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Eunsang ER was, unfortunately, a victim of another spat between Go Seung-tak and Cha Young-min. The two doctors fought as many times as they saved patients. What they fought over each time was always a variation of a previous argument, too. Young-min would nitpick Seung-tak's manner, or skills, then Seung-tak would yell back about Young-min's arrogance and lack of friends, Young-min would refute it, Seung-tak would insist, Young-min would huff, Seung-tak would puff, a never-ending tale.
This argument was going much the same, up until Seung-tak said, "Ah! I should switch to ophthalmology, at least you won't be there."
As soon as the words left his mouth, an electric current sparked through the ER and Oh Soo-jeong worried the friction would set the monitors aflame. Seung-tak was oblivious to the playful fire extinguished from Young-min's eyes, replaced with a hurt shakiness. Young-min half-scoffed, half-laughed, and placed his hands on his hips, "Then go. If you think your skills will be more useful fixing eyes, suit yourself." The older doctor dropped his hands and sharply turned, the bottom of his white coat slicing the air. He was gone in ten steps.
Seung-tak simply shrugged and walked to Soo-jeong, mouth open to complain, but he was beaten to it. "Ophtalmololgy? Really?" She asked, one eyebrow raised.
"It was the only thing I could think of in the moment. I blame you." Seung-tak shoved his hands into his pockets.
"You should be nicer to him, Go Seung-tak." She sighed. The two moved out of the way as a pair of nurses passed by with a tray of vaccines and alcohol pads. They settled at the front counter, both leaning their elbows on it.
"Why should I be nicer? That'd only stroke his ego." He glared into the distance. Soo-jeong fought the urge to slap him in the back. If only he knew how much Dr. Cha cared about him, the effort the man put into preparing practice materials, writing and revising advice and feedback for Seung-tak after an operation, talking with other doctors on letting the resident observe their surgeries. He worked harder than he needed to, and Seung-tak was none the wiser. Most of the ER and cardiology staff, especially the interns and residents, knew Dr. Cha was in love with Seung-tak. Knew the reason Dr. Jang returned to America was that Dr. Cha's feelings for her had diminished, and his feelings for Seung-tak had grown.
"Ugh." Seung-tak ruffled his hair violently. "Whatever, I don't wanna talk about him anymore."
Soo-jeong grit her teeth; it's not like she could tell him about Dr. Cha's feelings. That was Dr. Cha's duty to bear. She relented and thought of a different subject. "Oh, right. One of my friends invited me to meet with other doctors. Residents and fellows, do you want to come?"
"What are we eating?" Seung-tak slowly straightened himself.
"Not chicken." She blinked innocently.
"Good enough."
***
The chosen meeting place was a medium-sized Chinese restaurant set in the heart of Seoul, softly glowing against the settling night. Soo-jeong and Seung-tak had made it clear to the others that they would not be close, and they shouldn't page any critical emergencies to them. Seung-tak, meanwhile, had not seen Young-min since the spat, and he questioned if Young-min had actually taken it to heart. Not that it would make sense. Young-min—just like the resident—never took any harsh words the other said too personally. Perhaps Young-min was busy.
When they entered the restaurant and named themselves, they were led to a reserved room with two large circular wooden tables and framed traditional Chinese paintings spanning the flower-patterned walls. One table was already full with chattering medical professionals, and the other one had three seats left—two, Seung-tak presumed, for Soo-jeong and him. Indeed, one professional at the said table waved them over, grinning widely at Soo-jeong's appearance. Seung-tak lightly nudged his friend with his elbow and lazily suppressed a chuckle. She was not amused.
"Soo-jeong! I'm so glad you could make it." The man said, fidgeting with a napkin. He tried to get another one from the dispenser in the middle of the table, but knocked over a sauce bottle and retracted his hand like he'd been shocked. Luckily, a female professional by his side caught the bottle before it had rolled off the table and set it back. The man thanked her sheepishly.
The woman's brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, a few strategic strands let down to gently frame her oval face. Her round, twinkling eyes gave her an air of comfort, and her confident movements exuded authority. She reminded him a little of Dr. Jang, assertive and kind.
"You have good instincts." Seung-tak complimented. He sat himself down, coincidentally, to her right.
"Thank you. You have to when you work in anesthesiology and pain management." She smiled, her full cheeks softening her eyes into crescents. Normally, Seung-tak would be charmed by her beauty, but these days, he struggled to feel attraction towards others. An impediment with no cause in sight. His friends were starting to hate him for how many mixers he rejected. But what could he do, Young-min required excessive doses of attention.
"Anesthesiology, huh. Thank you for your service." He saluted, joining in her laughter.
"Thanks, but uh, don't you think you're speaking too casually? You look younger than me." She tilted her head slightly. Soo-jeong and the previous man had been listening in on the conversation, but shortly became uninterested and started speaking to each other and the remaining professional at the table.
"What? Really? I think you look quite young yourself." Seung-tak straightened up. "I'm a resident."
"Fellow." She said.
"Whoa, noona, you really are older than me." He leaned forward, only to get slapped in the back by an all too familiar force. Seung-tak rubbed his back and whipped his head towards Soo-jeong, "What?!"
"You barely just met her, and you're already calling her noona. Don't you have manners?" She hissed.
The fellow anesthesiologist lightly laughed, placing a curled hand over her mouth, "It's alright. I don't mind." Then, she quickly swallowed her laughter, "Oh! And I haven't even introduced myself, I'm Kang Shi-young."
"Go Seung-tak." He stopped rubbing his back. The name Shi-young sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't figure out why.
"Oh Soo-jeong." His friend said, all smiles and giggles. A full 180.
"It's nice to meet both of you." She bowed her head slightly, and the other two returned the gesture. "Where do you two work?"
"They work at Eunsang, sunbaenim." Said the man from before, excited to make his way into the conversation.
"Eunsang. Is that not-" A man walked into the room, aided by a staff member, catching the attention of everyone. The last guest. He bowed to the staff and then faced all of them, giving a shy smile and bowing to them too. His hair appeared slightly mussed, and the consistent pushing up of his glasses made him appear nervous. Ah, but those eye bags really told stories. If Seung-tak had to guess: ER.
"You're the last one!" Soo-jeong's friend exclaimed. "Everyone, let's order!"
They all cheered.
***
The room was soon filled with the merging scents of a variety of jjampongs, ganjjajang, udon, tangsooyuk, and other appetizers. The yellow pickled radish that had been served first kept getting replaced at each of the tables every ten minutes, leading the staff to give them massive servings so they could be left alone. Some felt a little guilty; others found amusement. But they were united in the excitement of finally being able to vent their complaints and experiences to like minds.
The professionals shared stories across tables about workplace incidents, study difficulties, operation successes, and most of all, overbearing superiors. "Dude! And then that man had the audacity to ask me to get him some coffee, after all that!" Said one professional, the group laughing.
"But, at the end of the day, isn't it better than having those three's bosses?" Another piped up, pointing his fingers between Seung-tak, Shi-young, and the recent guest.
"True. Hey, isn't it amazing? Don't they all work for members of the Medical Triad?" Someone agreed, then added, "How are they?"
"Medical Triad?" Seung-tak echoed, looking lost. What sort of stuff was the medical community saying behind his back?
"You didn't know?" One professional asked, then straightened up and cleared their voice like they were about to hold a conference. "The Triad." They put one finger up, "Baek Kang-hyuk. God hands." Another finger, "Cha Young-min. The golden touch." A third finger. "And Cha Yo-han. Ten seconds."
"All three of them are the best in the nation at their profession. If you put them up against each other, I have no idea who would win." They sat back and let out a long exhale. The other professionals clapped, some laughing at the idea of the Triad competing.
Seung-tak sucked in air through his teeth, "You know, I think I have heard of Dr. Baek and the other Dr. Cha."
"The other Dr. Cha?" Shi-young questioned, an edge to her voice, "I guess you belong to the second Dr. Cha, then."
"The second Dr. Cha?" Seung-tak didn't know why, but he felt a little bit annoyed by the comment.
"Whoa! Their protégés are fighting!" Someone teased, chuckles rippling throughout the room.
Shi-young and Seung-tak faced the final protégé. He immediately tensed up, "Yes?"
"What are you?" Seung-tak asked.
"Uh, a fellow." The man said.
"Ah, sorry." Seung-tak leaned back against his chair, already bracing himself for another punch in the shoulder from Soo-jeong. She didn't. Instead, she gave him a half-hearted glare. "I'm in my last year of residency." He grinned.
Some staff entered with more food, rekindling the attention towards their dinner, and moving the conversation away from the triad. In the back of Seung-tak's mind, though, his curiosity towards Shi-young and the fellow had been piqued.
***
Most of the professionals had left, citing work to do or sleep to catch up on. Eventually, Soo-jeong and the man who had invited her had decided to go for a walk, but they would return eventually so that Soo-jeong and Seung-tak could return to Eunsang together. Meanwhile, the three remaining protégés sat in somewhat awkward silence, taking sips at their drinks or picking at a remaining noodle in their bowls.
"I never got your name, sunbaenim." Seung-tak finally said to the male fellow. The latter lifted his head and gave it some thought before responding. Shi-young observed him, waiting.
"Yang Jae-won." The fellow said.
"Oh Seung-tak." He smiled.
"Kang Shi-young." The other fellow introduced herself. Jae-won nodded and folded his hands between his thighs.
"I guess we should get to know each other since we're the 'Triad's' protégés." Seung-tak leaned on the table, a grin across his face and a mischievous light in his eye.
Shi-young chuckled, "'Triad.' How do they come up with that stuff?"
"Right. I can kinda see it in Dr. Baek's case, though." Jae-won said. As he said it, he didn't appear very spiteful or fearful. It was a quiet acknowledgement, a fact he had accepted without underlying resentment.
"Really? What's Dr. Baek like?" Seung-tak asked, eagerness lighting up his voice. Outside, on the other side of the door, there were still the voices of customers. They had time to talk.
"Hmm. Crazy? Loud? Terrifying?" Jae-won bit the inside of his cheek, scrutinizing the wall like he could envision his superior standing there.
"I don't know about terrifying, but Dr. Cha is also crazy and loud." Seung-tak tutted.
"Hmm. When I first met my Dr. Cha, he was crazy and terrifying. I guess that's how geniuses are, no?" Shi-young clasped her hands together, speaking with the seriousness of a doctor trying to figure out a patient's disease. "And rude. Unsocial. Stubborn."
"Sometimes completely disregarding your skills?" Jae-won and Seung-tak said simultaneously. The three looked at each other in surprise, then laughed.
"Wow, geniuses really are assholes, aren't they?" Seung-tak crossed his arms. A flutter of warmth spread to his chest, relief and kindred-ship. Others had faced the spear that Cha Young-min was, but most had never faced him repeatedly as Seung-tak had; his nagging, his half-hearted apologies, annoying facial expressions. Not to mention, most had not had their body possessed by that man. And that was something he was not planning on sharing tonight with these two, no matter how close he got to them. Still, when it came to the non-supernatural aspect of Young-min, there was much he could say. "And always trying so hard to make you into a genius, too."
"Oh. Exactly." Shi-young snapped a finger like she finally discovered that metaphorical disease. "Dr. Cha really was relentless, to the point he sometimes hurt himself. Really, these types of doctors are nonsensical, don't you think?"
"Nonsensical... Yes, and enigmas. Half the time, I have no idea what Dr. Baek is thinking." Jae-won let out a deep exhale.
"Oh, brother and sister, it's so nice to finally meet victims like me." Seung-tak said, reaching over the table and grabbing both their hands—Shi-young's with his left and Jae-won's with his right (Jae-won had moved to the seat next to him after Soo-jeong left per Seung-tak's instruction). Jae-won flinched at the touch, and Shi-young gave an amused look. When he held Shi-young's, a rough object pressed against his palm, sharp at certain points. He pulled his hands back, and a white glint caught his interest. There, a silver band crowned a round cut diamond, clear as water.
"Sunbaenim, are you married?" Seung-tak's eyes went a little wide.
Shi-young looked down at her hand, and after carefully observing her ring, smiled softly. She returned her gaze to him, "Yes! I got married just last year."
"Congratulations." Jae-won shifted in his seat, a small curl at the edge of his lips. It was the brightest Seung-tak had seen him all evening.
"Do you see your husband often? Isn't it hard, being a doctor and all?" Seung-tak half-grimaced, feeling a sense of pity for Shi-young and her spouse. He'd seen multiple doctors struggle to keep close with their blood families, and they struggled more trying to maintain romantic relationships. To see her happily married was nothing short of a miracle.
"Oh, I do see him often. We live in the same house and go to each other's workplaces now and then—the hospital loves Dr. Cha." Shi-young wasn't bothered by his pity; instead, she looked delighted to prove him wrong. Hmm, guess that's what a healthy marriage looks li-
"Wait? You're married to Dr. Cha?" Seung-tak jolted in his chair. Jae-won shared the same expression of shock.
"Didn't we just agree that these types of doctors are- are unlikable?" Seung-tak stumbled over his words. If it were him, he would never dream of marrying Cha Young-min. The idea of living with someone as obnoxious as him was torture, wasn't it?... Was it? An alien, light sensation bloomed in his heart. He mentally pushed those thoughts and feelings aside and focused on Shi-young.
"I never said he was unlikable." Shi-young pouted her lips, then smiled again, "Mmm. After all, the reason these geniuses get on us so much is that they care, don't they? Not in a 'he's mean so that means he likes you' way, but... they only criticize us because they know we can do better—and they put a lot of effort into their critiques. At the end of the day, they make sure we don't feel bullied. Isn't that why you two stick with your genius? Because you feel safe enough to have some sort of conflict with them?" The more she spoke, the more Seung-tak wanted to resist. But he couldn't find a strong enough refutation, and Jae-won didn't look like he was gonna be any help. His nervousness had completely faded away, body relaxed and eyes and ears completely absorbing what their senior was saying.
She abruptly giggled, "Not to mention, Dr. Cha's proposal was the sweetest thing ever."
---
Kang Shi-young definitely knew she was getting proposed to today. Her boyfriend, Cha Yo-han, made it so painfully obvious.
Throughout the week, he had increasingly been pampering her by cooking lunch and dinner (the rules were she made lunch, he made dinner), taking care of both of their cleaning duties, bringing snacks to her and her coworkers (more than usual), and doing little other things to alleviate any inconveniences she had. Of course, she wanted to resist this, since they both worked in medicine, and he was predisposed to sickness. She worried he was overexerting himself. But she let him, because she felt it was leading up to something, and eventually, it did, with him asking if she wanted to go on a date at a local park when they both miraculously had off days. Now, why she didn't think it was just a simple date was because, although that man was meticulous, his body language told everything. Shaky eyes, tapping his bruised nail against his leg. Nervous for a date after they've had a billion of them? Yeah, he was definitely going to propose.
She wouldn't let him know, though. She refused to snatch the joy of a surprise away from him. The day of, she put on her best blue blouse, black slacks, and comfortable low-heels, with a touch of makeup and a practice of her facial expressions in the bathroom mirror. Then, they were off.
In the morning, the park's crisp air swirled in her lungs like wine in a glass and sent pleasing shivers through her body. The waking sun peeked over the horizon and breathed a tinge of orange into their surroundings; the rustling trees cast shadows, and the nearby bubbling stream glinted constellations. Shi-young walked hand in hand with Yo-han, their steps on the stone path the only sounds of life, apart from birds announcing their presence to each other and an occasional cricket that hadn't yet gone to sleep.
"This is nice." Yo-han let out a long exhale. He firmly looked ahead, his shoulders and neck stiff, his lips parting and un-parting while he thought of things to say. In the blue shade of the morning and of his nerves, he seemed sweeter to her.
"Isn't it?" Shi-young stifled a giggle. She wondered exactly how he would go about it.
"Should we sit down?" Yo-han motioned towards a wooden bench.
"Mm." She nodded. They headed over and sat shoulder to shoulder, leg to leg. The wood was cool, seeping its coolness into them and consuming their warmth. It was alright, she was warm enough holding Yo-han.
"Shi-young." Yo-han started.
"Yes?" She said. Was this it? Was he going to say it?
"The weather is nice today, isn't it?" He coughed.
Shi-young tried not to laugh, "You already said that."
"Did I?" Yo-han blinked rapidly. A jogger passed in front of them, a leashed poodle by their side. After they were out of sight, Yo-han spoke again. "Shi-young."
"Yes?" She bit her inner cheek. Okay, he was going to say it this time. Right? Right?
"Don't you think, mm, we should become each other's official guardian?" He said, casually. Official guardian was one way to put it. Shi-young thought. His hands were sweaty too, betraying that casual tone.
"Official guardian?" Shi-young repeated. She wouldn't let this proposal be too easy on him. Still, although it was the strangest choice of phrase, she couldn't help a wave of happiness spreading over her, from head to toe.
"I'm saying," Yo-han slowly moved down from the bench, hand still holding hers. Oh my. He was actually going to kneel.
Yo-han used his free hand to search in one of his coats' pockets, pulling out a small, blue velvet box. Yet, as he brought it out, it slipped from his fingers and tumbled a foot away. "Ah." He said, and this time, Shi-young couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. Yo-han reached for it, and she swore that was the brightest red his ears had ever gotten. "Sorry." He dusted off the ring box.
Shi-young shook her head, "No, it's good. What is that?" She batted her eyelashes.
Yo-han half-smiled and said gently, "I think you already know, don't you?"
"Nooo." She tried to suppress a smile threatening to break out.
Yo-han sighed, "I really didn't know how to do this. It's the first time I've proposed to someone."
"It's my first time being proposed to, if that helps." Shi-young leaned over and rested her elbows on her knees.
Yo-han cleared his throat and pulled back the lid. Inside, on a small black cushion, rested a brilliant ring. Although Shi-young had expected it, seeing it was an entirely different matter. A lump formed in her throat, not out of nervousness, but of a deep appreciation for the man in front of her. Of the fact that he had survived long enough to propose to her.
"I want to live a long life with you, Shi-young. Together. Health and sickness, and all that. And I know I will be sick one day." Yo-han breathed out. The leaves and grass around them rested, the wind quieted, the weight of his words filled the park. "So, can I please trouble you with staying by my side forever?"
Shi-young's cheeks were warm and wet; she didn't realize she had been crying. The proposal was expected, but the substance of it, the heart that was shared, she would have never been ready to fathom. "It's no trouble." She jumped forward and swung her arms around his neck, his body crumbling under her, and both fell on the stone path.
"Oh!" Shi-young pulled herself apart, grabbing his head and inspecting every side, "Did I hurt you?"
Yo-han only stared, a smile slowly growing on his face. Shi-young furrowed her eyebrows, "What?"
He hummed a no and leaned forward to sit properly. Shi-young backed up and worriedly observed him, still afraid he might have a concussion. Yo-han pulled out the ring from the box and held out his palm, waiting. The sun rising above the trees' borders touched the diamond with a fiery radiance.
Shi-young, in a daze, placed her hand in his, and he slid the ring on her finger. "Thank you." He said.
And she wanted to say thank you back, but her love was stuffing up her chest, and the only thing she could do was kiss him.
---
Jae-won, at the end of her tale, burst out crying. Shi-young and Seung-tak hurriedly grabbed napkins from the dispenser and handed them to him. After dabbing his face and blowing his nose three times, he cleared his throat and spoke, red-rimmed eyes making him pathetic-looking, "Sorry, that was beautiful."
Shi-young, delighted, said, "No, you don't have to apologize. I think that's very nice of you."
Seung-tak shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His initial reading of Jae-won had been wrong. He had assumed he was a shy and nervous man, but he was quite openly sentimental. Really though? Crying over a proposal? Of course, it had been beautiful, but crying, for him, was a little too much. Had he ever cried that easily?
...
Well, when it came to certain arguments with Young-min, his anger had pushed him to the point of almost crying. In fact, ever since he met Young-min, he had cried more than ever, and for a different reason every other time. With desperation when he needed Young-min's help on a surgery, with frustration when Young-min insisted on sacrificing his spirit just to save more patients, with happiness when Young-min woke up, and then when he told Seung-tak he remembered him.
Maybe he shouldn't judge Jae-won.
"Hah," Seung-tak started, as he tried to subdue the weird thoughts that kept plaguing him today, "sunbaenim, we need to unite against this genius propaganda." He laughed and saw Shi-young smile. "You're not also dating your genius, right?" Obviously, it was a joke. It was meant to be one. It wouldn't make sense since Jae-won was a man; there was no way. So, tell Seung-tak why Jae-won looked like a kid caught stealing from their mother's purse. Fearful and guilty.
Shi-young appeared lighthearted like him for a moment, and then also realized the suspicious expression on Jae-won's face. She gasped lightly and covered her mouth with her hand, "Wait, are you dating Dr. Baek?"
"Is that a problem?" The fear vanished from Jae-won's eyes, and he sat upright in his chair, his jaw clenched, the space between his brows creased. More like a cat cornered in an alley.
"Oh! No, no! Not at all, I was surprised, that's all." Shi-young quickly waved her hands and looked over at Seung-tak, giving him a 'it's-not-a-problem-right?' look that wasn't a question at all, but a warning.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Seung-tak leaned away from her. "No, I don't have a problem with that. Only, everyone seems to be in love with the same men we were complaining about a few minutes ago." He glared at both of them. Jae-won eased up, the feigned guilt on his face an attempt to appease Seung-tak's annoyance. Shi-young let out a small breath of relief.
"True. Didn't you say Dr. Baek was terrifying?" Shi-young added, more curious than critical.
Jae-won blinked rapidly, opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again, "Mm. He was- is terrifying. But not to me, anymore. And I understand where he's coming from. He's only ever really terrifying when he needs things done to save lives." He pushed up his glasses and scoffed in happy disbelief, "He's rightfully egotistical and proud. But he cares a lot, and he has taken me seriously since the moment we met. Even when I got mad at him once, he understood." His voice wavered, and Seung-tak thought he would cry again, but he didn't. His eyes glimmered, but the tears never fell.
Shi-young reached over and squeezed his shoulder. Jae-won bowed his head to her.
"So?" Seung-tak felt obligated to ask. "What's your love story of the night?"
Jae-won and Shi-young glanced at each other, then Jae-won returned his gaze to Seung-tak, sounding somewhat unsure as he started speaking, "Well..."
---
Dr. Yang was completely lost when it came to Dr. Baek.
In that moment, he was sitting on a cushioned bench in the hospital hallway overlooking the lobby, the crowd small as bugs from that height. His mind kept rotating their interactions so he could view every angle, whether he was delusional or if he was right. Right in that he and Dr. Baek had romantic tension. It would be easier to ask, but nowadays, asking Dr. Baek if they were dating was more emotionally draining than 12 aortic repair surgeries in a row.
"Think logically, Yang Jae-won." He whispered to himself, tenting his hands over the bottom of his face. What was his evidence that Dr. Baek liked him?
Okay, one, they were always together, practically inseparable to the point where others made fun of them for that (mostly Nurse Cheon). But that could be explained by the fact that Dr. Baek was training him, and they always had trauma surgeries to take care of. Well, Dr. Baek didn't have to eat with him in the cafeteria whenever they could, but he did so anyway... He groaned inwardly. What if those were the only times Dr. Baek had a chance to eat, though?!
However. Dr. Baek had a staring problem. Sometimes he would stare at Jae-won, and when Jae-won stared back, Dr. Baek refused to relent, and they'd have a weird eye conversation. Dr. Baek also convinced Jae-won to tell him about his problems (very smoothly to the point Jae-won hadn't realized for the longest time the doctor was doing it on purpose), he'd let him sleep in an extra hour regularly, let Jae-won lead in his place even when he was present, complimented him regularly on his skills (and in the rare instances the team ate out, on his suits), he even listened to Jae-won (sometimes) when it came to not yelling at people that angered him, and... when the worst occurred, a Code Black or a pile up, Jae-won knew without Dr. Baek telling him, that the doctor trusted him wholeheartedly.
But was that enough? That could all be rationalized as Dr. Baek being Dr. Baek. Maybe Jae-won was getting over his head.
Suddenly, his phone in his coat pocket buzzed. He stood up and pulled it out, answering the call. A car incident; he was needed immediately.
Jae-won ran, dropping his phone without a thought.
-
Dr. Baek and Jae-won walked out of the OR and made their way to the nurse's desk. Jae-won, dragging his feet like he'd been exercising for hours, Dr. Baek, of course, was completely fine. "Dr. Yang, you need to get better at looking." The senior doctor shook his head.
Jae-won felt the urge to punch him. The man was already putting him through enough without his nagging. "Dr. Baek, not everyone is crazy like you." He wouldn't have dared to say something like that to his face when they first met, but he could now.
"No, no. It's about growing your skills. When you handle the amount of trauma cases I've had, you become a master." Dr. Baek tutted. Jae-won could already see the doctor's ego shining in his eyes.
Park Gyeong-won bounded to them, hair tied up and manner unaffected like Dr. Baek. "Hey, Dr. Jang, did you see the message I sent you?"
"Message?" Jae-won echoed, putting his hand in his coat pocket. Dr. Baek lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Jae-won.
All Jae-won touched was cloth. He put his hand in his other pocket. Cloth. His scrubs. Cloth.
His phone was gone.
Jae-won suddenly yelled, startling everyone around him, including Dr. Baek. "My phone."
"Brat, don't tell me you lost your phone." Dr. Baek lost his smile. Jae-won didn't need Dr. Baek to tell him, and Dr. Baek didn't either, that having his phone with him at all times was crucial as a trauma surgeon. The time it would take a nurse to find him would be precious time that could be spent on saving a patient.
Nurse Jang-mi noticed them grouped and serious, and walked over. "What's wrong?"
"Dr. Yang lost his phone." Gyeong-won crossed his arms, looking at Jae-won disapprovingly.
"What?" Jang-mi exclaimed. "Ah, we need to find it before another patient comes." She pulled out her phone and dialed his number. Although there was chatter in the ER, it wasn't loud enough to obstruct a ringing phone. But there was no ringing. The phone wasn't in the ER's vicinity. "You don't have your phone on silent, right?"
"No- Well, I have it on vibrate." Jae-won dropped his face into his hands. Then, he suddenly straightened up, "Oh! But I think I know where it could be."
"Nurse Cheon, call me if a patient comes. I'll help Dr. Yang find his phone." Dr. Baek instructed, and the nurse nodded. "Let's go." He waited for Jae-won to lead the way.
Jae-won moved forward, Dr. Baek by his side. Not a word was exchanged; Jae-won couldn't gauge Dr. Baek's temper. He was sure a reprimand was coming.
After going through the halls, up a flight of stairs, and finally onto the overlook where he had been, the bench he'd been brewing over the doctor waited. "It was around here."
Ah, but if he had dropped it here, wouldn't it be on the ground? Jae-won ran to the front of the bench, and when he couldn't see it on the floor, he dropped to his knees and looked under the bench. He felt the air of Dr. Baek walking past him, and then heard the buzz of a phone against ceramic.
Jae-won looked up and saw Dr. Baek picking up his phone from the potted plant next to the bench. He almost laughed. Dropping his phone in a pot? Ha, what a- WAIT. "Ah! Dr... Baek." He flew from the floor and tried to grab his phone, but realized it was too late. Dr. Baek had already seen what Jae-won named him in his contacts.
"Boyfriend, question mark." Dr. Baek repeated, monotone, further sinking the spear of embarrassment already lanced through Jae-won's chest. It was a contact name Jae-won wrote in frustration over his feelings for the doctor, and forgot to change.
He seriously felt like crying. His face was burning up, too, and his flustered state only made him flustered about being flustered. Should he run away? But then they'd meet in the ER, anyway. God, how he wished a patient would show up to distract them. Not really. That would mean someone got hurt. Maybe lightning striking him down was easier.
"Dr. Yang." Dr. Baek started. Jae-won maintained his eyes firmly on the floor, the white, smooth floor. His heartbeat was up in his ears. No. He couldn't do this right now. He didn't care how immature he was for this, but he really couldn't.
Jae-won ran, whiplash hitting him from how fast he turned. "Dr. Yang!" Dr. Baek yelled behind him.
The walls blurred into a muddy stream of light and dark colors. He didn't even know where his feet were taking him, but he knew he had gone down the way they came, took a turn somewhere, and then ended up in the desolate wing leading to where the helicopter pad used to be. It was dim and blue and lonely.
Jae-won crouched down, hands over his head. He had to go back to the ER.
Who knew if they were getting in a new patient at that very moment? He had to steel himself and face Dr. Baek. Today, he made a scene unfitting of a future trauma professional.
Footsteps behind him. His heart sank. "Dr. Yang." A voice he knew well.
Jae-won stood up and faced the doctor, maintaining his gaze on the man's shoulder. "I know you run well, but did you really have to run that well?" Dr. Baek placed a hand on his hip.
"Here." He handed Jae-won his phone. Jae-won took it, movements slow, his limbs overtaken by heavy dread.
"Dr. Yang." Jae-won tensed up. Here it was. He knew Dr. Baek wouldn't yell, or curse, or tell him he was strange for liking him. But that was worse, because all that would be left is understanding and a no. A mature rejection. Something he couldn't hate Dr. Baek for. He could see it from a mile away, except that Dr. Baek said:
"Are you still not confident?"
It was not what he expected to hear. Jae-won finally looked him in the eye. There was the face Dr. Baek made when he told him of the lives he could save, or when he told him to find something to hold onto, or when he trusted Jae-won with saving his life; a determined gaze, not fiery, but warm and steady.
"What?" Jae-won said. Was Dr. Baek speaking Korean? If yes, then why couldn't Jae-won make sense of what he was saying?
Dr. Baek glanced at the ceiling, as if thinking something over, then returned his attention to Jae-won. He closed the gap between them in one stride and cupped Jae-won's face, one hand lower than the other. At the touch, his surprisingly smooth hands, bloomed heat throughout the fellow's head. Dr. Beak leaned over and brought his face close to Jae-won's; the heat intensified, spreading down his neck, to his chest, into a cauldron of bubbling emotions.
And then, Dr. Baek pressed his lips against the corner of Jae-won's. More gentle than suturing a heart. The heat settled and suffused throughout Jae-won's body in a peaceful elation. Dr. Baek's answer was a quiet acceptance.
In that short moment, Jae-won could only revel in Dr. Baek's nose flattened against his cheek, their hair brushing each other's foreheads, the thumb on the younger doctor's neck. And he would revel the slow separation, Dr. Baek's eyes meeting his in a serious expression (that Jae-won now logged as Dr. Baek's face in love), and eventually, the growing smirk breaking his senior's gravity. "Are you confident now?"
"Yes, Doctor." Jae-won could barely speak. His relief and adoration were caught in his throat.
"Good. Let's go." Dr. Baek abruptly turned and headed back the way they came.
Jae-won stared at his back, the back he vowed to follow till the end. Except, perhaps it was better to be shoulder to shoulder. Side by side. He bounded up to his lover, "What? Shy?"
"Why would I be shy? You know how many people I've dated?"
"What."
"Phone's buzzing. Must be the ER. Run!"
---
"Wow, so Dr. Baek is the silent lover type, hm." Seung-tak commented when Jae-won finished. Hearing Shi-young and Jae-won talk about their lovers stirred a disturbance in his gut. Like a balloon lodged between his stomach and his heart. Seung-tak usually didn't care if he never got married or dated; there were greater worries to take care of. There was an anxiety, though, that he couldn't shake off no matter how much he rotated the crumpled napkin in his hand.
"Right." Jae-won clasped his hands and rubbed them together. The fellow tried to hold back his smile, but it broke through nonetheless.
"What about you, Seung-tak-ssi?" Shi-young asked, "If you're dating your Dr. Cha, that would make this conversation perfect, wouldn't it?" She giggled.
"What? I mean, excuse me?" Seung-tak scrunched up his face. "I would never date Dr. Cha. Sure, he's a good doctor, but he's really annoying." He said. From his pretentiously parted hair to his shiny leather shoes, everything about Cha Young-min drove Seung-tak crazy sometimes. "We hang out sometimes and joke around, but at the end of the day, being in a relationship with that man would probably kill me, or I would kill him." Young-min and Seung-tak were only mentor-protégé and friends. They were also possessor-possessed, but that was a dynamic he didn't have to think about.
Shi-young and Jae-won glanced at each other, and then Shi-young slowly returned her gaze to Seung-tak. "Okay, but what about how you feel about him? You're just saying you wouldn't be in a relationship, but you're not saying that you don't like him. Do you hate him?"
The balloon popped. "No, I don't hate him." Was all Seung-tak could mumble. He didn't hate Young-min. He could never hate Young-min. Like Shi-young and Jae-won, there was too much he was grateful for. There was too much they had shared. He couldn't explain his ghost-seeing to most, or have them understand the weight of an almost life standing before his eyes while trying to save them. The horror he had carried. Only Young-min understood. Young-min had been there. Young-min saved Seung-tak in a grander way than Seung-tak had saved Young-min that day.
But liking him? In a romantic aspect?
The door clicked open, and Soo-jeong and her friend walked in laughing. They quieted down as soon as they made eye contact with the protégés, but they didn't seem to process the weird tension. "Oh Seung-tak, time to go!"
Everyone arose hesitantly, conversation uncomfortably unfinished, and slid on their coats or took their keys out of their pockets. Shi-young and Jae-won bid their farewells (and they all exchanged contact numbers), Soo-jeong's friend too, and Soo-jeong and Seung-tak made their way to his car.
Shi-young and Jae-won were walking in the same direction, and Shi-young, enlightened, abruptly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "How about we make a bet?" She asked.
"A bet?" Jae-won halted, his hand frozen mid-air, phone in his grasp glowing.
"I bet 20,000 won Dr. Cha and Seung-tak-sii will be dating by our next meeting." She proposed, a vivid joy on her face. The few cars traveling in the night stirred up dust, mixing it with a sweet, distant scent.
Jae-won slightly tilted his head, and after a wind rattled the trees lining the sidewalk, nodded his head, "I think they'll be engaged."
***
The hospital at night stood like a tombstone in its cold, gray hue. The doors Seung-tak had walked through so many times seemed to cement an invisible wall as if he were a ghost and his body was still at the Chinese restaurant. Soo-jeong, who was ahead, turned back and lifted a questioning eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Seung-tak sighed. He pushed forward and stepped through those doors. His conversation with the other protégé pricked at his mind and heart, and when he got to the dormitory, he immediately ravaged through the practice materials to give him something to do. If he was busy perfecting his stitches, there'd be no time to think about Young-min or those protégés and their lovers.
The slick, metal feel of the needle, his hand positioned against the cloth, the rhythmic weaving occupied his headspace, but in the smallest corner untouched, Young-min lingered.
Young-min lingered, and then Young-min was there. Opening the door effortlessly, striding into the room indifferently. He paused for an infinitesimal second at Seung-tak's presence. "You're back." The doctor said, tone bordering on cold and not at all smiling. Woah. There was another issue.
"Mm." Seung-tak bowed his head and continued stitching. Young-min moved behind him, doing whatever he was doing, and a pressure blanketed over Seung-tak. An uncomfortable specter of Young-min's frigidness.
"You have fun?" Young-min asked with the air of someone who didn't care.
"Mm." Seung-tak's lower eyelid and cheek twitched. His prior frustration with his feelings was bundling with frustration for Young-min's off behavior. Hotness tugged at his abdomen's core, a furnace slowly set aflame.
"Good." Young-min closed a drawer, the metal bang resonating in Seung-tak's ears, fanning the fire in him.
"Why are you being weird?" Seung-tak scoffed. He half-turned his body in Young-min's direction, stitch and cloth still in hand, and carefully observed the doctor's expression.
"Weird? How? How am I weird? I'm not being weird?" Young-min said, mockingly. Tilting his head with every question and making that annoying face.
"Oh, really?" Seung-tak dropped his hands on the table, forgetting he had a needle in his hand. The needle bent in his grip and dug into his palm. "Ah!" The resident opened his hands, and the cloth fell to the ground, but the wavering needle remained stuck in his skin.
"Seung-tak!" Young-min rushed over and cradled Seung-tak's hands with both of his own. "Hey, I told you a surgeon has to take care of his hands." The man winced at the sight of the needle.
"Shut it. Just take it out, will you?" Seung-tak squeezed his eyes shut. It didn't hurt that much. A throbbing pang reverberated through his palm, but it was manageable. However, the concept of watching an object taken out of him made him cringe inside. No way he was going to watch.
Besides, Young-min was there. He could do it.
"Fine, fine." Young-min sharply exhaled. He tentatively grabbed the needle by the head and slid it out quickly but carefully. A bead of blood pushed through the punctured skin, and Seung-tak's palm grew achingly warm. The older doctor walked over to an emergency medical kit, grabbed it, brought it back onto the table, and pulled out disinfectant and gauze. "Face me."
Seung-tak turned his body, right side pressed against the chair's head, and rested his hand in Young-min's. The doctor knelt on one knee, bringing the resident's hand close to his face, and gingerly applied the disinfectant. "Stay still, it'll sting."
"Mm." Seung-tak hummed. His heart pounded, dribbling against his ribcage. He wondered why Young-min was kneeling instead of sitting in the chair next to him, but he wouldn't call it out because the scenery in front of him made him too pleased for words. Is this what Shi-young felt when her Dr. Cha had proposed? Or what Jae-won had felt when faced with Dr. Baek's gentleness? Seung-tak couldn't smile in his daze, but the warmth he was supposed to be feeling only in his hands traveled to his ears.
Young-min grabbed the gauze and applied it to the wound, then taped it firmly, but again, gently. "Done." The man hesitated with Seung-tak's hand in his, his tense face emphasizing his unwillingness to let go. Young-min took a deep breath. "Seung-tak. Your hands are meant for cardiology. Not ophthalmology."
Ah. Was that why he was mad? Because of what he said this morning? Had he been carrying that with him the whole time he was away? Why? Why care so much? These thoughts ran through Seung-tak's head, none of them successfully making it to his lips. It delighted him, though. That something resembling jealousy had affected Dr. Cha the entire day. And knowing that that made him happy, Seung-tak had reached his conclusion. There was no point in smothering his thoughts now that he realized how he felt about Young-min. No point in resisting.
Seung-tak, as fast as he accepted reality, was as fast as he acted on it. He was never truly built for cowardice. "Dr. Cha."
"Yes?" Young-min suddenly looked shy, averting his gaze. Did he think Seung-tak was going to make fun of him? On another occasion, he would, but right now, there was something else he needed to do.
"I like you."
Young-min's gaze remained stuck on a random object in the room, then slowly made its way back to Seung-tak's face. When it did, he blinked once, then blinked a second time, and on the third time, he jumped back like he'd been electrocuted. "What?! Hey, are you possessed right now? Is Tes still here? Another ghost? I thought only I could do that." Young-min's eyes scoured the room as if he had the ghost-seeing ability, but obviously, found no ghosts.
"What?" Seung-tak stood up. "What is wrong with you? No, I'm not possessed." He had the urge to take back his confession. He was right that if they got into a relationship, someone would end up dying.
"Then," Young-min's agitated breathing slowed down, his expression softened, eyes almost trembled, "this is... you. You're really saying this."
"Yes. Dr. Cha." Seung-tak gave a single nod. And refused to look away, as he always did.
"Seung-tak." The older doctor said after a pensive moment of silence, "I don't know what to say."
"Then don't. It's alright if you can't accept-"
"No. That's not it." Young-min shook his head. He took a few steps forward, placed his hands on Seung-tak's shoulders, and looked right below Seung-tak's eyes. As if he still couldn't muster the courage. "I've repeated this moment in my head a million times. But it was always a fantasy. And I could never imagine the outcome."
Young-min pressed slightly into Seung-tak's shoulders. It anchored Seung-tak's thoughts, stopped them from assuming or spiraling. He would hear Young-min out the entire way. "When you said you wanted to go to ophthalmology, I was actually hurt. Because even if you would never reciprocate my feelings, the least I could have is you with me till the end."
He didn't even really get to finish his sentence, because Seung-tak already had his arms around him, chin resting on the older doctor's shoulder, and leaning his head against the other. Young-min laughed breathlessly, his arms slowly coming around, clutching Seung-tak's side, and bunching up the fabric of his white button-up. With their chests breathing against each other, they could feel their mutually rapid, thundering heartbeat. The elated rush of blood to both their heads flushed their faces, and the warmth between them was almost unbearable, but they refused to let go of each other.
"Dr. Cha." Seung-tak whispered.
"Mm." Young-min adjusted himself, hugging tighter, and then added, "You can call me Young-min when we're alone."
"Young-min." Seung-tak chuckled, his name on his tongue novel and honeyed.
"Yes?" There was a small crack in his voice. The doctor's heart was racing again.
Seung-tak slightly pulled back, and when Young-min repeated the motion, the fellow moved forward and kissed Young-min, only partly on the lips. This closeness, Seung-tak wished he could savor it forever. Young-min, meanwhile, processed what was happening half a minute later, and when the input had finally made its way to his brain, his output was to kiss back, fully. One hand still on Seung-tak's side, the other sliding up to his face.
Seung-tak had been the one to start it, but to have Young-min lead it weakened his knees. Suddenly, Young-min pulled back, both of them breathing a little harshly. "Hey," the man said, "how about marriage?"
The fellow jolted in Young-min's arms, "What? Already?" Seung-tak almost wanted to laugh. Was he dreaming right now? Had he somehow fallen asleep, and this whole thing was a dream? Seriously, what the hell was wrong with Young-min? Although the idea filled him with a jittery bliss.
"I'm the best cardiologist in the nation. You only come this far being a hundred percent certain about everything you do." Young-min smiled.
"Will I become the best cardiologist if I say yes?" Seung-tak tilted his head.
"I'll make sure you do." Young-min said, and Seung-tak simply smiled back and kissed him again.