Free CaseAdvanced Β· Directional Deixis Β· 45β60 min
κΊΌμ§ μκΆμ΄
The Cold Hearth
π The Annex Β· Seorya-jae Β· Gangwon Mountains Β· First Snow
A revered antiques master gathers four people to a snowbound mountain hanok to name his heir β then is found dead at dawn by a cold furnace, its flue packed with snow. It looks like a tragic accident. No forged wills, no faked dialect. Just four guests who swear they never left their rooms β and a message that, in Korean, could only have been written by someone standing at the scene. Your partner needs you to catch the direction word that gives the killer away.
Han Do-gyeong νλκ²½ β Antiques master Β· 40 years collecting
Location
Seorya-jae hanok β the annex Β· Gangwon Mountains Β· first snowstorm
What we know
Found at dawn in the detached annex, slumped by the warm ondol floor. Cause of death: carbon-monoxide poisoning from the old furnace, its flue packed with snow β every winter it takes someone. Four guests were snowed in for the night; all four gave statements before noon. The official line: a tragic accident, no witnesses. Your partner read the messages twice and disagrees β in Korean, she says, one word tells you exactly where a person was standing.
"This one hides in plain sight, so read slowly. No documents to forge, no dialect to fake β just four people who swear they stayed in their rooms β and a message that says otherwise. Korean carries direction inside its words: μ€λ€ is come toward me, κ°λ€ is go away from me, and μ¬κΈ° is right here where I stand, so you can only say βcome hereβ from the place itself. Read every message twice. Once for what they say. Once for where the words say they were standing."
How to Use This Investigation
Use the tabs above to navigate freely. Evidence β examine Korean clues, click any word to notebook it. The Scene β read the crime scene in Korean. Suspects β study alibis. Partner β read running analysis. Accuse unlocks after 2 evidence pieces examined.
Crime Scene
Seorya-jae β The Annex
Gangwon Mountains Β· Dawn Β· The snow has stopped. The furnace is cold, and grey ash covers the floor.
Scene Description β click Korean words to learn them
Physical Evidence
βA fall against the marble plinth in the back room
βA full glass of wine, untouched, beside the body
βThe back room sits outside every cameraβs angle
βKey-log: four people in the station after 11 PM
βNo struggle β she never saw it coming
What's Missing
?No sign of a struggle before the fall
?Who poured the untouched wine β unconfirmed
?The guest bookβs final signature β untimed
?The curatorβs true exit time β absent from the log
?Statement grammar anomaly
Evidence Β· 0/4 Examined
Four Pieces of Korean Evidence
Open each tile to examine it. Every Korean word is clickable β click to reveal meaning and save to notebook.
β Accuse tab unlocked. You have enough linguistic data β but examine all 4 for the full picture.
Read each alibi carefully. Cross-reference with the linguistic clues in your notebook.
Four people, four statements β and a grammar that quietly marks place. Korean anchors direction to the speaker: μ€λ€ means come toward me, κ°λ€ means go away from me, and μ¬κΈ° means right here where I stand. You can only say "come here" if you are already there. Three guests kept their distance from the annex. One wrote "come here" to it β from the very room where the master would die.
Partner Analysis Log
Oh Soo-jin's Field Notes
No evidence examined yet. Go to the Evidence tab and start reading.
β Formal Accusation
Name the Killer
Select the suspect and the linguistic proof. Both must be correct.
β Wrong. The physical evidence is inconclusive on its own β you need the linguistic proof. Review your notebook and try again.
Step 1 β Select the killer:
Step 2 β Select the linguistic proof:
Verdict
The Killer
π
Yun Mi-rae μ€λ―Έλ
The masterβs apprentice
The Linguistic Proof
Yun Mi-rae swore she never went near the annex β λ³μ± μͺ½μΌλ‘ μΌμ¬λ μ νμ΄μ. Yet the message that drew the master across the snow reads λ³μ±λ‘ μ€μΈμβ¦ μ¬κΈ°μ β "come to the annexβ¦ here." In Korean, μ€λ€ (come) and μ¬κΈ° (here) anchor to the speaker's own position; you can only say "come here" from the place itself. She wrote it standing in the annex, at the hour the flue was packed. A direction word, not a memory β and no innocent guest could have written it.