I’ve been missing my residency days lately, I graduated a few months ago, and must say, for as much as I hated them, the organised chaos that intern life is really puts those times under a new perspective. I haven’t been able to really do anything outside sleeping and trying, without much success, to keep my house clean. If the girls didn’t visit me, I wouldn’t even be able to see them.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to even show up to Sana and Jeongyeon’s wedding next month, if I keep this pace, and I’m a bridesmaid, well, on Jeong’s side, I mean. The selection was a sensitive topic, I’d rather not touch again. Let’s just say we settled for splitting up…. Not so evenly, since I don’t have a pair yet.

Speaking of which, my father is really a man of his word, and the promise of waiting until I was out of college was really until I was out of college. I’ve been meeting with the Kims since graduation, mysteriously enough, I never got to see their daughter. I mean, I should have met the one I’m supposed to marry by now, no?!

Ah, as soon as I think about him, he calls. I should stop thinking about him..

“Yes, dad? Did something happen?”

“Why do you always think there is an emergency whenever I call you?”

“Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“But this time you would be right. Remember that date you were supposed to have with the Kim daughter the day after tomorrow?”

“Did she ask to postpone it again?”

“Quite the opposite, she asked to change it to today.”

“Wait. As in the four surgeries happening today, today?”

“That would be correct. But if you can’t make it, I can tell them about it. They know you are a doctor, it’s normal to have tight schedules.”

“I think I can manage. But I have to be in, at least three of those surgeries. I think I can switch the last one with someone else.”

“Are you sure? There is absolutely no problem saying you can’t make it.”

“It’s okay, but I have to confirm with my supervisor first.”

“Do you really want to meet her that much?”

“I just think it’s about time I do. We have been meeting each other’s families for months now. It’s past time that we met each other.”

“With that, I can’t argue. Go talk to your supervisor and text me about it later.”

“I will. Bye dad.”

We hang up and I try to find Dr.Myioi to ask him if I can be excused today. I got a job on the same hospital Mina’s father works at, no, I didn’t know he worked here, I found out when I was being introduced to the heads of departments on the first day. He is a great man, and a brilliant surgeon, but very strict, he will work you to the bone with the gummy smile his daughter inherited and learned to use just as well.

I’m not complaining, I really like the fact that he is so strict, it helps with studying for my license examination, keeps me sharp. That is likely the reason I’m having cold sweats right now, even before knocking on his office door.

“You know I know you are out there, right, Dr. Park?”

I enter shyly and close the door behind me before clearing my throat and beginning to speak.

“Excuse-me, Dr.Myioi, but I would like to ask to be excused from one of the surgeries today.”

He looks at me with a very serious face, for a moment too long before grinning. That leaves me confused, but I try my best not to show.

“Your father called me before he called you.”

“I-uh, um…” I’m left speechless and he chuckles.

“You can go and meet you fiancè, Jihyo. But tomorrow you have to be here for the first surgery. I know it would be your day off, but you can’t just miss your hours like that.”

“I will. Thank you, Dr.Myioi, I will be here tomorrow. Thank you so much.” I bow repeatedly.

“No problem, also. Who gets engaged and never meets their fiancè? Mina has always had a strange taste for friends.” He jokes and gestures me to leave.

“Thank you, sir. I will make sure to get to know her.” I smile and take my leave.

I’m an intern in the cardiology department, and assisting with surgeries is one of the best ways to gain experience and Dr.Myioi always asks a lot during the process to evaluate how well we keep up with our studies.

Today I was scheduled to be with him in four of his surgeries, mainly the ones he will perform on the afternoon. But, in cases like mine, when there is a emergency and someone can’t attend, he makes sure that we will be on another one for a similar case. Simply not going is never an option, and all the interns are actually appreciative of that.

I text my dad saying I’ll make it, but remind him to warn them I could be late. One never knows how things will end up when going into the surgery room, anything can happen, including nothing. That is not how it usually plays out, but one can always hope everything will go smoothly.

As expected, the first surgery has some hitches, so the second one gets delayed forty minutes. To the second one, the valve that was put on as a replacement got rejected, good thing it happened fast, so the patient never suffered real damage, but that delayed the next surgery for another two and a half hours.

Dad had texted me the contact info for my fiancè, so I texted her about running late between the second and third surgeries. She was quite understanding, also, the way she texts looks like a middle aged man, I find it cute.

The third operation goes by smoothly, it’s not a very complicated one, and it didn’t require opening up. Video surgeries are simpler for us, they go quicker and usually have less complications. So I just jolt out of the surgical center as soon as Dr.Myioi dismisses me, take a quick shower and try really hard to look my best with what I have here at the hospital.

I would love to have put on a dress and do a proper makeup to see the woman I’ll marry for the first time, but I guess improvise it is. I drop by a flower shop on the way and get her a bouquet of yellow tulips, it’s not polite to show up late AND empty-handed. I know my job will make me have unpredictable schedules, and I know I already told her I was delayed and why, also she was very understanding about it, but I can’t help but feel guilty to make her wait.

My hand on the doorknob, heart racing furiously, I should be sweating right now, but my hands are cold. I tighten my grip on the flowers, take a very deep breath and tell myself I already made her wait too much. It’s past the time we met, Kim Dahyun, your fiancè, the one you have been engaged to without meeting is waiting for you.

I open the door without properly looking inside, as soon as I close it behind me, I look at the lady waiting for me. And, what to do now? It’s her, the one I’ve been aching for, the only one who fills my heart by simply being there. My heart fills with so much happiness, nervousness, insecurity, certainty, all at the same time, and I seem to be stuck in place for too long.

She looks at me with a slight smile, clears lifting one eyebrow and says.

“Jihyo? Nice to finally meet you, I’m Dahyun.”

That works to get me out of the daze I was in, but I still can’t function properly, so I just look at her and nod a little. Come on, Park Jihyo, you utter coward, you have to do something. Snap out of it, you egg,

JUST GO TO HER!