Seohyun fidgeted with her phone, almost dropping it from her grasp. She anxiously dialed a number, idly standing in the busy hallway of the hospital. With each passing ring, she grew increasingly uneasy.

"Hello?"

"Jiwoo," she breathed like her lungs were whipping at the air for the last tendrils of oxygen. "You need to come," she said through the phone, trying her best to be discrete.

"What's the matter? Where are you now? Are you alright?" he questioned one after another, his tone rough and on edge.

Seohyun didn't expect for the tense flurry of words to blast from the phone and pelt her ears like endless rain. She was guilty of infecting him with her angst. "I'm fine, but Kitel is awake. She's been awake since earlier in the morning."

"What?" The revelation hit him like a hard blow to the face. "How come no one called us? Not even Eunho?"

"I don't know. Dr. Kim told me they alerted the police department and the law firm? She requested to talk to me, and I came out of her room just now to let you know."

"Shit," Jiwoo swore under his breath, then came a pause. "Is this what that text meant?"

"What text?"

"I received a text earlier in the morning urging me to come to the hospital tonight."

Thrills of goosebumps crawled up her arms and tense shoulders. Could it be a warning? A trap, perhaps? Seohyun pressed her lips together nervously, fiddling with the bell of the stethoscope hanging around her neck like a dead snake. It was a nervous habit she repeated back in her early days of residency, now flooding back as a coping mechanism for the stress burrowed in her senses. Could it be the same anon sending me these dreaded texts as well?

"We're processing some documents at the office, but we'll try our best to get there asap. God, why didn't we receive a call? Did the police come today to question her?"

Seohyun sauntered to a more isolated area of the corridor, where the floating hallway overlooked the floors below the clear glass deck. "I've asked around. Nurse Kang says they haven't, but Kitel tells me they did come to question her."

"I passed her a note. A warning to not trust anyone in this hospital. I don't know what else to do; I feel so helpless, Jiwoo."

The silence of the empty hall made her blood as cold as the dry air that crept through the building. Bereft of any commotion she had grown accustomed to tuning out, no shouting nurses, no riot of footsteps walking up and down the floors. Just her and the phone wedged between her cold fingers and prickled ear.

"Please come, Jiwoo," she blurted out, desperation leaking in her tone like a ruptured water pipe, every muddled thought just pouring endlessly.

"Wait for me. I'll be there in fifteen." And with that, the line cut dead. Seohyun slowly lowered her phone and slipped it in the pocket of her lab coat. A sick feeling was curdling in her mouth like rotting butter melting into acidic bile. Coupled with her hollow stomach, she wasn't sure how much more she could take on for the night.

Should I find Dr. Jong? But god, that would be so selfish of me. Just endure it for the night, you'll be fine.

Shaking her head as if it would jitter awake, Seohyun backed off of the dead corner and retreated to the halls lined with wards and patient rooms. The night was slowly dying into the depths of a nocturne, with that came quiet and dark hallways that soothed patients to sleep.

Seohyun froze in her path, eyes trained on a patient room in the distance. She wrinkled a brow once she saw the door left slightly ajar. I swear I closed it when I left her room. Cautiously, she approached the room.

Her eyes were glued to the gaping door like a jumpscare was waiting to surprise her the moment she looked away. Everything felt different under the dimness of the corridor; like someone painted the place in a monochrome of dark colors. The stillness of the air seemed to suck even the sound of her footsteps into nothingness.

Arriving at the entrance, Seohyun squeezed her vision through the tight space of the doorway. Her breathing hitched in her throat, almost choking her. A white figure loomed by the bed, like an angel of death ready to whisk away someone to paradise.

Who the hell...

Moving her head to see more of the room, Seohyun spotted a syringe floating in the air in someone's grasp. The fine needle flared in the darkness, the metal spinning like silver in the shadows.

Paralyzed in fear, Seohyun watched as liquid squirted out of the tip of the needle. The faux doctor lifted the victim's arm, and that was when the adrenaline kicked in her system, diverting blood to her muscles as if it were caffeine buzzing her awake.

"Stop!"

She crashed through the entrance with an outstretched arm, then went on to tackle the perpetrator. Seohyun grabbed at his wrist, pulling him away from the patient's arm. A rough grunt was muffled through his surgical mask, and he swiftly raised the syringe to stab at Seohyun.

Catching his other wrist before he could swing the needle at her, Seohyun was now caught in a fight of force. It was then she managed to take a good look at the criminal. A white surgical mask covered his face, and black goggles were secured as well. A surgical hat was bound around his head, but wisps of hair were still able to peak out. Could he really be a doctor? The way he wears that cap so clumsily is pathetic.

Distracted by her thoughts, the man pushed Seohyun backward, knocking over a medical cart that clattered upon impact. The momentum made her trip over her steps, then falling back to the cold hard floor.

"Mmph," Seohyun grumbled, now at a disadvantage with the man toppled over her. He quickly mounted his knee on her thigh, clipping her under his hold. Seohyun pulled at every muscle in her fists to push his hands away, not caring whether her tendons would snap due to the pressure. Seohyun watched the needle shaking in his hold, pointed towards her as it slowly neared closer and closer with her muscles giving up under his strength.

Her breathing was ragged, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest, flailing around in heated panic as if it would pop like a balloon at any given moment.

A militia of chills wrapped around her spine as his horrific face hovered over her vision. Flashbacks ignited her vision for a second, nightmares of her depressing days back in the academy blared her sight.

The dank alleyway behind school

The sour taste of my cherry blood

The crackle of another guy's knuckles against my bones

A blood-curling scream reaped through the thick air, Seohyun's eyes darted over to Kitel, who was sitting up in bed, hysteria enveloping her. The man cringed for a moment, and Seohyun took the chance to grab at the syringe.

He didn't put up a fight, releasing the syringe before scurrying out of the room. Seohyun jumped right on her feet, glancing once at Kitel before dashing after the man.

Her eyes searched the hallways until a shred of white fabric whizzed by the sharp corner of the isolated corridor she was at earlier. She chased after him, her white sneakers squeaking against the friction of the tiles with every brisk step she took.

Rounding the corner, she caught him standing by the elevator, waiting for its arrival. He snapped his head at her, before hastily moving to the nearby stairs.

Seohyun followed, climbing up the steps in a frenzy to catch him. Smart of him to choose this time of the night, knowing these halls would be empty. Fuck him.

They ascended the stairs, the sound of their paces bouncing off of the floors. "Ugh!" Just as Seohyun turned to scale the next flight of stairs, she bumped into none other than Jisu, falling back on her rear.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she seethed, teeth bearing as she watched Jisu gather up the boxes of medicine scrambled everywhere.

"God, what's wrong with you people. I was just in the stock room getting medical supplies, bitch."

Seohyun reserved her anger and the need to beat some sense into Jisu. Her vision focused behind Jisu, and she watched as a door moved to a close by the top of the staircase. "Look, if you want to get on my good side, call the fucking police right now!" Seohyun sped past her, tailing after the criminal who disappeared into the storage room.

Seohyun slipped inside and found it to be dark as a bottomless pit. She pressed her palm on the wall by the doorway, feeling for a light switch. Fuck. The lights were busted.

Seohyun carefully moved forward, taking her phone at the same time to open a flashlight. Click. A soft sound reverberated from behind, making her spin around instantly.

Rushing to the door, Seohyun tried twisting the handle and violently shaking it to no avail. She was stuck, locked from the outside. "Fuck! Jisu fuck you!" Seohyun kicked at the door, the tumultuous bangs shaking the door in a rage of fury.

Panting, she stopped to take a break, cupping her knees as the sweat dripped from her face like a shower of rain.

Shuffling sounded behind her, and she immediately turned around, shining the light of her flashlight to where the noise came from. The tight place was empty, with no sign of life or even a mere insect that inhabited the room. It was packed with tall stacks of shelves clustered with packages of medicine and hospital supplies.

It was then she realized she must've fallen into a trap. She had gone from being the cat to a tiny mouse. She was now locked in a room, with none other than the sinister villain. I need a way out; I don't want to find out what he'll do to me now that we're alone together.

Seohyun squinted in the distance where a path was lined with more shelves. She recognized the small flight of stairs that led to a platform where another entry stood. When a door closes, another opens. It was another chance, a chance to escape the madman.

Seohyun sprinted straight to the exit where a heavy metal door awaited. She wrapped her hand around the handle and heaved it open.

A gust of cold wind immediately kissed her cheeks, the biting cold of midnight punishing her with a taste of winter nights. She was out in free air, standing in the rooftop of the hospital. Not far off was a circular platform with a bold 'H' engraved on the ground; it covered almost the whole expanse of the place. Just beyond the platform reserved for helicopters to land, another room stood still, beckoning Seohyun to come and search for an escape.

Relief began to tingle her tense muscles, holding on to the silver lining of hope that an exit was waiting for her on the other side. She began making her way; eyes fixed straight ahead.

Just as she was halfway to the platform, the sound of steps crunching on the solid concrete sizzled in her ears. A wave of goosebumps sparked her arms, and she swallowed the lump lodged in her throat.

Calm down, don't panic.

Her gaze slowly shifted to her left, but she didn't dare to look back so much as look over her shoulder. She stopped, hearing no sound. Again, she continued her pace and the steps returned as well in sync with her.

Stepping on the platform, Seohyun gradually hastened her walk, until it grew to a full-blown jog. Her pulse quickened, heart thudding like a rock rattling in a box.

Almost there, just a little bit more.

Her confidence sunk, and fear replaced it as she reached the middle of the platform. A hand grabbed at her shoulder, spinning her around.

Seohyun screamed, the high-pitch ripping into the cold breeze and dispersing in waves through the cold air. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to push the man away as he forcefully held on to her shoulders.

"Seohyun, it's me."

The familiarity of his voice caused her to look him in the eye for confirmation, and sure enough, it was Jiwoo. She felt her whole body relax, and she closed her eyes, eyebrows scrunched together.

There were mixed feelings, the wave of anger from him not making his presence known sooner. But it was overshadowed by the sheer relief of seeing him, knowing he was now here, with her.

"You scared the shit out of me." Seohyun clenched and unclenched her jaw as she looked away. "I thought... I don't know... what was going to happen to me."

"I came looking for you as soon as I arrived. Jisu said you were in the room back there. What are you even doing here?" Apparent worry was etched in his words, but more than that utter confusion.

"Jisu, huh?" Seohyun swirled her tongue on the roof of her mouth, wrath rifling like an impossible build up steam, burning her on the way out like an unstoppable fire.

She shook her shoulders free of Jiwoo's hold, and her inner consciousness instantly longed for the warmth from his hands. "That bitch! She's the reason I'm here! She said to come meet her at the storage room, and then, this fake doctor waltz into Kitel's room and tries to inject her and tries to attack me, and then now I'm chasing down this criminal and locked in that room by that cunning tramp and... and..."

Seohyun ran her fingers through her hair, nails digging into her scalp as she tried to wrap her head around everything that happened so far. These days she felt like she was just on the verge of going insane, everything just dropping on her like an endless torrent of explosions.

"The hell? What were you thinking trying to chase down that guy!?" Jiwoo grabbed at her shoulders, his grasp tight as if she would slip away the moment he let go. "Are you crazy? Do you want to die?"

Stunned, Seohyun stared straight at him. Lost for a moment in his mesmerizing eyes that beckoned her to fall into a cave of secrets. Then, her anger began trickling in quicker than ever, flames of a fire stirring awake. "You've got to be kidding me," she scoffed, blood boiling in her head.

"And here I thought you were sensible. What if something happened to you? Did you get amnesia? Have you just forgotten that they're after you as well?" Jiwoo gritted his teeth together, not being able to wrap his head around her impulsive behavior.

"Well, what else do you expect me to do! It was late and the wards are obviously empty at that time, I can't just call for help!"

"Oh, so that gives you the right to act like a hero and go after a criminal? What were you expecting to do once you corner him? Fall into a trap? Get raped? Get killed?"

She kept silent, reflecting on his words. I hate that he's right. I didn't even think that ahead. What was I going to do when I came face to face with him?

"I'm sorry, I should've come sooner. I know you were just trying to help..." Jiwoo placed a hand on his forehead, closing his eyes as he rubbed his temples in an effort to alleviate the headache stirring. "Look, we're skating on thin ice here. Before anything bad happens, you better stop working night shifts, or at best, go on leave."

"What? Are you fucking serious now!" Seohyun took a step back, fists staying firm by her sides. "No! I'm not letting this mess interfere with my work! Who do you think you are? My mom? My dad? I'm not a kid anymore, Jiwoo!"

She bent her head to the side, trying to read his face as if it would give her access to whatever was going on in his head. "Before, you said you needed me to be your eyes and ears at the hospital, to keep on the lookout for you. Why are you telling me to leave my job? Do you deem me useless just because I can't catch a criminal on the run?" The pent up frustration steamed off of her as she said those words, almost hurt at the possibility there could be truth in her claims.

"Seohyun, I can't lose you!" He squeezed her by her sides, shaking her as if it would rattle some sense into her mind. "I never underestimated you. Hell, I probably wouldn't have even a single clue in this case without you, but I can't fucking allow myself to put you at risk any longer!" His chest heaved in a steady but rocky rhythm as he searched her face for any hope that she would understand his feelings.

"Please, I'm asking you," he said barely above a whisper, pleading like a relentless beggar on the street.

Her face was bitter with scorn, and she lifted her hand to push him away. "Fuck off."

Seohyun turned to the exit that was waiting for her on the other side. Even with Jiwoo here, she didn't want to take her chances going back the way she came from.

"Saranghaeyo."

Seohyun halted, caught off guard by his sudden remark. The richness of his calm voice waved in the air, kissing her ears like a mellow lullaby.

Jiwoo stood there idly, her frozen back staring at him. He wasn't sure what he was expecting at that point, but could only watch as she walked away, not even sparing a glance at him.

Hello everyone! How's it going? As promised, here is today's update! It took a while to finish since I had something scheduled earlier. Unfortunately, this is a crap rough draft, I barely proofread it so I have a feeling I might have a lot more mistakes here than usual :') Apologies, I just really wanted to get this out there because I was so excited to know your thoughts! Please let me know what you think and leave comments below as per usual, I really love interacting with you guys. And please support this book by tapping that little star so it light up. Cheers~

P.S. new banner made by the talented korralistic ♡ Supposed to be a gif banner but it exceeded the file size so I'll have it fixed asap so you can enjoy it as well!