The hospital hummed with its usual energy. Ik-jun lay on the bed, his face pale, while Yuri sat beside him, clutching his hand. Her grip was tight, as if letting go would mean losing him. Nearby, a nurse and an overzealous intern snapped pictures with their phones, ignoring the couple's obvious discomfort.
Across the room, Nayeon stood with Sana and Yong-joo, analyzing the CT scans.
"The deformed mandible," Nayeon noted, her sharp eyes tracing the image. "This is extremely rare. Have you ever seen anything like this before, Chief?"
Yong-joo shook his head. "Not in an adult. His labs show elevated HCG levels-hence the false-positive pregnancy test. But this... This is extraordinary."
Sana leaned in closer, squinting at the screen. "So, it's a teratoma?"
"Most likely," Nayeon replied, stepping back. "But we'll confirm once we get inside."
Meanwhile, Dahyun sat by Ik-jun's side, watching him intently. He looked up at her, his face slightly green.
"You okay?" Dahyun asked softly, her tone kind but professional. "You're looking a little...off."
Ik-jun grimaced. "Just all this medical talk-it's going over my head."
Dahyun smiled reassuringly. "We'll keep it simple. Just breathe, okay?"
He nodded, turning to Yuri. "I thought the next time I'd hold your hand like this would be in a delivery room. Not...here."
"Hey," Dahyun interjected gently. "You'll get through this. And I promise, we won't let anyone turn this into a spectacle. No passing jars around or anything like that."
Ik-jun managed a weak laugh. "Thanks. That'd be...weird."
Before more could be said, Jihyo burst into the room, slightly out of breath.
"What'd I miss?" she asked, her eyes darting around.
Sana shot her a pointed look. "You missed the part where we're working. Also...ew. Is that rectal jelly on your scrubs?"
Jihyo glanced down, groaned, and muttered, "Not the time, Sana." She quickly checked her pager. "I've got to go. Keep me posted."
As Jihyo rushed out, Dahyun noticed Yuri's uneasy expression. She walked over to Nayeon, her voice low. "Ik-jun and Yuri are panicking. All these people, the attention-it's too much for them."
Nayeon nodded. "Understood. I'll clear the room."
---
Elsewhere, Jisoo stood in front of Dong-joo, who had laid out a picnic lunch on a secluded hospital balcony.
"Found this spot in a Seoul guidebook," Dong-joo said while staring at Jisoo who's adjusting the viewfinder in front of her. "Not quite Han River view, but it'll do."
Dong-joo crossed his arms, his expression neutral. "You always find something to complain about."
Jisoo stiffened slightly. "Do you like anything about me anymore, Dong-joo? Because I need to know."
He hesitated before replying, his voice softer. "I like that you find viewfinders in every city you live in."
Jisoo's lips curved into a bittersweet smile. "Well, I don't live in Seoul yet." She turned to face him fully. "Are you going to stop talking to Dahyun?"
Dong-joo looked away. "I will."
"When? Today? Tomorrow? Next week?"
"I don't know, if I'm ready?."
Jisoo exhaled sharply. "Will you ever be ready?"
He met her gaze. "What if I say no?"
Jisoo straightened, her voice steady. "Then I won't move here. I'll go back to New York, where we had our lives figured out"
The tension between them was palpable, neither willing to compromise.
---
Jihyo stormed up the stairs, only to stop short when she saw Jun Wan at the base of the staircase.
"We didn't finish our conversation," he said, his tone calm but firm.
"Yes, we did," Jihyo replied without missing a beat. "We're not telling anyone about us. End of story."
Jun Wan stepped closer, his gaze unwavering. "No, you decided that. Because you're afraid of what it'll do to your career."
Jihyo sighed, rubbing her temples. "You know how this works, Jun Wan. My reputation-"
"Your reputation will be fine," he interrupted. "What's more dangerous is if Yong-joo hears about us through the grapevine. He'll think we were hiding this for the wrong reasons."
She stepped back, shaking her head. "He won't find out. And even if he does-"
"He will find out, Jihyo," Jun Wan said, his voice rising slightly. "And the truth is, you're hesitating because you don't want to admit we're in a relationship."
Jihyo froze, guilt flickering across her face. She glanced around the hallway before finally muttering, "Fine. We're a couple. There, happy?"
Jun Wan swallowed hard, his voice quieter now. "That's all I wanted to hear."
Before either could say more, Yoongi appeared at the corner, his wide eyes darting between them. He turned quickly, as if pretending not to see anything.
"Yoongi," Jihyo called out sharply.
He froze, then slowly turned back. "Uh...I didn't hear anything. Or see anything."
Jun Wan smirked slightly, brushing past him. "Good."
---
In the operating room, Yong-joo and Nayeon worked carefully to remove Ik-jun's mass. The gallery above was packed, and phones flashed as people took pictures.
Nayeon handed the removed teratoma to Dahyun. Which garnered a surprised look from Dahyun "Do you really want to handle the disposal?" which Dr. Im just gave her a short nod as approval .
Dahyun smiled through her mask as she carefully took the specimen from Dr. Im. "I'll handle this." She glanced up at the gallery, her jaw tightening.
---
Later that evening, Dahyun joined Jihyo, Sana, and Yoongi at the bar. Sana was counting money, grinning.
"Sold 485,000 won worth of tickets to Ik-jun's surgery," she announced proudly.
"Wait," Dahyun said, raising a brow. "You sold tickets?"
Sana shrugged. "It was for morale!"
Jihyo smirked, pulling more cash from her pocket. "And we made even more."
Dahyun shook her head but couldn't suppress a small smile. "You guys are unbelievable."
At that moment, Jungkook walked in, scanning the room. When he spotted them, he approached with a mischievous grin.
"Guess who's scrubbing in with Dong-joo tomorrow," he teased.
The group groaned collectively, but Dahyun couldn't help but laugh. And with that, the interns' day finally ended.
