When Mi Rae entered TolBom’s ER, Baekhyun messaged his friend. Sehun and Hyuna left everything aside and silently followed her. She ignored them completely.

On the other side, Chen tried to get out of there unnoticed. He ducked every time he thought she was looking his way. In the end, she saw him. He gulped and followed her into the office silently. He was very obedient. She closed the door loudly in front of her team’s faces.

“I really want to know what they talk about” Sehun was genuinely curious. Hyuna sighed and leaned against the wall.

“If you want to eavesdrop then you should do it the classic way” Henry appeared miraculously holding a few glasses. He smirked when he saw how easy he could manipulate his colleagues.

“Sit”

“Bu-“

“Sit”

There was no way he would be able to resist the Devil’s wrath. Chen was already writing internally his testament.

Mi Rae wasn’t stupid and she was definitely not deaf. She knew what kinds of rumors were spread about her. It wasn’t only her hospital. Rumors were a weapon in the mafia world. She never denied nor agreed which only made her more mysterious. But TolBom and her family weren’t allowed to mix. Therefore, she had to deal with Jong Dae.

“What’s your name?” She asked him quickly. She wasn’t cold and didn’t seem unapproachable. Of course, that didn’t mean Chen wasn’t scared.

“Kim Jong Dae” She nodded and searched for his file in the hospital computer. She found him pretty fast. He was one of the best doctors with no testing patient dead. He was very quick when diagnosing, knowing well the theory. He was better in practical courses because he wasn’t very good at dealing with patients who were alive. He was a good surgeon but didn’t want to enter the Surgery Department. He vehemently refused.

“Is there something bad about me?” She glanced at him for a second and returned to his file.

“No. But there will be something soon” He blinked quickly and gulped down the excess of saliva. He was nervous. “You don’t deal well with patients. I could see that from your first case. You try to diagnose them quickly and finish” Chen nodded. That wasn’t a secret. The whole school knew how bad he was with people. He didn’t like to explain and encourage. Maybe that was why he was such good friends with Baekhyun.

“I’m not good with people. I prefer not to get emotionally involved into cases” She listened closely and sighed. She turned off the computer and turned her eyes on him. He shuddered. Her eyes were emotionless.

“That’s not necessarily a bad point. If something goes wrong you have to detach yourself and realize that you did everything you could as a doctor. It’s not your fault if someone dies” He seemed distressed.

“I understand that, ma’am” She raised an eyebrow bemusedly. He was so scared that he couldn’t look properly into her eyes when he was talking.

“Listen, Jong Dae. You may have potential in files but I want to see that in the rooms. I want you to work with the Surgery Department well. Kris can teach you a lot of thi-“

“I don’t want to be a surgeon. I can only assist” She chuckled and placed her hands on the table.

“I am the boss here” Surprisingly, he raised his head and looked straight into her eyes. He was so serious and hopeful that it almost made Mi Rae smile; almost.

“I’m not going to the Surgery Department. I want to work at different cases on different levels”

“With breathing patients” He nodded. “But you get annoyed with them easily. I don’t judge you. Sometimes, they deserve a good punch in the face”  Chen nodded slowly. She just cracked a half hearted joke. He didn’t know if that was a good or a bad sign. “Do you know who deserves that too?” There was silence. Her eyes hardened in a blink and she leaned over the table in order to be closer to him. She looked intimidating.

“Me?” She stopped for a moment and blinked quickly. She looked confused until she started to chuckle.

“What did you see yesterday night?” She calmed down gradually. He relaxed when he realized she wasn’t going to kill him. “I’m not going to kill you. I’m not a criminal. You only saw me, right?”

“With a few men” She nodded and started to drum her fingers on the table. “I don’t know what you were doing, I just wa-“

“You said you want to work with different patients on different levels” He nodded. “Nightshifts. That’s the best way to show your true potential as a doctor. You will meet new cases every night, some surprising and grotesque. Nights are always busy at TolBom” She was talking weirdly. Chen’s mind started to move really fast. She was giving him an opportunity but it also had a few risks.

“Nightshifts” She got up and walked closer to him. She leaned against the table and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Is this the punishment for seeing you last night? I don’t even know what you were doing!” His voice rose to his superior. Even if he realized how impolite he was he didn’t seem to care.

“Maybe” He looked questioningly at her. That didn’t seem like an answer. He waited patiently for her to continue but she only titled her head to the side and watched him.

“So I will be exonerated from my faults, whatever they may be, if I work more nightshifts?”She shrugged.

“Maybe” That was a good answer for him. He knew he will make a lot of mistakes with the patients. He only hoped that night in TolBom was going to be eventless.

“Finally freedom!” Baekhyun was really happy to end his shift. That day was so troublesome. They got a few new patients with minor fractures and a few mothers in labor. They had to run around, preparing beds and changing meds. It was really hard to be a doctor in the ER.

The only thing Baekhyun didn’t understand was the change in his boss. When he was talking to patients, he was really kind and he was often smiling. When he would talk to his team of interns or the nurses, his behavior would change to an annoying smartass. He knew only how to make them feel inferior or guilty.

Baekhyun  was really thankful to his teammates. They were quite responsible and often covered each other’s back. Now that he was watching them take a rest, he was really thankful.

Of course, that wasn’t Chen’s case. When he opened the door to walk out of his boss’ office, he met three pairs of curious eyes. They followed him around the whole day.

“You really want to know what she told me?” They nodded.

“You’re obviously not dead so you may have a chance in TolBom” Henry’s encouragement didn’t sound very optimistic. Chen rubbed his forehead and decided to tell them.

“I have to work night shifts too; a lot of them” That was partially true. He didn’t lie to them. He only told half of the story. They bought it easily and didn’t pressure him anymore. However, Henry’s facial expression changed when he mentioned nightshifts. “Is there something wrong?” Henry blinked innocently.

“You will find out soon enough. When do you start your nightshifts?” He didn’t really know. She didn’t tell him.

“Maybe this weekend” Henry raised an eyebrow and pointed to the calendar. Chen’s eyes widened. He didn’t feel that positive anymore. “Tomorrow is Friday. Good luck” He waved and left. Jong Dae sighed. His teammates divided by cases. Sadly, he didn’t have one yet. He hoped that nightshifts will actually open the door to a new world for him.

“What are you doing here, intern?” Park Chanyeol was doing his usual rounds when he found an innocent and half asleep Kim Jong Dae in the ER.

“I’m sleeping” He was half unconscious. He wasn’t sure who was talking to him. He didn’t bother to open his eyes. Chanyeol raised an eyebrow and placed his hands in his gown’s pockets.

“Why are you sleeping in the ER, on one of the beds?” Chen yawned loudly and opened one eye. He saw the stern face of the ER department head and jumped up. While he was trying to get off the bed, he fell. He got up quickly and tidied the sheets.

“I was just very tired bec-“

“I really don’t care. You’re lucky we don’t have many patients right now” He was ready to leave when Chen ran after him.

“Why aren’t there many patients in TolBom right now?” Chanyeol glanced at his subordinate over his shoulder.

“Because there’s no war going on right now” He left right after he responded. Chen didn’t know how to interpret his words. Was it because there was no war for real or it was just a way of speaking? It was confusing.