The smell of rubbing alcohol and rubber gloves assailed her senses as soon as she stepped into the lobby of Seoul National University Hospital. The lighting inside the building was almost, if not more, blinding than the snow outside due to the white walls and linoleum floors. The corridor and sitting area were busy as usual with patients and visitors as they waited for their names to be called. Amina made her way towards the elevators, hitting the button for the floor that would take her upstairs towards the administrative offices. She quietly yawned and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. It was less than 8 hours ago when she left the workplace. Once the elevator reached its destination, Amina took one step out and was engulfed in a bear hug and girly squeals.

"Unnie... Thank you so much for covering my shift!" exclaimed Yuri, jumping up and down, her ponytail bouncing in unison. She hadn't completely outgrown her baby fat yet and her round cheeks were more prominent today as she grinned from ear to ear.

Amina laughed, brushing her hair aside. "It's no problem. It's not every day you get to see Big Bang up close." She shook out the wrinkles in her white lab jacket before putting it on, as they walked towards the Accounting department.

"I know. I can't believe my luck! What were the chances that I would win a pair of Meet & Greet vouchers, concert tickets, plus back-stage passes from a radio show? I mean, it must be one in a few thousands... No, hundreds of thousands..." Yuri proclaimed, lost in her good fortune. 

"Hey now, you better get going. It’s almost noon and you still have to decide what to wear for the Meet & Greet. Who are you taking with you?"

"Ugh, my brother! That little rascal was trying to win tickets too and he heard my voice when I got through. He kept bugging me all morning, I was afraid someone would complain about all the calls I received at work. My mom is making me take him. Otherwise, I thought of bringing you ..." Yuri adored her little brother, but it annoyed her when he claimed to be an even bigger fan than she was. Just because she didn't know their blood type, or what foods they liked to eat in the morning! 

"Thank you Yuri for thinking of me. But I actually have a report to finish writing for Dr. Park tonight, so I wouldn't have been able to attend."

"Really?" Yuri's face crestfallen. "I know you've never seen them in concert before and I promised to take you to your first one someday. If only the tickets weren't sold out so soon earlier this year..."

"It's alright. We can always go next time."

"Ok. But I have to repay you for covering my work today. I'll get you a souvenir from the show. What would you like?" Yuri asked.

"Hmm... How about a piece of Taeyang's shirt after he rips it off on stage?" Amina jokingly responded.

Yuri grinned. "Better be careful what you wish for! With my luck today, your wish may come true. Annyeong unnie!"

"Annyeong!" Amina laughed and headed towards Yuri's desk. Yuri's shift would only last another four hours, but that would also signal the start of her own shift. While Amina was grateful that the workstudy allowed her to work three 12-hour shifts to accommodate her class schedule, there were days like this that didn't make it sound so great. She needed to grab some coffee for the long night ahead. 

Just two more years, thought Amina to herself. She was more than halfway through the medical program and could see the light at the end of the tunnel. More importantly, she would have made it without the aide of her parents, whom she hadn't spoken to in almost six years. She always did as they asked, from the violin lessons and vocal training; to those stupid etiquette sessions for the debutante ball. The Ball. Just thinking of that night when she was seventeen brought fresh stinging tears to her eyes as feelings of betrayal and anger began to resurface. She took a deep breath and willed away the hurt. It was a good thing she was good at hiding her emotions because Dr. Park was making her way back to her office.

"Amina, what are you doing here so early?" asked Dr. June Park, the lead clinical professor in the Department of Surgery. She was a friend of her family, her godmother, and the person she turned to the night of The Ball. Amina had lived with Dr. Park until a couple of months ago, when she started her workstudy. She didn't want any of her fellow classmates to assume favoritism when the residency candidates were chosen, so Amina worked twice as hard to remove any suspicions.

"I'm just covering the rest of Yuri's shift. Umm... an emergency came up and she had to leave right away," Amina said, hoping her sunbaenim wouldn't press for any details because how was she going to explain that seeing Big Bang qualified as an emergency?

"You spend too much time here Amina. At this pace, you'll burn yourself out before your studies are finished," Dr. Park chided. Amina wasn't the only one that needed a reprieve - Dr. Park could be seen almost everyday at the hospital, seeing patients or advising others. Many speculated this was the reason why she was in her mid forties and still single.

"It's alright. It's only accounts payable entries and it's a nice change from the research and analytical work that we do" responded Amina. "I don't mind it all."

Just then, Dr. Park's pager went off. "Looks like I am needed in Critical Care. I need to finalize some more details for the report, so I'll be by later tonight. Annyeong." 

"Annyeong sunbaenim," Amina replied and resumed filing away the invoices on Yuri's desk. It was a task she knew quite well, since it was Amina's old position before the workstudy. That was how she was introduced to Lee Yuri and became fast friends in sort of a way. It was not hard to like Yuri. She had an infectious cute personality that drew everyone in. At only 20, Yuri was almost three years her junior but they shared a love of music. Yuri was the closest thing she could call a friend in a long time, since she didn't have any childhood friends to keep in touch with. She kept in touch with her cousin and aunt, but even those relationships were strained a bit after her parents cut her off. And after Amina joined the medical program, there was hardly any time to do much else besides study and work. Work - if her parents knew she was working, they'd probably cringe. Now that she was living on her own, work was what she needed in order to pay her bills. She refused to ask Dr. Park or her family for help.

 Later that night...

"Amina-shi! You won't believe what happened!" exclaimed Yuri, bursting through the office, her face all flushed and tear streaked. Danny, with his red rimmed eyes, trailed not too far behind. Although only fourteen, at 5'6" he was taller than both girls and had a slim build. They had on matching Big Bang concert t-shirts and wore the same panic stricken expression. Had it been any other day, it would have been comical but Amina sensed something had gone terribly wrong.

"Calm down, tell me what's going on? Why are you back so early? I thought you guys had back-stage passes for after the show," Amina said. "Here, sit down. It looks like you're about to fall over."

"Oh unnie, it was horrible," Yuri sobbed, her tears running freely now as she recalled the incident. "The show was over, but the boys came back to do an encore performance. All the fans went crazy, of course, and the guys were still giving their all. But towards the end, Taeyang went to do his running somersault and he landed too close to the pyrotechnic machine which went off. I don't know what happened next. I think he might have fallen off the stage too because all the boys rushed over and GD leapt off the stage after him. People were screaming and everyone was crying. Then the lights came on and you could see nothing but smoke and all the security guards building this blockade."

Amina felt her heart pound while listening to Yuri. She tried to focus on the positive. "But from what you saw, I'm sure he's getting the medical attention he needs right now. Hopefully we'll hear some good news tomorrow morning."

"Do you think he could have been brought here?" Yuri inquired. "I mean, the Olympic Stadium isn't too far away from here." 

"I don't know. He could have been brought here, but there are also other hospitals nearby, like our Gangnam branch or the Samsung Medical Center," replied Amina. She could tell Yuri needed more assurance. "Look, I'll check the emergency medical logs and see if I can find out any information. In the meantime, why don't you two go home and get some rest?"

"You're right, I must look a mess. Almost got trampled on trying to leave the place... Just text me if you find out anything ok? C'mon Danny." Yuri turned to leave, but stopped halfway to the door. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got you a present unnie." A sparkle of mischief momentarily brightened her sad eyes. "I know you just moved to your new place, so this is sort of a combined thank you and house warming gift. I hope you like it."

Amina reached into the paper bag and pulled out a small white coffee cup. It was an official Still Alive mug, the Taeyang flash green version. 

"Since I couldn't bring back a piece of Taeyang's shirt, I bought you his coffee mug instead so you can drink a little from him everyday." 

"Thank you Yuri-ah!" laughed Amina. "Not only are you thoughtful, you're practical too! I actually only have a pair of cups in my apartment right now, so this mug will be put to great use. Knowing my love of coffee and tea, I will probably drink from it everyday."

"I'm glad you like it," smiled Yuri. "Well, thanks again for covering my shift. Since it’s your last night this week, I guess I'll see you next week." They traded good-byes and then Yuri left. In a few more hours, Amina would be leaving soon too. It was a good thing her report was finished a month ahead of schedule. Now she'd be able to concentrate in making her apartment a home, and do fun things for once in awhile - like shopping! She smiled to herself and mentally started to count down the hours.