It poured when they arrived at the hospital. The tall pale building sent shivers down Changmin’s spine as he followed the detective. He hid the camera under his arm and let the woman do the talk. A plump nurse with an exhausted smile led them behind large doors. The hallway gave Changmin a sensation of sterile; the lack of color disturbed him. Detective Jun saluted a fellow officer who had been designed as a door guard. The nurse pushed aside thick azure curtains. Changmin stopped. He had a weird feeling he wasn’t supposed to see what lay behind. The corner of his eyes caught a malevolent shadow. Its claws grew longer and advanced towards Changmin. He had nowhere to run.

The little gap between the curtains enlarged as detective Jun gave the occasional photographer a quizzical look. Changmin pardoned himself and followed the woman. All of his recent fears vanished in an instant when before him stood another man. The lack of a lab coat assured Changmin they were still far from his so called “nephew”.

“Mister Shim, this is my partner, detective Kang.” The woman presented the said person as he bowed down in respect. Changmin followed his act. Undigested food clewed inside of him. The putrid smell of disinfectant caught his stomach’s contents in his throat. His palm covered his mouth and nose to no avail. He couldn’t shake off the same conclusion – he shouldn’t be there.

“Mister Shim, are you alright?” Detective Jun approached the distressed man and offered her hand. Changmin waved it away. He had to adjust to the new environment before he could speak again. Detective Kang ignored the two as he flipped his notebook and searched for key words. He scribbled the last thing he had heard from the paramedics after a second interrogation.

“Well then, shall we proceed?” he placed the notebook inside his jacket’s deep pockets and tried to smile. He failed miserably because of his irked mood. Superiors knew he loathed those missions. It was part of his duty as a man of law to investigate them, regardless of the crime’s nature. So there he stood and waited for the closest (area wise) relative to arrive.

“Of course.” The nurse answered as she motioned for the three of them to go pass another door. Changmin didn’t know what to expect anymore. All monstrosities succumbed to boredom. He had better things to do. Well, not really, he lived alone with no other soul to keep him company – not even a pet – so nobody eagerly waited for his return. Changmin’s job also let him enjoy more freedom than necessary. He was one of those strange individuals to meet – he rarely worked, lurked around town and ended his day with a solitary dinner at candle light. The last part was purely artistic. He took haunting photos using the flame’s effect.

Changmin didn’t realize when they left the luminous hallways. Rows of windows reminded him of a nursery. There were no newborns behind thick glasses, no screams for survival or tightly wrapped puppets imitating babies. Each room contained a long bed, a table with two chairs and the same pristine walls. The Detectives’ footsteps echoed in the still grey corridor. His were partly audible; the nurse’s small and rapid footsteps couldn’t be heard. Changmin concluded they were at the morgue, or something similar. Upon further inspection, he observed a door near each window. He wasn’t sure about that theory anymore.

The last set revealed something Changmin hasn’t been expecting. There was no corpse, no dead child and no intestines in transparent jars. A teenager sat on a white bed with white sheets and a light blue pillow. The bed was situated at the far left corner. His hair covered most of his face and his clothes were a purple T-shirt and long black pants. Cuts and bruises all over his arms indicated a recent struggle. Some areas were bandaged. He seemed to be watching the small TV installed over a table, so small, Changmin thought those were recycled long ago. Detective Jun told the nurse something that escaped him. She nodded in response and entered the room.

The boy suddenly turned around. His lips were broken and his eyes were still far from Changmin’s view. The nurse tried to approach him, only for the youngster to move afar from her and lean against the walls. He pulled his legs up and embraced his knees to his chest, trembling ever so slightly. It was as if nobody was entitled to touch him. The nurse lowered towards him and tried pushing some hair strands out of his face. Changmin stared. Curiosity got the best of him. The youngster slapped her hands away and honey sugared orbs turned towards the window. Hatred mingled with severe pain.

“Is he your nephew, mister Shim?”

He heard one of them speak, but had no idea who. Their voices twisted and twirled until they disappeared into oblivion. The only thing that mattered right then was that look.

He judged him. It was his fault, his fault for everything.

“Yes... he is.” answered Shim Changmin. The one without nephews found a mesmerizing creature awaiting its salvation. Changmin decided he shall play the hero. His fingers twitched with the need to snap a photo. Despite its broken attire, that child had some perfection in him.