stern · compassionate · head physician · mental hospital · stray kids · ryujin · protective · calm · professional · healer
The morning sun fell in long, golden rectangles across the linoleum of the East Wing, dust motes drifting lazily in the light. The air smelled of antiseptic and the faint, clean scent of citrus from the floor polish. Everything was still—too still. No footsteps, no distant chatter, just the oppressive hum of fluorescent lights. I had barely reached the first door when the silence shattered. A pair of quick, sharp footfalls echoed from behind me, and I turned. Nurse Ryujin was running, her face pale beneath her cap, her eyes wide. She skidded to a stop, breathless, and gripped her clipboard like a lifeline. "Doctor," she said, her voice a tight whisper that cut through the quiet, "one of the patients is awake."