“The ophthalmologist, isn’t she your wife?” A man in his mid-twenty questioned. Though he could not see as much of his same-aged friend’s face, Lee Minhyuk could sense the strange vibe coming from them from his check-up. The man on the driver’s seat held onto the steering wheel tightly and sighed deeply. “We’re living separately, for now. It’s been a month.” Minhyuk’s head lowered before apologizing for asking such sensitive question.

The friend, Seo Eunkwang opened the car door for his friend as they arrived at their destination, Minhyuk’s house. The male abruptly stopped and his body turned to his friend. “Eunkwang-ah,” He began and went on, “Think about it again. For your son’s sake. He’s only seven and I’m sure he needs love from his mother.” Eunkwang nodded curtly and smiled. Once they bid each other goodbyes, he finally left the place when he was sure his friend entered his house safely.

Punching the code on the digital door lock of the apartment, Eunkwang casually entered after another day of work by a sound of a child’s steps. He kneeled down as he usually does before he saw a glimpse of a kid running into his arms.

“Jihoon-ah, how’s school today? Did you make any new friends?” He spoke to his son and gave him a peck on the cheek. The seven-year-old, Seo Jihoon bobbed his head and broke into a laugh when his father tickled him out of the blue.

“Doctor, my work today is done. I’ll be making my leave. Have a good day.” The hired babysitter bowed and left the house at once. When they gathered in the living room, Eunkwang placed the boy in his arms to the floor. He was about to talk more but Jihoon was quick to ask. “Where’s mom?”

Seeing his sad pout pained him as he went down to his eye-level before placing his hands on Jihoon’s shoulders. “She’s still busy with her work. When she’s free, she will definitely come back home.” Eunkwang assured the boy and brought him to a tight embrace. Poor kid was already sleepy so he took him to his room, tucked Jihoon on the bed and his hair to sleep.

Monday came by as the father and son had their breakfast on one quiet morning before he walked the boy to the neighbourhood’s kindergarten. Holding his son’s hand securely, he stepped through the entrance where teachers were already waiting for the kids to arrive. After giving Jihoon a hug and kiss, he proceeded to the car for work.

Eunkwang took off his white coat and hung it around his chair. Loosening up his tie whilst turning on his laptop, he sat. A yawn escaped from his mouth as he fixed his glasses. Another typical morning, he thought. So, he was not surprised to hear a knock on his door.

“Come in.” He said shortly and a young looking intern entered his room with a fine in his hand. “This is next week’s operation schedule.” The fellow stated while handing out the paper to Eunkwang and the doctor nodded understandingly. He turned his attention on his desk briefly before following the intern’s movement only to see a familiar female figure by the door. The woman entered without any hesitation.

“Let’s have lunch together later. It has been a while since both of us…” She halted her words when she noticed her husband, yes, her husband ignored her. Kim Yoojin, gaped silently as she trailed on Eunkwang’s action which was putting on his coat and walked towards the door without turning back. “Are you planning to ignore me like this, forever? You’re not a child anymore.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and have lunch with that guy instead? That sounds better, isn’t that right, Dr. Kim?” He harshly voiced, glaring over at her direction for a second before officially leaving her dejected in his office room.

Even with the personal trouble he faced early, the first surgery of the day fortunately had completed successfully. Eunkwang made a quick trip to his room and advanced along the corridor to reach the elevator. He was busying himself by looking absent-mindedly until the door opened, revealing Yoojin in it. Sighing, he got in without making an eye-contact. The ride was still as she simply stared at his back figure and lowered her gaze to glance at the metal floor instead.

“How’s Jihoon?”

The two entered the same restaurant for their lunch by coincidence. Therefore, they ended up eating together in one table at the end. He took a sip of his soup before replying to his wife’s question. “Since when do you even bother?” Eunkwang rolled his eyes and continued eating his meal. His hostile response irked her so much. They have been exchanging this kind of conversation for weeks already.

“Didn’t I tell you that I’m not cheating on you? We’re just friends. He just happened to be in need. It’s just a misunderstanding.” She burst after slamming her spoon and chopsticks on the table, earning a couple of chattering from their surroundings. “Why do you believe in a rumour rather than your own wife?” Yoojin added, adding a pitch in her tone. In return, Eunkwang looked at the untouched bowl of rice before glancing at her.

“Then why the both of you seem closer than before? Even the others thought you’re having an affair. It also doesn’t help that he’s my colleague who works in the same department as I am. How can I not believe that rumour?” He made his statement as his hand took off his glasses, grasping it tightly between his fingers.

“This heart,” He said as he placed his palm on his chest, eyes fixed on hers. “It suffers so much because of you.” He slammed a note on the table after wearing his glasses again and walked out of the restaurant.

The doctor was checking his patients’ data on his laptop after the unplanned encounter and he was sure he had no future plans made for the rest of the evening other than another surgery. The door of his office was knocked and he made no verbal reply but the person barged into his room. Glancing up for a second, Eunkwang immediately sprung off his seat upon seeing the face.

“Dr. Ahn, what are you doing here?” His tone was disturbingly high from nothing but anger bubbling in his system. His fellow colleague who he rather not put a name held out his hands to calm him down. “I’m not here to pick a fight with you, Dr. Seo. I heard you don’t have enough hand for Eunha’s surgery later so I thought of lending you a hand.”

Not fully trusting the other doctor’s words, Eunkwang walked around his desk with his arms folded against his torso. “Why should I accept your offer?” He questioned and answer came in fast, no delay. “Look, you’re just like this because of something that never happened.” Dr. Ahn began after lightly ruffling his hair.

“It’s just a misunderstanding. Why would I do such thing to my own friend? Three of us even went to the same university. To tell you the truth, I happened to receive news that my wife passed away with a heart failure. Yoojin happened to be there and her intention was to calm me down, telling me that it was alright to cry. That’s why she hugged me, as a friend. She continued to console me after that too just to make sure I’m not doing anything stupid.”

Eunkwang was lost of words when he heard it coming from the doctor and returned to his seat once again. He took off his glasses and threw it on the table lightly. His hands rubbed his temples before heaving an exhale. But Dr. Ahn did not stop his lengthy explanation just yet. He chose to settle it while a chance was given.

“I’m a certified cardiothoracic surgeon who was not able to save my own wife. I hope this explanation will clear your head and set your trouble at ease.” He ended with a bow and about to leave the room when Eunkwang called his name. He spoke without looking. “If you want to scrub in on Eunha’s pulmonary artery separation operation, then you need to be hurry. Get the permission and prepare for the surgery.” Witnessing Eunkwang’s pokerface, Dr. Ahn nodded at the approval before walking out with a smile on his face.

The time when the patient, Jung Eunha would go for the surgery was nearing yet Eunkwang had not get the official green light to proceed. Thus, he chose to find the woman who was her mother waiting by the operation room. “It wouldn’t end with just one operation, right? The hospital fees are so expensive. There’s no way that I can pay the huge amount of money. Plus, I’m a single mother.” The woman stated while looking at Eunkwang.

“How about you send her to the entrustment office rather than raising her?” He suggested half-heartedly with arms crossed on his chest. “If I give up my rights to raise my daughter, they’ll pay the fees and help her with the operation, am I right?” The mother’s eyes started to fill with tears.

On the outside, Eunkwang nodded his head. However, on the inside, he could not believe the mother actually considering his idea in abandoning her own child. There was a pang in his heart upon hearing her saying it but the plan was taken. So he asked Dr. Ahn to bring him the agreement form and they left the area for a while.

“Dr. Seo?” She called which he answered with a short yes. “After the operation, will my daughter grow up just like other normal kids?” The mother asked and Eunkwang took the chance to glance at the window nearby.

“I knew a couple who had a premature baby. That baby was much younger than Eunha, only 25 weeks and barely reaching two kilograms. As much as I knew, when the baby was born, his lungs were not developed completely. He couldn’t even breathe properly. After