The Pure White Space and the Mysterious Chair
A pure white space containing only a single chair. An extremely familiar place.
This spot bore an uncanny resemblance to the mysterious space where Woojin had first been drawn through the Diary.
The moment Woojin sat down in the chair,
Before he could even process his bewilderment, Choi Kyu-bo's voice boomed out.
"You're about to watch a movie. Sit back and enjoy~"
With those words, a massive screen materialized in front of Woojin.
"Start!"
The scenes began to play. It felt just like watching a film in an IMAX theater with 3D glasses on—the screen pulsed with vivid stereoscopic depth.
Woojin was essentially a lone audience member in a theater, screening a film called <Choi Kyu-bo>.
"Waaah!"
A thunderous wail echoed from a corner of a rundown public restroom. Moments later, a newborn baby—umbilical cord still attached—was carefully rescued by police who had rushed to the scene.
Zoom...
The screen fast-forwarded. The boy inside had grown into a toddler. At an age when other kids should be running around and playing, he stayed holed up in a dark room all day. No, he probably couldn't come out—forced by others.
"(a,b) ∈ f ⇔ b = f(a)...."
Gripping a piece of chalk, the child muttered endlessly to himself as he fluently scribbled math formulas across the walls. The enormous blackboards covering every surface were soon filled with equations.
In the hands of this boy—who looked no older than five—were math textbooks and various science volumes. Surrounding him were only items related to science: anatomical models, globes, and the like.
Haa.
Watching the footage, Woojin couldn't help but sigh. It was absurd, unbelievable—yet thinking that these were the only toys the child had to play with made his chest tighten with a profound heaviness.
Clang.
That was when a harsh metallic crash came from the door. The boy instinctively turned his head. There, a tray held a bowl and cup: a lump of kidney beans, a clump of white rice, and water. That was it. All of it.
"What the hell? This isn't some Oldboy sequel. What are they doing? Rearing him like a zoo animal? Hell, even Lee Woo-jin gave Oh Dae-su some steamed dumplings! That food looks like absolute garbage!"
Woojin shot to his feet without realizing it, shouting in outrage. Fury boiled up from deep inside.
Chomp, chomp.
The footage showed the polar opposite of Woojin's emotions. The boy calmly ate the food on the tray. His eyes were lifeless, fully acclimated.
"Kya. It looked rough, but damn, it tasted killer~"
It was Choi Kyu-bo's voice.
"Hyung?"
"Yeah?"
"When did you get here?"
"From the start."
"Turn on your blinker next time?"
"Long time no see, got the munchies. Hey, wanna try some? Nah, hyung... This isn't a nostalgia trip. Don't get all sentimental."
"What the hell kind of reaction is that?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Aren't you pissed, hyung?"
"Dude. Even I'm chill about it—the guy who lived it—and you're the one raging? Just watch, man~"
No facial expression was visible since it was just a voice, but Woojin could picture Kyu-bo grinning mischievously. Optimistic and cheerful in the best light; hopelessly carefree in the worst.
As Woojin shook his head and sat back down,
"Nothing changes anyway."
Kyu-bo's tone suddenly turned serious.
"Huh?"
"Like it or not, this is the person I became."
Whenever the usually playful, upbeat Kyu-bo switched to this grave tone, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The contrast was so stark it was impossible to get used to.
Woojin hesitated, gauging the mood before speaking carefully.
"Hyung, I just..."
"That's why I act all nonchalant. Getting mad changes nothing."
"Sorry if I upset you."
"Forget that. So, Woojin-ah."
Like the young Kyu-bo on screen still munching kidney beans, his voice carried an ominous vibe.
"After this ends..."
Gulp.
Woojin swallowed dryly.
"Wanna eat some kidney beans?"
Agh! Take back the apology.
* * *
Scenes flashed by: young Kyu-bo becoming a media sensation; the orphanage director and executives exploiting him for government subsidies, their ugliness laid bare.
Woojin, fully immersed, cycled through rage and pity with each revelation.
The actual subject, Kyu-bo, maintained a laid-back, detached tone—almost leisurely.
"Damn, that's straight-up fart-level bullshit! Argh, I'm so pissed!"
Why do people curse out so-called 'trashy dramas' yet binge them faithfully? Stimulating stories. The thrill from absurd plots and villains committing atrocities that would make Satan weep. And one more indispensable element: poetic justice.
The hero overcomes every evil deed, defeats the villain—and the catharsis of that unshakeable faith fulfilled. A structure that teases those two emotions, pulling and pushing relentlessly.
Tap, tap.
Deep in the trance, someone patted Woojin's shoulder.
"Hey, hey. First time seeing this footage too, but it's kinda fun, right? Way more intense than <Temptation of Wife>, huh?"
"Totally! If anything, even more so! What scum. Are they even human?"
"Reality's more real than fiction sometimes~"
"And the rhymes are killer in the middle... Whoa, you scared me!"
Kyu-bo, who had been just a voice, had materialized beside Woojin, watching the screen together.
"Give some warning, please."
"Oops, did I spook ya~?"
"No, Kyu-bo hyung. Isn't this a bit much? Ah, my heart..."
The audience had grown by one.
"Watching this, your life really wasn't smooth, hyung."
"Too early for that, dude~ Main course hasn't hit yet."
"What? There's more? Worse than this?"
"You'll see~ One more step left. Oh? Here it comes."
The screen shifted rapidly again. At the same time,
"June 17, 1988, Friday. I was 13."
Kyu-bo muttered. His gaze, fixed straight on the screen, had turned ice-cold.
"That was my third year in med school pre-med track. Crystal clear—I still remember the exact date. Watch closely."
Woojin had a gut feeling. The most extraordinary event was about to unfold.
Screech.
The footage returned to the orphanage.
"End of first semester. Finished finals and headed straight back. Campus was chaos with democratization protests and all, but what could a 13-year-old do? Just school to home and back."
A car pulled up to the orphanage gate; young Kyu-bo stepped out from the back seat.
"As always, straight to my room upon arrival."
Kyu-bo walked with an orphanage executive who had picked him up. From the front gate to his building: a three-minute walk. The path was routine, but for the first time, he witnessed something unprecedented.
"Thirteen years on that road, first time seeing it. Men in white gowns carrying a white bundle."
Two men in white gowns and masks transported a small bundle.
"They were doctors. Med student like me could tell at a glance. But more importantly..."
A fact he'd sensed instinctively back then.
"It wasn't just some object in that bundle."
Shocking words. Beyond imagination.
"It was child-sized."
Woojin stared at Kyu-bo, frozen; Kyu-bo slowly met his eyes.
"Mysterious doctors, child-sized bundle. Picture it?"
"N-No way..."
"Yeah. Exactly what you're thinking."
As their gazes returned to the screen, the hideous conspiracy unraveled.
The director was signing a paper titled,
Thud.
It felt like his heart had stopped.
* * *
"That day, I learned the truth for the first time. Kids were dying there."
Woojin steadied his trembling chest as best he could, listening intently to Kyu-bo's story.
"I had psychiatric counseling once a week. My therapist came to the orphanage. Such a kind soul—treated me like a father would."
Kyu-bo continued.
"That day, I told her what I'd seen. She reacted just like you—said she'd go public, wouldn't let it slide."
Kyu-bo's voice began to quiver faintly.
"Thought it'd all be resolved. Didn't know back then. The tragedy my choice unleashed."
"Tragedy? Didn't it get solved?"
"Remember what I said earlier? The Love Orphanage case—my top unsolved mystery I want to crack."
Oh no.
"Why do you think it's unsolved?"
Woojin had no answer to Kyu-bo's question. The obvious ending played out in his mind.
Not poetic justice.
"That was my last time with her. Body found later."
Ah, please no. Anything but that...
"That night, dragged to solitary for the first time. Beat like a dog. Heard rumors, but no mercy there. Lucky not to die—don't even remember it all."
"Haa..."
"That's when I learned another fact."
Kyu-bo clutched his face, forcing out the words. His eyes were already bloodshot.
"My room was bugged."
Kyu-bo gave a bitter smile.
"What an idiot. Weekly contact with an outsider—no way no surveillance. Didn't think that basic, acted rashly."
"Hyung..."
"Everyone hyped me as a genius, so I got arrogant. Thought I was one. A mere 13-year-old overstepping..."
Kyu-bo's shoulders shook with suppressed sobs. His silent weeping filled the white space.
Woojin patted his shoulder wordlessly. All he could offer, and it felt so inadequate—guilt weighed on him.
After composing himself, Kyu-bo pressed on.
"Then military regime fell, democracy came—massive probes started. I was questioned dozens of times. But results? Predictable."
"No evidence, right."
"Yeah. Over a hundred dead kids—all 'disease' or 'natural causes.'"
Kyu-bo sprang up, pointing at the screen.
Woojin followed his finger.
On screen,
Scribble, scribble.
Post-pre-med, after passing the national exam to become a doctor, Kyu-bo filled out a form, jaw clenched.
Field of Application: Forensic Medicine Department
The footage froze there. Goosebumps prickled Woojin's skin.
As he turned to Kyu-bo,
"That's why I became a forensic pathologist. Understand?"
Back to his usual self, Kyu-bo smiled faintly.