Sejeong should have been starting morning rounds, but she was running late for a very good reason. Balancing two cups of coffee and a bag of pastries, Sejeong walked up to the nurses’ station with a bright smile.

“Good morning!” Sejeong said.

Chaeyeon looked up in surprise, a smile brightening her features. She quickly grabbed the coffee and bag from Sejeong out of fear she’d drop it. As soon as she grabbed them, Chaeyeon paused and looked at the treats in her hands. “Is this for me?” Chaeyeon asked shyly.

“No, it’s for the other pretty nurse I’ve been grabbing lunch with for the past few weeks,” Sejeong teased.

“Well, I guess she’ll just have to miss out because this coffee is just how I like it,” Chaeyeon laughed, taking a sip from the cup. “This is very sweet of you, but what’d you do?”

“Who said I did anything?” Sejeong pouted. “I could’ve just gotten you breakfast out of the kindness of my heart.” At Chaeyeon’s unimpressed look, she admitted, “Okay, fine. I have to cancel dinner this Friday. My mom is coming into town, so I have to have dinner with her.”

Chaeyeon rolled her eyes but still smiled. “You don’t need to apologize. Parents are a reasonable excuse to cancel.”

“I still feel bad,” Sejeong shrugged. “Anyways, I’ve got to go. I’m really late to rounds now. We can talk about rescheduling later?”

“Go save lives, Dr. Kim,” Chaeyeon said warmly.

Sejeong laughed and gave her a salute before she jogged to make rounds. It was a routine part of her day, and she always appreciated getting to talk to her patients. She sometimes missed her resident days where she actually got to spend more time with the patients; it made her feel more connected, since she got to know who she was helping.

After finishing up the last patient, Sejeong went to grab a snack before her first surgery in half an hour. She was patiently waiting for the granola bar to fall when she noticed Chungha tentatively walk up to her. Sejeong tensed up. It had been a few weeks since Chungha had even willingly been in the same vicinity as her.

“Sejeong, could we talk?” Chungha asked softly.

Against her will, Sejeong felt herself melt. It had felt like too long, since she had heard Chungha’s voice. She missed her so much…

“Sure,” Sejeong said much more casually than she was feeling. She grabbed her granola bar and gestured for Chungha to talk.

Chungha bit her lip and shook her head. “Privately.”

Sejeong nodded and followed as Chungha led her into an empty stairwell down the hall. Chungha wandered over to the window while Sejeong leaned against a wall with her hands buried in her white coat’s pockets.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you all this time,” Chungha said, still looking out the window. She didn’t say anything for a moment then turned to look at Sejeong sadly. “I’ve been going through some feelings that I wasn’t sure how to handle, but that doesn’t mean I should’ve lashed out at you. I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Sejeong said easily. She just missed her. “Do you want to talk about what you've been going through?”

Chungha smiled, sad and cryptic. It was strange that Sejeong couldn't understand what Chungha was feeling.

“Maybe one day,” Chungha told her.

Sejeong smiled slightly and said, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Chungha said. She walked over and gave a hug that warmed Sejeong to the core. “Why don't we grab dinner soon? We can catch up.”

“My mom’s in town this weekend,” Sejeong grimaced.

Chungha grinned, the first sign of happiness Sejeong had seen since they started talking. “You mean the queen of all things awesome?”

“Don’t use that dumb title,” Sejeong groaned. “My mom is not that cool.”

“Oh, she definitely is,” Chungha laughed. “I love talking to her.”

“Then come to dinner with me Friday as a buffer,” Sejeong begged. She was smiling internally. It was like they never stopped talking. “I'll even pay.”

“Well, how can a girl turn that down?” Chungha smiled. “Text me the details. I've got to get going. Later.” She brushed by Sejeong and gave her a wink.

Sejeong waved good-bye and nodded to herself. Things were going back to normal.