episode_0041

The hospital I saw up close again looked very old and shabby, unlike when I was working as a security guard.

When I think about it, the lungs looked the same when I first entered the hospital… Maybe it was because I had only seen the hospital in good condition except when I first entered, so seeing it collapsing was so awkward.

“Now, open the door.”

The senior began to open the hospital door with a rusty key. The rusty key entered the dusty keyhole and made a clanging sound.

“Open.”

The senior struggled with the door for a moment, and then the door began to open with a creepy sound. The inside of the hospital was dark and hard to see, but it still had a gloomy atmosphere.

“…Strange.”

After the hospital door opened, Sohye, who had been staring inside, furrowed her eyebrows and muttered. And after a while, my sister entered the hospital without any time to stop her.

“This hospital, I can’t feel any presence inside.”

“…That’s right. I also realized this only after the door opened, but you don’t even see the common ghosts wandering around this hospital.”

Somin followed her older sister inside and began looking around the inside of the hospital. My senior and I, who couldn’t feel any energy, looked at each other and made puzzled expressions.

“Isn’t something strange? This is the hospital where Sihyeon was struggling just a few hours ago… but there are no ghosts?”

I nodded as if I agreed with what my senior said. I got up and drove right away, and it only took a few hours… and all the ghosts disappeared in that short period of time… It was a story that was hard to believe right now.

“It’s strange… It’s really strange… Even if a young man took care of the director, this hospital is fundamentally a place where evil spirits cannot exist due to the poor position and energy… The strange thing about the young man taking care of the director is Didn’t you feel it?”

My grandmother, who stayed with me and my senior without going into the hospital, asked me a question, but it wasn’t a question I could answer. Because I lost my mind right after shooting the director…

“No, I lost consciousness right after that and when I woke up, I was back at my grandmother’s house, so I don’t know what happened after that…”

“I see…even young people don’t know. Anyway, this isn’t normal…so many spirits wandering around this hospital disappeared overnight? At least, it’s not a talent that a human can perform. Even if it’s Sohye… I don’t know, I don’t know.”

The grandmother, who was shaking her head repeatedly, motioned to me and my senior to follow her, followed Sohye and Somin into the hospital, and began to look around.

There was nothing we could do but watch the three people continuing their investigation, so my senior and I held each other’s hands and followed them into the hospital.

“….No! Quickly take Sihyeon and go back!!”

The moment I took a step into the hospital, I heard Sohye’s sharp voice. As soon as I heard that voice, my senior grabbed me by the neck and pulled me back, but my vision was already filled with pitch black darkness.

When my eyes opened again, I was standing alone inside the hospital. However, it was a clean hospital that I was familiar with, rather than the dirty and dilapidated appearance I saw from the outside.

Footsteps were heard from afar. I wondered if I should run away, but I thought I needed information first, so I decided to give it a shot.

“Sihyeon, welcome.”

“…Nurse.”

The person walking across from me was the nurse I first encountered at this hospital. The difference from last time is that they called me by my name instead of calling me a patient.

Oh, by the way, I’m not wearing a patient gown right now. Last time I came to my senses, I was wearing a patient gown.

“The director is waiting on the 5th floor. I’ll help guide you.”

Is this the original director, the grandfather, returning to normal, or has the director I shot set a trap to deceive me?

I had no way of knowing, but I thought I could follow vaguely. Should I say that I don’t feel anxious in my chest? It’s hard to express it, but the nurse I saw with my own eyes seemed to be good-natured.

When I nodded, the nurse smiled brightly, squeezed my hand, and started walking towards the stairs.

When the nurse stretched out her hand, I remembered the physical therapy room and started shaking, but when I felt the warm touch of her hand, I felt a little more relaxed.

“Sihyeon, you don’t have to worry, it’s okay. Because everyone in this hospital has regained their humanity.”

While I was walking down the hallway with a thousand thoughts in my head, a nurse spoke to me vaguely. Although he spoke in a calm voice, the content was extremely, extremely important to me.

“Everyone…is it back to normal?”

My voice was shaking without me realizing it. This was the most important information for me, who had no idea how the hospital had changed or whether there had been any changes since I shot the director.

“Yes. Everyone returned to being the kind and friendly people they were before the witch came. However…”

As she continued speaking, she slightly lowered her head and trailed off. She lowered her head and became silent, but the trembling in the hand she held was telling me how she felt.

“Last time, I was really sorry. At that time, my body kept getting colder and colder, and I wanted to find some kind of warmth, so I made a really big mistake…”

“Do you remember what happened in the physical therapy room?”

“Yes…I remember everything, not just me, but what everyone in this hospital did and suffered…”

In the end, she couldn’t hold it back and shed tears. One or two tears fell on the floor and soaked the cold hallway. She must have been an ordinary person before the incident happened…

“…Sihyeon?”

“I’m not scared of you. The nurse I am seeing now… seems like an ordinary person with a warm heart.”

I hugged her tightly. Because they say that sometimes an action is more important than a thousand words… I wanted to convey my true feelings to her rather than comforting her with all kinds of words.

“…You are a really kind person…”

I didn’t say anything more until her tears stopped, but I hugged her tighter every time her body trembled.

“Hehe…I’m better now. Thank you… Sihyeon.”

I don’t know how much time passed, but she stopped crying and gently unwrapped my hand from around her waist and held onto it again.

“It took time because of me. The director is waiting for you, so I will quickly guide you to the 5th floor.”

When she looked at me, she had a bright smile on her face, as if some of the stress in her heart had been relieved. Although I felt fortunate, I felt very sorry for all the people at the hospital…the people I met here.

I followed the nurse again, walking down the hallway and up the stairs. When I arrived at the second floor, my eyes immediately went to room 205, but room 205 was closed.

“Hey, nurse. Do you know what happened to Mr. Hayun, the patient in room 205…?”

“Hayun…Are you curious about Hayun and Arin?”

“How did you know that!”

“Hehe…I heard it directly from them. Rather than telling you in words…it would be better for you to see it in person.”

“Then, is it okay if I stop by room 205 for a moment before going to the director?”

“Uhm…I think it would be better to see the director first. Because I’m related to those two people…”

The director is probably my grandfather, but what is he really trying to say to me? Something involving Hayun and Arin? …I couldn’t imagine it with my poor mind.

We eventually passed room 205 and went up to the third floor without any incident. I checked room 303 just in case, but it was closed as expected. In the end, do I have to see the director…

After passing through a not very long hallway, we arrived in front of the elevator. When I pressed the upward button to call the elevator, I noticed that the nurse standing next to me was in a strange state.

His complexion became pale and his body was shaking severely. The symptoms became more serious when the elevator arrived, and before she knew it, she was taking a step backwards.

“…Nurse, are you afraid of going to the 5th floor?”

Could it be that something happened to her on the 5th floor? If the image I saw in the physical therapy room was what it looked like after suffering something, then it must have been unimaginably painful…

“I’m sorry…I said I would guide Sihyeon to the 5th floor…I wanted to guide you, but…my body refused…”

“No, it’s okay. Since I’ve been to the 5th floor once, it’s enough for me to go there by myself. Thank you for guiding us to this point!”

“Thank you so, so much…and it was really nice to see Sihyeon one last time…”

“Last…?”

Even when I asked, the nurse didn’t say anything and just smiled sweetly. After a while, the elevator door closed, and when I looked away for a moment, she disappeared in an instant.

“…Please, rest comfortably.”

I had a gut feeling that she had gone where she needed to go. Praying that she left in peace, I walked to the elevator.

After confirming that there were no mirrors inside, I pressed the button for the 5th floor and the elevator began to move slowly. Although I felt lonely and alone, I also felt satisfied because my goal of helping the people at this hospital had been achieved.

When the elevator arrived and I checked the outside, I was sure it was on the 5th floor.

After confirming that I was on the 5th floor, I walked without hesitation to the director’s office, which was the only one with lights on.

The director’s office had changed from having only chairs to being quite colorful. A heavy desk and two chairs facing each other. It was a view of the director’s office that I often saw.

“Are you here, young man?”

“Grandpa…no, director.”

The grandfather who greeted me warmly looked a lot different from the last time I saw him. Although it was a little worn, he looked like a great doctor wearing a doctor’s gown.

“Hehe…Please feel free to call me grandfather. What is the use of referring to the director in a hospital where no one is around?”

Grandpa smiled at me and pointed to a chair across from me. Sitting down in the chair as recommended, I decided to ask the question I wanted to ask first.

“I heard it from the director and the nurse…is it true that everyone in this hospital is back to normal?”

“Okay. After the young man disappeared, the fog that had been encroaching on everyone’s minds disappeared, and all of the strangely transformed bodies returned to their original state. Young man…it’s all thanks to you.”

The gentle smiling grandfather had a face full of good intentions. After hearing those words, I felt like I had really saved everyone in this hospital and felt like I was holding back tears.

“The patients and nurses who were tied up in the hospital all left for a place where they could go comfortably. Nurse Park, who just guided the young man, is the last one… She said she wanted to leave after seeing the young man somehow.”

My grandfather told me why there was no one in this hospital. I thought it was a good thing that there was nothing unpleasant about it, and that it was a comfortable experience.

“Well, then Hayun and Arin… also left?”

However, they seemed to be worried. It would be nice if they left comfortably…but I wanted to say goodbye to them one last time…

“Those two people are waiting for the young man on the rooftop. Since you can’t get to the rooftop by elevator, I’ll give you a separate key.”

“Ah, that’s what happens. I also wanted to say goodbye to them…thank you.”

My grandfather held out his hand and handed me something. It was a small key and a card key. Card key?

“Dear young man, can I ask you one last favor…? I’ve already received enough help…but I’m sorry…”

“If it’s my grandfather’s request, I can of course grant it. It’s as if I was able to solve all of this by handing me the cane.”

“Thank you for saying that…Thank you. Then my last request is – I would like you to call the police at this hospital.”

I was a little surprised to see an unexpected keyword. police? Are you talking about the police officer…?

“There is a door on the 5th floor that cannot be opened… Originally, that room was simply a room for storing equipment.”

I looked down at my card key. Is this the room where the card key opens the door? But if it’s a room where equipment is stored, why are you asking me to call the police?

“Then you called the police to remove the items in that room…? But I understand that the police have already come and searched this place, so isn’t everything sorted out?”

“Okay. If it were simple equipment, all of it would have been collected or discarded. But the evil witch…gathered the bodies of all the people killed in this hospital in that room.”

I couldn’t breathe for a moment. If you think about it, there are so many people who have died or gone missing in this hospital… wouldn’t it have occurred to you to simply wonder where the bodies went?

“They killed her, tied her soul to the hospital, and gathered her body together… She is a truly evil witch… Now that she is dead, we will be able to find her body.”

“Yes…if that’s the case, please leave it to me. At least, I want to give you a proper funeral.”

“Thank you…thank you. Well then, let’s go meet these two people. I’m also slowly starting to fall asleep…”

“Yes…Grandpa, thank you so much again.”

“Thank you…you will definitely become a great person…”

I got up from my seat and bowed deeply. By the time I bowed again after greeting him with the utmost gratitude, my grandfather had already disappeared.

“Thank you so much…”

After saying hello, I left the director’s office. When I turned my head and looked at the end of the hallway, I saw a steel door that had not been visible before.

I approached the iron door, inserted a small key into the keyhole, turned it, and the door opened with a loud noise. As I walked outside the door, I saw the scenery outside.

“What kind of space is this…”

The view from the 5th floor was extremely desolate. Although this hospital was clearly located in the city center, no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see any buildings other than the hospital.

When I looked at the sky without thinking, I saw that the sky was full of stars. In today’s world, the night sky is so beautiful that you can’t even go to the countryside… I looked at the night sky for a moment.

After appreciating the beauty of the night sky, I turned my head to the side and saw a small staircase. As I climbed the stairs holding on to the handrail, I came upon the rooftop of the hospital.

A small garden with beautifully decorated flower beds and wooden benches… Two people were sitting quietly on the bench, looking at the night sky.

“You came to keep your promise.”

Before I knew it, I was shedding tears. I wanted to say something, but my heart was so heavy that I couldn’t say anything.

“Don’t cry…baby. The baby came to see mom again.”

I ran to the two people who were smiling brightly at me. It was only after seeing the two people’s bright smiles that I truly felt that my work at this hospital was over.