It was a quiet evening at Dahyun's house. The warm glow of the living room lights barely reached the corners where she sat, curled up on the couch, a tub of ice cream in her lap. The other interns had gathered, but they were all stealing glances at her as she scooped ice cream mechanically, lost in thought.
Sana leaned forward, watching Dahyun worriedly. "Dahyun, are you okay?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine," Dahyun muttered, not looking up from the ice cream. She took another spoonful, as if trying to bury herself in it.
Yoongi and Jungkook exchanged glances, unsure how to approach the situation. They could all feel the tension hanging in the air. It had been a week since everything had come crashing down-since Kim Jisoo had introduced herself as Kang Dong Joo's fiancée.
"You don't seem fine," Yoongi said cautiously. He was the soft-spoken one, but the concern in his voice was obvious.
"I'm fine," Dahyun repeated, her voice flat.
Jihyo, sitting on the arm of the couch, was unusually quiet. Her eyes flicked between her friends and Dahyun, her frustration building.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Jungkook asked, leaning against the doorframe. He wasn't one to push, but watching Dahyun pretend nothing was wrong was starting to gnaw at him.
Dahyun sighed and forced a smile, which didn't reach her eyes. "Seriously, guys. I'm fine."
Sana huffed. "You've been eating ice cream for hours, Dahyun. That's not 'fine.'"
Jihyo snapped. "You know what? Just stop. Stop asking her how she's feeling. Stop pretending everything is okay because it's not!"
The room went silent. Dahyun looked up at Jihyo, her eyes wide with surprise.
Jihyo stood up, pacing around the room. "You all want to know what's going on? Fine. I'll tell you. He has a fiancée!" She looked at each of them, her words laced with anger. "That bastard Dong Joo. He's engaged! And he lied to her-lied to all of us."
Yoongi's eyes widened. "Wait, what? He has a fiancée?"
Sana's mouth fell open in shock. "But... Dahyun, did you know?"
Dahyun's silence was answer enough.
Jungkook shook his head. "That's messed up."
Dahyun let out a long breath, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't know."
Jihyo, her anger simmering, softened for a moment. "I know you didn't. But he made a fool out of you, Dahyun. And he doesn't deserve to get away with it."
---
The next day at the hospital, Dahyun was doing her best to keep her head down. She avoided eye contact with Dong Joo at every possible moment. But of course, he noticed. And so did Jihyo, Sana, and Yoongi.
As Dahyun made her way down the hallway, she caught sight of Dong Joo approaching her. Before he could get close, Jihyo and Sana stepped in front of her, with Yoongi close behind, effectively blocking his path.
"Dahyun, can we talk?" Dong Joo said, his tone calm but strained.
Jihyo crossed her arms, glaring at him. "She doesn't want to talk to you."
Dong Joo's eyes shifted between them, his face hardening. That's when he realized-they knew. They all knew about Jisoo.
"Get out of my way," Dong Joo said, his voice tight with frustration.
Sana shook her head, her eyes full of disappointment. "You've done enough, Dr. Kang."
Yoongi didn't say a word, but his stance was clear-he wasn't letting Dong Joo through.
Dong Joo clenched his jaw and turned on his heel, walking away toward his office.
---
Later, Dong Joo was heading to the OR when he spotted Jungkook down the hall, prepping for surgery.
"Jungkook, I need you to prep my patient for the operation," Dong Joo called out.
Jungkook didn't look up. "I'm not under your service today," he said plainly.
Dong Joo walked closer, his frustration clear. "Can you at least help?"
Jungkook shook his head, his expression unreadable. "No."
Dong Joo stared at him, exasperated. "This is about Dahyun, isn't it? I know you all know about Jisoo, but we need to separate personal matters from work."
Jungkook finally looked up, his face calm but serious. "No offense, Dude, but what you did to Dahyun was foul. That's not what a great surgeon does-lying, breaking someone's trust like that." His words were blunt, but he kept his tone professional. "But that's not why I'm saying no. I'm scrubbing into Dr. Boo's surgery today. I don't do emotions when I'm at work, you try it too."
Dong Joo narrowed his eyes. "Right. Got it."
Jungkook turned back to his prep work, and Dong Joo walked away, the weight of Jungkook's words sinking in deeper than he'd expected.
---
It was the end of the day, and Dong Joo was heading out after his shift. As he stepped into the elevator, he found Jihyo already there, standing with her arms crossed, her face unreadable.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The elevator doors closed, and the silence hung thick between them.
Dong Joo broke it first. "How's Dahyun?"
Jihyo didn't look at him. "She's none of your business."
Dong Joo's eyes narrowed. "You know I'm an attending, right? And you're just an intern. I'm practically your boss."
Jihyo's head snapped toward him, her eyes blazing with anger. "You want to pull rank now? Now? When you should've done that from the start? You should've thought about that before asking her to be your girlfriend."
Dong Joo looked taken aback, but Jihyo didn't stop. "You broke her heart, Dong Joo. You made a fool out of her. She's smart-one of the smartest people here, and she's going to be an incredible surgeon. But now, she's the one who looks bad, not you. You dated her while you had a fiancée, and somehow, she's the one who gets hurt. How does that make sense?"
The elevator doors dinged open, and Jihyo stepped out without looking back. "Figure it out," she muttered, leaving Dong Joo standing there, stunned.
As the doors closed behind her, Dong Joo stood alone in the elevator, Jihyo's words echoing in his mind. The anger in her voice, the truth she spoke-it all crashed down on him, leaving him to confront the mess he'd created.
