The hospital halls buzzed with the usual chaos-beeping monitors, brisk footsteps, and the occasional shouted orders. Dahyun spotted Yoongi at the nurse's station, jotting something down on a chart. Her stomach tightened as she approached, rehearsing what she wanted to say.
"Yoongi," she began softly.
He didn't even glance up. Instead, he closed the chart and walked away, leaving her standing there, her words hanging in the air.
Jihyo and Sana had been observing the interaction from the other side of the station. As Yoongi brushed past them without a word, Sana turned to Jihyo, a frown on her face.
"Okay, what the hell is going on with them?" Sana asked, crossing her arms.
Jihyo shook her head. "Beats me, but it's getting worse. Did you see how he just ignored her? That's not like Yoongi."
---
Later that day, the interns gathered for lunch in the cafeteria. Jihyo and Sana sat across from Dahyun, with Jungkook and a few others chatting at the end of the table. Yoongi arrived a moment later, grabbing a tray and sitting a few seats down without a word to Dahyun.
The tension was palpable. Dahyun tried to catch his eye, but Yoongi focused on his food like she wasn't even there.
Dahyun sighed and pushed her tray aside. "Yoongi, can we-"
Before she could finish, he stood abruptly and left the table, his tray clattering on the return rack.
Sana's eyes followed him, then darted back to Dahyun. "Okay, seriously, what did you do to him?"
"It's... complicated," Dahyun mumbled, her voice barely audible.
"Complicated?" Sana echoed, her tone sharp. "Dahyun, I don't know what's going on, but if it's about picking sides, I'm sorry-I'm with Yoongi on this one. He's been there for me, for all of us. So, what ever you did. Fix it."
"Sana..." Dahyun started, but Sana shook her head.
"No, don't. I don't want to hear it. You fix it."
Sana grabbed her tray and left to go after Yoongi, leaving Dahyun sitting in stunned silence.
---
The end of the shift brought some relief as the interns prepared to leave. The locker room was mostly empty except for Dahyun and Jihyo. The silence between them was heavy, the unspoken tension finally breaking when Jihyo turned to Dahyun, her arms crossed.
"Alright, spill," Jihyo demanded.
Dahyun blinked. "Spill what?"
"What's going on with you and Yoongi?" Jihyo asked bluntly. "He's been avoiding you like the plague, Sana's ready to join his fan club, and you're walking around like a kicked puppy. What happened?"
Dahyun hesitated, then sighed, sinking onto the bench. "He... he told me he liked me."
Jihyo raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "And?"
"And... he kissed me," Dahyun admitted, her voice barely above a whisper "we kissed."
Jihyo's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly masked her surprise. "Okay, so what did you do?"
"I pulled away," Dahyun said, looking down at her hands. "I told him I couldn't give him what he wanted. That it wasn't about him-it was about me. And now he's... like this."
Jihyo stared at her for a moment before letting out a sharp laugh. "You've got to be kidding me."
"What?" Dahyun asked, frowning.
"You could have spared him this whole mess," Jihyo said, her tone biting. "You knew how he felt, Dahyun. Everyone knew."
"I didn't-" Dahyun started, but Jihyo cut her off.
"Yes, you did," Jihyo snapped. "You just didn't want to admit it because it was easier to pretend you didn't see it. But you knew, and you still let him get close. You let him think he had a chance while you were busy trying to 'move on' or whatever. You know better Dahyun, you shouldn't have let him kiss you in the first place."
"I was sad and drunk Jihyo...alcohol was still in my system when it happened. He told me things I want to hear at the moment and the kiss felt right at first but when things escalated I realized I don't want it."
"But you're fine if it's other guys."
"Why are you like this to me?" Dahyun flinched at the accusation. It's not like I wanted to hurt him
"But you did," Jihyo said firmly. "And now he's the one paying for it."
Dahyun looked away, tears welling up in her eyes. "I really didn't know"
Jihyo scoffed. "Everyone knew, how could you not?"
The words hit Dahyun like a punch to the gut. She opened her mouth to respond, but Jihyo was already walking away, her footsteps echoing in the empty locker room.
"Figure it out," Jihyo called over her shoulder. "Before you lose him for good."
Dahyun sat there long after Jihyo had left, the weight of her words settling heavily on her shoulders.
