He woke up. The ambulance swirled inside a black void as Daniel’s confusion grew stronger. A man took his pulse while another strapped an oxygen mask over his face. He hated that thing perturbing his mouth; it made him dizzier than he already was. They talked in an alien language. Those words were as complicated as mathematics. Yet, he better understood the second one. There was always a solution to a problem. Philosophy taught him there were always multiple solutions to a single problem and sometimes, one of those solutions wasn’t viable.  But it was an option to be considered, an assumption instead of a conclusion. Also, the problem might have been false from the very beginning, so the solution is the problem. In that moment, his main concern was his jumping intestines. Daniel reached for the mask and pulled it off with the last of his strength. He turned around and regretted profoundly the previous nights. One of the paramedics helped him get in a better position after he emptied his stomach’s last contents. Where was all of that coming from? He received some water and he was relieved to some degree. Daniel leaned his head against the man’s chest and breathed heavily before getting back the mask. Everything went dark from there.

That’s mostly what he remembered. He woke up again from the ruckus the same nasty nurse did every single time she stepped inside his room. She was the first one he met while she stripped him of his old clothes. Another woman came and took photos of his self. Strong flashes of light didn’t bother him. Blinks were only out of his body’s habits, not his mind’s conscious affairs. His eyes locked with that of the nurse’s annoyed pairs. Her grimace, so full of disgust, made Daniel sick again. He straighten for the camera, proud of everything he had to offer as a youth.

Let them all see!

She handed him a hospital gown and helped him dress with the same antipathy on her face. She clearly didn’t enjoy being around that particular patient. It was like he had the plague or other disease he should be ashamed of. Daniel wasn’t sure how true that was; at least not until the same woman who took the photographs came closer. She lifted his arms and revealed his hands. She took his fingertips, scrubbed whatever dirt she could find under his nails and took a sample of his saliva. She also forced him to turn around a couple of times until she was satisfied with the situation. What frightened her sadly (and amused Daniel) was her suspicious glare and somewhat puzzled expression. Fine wrinkles waved over her forehead and around her almond eyes.

He had the room all for himself afterwards. No annoying nurse, no doctor and no weird lady. He had no idea how much time passed. He couldn’t sleep at all because he wasn't tired. Staring at the ceiling seemed rather pleasant. His mouth still tasted horrible. Only water was available for him at that time. Soon, a man he hadn’t seen before entered with a different nurse. That woman wasn’t as repugnant as the other, with her delicate features and warm brown eyes. She hurried to Daniel’s side when he tried to stand up and helped him. Her touches weren’t as bad and she even flatted his pillow. He could only stand on one side, blankly gazing at the man with the black notebook and pen in hand.

“Hello there. I’m detective Kang,” a long pause followed. Daniel simply nodded his head in acknowledgement “And I’m here to ask you a few questions. First of all, do you know your name?”

Of course he knew his name. What kind of stupid question was that? Wasn’t it a little too late to ask it?

“Daniel.” he uttered and spooked himself at the tone of his voice – dull, lifeless.

“Daniel... Daniel how?” the detective scribbled in that silly note of his.

“Daniel.” The younger one wasn’t about to give out answers that might end him in some dark place. Not that the hospital was better than seclusion.

“Alright Daniel, how old are you?” the detective tried to give him a smile. Daniel saw it sketchy through his blurry view. His hands rubbed at his eyes until the image cleared.

“Seventeen.” He answered and preserved the same voice as before. Detective Kang nodded and pulled a chair from nearby. The screeching sound from the floor made Daniel wince. What kind of moron was he?

“Do you know what happened?”

Daniel could feel the blanket falling from his body. He didn’t wish to be seen by that guy. It wasn’t that he was afraid of him; he merely considered him worthless of his time. He had been in worse situations. Those policemen were good only at receiving their salary. His legs wiggled in a futile attempt to regain half of the blanket “No.”

The detective seemed to take note of that as he jumped from his sit and placed the blanket back all over his body. It took him more than expected, his eyes fixed on the creature before him. He cleared his throat and returned at his sit. “Do you remember anything?”

Daniel did remember most of it, especially the phone calls because he loved to hear him breathe from the other line. It aroused his imagination to no end. The things they could do together night after night. He loathed being succumbed to the same plain date in the alleys. “No.”

“Who were you with last night?”

He was with him, of course, who else would dare come near him? His fierce eyes staring inside his while he cupped Daniel’s chin and forced his thumb and index finger over his cheeks. Those full lips stretched in a devilish smile as he blew smoke over his face. “Nobody.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Tears erupted from that toxic gas. He remembered how they kissed afterwards; mainly Daniel was the one that launched his body upon the other. He always infuriated him when he did that and called him a kid that knew nothing about the “real” world.  “The sidewalk.”

“That’s where you fainted.”

“I guess.”

“Where do your parents live?”

Daniel flinched for a second. It was subtle. The last thing he needed was for his parents to find out. His father wouldn’t care of his condition, he probably hasn’t even noticed his absence; he’d play the Good Samaritan in front of authority and verbally assault Daniel. Back home, he’d take a bottle or two and reveal his true intentions. His father had blood on his hands. Daniel didn’t want to share his sister’s fate. His mother was worse because she let everything be performed in front of her; she was the ultimate sadist among the three.  “Not in Seoul.”

“Then, why are you in Seoul?”

That was something he couldn’t quite answer. He had a reason, long time ago. Then he discovered another and hung into that person for a whole year, until he was thrown on the streets like a dead bird. Not literally since he was still offered physical shelter; the emotional attachment vanished over the course of a few weeks. Apparently, he had found another jewel to polish as he wasn’t shiny enough and too cheap to take pride in. That’s when he came into his life and turned it all upside down; in a good way. Until the day detective Kang decided it was best to examine him like some kind of criminal.  “I live with my uncle.”

“What’s your uncle’s name?”

He shuffled his memory’s drawers. He knew he had an uncle, but had no idea what his name was or if his father was telling the truth. He simply threw the first thing that he discovered among the rubbish his brain possessed. He had to clean up soon. He craved that freshness. “Changmin. His name is Changmin.”

“Changmin how?”

Daniel restrained his reaction. He couldn’t afford snorting. “Changmin.”

“Have you ever possessed or ingested any illegal substances?”

Shouldn’t alcohol also be illegal at his age? Why wasn’t the detective taking that into consideration? Daniel looked around and it hit him. He had forgotten where he had been entrapped. They probably figured out he had played with his life the previous night... or nights, he lacked certainty. Surely the detective didn’t include smoking in the agenda. “Like what?”

“ and such; drugs.”

He wasn’t sure it had been . He had to ask him. Plus, he out pretty soon after. “No.”

Detective Kang suddenly lowered his notebook and crammed the pen between its pages. He closed it and slapped it against his knee. The small sound echoed throughout the room. He lifted his eyes upon Daniel’s fragile figure and couldn’t hold anymore the anger building inside of him. He hated those cases, he truly did, yet that kid was making everything harder than it already was. Lab results usually came pretty late, so the only evidence were the boy’s wounds. He had nothing else to base his affirmations on. Then again, detective Kang was infamous for exaggerating and taking rash decisions. “Daniel, look, we want to help you. You’re clearly lying to me, so you’d better tell me the truth.”

The boy had other plans waiting to be accomplished. His eyelids obstructed half of his vision. “About what?”

“Who you?”

What absurdity! “Nobody.”

“Are you sure?”

Of course he was sure. It was a consensual act. It had always been. What would the detective say if he knew? Maybe that’s why the nurse kept her distance.  “Yes.”

“You’re lying,” the man hissed “You know something, don’t you? What happened last night?”

Daniel had enough. There was nothing to talk about. He had been abandoned again. The reality he couldn’t accept came rushing back. “Nothing happened!” he cried in desperation.

“Who you?”

“You!” Daniel suddenly snapped.

“What?”

“You my sleep. Can I sleep now?”

“Very well. I’ll return later. Maybe you’re more willing to talk then.”

For once in his lifetime, detective Kang found the offer more than welcoming. He must find that said uncle and crack the case.

~||~

Daniel got rid of the hospital gown when they finally gave him some proper clothes. The two nurses visited him frequently. He was surprised to see a third enter the room that day with detective Kang watching from the window. Daniel just wanted to catch the morning cartoons in order to lessen his overloaded spirit. He refused to be another slave, another punching bag and another declaration of stupidity through his stuttering sentences.

He tried to catch detective Kang’s look, yet was mysteriously faced with another man: slender with dry lips and heavy bags under his eyes. He said something to detective Kang. Daniel couldn’t hear; they were too far and the opened door didn’t offer much.

Daniel trembled from the sudden curiosity.

Somehow, he felt he could escape with that man – no detectives, no nurses and no hospital gowns, just the two of them, away from society’s law.