~First Chapter~

A man's house, can it ever be spick and span? Well not always and this was an exception. His apartment was almost spotless. A person has got to have a flaw right? The furniture in his lonely apartment was illuminated by the moon's shine through his full-length window. The beautiful silence was broken by an alarm set by him.

He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. He stretched his arms out and smiled. Another meaningful experience for him was up ahead. He switched the lights on and made his bed before grabbing his towel which was hanging over a chair.

After the cooling shower, he put his clothes on and headed to the kitchen for a bite. Next, he took his navy blue sling bag and slipped it across his body. He was ready for another day at work.

He ran down the stairs as though it was a morning workout for him. 

"Good morning Mrs. Kim!" He greeted with a glee. 

"Ah, going to work, Ki Woong?" The old woman grinned revealing crooked teeth.

"Yes, I am. Be careful with your back. We don't want you hurting yourself again do we?" 

Mrs. Kim laughed. "That was only one time. It was no big deal." 

Ki  Woong tried arguing but Mrs. Kim hurried him off to work before he could start nagging at her again. 

-----

"Hey buddy." Minwoo raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement.

"Hey. You're in such a good mood today. Whats up?" Ki Woong probed. 

Minwoo let out a grin, clearly holding in his excitement. "My wife told me she's pregnant last night." 

"I share your joy bro!" Ki Woong punched the side of Minwoo's shoulder in a friendly manner. 

"Thanks man. Lets go for a drink after our shift." 

"Sure but you're paying."

"Hey!" 

Ki Woong shook his head and chuckled. He walked over to his locker.

He opened the door to his locker and held his uniform up with pride. It had been his childhood dream to be a paramedic. He took off his navy blue sling bag and stuffed it into his locker. He quickly changed into his uniform, equipped with his bulky black boots. Then he headed for the office where everyone would wait until there was an announcement of an emergency. The office was small but able to fit around 16 people inside. There was a long table in the middle of the room. Computers were put on every person's desk. They were seated in a way where they were facing one another along the two long sides of the table. They talked among themselves, joking around and making empty talks. Ki Woong laughed along when the joker in their team, Woo Shik, made a comment about the show he watched recently.

"Seriously though they could have been realistic about it. Who do they think watches dramas? Kids? Come on." Woo Shik rolled his eyes. 

In the midst of their laughter, the siren in the building flared which meant that there was an emergency case. Everyone grew silent as they quickly made their way into their respective vehicle. Ki Woong ran towards an ambulance. 

At the back of the ambulance, Ki Woong prepared the necessary items which would be needed later. He listened closely as the information of their case was announced in the ambulance. Ki Woong took deep breaths and hardened himself so that he wouldn't squirm in the face of gruesome bodies. 

There was heavy traffic as it was the peak hour where many people rushed to get home after work. Ki Woong felt a lump in his throat for no reason. It made him feel bad about this case they were about to handle. Woo Shik who was seating next to the driver, announced into the speaker for the cars ahead to move away to let the ambulance pass. Some cars moved. However, some remained in their position, stubborn. Woo Shik pleaded through the speaker. Selfish. Ki Woong was starting to feel angry at the inconsiderate drivers ahead. After much persuasion, the stubborn drivers yielded and soon their journey was rather smooth much to the ambulance team's relief.

The ambulance came to a steady stop in front of the building. It was ablaze. The fire had the building in such a short period of time. Ki Woong's jaw dropped as he saw the situation. It was his first time doing such a big scaled case. Ki Woong's team leader, Yoon Kwang tapped on his shoulder and signalled to him that they should get started. Yoon Kwang gave instructions to the whole team. His ambulance team was set to work, in search of casualties at the scene. Ki Woong went around and saw a black silhoutte on the ground. People were standing around her whispering to each other. He glanced at the crowd and went up to it, then realising that it was an old woman with grey hair. Her face was brightened by the orange flame in the building. Ki Woong went up to her and knelt down beside her. There was no visible injury at a glance. He instructed for everyone to move away to give her air to breathe. 

"Madam, I'm a paramedic. Are you alright? Do you feel pain anywhere?" Ki Woong asked while slipping his hands into medical gloves.

The old woman turned her head to face him. Her eyes widened as though she saw a horrifying scene and Ki Woong's heart almost skipped a beat as he became worried. The old woman started mumbling unrecognisable words. Ki Woong put his ear next to her face to try and listen to what she was saying amidst the screaming and murmurings.

Ki Woong furrowed his eyebrows. The only thing he managed to capture was, " Let him be next. Park Ki Woong."