Dahyun stood in front of the patient's chart, trying to focus. She'd been trying to avoid eye contact with Kang Dong Joo all day, which was difficult since she was on his service. They were in the middle of a case discussion when her pager went off, along with Dong Joo's. Both glanced down at their pagers simultaneously, and the screen blinked with urgency: VIP room consult. Dr. Boo Yong-joo.
"Guess we're needed," Dong Joo said, his voice neutral, but Dahyun could feel the tension between them.
They walked down the corridor side by side, the silence stretching painfully. Every step felt heavier, the awkwardness of their unresolved situation weighing her down. She had been doing everything in her power to focus solely on the patients, to keep her mind off what Dong Joo had done. But it was getting harder by the minute.
When they finally reached the VIP room, Dahyun's heart sank the moment they stepped inside. Sitting next to the patient was none other than Dr. Kim Jisoo.
"Of course," Dahyun muttered under her breath. "You've got to be kidding me."
Dong Joo glanced at her, but she didn't return the look. Instead, she straightened up, putting on her professional face as they approached the patient.
Dr. Boo Yong-joo was already there, briefing Jisoo. "We've got a pregnant patient here with a complicated case. Dr. Kim suspects there may be some neurological involvement affecting the pregnancy. That's why we've called you, Dr. Kang."
Dong Joo nodded, glancing over the patient's chart. "Have you noticed any specific symptoms pointing to neuro?"
Jisoo crossed her arms, speaking in that confident, composed tone that made her stand out. "She's had some episodes of confusion, headaches, and light sensitivity. I'm concerned there's something more at play than the typical pregnancy symptoms."
Dahyun barely listened. She was hyper-aware of Jisoo's presence, every word stinging like a reminder of the betrayal. She kept her face composed as she began examining the patient, running through the checklist of symptoms and tests. She could feel Jisoo's eyes on her, but she didn't look up.
"I'll request a full panel of tests and scans to rule out any neurological causes," Dahyun said, turning to the nurse. Her voice was steady, professional, but inside, her thoughts were swirling.
As soon as she left the room, Dahyun headed for the nurses' station to order the labs. She hoped for a brief moment of solitude to collect herself, but instead, she ran into Yoongi, Sana, and Jihyo, who were gathered there, chatting about their own cases.
Sana spotted her first. "Hey, Dahyun!" She waved her over with a smile. "What are you doing here? Thought you were working with McDreamy today."
Yoongi snorted, barely looking up from the chart he was reviewing. "McDreamy? More like McTaken. Or better yet, McBastard."
The jab made Dahyun wince, but before she could say anything, Jihyo chimed in with her signature dark humor. "Don't waste your *mom genes* on him, Dahyun. You could do better."
Dahyun bit her lip, trying to brush off the comments. "I'm just here to get some labs ordered. I'll catch up with you guys later."
But before she could make her escape, Jungkook appeared out of nowhere, his eyebrows raised in curiosity. "How's it going working with the McCouple?" he asked, his voice full of sarcasm.
Dahyun froze, realizing that they had no idea who was in the VIP room. She glanced around, hoping they wouldn't pry further, but Sana caught on quickly. "Wait. The McCouple? Is she... here?" Sana's eyes widened in realization.
Yoongi dropped his pen and groaned, his voice dripping with mock drama. "Seriously? She's here too? I mean, does this get any worse?"
Jihyo smirked but then turned serious, wrapping her arm around Dahyun's. "Let's get out of here," she said, tugging her along. "I mean, really, Dahyun. How are you doing? Should we all just collectively hate her? I mean, I'm down for it."
Dahyun sighed, shaking her head as they walked down the hallway together. "I can't even hate her, Jihyo. She's... perfect. She's beautiful, talented, and her surgical skills are on point. How can I compete with that?"
Jihyo rolled her eyes. "Who cares if she's perfect? You're a brilliant surgeon in the making, and trust me, being perfect doesn't mean anything when your fiancé's the one playing around with someone else."
Dahyun laughed bitterly. "Thanks, Jihyo. That's really comforting."
But Jihyo didn't back down. "I'm serious. You deserve better than this. He's a mess, and dragging you into his mess? That's on him, not you."
Before Dahyun could respond, they reached the scrub room, and she excused herself to change. She needed to focus on her case and get through the rest of the day without falling apart. But inside, the storm was building.
---
Later that evening, after the last case was done and the day finally winding down, Dahyun couldn't avoid the inevitable confrontation any longer. She was still fuming from the interaction with Jisoo earlier, and seeing Dong Joo acting as though everything was normal set her off.
As they walked out of the operating room, Dahyun spun on her heel and faced him, her eyes blazing. "Was it not enough for you to do what you did to me? You had to bring your fiancée here to rub it in my face that you're engaged and absolutely not single?"
Dong Joo blinked, caught off guard by the sudden attack. "Dahyun, I didn't-"
"Don't," she snapped, cutting him off. "Don't you dare pretend you didn't know. I've spent the whole day trying to keep it together, pretending like seeing her doesn't make me want to crawl into a hole, and you're just standing there, acting like this is all normal!"
Dong Joo's face softened, and he took a step toward her. "It wasn't me, Dahyun. I didn't bring her here. I had no idea she was even in the hospital until we walked into that room together."
Dahyun scoffed, her voice shaking with anger and hurt. "You expect me to believe that? After everything?"
"I'm telling you the truth," Dong Joo said, his voice low. "I had no clue she was here. And I didn't want you to find out like this."
She stared at him for a long moment, her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted to believe him, wanted to believe that this wasn't some cruel game, but the pain was too raw.
Dahyun shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "It doesn't matter anymore, Dong Joo. I can't keep doing this."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing alone once again. The truth hung between them, but it wasn't enough to fix what had already been broken.
