They weighed me. I had lost 1.4 kg since the last time. They also took blood. Even when the needle pierced my flesh, even when they poked the wrong spot several times, I didn’t react. It was the effect of the sedative. The X-ray was to see if I had swallowed something I shouldn’t have.
These physical examinations happened every now and then. The process was incredibly monotonous. After the simple measurements and tests, a consultation with the doctor followed. Nothing out of the ordinary today.
I left the examination room and went to the designated consultation room. The nurse assistant who accompanied me even knocked and opened the door for me. She didn’t speak to me or make eye contact.
Kim Je-guk, who was on the phone, waved his hand instead of saying “Come in.” I quietly closed the door and sat down in the chair opposite him.
“Ah, yes. Yes, of course. How could there be any problem? Ahahaha.”
He bowed his head repeatedly, as if talking to someone in front of him. His face was unusually bright. Was something good happening?
“Don’t worry. Of course. It’s possible even today. Yes.”
Kim Je-guk ended the call with a beaming smile. But when his eyes met mine, he instantly returned to his usual sullen expression. He checked my medical records with a look of annoyance. He skimmed through my injury history and sighed openly.
“You were causing trouble again last night, weren’t you?”
“…….”
“It’s going to happen anyway, so why don’t you just lie there like you’re dead? That way, you’ll be comfortable, and we won’t have any trouble. Aren’t you past the age of rebelling?”
It wasn’t a doctor’s attitude at all. It felt like I had been dragged to the principal’s office instead of a consultation room. When I remained silent, he clicked his tongue and shook his head. He didn’t try to engage in conversation anymore. For a while, only the sound of the keyboard echoed in the small consultation room. He was probably just making up the consultation record for today.
I stared at the golf bag behind Kim Je-guk. It wasn’t there last time. I also looked at the desk calendar. Certain dates were marked with specific symbols. Every time Kim Je-guk moved, his wristwatch caught my eye. It looked quite expensive, if I had to guess.
“The old lady in room 310 said… that the patient in room 308 is missing.”
When I brought it up out of the blue, Kim Je-guk’s hand froze. His eyes were still fixed on the monitor.
He broke the silence with a small sigh. Then he turned his head and looked at me. A vague smile played on his lips.
“That old woman is always delusional, claiming someone is trying to kidnap her. She’s completely gone. Who would want to take that useless old body? You don’t actually believe her crazy talk, do you?”
He asked with a disbelieving tone. He tried to appear nonchalant, but his gaze, which held me, trembled slightly.
“I read in the newspaper yesterday that illegal organ trafficking is rampant these days.”
“What does that have to do with our hospital! Stop your pointless delusions and get out. The consultation is over.”
Kim Je-guk frowned and waved his hand. It was an overreaction. Usually, I would have quietly followed his instructions, but this time, I didn’t budge.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving? I told you to go!”
“The patient in room 412. Every night, he would scream for help, saying someone was trying to kill him… But he’s been quiet lately. I wonder if he’s really sick…”

“That’s none of your business, Mr. Park Joo-wan. Who’s worrying about whom, anyway.”
“…Is he even alive?”
Before I could finish my sentence, I was grabbed by the collar. Kim Je-guk glared at me, pulling me close to his face.
“You crazy bastard… What do you know? Do you think anyone would listen to a piece of trash like you? Just shut up and live like you’re dead. If you don’t want to be separated, your insides from your flesh.”
It was ironic. He had always dismissed everything I said, the same man who said no one would listen to me, a fellow lunatic, was now threatening to kill me if I dared to speak again.
I was immediately kicked out of the consultation room and into the hallway. Usually, I would be thrown back into room 411. But for some reason, the nurses were nowhere to be seen. I could only hear their voices faintly from a distance.
I slowly walked towards them. A patient was causing a commotion in the lounge. He was waving the syringe in his hand, his face panicked. The nurses and guards, who had been invisible until now, surrounded him, trying to calm him down. The other patients watched the scene blankly.
“He’s the patient in room 205. He disappeared a few weeks ago, but he came back yesterday. He has surgery scars. It looks like… they took his kidney.”
I flinched at the sudden voice beside me. I turned my head and saw a middle-aged woman standing next to me. She was wearing a patient gown.
I could tell at a glance that she was in a similar situation to me. Her eyes were filled with resignation, but they weren’t dull.
She muttered hopelessly as she watched the patient in room 205 being subdued.
“It’s a human slaughterhouse. Truly.”

Baek Do-woon tossed his phone aside, his face still half-asleep. The clock showed 3:20 AM. It was still dark outside, and he had only been asleep for an hour. A deep sigh escaped his lips. He had reluctantly answered a few times, but now they were treating him like a personal on-call doctor.

He glared at the innocent clock and then ran his fingers through his hair. His sense of duty was always a problem. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his medical bag. He also collected the blood bags he had stored separately. He didn’t even bother putting on his coat, and he stormed out of the house.

Outside, a black sedan was waiting. A man got out of the driver’s seat as soon as Baek Do-woon appeared. He was a rather imposing figure. Just standing close to him, Baek Do-woon felt completely engulfed by his shadow. Yet, the man bowed politely to Baek Do-woon. He even opened the back door for him.

Baek Do-woon silently got in and sat down. The man, who had quickly returned to the driver’s seat, said, “We’ll be leaving now.” The car slowly pulled out of the apartment complex. So far, so good.

But once the car picked up speed, it started racing, ignoring traffic signals and lanes, roaring with a deafening sound. Baek Do-woon, accustomed to this, fastened his seatbelt and spoke.

“What’s going on this time?”

“The CEO is injured.”

He had heard that vague answer on the phone call earlier. The man slammed the accelerator instead of the brake at a yellow light. The car lurched forward, throwing Baek Do-woon back in his seat. A heavy sigh escaped his lips.

“Ha, who doesn’t know that? Why is he injured again today?”

“There was a problem during a transaction.”

“Yeah, I bet there was. A problem, of course. As if he’d get injured on his own.”

“…….”

The master and his pet. It was truly frustrating and infuriating. If he would just tell me what happened and how badly he was hurt beforehand, it would make treatment easier. But he kept his mouth shut. His expression didn’t even change. He was so consistent that Baek Do-woon had long given up trying to have a conversation with him.

The car, after a series of reckless maneuvers, arrived in front of a nightclub. It had taken only 13 minutes to cover a distance that would have taken 40 minutes if they had followed the speed limit. It was a miracle, unless God had intervened. It was a wonder he was still alive and in one piece.

Baek Do-woon immediately entered the nightclub. The smell of blood hit him right at the entrance. The imposing men who had been nervously pacing near the door hurried towards him and bowed.

“Doctor, you’re here!”

“My ears are going to fall off. Where’s that bastard?”

“This way.”

He followed the men to the VIP room. He hesitated before opening the door. The doorknob was covered in blood. And the floor was sticky with something. He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.

“This is so annoying… I’m going in.”

There was no response to his announcement. He gestured to the man standing beside him with his head. The man, understanding, opened the door. But the door only opened halfway. Someone seemed to be lying behind it.

The room inside, as seen through the crack in the door, was a complete mess. Nothing was intact, not a single wine bottle or glass. Food was scattered everywhere, on the tables, sofas, and floor. The lights were broken, so the interior was completely dark.

He checked the pulse of the man lying in front of the door, then stepped over him and entered the room.

A man was sitting in front of him. He was calmly taking a sip of vodka, even though there were men lying around him in critical condition. The wound on his side, from which blood was pouring, didn’t seem to be a concern for him.

Baek Do-woon rushed towards him and slapped the glass from his hand. The glass slipped out of his hand and rolled onto the sofa.

“Kwon Soo-hyuk. You’re a crazy bastard.”

He gritted his teeth. Kwon Soo-hyuk didn’t care and just grinned. He looked like he was high on something. He seemed out of his mind, having lost a lot of blood. Soon, his head slumped back. His limbs also went limp.

He glared at him like he was going to kill him, but then he quickly moved. He tightly pressed and wrapped the wound, then took out the saline solution and blood bags he had brought. The blood bag was labeled ‘RH-AB’. A sharp needle mercilessly pierced his hand.

As soon as the emergency procedures were complete, he collapsed onto the sofa. He was completely drained. Unlike Baek Do-woon, Kwon Soo-hyuk was still carefree.

“Do you have a cigarette?”

“Do you want to die?”