The silence in the stairwell lingered like a heavy fog, thick with the weight of what had just been revealed. Dahyun sat there, her knees drawn up to her chest, still processing the raw emotions that had spilled out of her just moments ago. The other interns stayed quiet, awkward and remorseful, unsure of how to bridge the gap they'd unintentionally widened.
After what felt like an eternity, Jihyo finally spoke up, her voice low and gentle. "You don't have to go through this alone, you know. We're your friends, even if we don't always act like it."
Sana nodded, glancing over at Dahyun. "We're sorry. We shouldn't have joked about it. I didn't know-none of us knew how hard things were for you."
Yoongi, who rarely spoke unless he had something important to say, added softly, "We all have our struggles, but it doesn't make yours any less valid."
Dahyun let out a shaky breath, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her scrubs. The truth was, she hadn't meant to say any of it out loud, let alone to the very people she was trying to compete with every day. But in a way, it felt like a relief-like a weight had been lifted, even if it had come out in anger.
Jungkook, who had been the most vocal before, was uncharacteristically quiet now. He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. He wasn't great at emotional conversations, and everyone knew it. But he glanced over at Dahyun, his face sincere. "Look, I get that I'm an idiot sometimes, okay? But... you're one of us. And we care. Even if we don't always show it right."
Dahyun chuckled bitterly, but there was a hint of gratitude in her eyes. "You all have your own stuff to deal with. I didn't want to be the person dragging you down."
Jihyo shook her head firmly. "We're a team. That's how this works, remember? If one of us is struggling, we're all struggling. You're not dragging us down, Dahyun. We're just idiots for not noticing what you've been going through."
Dahyun swallowed hard, feeling a strange warmth settle in her chest at their words. She had spent so long building walls around herself, trying to handle everything on her own, that she had forgotten what it felt like to lean on someone else. To let people in.
Sana nudged her gently. "Besides, we're going to need you if we're going to survive Nayeon's extra workload. No way I'm getting through it without your brain around."
That earned a small smile from Dahyun, and it felt like the tension in the air eased just a little. They weren't just competitors in this brutal race to become surgeons. They were a dysfunctional, sometimes annoying, but ultimately supportive group.
After a long moment, Dahyun sighed and finally let her shoulders relax. "I'm sorry for snapping at you guys. I just... It's been a lot, and I didn't realize how much I've been holding in."
Jihyo reached out and put a hand on Dahyun's arm. "No apologies needed. We're all in this together."
The rest of the group murmured in agreement, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Dahyun felt a sense of calm wash over her. Maybe she didn't have to carry all of this by herself. Maybe there was room to share the burden, just a little.
As the group sat in the stairwell, the sound of the hospital bustling around them, Jungkook suddenly broke the silence in typical fashion.
"So... can we eat now? Because I'm still starving, and Jihyo's fries were really good."
The tension broke with a round of laughter, the kind of laughter that felt like a balm after a storm. It was a small moment, but it was enough to remind them all that they weren't alone in this journey.
---
The rest of the day passed with the interns diving back into the chaos of the hospital, but something had shifted between them. The conversations weren't quite as sharp, the teasing wasn't quite as biting. There was an unspoken understanding now-a deeper connection that hadn't been there before.
Dahyun, though still haunted by her past and her complicated relationship with her mother's legacy, felt lighter. The weight of her secret was no longer hers alone to bear.
Late that evening, as the hospital quieted down, Dahyun found herself wandering through the halls, her thoughts still racing. She ended up in the observation deck above one of the operating rooms, watching as Dr. Boo Yong-joo performed a complicated procedure.
The precision, the mastery-it all reminded her of her mother. Her mother had been a force in the OR, the kind of surgeon who could command the room with a single glance. Dahyun had always wanted to be like her, to make her proud, but it had come at such a cost. The price of being her mother's daughter had been steep, and for years, she had been paying it without even realizing it.
As she stood there, staring down at the surgery below, she felt a presence next to her. It was Yoongi.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice quiet but steady.
Dahyun nodded, her eyes still fixed on the surgeons below. "I will be."
Yoongi didn't press for more, simply standing beside her in silence. He wasn't the type to push for emotional conversations, but his presence alone was enough to offer comfort.
"I don't want to be her," Dahyun said after a long pause, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I also don't want to disappoint her."
Yoongi glanced at her, then back down at the surgery. "You don't have to be her. You're already something else-something better. You're *you*. That's enough."
Dahyun turned to him, a small but genuine smile playing on her lips. "Thanks, Yoongi."
He gave a small nod, not saying anything more, and together, they stood in the observation deck, watching the surgery in quiet companionship.
The road ahead was still full of challenges, but for the first time in a long while, Dahyun felt like she wasn't walking it alone.
