Blinded By The Lights | Sungjoy

Act 1 - Chapter 2: Fighting to Survive

Yeoreum University Hospital, Busan Campus – Busan, Korea

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With a practiced hand, Joy taped the cardboard box shut and wrote 'Research Materials' on the top of the box with a marker, labelling it for the movers when they arrived to take her stuff to Seoul.

A week had passed since the director had told Joy about her appointment and transfer to the main campus. Joy had immediately started packing up her office, clearing it of her personal effects and packing up what she would take with her. She had begun organizing her patient notes, leaving detailed instructions and comments for whoever would take over from her.

Like most hospitals, rumours travelled quickly in the halls. It wasn't long before even the patients and their parents knew that their beloved Doctor Joy would be leaving the hospital. Some of the young patients had grown so attached to Joy that they had teared up the moment she had stepped into their room.

"I'm going to move to Seoul with you," one of the youngest girls had told her, fighting back tears as Joy checked her vitals.

Joy had laughed gently at the child, "There's no need to make so much trouble for your parents," she told her as she monitored the child's heartbeat.

"But they said that you're the best kid's doctor in Korea!" the girl said.

Joy was pleased that many of the parents of the long-term patients had grown confident in her ability during her time at the Busan campus. She knew that it would be a long time before she had the same amount of respect and trust at the main campus.

Joy shuddered at the thought. It would be a challenge, but the payoff would be worth it.

She stood up and surveyed her office, now mostly packed away in boxes. Her desk was cleared except for a few notepads, some scattered pens, a tablet, and her laptop. Her white coat was folded over her chair.

Joy walked over to her desk and picked up the most ornate pen among the group on her desk. She held it up in both hands, rotating it slightly, and admiring the workmanship on it. It was a pearl-coloured fountain pen, beautifully crafted and solidly weighted. At top of the cap was Yeoreum University's crest, carved into the metal, while her name and graduating class was engraved on the barrel of the pen.

Each student at Yeoreum University's School of Medicine received an identical pen when they entered the program. Each pen would be personalized for each student with their name and graduating class. If a student dropped out, Yeoreum University would ask that the student return their pen or pay an exorbitant penalty fee.

As such it became a mark of pride for every student to own one for two reasons; One, they had become a doctor, and two, it identified them as alumni of the prestigious university. Many of Yeoreum's alumni often joked that they had paid tuition only to receive an expensive pen.

She remembered how excited she had been when she first received her pen and how determined she had been to master writing with the fountain pen. It had taken a shift in penmanship to accommodate the change from a ballpoint pen, but she had eventually gotten the hang of it.

Her sisters joked that Yeoreum only gave fountain pens out because they wanted to make it harder for the patients reading their doctor's notes.

It was such a small thing for years of toil, but Joy wouldn't give hers up for the world.

Lost in her thoughts, Joy barely registered the ringing phone on her desk until it rang for nearly twenty seconds.

Just in time, she lifted the handset off from its cradle, noting the caller was from the main campus.