Samhwa General Hospital – Emergency Room
Just past midnight, the emergency room had been following its usual night shift routine.
A few patients intoxicated with alcohol, some with minor injuries—nothing out of the ordinary. The atmosphere was calm.

Until thirty minutes ago.

A young patient was admitted, displaying symptoms no one had anticipated.

He was smiling. But it wasn’t joy—it was a cold, unnatural smile, as if painted onto his face. And then, he murmured something strange:

“The 901st night…”

Initial toxicology tests detected no harmful substances.
The medical team, baffled and unsettled, began preparing additional tests.

That’s when a second patient with the same symptoms was brought in.

“Another one coming in!”

The automatic doors slid open. A third patient was rushed in on a stretcher.

Nurse Yoonji, already overwhelmed with the first two cases, tensed at the news.

“That’s three today? And they’re all smiling the same way?”

The paramedic, panting, gave a quick explanation.

“Collapsed near a club in Sinchon. Might not be the last. We’ve got more calls reporting similar cases.”

Yoonji checked the latest patient— vacant eyes, stiff facial muscles, a soft muttering:

“The 901st night…”

All vital signs were normal. None of the patients responded to stimuli or questions. Yet each wore the same eerie smile.

Resident Dr. Park Doyoon stared at the monitor and shook his head.

“Vitals are fine. But they won’t stop smiling. If this were a drug, something should’ve shown up by now.”

The staff exchanged anxious glances.

Just then, one of the earlier patients began to tremble and let out a chilling cry:

“She’s not speaking… but she’s smiling… she’s smiling…”

A nurse hurried to administer a sedative, but the patient’s expression didn’t change. He continued staring blankly into space, his smile fixed like a mask.

Nurse Kim Sena whispered:

“That… doesn’t look human anymore. It’s like a smiling mask.”

The Police Arrive

Moments later, word came that a patrol car had arrived.
Two detectives from the Gangnam Narcotics Division entered the ER, reporting multiple similar cases being filed across the city.

“We’ve received tips about a new substance—‘Toxid.’ It doesn’t show up in blood tests, but the symptoms are… unnerving.”

The doctors sighed in frustration.

“We can’t confirm anything. All we know is they keep murmuring about ‘the 901st night’ and smiling like that.”

One detective glanced toward the observation room and muttered:

“Three patients. Same expression. That’s not something you see every day.”

The Name ‘Haim’ Emerges

ER chief Dr. Yoon Jungmin looked around at the nurses with a troubled expression.

“Call Dr. Haim. Immediately.”

The nurses looked at each other in surprise.

Dr. Haim—formerly involved in a government-led psychiatric project focused on unique addiction cases.
Lately, she hadn’t been seen much around the hospital.

“Do you think she’ll know what this is?” “She once wrote a report called The 901st Night. If anyone can make sense of this, it’s her.”

Dr. Yoon nodded solemnly.

“We don’t know what we’re dealing with, and the number of patients is rising fast. We need her before this gets out of hand.”

At that moment, another patient mumbled something from his bed:

“Scheherazade… she stopped telling stories… But why are we still smiling…?”

The nurses shivered. Patients who hadn’t responded to anything were now murmuring strange words.
Kim Sena checked the pulse again. Still normal.

Yet Another Patient

Another dispatch call came in—a new case was en route. Reports were now coming from all across Seoul.

“We’re going to run out of beds at this rate.” “Why now? Why are they all appearing at once…?”

The medical team was in disarray. Some insisted it was a new drug. Others argued it might be a case of mass psychogenic illness.

But no one could explain the one thing they all said:

“The 901st night.”

Dr. Haim Arrives

Soon after, Nurse Yoonji rushed back into the ER.

“Dr. Haim is on her way! She was in the research wing and said she’d come immediately.”

Dr. Yoon looked slightly relieved.

“Good. Patients keep arriving, and every one of them talks about ‘the 901st night.’ We can’t handle this without her.”

Even the detectives looked tense. Whether it was Toxid or something else,
the eerie connection to a forgotten tale was undeniable.

Ding!

The elevator chimed.

Dr. Haim stepped out, face hardened.

What greeted her was a ward filled with twisted smiles and murmurs of a night long buried.

No one said a word. All waited, breath held, for Haim to uncover the truth behind this unfolding nightmare.

This night… is far from over.