EPILOGUE

It's eight p.m, the clock hung above the nurse station says so. The night is still young but YoonA already yawns four times.

“How long have you been up?” Dr. Shepherd, the attending neurosurgeon, signing a few papers on top of the counter while giving YoonA the you-should-go-home look.

“A few hours.” YoonA yawns again. It's twenty-six hours to be exact but she's not about to quit the day yet. Being the oldest intern in the hospital she needs to show everybody that she can and she will be one of the best.

Yes. In turn of events, and of course, under Changwook's relentless persuasion YoonA pursues her long-delayed study to become a doctor. And now, at her thirty, she's one of the interns in a renowned hospital in the country.

“Go home, YoonA.” Dr. Shepherd finishes signing the last paper. “I've been watching you and your tendency of overworking. This is not a competition where the last person standing win.”

“But-”

“Go home. You have a boy to come home to, right? Go. Now.”

YoonA sighs, suddenly missing Kai now that the foreign doctor mentioning him. Of course she wants to go home early, snuggling up with Kai watching a baseball game on TV. She's about to take off her scrub when the elevator dings open. Dr. Kang is kneeling above the gurney, performing chest compression on an old woman.

“I need and OR! Now!” The senior doctor shouts as nurses wheels the gurney out. “YoonA calls Dr. Lee and Dr. Pierce then join me in the OR, we'll probably have to perform septal myotomy on this one!”

YoonA freezes, for a short moment because in this job she can't afford wasting time. Her heart is beating wildly as she tells the nurse to give the aforementioned doctors a call. Not only because she's nervous about joining the risky surgical procedure but also because she recognizes the patient.

It's Seungri's mother.

YoonA sighs, inhaling the familiar scents as she walks into the kitchen. Seeing the crew dances around between stoves, pans, and dishes to create a perfect meal relaxes YoonA. It resembles the orchestrated commotion in the hospital, but in this place, no life is at stake. There's no fear of not being able to safe your patient.

“Two samgyetang for table seven! Two Yuk Hui and three of that Halabong dessert! Kyungsoo watch that fire, don't burn that precious black cod!” In front of the chaos, stand Changwook, chef de cuisine, tall and handsome, assertive yet caring. “Make it real quick people! More orders are coming.”

YoonA smiles to herself. From where she's standing, she can only see Changwook's broad shoulders. The limited view still gives her some odd sense of comfort though, and she loves him for it.

She moves to restroom behind the kitchen, gathers her hair into a tight ponytail before donning the apron and washes her hands.

Amber smiles when YoonA walks into the heart of the storm. Heechul sticks his lower lip out in fake annoyance. YoonA takes the tongs from Kyungsoo's hand and flips the black cod on the sizzling grill before the young man can even blink.

“Two minutes on each side, Kyungsoo. Not a millisecond less, not a millisecond more.” She squeezes his shoulder and hands the tongs back.

Changwook is bending over the counter, pouring his attention at garnishing the meat-stuffed-zucchini on the plate. YoonA moves to his side lightly brushes her fingers on his back.

“Hi.” He smiles but not looking up.

“Busy night?” She takes the other plate, helping him with the garnish.

“Just the usual.” Pouring the soup, he leans over a little to give her cheek a quick peck. “Can do with the help of a pretty sous-chef though. The one we currently have is too grumpy and too hairy to keep the kitchen alive.”

“Heard that!” Heechul, now the sous-chef of The Seventh Sky, frowns from behind the pot of stock he's stirring.

YoonA laughs, taking one of the tickets from the self and inwardly read the order. “Alright, I'll do the reconstructed samgyetang.”

“Don't make it sounds so technical.” Changwook wipes the edge of his plate with the corner of a napkin before sliding it to the waitress' hands. “It's the menu I create with feelings. The inspiration coming from this hog chef who can eat two bowls of samgyetang in one go yet still complaining of how hungry she is.”

Heechul snorts. YoonA gives Changwook a square punch on the shoulder. She sticks her tongue at the two grinning man but works on the dish anyway.

Reconstructed samgyetang. A nick-name sounds so boring and technical it betrays the hard effort needed to prepare the dish. Instead of a whole chicken, YoonA sets a quaint piece chicken tournedo, stuffed with Korean dates, nuts and more surprises in the middle of the plate. The broth, clear and golden, is made with traditional Korean medicinal herbs and woodsy stuff to create an exotic earthy taste and smell. As a beautiful garnish, there were a sliver of chestnut and a lightly tempura’d ginseng root on top. For the additional kick, YoonA put a spoonful ground black garlic on the side. Not just usual garlic but one that has been aged in caves until it’s oxidized.

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