Chapter Text
Nayeon stared at the surgery board. She wasn’t going to scrub in at any surgeries today, not that she knew of at least, but she liked doing this whenever she needed a break from the hectic schedule at the hospital. It looks like she’s doing something so usually people don’t bother her unless it’s really necessary.
It was a slow night, though she could never admit that. It was hospital rules, as soon as it’s mention that it’s a little slow, something major happens, so she kept that thought to herself. Being completely honest, she desperately wanted to go to the break room and make some more coffee.
The other people on the shift were mostly busy, and they had ran out of coffee a couple of hours ago. A lot of people relied on it for their night shift, and usually she’s the one to make it whenever they’re out.
Nayeon debated for a bit, she would have to check on patients soon. She looked at her clock, 10 minutes passed, not enough. She sighed. It was the last 8 hours of her 24 hour shift, and those were always the hardest. After 3 years of being a nurse she would say she’s somewhat used to it, though they’re still not fun.
Somehow she feels like the days where her shifts ends smoothly are rare, more often than not something happens on the last hour and she ends up doing extra time, which she doesn’t mind, she would just like to avoid the stress.
She made her way to the nurse’s break room, usually she gets done with her paperwork on the first few hours of her shift, but she had to go check on the patients soon. Sometimes Nayeon still has a hard time grasping the fact that this is her life. Even with the 24 hour shifts, the annoying patients, the arrogant doctors, Nayeon loves being a nurse.
Nayeon is very passionate about what she does, even with hardships and everything she had to go through, and still goes through she still loves it very much. She is lucky that her work space is also very healthy, and she has a good relationship with her coworkers.
Even if sometimes they don’t see eye to eye with things, she knows how people in this area can be stubborn, herself included, at the end of the day the most important thing is the patients health, and that’s always their priority.
Every once in a while she still thinks back to the time in her life where she wasn’t sure on what career to follow. She had started a few majors, taken some courses, but she wasn’t really passionate about any of those things. They always bored her and she ended up not following through.
When she was young there was some career options she tried pursuing, but nothing really stuck with her. Nayeon worked as a waitress for a while just to make ends meet but it really wasn’t something she wanted for the rest of her life, it was completely temporary. Still, nothing seemed right for her future, nothing sparked her interest.
The older she got the more it became an issue, her parents didn’t pressure her too much, it was mostly her pressuring herself. Nayeon wanted to so something bigger, something that bought her more money, more satisfaction.
That’s when she opened up to her best friend about it. At the time, Jihyo had just taken over the directory at the hospital, though it’s had been long time coming. They knew since they were little that eventually Jihyo would inherit the hospital from her parents and when the time finally came, they were both static.
Jihyo had been her neighbor since they were just kids. Their parents knew each other and were long time friends as well. They always attended the same schools and spend their entire childhood, adolescence, young adult life together. There was no one she trusted more than her.
Jihyo had her entire life figured out by the time she was 10, and Nayeon in her early 20’s has no idea what to do with herself. She almost never compared herself to Jihyo, knowing that even though they’re close, they had very different upbringings and backgrounds.
“What about nursing school?” Jihyo suggested one day. Nayeon had brought up the subject again, still feeling lost. “I think you would be good at it, plus, we are always short staffed when it comes to them.”
Though the last part was a joke, it did make Nayeon think about it. Honestly, she loves the idea of helping people, for a while she even considered medical school, which she discarded eventually. But nursing school did sound good, plus, it wouldn’t hurt to try, it might give her a path in life.
It wouldn’t be the first time she liked the idea of something, but not necessarily liked everything else that came with it. Nayeon always kept an open mind for new opportunities, and she would like to work close to Jihyo too.
Now she knows she made the right choice. Just a week into classes as Nayeon knew this is what she wanted. It definitely also helped that she knew she had somewhere to work as soon as she was done with it, and truly, she found great passion in the profession.
Nursing school wasn’t easy at all. She had to study a lot, pull many all nighters and sometimes she would still struggle with a subject. She would be lying if she said that she didn’t think about giving up sometimes, she did the right choice by pushing through it though.
She loves being a nurse so much so that for the past 3 years, Nayeon has been working every shift she could get. At first it was because she wanted to practice, she wanted to be good at her job and the longer she was at the hospital the more she learned. When Nayeon realized, she was doing shift after shift, and she didn’t mind it.
Her life became her job, she was always a very dedicated person. She was passionate about it and she genuinely enjoyed working there a lot. Her coworkers were nice, her best friend was there, she really had nothing to complain about.
And even though Jihyo is her best friend, she never gave her perks or anything like that. Besides the opportunity to work there, whenever Nayeon was on the clock she was treated as an employee. She made her way up by being a hard worker, she’s very proud of herself for it.
Now, 3 years later, Nayeon is head of the department. She’s the employee that does the most hours and the most experienced one as well. Nayeon is the type of person that when she does something she likes to be the best at it, and for nursing it was no different.
She knows the hospital like the back of her hand and people often go to her whenever they need something. They also treat her as a second owner after Jihyo, knowing how close they are, even if Nayeon doesn’t consider herself high position at all.
Thanks to her dedication and the effort she put into her job Nayeon was able to achieve a lot of things in life. She never really struggled with money while her parents supported her, but as soon as she turned 18 she decided to move in on her own, so things became harder for her.
She jumped from job to job trying to make ends meet, and while it worked, it gave her no financial stability. Now Nayeon owns a very nice apartment, a car, and she doesn’t struggle with money at all. It’s very good, and if she had more time to spend her money, she probably would. But with her schedule she doesn’t really have time to do it.
Her shift was about to end when she saw Jihyo clocking in. The minute she saw her face she knew she was about to be scolded. Jihyo pointed at her as she walked closer. “What are you doing here?” She crossed her arms.
Nayeon looked around, making sure Jihyo was talking to her. “Me? Working, why?” She frowned, trying to play innocent even if she knew she wasn’t. “Speaking of, I have some things to do before my shift ends. Catch you later.” She smiled, trying to escape her fate.
“Absolutely not.” Jihyo started walking after her until she caught up with her. “What did I tell you two days ago?” She had a scolding tone in her voice that made Nayeon feel like she just committed a crime.
She paused, thinking. She knew exactly what Jihyo was talking about, but maybe if she pretended not to, Jihyo would just let go. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” She shrugged. “We talk about a lot of things.” She tried justifying herself.
Jihyo took a deep breath. “Two days ago, you were doing a 24 hour shift and I told you to not push yourself and do any shifts longer than 12 hours the rest of this week. So what the hell are you doing here when I know I saw you last night when I was leaving.” She grabbed Nayeon’s arm, making her stop.
She knew Jihyo had a reason to scold her. She was overworked and her body is starting to take a toll. But truthfully, she can do this, she knows it. Nayeon loves her job and she loves working and if she didn’t think she could handle it she wouldn’t be working. “I did a 12 hour shift, then another one right after, so technically not a 24 hour shift but two 12 hour shifts one after the other.”
Jihyo scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m not joking, Nayeon. Your shifts are getting longer and longer, you think I didn’t notice? I know you like work and you’re a hard worker, but your body needs rest too.” Nayeon opened her mouth to say something but Jihyo lifted her finger, not allowing her to. “I know you have time off after your shifts, still, 12 hours rest after working nonstop for 24 is not nearly enough.”
Nayeon didn’t really have an argument against that. Mostly because Jihyo was completely right. And as a hospital owner, she should care about her employees well being this much. Even if Nayeon herself didn’t.
When Nayeon didn’t say anything, Jihyo continued. “You should consider the vacation time we talked about. You know you’re like two years late on vacation and things could go bad even for me.”
”I know.” Nayeon sighed. “Maybe I can take like a week off next month?” She always tried negotiating with Jihyo, but it never led anywhere. Mostly because Jihyo wanted her to have some time off, and for her, a week maximum was more than enough.
”A week?” Jihyo immediately started shaking her head. “You know that’s not enough. We need to discuss this soon, Nayeon. You can’t keep running from time off. Unfortunately I do have a meeting in five minutes so I can’t stay here and finish this discussion. We’ll talk about it soon.”
Nayeon nodded, letting Jihyo head to her meeting. Her shift would be over soon as well, so she needed to check what else needed to get done before she left. She really didn’t know what was the big deal with her not having some vacation time off, she was fine like this.
She was dedicated to her work, that wasn’t a crime. However, it didn’t matter how many times she had this conversation, it always made her think, and actually take it into consideration.
Nayeon is well aware that Jihyo only brings this up out of worry. 3 years without some actually vacation time is a lot, though it is completely her choice. Truly, she doesn’t regret it, and she doesn’t feel like she desperately needs it either.
In her head it was mostly a win-win situation, she works a lot, has availability, is a hard worker, and actually enjoys her work a lot. It’s something good for the hospital because they can always count on her, her coworkers know that as well.
The minute she walked inside her apartment she headed straight to the bathroom. After a 24 hour shift at a hospital, what she needed the most when she got home was a shower, so that’s what she always did.
She ignored the mess that was in her kitchen, and her living room, and her bedroom. Admittedly, she has been neglecting her apartment a little bit. Regardless, shower was more important right now.
Nayeon was hungry, but she didn’t really feel like cooking anything. It was likely that there was some leftovers in her fridge, so maybe she would heat something up before sleeping.
Normally if she doesn’t come home with food, she ends up skipping the meal even if she’s hungry. Sleep usually comes first after a shift, and she doesn’t really have a lot of energy to cook anything or to stay up and wait for a food delivery.
Knowing that, she either stops somewhere to grab something to take home whenever she’s too hungry, or she leaves something somewhat ready before her shift. Today she did neither, so maybe sleep was the best option.
Sometimes Nayeon does feel like a fool. She achieved a lot in life, and by now with everything she has, she could have more time to enjoy her life. Still, for some reason she can’t really bring herself to do so, she would rather work, that brings her more satisfaction to be completely honest.
She doesn’t even remember what time she fell asleep. Nayeon just remembers waking up and checking the time on her phone. 9 hours of sleep, not bad, she would be lying if she said it was enough, but she promised her coworker Irene that she would cover her shift today, so she needed to get up and get ready soon.
Thankfully she did feel rested enough to make breakfast. Nayeon always offers to cover people shifts, and she often regrets it right before, for a few minutes. She would truly love to sleep a little more.
3 hours later and she was already back at the hospital. Nayeon carefully avoided the areas she knew Jihyo would be at, she needed to clock in, so she made her way there.
The hospital was busy, as usual. She didn’t mind it, at this point she was mostly used to it. Nayeon looked at the board in the break room, seeing who was on schedule, she didn’t even hear the door opening behind her.
“You again?” Sana walked towards her. “I’m about to finish my shift and you’re already starting another one?” She laughed, going to her locker and getting her things. “I know someone who will be very mad about it.”
Nayeon knew exactly who she was talking about. By now, everyone knew that Jihyo wasn’t happy with her and her shifts. “Did she say anything?” She wondered, Sana and Jihyo often talked, so maybe she mentioned something more recently.
Sana made a face that did not look good at all, and Nayeon knew exactly what it meant. “She came here to look at the schedules and I happened to be in the room at the moment.”
Nayeon sighed. “Was it bad?” She was kind of hoping she would get through this shift without any problems relating to that.
“She complained that you’re talking too many shifts and that she had talked to us to not let you cover for any of us anymore, or at least not after a 24 hour shift.” Nayeon knew that it was something she had talked to the other nurses about. “I told her that no one could cover this shift for Irene, and she said that she could’ve talked to her but that she knew you wouldn’t let us be understaffed.”
Jihyo knew her too well, if no one could cover for Irene they would be understaffed, and she knows how bad it can get, so she wouldn’t let that happen. “Did she say anything else?”
“Just thanked me and left.” Sana shrugged. “She did mumble some things, but I couldn’t really hear her. You know she’s not happy with you, so if I was you I’d try avoiding her, at least today since you just got finished with a shift.”
“I was planning to anyway.” Nayeon let out an awkward laugh. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t come after me herself.” She was finishing getting ready to start her shift.
Sana laughed. “I don’t think so, she seemed pretty busy when i saw her earlier, plus, she should be clocking out soon as well. You know, she’s working overtime right now too.” Nayeon nodded, she was well aware that Jihyo was an overworker too.
They both pretty much lived for the hospital, they spend most of their time there, and Jihyo as the director, had to be up to speed with everything that was happening. So she does understand why she went after to see the schedules, though she kind of wish she didn’t.
The beginning of her shift went well, it was mostly just getting caught up with everything she missed while she wasn’t there, which wasn’t a whole lot. She was planning on going around trying to see if any doctors needed her to scrub into a surgery. That was the best way for her to avoid Jihyo.
Nayeon was 3 hours into her shift when she spotted her best friend at the end of the hallway. She was going to get supplies, and Jihyo was standing right in front of the door, her arms crossed as she stared at Nayeon.
She looked around, trying to find a way out. She could come back the way she came, but when she started looking around she heard Jihyo cleaning her throat and starting move her way.
She gulped, already knowing that this wasn’t going to be fun. Nayeon barely paid any mind to the paper in Jihyo’s hands until it was being handed to her. “Sigh this.” Nayeon held it, frowning. Jihyo placed a pen on her right hand, pointing at it.
“What is this?” She questioned Jihyo, looking back at the paper and reading it, understanding what it was after just a few lines. “Really?!” Nayeon sighed. “I thought we were going to talk about it.”
”We can never reach a middle ground.” Jihyo argumented. “And in this matter, we shouldn’t. You’re overworked, Nayeon. You need rest and as my employee it’s my obligation to make sure you get it. This is bad for me too, if anyone catches this I’m screwed, the lawyers have been on my ass for months now, you know it. I know you love your job, but since you didn’t want to take even just a week off, I was forced to take matters into my own hands.” She shrugged.
”A month of vacations?!” Nayeon tried her best not to raise her voice. “That’s too much, what about the patients, what if they need someone to cover shifts, you can get understaffed so easily. One month is too long, let’s do just one week and I promise I’ll take another week soon.” She pleaded
”No.” Jihyo shook her head, determined. “I’m done with trying to negotiate with you. We’ll be fine, Nay. The hospital will be fine, we’ll survive. It’s just one month, I’m sure we won’t get understaffed.” She tried convincing her.
“Let’s negotiate this.” Nayeon continued trying. “How about 10 days? That’s pretty good time, no?” Jihyo shook her head. “14 days? I can rest a lot during that time, it’s definetly more than enough.”
“Nayeon.” Jihyo sighed. “I told you already, this is non negotiable. You need this break, enjoy it.” She gave her back a couple of pats. “I want this signed on my desk in an hour, or I’ll sign it for you.” She didn’t wait for an answer from Nayeon before walking away.
Nayeon stared at the paper in her hand. She didn’t know why she was fighting this so much either. She deserved a break, she works hard and she knows it will do her well, still, it’s hard for her to do it.
She held the paper for another 30 minutes before actually signing it. By the time she went to drop it on Jihyo’s desk she had accepted her fate already, she wasn’t going to work for the next 30 days. “I hope you enjoy your vacation.” Jihyo offered her a genuine smile.
“You know that if you or the hospital need anything you can still contact me, right?” Nayeon made sure to tell her. She needed to talk to the other nurses as well, they were pretty much all up to speed with everything, but she didn’t want to leave any loose ends as she left for a month.
Jihyo laughed. “Of course I know. You’re still my best friend, you’ll still be hearing from me.”
Nayeon nodded. She knew she had no option and that did make it a little easier for her, knowing that it wasn’t her choice. She was still completely unsure about all this as she left the hospital, not expecting to come back for another month.