Reminisce || K.S.J.

9.

____

9.

Hyejin wanted to give up. The distance, the lack of time and the constant hiding was getting to her.

It didn't help that her department head acted harshly on her, pushing her to do all the more ardurous jobs and making her do their scripts for medical show guestings, even on day offs. She hated being used like this, having no benefit nor credit for her hard work.

That day, she was pushed to do an interview in place of the department head, who chose to stay and have a dinner party with the whole staff and the stockholders, a very important event for making connections with more prominent doctors.

The interview was tomorrow, and Hyejin was already struggling at the lack of time and then the fatigue.

She was stressed and Seokjin can see it. She was letting her thoughts get to her. She looked teary eyed in the hospital hallway, memorizing a bunch of papers for tomorrow's show.

"Seokjin, I can't do this anymore." She cried to him that night as she dropped her papers on the floor. "I want to give up."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Seokjin looked up at her, picking up the scripts and papers. "You can't give up now, Hye. You've done so much already."

Hyejin crouched down and cried, hugging her knees. "I can't take this anymore. I-- i don't even time for myself, and for you... Why don't you just leave me? You deserve someone who can be there for you."

"But I want you." Seokjin sadly said, sitting on the floor beside her and looking at her in the eye. "You're too stressed, why don't we head home so you could rest."

"No. Leave me alone." She stubbornly replied. "After this... I need to be early at the studio..."

Seokjin huffed, having enough of his girlfriend's suffering. "I'm not leaving you. So don't give up on us. Never give up, okay?"

____

Hyejin ran from the ER to the ICU when her pager beeped, barely putting on her labcoat and stethoscope as she made her way towards him.

"What happened?" She loudly asked, checking the machines for any problem.

"Doctor Jung, he's having an arrest." The nurse replied hastily, wheeling in the nearest shock machine along.

Hyejin's hand shook as she approached him, and she deeply breathed, positioning to give him a CPR. She checked his airway, breathing and circulation and turned to the nurse.

"How long has it been?" Her hands clasped together, placing them on his chest. She blinked away her tears, pressing down, beginning the procedure.

"One minutes and fifty seconds." The nurse checked her watch as she kept doing it. "His BP is dropping, Doc."

Hyejin cursed, not stopping for a second. She only had less than three minutes to revive him.

"Seokjin!" She gritted her teeth together, still continuously pressing down her chest with her palms. "Please... don't ...give up... on me... You... never.. do.. please.. don't... change that now!"

"Three minutes fifteen seconds, doc!" She heard the nurse say as she checked his pulse again and returned her hands on his chest.

"Kim Seokjin... please!" She further said, switching her hands and continuing. "Nurse, prepare the machine."

She started the machine, alerting Hyejin once it was ready. She got off him and took them, rubbing them together.

"Clear!"

His chest rose up and fell back down. She repeated the action a few times, before the beeping in the life support returned to normal.

"Doc Jung, all vitals are returning to normal." The nurse declared once she took the shock from her. She exhaled loudly, dropping to the ground and hugging her knees.

She succeeded reviving him. That thought alone brought the air back to her lungs, as she was able to breathe well now.

"Thank God." She silently smiled, blinking away the remaining tears in her eyes. She looked up to her assistant nurse with a small smile. "Thanks, Ah yeon."

Ah yeon patted her shoulder comfortingly and let her be, leaving the ICU. Hyejin stood up, pulling up a chair from the side and sitting down beside him. She fixed his blanket, tucking her in and placing a kiss on his bandaged forehead.

"Yah." She softly called out to him. "You gave me a scare there."

She sniffed, wiping her tears in her sleeves. Seokjin still looked peaceful,as if nothing happened.

"Please, don't do that again!" Hyejin silently scolded as if he was listening. "I might be the first one to go if you keep up with it."

She fell silent again, just observing his features and smiling to herself.

He never gave up on her. From the beginning, when she was finishing medical school, and even now when she's already on her residency. Seokjin never dared to give up on her even if she almost did.

"Thanks for not giving up on me, Seokjin."

_____