I lean back in my chair, rubbing my tired eyes as the CCTV footage plays on the screen before me. The dim light of the monitoring room casts a blue glow on my fellow detectives' faces as we scrutinize every frame.
"There," I point, leaning forward as a familiar figure appears on screen. "That's Min-seo leaving the hospital."
We watch as she hurries out, her movements jerky with panic, and flags down a taxi. The timestamp in the corner matches her story perfectly.
Detective Kim, seated to my right, frowns. "But where are the men who brought her? They should be in that car in the parking lot."
I nod slowly, a knot forming in my stomach. "You're right. Let's rewind and watch it from the beginning."
We play the footage back, watching as a car pulls into the parking lot. Min-seo gets out, along with an injured man. Two other men remain in the car. We see medical staff come out to assist, and Min-seo accompanies the injured man inside.
"Fast forward," I instruct. We watch as time speeds by, until we see Min-seo's rushed exit.
Sue leans in, her brow furrowed in concentration. "The car's still there. But why aren't they following her?"
"Good question," I murmur. "Keep watching."
A few minutes later, we all lean forward in surprise. The injured man, who we had assumed was being treated, walks out of the hospital on his own. He looks around briefly, then leaves on foot.
"What the hell?" Detective Park exclaims from the back of the room.
Before we can discuss further, the door opens, and Inspector Han enters the room.
"What have we got?" he asks, his eyes scanning the frozen image on the screen.
We quickly brief him on our findings. Han listens intently, his expression growing more serious with each passing moment.
After we finish, Han nods thoughtfully. "Good work, team. But we need more information." He turns to me. "I want you to go to Hope Hospital. Find out everything you can about this 'patient' - what name was given, what treatment, if any, was administered. See if you can get access to their internal security footage too.
We need to understand what happened inside."
I nod, already mentally preparing for the task. "Yes, sir. I'll head there right away."
As I stand to leave, Han addresses the rest of the team. "Kim, Park, I want you to start looking into industrial sites near the hospital that might explain those explosions Min-seo heard. Sue, review Min-seo's statement again. See if there's anything we might have overlooked."
I grab my coat and head for the door, my mind already racing with questions to ask at the hospital. Whatever happened that day, I'm determined to uncover the truth - no matter where it leads us.
***
I step into Hope Hospital, the sterile smell of disinfectant hitting me as the automatic doors slide shut behind me. After showing my badge at the reception, I'm directed to the emergency department.
"Detective," a middle-aged nurse greets me, her eyes tired but alert. "I understand you're here about a patient from a few days ago?"
I nod, pulling out my notebook. "Yes, I'm looking into a case involving a man who was brought in by a young woman named Min-seo. Can you tell me what you remember?"
The nurse furrows her brow, thinking. "Ah, yes. I remember that case. Unusual, it was. The young woman seemed very nervous when she registered him."
"Do you have any records of the registration?" I ask.
She nods, turning to her computer. After a few clicks, she says, "Here we are. The patient was registered as a 24-year-old male. No name given, which is odd in itself."
I jot this down. "And his condition?"
"When he came in, he was almost unconscious. We thought it was due to shock at first," she explains. "But upon examination, it turned out he had an injury to his right arm. The doctor noted it appeared to be from some kind of explosion, but couldn't identify the exact cause."
My pen pauses. "An explosion?" I repeat, thinking of Min-seo's story.
The nurse nods. "That's what the report says. Dr. Park was the attending physician. He'd be able to give you more details."
"What happened next?" I prompt.
At this, the nurse's expression turns confused. "Well, that's the strange part. He was supposed to be admitted to a ward for further treatment and observation. But..." she trails off.
"But what?" I press.
"He disappeared," she finishes, shaking her head. "One of our nurses was preparing to take him up, turned her back for a moment, and when she looked again, he was gone."
I frown, scribbling in my notebook. This aligns with what we saw on the external CCTV, but raises even more questions.
"Is there any way I could review your internal security footage?" I ask. "I'd like to see if we can get a clear image of the patient's face, or possibly the two men who brought him in."
The nurse hesitates. "You'd need to speak with hospital administration for that. But I can tell you, our cameras in the emergency department have been on the fritz lately. We've been waiting for IT to fix them."
I suppress a sigh of frustration. Of course, it couldn't be that easy.
"Alright," I say, closing my notebook. "I'd like to speak with Dr. Park and the nurse who last saw the patient. And I'll need to talk to your administration about those cameras."
As the nurse nods and moves to page Dr. Park, I pull out my phone to update Inspector Han.
As it rings, I lean against the wall, running a hand through my hair.
"Han here," comes the gruff response.
"Inspector, it's me," I start. "I'm at Hope Hospital. There's something strange going on here. The patient Min-seo brought in—"
I'm cut off by a tap on my shoulder. The nurse from earlier is there, gesturing towards a corridor. "Dr. Park is ready to see you now," she says.
I nod, then speak into the phone. "Sorry, sir, I've got to go. I'll call you back with a full report soon."
Hanging up, I follow the nurse down the hallway to Dr. Park's office. As I step inside, I'm immediately struck by the numerous awards and diplomas adorning the walls. My eyes scan over them quickly—medical school honors, research accolades, community service recognition. It's clear Dr. Park is a well-respected figure in the local medical community.
Dr. Park himself, a man in his late fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and kind eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses, rises to greet me. "Detective, please, have a seat," he says, gesturing to a chair in front of his desk.
Once seated, I get straight to the point. "Dr. Park, I'm here about a patient you treated a few days ago. A young man brought in by a woman named Min-seo."
Dr. Park nods, his expression turning serious. "Ah, yes. That was an unusual case. I remember it clearly."
"Can you walk me through what happened when they arrived?" I ask, pen poised over my notebook.
"Of course," he begins, leaning back in his chair. "The young woman seemed very agitated when they came in. She was supporting the man, who was barely conscious. At first glance, I thought he might be suffering from severe shock."
I nod, encouraging him to continue.
"Upon examination, I found an injury on his right arm. It wasn't particularly severe or deep, but it was... unusual."
"Unusual how?" I probe.
Dr. Park furrows his brow, choosing his words carefully. "The pattern of the wound was not typical of what we usually see in the ER. It wasn't a clean cut or a blunt force trauma. It was more... scattered, if that makes sense."
I jot this down, my interest piqued. "And the patient's condition?"
"As I mentioned, he was in a state of shock when he arrived. His vitals were erratic, pupils dilated. But oddly, these symptoms seemed disproportionate to the physical injury I observed."
"That is strange," I mutter, more to myself than to Dr. Park. "Did the patient regain consciousness while you were treating him?"
Dr. Park shakes his head. "Not fully. He drifted in and out, mumbling incoherently. I couldn't make out any words."
I lean forward, my pen hovering over the paper. "Dr. Park, in your professional opinion, what could have caused an injury like that?"
He pauses, his gaze drifting to the window. "You know, I served as a military doctor for several years before coming here."
I look up, surprised by this sudden change in topic. "Oh? I didn't know that."
He nods, a distant look in his eyes. "Yes, I saw all sorts of injuries from military training and operations. And this patient's injury... it reminded me of something I'd seen before."
"What do you mean?" I ask, intrigued.
Dr. Park's eyes focus on a point beyond me, as if looking into the past. "It looked remarkably similar to injuries I'd seen from dynamite explosions. The pattern of the wound, the type of tissue damage... it was all very familiar."
My eyebrows shoot up. "Dynamite? That's not something you see every day in civilian life."
"No, it certainly isn't," Dr. Park agrees. "Which is why it stood out to me."
"Could it have been caused by any other type of explosion?" I ask, thinking of the mysterious blasts Min-seo had mentioned.
Dr. Park considers this for a moment. "It's possible, but the specifics of the injury were quite characteristic of dynamite. The scatter pattern, the depth... it was all consistent with what I'd seen in my military days."
I scribble furiously in my notebook, my mind racing. "And you're certain about this?"
He holds up a hand. "I can't be 100% certain, of course. As I said, the injury wasn't deep. But the resemblance was... striking. In my years of practice, both military and civilian, I've never seen anything quite like it outside of dynamite-related incidents."
I scribble furiously in my notebook, my mind racing. This could be a crucial piece of information.
"Thank you, Dr. Park," I say, standing up. "This has been very helpful."
As I leave his office, my head is spinning with new questions. Dynamite explosions?
I step out of the hospital into the cool evening air, my mind still reeling from the conversation with Dr. Park. I pull out my phone and dial Inspector Han's number, eager to share what I've learned.
"Han here," he answers on the second ring.
"Inspector, it's me. I've got some interesting information from Dr. Park about our mysterious patient," I begin, but before I can continue, Han interrupts me.
"Hold that thought," he says, his voice tense and urgent. "We've got a situation here. A body's been found."
My grip on the phone tightens. "A body?"
"Yes," Han confirms, his words coming fast.
"Male, appears to be in his mid-twenties. And here's the kicker - he's got an injury on his right arm."