", I'm going to be late." 

I'm rushing to the subway station. Keys and wallet? Check. Stethoscope? Check. Scrubs? Check. White coat? Check. I felt like I was missing something but couldn't figure out what. Oh well. 

It's 6:40 AM on a Monday. I have to be at the hospital by 7:00 AM. I knew I should've got an apartment near the hospital but decided against it since I knew I'd probably be "living" in the hospital anyway. I guess that's why they call it residency. 

"Arriving at Bongcheon station. Bongcheon station."

Okay, three minutes left. I ran to the hospital, weaving through the rush hour crowd. Two minutes. Thank God I was first in line at the elevator. Please, please don't stop at another floor. One minute. Tenth floor. We're here. Wait, where's the neurosurg office? Okay, it's at the left. 

"Good morning, ma'am. I'm the new intern." I said to the chief resident while panting.

"You're late."

What? It's exactly 7:00 AM...

"I'm sorry ma'am"

"You should be here at least ten minutes before the time you're required to sign in." 

"I'm sorry again. I'll do better next time."

"Yeah. I'm Dr. Park Haneul, the department chief resident. This is your co-intern..."

I look to my right. Holy . Those eyes. Those big eyes with the black-framed glasses. I'd recognize them from a mile away. My med school crush.

His eyes locked with mine. He'd probably been staring at me judgingly from the time I got here. I kept panting. 

"....Dr. Doh Kyungsoo."

I extend my right hand timidly. He stands up and shakes it with his. His hand was so soft, like it was born to do surgery. 

"Uh...hey. Hi." I look at the chief. 

"We were classmates in med school."

"Oh yeah? I didn't notice that in your applications."

I let out a shy laugh. Kyungsoo managed a smirk with those heart-shaped lips. 

"So you guys are friends?"

"We didn't really talk a lot in school." Kyungsoo said. 

"More of acquaintances, I guess." I clarified. 

If only Kyungsoo knew how much I wanted to be friends with him. How much I wanted to be more than friends. 

"Well that's enough of the pleasantries. Dr. Kim, change into your scrubs. Your sweat is stinking up the office." Dr. Park snapped at me.

"Ah yes, I'm sorry."

I excused myself and went to the men's bathroom. We haven't been shown around the hospital yet, so I had no idea where the call room was.

"I didn't know he'll go here." I thought to myself.

I didn't even know he'll do neurosurgery. Heck, I knew nothing about him at all. We barely talked in school. I was too nervous to talk to him.

I just knew him through people's stories and my personal observations. He was the stereotypical quiet mysterious boy in class, but he had leadership potential.

He always knew what to do, and he could do anything. He can sing, dance, act, recite the spinal tracts from memory...he was just so good at eveything. 

I guess that's what attracted me to him in the first place. Well, there's also the minor detail that he's incredibly handsome.

But still were going to be together for seven years. That's how long neurosurgery residency is.

"Seven years..." I sighed to myself. I was probably more scared of the fact I'll be with him that long than my residency itself.

I went back to the neurosurgery office.

"Finally you're here. Doctors, follow me" Dr. Park shot up from her seat and dragged us out of the office.

She toured us around the hospital. We were power walking. Is this how all surgeons walk?

"Welcome to Seoul General Hospital. You're the lucky two that made it into neurosurg, so we expect you to do your best and finish the program."

Kyungsoo and I look at each other nervously.

We got to see the operating rooms, neurology wards, the neuro ICU, the cafeteria.

We also got to meet the other neurosurgery residents in the upper years. They looked so tired, but you can feel an aura of experience radiating from them.

Last stop was the call room.

"Welcome to your second home." Dr. Park said. "Hopefully you'll still be be able to sleep here. I just slept in the nurse's station most of my intern year.", she added.

"I'll leave you two to get lunch. Be ready to scrub in by 1PM." Dr. Park left hurriedly.

The call room was old and dingy, but hey, I'll sleep anywhere. There were also pictures of previous classes, they were probably great neurosurgeons by now.

The stove and small refrigerator piqued Kyungsoo's interest. "I'll bring something to cook with tomorrow." he said.

"You can cook?"

"Yeah. It's a hobby of mine."

And that's another item on the List of Things Doh Kyungsoo Can Do.

"Do you want the top bunk? Or the bottom bunk?" I asked.

"I'll take the top bunk, since I'm smaller than you."

"Uh...yeah, cool." We were still awkward with each other. 

"Want to grab a bite?" I felt like I was asking someone out on a date. Kyungsoo just nodded.

We went to the hospital cafeteria. I got jjajangmyeon, and Kyungsoo got kimchi jjigae.

I was nervous as I sat across him at lunch.

I wolfed down my noodles. I just realized I didn't eat breakfast, since I was running late earlier.

Kyungsoo was savoring every slurp of his soup, like he was looking for a particular ingredient. He even smelled it at one point.

"Is it bad?" Back in medical school, hospital cafeteria food wasn't always the freshest.

"No it's not, actually. It's really good. I kinda want to know what ingredients they put in this, it's not your ordinary kimchi jjigae."

"You must be really good at cooking, huh?" I was intrigued.

"Well my family loves my cooking, so there's that."

I wanted to ask him to marry me, but it was just our first meal together.

"I didn't know you were gonna go here."

"Well, it's not like we were close back in school." Ouch.

"Everyone just knew where the top students would go for residency" I replied shyly.

"I'm actually more suprised that you're here." Again, ouch.

"Well, my grades are above average, and I guess the interviewers saw something in me."

"Did you dance for them? You're a pretty good dancer." he said with sly smirk.

What. I always danced for events in school, but...I didn't know he watched me. I was trying my best not to blush.

"No, I didn't." I said with a small chuckle.

"I was just joking."

"I know." He jokes with people. That I didn't know.

We went back at 1PM and started to scrub. Our task for the day was to assist in surgeries. I went in to a brain tumor removal, while Kyungsoo had to assist a spine surgery.

It was so exhilirating for me. The precision and beauty of it all. The way the surgeon had to cut so finely so as to not damage the brain tissue that makes a person who they are. I was just retracting skin but I fell in love with neuro again. Maybe it was the first day high.

My surgery ended at around midnight. I went back to the call room, and saw Kyungsoo lying on the top bunk, playing with his phone.

"What time did you end?" I asked as I threw myself on my bed.

"5 PM I think?"

"Oh yeah, how was it?"

"It was gruesome, as spine surgery always is. But it was cool."

"Yeah, I remember observing on a spine surgery in med school. I almost threw up."

Kyungsoo let out a small laugh.

"So what did you do afterwards?" I was trying to maintain the conversation.

"Dr. Park had me check on the post-op patients. Oh yeah, she told me that we should go with her on rounds at 3 AM."

"3 AM? Whoa, we never rounded that early in med school."

"Well, that's residency for you." Kyungsoo said with a hint of sass.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Suprisingly I wasn't sleepy yet. Maybe the adrenaline rush was still there.

"Hey, I hope we get along well." I poked out my head to look at him.

"Yeah, don't worry about that. You seem cool." I wanted him to look at me too.

"We'd have to be together for seven years!"

He poked his head out and looked at me.

"I don't mind", he said while smiling.