Chapter 16 – Sleepless Nights

The more Seo Do-hyun rewrote The Silent Witness, the more difficult it became to stop.

At first, he had been careful.

He limited himself to an hour or two each evening, reminding himself that medicine remained his priority. Once the clock reached a certain time, he would close the manuscript, put away his notebook, and return to reviewing lecture materials before going to bed.

It was a system that worked.

For a while.

Then the story began changing.

The detective felt more alive with every revision. Conversations flowed more naturally, clues fit together with greater precision, and the fictional city he had once imagined slowly transformed into a place that seemed almost real. Every chapter sparked another idea, and every idea led to another page of notes.

The manuscript no longer felt like an old project he was merely polishing.

It felt like a story waiting to be finished.

One evening, after returning from campus, Do-hyun prepared a quick dinner before settling into his usual seat by the window. The apartment was quiet, illuminated only by the warm light of his desk lamp.

"I'll finish revising this chapter," he murmured as he opened his laptop.

"Then I'll study."

It was the same promise he made every night.

Tonight was no different.

The chapter focused on Detective Han Ji-seok's first encounter with a key witness.

The original version had been straightforward, almost mechanical. Ji-seok asked questions, the witness answered them, and the scene ended with another clue.

It served its purpose.

But it lacked tension.

Do-hyun leaned forward, resting one elbow on the desk.

"What if the witness lies..."

He paused, considering the idea.

"No."

"They wouldn't lie outright."

He tapped his pen lightly against the notebook.

"They'd leave something out."

A smile appeared on his face.

"That makes more sense."

He immediately began rewriting the conversation.

Instead of giving the detective obvious information, the witness hesitated before answering simple questions, carefully choosing each word. The dialogue became quieter, forcing Ji-seok to pay attention not only to what was being said but also to what remained unsaid.

The change altered the entire scene.

Satisfied, Do-hyun moved on to the next chapter.

Then another.

One adjustment led naturally into the next, and before long he found himself reorganizing an entire sequence of events that stretched across several chapters.

The notebook beside his laptop filled with fresh ideas.

"Introduce the witness earlier."

"Move this clue to Chapter 5."

"The detective should notice the inconsistency here."

Whenever inspiration struck, he hurried to write it down before it disappeared.

Time quietly slipped away.

Outside, the sounds of passing cars gradually faded.

The apartment building grew silent as lights in neighboring windows disappeared one by one.

None of it reached Do-hyun's attention.

His entire world had narrowed to the pages spread across his desk.

By the time he finally leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the evening's work, his shoulders ached from sitting still for so long.

He stretched before absentmindedly glancing at the clock.

2:31 a.m.

His eyes widened.

"...Already?"

He stared at the numbers in disbelief.

He had intended to stop before ten.

Instead, more than four additional hours had passed without him noticing.

A quiet laugh escaped him.

"I really lost track of time."

The realization should have made him anxious.

Instead, he felt strangely content.

He quickly saved the revised manuscript, closed his laptop, and reached for his phone to set an alarm.

After checking it twice, he placed the device on the bedside table.

"I'll be fine."

Within minutes, exhaustion overtook him.

The sharp sound of frantic knocking pulled him from a deep sleep.

Do-hyun groaned softly, reaching instinctively for his phone.

His hand found nothing.

Still half asleep, he sat upright and looked toward the bedside table.

The screen was dark.

His alarm had long since stopped ringing.

Confused, he unlocked the phone.

The time displayed across the screen made his heart skip.

8:12 a.m.

He froze.

His first lecture began at eight.

"...No."

He blinked repeatedly, hoping he had somehow misread the numbers.

He hadn't.

For the first time since entering medical school...

Seo Do-hyun had overslept.

He threw the blanket aside so quickly that it landed on the floor.

Within minutes he had changed clothes, grabbed his backpack, and rushed out of the apartment without even eating breakfast.

The elevator felt painfully slow.

Every traffic light seemed determined to remain red.

Even the train appeared to move more sluggishly than usual.

Do-hyun checked the time every few minutes, silently calculating how much of the lecture he had already missed.

He couldn't remember ever arriving late to class.

Not once.

The thought alone made him uncomfortable.

When he finally reached the university, students were already moving between buildings as the first lecture came to an end.

Do-hyun quickened his pace toward the lecture hall, quietly slipping through the door just as Professor Kim finished writing across the whiteboard.

Several classmates turned toward him.

A few stared in visible surprise.

Professor Kim paused briefly before offering a small nod.

"Good morning, Mr. Seo."

"I apologize for being late, Professor."

"It happens."

The professor simply resumed the lecture.

The class continued as though nothing unusual had occurred.

Even so, Do-hyun could feel several curious glances lingering on him.

As soon as the lecture ended, Min-jun hurried over with an amused grin.

"I never thought I'd live to see this."

Do-hyun looked up from packing his notebook.

"See what?"

"You."

"Late."

Several nearby classmates laughed.

One of them shook his head.

"I honestly thought you'd arrive before the professor even if there was an earthquake."

"What happened?" Min-jun asked. "Did you finally discover video games?"

Another student chuckled.

"Or maybe..."

He lowered his voice dramatically.

"You're dating someone."

The group erupted into laughter.

Do-hyun nearly dropped the notebook he was holding.

"W-What?"

Min-jun folded his arms with exaggerated seriousness.

"It explains everything."

"You've been distracted lately."

"You've spaced out during lectures."

"And now you oversleep?"

He nodded thoughtfully.

"There's only one logical explanation."

"You've fallen in love."

"That's ridiculous."

"Then what kept you awake until two or three in the morning?"

Do-hyun opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

He couldn't exactly tell them the truth.

That he had spent the night rewriting conversations between fictional detectives and murder suspects.

That he had become so immersed in an unfinished manuscript from his college days that he forgot the time entirely.

Somehow, admitting to that felt even more embarrassing than being accused of dating.

"...I was just reading."

Min-jun narrowed his eyes.

"Reading what?"

"...An old project."

"What kind of project?"

Do-hyun hesitated for only a second.

"Nothing important."

The answer sounded unconvincing even to his own ears.

Min-jun studied him for a moment before finally laughing.

"Whatever it is, it must be interesting."

"I've never seen you this distracted."

Do-hyun smiled awkwardly, relieved that his friend didn't press the matter any further.

"If you say so."

As the group began walking toward their next lecture, Min-jun continued teasing him about his mysterious late-night activities, inventing increasingly ridiculous theories that made everyone laugh.

Do-hyun listened quietly, occasionally smiling along with them.

His sleepless nights had nothing to do with games. And nothing to do with romance.

Only he knew the truth.