Moving On With You, Jinjoo

40: New Year's

A loud groan travelled through the room, disrupting Minju from her study. She turned to see Eunseo whose head was shoved into the pillow.

"You've been groaning for the past hour. What's wrong?"

With voice muffled, "Do we have to be there for the final session?"

"They're giving extra allowance."

"But it's New Year's...I don't want to spend it in an operating room."

"We'll be done before that."

Eunseo supports herself with her elbows. "We're going to do the countdown here? If we don't go for the final session, we could go somewhere nicer." She wiggled her eyebrows.

"What's so important about the countdown?"

"It's exciting. Just think about the fireworks, the screams, the feeling of entering a new year," Eunseo imagined. "And New Year's kiss. Am I really not going to get a New Year's kiss this year?" The more she thinks, the more miserable she gets.

Minju had no idea when she had one of those. New Year's weren't a thing for her when work and school took up most of it. Double-pay was a thing.

A New Year's kiss? She could only do it in her head.

—

Waiting outside the operating room, Eunseo's pout couldn't pucker more, her fingers scrolling through her phone. "I hate this," she muttered, seeing her girlfriend's story that consisted of their friends having a gathering.

Minju tightened the drawstring of her scrubs. "We just have to change the clips. Do it fast, you might make it to call her before midnight."

The older girl groaned, making her way to the lockers.

Gyuri stood next to Minju, observing the whole scene. "Times like this I call myself lucky to have no one to go to."

—

The instant the doctors called it a night, ending the procedure, Eunseo was the first to dash out of the room as if she might die the next second not being able to call her other half.

"She's really something," Dr Park said, snickering as he let the nurses un-scrub him. "Thank you all for tonight. I hope you have a good New Year's."

Minju gave a polite bow, following Gyuri out of the room while taking off her surgical mask.

"Do you have any plans?"

The brunette shook her head. "I'm just going to sleep through the New Year's."

"Not even going to call her?"

Assuming the senior was talking about Yujin, Minju shook her head once more, running her arms under the faucet. "She has a project meeting. The submission's on New Year's."

"Can't believe that's allowed." Gyuri dried her hands. "It's supposed to be the holidays," she said. "At the same time, there's no such thing as holidays for us."

Minju shrugged as they both exited the main doors to the operating rooms. Pulling her phone out of her coat pocket, she sees a notification from Yujin who sent her a picture of her with the laptop, her pout being the most significant thing on her face.

My Ahn Yujin: I wish I could be there with you.

The brunette smiles, replying to her message.

My Ahn Yujin: Will you be in your room? Or are you going somewhere to celebrate the New Year?

Minju then sent a video bubble of her with Gyuri, waiting for the lift.