Yerin screams panickly and puts on her navy blue scrub hastily while getting up and off the bunk bed. She curses herself for not setting the alarm on her phone as she tries to climb down the bed. Suddenly the door swings open and enters an intern, a beautiful one that is. Yerin knows the woman who is staring blankly, coldly at her is an intern because she is wearing a sky blue-coloured scrub underneath her white coat. Yerin’s eyes glued to the beautiful woman. The intern turns around and left the room. That’s when Yerin’s legs slipped off from the bed’s railing as she was trying to get down quickly to catch up to the intern, and she falls down on the floor landing with her head first.

She fell hard on the floor that she could even taste the hospital grade disinfectant floor cleaner as she was opening , screaming when she dived onto the floor just now. Weirdly, she smiles. She pulls herself to sit and leans against the bed frame as she rubs her painful nose, mouth and forehead that suffer the greatest blow when she fell. Yerin startled when her phone in her pants’ pocket buzzes. She quickly picks up the call only to be greeted with her bestfriend, Kim Sowon’s deafening scream.

”Yah!!! The morning meeting is in five minutes, you pig! Get up and get your here!”

”I’m up. Well technically, I’m up and then fell down.” Yerin responded.

”Stop talking nonsense! Get up, slap your sleepy face with cold water and run here. I’m not going to cover for you again.”

Yerin looks at her phone. Sowon just disconnected the call without even saying goodbye. She gets up and leaves the call room. Yerin glances at her wrist to see she is going to be late for the meeting and get roasted again, so she picks up her pace and jogs to the meeting point. The stairs near the central station and reception area.

She dreaded the idea of having intern-attending first greet and meet there because she never likes to stand on the stairs and never did. The greet and meet is held there because it is easier and spacious since there will be surgical interns, residents, the attending and some senior nurses that the interns will be in contact a lot with.

As soon as Yerin arrives at the meeting point, a lot of the residents and interns have already gathered. Most of the attendings have already stand on the stair talking among themselves. Within the sea of residents and interns, Yerin spots her best friend, Sowon standing in one corner and she immediately joins her.

”What’s with the smile? Are you that happy that you made it in time before the chief gets here?” Sowon asks Yerin who has been smiling like an idiot.

”I met my wife just now,” said Yerin, covering while giggling like a little girl.

”Your what? Did you get any sleep this week? You started talking nonsense,” Sowon asks, half-screamed at her best friend.

”Well, she is not my wife, not yet. But, I fully intended to make her mine and marry her someday. And I will do everything I can to make it come true. Don’t know when or how, I just know I will.” Yerin said confidently, clenching her fist.

”You do know it’s not up to you, right?” A man suddenly responded to what Yerin said making Sowon and Yerin turn around to face him.

”Yeah, you might not be able to marry her if she has a father like Chief Bae. And Chief, you really shouldn’t make Yerin work too much, she started losing her mind,” Sowon said as she pats Yerin’s head.

”I got nothing to do with my daughter’s love life. Well, not much of an influence, if I must say so. And that scheduling thingy, she brought it onto herself,” Chief Bae holds up his hand in the air and shakes his head a couple of times.

Yerin gasped in shocked. She wanted to say something to defend herself because she definitely didn’t do the things people said she did to deserve this kind of ty shift arrangements. Just as she was about to say something, three interns walk in front of them and among those three women is her ’wife’. The woman that she saw earlier in the on-call room. The woman that she is sure is destined to be her wife. 

”Wipe the blood off your face, Yerin. And stop getting a nosebleed when you see a beautiful woman. Do you think this is some kind of anime or Chinese movie?” Chief Bae smacks the back of Yerin’s head before moving towards the stairs.

Yerin didn’t know when her nose started to bleed but she doesn’t care. She immediately tilts her head forward, pinching her nose to stop the bleeding. She can hear Sowon and Eunha sigh. Eunha then helps her get some ice from one of the coffee stand near the entrance and puts them in a bag for her. Yerin takes them and apply them to her nose. 

”Oh c’mon guys, don’t look at me like that. I fell when I was getting off the bed earlier. But, I don’t mind. I would fall anytime she wants me to. And I don’t care if I bled out because of a nosebleed. Did you saw her? The one that walked in front of us just now. Isn’t she beautiful? Like an angel descended from heaven.” Yerin smiles, dreaming about the intern again.

”Who? What is her name?” Eunha asks.

”I don’t know. Didn’t get her name. One of the interns, so I’ll get her name sooner or later.” Yerin said as her eyes wander around the sea of surgical interns and residents surrounding them trying to find said intern.

”Shush.” 

Yerin makes some faces as someone in front of them just shushed them. She whispers her apologies to the intern in front of her that she believes to be the one shushing her just now. The man then turns around facing her, probably wanted to give her a piece of his mind.

”I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet now.” Yerin immediately bows her head a bit as she apologises.

But then, at the sight of Yerin, his face suddenly changed, looking terror, he apologises to Yerin. He was stuttering as he apologises to Yerin, Sowon and Eunha. His face is red, cold sweats on his forehead as he got flustered. The intern keeps apologising and bowing at Yerin.

”I’m sorry, Dr. It’s my fault. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

”No, no, it’s my fault. I’m the one that sorry. Relax, man. Uhh...you better not plan to specialise in trauma.” Yerin said casually at the intern seeing that he was so flustered.

”I won’t. I wouldn’t dare to,” said the intern still stuttering.

Amidst the intern’s bowing and apologising to Yerin, his action caught the chief’s attention. Chief Bae was giving his speech to the interns who just started their surgical program today, stops his speech and calls out the intern who is bowing and apologising to Yerin. He asks him what is going on and the intern stands up straight, not saying anything. Chief Bae asks the intern to tell him exactly what happens again and probably his voice was demanding, the intern blurted out everything.

”Dr. Jung, why did you say that to him. The kid had just started his surgical pathway, you shouldn’t stop him or discourage him from taking that path.” Chief Bae stares at Yerin and as usual, Yerin responded to set things straight.

”That’s not what I meant, Chief. He gets easily flustered over nothing, so I said you better not consider taking trauma surgery. Trauma surgeon needs to be calm and collected at all time, sir.” Yerin explains confidently despite having all eyes are on her.

”Dr. Jung is right, Dr...Lee. You are a surgeon, so please get yourself together. All of you. You are a surgeon, you don’t have the privilege to get flustered when you are operating regardless of the situation, even the ones you didn’t expect. With even a slight movement of your hand, it can change the patient’s life. They could be dead or they could live or they could live with disabilities for the rest of their life. Yes, we are not God. But, we are given the knowledge, the skills and abilities to help save our patient’s life or give them a better life, so use these advantages wisely.” 

Yerin mouthed every single word of Chief Bae’s speech. She knows it by heart because the man has been using the same speech for the past seven years. She ought to know it because she was the one who wrote it for him. Yerin, Sowon and Eunha could feel that someone is staring angrily in their direction and it’s coming from the stairs where their fellow attending friends are standing. They all look up and see Dr. Bae Irene is staring at Yerin before glaring at her when Yerin mouthed ’wae?’

”Chief is still using your speech from seven years ago. This is why Irene is mad at you, you know?” Sowon whispers to Yerin.

”Why? She should be mad at him, not me. Her speech was just too long. He did use hers once, but he gave up halfway. You guys remember that time, right?” Yerin said to Sowon and Eunha, both of them smiles and nod their head.

The three let out a quiet giggle when the memory of Chief Bae reading the eight pages long speech that his daughter, Irene prepared for her during one of this intern greet and meet a few years ago cross their mind. The old man was reading through the speech but then gave up when he gets to page four. After that, Chief Bae never uses Irene’s long speech ever again and keeps giving the same speech, the one he asked Yerin to prepare for him seven years ago as a punishment. Yerin’s speech is simple and short, compared to Irene’s that use poetic and complex words that one has to think a bit deeper to decipher its meaning.

Chief Bae ended his speech nicely with a word of encouragement to the interns. Then, he starts introducing the attending surgeons. She started with the ones standing on the stairs with him. Dr. Choi Min-ho, a cardiothoracic surgeon the chief of residents and interns program who somehow holding a grudge against Yerin.

Dr. Bae Irene, an obstetrics and gynaecology surgeon who happens to be Chief Bae’s daughter and Yerin’s ex, they dated for a year when they were interns. Dr. Kang Seulgi, an orthopedic surgeon who is also Irene’s current girlfriend and most likely her future wife, Chief Bae’s daughter in law. 

Dr. Kim Heechul, a plastic surgeon who is dating Dr. Kim Seol-hyun, a general surgeon. They started dating after Seol-hyun broke off her short-lived, three months relationship with Yerin. 

Dr. Kim Yong-sun, a general surgeon or usually goes with the name Solar because she has a cheerful personality. She is also happens to be one of Yerin’s exes in the hospital. Yerin just dated her for two months when she just started became an attending trauma surgeon. Standing closely next to her is her super jealous girlfriend, Dr. Moon Byul-yi, an emergency medical specialist or ER doctor. Yes, she is not part of the surgical program but she always comes to the greet and meet session in order to show to the new interns and residents, Solar is hers. Her attendance in this meeting is not useless to be exact, because most surgeons would at least encounter her once or twice in a week as she would refer patients to them.

Standing next to Solar’s right is one and only woman in the hospital that could make wearing the blue scrub y is a neurosurgeon named Dr. Ahn Hwasa. Her eyes could capture people’s heart at the sight of her alluring gaze. She is said to have some kind of relationship with Jung Yerin. It was said that the two are each other’s booty call, some said they are friends with benefits, but most rumours are related to ual relationship. However, none of the rumour had been confirmed by neither of them. They never responded to it when people asked them, not to deny nor confirms it. 

”Just how many Kim are there in my hospital? And there, we have new interns with the family name Kim,” Chief Bae thought to herself as he introduces the attendings standing behind him on the stairs. He lets out a sigh before proceeds to introduce three best friends who are too stubborn to stand on the stairs with him and the rest of attending surgeons. Every year, the three always came up with excuses whenever he asked them why they didn’t come up the stairs that after five years, he gave up asking them to. 

”And that is Dr. Kim Sowon, a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Jung Eunha, a general surgeon, and as of now is currently acting head of general surgery unit until Dr. Hwang comes back from his training leave. Last but not least, Dr. Jung Yerin, a trauma surgeon. Today is your luckiest first day in your intern years as today is Dr. Jung Yerin’s off day. So, no one is going to be assigned under her this week.” 

All sixteen pairs of young, eager eyes of first year’s interns all directed at Sowon, Eunha and Yerin. And all those eyes radiate joyfulness and gratefulness when they heard Chief Bae said about not getting assigned under Yerin on their first week. This makes Yerin a bit confused as to why they seem that happy, so she asks Sowon and Eunha.

”There are too many rumours about you. Well, I wouldn’t say that they are all rumours. Eyh...I just realised that there are lots of girls you have dated in here. No wonder you got that reputation of a serial dater, a serious case of flirts and don’t know if I should say this, but, a serial philanderer as well.” Sowon explains with somewhat suspicious happy smiles on her face.

”Weren’t you the one spreading those lies when you were trying to woo Eunha?” Yerin asks, smirking at the tall woman whose eyes widen upon hearing it.

”Yah! You had that reputation sticking on your back ever since med school. So, don’t blame me, that’s just what you are. Right, baby?” Sowon asks Eunha cutely, but the woman just glares at her making Yerin laugh her heart out.

”But, that is not the only thing you are famous for. The interns and residents said getting assigned in your service means they are going to be wrung dry and still might not get a pass from you.” Sowon explains while nodding her head, agreeing with what she heard from the interns and residents in the past.

”Just how did you know all these? You are quite a gossiper aren’t you? I’m not that scary. Those probably words from the ones who misunderstood me. I’m innocent. Jung Yerin is innocent.” Yerin places her hand on her chest, girlishly to portray the innocent girl image that earns her a glare from Eunha and Sowon looking disgusted at her and gagging. Yerin pretends to be hurt with her best friends responses and looks down, fiddling her fingers making the two smacks her arms and they all laugh. They laugh a bit too loud and everyone’s attention once again directed at them.

”Dr. Jung.” Chief Bae calls out Yerin’s name sternly.

”Again? What is it this time?” Sowon whispers to Yerin, and she just shrugs her shoulder. Yerin genuinely doesn’t know what she did this time because she is certain that when Chief Bae calls her name like that, she will receive a punishment. Yerin just looks at Chief Bae, ready to face the punishment without even knowing what she did.

”A patient complaints that you ran over his foot with a cart and then again with a wheelchair.” Chief Bae looks directly at Yerin, slightly angry.

”It was an accident, sir. I have apologised to him when it happened.” Yerin said confidently.

”Still, he wrote a complaint. So, please prepare two pages long apology letter to the patient, a self-reflect letter to me, and cleans the attending and interns/residents break and change room. Get it done this week.” Chief Bae sets out the same set of punishment she has been giving Yerin for years and Yerin just nods her head in defeat. There is no use of protesting because it never worked in the past and will definitely not going to work now. 

”This goes the same for the rest of you. Please bear in mind that if you did something wrong, expect a punishment will incur. But, don’t expect it to be the same as this one, it might be totally different. I don’t take it lightly, but I don’t want to lose my surgeon’s service as well. I still need my surgeon to use their skills and abilities to help patients, instead of laying around doing nothing at home while being suspended from work,” Chief Bae looks very serious when he said them to the interns, sending cold shivers down their spine. The man can be scary at times if he wanted to be, but, he never had that effect on Yerin which sometimes frustrating.

”You did what?!” Sowon screams under her breath at Yerin.

”Dr. Kim.” Chief Bae calls out Sowon sternly when she saw the girl screams at Yerin, he didn’t exactly hear Sowon’s voice but she could tell by the woman’s facial expression.

”Yes.” Sowon looks up at Chief Bae.

Not only Sowon, two interns, Heechul and Solar all stand straight, looking at Chief Bae. The man sighs. 

”Dr. Kim Sowon. Not you, interns, Dr. Kim. And not you two either.” Chief Bae signals to the interns and turns to look at the two attending surgeons. He sighs again and continues, ”why did Dr. Yerin was the only one responded when I called Dr. Jung and all of you responded when I called Dr. Kim?” 

”Because I never did something that earns me a punishment, sir.” Eunha responded and smiles teasingly at her fellow friends who just smiles shyly, embarrassed with their hasty action.

”Emm. Dr. Sowon, you can accompany Dr. Jung if you want to. I hope you’ll keep Dr. Jung in check.” Chief Bae said before he raps up the meet and greet, and dismiss everyone to get on with their jobs.

Yerin and her two best friends head to the hospital’s cafeteria to grab some food. Today is Yerin’s off day but the two join her because they are on their break. As usual, Yerin grabs the dosirak which comprised of rice, a vegetable banchan, cabbage kimchi, fried egg, tempura prawns and spicy chicken. The cafe owner always gives Yerin a bowl of seaweeds and enoki mushrooms soup for free. Meanwhile, Sowon grabs a bowl of seafood jjampong and Eunha gets the bulgogi and rice set. Sowon stares at Yerin’s food and the free soup in jealousy.

”I told you, I am not that bad of a person. The ahjooma always give me soups or extra banchans for free.” Yerin smirks at Sowon and then frowns when the tall girl takes one of the prawns and quickly shoves it in , smiling triumphantly at her.

Eunha just shakes her head and puts her arm around her plate, guarding her food from getting steal by the two woman who is currently fighting and picking foods from each other’s plate. 

”She must think you are poor, Yerin. I think most people here in the hospital think you are poor and homeless. You, sleeping in the on-call room, your tent on the rooftop, your bicycle, going through med school on scholarships, poor you...” said Sowon teasingly.

”Wae? Our family is doing fine. Right, Eunha?My car and motorbike are in the basement parking. You know how my shifts are, it’s easier to just sleep here.” Yerin responded without once leaves her eyes off her food or stop shoving food into .

”Yeah. And I’m on scholarships too. You too, Sowon. When are you going back? Omma asks about you...” Eunha pushes her plate to Sowon for her to finish her food as the woman has been eyeing them for quite a while now.

”Just what did you do to that Choi Min-ho and that lady that they hate you so much? Wait, why would Yerin omma called you?” Sowon asks, happily eating Eunha’s food.

”I don’t know. Min-ho said I was the one who made Irene like girls. The two dated back in med school. And that woman, how am I supposed to know she works here? I never met her in the hospital. This is all your fault, Sowon. You told me to stop dating the doctors. Plus, we were never in a relationship. We met at a restaurant, then the next day, she texted me if I wanted to have lunch together. I didn’t know she works here and that’s when she got all crazy, arranging my shifts like that so I would know and remembers she is working in the hospital. My parents always say Eunha the only person who can make me go back home.”

Yerin responded casually like it’s no big deal. Sowon frowns and pouts her lips, jealous with the fact that Yerin’s mother still call Eunha. Sowon is aware Yerin and Eunha had broken up years ago. Still, she always feel jealous of Yerin and Eunha’s relationship. 

”C’mon man. You know we were chidhood friends first, then we were lovers and go back to being friends. And our parents just live fifteen minutes from one another. So omma and appa always call Eunha to check on me. You really need to stop being jealous, Sowon.” Yerin taps Sowon’s shoulder reassuring the tall woman. Sowon doesn’t respond as she got lost in her own thoughts.

“Earth to Sowon. Yao Ming. Earth to Yao Mingwon. Earth to Sowyao Ming.” Yerin snaps her fingers right in front of Sowon’s face startling Sowon.

”Oh, sorry. Let’s go.” Sowon stands up and joins the two who are already walking, leaving her behind.

”Where are you going? Home? You have tomorrow off too, right?” Sowon asks as she walks in between Eunha and Yerin, linking her arms with both of them.

”My stomach is full and happy. So, I think I’m going to head to the call room and sleep for a couple of hours before getting started with the attending changing room and then the interns.” Yerin said as she rubs her belly happily.

”Write your apology and self-reflective letter too while you are in the call room.” Eunha reminded Yerin before she parted way with Sowon and Yerin, going for her ward rounds.

”Come and see me after you are done for the day?” Yerin asks Sowon when they arrived to pediatric clinic where the tall girl will spend the day for her patient’s follow-up visits. Sowon smiles and just shrugs her shoulder, making a ’maybe? I don’t know’ look at Yerin and laughs.

**

Yerin gets the cleaning tools from one of the cleaners. Since Yerin has been doing this punishment for years now, majority of the cleaners already knew her. They felt sorry at first, but now, they just treated Yerin like their colleagues who only showed up for work once a month. She cleans the attendings break room and change room first, then she moves to the interns and residents’ break room and change room.

The facilities are all the same, but the interns/residents’ break room is way messy than the attendings. There are paper cups, used ramen’s bowls everywhere. Yerin cleans the room diligently before moving to the change room. She starts by cleaning the toilets, then the showers. As usual, there will be tonnes of hairs on the floor, getting stuck at the drain’s cover despite there are numbers of notices posted in big fonts, bold and capital letters. Yerin even puts up the notice in Hangul, English, Chinese and even Japanese for them to understand but it is still the same. Some people are just illiterate although all of them have graduated from med school. Although this is a punishment for her, there is one thing that Yerin loves the most which is spraying the floor with a high-pressure host. She always laughs when she does that.

”Yah! You really like that, don’t you? That’s why people say you are crazy.” Sowon who is sitting on the vanity top yells at Yerin who is laughing out loud while spraying the floor.

”It’s fun. Wanna try?” Yerin grins at Sowon and hands the host to her but her friend refuses.

Yerin plugs in the floor dryer and lets the machine do its job drying the floor. She then moves to the changing room and starts vacuuming before mopping the floor. Sowon follows her and just sits on the bench at the centre, between the lockers on the right and left of the room. Not long after that, Eunha comes in and joins Sowon on the bench. 

Eunha brings some tteoboki and a box of flavoured fried chicken. Once Yerin heard that, she happily finishes her job of mopping the floor and slides to the bench. Eunha and Sowon have started eating when Yerin got there, so she just hops on the bench and grabs the chicken wing, munching happily. 

”Thank you, yoebo.” Yerin said to Eunha and kisses the girl’s cheek.

”Yah! Stay off my girlfriend. That’s why they said you are a serious case of flirts, you know?Even the cafeteria lady fell for you.” Sowon sticks out her tongue at Yerin.

”Whaaattt? I don’t do that. I just treat the ahjooma nicely and that’s what I’ve been doing to all people as well. Uhh? Your girlfriend? So, are you guys officially together now? When do I have to apply for a week holiday for the wedding and honeymoon?” Yerin asks excitedly.

”A week? Honeymoon? Why are you coming to our honeymoon?” Sowon asks.

”We are busy people, so the possibility that you two to arrange and get everything done early is very thin. So, two days before the wedding, we are going to try and pull off a miracle. Then, the honeymoon! Of course I’m going to come along, I’m her soul mate, and your best friend, aren’t I? It’s given that I’m going to tag along.” Yerin purposely trying to tease Sowon even though she knows the girl hates the idea. Plus, she never thought of going on their honeymoon but she is sure about the preparation for the wedding going to be down to the wire.

”Are we, Eunha? Officially? Or still the same?” Sowon asks but the woman she loves wholeheartedly just ignores it. Instead, she asks Yerin about the cause of her punishment this time around.

”What exactly happened with that patient? I’m sure you are not that clumsy.”

Yerin grins as she takes another mouthful of the tteokboki. She told them that she was trying to help Irene that day. Irene was stitching a 17 years old soccer player’s lacerated eyelids and upper lips. But the boy was getting handsy while Irene was busy stitching him up. Irene had told him to stop touching her several times, but the boy just said he was in pain so needed someone to hold on to. The boy was even rubbing his leg against Irene’s. Yerin was also stitching one of the boy’s teammate in the bay next to Irene, so she heard everything and decided to take a peek.

The boy probably was feeling like he is the man of the hour, with his good looks and getting injured from fighting with the opponent team. On top of that, he was being all flirty with a woman that is older then him for more than ten years. The boy must have been so confident that he was sitting on the chair, spreading his legs, intentionally showing his package that is sadly not so impressive. 

Yerin then pretended to get something from the cart that is located next to the boy’s chair. Irene was super focused on stitching the boy’s eyelids because one tiny movement could possibly harm the boy’s vision so Yerin understands why Irene couldn’t do anything else than just asking the boy to stop touching her. The boy just smugs at Irene when he kept his leg against hers despite her asking him nicely to stop it. That’s when Yerin takes the cart and pushes it towards the next bay where she is treating her patient and ’accidentally’ ran it over the boy’s leg.

”Why was Irene stitching him?” Eunha asks.

”Ahh, she was about to go home that night when two high school soccer teams rushed to the ER after involving in a fight. So, she stayed back and helped us.” Yerin responded, finally putting her chopsticks down.

”Chief said you ran over his leg with wheelchair?” Sowon asks.

”Ahh, yeah. The cart didn’t stop him, so I get my patient on a wheelchair and push him to the boy’s side. I said to look closely at what stupid fight over a soccer game could do. I guess I pushed him a little too close to the boy and accidentally ran over his foot once again but this time with a wheelchair, which had his 50 kilos friend on it.” Yerin said in a feigned sympathetic expression. Sowon also does the same and even added a more dramatic action of crying. Then the two look at each other and laugh.

”That’s why we broke up, you know?” Eunha suddenly said, halting the duo’s laugh.

”Huh? We dated years after Irene broke up with me. I thought we broke up because you found out Sowon has been secretly in love with you for a few months? And that we were better off as friends than a lover? Those were not the reasons? How could I have been a fool all these years.” Yerin smiles cheekily at Eunha who looks deadly serious. Sowon’s smiles also changed into a frown.

”After all those years, you still care for her.” Eunha said in a sombre tone.

”I would help anyone if they are in her situation. And of course I still care. Like us. We were friends first, then lover, go back to being just friends and now soul mate.” Yerin smiles at Eunha as she rested her hand on Eunha’s and caresses it tenderly.

Sowon just looks at the two jealously. It has been almost two years after she confessed her feelings to Eunha, a year and a half since she proposed to her, still Eunha hasn’t given her an answer. She is still not sure what is the status of their relationship. Just friends? Best friends? One-sided love? Lovers? Sowon doesn’t know.

She and Eunha spend a lot of time together. They share a lot of stories and worries with each other. They went out for movies, dinners, sometimes even breakfast and almost every day had lunch together. Almost every night, they will text or call each other. They hug, they kiss, but on the cheeks and forehead most of the time and occasionally a quick peck on the lips. But, what are they?

Sometimes Sowon feels like they are just super close friends, and sometimes she feels like they are a loving couple. She has asked Eunha couple of times but the girl never said anything. Sowon has been lost in her thought for quite some time that she didn’t realise that Yerin is now lying on the bench with her head on Eunha’s lap. Sowon sighs again and shakes her head rapidly to cast her jealousy away. 

”The changing room and toilets are close.” Yerin said as she heard women’s voices approaching the change room’s door. People have to go through to the change room to get to the toilet and showers, and the floor is still wet. So, she is planning to keep it close for another ten minutes or so.

”We finished our shift. We need to change to go home,” one of the women said behind the door.

”You can go home with your scrubs on,” Yerin responded casually.

”Our money is in the locker,” judging from the voice, another woman is responding to Yerin, still trying to get into the change room.

”You can walk home. Don’t need the money,” said Yerin, smiling mischievously. Sowon smiles while Eunha shakes her head, understanding what Yerin is doing.

”I’m sorry, ma'am. I really need to go to the toilet,” the first woman said pleadingly.

”Use the other toilets outside.” Yerin gives the woman a useful suggestion to her problem.

”I can’t hold it in. Please...let me use the toilet. Please...” now, the woman sounds really desperate, so Yerin decides to let her use the toilet, but not unconditionally.

”Okay-” before Yerin gets to finish her sentence, the woman storms in but then stops when she realises that she has been talking to Yerin and not the cleaner.

”Uh, you look bad. So give me a dollar to use the toilet. And one coffee for you to use the change room.” Yerin still lying on the bench, lifts her head a bit so she could look at the first year intern who is clutching her legs together so she wouldn’t wet her pants.

”Stop teasing the kid, Yerin.” Eunha smacks Yerin’s forehead and waves her hand at the intern, telling her to quickly go to the toilet.

The intern just nods her head before sprinting to the toilet while shouting, ”SinB, can you pay for me, I can’t hold it in anymore!” 

Yerin giggles as she just sends the girl to the toilet with her eyes. Following the intern is another woman who is also a first-year intern seeing that she wears the sky blue scrub and Yerin doesn’t know her. She also runs towards the toilet while shouting, ”for me too!” Yerin smiles, waiting for the third intern to come in and see if she is going to run for the toilet as well. As soon as the third woman comes in, she bows her head politely to Sowon, Eunha and Yerin. Seeing who it was, Yerin abruptly gets up, but because she was lying too close to the bench’s edge, she slipped and falls down on the floor. And as expected, with her face hits the floor. Luckily, the floor is now dry.

The third intern then puts three dollars on the bench, where Yerin was lying on just now and said, ”here are three dollars, I have to use the toilet as well. We’ll get your coffee after this.” And then she goes to the toilet. Yerin just freezes, staying still on the floor with her face sticking to the floor. She could not bring herself to get up and face the girl.

Sowon has been trying to pull her to stand. But she stiffened her body and only gets up after the third intern left. 

”That is her. My future wife. The love of my life.” Yerin said to Sowon and Eunha, smiling like an idiot.

”And falling off the bench is the way you are wooing her? What the hell, Yerin? You are embarrassing me.” Sowon said as she covers her face with her hand.

Eunha shakes her head once again and stands. She pulls both Sowon’s and Yerin’s hand, forcing them to stand up as well. 

”Let’s go before the girls get out of the toilet. I’m too embarrassed to be seen with you.” Eunha drags the two, leaving the changing room. Yerin and Sowon follow her without protest.

”Dr., the money!!!” The second intern shouted at them when they are already at the changing room’s door while waving the three one dollar notes at them.

”She is just playing with you. Get some rest, tonight. Be careful.” Sowon had to stop as the intern shouted at her when she was about to get out of the changing room. She waves her hand left and right to signal ’no’ to the intern who is almost as tall as her, wearing her mid-back length, black-haired with bangs in a high ponytail. Sowon’s face is as red as a beetroot, embarrassed with what Yerin did but she was the one left to explain it to the intern as she didn’t make it out in time before the intern came out of the toilet just now.

When they get to the main lobby, Eunha stops and lets go of Sowon’s and Yerin’s hands. She takes a breath before turns around to talk to the two women who seem to be ready to get scold by her. 

”You. Go back to your parents’ house tonight. Omma called me earlier and I told her you are coming home before dinner,” said Eunha sternly at Yerin.

”You. Let’s go out for dinner.” Eunha pointed her finger at Sowon before holds out her hand to Sowon, shooting a dazzling smile that melts the tall woman’s heart every time, without fail.

”Ne!” said both Sowon and Yerin, simultaneously. 

The three then continue walking, heading towards the basement parking. Eunha gets in Sowon’s car, an SUV, while Yerin gets in her imported hatchback, the one with three-pointed star emblem. They wave at each other happily before driving away to their own destination.

***

Yerin arrives at her parents’ house just when her mother put the rice bowls on the dining table. She grins at her mother while rubbing her stomach. Her mother just smiles back, shaking her head. Yerin’s older brother appears out of nowhere, wraps his arm around her neck and ruffles her hair making her scream ’stop’ which just being ignored by the man.

”Yah! Why do you smell like a toilet? Didn’t you take a shower? Omma! Yerin didn’t shower for who knows how long. Euwww.” Yerin’s brother immediately steps away from her and pinching his nose as to show how smelly she is.

Yerin sniffs her hands, body, hairs and underarms to check if she really smells that bad. She already showered at the hospital after she woke up from her long nap. But after that, she did clean the toilets and showers. So, she assumes her brother was right. Seeing Yerin sniffing her body, her brother laugh crazily.

”Yah, so you really didn’t shower? I was just kidding, man.” 

”Ani. I did. But, I came here right after I clean the toilets and showers at the hospital. You!!!” Yerin charges towards her older brother and smacks him mercilessly.

”Again, Yerin?” now Yerin’s father asks sounding rather disappointed than surprised.

Yerin’s mother comes from the kitchen and smacks her two grown-up children that are fighting with each other on their heads. The two immediately stop smacking each other and let go of their grips on each other’s body. Then, Yerin mother just pointed her finger in the direction of the rooms. She understands her mother’s gesture, telling her to wash up before eating.

”But, I’m hungry, omma..” Yerin pouts while making a sad face and rubbing her stomach.

”You won’t die. Hurry up and go.” Yerin’s mother said sternly.

Yerin drags her feet to her room reluctantly. She still has her room kept as it is in her parents’ three bedroom apartment. Yerin wanted to buy a new landed house for her parents somewhere quieter, probably in the countryside. But, her parents refused because it’s a hassle to move and they like living there, they have lots of friends, tonnes of memories there and they have gotten used with the noises, saying those are like music to their ears. Yerin quickly jumps into the shower and cleans herself thoroughly which she can complete it a short time. If there is a competition of the quickest thorough showering, she might just be the champion. She dries her body and wraps a towel on her head to dries her hairs.

With the towel wrapping her head, she goes to the dining table and sits like it’s nothing. This ’after-shower-but-also-hungry-cannot-wait-for-my-hair-to-dry’ look is normal for Yerin’s family that they just start praying and eat without commenting on it. Halfway through dinner, Yerin’s father asks her why did she receive that punishment this time. She tells her family what happened a few days ago with the patient in the ER and Irene. Her father, mother and older brother just nod their head, accepting her actions as well as the punishment she received. Their face is like saying ’he deserved that, and you ought to be punished’ to Yerin. 

”You just got punished, but why are you smiling ever since you got home?” Yerin’s brother asks confusedly, studying her little sister’s face.

”Wait...I know this smile. Did you fall in love again? This is your ’I am in love’ smile,” Yerin’s brother exclaims in disbelief and also happy.

Both Yerin’s mother and father look at her face simultaneously. They smile, nodded their head, agreeing with their first born child.

”You falls in love too easily, Yerin.” Yerin’s father said in a fatherly concerned tone.

”No, I don’t. Anyway, she is really beautiful, appa. Really, really beautiful. I’m going to marry her, someday.” Yerin said confidently, clenching her fists.

”You are going to marry her someday? You sounded like a little kid, Yerin-ah. Your eyes sparkle just like the other two times before. When you were with Irene and Eunha. But, I don’t think you ever say about marriage. Uhh...my little sister has grown up.” Yerin’s oppa wraps his arm around her neck, pull her close and punches her stomach playfully.

”Who is she? What is her name? Where did you meet her?” Yerin’s omma asks her excitedly. She is always happy and excited when she founds out Yerin is in love or in relationship.

”One of the new interns, I think her name is SinB. Not sure. It was love at first sight,” Yerin smiles as the girl’s beautiful face fills her mind, while the rest of her family frown.

It is not surprising for Yerin to fall in love at first sight because she is actually loving and sensitive although sometimes she might look cold, disconnected from the surroundings when she is serious, especially when she is working. One thing that everyone shares a common ground is, it is weird for Yerin to be so confident to marry someone she doesn’t even sure of her name. But, seeing Yerin face lit up and smiles her happiest after a few years, they silently pray for her hopes and dreams to come to true.