Shindong had never quite understood the others' aversion for talking to him about bodies.

Even Chief Park, the most hardened of the detectives, would turn green when walking into the morgue, though he tried to play it off as fatigue or a headache. It didn't make sense to Shindong, because their jobs all revolved around death.

"Dead men tell no tales," people often said. Well, that wasn't true. The dead men always spoke to Shindong, it was just a matter of knowing what to look for. To Shindong, the victims were all people that needed his help to find peace.

None of the detectives had ever asked Shindong what made him become a medical examiner after he graduated from medical school, but the answer was really simple: He was uncomfortable around living people. Shindong had always been seen by the others as different; in high school, he had been the outcast in his class every year. At first, it hurt to see people pulling their desks away from him or running away when he approached. Later, he realized that it didn't matter what he did, his class had arbitrarily chosen him to be the left out one and he learned to adapt. He stopped keeping personal belongings at school and kept his bag beside him at all times. He made an effort of always being in the teacher's line of vision, where the opportunities to abuse him would be less. After he learned to ignore his classmates and let them fade into the background, his grades rocketed high above theirs.

He thought things would change after he entered medical school, but apparently, there was something about his personality that repelled the others. He had believed that among people with interests similar to his, he would find people to talk to, but somehow most of them were much less interested in talking about what they had learned in anatomy class than they were in poking at their meals. Inevitably, they would make up some excuse and scamper off. So in medical school, as before, Shindong found himself with plenty of time to study.

But he also had his doubts, as graduation approached. He had entered medical school because of his fascinations with the secrets of the human body, but years of study had shown him that he did not have the interpersonal skills required for the job. At first, he'd panicked thinking about what options were open to him after graduation. Then, he had been approached by Chief Park, who mentioned that the police department was hiring a new medical examiner.

For the first time, Shindong found himself with people who would talk to him, not necessarily out of the kindness of their hearts, but at least out of professional need. Yet even as he grew more comfortable with his new colleagues and they began to warm up to him, he sensed that they were still reserved. He supposed he'd never really find people who shared the same interests as he did and to tell the truth, he was beginning to feel more comfortable staying inside, where he had less contact with the living than in the bright outdoors. So he treated the bodies like his friends.

"Shot at close range, weren't you?" he asked the young man who had just been brought in. ".38 caliber bullet in your wound. I'll bet that I can predict the results of your tox report. You were definitely drinking before you were killed and you might have at least one illegal substance in your bloodstream. Am I right?"

There was a slight cough and he looked up to see Haruki standing there with her new partner, that Luhan kid, staring at him. "Hey Shindong," she greeted.

"Do you need aspirin for your menstrual cramps?" he asked. Luhan jumped and stared at his partner in shock as Haruki blushed.

"What do you have for us?" she asked. Yes, there was the testiness. Although Haruki was always most irritated two weeks into her cycle, at the start of ovulation. Must be the LH surge.

"Asian male in his twenties," Shindong replied. "Shot at close range." He described the injuries inflicted on the body, noting out of the corner of his eye as her new partner grew more and more pale.

"Would you like some water?" he asked. Without removing his gloves, he went over to the sink and filled up a paper cup with water.

"N-no," Luhan stammered. "I think I...um..." He stared helplessly at his partner.

Luckily for him, Haruki understood the subtext even if Shindong didn't. "You can go."

"Thank you!" Luhan jumped and sprinted out of the morgue. Shindong frowned, trying to diagnose his problem. It wasn't like this was his first autopsy.

"Can you not do that to him on his first case?" Haruki asked.

"Do what?"

"Gross him out by describing the details of how bullets penetrate flesh," Haruki replied.

Shindong's frown deepened. "But this is his first murder case, I thought he would want to-"

"No. No one wants to hear these things. Not ever. And while you're at it, can you stop talking to the bodies? It's creepy to watch."

Yes, she was definitely starting her period. Her temper was always worst on her first day.

"Who am I supposed to talk to?" Shindong retorted. "I'm only doing my job and it drives you all away." He looked down at the dead young man. "That's why I talk to him. He can't judge me or snap at me. He talks to me, tells me the story of what happened to him. And I can help him."

Haruki's brow was slightly furrowed with an expression that was unfamiliar for her. If it had been anyone else, Shindong would have thought she was feeling guilty. "Shindong, you can always talk to us. We're your colleagues and your...friends."He couldn't help snorting slightly, which she evidently noticed because her discomfort rose. "We're not trying to shun you or anything. But you need to realize that you're a lot more comfortable with death than we are." 

"But you work with dead people all the time."

"But I don't need to know what was in the victim's stomach unless it'll help me find his killer. To the rest of us, it's kind of...disgusting."

Shindong's brow furrowed.

"I'm just saying, try to tone it down around the rest of us. Especially Luhan. He needs some time to get adjusted. Okay?"

The medical examiner nodded. "It's fascinating that you behave maternally around him even when your progesterone levels are low. Was I wrong about your cycle?"

"Ugh!" Haruki threw up her hands in exasperation and stormed out of the room.

Shindong looked back down at the young man. "What did I say?

 A/N: Shindong's habit of discussing gross things at inappropriate times? That's actually me. :P