Epidemic ✦ Nomin

05

The men descend a staircase which leads to a narrow corridor on a floor below ground level. There are no lit candles to light the hallway, and Doctor Moon is forced to lead the way with only a single flickering candle in hand which produces minimal light.

"Here we are!" an excitable Doctor Moon eagerly yanks open the final door at the end of the hall. He holds it open for the two men to enter in through before going inside, himself.

The room is fairly small and made primarily out of wood like Many of the lower class houses and older businesses. Jeno was aware that this particular hospital was fairly old, but he never got to thinking that they would have such an area like this or that they would leave any part of the place not modernized. Perhaps it was for the best not to allow builders to see this portion of the hospital. God knows that if news that this place exists were to come up, it would stir up much anger and opposition, and it'd be forced to shut down.

Candelabras–along with other various medical tools–sit on long tabletops on the outer perimeter of the room. Despite the light of so many candles, the area is still fairly dim. A table sits in the middle of the room with a body lying on it. The cadaver is covered in a thick white sheet from head to toe, and something about it vaguely unsettles Jeno, though he would never say such a thing out loud.

Doctor Moon extends his candle to Jaemin as his gaze remains on the body, watching it with eager eyes and a wide grin, much like how a vulture would watch it's prey before swooping in. Jeno finds this morbid, but–yet again–he chooses to keep silent. He is merely a guest–an observer at best–and has no place to speak unless prompted to.

Jaemin takes the candle, and Doctor Moon begins his frantic rush to gather tools from the various tables around the room.

"Excuse his lack of manners," Jaemin utters softly to Jeno as his lips unexpectedly come in contact with his ear, "He tends to not really talk when he's busy or in a rush."

A chill runs down Jeno's spine, causing goosebumps to raise all over his arms. He clears his throat slightly, though trying not to be loud as to disturb Doctor Moon.

"Understandable," Jeno shudders.

"He's not quite as engaging as I am, but charming and brilliant nonetheless," says Jaemin in a faint whisper.

"You have such high regards for him," Jeno points out.

"He is the best Doctor in the country," Jaemin nods in affirmation, "I am more than certain that he will find the cure to the epidemic despite his unusual methods."

"It must be an honour to be praised so highly," Jeno breathes shallowly.

"Do your job right, and I'll praise you just the same," Jaemin whispers at a much quieter volume which causes Jeno to clear his throat quietly once again, "I'm sure it'll be good for business to be recommended by me."

Jeno shifts from one foot to another before taking a slight step away from Jaemin. He nods at his final remark, but does not reply in any way aside from that. He keeps his eyes on the doctor whom now takes his place at the table next to the body.

"Let us see what Huang Renjun has to tell us about his death," Doctor Moon murmurs to himself as he grabs ahold of the top of the sheet. He carefully pulls it down, revealing the body's face and bare shoulders. Suddenly, Doctor Moon's face falls to a bleak, mortified expression.

"What's wrong?" Jaemin stands on his tiptoes to get a better look at the face.

Doctor Moon slowly looks up at the two men.

"This isn't Renjun," says the Doctor, "It's his father."

Jaemin's response is delayed, but upon finally speaking up, it was clear that this news affected him deeply.

"What? That cannot be! We specifically dug up Renjun's grave!" a distraught Jaemin exclaims in denial, "Are you sure you are not mistaken? The body is severely mutilated, after all."

"No, I'm certain. If you look closely, the skin is aged, and Mr. Huang had a large scar just above his right pectoral from being stabbed with a glass bottle by a drunkard in his bar. I tended to that laceration," Doctor Moon points at an area close to the body's collar bone, his brows knit together and deep frown lines form around his mouth.

"How is that possible?" Jaemin paces towards the body, attempting to get a better look, himself.

"I do not know. Did you perhaps see another body in the grave?" asks the confused doctor.

"No, only the one. There was only enough space for a single corpse," Jaemin denies, "I do not understand. If he was not there, then what happened to Renjun's body?"

"What do you suppose we do about this?" Jeno speaks out as he glances between the two.

"Nothing....We do nothing...If we pursue the killer, then it will only stir up trouble for us and the hospital. Our hands are tied," Doctor Moon stares solemnly at the corpse, "And by the looks of the slashes all over Mr. Huang's body, the killer was purposely intending to drain him of his blood."

"Just like the murderer that's been going around," Jeno joins the two at the table.

"You don't suppose this is his doing, do you?" Jaemin inquires as his brows furrow in distress.

"It appears so, but why would he kill Renjun's father and keep Renjun's body?" Doctor Moon adds.

"Maybe he didn't keep the body. Perhaps he just buried it elsewhere. That way no one would blink an eye at the man who was already dead and never find the body of Renjun's father," Jeno proposes, looking back and forth between the two men and avoiding his gaze from resting on the cadaver below.

"A perfect murder," Jaemin utters quietly.

"Regardless, we must keep this solely between us three. We cannot afford to be shut down over this," the doctor pulls the sheet back over the body.

"But someone has to bring these victims to justice-"

"No, Jeno...Taeil is...Taeil is right," Jaemin evades his gaze.

"But-"

"I hired you to protect me from this vicious killer, not foolishly try and seek him out!" Jaemin barks, causing Jeno to close his mouth. Jaemin was right. Doctor Moon was right. He needed to let this go and allow someone else to handle it.

"Thank you for your services. Please show yourself and Mr. Lee out the way you came," Doctor Moon murmurs.

"I hope to see you again soon, Doctor," Jaemin bids him farewell, and he and Jeno promptly leave the room.

As soon as the door clunks shut behind them, Jaemin starts briskly walking down the hall at maximum pace, practically leaving Jeno in the dust. Jeno finds himself having to break into a brisk jog just to catch up to him.

"You act quite desperate in your attempt to leave me behind."

Suddenly, Jaemin comes to an abrupt halt and turns towards Jeno. He shoves him forcefully, causing Jeno to stumble backwards into the wall behind him.

"You were supposed to impress him!" Jaemin shouts in a loud whisper.

"Impress him? Why?"

But the man does not answer. He simply turns on his heel and continues walking towards the staircase.

"Jaemin, answer me: why was it important for me to impress him?" Jeno persists. Still, he does not receive a response. It begins to fester inside him, and it causes a fire to ignite in his chest which he tries his damnedest to contain.

All Jeno had done was speak his thoughts, and somehow this turned him into the villain of the situation.

Villain.

Jeno nearly growls aloud at the mere thought of this word.

It was very hypocritical of the two men to vilify him when they were the ones exhuming deceased individuals and cutting them up for science. It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. One which he cannot get out. If he could not please them, then it was in his best interest to collect his pay for the job and walk away. Surely Jaemin could find another lap dog that would run in circles for him and Doctor Moon. To Jeno, no amount of money was worth being treated as a bastard. He could find work elsewhere and be treated far better despite being paid significantly less. And so, he decides that he will.