Chapter Text
It all started after Songhwa finished a long and tiring surgery.
“Good job, everyone,” Songhwa said with a warm smile as she stepped down from the small platform she had been standing on. She had just finished a five-hour brain surgery to remove a tumor. Her hands were still slightly shaking from the intense focus, but her heart was light. Everything had gone well, and her patient was safe.
“Thank you, gyosunim!” her resident said with a respectful bow before walking away to change.
Songhwa smiled wider. There was no better feeling than knowing she helped save someone’s life. She quietly took off her gloves and mask, then headed out of the OR. The hallway was quiet, but just outside, the family of her patient was waiting nervously. She always made it a point to talk to the families, to give them updates and comfort.
As she walked down the hall, ready to give them the good news, her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out and saw a new message.
Unknown Number:
To Chae Songhwa: You did great! I left something in your office. I know you're going to love it.
Songhwa stopped in her tracks. Her fingers tightened around the phone. Her eyes read the message again and again. The name said “Unknown Number.”
She frowned a little. Who could it be?
Maybe it was one of her close friends playing a joke? But that didn’t make sense. Her friends—Ikjun, Junwan, Jeongwon, Seokhyeong—they all had their own numbers saved on her phone. And they would tell her if they got new ones.
It didn’t feel like a prank. The message didn’t sound like a joke. It was... sweet, almost thoughtful. But also mysterious. And strange.
“I left something in your office.”
Her heart beat a little faster. What could it be? A gift? A letter? Or something else?
Songhwa looked around the hallway. Everything seemed normal. But now, her thoughts were spinning. She was curious—but also a little worried.
Who sent the message?
And what exactly was waiting in her office?
Still holding her phone, Songhwa took a deep breath and put it back in her pocket. Whoever sent the message could wait. Her first duty was to the family waiting outside.
She walked out of the hallway and saw the patient’s family standing with worried eyes. A middle-aged woman—probably the patient’s mother—stepped forward as soon as she saw Songhwa in her scrubs.
“Doctor, how is my son?” she asked, voice trembling.
Songhwa gave her a kind smile. “The surgery went very well. We were able to remove the tumor completely. He’s stable and will be moved to recovery soon.”
The woman let out a sob of relief, her hands clasped together in front of her face. The others behind her also sighed and started whispering thankful words. One of them even bowed deeply.
“Thank you so much, Doctor. Thank you for saving him,” the woman said with tears in her eyes.
Songhwa nodded gently. “He still needs time to recover, but he’s strong. I’ll keep checking on him.”
She gave them one last comforting smile before turning away.
Now her mind returned to the strange message.
“I left something in your office.”
She walked through the hospital hallways quickly, greeting a few nurses and doctors along the way. As she reached her office door, she paused for a moment. There was a strange feeling in her chest. A mix of curiosity and nerves.
She slowly opened the door.
Everything looked normal.
But then, her eyes landed on her desk.
There, sitting right in the center, was a small box.
It was neatly wrapped in light blue paper with a silver ribbon on top. It wasn’t big—about the size of her palm—but it stood out against the clean surface of her desk.
She stepped closer, her eyes narrowing.
No name. No note. Just the box.
Songhwa reached out and picked it up. It was light.
Her heart was beating faster now.
What is this? And who left it?
She looked around the room again, but she was alone.
With a deep breath, she carefully pulled the ribbon loose.
With slightly trembling fingers, Songhwa untied the silver ribbon and slowly peeled back the light blue wrapping. Underneath was a simple white box—small, but elegant.
She opened it carefully.
Inside, resting on a soft velvet cushion, was a beautiful 24-carat gold necklace.
Her breath caught in her throat.
It wasn’t flashy or too fancy—it was delicate, thin, and graceful. At the center hung a tiny charm shaped like a treble clef, sparkling under the light. Songhwa’s fingers hovered over it, not daring to touch it just yet.
Who would give her something like this?
This wasn’t just a thank-you gift or a friendly gesture. It was thoughtful. Personal. Whoever gave this knew her well—her love for music, her style, her quiet taste in jewelry.
Her eyes flicked back to her phone.
To Chae Songhwa: You did great! I left something in your office. I know you're going to love it.
She sat down slowly in her chair, the box still in her hands.
Who are you? she thought.
And for the first time in a while, Songhwa felt a bit of a mystery forming around her carefully organized life.
She looked at the necklace again, then at her phone.
Whoever sent it… clearly knew her heart.
As Songhwa sat quietly in her chair, still staring at the golden necklace in her hand, the door to her office suddenly opened with a soft click.
She quickly looked up.
Standing there was Jeongwon, his white coat slightly wrinkled and his hair messy—he looked like he had just finished a long, exhausting round. There were faint shadows under his eyes, but his face still held that usual gentle calmness.
But the moment his eyes landed on her—and more specifically, on the necklace she was holding—his steps froze.
He blinked, then slowly stepped inside.
“…Where did you get that?” he asked, his voice calm, but there was something behind it. A slight edge. A tension that wasn’t usually there.
Songhwa looked down at the necklace, then back at him. She opened her mouth to answer—but no words came out.
Because she didn’t know what to say.
She didn’t know who sent it. Didn’t know why it was left for her. She wasn’t even sure how to explain the message without sounding like something strange was going on.
So instead, she just stood there, holding the box, her mouth slightly open, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“I…” she started, then stopped.
Jeongwon took a step closer, his gaze fixed on the necklace.
“Did someone give it to you?” he asked softly. “Was it a patient? A friend?”
She shook her head slowly. “No… I found it here. On my desk. It came with a message—from an unknown number. It just said, ‘You did great. I left something in your office.’”
Jeongwon’s face stayed calm, but his eyes flickered with something unreadable.
He glanced at the necklace again, then looked back at her.
“…Do you think this is a joke?” he asked gently, but his voice had dropped just slightly.
Songhwa frowned. “I don’t know. It doesn’t feel like a joke.”
The room fell silent for a moment.
The mystery lingered in the air between them—quiet, heavy, and strange.
Jeongwon stayed quiet for a moment, eyes still locked on the necklace, as if trying to solve a puzzle in his mind.
Songhwa slowly closed the box, unsure if she should feel nervous, flattered, or even afraid.
Jeongwon finally broke the silence. “You really don’t know who sent it?”
She shook her head. “No. And that’s what’s bothering me. It’s not from any of you, right? You’d all tell me if you changed numbers.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, we would.” Then, with a concerned frown, he stepped closer. “Songhwa… a 24-carat necklace isn’t a casual gift. That’s expensive. And personal. Are you sure no one’s been acting strange lately?”
Songhwa thought for a moment, then shook her head again. “Nothing out of the ordinary. No unusual patients. No weird messages until today. It’s just…” She paused. “The message felt so… familiar. Like someone who knows me well. But also not close enough to say who they are.”
Jeongwon crossed his arms, looking troubled. “Should I tell the security office? Maybe check the cameras near your office?”
Songhwa blinked. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. But the idea of someone sneaking into her office quietly, leaving an expensive gift without a trace—it was unsettling.
“…Maybe,” she said slowly. “But I want to wait. Just for now.”
“Why?”
She hesitated. “Because… something tells me they’re not done yet.”
Jeongwon looked at her for a long second, reading her face. Then he gave a small nod.
“Alright. But promise me—if anything else happens, you’ll let one of us know.”
“I promise.”
As he left the room, Songhwa opened the box again, staring at the necklace.
Whoever sent this wasn’t just some stranger.
They knew her favorite symbol. They knew when her surgery ended. They knew how to get into her office unnoticed.