Jongin froze mid-motion. He was in the process of sitting down behind the nurse’s station but now his was hovering over the chair, his gaze stuck on the hasty figure approaching him.

“Can’t believe you’re in on your day off.” Jongin shook his head in disbelief.

“This is more important,” Soonbok retorted, showing no intentions of stopping by the nurse’s station.

Sighing heavily, Jongin joined Soonbok, realising that he would need to provide a handover on the go. He glanced at the clock and felt stupefied by the record speed at which the girl had showed up at the hospital after he informed her Jungwoo had woken up and had already tried to leave once.

“For now he’s staying put in his bed,” Jongin explained. “However we’ve also learnt our lesson after Na Jaemin and have not left him unattended even once. We’ve also texted Kyungsoo. Apparently he left his business card here and requested to be updated about the patient.”

The two nurses were now outside the cubicle where the person of interest was staying. Soonbok bit the inside of her cheek in contemplation. Her eyes sparked in recognitions upon the mentioning of the police officer. She stared down at her outfit — oversized knitted beige jumper over a khaki A-line midi skirt. She did not exactly appear like a healthcare professional, but at the same time she seemed… approachable. Soonbok then remembered the ID stuffed haphazardly into her bag and quickly took it out, carefully laying it around her neck to capture the semblance of professionalism.

Jongin gave Soonbok an encouraging squeeze on her shoulder and subtly passed over a plastic bag to her. The latter offered a smile of appreciation. Knowing that he was no longer needed, Jongin returned to his post, leaving Soonbok alone to recalibrate and ready herself for what was to come. Inhaling and exhaling rhythmically, Soonbok straightened her back and slowly but steadily entered the cubicle, coming into direct eye-contact with a curious yet flustered Kim Jungwoo. The patient quickly diverted his gaze and shuffled deeper into the blankets in an attempt to form a protective barrier.

“Hi Jungwoo. I’m nurse Gae. Despite how I’m dressed, I’m a nurse for real,” Soonbok introduced herself jokingly whilst holding up her hospital ID.

Unsurprisingly, no response came from the male. Unfazed by the lack of reaction, Soonbok settled down in a stool whilst maintaining a modest distance from the bed. She was going to get Kim Jungwoo to engage with her and nothing would deter her.

“Do you know how you ended up here?”

Silence again.

Soonbok was ready to follow up with another question when Jungwoo surprisingly answered.

“Don’t you know already?”

His voice was soft and thin, perfectly matching his delicate features. His long lashes cast shadows over his face, hiding the signs of substance abuse over the years. Gaining some confidence, Soonbok leaned forward, resting her elbows on her legs.

“I know that you made it here alive thanks to a very caring friend.”

Soonbok held her breath. She had taken a gamble with her comment. There was no assurance that Jungwoo would react positively to her words, especially when he remained so guarded. Yet, sometimes the best approach for such patients was to strike straight through the core. In this instance, it seemed that Soonbok’s choices had paid off as Jungwoo’s eyes visibly widened and the defensiveness in his expression morphed into concern.

Not wanting to waste this opportunity, the nurse latched the patient’s opened state. She exposed the plastic bag she had kept hidden, presenting the yellow naloxone.

“Was he with you? Or did he give you this and teach you how to use it?”

Jungwoo swallowed loudly. Yet again his expressive eyes betrayed his attempt to hide his true emotions. He was understandably hesitant to answer, but Soonbok knew that he was on the verge of cracking.

“He won’t be in trouble. Not with me,” Soonbok emphasised in an even tone. “I just want to make sure he is safe, and that you are safe too.”

Soonbok waited. She waited for words to roll out of Jungwoo’s dry lips. She waited patiently, allowing her presence alone to serve as encouragement and protection to the fearful male. Soonbok waited and waited and her efforts bore fruition as Jungwoo’s lips parted while his eyebrows etched together in grief.

“He told me not to. He warned me how dangerous it was but I insisted. I wanted— needed to get high, and smoking it was not enough. I think he was angry with me, but the blue lights made him look so sad too… and then… he looked so scared. I was so high and out of my mind by then that I couldn’t even recognise the blood pouring out of my arm because of the blue lights. Then the pain hit. It was in waves, subtle at first but then became overwhelming and, and— and then I saw Jaemin searching through his pockets, taking out a yellow syringe while also dialling on his phone and…”

It would appear that Jungwoo had been desperate to unleash the guilt and pain and desolation he had been feeling. He needed to be he