Chapter 25

Frankenstein’s Holes

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By Victoria Han

Police insiders believe the bizarre crime that hit one of Seoul’s most prestigious nightclubs last night may be linked to last week’s vandalism at a gallery in Apgujeong.

In the early hours of this morning, three large holes were discovered sawn through the private VIP booth area of Ellui Club in Cheongdam, one of the country’s most exclusive nightlife venues, frequented by celebrities including Lee Seungri, Jung Joon-young, and Paris Hilton.

The club will remain closed for at least three nights while police examine the four member-only booths that were merged into one after three adjoining walls were cut through.

A club insider has told Hankyoreh that each hole measures approximately one square metre and was likely made using a hacksaw.

Perhaps most remarkably, the rooms were reportedly paid for in cash by a tall male customer dressed as Frankenstein’s Monster.

Police sources have confirmed that the masked man, captured on the club’s CCTV, is their prime suspect. However, due to his Halloween costume, investigators have so far learned little beyond his height, build, and the possibility that Korean may not have been his first language.

After paying for the rooms, the suspect ordered a bottle of gin, four glasses, tonic water, and a fruit platter for each booth.

Club sources told this paper that none of what was purchased was consumed. Instead, the food and drink were later found covered in sawdust.

The suspect was not seen leaving the booths until after all three holes had been completed, leading investigators to believe he climbed through each opening before cutting the next.

All of this happened beneath the noses of thousands of late-night revelers, hidden by the booths’ extensive soundproofing.

This latest act of intricate vandalism is already being linked to the destruction of forty-eight photographs by artist Atta Kim at Changmi Gallery in Apgujeong just one week ago.

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The two crimes share two striking similarities. No one has been physically harmed. Nothing appears to have been stolen.

Furthermore, Atta Kim’s photographs were left scattered across the gallery floor. At Ellui, the only thing left behind was the cash used to pay for the rooms.

These similarities have left both police and the public asking the same question:

Why?

Police are still refusing to officially link the Ellui and Changmi incidents.

However, sources close to the investigation suggest detectives increasingly believe they are dealing with a perpetrator who is not motivated by profit—but by spectacle.

Online speculation is already gathering momentum, with bloggers and social media users suggesting the so-called “Holemaker” may be targeting symbols of wealth, indulgence, and the excesses of modern Korea’s nouveau riche.

Whatever the motive, Seoul now waits to see whether a third act is coming.