Chapter 3
The unpleasant smell of fuel stabbed at my nose.
It was the smell of gasoline, something you would normally expect at a gas station.
Yet I was smelling it inside a department store.
Worse, it was coming from the hallway of the food hall where groceries were sold.
I could not help frowning.
And the hallway in front of me...
It was the exact place I had seen in the news photo that morning.
Normally, even if something seemed strange, I might have ignored it.
But the image from the morning article suddenly overlapped with what I was seeing now.
A department store where an arson attack had supposedly already happened.
Could someone really be trying to copy the crime?
Without realizing it, I began following the smell.
Soon, a man entered my view.
Splash, splash.
An opaque liquid poured from a plastic soju bottle.
I could not tell exactly what the liquid was.
But one thing was certain.
It was not soju.
There was no smell of alcohol.
Instead, an intense oily smell filled the air.
The moment I realized the liquid he was pouring smelled strongly of gasoline, certainty filled me.
That man is the arsonist...!
I was almost certain.
But I could not accuse an innocent person of arson without proof.
So I stopped and watched a little longer.
Splash, splash.
The floor became increasingly covered in liquid.
In gasoline.
I fixed my gaze on the man.
That had to be gasoline...
Then I noticed his pocket.
The man wore completely black clothes, as though he did not want to stand out.
But something barely sticking out of his pocket had a strangely contrasting color.
A tiny translucent pink object.
...A lighter.
The instant I saw it, I knew I could not continue standing there.
There was no clearer sign of arson than this.
Even as I moved toward him, questions kept appearing in my mind.
I had definitely read an article about an arson attack at Shinwoo Department Store this morning.
And now someone was trying to commit arson in the exact same location, using the exact same method?
Yet when I entered the department store earlier...
The exterior and interior had been far too clean for a fire to have happened.
Nothing made sense.
But I did not have time to stand around sorting through the contradictions.
The plastic soju bottle in his hand...
If it really was meant for arson, everyone here, including me, was in danger.
More than half the liquid inside had already been poured out.
I quickly cleared my throat.
“Ahem.”
I stared at his back.
“Excuse me.”
I wanted to call the police immediately.
But I decided the best thing I could do right now was speak to him first.
If I called the police in front of him...
He might immediately light the gasoline.
The man continued walking without even turning around.
He kept pouring the liquid.
I moved closer and shouted louder.
“Excuse me!”
Only then did he turn his head slightly and glance at me.
He said nothing.
Then he turned away again.
Splash, splash.
More gasoline poured onto the floor.
Seeing the floor already soaked, I knew I could not hesitate any longer.
I quickly approached him.
Hearing my footsteps, the man flinched and shouted.
“What do you want?!”
“I’ve been calling you. What exactly are you doing there?”
His face immediately twisted.
He looked at me with murderous hostility.
“Do you want to die?”
“...”
“If you don’t want me to kill you... get lost.”
His words were threatening, but his voice was trembling.
I grabbed the arm holding the bottle.
“I asked what you’re pouring on the floor.”
“Didn’t you hear me say I’ll kill you if you don’t get lost?”
His raised voice attracted attention.
People nearby began looking over.
The moment I noticed that, I moved.
Thwack!
Before he could light anything, I snatched the lighter sticking from his pocket.
Then I wrapped both arms around him from behind and held him tightly.
“What the fuck are you doing?!”
Unable to move his arms or body properly, the man twisted violently.
“Let go of me!”
I threw the lighter far away where he could not reach it.
Then I shouted.
“Call the police! Hurry! He’s trying to set the place on fire!”
My voice echoed through the quiet food hall.
The nearby people screamed.
“Aah!”
“Arson?!”
“Call the police!”
“Hello! There’s an arsonist at the Shinwoo Department Store food hall!”
“You have to hurry! A civilian is holding him right now! Please come quickly!”
After hearing the people calling the police, I used all my strength to hold the man.
He thrashed wildly in my arms.
“Let go! Let me go!”
He looked like a man in his forties.
At first, I thought I could overpower him easily.
I exercised regularly to maintain my stamina.
And as a man in my twenties, I did not think I would lose to him in strength.
But the strength of someone desperately fighting for his life exceeded my imagination.
He threw his head backward.
He kicked my shins.
He stomped on my feet.
“Ugh!”
I gritted my teeth and held on.
He was desperate to escape and commit the crime.
But I was just as desperate to stop him.
If he escaped my arms...
This place could burn.
And I could die with it.
That fear gave me strength.
I tightened my arms even more.
Then...
Bang!
Department-store security guards rushed over and piled onto both of us.
“Fuck!”
Thanks to them, the man was finally restrained.
They surrounded him and prevented him from moving.
Then they carefully helped me up.
“Are you all right?”
Breathing heavily, I stared at the man.
Only a few minutes after the report, police officers rushed onto the scene.
The moment people saw them, they finally seemed relieved.
There was a police station directly across from Shinwoo Department Store.
That must have been why they arrived so quickly.
The police handcuffed the arsonist while the security guards held him down.
