“You're staring.”

Doyeon jumped and turned around, embarrassed at getting caught. She winced and said, “Hi, Dr. Lim.”

“It's just us,” Nayoung smiled. “You can call me by my first name. We have known each other since we were kids.”

“You mean when you babysat me?” Doyeon corrected with a laugh.

“That makes me sound so old,” Nayoung frowned.

“That’s because you are,” Doyeon teased.

Nayoung rolled her eyes and waved Doyeon over to sit next to her on the bench. It was lunch time, and while Doyeon usually ate with Yoojung and Kyulkyung, both were busy. This led her to sit outside and enjoy some time alone. Much to her delight, Somi had wandered to the outdoor eating area with the other interns to eat too. Doyeon thought it would’ve been too weird to join them, since she was a resident and only really knew Somi, so she settled for watching from afar. Not creepy at all. Okay, maybe a little creepy.

“You’re staring again,” Nayoung told her dryly.

Blushing, Doyeon redirected her gaze to her greasy pizza. “You’re so embarrassing,” she mumbled.

“Me?” Nayoung asked in amusement. “I’m not the one making eyes at the baby over there.”

“Now you’re the one making yourself sound old,” Doyeon pointed out.

“They’re interns,” Nayoung shrugged. “They could be twenty or they could be forty, but if they’re interns, they’re babies.” She smirked and added, “And one of those babies is coming over here right now.”

“What?”

Doyeon looked to see Somi bouncing over to them, teeming with energy like she wasn’t already five hours into a twelve hour shift.

“Hey!” Somi greeted enthusiastically as she just managed to stop short of falling into Doyeon’s lap. A shame really. “Hi, Doyeon. Hi, Dr. Lim.”

“Hey, Jeon,” Nayoung said. To someone not familiar with her like Somi, she would’ve sounded as deadpan as she always is. Doyeon knew better. She could detect the trace of utter amusement in her voice and feared it just like she did when she was seven. “What brings you over here?” Nayoung asked.

“Just wanted to say hi,” Somi shrugged. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“You’re not a bother,” Doyeon blurted out.

Somi ignored the awkward delivery and grinned. “Thanks, Doyeon, but you aren’t the attending here. My OR time rests in the lovely hands of Dr. Lim.”

“No one likes a kiss-up, Jeon,” Nayoung said, managing to inject some humor into her voice. “You’re better off begging Doyeon, meaning I’m going to get going. I’ve got better things to do than watch interns beg for surgeries.” She smiled to lighten the blow. “You’ve got ambition though, and that’ll get you far, Jeon. Keep it up.” She said bye to them and walked off, half-eaten sandwich in tow.

“She’s so cool,” Somi gushed once Nayoung was out of hearing range. She sat down next to Doyeon and stole a pepperoni off her pizza slice. “Like, how do you not show emotion? It’s like a superpower, and did you hear her? I’ve got ambition.” The last part was said smugly, accompanied by a confident smirk and waggling eyebrows.

“You really don’t interact with the attendings much, do you?” Doyeon asked, both amused and amazed. She only really knew Nayoung, but it was interesting to hear the reverence in Somi’s voice. Had she been like that?

“Nope,” Somi replied, popping the ‘p,’ ”but all of the interns talk about them all the time. You’d think they’re celebrities or something. Some of them even have nicknames.”

“Who?”

Somi grinned evilly. “Dr. Sowon Kim is McDreamy because she’s got amazing proportions and works on brains. It’s like a double pun. Dr. Seulgi Kang is McSteamy. She’s gorgeous and a total girl crush.”

“Do the residents have nicknames too?” Doyeon couldn’t help but ask and wonder if she was one of them.

“Of course,” Somi said like it’d been a dumb question. “Kyulkyung is Baby McDreamy, since she’s so pretty. SinB is McSteamy-in-training. She’s totally got the girl crush vibe going for her, but she has trouble using it effectively, hence the in-training bit.”

“You interns have way too much time on your hands,” Doyeon told her.

“What else are we supposed to do while we do all those charts?” Somi countered. “But enough about that. We have more important things to discuss, like when we’re going out again.”

Doyeon groaned. “Oh, to be young again. It feels like I just got over the last hangover I got with you. How can you possibly be thinking about going out again?”

“Don’t be a party pooper,” Somi scolded.

“I’ll be a party pooper if I want,” Doyeon said. “Besides, Yoojung refuses to go out with you again on a work night.”

“Then just you come over.”

Doyeon paused, trying to figure out if she heard her correctly. “What?”

Somi rolled her eyes. “Then leave Yoojung at home and come over by yourself. We don’t even have to go out, but I do want a drinking buddy.”

“I don’t know,” Doyeon stalled. She was still trying to wrap her head around the idea of being alone with Somi in her apartment. An apartment Somi didn’t share with anyone else, meaning it really would be just the two of them. “Well, I mean,” Doyeon stammered. This seemed like both a good and bad idea. Oh, what the hell. “Sure.”

“Yes!” Somi cheered, pumping her fist in the air. She threw her arms around Doyeon in a loose embrace. “I’ll buy whatever alcohol you want.”

Doyeon smiled weakly as her stomach came alive with butterflies. She’d need all the alcohol she could get.