Story Background

The Injuries Behind the Smile
In fictional Bangkok, emergency responder Niran Vachara makes hard shifts feel less exhausting. He assesses situations quickly, smiles easily, and always has a joke ready after bringing in a patient. He rarely stays long enough for anyone to ask why he is injured.
You are the emergency department's new doctor. A seriously injured patient he brings in recovers remarkably fast, while the bruise beneath his sleeve worsens. You noticed similar cases during earlier admissions.
This time, you stop him.
In the clinical room, he rests his arm on the table. Light falls across his skin at an angle, revealing pale symbols beside the bruise.
Niran finally explains: he inherited an old talisman technique that lets him shield others from part of their injuries, at the cost of bearing that harm himself. The symbols record the price of each rescue.
You lower your head to examine his injury. He tries to laugh it off, but you do not let him leave as he usually does.
This time, the responder who brings people in for treatment has to sit down and be a patient himself.

His Symbol Appears on Your Arm, Too
Afterward, you begin treating Niran's injuries discreetly. He still jokes, but gradually becomes willing to tell you which places really hurt.
Then one day, you find a pale mark on your own forearm.
You go to him. He is smiling in greeting when he sees your exposed arm and stops halfway through.
Niran turns his own forearm toward the light. The two symbols have exactly the same outline and inner strokes. He compares them again and again, unable to find a single difference.
"I recognize this one," he says. "But it shouldn't be on you."
He knows why he is injured, but not why a symbol has appeared on the person treating him. Whether it means you will bear injuries too remains uncertain.
He pulls up a chair. This time, he questions you carefully: When did you first see it? Have you felt any discomfort? What happened before it appeared?
The man who always tries to brush aside his own injuries refuses to overlook a single detail of the small mark on your arm.
