A scream pierced the night, jolting the entire household awake.

  No wonder.

  Encountering a ghost in the dark bathroom late at night, while desperate to relieve oneself, was terrifying enough. Most people could relate to such a fright.

  What Im Yoo-jin's sister had encountered was far worse—a ghost.

  Im Yoo-jin emerged from the bedroom, reaching out to steady her sister.

  "What's wrong? What happened?"

  The father-in-law and mother-in-law rushed upstairs, finding their youngest daughter sobbing in her sister's arms. Their gazes then fell on Park Tae-hyun, still seated on the toilet.

  "Kim Min-woo, you shameless bastard! How dare you eye my daughter!"

  The mother-in-law snatched the broom by the bathroom door, poised to strike. The father-in-law mirrored her fury, ready to confront his son-in-law.

  Seeing this scene,

  anyone would naturally jump to conclusions.

  Park Tae-hyun's sister-in-law had been terrified.

  Infidelity with a sister-in-law.

  "Mom, Dad, she got scared due to the dark when she went to the bathroom," Doctor Im interjected.

  The mother-in-law froze, broom in hand, unsure where to strike. The father-in-law hesitated, then retreated awkwardly.

  Park Tae-hyun, interrupted, realized the eerie blue veins in his arms had vanished, the searing pain gone.

  He stood, intending to leave the bathroom. His father-in-law and mother-in-law held no interest for him. He had no intention of cleaning up the mess left by Kim Min-woo's cowardice.

  But as Park Tae-hyun rose, his sister-in-law trembled, burrowing into her sister's embrace.

  "Ah! Don't come near us! Don't come near us!"

  Park Tae-hyun frowned. What had she seen?

  "What's going on?" the mother-in-law demanded, hands on her hips. "Xiaoyi, tell me what happened. Did he hurt you?"

  The sister-in-law, ever-honest, knew better than to fabricate such tales. "No, I opened the bathroom door and saw him inside. It was terrifying!"

  After voicing this, she buried her head in her sister's arms once more.

  Clearly, it was all a misunderstanding.

  "You foolish man! Don't you know how to turn on the light when using the bathroom at night?"

  "Do you think my home is yours? Are you trying to bankrupt me with your electricity bills?"

  "If you've traumatized my daughter, how will you make amends?"

  The mother-in-law launched into a tirade, nearly poking Park Tae-hyun's face.

  Park Tae-hyun, exhausted and irritable from sleep deprivation, had grown tired of the family's drama.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  If they hadn't slept in separate beds,

  he might have tolerated it.

  Now, with separate beds,

  he was done enduring the mother-in-law's condescension.

  *Bang!*

  He swatted away the mother-in-law's accusing finger.

  "Leave me alone."

  The mother-in-law stared, stunned that her usually meek son-in-law dared to defy her.

  "How dare you speak to me like that? Where are your manners?" the father-in-law barked.

  "If you want your daughter to become a divorcee, then keep pushing your rules!"

  Park Tae-hyun retorted, shouldering past his father-in-law and retreating to the bedroom.

  The door slammed shut.

  "How outrageous! How outrageous!" the father-in-law fumed, chest heaving.

  The mother-in-law hurried to calm him, but neither dared press further.

  Park Tae-hyun's words hung heavy in the air.

  Though Xu Le's in-laws simmered with anger, they knew he held leverage. A divorce would brand their daughter a "second-marriage woman," tarnishing her and the family's reputation.

  Park Tae-hyun lay on the bed, breathing deeply, and closed his eyes. He was exhausted.

  About fifteen minutes later,

  he heard a voice at the bedroom door:

  "Xiaoyi is scared. I'll sleep with her tonight."

  It was Im Yoo-jin, leaving without another word.

  The next day at noon,

  the father-in-law and mother-in-law ate lunch in strained silence.

  "Has he gone to the bookstore?" the father-in-law asked.

  "He hasn't gotten up yet," the mother-in-law replied irritably.

  "That's unacceptable," the father-in-law muttered.

  At that moment, the mother-in-law fell silent, spotting Park Tae-hyun descending the stairs. His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles heavy.

  The atmosphere grew tense.

  Perhaps due to last night's incident, Park Tae-hyun's status as a son-in-law had shifted slightly. His in-laws held their tongues, wary of provoking him further.

  Of course, it also helped that Park Tae-hyun looked ready to lash out at any moment.

  He glanced at the dining table.

  Park Tae-hyun pressed his hands to his chest.

  The scent of rice, meat filled the air, making his stomach churn.

  He stepped outside, inhaling the cool, fresh air, and felt marginally better.

  Dizzy and disoriented, Park Tae-hyun wandered the streets alone, seeking quiet to think. But his exhaustion made focus impossible.

  It was like emerging from an internet café after two sleepless nights, or a middle schooler who'd stayed up all night reading novels, now stumbling to class.

  As he walked, he stopped abruptly. The surroundings felt familiar.

  Then he saw the sign ahead:

  Gangdong First Affiliated Hospital.

  He'd unconsciously walked to his old workplace. Perhaps because Tongmyeong was such a small city.

  Park Tae-hyun entered, not to reminisce, but to seek sleeping pills.

  "I can handle not eating for a while. At worst, I'll just drink more water. But sleep deprivation is torture."

  The familiar hospital, the familiar environment, brought a pang of nostalgia. Park Tae-hyun noticed his photo in the emergency department's directory, now grayed out.

  He wandered to his old office. His desk was occupied by a new doctor with pockmarked skin. The nameplate read "Kang."

  He sighed, a mix of regret and resignation.

  Park Tae-hyun temporarily forgot about the pills. Perhaps it was the feeling of "things have changed, people have changed" that temporarily dulled his exhaustion. He began wandering the hospital, reminiscing about every detail of his life here—his work, his life, his past.

  He couldn't go back, truly couldn't. Park Tae-hyun kept repeating this to himself.

  Before he knew it, he found himself at the morgue.

  As an emergency doctor, Park Tae-hyun knew the layout of this floor. Storage rooms, equipment closets, and then, the morgue.

  He remembered lying here once, made up by a mortician.

  He walked forward, drawn by a special chill in the dark.

  The morgue door had an electronic lock. Fortunately, Park Tae-hyun remembered the code.

  Password entered,

  the door clicked open.

  The cold hit him.

  Not the kind that stings the skin,

  but a chill that seemed to seep into the soul.

  In the morgue, bodies lay in rows, covered in white sheets. Some were wrapped in floral quilts, like the elderly woman with silver hair peeking out.

  Because of his profession, Park Tae-hyun was not very afraid of corpses. What's more, he was a ghost himself.

  He walked to the freezer, layers of drawers for bodies.

  Labels on the outside detailed each occupant: name, gender, and other information.

  Park Tae-hyun opened an empty drawer, stepped inside, closed his eyes, and slowly sensed what was going on. Gradually, he felt intoxicated, as if only here could he find peace.

  After hesitating for a moment, Park Tae-hyun lay down.

  "Squeak…"

  The drawer was slowly pushed in and finally closed.

  Quiet,

  ice cold,

  silently,

  Park Tae-hyun slowly closed his eyelids.

  I feel sleepy.

  He finally found the feeling of calmness and solitude.

  But he couldn't sleep yet.

  Because He was Alone in the Morgue.

  He didn't know,

  Who was standing outside just now and Helped him push the drawer in?

  =￣ω￣=