Senior Patrol Officer Kim had made the call, but there were no special warnings or requests, and he remembered no other remarks.

Sergeant Park pulled out the walkie-talkie clipped to his vest.

“Patrol 15, please check if there has been any report of trespassing on private property at San 161-2, Seoheung 3-dong, Dong-gu, Jeongpyeong City.”

[No reports have been received.]

Senior Patrol Officer Kim responded on the radio immediately.

Sergeant Park gave a bitter smile and looked at Mu-yun.

“Can you go inside?

I’ll stay here with this person.”

“I’ll wait here!”

The owner frantically waved her hands, as if to say not to worry about her.

It seemed the situation looked quite serious.

Mu-yun smiled as if to say it would be nothing.

Still, because there were signs of illegal entry and also because of what they had seen at the temple’s incinerator, Sergeant Park decided to stay with the owner.

Rechecking the still-unchanged GPS location, Mu-yun climbed the barbed wire fence.

He went up nimbly and jumped over quickly so his clothes wouldn’t catch.

He swiftly stepped down inside the fence.

“I’ll go check and come back.”

Mu-yun bowed his head to Sergeant Park and walked inside.

The dog’s location wasn’t very far away.

Wondering how the dog could have gotten into such a place even if it had run away, he walked while carefully scanning the ground.

The owner said she had only looked as far as the outside of the fence and then gone down, but recent traces were visible.

Human footprints, at that.

Mu-yun carefully photographed every time he saw a footprint close to the sole pattern of his sneakers.

The places where fallen leaves or stems had been stepped on seemed few, as the broken parts were still fresh.

Searching like a tracker, he followed those traces, photographing them, and moved further inside.

He came to a spot where dried, nameless vines and leaves were tangled together.

Judging by the faint traces of human touch, it looked like it had once been used as a field.

He could also see a fence made of rotting thin bamboo.

There was a half-collapsed shed made of plywood, emitting a foul stench, clearly unused for a long time.

And a heavily rusted, dried-out cage covered in unidentable stains.

Mu-yun checked the map.

The missing dog should be somewhere around here by location.

Even if there was an error in the GPS signal in the mountain, it shouldn’t be far.

“Bap-al.”

He remembered the owner saying the name came from the way the small, white furball looked exactly like a bowl of rice when curled up.

“Bap-al?”

Mu-yun called the dog a little louder than before.

He moved carefully, afraid of startling it.

The owner said it recognized its name, but there was no response from nearby.

“Bap-al!”

Even when he called louder, it was the same.

He had thought maybe it would whimper upon hearing a human voice, but that didn’t seem to be the case either.

After circling the area for a while looking for the dog, Mu-yun pulled out his walkie-talkie.

“Patrol 24.

Searching GPS location.

Any movement?”

[Patrol 15.

Still no movement.]

“Patrol 24.

There’s what looks like a field ahead and an old, long-unused shed.

I’ll search inside.”

Whatever it looked like, since it was inside private property, he needed permission.

Only after receiving Sergeant Park’s instruction to do so did Mu-yun, regretting he hadn’t brought gloves, stand in front of the shed, which was barely holding its shape with rotting plywood.

He took a photo before opening it and opened it as carefully as possible.

The shed, which wouldn’t have been surprising to collapse at any moment, creaked loudly at just a touch.

The smell of mold hit him like an explosion, but unfortunately, the dog wasn’t inside either.

“Where on earth is it hiding?”

Frowning at the unpleasant smell, Mu-yun examined the surroundings more closely.

White fur should be quite conspicuous in a forest like this, so it was a bit strange that it was so hard to spot.

Not coming out at the sound of a human voice meant it was scared and hiding, but even if that were instinct, he didn’t think a domesticated dog could hide this well.

As he looked around and then further away, something caught Mu-yun’s eye.

He narrowed his eyes.

Something was sticking up behind a tree.

Wondering if it might be a grave, he still needed to check, so Mu-yun moved toward it.

Getting closer, he saw it wasn’t dirt but a rolled-up sheet of iron with part of it protruding upward.

And then, a smell he shouldn’t be smelling here—the smell of smoke.

Mu-yun swallowed, feeling a chill down his spine.

Something was wrong.

He first took photos with his phone.

Only after photographing from all angles did he dare take a step closer.

Only then could he clearly see what it was.

It was a kind of furnace, a cylindrical structure made of iron plates, apparently built to place a large cauldron on top.

Wondering why such a thing was here, Mu-yun bent down and looked inside.

The moment he shone the flashlight into the dark, barely visible space, his face contorted.

“Patrol 24.

Patrol 24.

Found an incinerator at the GPS location.

Similar to the one found at Bongosan Mountain.

Requesting backup.

Requesting backup.”

He quickly called Sergeant Park and reached out his hand.

He could feel the heat from the iron plate, its warmth not yet fully dissipated.

He looked inside the furnace again.

He saw the red leash, now horribly mangled, that he had seen in the owner’s photo album.

And also the body of the white dog, charred and dead.

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