In the hospital hallway, Dr. Im Nayeon led her group of interns through their morning rounds, her sharp gaze darting between each of them. The air was thick with anticipation as Jihyo and Dahyun both eyed the chart in her hand. It was a case of a brain aneurysm—precisely the kind of high-stakes surgery that every resident dreamed of getting their hands on.
“Who’s taking the lead?” Jihyo asked, her eyes locking onto Nayeon’s. Her confidence was palpable, and she clearly believed she deserved the case.
Dahyun stepped forward, not one to be outdone. “I’ve been preparing for aneurysm surgery for weeks. I should take this one.”
Their competitive energy crackled in the air, both vying to prove themselves. It was no secret that the two of them, despite being friends, had an unspoken rivalry. The tension was building rapidly, and it clearly irritated Nayeon, whose patience was wearing thin.
"Enough." Dr. Im's voice cut through their bickering like a scalpel. She glared at them both before making her decision. “Neither of you are getting the surgery. Yoongi, you’re assisting.”
Yoongi, who had been half-listening and still recovering from the previous day's chaos, looked up in shock. “Me? But—”
“No ‘buts,’” Nayeon interrupted, her tone firm. “Maybe watching him will teach the both of you to stop acting like children.”
Jihyo’s and Dahyun’s faces fell, disbelief clear in their expressions, but they knew better than to argue further with Dr. Im. With a sharp nod, Nayeon continued her rounds.
“Sana, you’ll be assisting in a pediatric surgery today,” Nayeon assigned next, giving Sana a brief, encouraging smile. “Jungkook, you’re on orthopedic. I hope you’re ready for it.”
Jungkook muttered a low “Yes, ma’am,” as Nayeon’s gaze lingered on him a moment longer, her brow raised, as if daring him to mess up.
Then, with a pointed look at Dahyun and Jihyo, Nayeon finished her assignments. “And you two—pit duty. Go learn something useful about humility. I’m not putting up with your rivalry any longer today.”
The two women exchanged exasperated glances as Nayeon lectured them about the importance of working together and focusing on patient care, not ego. But both were too frustrated to take the lesson to heart.
---
As they trudged toward the ER, Dahyun couldn’t hold her frustration any longer. “I don’t get why she gave Yoongi the surgery. We’re way more prepared than he is.”
Jihyo scoffed, equally irritated. “Yeah, well, maybe if you hadn’t pushed so hard, she would’ve picked me.”
Dahyun shot her a glare. “Excuse me? You started it!”
Their argument was heating up again when a nurse suddenly rushed over, breathless and urgent. “Dr. Kim, Dr. Park—car crash victims coming in. One patient is unconscious, the other has multiple minor injuries. You’re both needed immediately.”
Dahyun and Jihyo exchanged a quick look, their argument momentarily forgotten as their instincts kicked in. They followed the nurse into the ER, where the crash victims were being wheeled in.
“You take the unconscious patient,” the nurse directed Dahyun. “He’s stable, but we need to figure out why he lost consciousness.”
Dahyun nodded, moving swiftly to the side of the young man. He had no visible major injuries, just a few scrapes and bruises, but the fact that he’d passed out was concerning.
Meanwhile, Jihyo approached the other victim, a middle-aged woman with cuts and bruises scattered across her body. “What happened?” Jihyo asked the nurse as they worked together to assess the patient.
