Chapter 1

I can see the number of people someone has killed floating above their head.

The television was showing a crime report.

"Nine women have disappeared in the city. The perpetrator is still at large."

My boyfriend was sitting across from me.

Above his head was a clear, unmistakable 9.

Ever since I was little, I'd had an unusual ability: I could see strange numbers above people's heads.

I'd never understood what they meant.

Most people around me had the same number: 0.

Occasionally, when I happened to meet a stranger's eyes in the street, I'd see a 1 or a 2.

Anything over 3 was extremely rare.

Today I was meeting my online boyfriend of three months in person for the first time.

The numbers only appeared when I looked directly into someone's eyes. So this was my first time seeing Song Yu's.

9.

My first reaction was surprise and curiosity.

What could have happened in his life to give him such an unusual number?

We ate hot pot and talked about our first impressions of each other.

On the restaurant's wall-mounted television, a crime report was playing.

"Nine women have disappeared in the city. The perpetrator is still at large."

My chopsticks slipped from my hand and fell to the floor.

"What's wrong, Qingya?"

Song Yu looked at me gently, then got up to fetch another pair.

Under the table, my hands wouldn't stop trembling.

Nine missing women.

The 9 above Song Yu's head.

The match was terrifying.

Could it be some horrible coincidence?

A wild hypothesis began to take shape.

Suppose...

Suppose the number showed how many people someone had killed.

Most people had 0.

A few had 1 or 2.

Hardly anyone had more than 3.

That would fit.

If my theory was right...

Could Song Yu be the serial killer?

"What's wrong? You've been distracted for a while."

He put a freshly grilled piece of meat on my plate and asked softly.

I pulled myself together and silently told myself to stay calm.

"The air-conditioning's too cold. I'm a little chilly."

He thoughtfully draped his jacket over my shoulders.

"I'll ask the staff to turn it down."

The moment he left, I took out my phone and searched for information on the serial disappearances in Tongzhou.

The first had happened more than two months ago.

After that, a woman had vanished every seven days.

I worked through the dates.

The ninth victim had disappeared last Saturday.

If the pattern continued...

The perpetrator would strike again today.

I checked my chat history with Song Yu.

We hadn't originally planned to meet today. It was supposed to be Sunday.

The forecast had predicted heavy rain tonight.

But last night—Friday—Song Yu had suddenly said he had an emergency operation at the hospital on Sunday. Could we meet a day earlier?

I'd agreed without giving it much thought.

I'd always been sensitive to things, and now there were too many coincidences not to suspect my online boyfriend.

The date matched.

The number matched.

Together they quietly planted a seed of distrust.

Song Yu soon returned.

The air-conditioning really was less cold.

But a cold sweat kept breaking out across my back.

Everything I'd thought so far was only speculation. I had no evidence.

Maybe I was simply imagining things.

If I panicked and called the police now, I might only make them suspicious of me and bring trouble on myself.

But I couldn't ignore the sense of danger, either.

The best way to protect myself was to send him away, then slip out.

I spoke softly.

"The grilled food's made me thirsty. I ordered two milk teas from a place nearby. Could you pick them up for me?"

Song Yu nodded.

"I'll go now. Wait here, okay?"

As soon as he disappeared from this floor, I rushed to pay and hurried out of the restaurant.

The milk tea shop was several floors away. I'd chosen it deliberately so he couldn't get back too quickly.

Whether he was the killer or not...

Right now, I wanted nothing more than to get home, lock my door and survive the night.

Head down, I hurried toward the mall exit.

And walked straight into a man.

He wore a suit and looked refined and courteous. As he helped me up, he apologized repeatedly.

The instant I met his eyes, I saw his number.

A large 1.

Before I could think, the words left my mouth.

"Excuse me... have you ever killed someone?"

His expression changed instantly.

He flung off my hand, shoved me to the floor and shouted, "Are you insane?!"

I watched him leave, unable to tell whether he'd lashed out because I'd struck a nerve...

Or because he was furious at an outrageous accusation.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

Several messages from Song Yu.

【I'm back at the restaurant. Where are you?】

【Baby, are you okay?】

【I'm coming to find you.】

My heart leaped into my throat.

How had he come back so fast?!

My bruised knee throbbed, but I couldn't spare it a thought. I scrambled up and rushed for the elevator.

Between the fifth floor and the first, my phone rang five or six times.

When the elevator doors opened, I thought I'd escaped.

Then—

Song Yu appeared outside like a ghost, breathing hard, his eyes full of affection.

"There you are."

My mind went blank.

He held out a milk tea with a straw already inserted.

When I didn't take it, he sighed softly and took a sip himself.

"Qingya..."

"Did meeting me in person disappoint you? Is that why you paid and left without telling me?"

For a moment, I couldn't speak.

Honestly, as boyfriends went, there was nothing about Song Yu himself that I found unsatisfactory.

But this was an excellent excuse to get away.

I gritted my teeth and decided to go along with it.

Taking my silence as agreement, he sighed.

"All right. I understand. You could've told me. Don't disappear like that. I was really worried."

He gave a self-deprecating smile.

Seeing it actually made me feel a little guilty.

At the mall entrance, I immediately said goodbye.

"Thank you. I can get home on my own."

But he pointed to the rain outside.

"In this weather? You don't even have an umbrella. It's dangerous to go alone. Let me drive you."

Just as forecast, rain was pouring down.

"Even if we can't be together... at least let me be a gentleman?"

Without giving me a chance to refuse, he put an arm around my shoulders and guided me toward the parking garage.

Struggling now would look far too suspicious.

I could only pretend to agree calmly. I memorized his license plate and sent it to my best friend, just in case.

Song Yu locked the car doors and started the engine.

Rain battered the windows.

I sat in the passenger seat, restless and uneasy.

After all, every fear I had came from my own imagination.

There was no proof that the numbers had anything to do with killing.

The most practical way to find out would be to ask someone with a number higher than 0 how many lives they'd taken.

I'd just tried asking a stranger.

That clearly wasn't going to work.

As for people I knew...

I could think of only one lead.

My university boyfriend—Chen Mu.

When we were together, I'd met his best friend a few times.

I remembered it clearly.

The number above that man's head was 1.