The Absence of Evidence
1.
March 11, 2028, 4:22 AM.
Park Mi-seon walked down the ICU corridor. Only the sound of her nurse shoes scraping against the tile floor broke the silence. Six years into night shifts. She was accustomed to the stillness of this hour.
Her smartwatch vibrated.
Mi-seon stopped walking and raised her wrist. It was a message notification. A black window filling the entire screen with no sender information.
[Exchange Protocol]
You have been selected.
You have 72 hours.
Kill or be killed.
Mi-seon frowned.
Spam. This must be what's trending these days. She tried to dismiss the notification, but the screen didn't respond. Neither swipe nor tap worked.
"What is this."
She removed the smartwatch and put it in her pocket. She'd look at it later. Right now, it was time to check the vital signs of the patient in Room 6.
Mi-seon's phone rang as she headed toward the nurses' station at the end of the corridor.
She took her phone out of her pocket.
The screen turned on by itself.
TARGET ASSIGNED
Name: Shin Dong-man
Age: 79
Diagnosis: Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
Location: Room 604
Status: Terminally Ill
Timer: 71:58:09
A photo appeared. The face of an elderly man lying in a hospital bed. Wearing an oxygen respirator, eyes closed.
Mi-seon knew him.
Shin Dong-man. Patient in Room 604. Stage 4 terminal pancreatic cancer. Admitted to this hospital three months ago, and she was directly in charge of him.
"...What is this."
Mi-seon checked the screen again. The timer was running.
71:57:52
She tried to turn off the phone. She pressed and held the power button, but the screen wouldn't turn off.
The fluorescent light on the corridor ceiling flickered.
Mi-seon looked up. The fluorescent light returned to normal.
She headed toward Room 604.
2.
Room 604 was quiet.
Mi-seon opened the door and entered. Shin Dong-man was lying in bed. Only the hissing sound from the oxygen respirator could be heard.
She checked the monitor beside the bed. Heart rate 68. Blood pressure 110/75. Oxygen saturation 94%. All within normal range.
Shin Dong-man's eyes opened.
"...Nurse."
His voice was thin.
"Yes, Mr. Shin Dong-man. Are you comfortable?"
"Water... please."
Mi-seon picked up the water cup from the bedside table and brought the straw to his mouth. Shin Dong-man drank slowly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Is there any discomfort?"
"No. Just... it's hard to breathe."
Mi-seon nodded. It was a symptom commonly reported by terminal cancer patients.
"It's time for your pain medication. I'll bring it right away."
"...Nurse."
Shin Dong-man called her.
"Yes?"
"My daughter came yesterday."
"Yes, I know."
"She... brought the DNR consent form."
Mi-seon didn't answer.
"I signed it too. Now I want to... rest."
There were no tears in Shin Dong-man's eyes. Just a calm expression.
"Mr. Shin."
"It's alright. I've lived enough already. 79 years... isn't that enough?"
Mi-seon checked the monitor readings again. She said nothing.
"You know too, nurse. Whether this is living, or just dying."
Mi-seon gripped the bed rail.
"I... can't say things like that."
"I know. It's too heavy a question."
Shin Dong-man closed his eyes.
Mi-seon left the room.
In the corridor, she checked her phone again.
71:52:03
Timer Active
Do not ignore.
She put the phone in her pocket.
3.
8:30 AM.
Mi-seon returned to the nurses' station as shift change time arrived. Day shift nurses were coming in one by one.
"Unnie, I'm here for the shift change."
Junior nurse Ji-yeon said while putting her bag in the locker.
"Yeah. I gave pain medication to the patient in 604, and 508's blood pressure is a bit unstable. Check frequently."
"Okay. But unnie, did you see this?"
Ji-yeon took out her phone and showed it. The same message as Mi-seon's was displayed.
"I got it too."
"What is this? Is it spam?"
"I don't know. It won't delete."
"Mine too. It's weird."
Other nurses in the nurses' station were having similar conversations.
"I contacted IT, but they said it's the first time they've seen it."
"The security team's phone won't pick up."
Mi-seon took her bag from the locker.
"I'm going to clock out. Call me if anything weird happens."
"Okay, get home safely."
Mi-seon left the hospital.
The morning sunlight was warm. People heading to work filled the streets. Mi-seon headed toward the subway station.
On the subway, she took out her phone again.
The timer was still running.
70:43:17
New text appeared below.
Patient Condition Update:
Stable but deteriorating.
Estimated survival: 2-4 weeks without intervention.
Your decision will determine the outcome.
Mi-seon stared at the screen.
It meant real-time tracking of Shin Dong-man's condition.
How?
Did it access the hospital system?
She called the hospital security team.
"Hello, this is Park Mi-seon from the nursing department. About the strange message this morning..."
"Yes, nurse. It's been confirmed that it was sent to all staff. The IT team is investigating, so please ignore it for now..."
"But this seems to have accessed patient information."
"...What? What do you mean?"
"My patient's name and condition are all displayed."
Silence flowed from the other end of the line.
"Let me... check on that. Can you capture the screen?"
"Screen capture doesn't work. Nothing happens when I press the button."
"...Understood. I'll report to the security team."
The call ended.
Mi-seon sighed.
4.
She arrived home at 10 AM.
Mi-seon opened the front door and entered. It was a small studio. Enough for living alone.
She threw her bag on the sofa and lay down on the bed. After night shifts, she always fell asleep like this.
But today, sleep didn't come.
She took out her phone again.
68:22:09
The timer hadn't stopped.
Shin Dong-man's photo was still displayed.
Mi-seon stared at the screen.
79 years old. Terminal cancer. DNR consent form completed.
He had already accepted death.
But that and this were different matters.
Mi-seon put the phone beside her and closed her eyes.
She was a nurse. For six years working in the ICU, she'd seen countless deaths. Some deaths were peaceful, some were painful.
But she had never once 'chosen' death.
The phone vibrated.
Mi-seon opened her eyes.
A new message appeared on the screen.
WARNING
Timer will be reduced by 12 hours if no action is taken within 24 hours.
Current Timer: 68:19:42
Adjusted Timer: 56:19:42
"What?"
Mi-seon sat up abruptly.
12-hour reduction?
She read the message again. If no 'action' was taken within 24 hours, the timer would decrease by 12 hours.
"What is this..."
Mi-seon gripped the phone. Her hands trembled.
This wasn't a prank.
She crossed the living room and stood in front of the window. Outside was peaceful. People were going to work, cars were driving on the road.
No one knew.
Mi-seon called the police.
5.
"This is 112."
"I... want to report something."
"Yes, go ahead."
"I received a strange message this morning. To kill someone..."
"Ah, yes. We're currently receiving multiple reports about that. The cyber investigation team is looking into it, so please ignore the message for now..."
"But this seems real. It even knows my patient information."
"Patient information?"
"Yes. I'm a nurse, and the name and condition of the patient I'm in charge of are all displayed."
Keyboard typing sounds came from the other end of the line.
"Could you give me your name and contact information?"
"Park Mi-seon. 010..."
"Okay. I'll file the report. If you feel threatened in any way, please contact 112 immediately."
"Then what should I do about this?"
"The government is currently responding to this, so please just go about your daily life..."
"Go about my daily life? When it's telling me to kill someone?"
"...We're doing our best to investigate."
The call ended.
Mi-seon threw the phone on the sofa.
She went to the kitchen and drank water. Her hands were still trembling.
She turned on the TV. Morning news was playing.
"...Regarding the mysterious message sent nationwide at approximately 8:00 AM today, police have begun an investigation considering it a cyber-terror attack."
Mi-seon put down the remote and watched the screen.
"No unusual incidents have been reported so far, and experts are estimating this to be a large-scale smishing attack."
No unusual incidents?
Mi-seon picked up her phone again.
67:58:03
The timer was still running.
6.
1:00 PM.
Mi-seon lay in bed unable to sleep, staring at the ceiling.
Her phone rang.
It was a call from the hospital.
"Hello?"
"Mi-seon, it's the head nurse."
"Yes, senior."
"Sorry, but could you switch shifts with someone for tonight? Hye-jin suddenly isn't feeling well."
"...Today?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I asked everyone else but they can't do it."
Mi-seon hesitated.
Room 604.
Shin Dong-man.
"Alright. I'll come in."
"Really? Thank you. You can come by 6."
The call ended.
Mi-seon put down the phone.
She got up and showered. Changed clothes and packed her bag.
On the way to the hospital, she kept checking her phone.
62:34:17
The timer was counting down.
7.
6:00 PM.
Mi-seon arrived at the hospital.
She changed into her uniform at the nurses' station and received the work handover.
"The patient in 604 had his daughter visit this afternoon. Pain medication was administered at 4."
"Okay."
"And... Mi-seon."
The head nurse spoke quietly.
"Something strange happened today."
"What happened?"
"The CCTV blacked out a few times. For about 3 minutes."
"Blacked out?"
"Yeah. IT checked it, but they don't know the cause. There's nothing wrong with the system."
Mi-seon nodded.
"It might be a security issue, so patrol frequently."
"Okay."
Mi-seon headed toward Room 604.
The corridor was quiet. It was after visiting hours, so most visitors had left.
She opened the room door.
Shin Dong-man was lying in bed, looking out the window.
"Mr. Shin Dong-man, I'm Nurse Park Mi-seon."
"Ah, nurse. You came again."
"Yes. I'm on the evening shift today."
Mi-seon checked the monitor. Heart rate 65. Blood pressure 108/72. Everything was stable.
"Any discomfort?"
"No. Just... a bit tired."
"Did you have dinner?"
"I ate a little."
Mi-seon arranged the bed sheets.
"Nurse."
Shin Dong-man called her.
"Yes?"
"My daughter came earlier."
"Yes, I heard."
"She... was crying."
Mi-seon stopped her hands.
"She said she's sad that I'm dying. But I told her I'm okay now."
"..."
"Living is hell, nurse. You know that too."
Shin Dong-man looked at Mi-seon through the oxygen respirator.
"Whether this is living, or just dying."
Mi-seon couldn't answer.
"Tomorrow... the DNR paperwork will be processed. Then I can go peacefully."
Shin Dong-man closed his eyes.
Mi-seon left the room.
In the corridor, she leaned against the wall.
She took out her phone.
60:12:08
60 hours.
Two and a half days.
Mi-seon looked at the door to Room 604 again.
8.
8:00 PM.
Mi-seon was organizing charts at the nurses' station.
The fluorescent light in the corridor ceiling flickered.
She looked up.
The lights went out.
Complete darkness.
"Is it a blackout?"
Another nurse asked.
"The emergency lights aren't coming on either."
Mi-seon stood up from her seat.
Three seconds later, the lights came back on.
"What was that? That scared me."
The nurses laughed and returned to their work.
Mi-seon went into the corridor.
She walked toward Room 604.
She opened the door.
Shin Dong-man was still lying in bed.
But his hand was touching the oxygen respirator tube.
"Mr. Shin?"
Mi-seon approached.
Shin Dong-man's eyes opened.
"...Nurse."
"Be careful with your hand. The tube shouldn't come out."
"Oh, sorry. I unconsciously..."
Mi-seon reattached the tube.
Shin Dong-man looked at her.
"Nurse... are you afraid of death?"
Mi-seon didn't answer.
"I'm not afraid. I've lived enough. But..."
Shin Dong-man stopped.
"My daughter is afraid. Of being left alone."
"..."
"So I told her. Dad is going to a place without pain. I'll meet Mom there."
Tears welled up in Shin Dong-man's eyes.
"But is there really such a place, nurse?"
Mi-seon gripped the bed rail.
"...I don't know."
"I suppose so. No one knows."
Shin Dong-man closed his eyes.
Mi-seon left the room and walked to the end of the corridor.
Through the window, Seoul's night view was visible.
She took out her phone.
58:47:33
A new message appeared below the screen.
WARNING: 12-hour reduction will be applied in 10 hours.
New Timer will be: 48:47:33
Make your choice.
Mi-seon gripped the phone.
Her hands trembled.
9.
10:00 PM.
Mi-seon went up to the rooftop.
The hospital rooftop was usually locked, but nurses knew the emergency key.
The night breeze was cold.
She leaned against the railing and looked at Seoul's lights.
She took out her phone.
Shin Dong-man's photo was displayed.
79 years old. Terminal cancer. DNR consent form filed.
He had already accepted death.
But.
Mi-seon tried to turn off the screen.
The screen changed.
Patient Medical Record Access:
Shin Dong-man
- Admitted: December 3, 2027
- Diagnosis: Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer
- Prognosis: Terminal
- DNR Order: Filed March 10, 2028
- Current Pain Level: 8/10
- Estimated Time Remaining: 14-21 days
Your intervention can end his suffering.
Timer: 58:15:22
Mi-seon tried to put down the phone.
But her hands wouldn't move.
Pain level 8/10.
Time remaining 2-3 weeks.
DNR application.
He had already decided.
Mi-seon put the phone in her pocket.
She opened the rooftop door and went down.
10.
Past midnight.
Mi-seon passed by Room 604.
She stopped walking.
She opened the door.
Shin Dong-man was asleep. Only the hissing sound of the oxygen respirator could be heard.
Mi-seon stood beside the bed.
She looked at the monitor.
Heart rate 64. Blood pressure 105/70.
She looked at the oxygen respirator tube.
She reached out her hand.
She stopped.
"...I can't."
She withdrew her hand.
She left the room.
She walked quickly down the corridor toward the nurses' station.
She sat at the desk and covered her face with her hands.
"I can't. This can't happen."
The phone vibrated.
She looked at the screen.
Timer: 48:03:17
12-hour reduction has been applied.
Do not hesitate again.
Mi-seon put the phone down on the desk.
48 hours.
Two days.
Dawn was breaking outside the window.
End of Chapter 2.