Seoul Memorial Hospital was always buzzing, but today felt different. Tensions were high, with whispers trailing after the residents. Dahyun had been avoiding the breakroom all morning, knowing she'd inevitably run into Dong-joo. Things had been awkward since her latest case-their personal issues bleeding into their work.
Jihyo, who had been waiting outside the OR for her turn to scrub in, caught up to Dahyun, falling into step beside her.
"So, have you heard?" Jihyo said, an amused look on her face.
"Heard what?" Dahyun asked.
"Rumor has it... someone's here to stir up Seoul Memorial Hospital, and he's got history with Dong-joo and Jisoo."
Dahyun raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
Jihyo grinned, but before she could answer, a new voice chimed in.
"Dr. Go Seungtak," the man himself announced, his voice carrying confidence that made people turn. He was tall, with an air of mischief in his smile, and he was watching Dahyun with keen interest.
She felt her pulse quicken.
As soon as Seungtak turned, his eyes locked with Dong-joo's from across the hallway. It was clear the two shared a complicated history.
"Seungtak," Dong-joo acknowledged coolly, crossing his arms.
"Dong-joo." Seungtak flashed his trademark grin. "Still breaking hearts, I see."
"Oh, there's definitely someone around here breaking hearts," Dong-joo replied, his jaw tight. He glanced meaningfully in Jisoo's direction, who had just entered the room and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Seungtak.
"Seungtak." Jisoo's voice held a mix of anger and nostalgia.
Seungtak's gaze softened. "Jis- I mean, Dr. Kim. It's been a while."
She forced a smile, her fingers clenching the edges of her lab coat. "I thought you were staying far, far away from Korea."
Seungtak's smile never wavered. "Didn't realize there was a restraining order."
Nearby, the younger residents exchanged looks, barely suppressing their curiosity. Sana leaned toward Jungkook and whispered, "This is so much better than my lunch break."
Dr. Boo, noticing the brewing drama, cleared her throat. "Alright, people, let's get back to work. Seungtak, my office, now."
---
As Boo Yong-joo led Seungtak away, Jisoo rounded on Dahyun and Jihyo. "Don't you two have patients to check on?"
"Yes, Dr. Kim. We sure do," Jihyo said quickly, practically dragging Dahyun out of the room with her. As soon as they turned a corner, she whispered, "Wow, that tension was... intense."
Dahyun exhaled. "yeah, just great."
Jihyo shrugged. "I heard he's a top plastic surgeon from New York, used to work with Dong-joo and Jisoo. I heard they were close friends... and more."
Dahyun raised an eyebrow. "More?"
"Oh, yeah. Rumor has it Seungtak and Jisoo were screwing around behind Dong-joo's back." Jihyo lowered her voice. "Let's just say, Dong-joo found out the hard way."
Dahyun shook her head, feeling a sudden pang of sympathy for Dong-joo. Relationships in the medical world were complicated enough-adding past flings to the mix only made things worse.
"Oh, just like he did to me."
---
Later that day, Seungtak was already scrubbing in for a challenging reconstructive surgery. He caught Dahyun in the scrub room, flashing that same confident smile.
