The next morning, the sky was barely lightening as Dr. Kim Dahyun rushed through the doors of Seoul Memorial Hospital. Her heart was already pounding, not from the exertion but from anticipation. She had been replaying the events of the previous day in her head all night, unable to shake the thrill of assisting on her first surgery. Now, the adrenaline that had once felt exhilarating was starting to morph into pure anxiety.
As she arrived in the locker room, Dahyun found Jihyo and Sana already getting into their scrubs, both looking as groggy as she felt.
"Late night?" Sana asked, raising an eyebrow as she pulled on her cap.
"I couldn't sleep," Dahyun admitted. "I kept thinking about that surgery."
Jihyo nodded in sympathy. "Same here. I barely got any rest. Every time I closed my eyes, I kept hearing Nayeon bark orders."
Sana laughed, shaking her head as she tucked a strand of blonde hair into her cap. "At least you didn't dream about killing a patient by giving them the wrong meds. I woke up sweating."
Dahyun smiled weakly, the tension still simmering in her chest. As they finished getting ready, Jungkook and Yoongi strolled in, each wearing their exhaustion like a badge of honor.
"Ready for another day in hell?" Jungkook quipped, though there was a hint of dread in his voice.
Yoongi just grunted in response, clearly not in the mood for pleasantries.
"Hey," Dahyun said, trying to lift the mood. "We survived yesterday. We can survive today."
"That's the spirit," Jihyo chimed in with a smile, though she too looked apprehensive.
The five interns quickly made their way to the surgical floor for morning rounds, where they were greeted by the intimidating sight of Dr. Im Nayeon already waiting, clipboard in hand.
"Good morning, interns," Nayeon said, her voice crisp and no-nonsense as always. "Today is going to be busy, and I expect you all to keep up. We have three surgeries on the schedule, and I'll be assigning each of you to different roles throughout the day. I want to see who's ready to step up and who's not."
Dahyun felt her stomach twist. This was the real test. Yesterday had been tough, but today would be the day they'd have to prove they deserved to be here.
Nayeon's gaze swept over them. "Sana, you're with Dr. Kim Seokjin on a laparoscopic appendectomy. Jungkook, you'll be shadowing Dr. Choi on a complex spine surgery. Yoongi, you're on post-op rounds with Dr. Yoo."
She then turned to Jihyo. "Jihyo, I want you assisting me on a pediatric heart surgery this afternoon."
Jihyo's eyes widened. "Yes, Dr. Im," she managed to say, her voice trembling with a mixture of excitement and fear.
Finally, Nayeon's eyes landed on Dahyun. "Dahyun, you're with me again. We're doing a liver resection. I hope you're ready for it."
Dahyun nodded, her throat suddenly dry. "I am, Dr. Im."
Nayeon smirked, as if she could sense Dahyun's nerves. "We'll see."
As they dispersed, Dahyun fell in step with Jihyo as they walked down the hall to prep for their respective surgeries.
"You get to work with Nayeon again," Jihyo said, a mix of envy and sympathy in her voice. "You must've really impressed her yesterday."
Dahyun shrugged, feeling the weight of the day ahead. "Or she's trying to break me."
Jihyo laughed, giving Dahyun a light nudge with her elbow. "Probably both. But if anyone can handle it, you can. You've got steady hands and a good head on your shoulders. Just remember that."
