SinB was sitting in the gallery of one of the operating rooms, absently looking up from her charts every so often to observe the surgery going on below her. It was a simple cardiology case, putting a stent in for an older man, but SinB found it interesting. Much more interesting than her charts. Something else distracted her from enjoying the surgery though. Yerin’s birthday.

It was less than a week away, and SinB still had no idea what to get her as a gift. Sure, she said she didn’t have to get her anything, but there’s no way she actually meant it. Yerin liked her, and SinB was so not ready to debate whether it was platonic or romantic, but either way, she liked her and they were friends. SinB couldn’t just not get her a gift. 

Except, what does a broke intern get a wealthy socialite? 

Huffing, SinB slammed her chart shut and tossed it into the empty chair beside her. This was driving her insane. She checked her watch and saw it was already noon. . She was late for her lunch date. She scooped up all the binders scattered around her and hurried to the nurse’s station to drop them off. After that, she all but sprinted through the hospital to the cafeteria.

SinB stumbled to a stop at the table where Eunha was waiting for her with a bored expression on her face. The look disappeared when she saw SinB there, face brightening with a delighted smile.

“Hey,” Eunha greeted her warmly. “Don’t you look like death warmed over.”

“You say the sweetest things,” SinB replied sarcastically.

Eunha laughed and pushed a brown paper bag towards her as she sat down. “Just telling the truth,” Eunha said. “I got you something good for lunch though, so I hope that helps whatever is making you look like that.”

“Thanks,” SinB rolled her eyes. She opened the bag and peeked inside. She grinned excitedly as she pulled out the burger and fries. The smell coming from them made water as she set them down. At the bottom of the bag was a salad that SinB wrinkled her nose out. She took it questioningly, making Eunha laugh and take it from her. “Where’s this from?” SinB asked. She popped a fry in and practically moaned at how good it was. There was no way this was fast food. 

“A friend of mine just opened a restaurant nearby,” Eunha explained, opening up her salad. “I stopped by to say hello and grab our food. She’s always been talented, and I figured showing her some support and feeding you would be a win-win situation.”

“Definitely a win,” SinB agreed, eating another fry. She unwrapped her burger and took a big bite out of it. She took a moment to savor the real meat and fresh vegetables. The burgers from the hospital cafeteria couldn’t even begin to compare to what she was eating now. Food from the hospital cafeteria, while edible, wasn’t exactly gourmet in any way, shape, or form. “Thanks,” SinB added belatedly before taking another bite of her burger.

“I figured you could use the extra calories,” Eunha said, eating her salad at a much more leisurely pace. She wiped the corner of daintily and said, “Yerin says you skip meals sometimes.”

“Sometimes,” SinB emphasized. She ate a few more fries before continuing, “It’s only if I’m in the middle of a surgery. I can’t exactly eat while I’m in there. Besides that, I’m pretty good at eating.” Sometimes, SinB didn’t eat because she forgot while she was doing charts too or was too tired to move after her shift, but she figured she didn’t have to mention that part. 

Eunha gave her a look that made it clear she didn’t believe a word she was saying. She shook her head and kept eating her salad. For a salad, it actually looked pretty good. A bright green in comparison to the limp lettuce SinB sometimes got from the cafeteria. It also looked like there were tomatoes and huge shrimp in there. SinB took another bite of her burger. She must have been really hungry if a salad was looking good to her. 

“How’s your week been?” SinB asked.

The two of them talked and finished their lunches, enjoying each other’s company as they caught up. SinB got to hear about the horrors of the corporate world, poking fun at Eunha’s suffering. Meanwhile, Eunha got to hear SinB ramble on about the surgeries she got to scrub in on. As they were finishing up, SinB cleaned up her trash and cleared .

When Eunha gave her a questioning look, SinB asked as casually as she could, “What are you getting Yerin for her birthday?”

“Is this what’s got you looking like this?” Eunha giggled. “Yerin’s birthday?”

“She gave me no warning!” SinB whined. “How am I supposed to figure out what to get her in just two weeks?”

Eunha shrugged, “Get her a bottle of wine or something.”
 

“Boring,” SinB drawled. “Never get me a bottle of wine for my birthday.”

“Who says I’m getting you anything for your birthday?” Eunha replied.

SinB shook her head, smiling. “Okay, but really,” SinB said. “What are you getting her? Help a friend out. I need some ideas.”

“A bracelet from Tiffany’s,” Eunha told her with an apologetic smile. “It was a couple hundred dollars.”

SinB sighed. She folded her arms on the table and let her head rest on top of them. “What was I thinking?” SinB mumbled. “You’re, like, a millionaire. Of course you can just buy her a $500 dollar bracelet.”

“Be fair, it was only $400,” Eunha said, wearing a small teasing smile.

“My bad,” SinB said, rolling her eyes. She sighed and buried her face into her arms. “What the hell am I going to get her?”

“You’re totally overthinking it,” Eunha said, poking the top of SinB’s head. “Yerin will love whatever you get her.”

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying!” Eunha protested. “I’m being serious.” She gave SinB an unreadable look then said, “You really don’t realize?”

“Realize what?” SinB huffed.

Eunha pursed her lips then shook her head. “Never mind. Let’s get coffee before you have to get back to work.”

They cleaned up their table, and on the walk to the nearest coffee cart, Eunha told SinB about how she had to fire her secretary a few days ago. It was a funny story, and SinB let herself get drawn into it. By the time Eunha was buying their coffee, SinB was laughing so hard tears were coming out of her eyes. 

“Thanks for lunch and coffee,” SinB said as they came to the hall where they had to split. SinB would go to check on her patients while Eunha had a meeting with one of the department heads about something. “And your bad advice on gift giving.”

“It was excellent advice,” Eunha said. “And you’re welcome.” She patted SinB’s shoulder and said, “I’m serious. Don’t overthink the gift.”

SinB eyed Eunha for a moment then sighed. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

Eunha rolled her eyes and pulled SinB in for a quick hug. They agreed to have lunch again together sometime next week then departed from each other. SinB shoved her hands into her white coat pockets and frowned as she walked through the halls. How could she not overthink Yerin’s gift? What would be good enough? SinB tried to remember what she’d gotten Umji over the years, but a lot of them were household appliances since they lived together. SinB couldn’t just buy Yerin a blender. How lame would that be?

SinB sighed and fought the urge to drag her hands over her face. This was impossible. Distracted by her thoughts, SinB almost ran right into Director Jung. She just barely managed to get out of his way, eyes going wide. Director Jung gave her a tense smile and hurried on.

As he walked away, SinB heard, “I’ll have to reschedule my dinner with Yerin. She’ll be so upset. It’s her birthday that day.”

SinB didn’t hear what came after that, but she didn’t need to. She finally had her idea. Yerin’s birthday party would be next Saturday, but her actual birthday would be that Thursday.

Gears turning in her mind, SinB got out her phone.

Hey. How does a home cooked meal sound?

a/n: this one was pretty heavy on 2eunbi and their friendship but don't worry yerin will make an appearance next chapter!