Dahyun lay curled under her blankets, staring at the wall. Her chest felt heavy, like there was a weight pressing down on her ribs, making it hard to breathe. She whispered to herself, "I’m going to die today."
The door slammed open.
"Dahyun! Get up!" Jihyo marched in, her hands on her hips, glaring at the lump in the bed.
Dahyun groaned. "I can’t. I think I’m dying."
Jihyo raised an eyebrow. "You’re not dying. You’re late. Move."
Dahyun sat up slowly, her hair sticking out at odd angles. She looked at Jihyo, her eyes hollow. "I mean it. I feel like I might actually die today."
Jihyo paused, her irritation softening into mild concern. "Everybody dies eventually. But not today. The only way you'll die today is if Dr. Im find out about you slacking. Now, get dressed!"
Instead of moving, Dahyun slumped back against the pillows. "I mean it, Jihyo. Something feels... wrong. Like the universe is trying to tell me something."
Jihyo sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Okay, fine. Let’s hear it. What’s this big, looming existential crisis about?"
Dahyun hesitated before finally blurting out, "The man I love has a fiancée. He chose her over me. And the last time we talked, he called me a whore for how I was coping."
Jihyo's jaw tightened. "Dong Joo did what?"
Dahyun continued, ignoring her friend's outburst. "Jisoo has him. She has a perfect career. And me? I have nothing. I can’t even remember the last time we kissed because... you never know the last time is the last time. And on top of that, my coffee machine stopped working, I haven't had caffeine since yesterday, and I think my body is about to stop working too."
"Seriously? Over a man!?"
"I need something, Jihyo. Some kind of hope. Without it... I don’t see the point of getting out of bed."
Jihyo rolled her eyes before leaping onto the bed and kicking at Dahyun’s legs. "You think you’re the only one with problems? Everyone has problems. Suck it up, get your ass out of bed, and let’s go!"
Despite her protests, Dahyun found herself being dragged out of bed. As Jihyo shoved her toward the door, she called out, "Yoongi, Sana! We’re heading out. Dahyun’s officially alive for now."
---
Jungkook, Jihyo, and Dahyun stood in the cold air as an ambulance screeched to a stop. The back doors flew open, and a panicked woman stepped out, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Help! Please! He’s going to die!"
Jihyo and Jungkook froze as a paramedic climbed out after her, her hand plunged deep into the patient’s chest cavity. Blood covered her up to her elbows.
“What the hell?” Jungkook muttered.
"Her hand’s inside the patient," Jihyo said in disbelief.
The paramedic, clearly stressed, snapped, "Yeah, and it’s staying there until someone tells me what to do. I’m the only thing stopping him from bleeding out!"
Dahyun stared, trying to process the scene. "We need to get them to the OR. Now."
---
Inside the OR, Dr. Kim Jun Wan, the attending cardiothoracic surgeon, listened as Jihyo briefed him.
"Sucking chest wound. The paramedic’s hand is the only thing stopping the bleeding. She says it’s getting numb."
Jun Wan nodded. "Tell her to hold on. I’ll scrub in."
Dahyun glanced at the paramedic. The woman looked pale but determined. "I can’t hold on much longer," she muttered. "I feel like I’m gonna puke."
"You’ll be fine," Dahyun reassured her. "Once Dr. Kim scrubs in, you’re out of there."
The paramedic grimaced. "I’m serious. My hand’s gone numb. And this is not good for my gag reflex."
---
As Jun Wan prepared to operate, Jungkook walked in, flipping through the patient’s file.
"Dr. Kim..." he said panting "this dude, shoot himself with a bazooka" he asked incredulously.
Jun Wan looked up. "A bazooka? Are you sure Jungkook?"
Jungkook frowned. "Did anyone see an explosion? His wife said there wasn’t one."
Jun Wan shook his head. "No exit wound either. Motherfucker!" he whispered under his breath.
Jungkook’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. "Shit!."
Jun Wan turned to the paramedic. "What do you feel inside the cavity? Metal? Fragments?"
The paramedic’s face turned even paler. "Something hard. Solid. Oh God..."
Taek, the anesthesiologist, froze. "Wait. Are you saying—"
Jun Wan interrupted, his voice sharp. "You can’t move your hand."
"What’s going on?" Dahyun asked, her voice rising.
Jun Wan turned to her, his expression grim. "Go tell the charge nurse to call the bomb squad. Now. We have a code black."
---
Dahyun sprinted down the hallway, nearly crashing into Nayeon.
"Watch it!" Nayeon barked, but her expression softened when she saw Dahyun’s panicked face. "What’s going on?"
"Code black," Dahyun gasped. "OR three. We need the bomb squad."
Nayeon’s face went pale. "Are you serious?"
Dahyun nodded. "Jun Wan’s in there with a live explosive inside a patient."
---
Back in the OR, Jun Wan kept his voice calm as he addressed the paramedic. "You’re doing great. Just don’t move."
The paramedic laughed nervously. "I’ve got a bomb under my fingertips. How do you expect me to stay calm?"
Jungkook muttered, "I can’t believe this. A bazooka shell in his chest. This is insane."
Jun Wan shot him a look. "Jungkook, I need you focused. Go check on the bomb squad’s ETA."
As Jungkook left, Jun Wan turned to Taek. "We need to minimize movement and keep him stable. No sudden shifts."
The tension in the room was palpable.
---
Outside the OR, Dahyun stood with Jihyo and Sana, her hands trembling.
"This is insane," Sana whispered. "How did we go from saving lives to diffusing bombs?"
Jihyo crossed her arms. "This is why I didn’t sign up for trauma surgery."
Dahyun didn’t respond. Her mind raced with thoughts of Dong Joo, of the paramedic’s trembling hand, and of the very real possibility that today might be the day she died.
---
The sound of the bomb squad arriving, their heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway. Everyone braces for the worst, knowing the lives of everyone in the OR hang in the balance.
