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Doctor Jang stood at the nurse’s station grinning. The past few days have caused a miraculous change in her demeanor, and the rumors were already going around as to why. She didn’t care, let them think whatever they wanted, she knew the truth. Young-min was there, fighting to survive, and after wondering for so long if her efforts were appreciated, she had answers.
Now she had a future to look forward to, one that included Cha Young-min. It was more than she could have asked for. Beaming with joy, staring blankly at her patient list, she didn’t hear the other’s approach.
“Doctor Jang.” The familiar voice startled her.
“Doctor Lee, nice to see you again.” She offered the psychiatrist a quick head bow. “What brings you here?”
“Well, I was searching for Doctor Go, but I would like to talk to you as well. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Of course.”
She glanced at the nurses behind the desk that were doing their best to look preoccupied. Clearing ther throat, she suggested, “Perhaps somewhere a little more private?”
“My office is just around the corner. Would that work?” Doctor Jang motioned toward her office.
“It should.” So they walked down the hall to her rather large office. When they entered, Doctor Lee couldn’t help but notice the patient occupying a bulk of the room. “So this is where Doctor Cha has been tucked away, he looks peaceful.”
“He is.” She smiled broadly.
“And you know this for certain?” a little taken aback by her confidence.
“Oh yes,” then catching herself, Se-jin cleared her throat, “I mean, with the excellent care he has been provided, how could he not be peaceful?” Deciding it best to change the subject she asked, “What did you want to speak about?”
The two sat down to continue their discussion. “Well, I wanted to check in and see how things were going. The last time we spoke, I advised distance to help you sort your feelings out.”
Grinning sheepishly, Se-jin answered, “Yes, I was able to get them sorted.”
“So then you are with Doctor Go now?” Doctor Lee leaned forward, head cocked in wonder.
Se-jin coughed, sputtering, “What?! No!”
Unbeknownst to them another voice cried protest. “Absolutely not! Se-jin is mine.” Young-min paced next to the ladies anxiously.
Regaining her composure, the neurosurgeon asked, “Why would you think I was with Doctor Go?”
“You haven’t heard the rumors?” Lee sat back in her seat.
“Rumors?”
“Yes, there seem to be a number of them surrounding Go Seung-tak. One of them suggesting that you two have become involved. You can understand my concern considering our previous conversations.”
“I can assure you Doctor Go and I are just friends.” Se-jin answered definitively. She wanted there to be no further questions on her loyalties, especially if there was a chance he was listening.
“Well I hope that is true.” The psychiatrist allowed that topic to rest for now. After all she was more interested in the other rumors. Clasping her hands in her lap, she sat up a little straighter. “Would you mind if I asked you a few more questions regarding Doctor Go?”
Leary now, Se-jin tried to sound indifferent, “Of course, go ahead.”
“During the time you have spent with him, have you noticed any odd behavior?” Doctor Lee was curious as to why Jang’s eyes seemed to glance at the comatose Cha Young-min. Especially since one of Se-jin’s earlier concerns was how much Seung-tak knew and behaved like the experienced surgeon. “Anything familiar that might have confused you?”
Eyes darting back to the hands in her lap, Se-jin denied, “No, I had mistaken some of it, as you said. But that’s over now. I know who Seung-tak is and isn’t.”
“You do? That’s a curious way to put it. Would you care to elaborate?”
“I’m sorry. I’m a little tired, I was up all night.” Which was true, as Young-min grinned, the two had been sitting on their bench talking through the night. They only stopped because Seung-tak had a shift in the morning and needed to get there on time. “What I meant to say is that I know that Seung-tak is different from Cha Young-min. They have distinct personalities. And once I accepted that, it was easier to see Seung-tak for who he is, a gentleman and friend.”
“It’s funny that you used that term. Over the past few days I have spoken to a number of his colleagues and superiors. Many of them have described drastic changes in his personality at times. Going from someone rather timid to exuding confidence and experience that could rival Doctor Cha. Almost as if he became an entirely different person. Have you witnessed any of these changes?”
Se-jin shot a panicked look at her patient. While next to her, an agitated Young-min was confronting the psychiatrist, “Ya! What are you implying here?”
Taking her expression as confirmation, Lee pressed, “You have seen it, haven’t you?”
“Perhaps, I can’t be certain.” She tried to play down.
“Doctor Jang,” Doctor Lee leaned closer, expression stern, “I need you to be honest with me. This is a matter of great importance. Administration has asked me to look into this and I need to have all the facts to make a proper assessment.”
“That bastard,” Young-min hissed. Since his accident, he has learned a lot about their administrator, Han Seung-won, and he already wanted to pummel the man. This was just another jab at both Seung-tak and himself. “What assessment?”
“What assessment?” Se-jin echoed.
“Look, I will be honest with you so you understand what I need to accomplish. Administration is concerned about several rumors and observed behaviors of Go Seung-tak. Depending on my evaluation, he may prove to be a danger to others and found unfit to perform his duties. Which could mean his dismissal. Of course there is his mother and grandfather to consider, but they would not jeopardize the welfare of our patients and staff even for their own family.”
“What?” Both were shocked.
“In my discussions, many have observed this split in personalities that Doctor Go has exhibited. And while most of the time the fluctuation has ended in a positive result, there have been a few setbacks, to put it mildly. The recent loss of a patient seemed to have a significant impact on Doctor Go’s psyche. And that is only one concern.”
“There’s more?”
“Yes, Mr. Han, out of concern for his cousin, sent me several videos showing Seung-tak talking to invisible people.”
At that revelation, Young-min sat on the couch. Seung-tak had warned him several times to be careful of the cameras. But they had gotten lazy about it once Tak had acknowledged that he could not only see himself, but all ghosts in the hospital. They would talk and behave just as they had when they were alive. Hence the footage of the young doctor chatting with invisible people.
They had seriously screwed up. And given ammunition to that jerk Seung-won to discredit and probably destroy Tak’s chances of becoming a doctor. Young-min felt sick to his stomach.
Se-jin didn’t look much better. Her gaze drifting back to Young-min again. Absently, she muttered, “I wasn’t aware of that.”
Doctor Lee continued, “Which is why I need your help. You are a very competent doctor, and a neurosurgeon to boot. You have a deeper understanding of how the brain works. I need you to report any odd or atypical behavior you note in Go Seung-tak. I need to understand if I am dealing with one issue or two. Anything you can share to support either multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia could be vital to my decision. Will you help me?”
Collecting herself, Se-jin hurriedly complied, “Of course. Anything I can do, I will.” But what she really wanted was to find Seung-tak and warn him. If he was dismissed before Young-min was revived, she would no longer have a way to communicate with him. And worse, who could she trust to operate on her love, if Young-min couldn’t perform the surgery via Seung-tak?
“I appreciate your cooperation.” Doctor Lee stood up. “Now I think I have taken up enough of your time. And I still need to find Doctor Go so I can speak with him directly. Have a good day, Doctor Jang.” Se-jin followed her to the door but stayed after she left.
Spinning around, talking to no one, she said, “Did you hear that, Young-min? Seung-tak is in trouble and I think it’s probably our fault. We have to warn him.”
“My thoughts exactly!” Young-min agree wholeheartedly. “We have to find him. I’ll check with Tess and the others while you search. See if Intern Oh or Doctor Kim knows where he is.”
Se-jin hesitated for a moment, expecting and not expecting an answer. But then she was out the door heading for ER.
Young-min scurried through the halls calling, “Tess! Tess!” He was down a floor and on the other side of the building when he finally found him. “Tess, do you know where Tak-ah is?”
Thinking for a moment, he pondered, “He did his rounds earlier then wandered off, why?”
“I have to find him. It’s important.” Doctor Cha continued to glance around as if somehow miraculously the young man would appear out of thin air.
Despite the other man’s frantic searching, Tess chuckled, teasing the ghost, “What, like what color drapes you want?”
“No, that’s… wait, you know about that?”
“Aigoo. How could we not know? It’s not like you’ve bothered to hide it. Every time your Se-jin asks you a question you come dashing down and pestering that young man, no matter what he’s doing, until he hurries up and answers her. I don’t know how he puts up with you. It would drive me crazy.”
Remorsefully, Young-min explained, “That’s the problem, that jerk Seung-won is trying to get Tak-ah labeled as crazy.”
“Aish!” Tess raised a hand like he wanted to smack the idiot, but held back. “Didn’t I try to warn you? You can’t just go jumping willy nilly into that boy whenever it suits you. There are consequences.”
“Well, if we don’t sort this out, then Go Seung-tak will be dismissed before my surgery and all our efforts will be for nothing.”
“Fools, both of you! Come on, let’s find him quickly.” The pair hurried off to find their friend.
Se-jin was wandering the halls now. She had no luck in ER and as she was leaving she bumped into Doctor Oh. Pulling her aside, she explained the situation briefly before continuing the search. Crystal admonished her, saying that they should have not been so eager to use Tak and if they weren’t careful, he would be paying the price for their impatience. She then said she would check the on call room and a few other places he often went to.
The older woman felt awful. Soo-jeong was right. They had been impatient and inconsiderate of Seung-tak in their eagerness to be together, now that they knew about his gift. Together they had to fix it.
She realized she was near Cha’s office and a thought struck her. Seung-tak had been spending hours of his day there practicing, most likely under Young-min’s supervision. Picking up her pace, she was there in minutes. Pushing the door, she was met with some resistance. Confused, she pushed harder and was able to get it open enough to squeeze through.
At first glance, the room seemed empty. It was only when she checked on why the door was so difficult that she found her query. Gasping, she fell to her knees. “Seung-tak! Seung-tak! Go Seung-tak!” She tried to shake him. But no response. His back was to her so she tried to roll him over. It was worse than she imagined.
There were lines of blood trickling from his nose and staining his cheek from where it pooled on the floor. He was deathly pale and she still couldn’t wake him. Panicking, she pulled out her phone and called Doctor Oh. “He’s in Min-ah’s office, hurry!” She hung up knowing that they would arrive shortly. She continued to try and revive the young man to no avail.
When Crystal arrived Jae-won was with her. Thankfully between them they were able to get Seung-tak on to a stretcher and down to ER. There he was hooked up to an IV and provided nutrients and hydration. The good news is that meals always seemed to be part of their time together, so Seung-tak wasn’t really malnourished. However, the young man was exhausted, beyond exhausted truthfully.
Pulling the older woman aside, Soo-jeong demanded a breakdown of the past few days. She had learned that the two would stay up late most nights talking and then leaving Seung-tak to work a full shift before resuming their dates. The young man had barely had any sleep as a result. Not to mention that he was sporting a mild concussion from the attack a few days ago.
Soo-jeong had been worried that something more had happened considering that Seung-tak was just as unresponsive then as he was now. The difference is that somehow that ER tech knew what to do to get Young-min back. And because he had managed to wake, they dismissed any other injuries. His hand may have been treated but his head was not. Coupled with exhaustion made the situation even worse.
The young woman wanted to yell and slap them for being so careless. And Se-jin wouldn’t have blamed her. Young-min protested when she threatened to hit him once he woke up, but deep down he knew she was right. The ghosts arrived shortly after them when they heard some nurses whispering about Seung-tak being taken to ER.
Tess hovered at the doorway, watching while trying to look like he wasn’t watching. Muttering to himself on and off, it was getting harder to hide his worry. “Aigoo. These punks are so reckless. They should have been more cautious. Now look at the mess they’re in.”
Se-jin waited as long as she could, but in the end had to return to her own duties. Young-min was torn, he wanted to wait until Tak woke up but he was also worried about the neurosurgeon. She looked upset. And rightfully so. Since she figured out what was going on between Seung-tak and Young-min, she was glad to know that it wasn’t the younger man she was falling for but Young-min again. Unfortunately, her brother didn’t care who she cared about, only that by attacking them, it would also hurt her.
Just like the past, her brother had attacked the person she loved. Only this time it wasn’t just Young-min who was in danger, but Seung-tak as well. In her confusion, she had spoken to the psychiatrist confidentially about her mixed feelings only to discover that it had been the starting point of Seung-tak’s mental evaluation. Her actions had hurt an innocent man both physically and mentally.
Standing next to Cha’s bedside, she declared, “We have to help him. This is all my fault. If I hadn’t been so desperate to talk to you again, he may have been able to continue to hide his ability.”
“It’s not your fault. It was all of us. Neither Tak-ah nor I understood Tess’ warning. We chose to keep going. I just didn’t realize what it would do.” The thoracic surgeon spoke aloud knowing it wouldn’t be heard. Especially without Tak around to relay it.
Sighing, Young-min pinched the bridge of his nose. What could they even do now? It’s not like he could do anything in this state. And Se-jin only knew the bare minimum of their partnership. How in the hell were they going to get out of this mess?
A few hours later while Se-jin was still working, Young-min decided to check on his apprentice. When he got to the room, he found it empty. He feared the worst and once more was on a hunt for Tess. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find him. The man was watching over Intern Oh in the ER. Hurrying up to the man, Young-min demanded, “Where’s Go Seung-tak?!”
“Aigoo,” Tess waved him away like a fly. “He’s home.”
“What? What happened?”
“His Grandfather arrived, which was a good thing he did for both of your sakes.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Squaring off, the older man glared angrily at his fellow doctor, “It means that while he was waiting for his grandson to wake, that psychiatrist came in and shared with him her concerns. His grandfather was outraged at the notion and told her to drop it immediately. He bought you both a stay of execution. You better thank him for it later.”
Properly chastised, Young-min had the decency to look penitent. “I will.”
“You should apologize to that boy as well. You almost wrecked his career.”
“I will.” Young-min cleared his throat, he had every intention of doing as Tess said. Not because he was told to but because he truly felt bad for what happened. However, he could only do so when Seung-tak returned. “But you said he was home now?”
“Yes, he woke up a little after the psychiatrist left. Getting the all clear from the staff, he took his grandson home for some proper rest… with no interruptions.” He made a point to look fiercely at the younger man.
Shrinking a little under the harsh stare, Young-min once again expressed his regret. “Yes, of course. He deserves some good sleep.”
“Next time you punks better listen to my advice so this doesn’t happen again.”
“We will.”
“You better.” Tess raised a hand but let it drop again. “Now go think about what you’ve done and how you’re going to make it better until you wake up.” He shooed the brilliant surgeon away.
Young-min did as the man suggested, sitting in Se-jin’s office most of the time and waiting by the entrance the rest. Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait too long. A few days later Seung-tak entered the hospital looking refreshed but about as eager as Young-min was to see him. When he arrived, neither spoke. They walked together until they got into Doctor Cha’s office.
The door barely closed before the spirit launched into his apology, “Tak-ah, please forgive us, me, for taking advantage of your kindness. We were selfish and inconsiderate. Please accept our apology.”
The younger man listened with his arms crossed, face neutral. When his teacher finished, Seung-tak sighed. “I accept your apology. It’s not entirely your fault. I should have set my boundaries better. Just try not to abuse my body in the future.”
Young-min sank into a chair so relieved that Seung-tak wasn’t so upset about the situation. “I won’t. We won’t. We are very sorry. Se-jin has been beating herself up over it.”
“It’s not really her fault either. I’ll talk to her later. We just have to be more careful.”
“Agreed!” The older man sprang to his feet ready to give his junior a hug but stopped short when Tak stepped back defensively. Bashfully, he put his arms down. “Sorry. And thank you for understanding.”
“We have the same goal, repay me by waking up soon so we don’t have to worry about it anymore.” The younger man reasoned.
“Deal, now let’s get back to work.” The pair dove back into the teacher-student roles and continued the training. After a few more discussions a plan had been set in place to allow them to balance Tak’s time and body better. Soon, their ultimate goal would be realized.