[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty-Seven[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

“This is one of our shock rooms,” Yixing explained and pointed to a closed door at the end of the hallway, “And if you turn left over there, you’ll reach the rest of the emergency department. There’s always someone on duty in case anyone needs help, even during the night.”

Seri did her best to memorize everything he told her about the hospital’s layout since she was determined to start working as soon as possible. Yixing had already taken her to the basement where supplies and medication were stored, some of them in medical refrigerators. The lamps and all devices that required electricity were in use—the hospital was one of the few places in town that had a more or less reliable electricity supply. It used solar power and a generator, much to Seri’s astonishment.

Next, Yixing took her to a ward on the first floor which was currently occupied by a few inpatients. Each room was labeled with a number. A small whiteboard hanging on the wall indicated the name of the patient inside. The rooms appeared much like the ones Seri was used to from her former job. Their walls were pale, but the large windows allowed them to be flooded with light, and some even had a view of the ocean.

“We currently don’t have any serious cases,” Yixing explained when he noticed Seri’s curious glances at the doors they passed. “Someone was injured during construction work and is now recovering. It was an unfortunate accident that resulted in a broken leg. Oh, and there’s a woman who gave birth yesterday. She’ll stay here for a few more days. As you can see, it’s been a quiet week so far.”

Seri clasped her hands in front of her stomach and smiled. “You’re dealing with lots of different cases, hm?”

“Yes, that’s why it’s great that we have a few specialists among the staff, and you will be an excellent addition. You’re the only cardiothoracic surgeon on the island at the moment.”

They passed two nurses, a man and a woman, and Yixing briefly introduced Seri before they moved on. He wanted to show her the laboratory next; the place where a vaccine was currently in development. They walked to the eastern wing of the hospital building, which was quieter and almost seemed abandoned compared to the outpatient department and the area where inpatients and staff usually stayed. The white walls all looked the same to Seri, so she used the signs hanging from the ceiling to orientate herself. Yixing stopped in front of a wide frosted glass door which was guarded by two members of the military. Seri easily recognized them as Kibum and Minho. The men leaned against the wall next to the door and paused their quiet conversation once Yixing and Seri arrived.

“Oh, hi Seri and Yixing. What brings you here?” Minho asked and sent her a friendly smile, to which Kibum rolled his eyes.

“Seri will join Son Wendy and contribute to the development of the vaccine,” Yixing explained, and judging by the shift in their expressions, his colleagues understood the implication. Their eyes widened as they gazed at her.

“Wow, I had no idea,” Kibum breathed. “I thought Wendy’s condition is unique.”

“Apparently it’s not. I can’t wait to find out more about it, it’s been bugging me for a while,” Seri frowned. “By the way, what are you doing here? Guarding the laboratory? I haven’t seen any soldiers in the other parts of the building yet.”

Her question was followed by a short silence, and Yixing exchanged an odd glance with them before he answered her. “It’s necessary because the research effort is confidential, and so are our findings. We want to prevent nosy people from wandering around in this area.”

“That makes sense.”

“Shifts in the hospital are usually very dull, so it’s a good thing they’re rotational. It’s also very annoying to be stuck here with Minho. All I see is his face. All. Day. Long,” Kibum rambled and grimaced as if he had taken a bite from a lemon. Seri giggled when she saw Minho’s expression darken.

“Shut up, idiot! Don’t mention that in front of her! You’re making us look unprofessional,” he hissed and sighed. “Then again, what did I expect?”

Kibum pushed himself off the wall and crossed his arms. “Consider your next words carefully.”

“Uh-oh,” Seri whispered to Yixing and hid her grin behind her hand. “Are they always like this?”

“Yes. It never ends,” Yixing’s serious façade didn’t break down, not even when the two soldiers started arguing in their presence. “Come on, let’s go inside and leave them to it.”

They entered the laboratory and closed the door behind them, but the bickering of the soldiers was still audible. However, Seri’s attention was soon diverted by her surroundings. A window to her left showed her the inside of a deserted room. It was furnished with laboratory tables, cabinets and workbenches, all made of sleek stainless steel. Pipettes, glassware, and other supplies were stored in a shelve, neatly organized. The entire space was clean—whoever worked here took their job seriously. Seri was excited to meet them.

Yixing stopped at an ajar door and knocked, pushing it open when he heard a voice from inside. “Yes?”

“Hello Dr. Kwon, it’s me,” Yixing said. The woman sitting behind a desk rearranged her glasses on her nose and gazed at the soldier, her eyes curiously moving to Seri. She brushed a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear—her bun was barely holding on, but she had been too engrossed in her work to care about her appearance.

“Hello, Dr. Zhang. And you must be Dr. Gwan, am I right? Pleased to meet you, I’m glad you’re here. My name is Kwon Boah.”

“I will leave you alone for a while to discuss everything,” Yixing replied and Boah said goodbye to him before he left.

“It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Kwon. You’re in charge of the research, I assume,” Seri smiled and took a seat on the chair Boah offered her. “I was stunned when I heard you’re working on a vaccine.”

“The sooner it’s done, the better. I have high hopes for the future of this project now that you’re here. I and my assistants have been working tirelessly, but RABV-12 is a problematic case. How did you first find out about your immunity?”

Seri began to tell her everything that had happened to her. She started with Bora’s strange behavior and the bite, listed all of her symptoms after the bite, and how they gradually disappeared. Then she recalled surviving another zombie bite in Wando, while Boah scribbled notes on a piece of paper. The woman was older than Seri, maybe between five and ten years, and she seemed to be experienced at her job.

“Ms. Son’s story is remarkably similar. She also was bitten by someone who was infected but still technically human… perhaps this increases your chances of surviving a bite and the subsequent infection.”

Seri stared at Boah. Could this be the answer Seri had sought? The reason why she of all people had gotten a chance to survive? “That seems… plausible,” she muttered and put a finger on her chin. “How did Ms. Son get infected in the first place?”

“She worked as a nurse before the outbreak and she was bitten by one of the patients in her care. However, instead of getting infected with RABV-12, the symptoms she showed faded quickly. Months later, when she was bitten by an actual zombie, she didn’t lose her humanity. It’s safe to say she’s immune like you.”

“That’s indeed very similar to my experience. Maybe other people who were bitten like this became immune as well.”

Boah nodded and added a few comments to the scribbles in her notebook. She paused and thought for a moment, putting the her end of her pen on her lips. “Hmm… I really want to take a closer look at your blood and see if I can figure out a few more things. May I take a blood sample from you, Dr. Gwan?”

“Of course.”

Pleased with the answer, Boah left the office and when she returned, she brought a plastic box containing gloves, iodine, a tourniquet, and a few other items she would need for the procedure. Since she had done this many times before, Boah worked fast and filled two tubes with Seri’s blood. The small prick was covered with a patch and Seri applied pressure to stop the bleeding.

“That’s all for today. Thank you for your help, Dr. Gwan. This sample allows me to conduct more tests and to hopefully confirm a few of my theories.”

Seri smiled. “If there’s anything else I can do, let me know. I will be working in the hospital from now on.”

Seri left the office and met up with Yixing, who had waited for her right beside the door. She was surprised at this—didn’t he have work to do in the outpatient department? The two surgeons strung up a conversation as they made their way back, passing Kibum and Minho, who had thankfully stopped arguing. The closer Yixing and Seri got to the outpatient department, the more people they encountered. A few nurses and a civilian visiting one of the inpatients passed them.

“Let me introduce you to Wendy, she should be in her office down the hall,” Yixing said and Seri nodded, curious about the woman she had already heard so much about.

Yixing stopped in front of a door that was guarded by a soldier and greeted him before he knocked and entered. A young woman with shoulder-length black hair sat at a desk and looked up at the visitors, sharing a friendly smile with them. The table in front of her was covered in patient files, lose papers and sticky notes. It seemed like she was reorganizing the files, but hadn’t made much progress yet.

“Hi Wendy, I wanted to introduce Gwan Seri to you. She’s a surgeon and she’ll take part in Dr. Kwon’s tests as well,” he said, prompting Wendy’s face to light up in realization.

“Oh, hello Seri! Um… is it okay if I call you that? Or do you prefer Dr. Gwan?” Her cheeks reddened and she froze in her chair, giving Seri the impression that she was a bit shy around strangers.

“Seri is fine,” she smiled.

“It would be practical for you two to share an office due to… our situation. Would that be okay?” Yixing asked and exchanged a look with Wendy, who frowned briefly before her smile returned.

“Yes, I’m sure we’ll get along.”

“What situation?” Seri asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I was referring to your immunity,” Yixing replied, but Seri had a hunch that this wasn’t the whole truth. However, before she could ask more questions, he excused himself since he would have a consultation with a patient in a few minutes, leaving the women alone to get acquainted.

Seri offered to help Wendy with her work, and they talked while sorting the files. Using digital files would have made things easier, but the small amount of electricity they had at their disposal was reserved for the medical equipment in the hospital. Wendy was curious about Seri’s life leading up to her arrival in Jeju, and thus, Seri spent a long time retelling what had happened on her journey.

“You ended up adopting Minhee? That’s so sweet,” Wendy commented eventually.

“Yes, I’ll introduce you to her and everyone else later during dinner if you want. Yeji is very nice too, you would get along. She’s been eager to find new friends in Jeju.”

“Sounds good! I think we’re also living in the same building now, that makes us neighbors.”

“Right, Junmyeon mentioned you’re staying with the military as well,” Seri an