”Dr Jung, wake up,” says SinB softly but clear and loud enough for the sleeping woman to hear her.

SinB shakes the trauma surgeon’s limped body a little in order to wake the woman up. She wasn’t going to go and wake the woman up but all the interns unanimously voted her for the task. So, here she is, in the cafeteria, bending in front of a woman in her navy blue scrubs, lying on the cafeteria’s wooden bench, with a comic left open on her face, having a good night sleep. SinB sighs when the woman still sleeping after she already calls her name three times. Probably this is why the other interns don’t want to go and wake this surgeon up. Dr. Jung had just finished her shift not more than an hour ago and her on-call will only start in a few hours. But, everyone is asked to be on standby because there is a motor vehicle accident involving a public bus and a car, and all the victims are being transported to the hospital’s ER. SinB glances at her wristwatch and the first ambulance is expected to arrive in five minutes, so, she really needs Dr. Jung to wake up this instance.

SinB slowly picks up the comic book that is covering the woman’s face and put it on the table that seems to be reserved for Dr Jung seeing that she always at this table. SinB unconsciously stares at the peaceful face of the sleeping beauty, Dr. Jung Yerin. This is actually her first time getting a good look on the woman’s face after almost a month working in the hospital. She looks beautiful, and even in her sleep, she can still exert a charming but a bit cold aura, and surprisingly cute? SinB shakes her head rapidly, getting a grip on herself.

”Dr. Jung, wake up. There’s an emergency.” SinB once again calls the trauma surgeon’s name and shakes the woman’s shoulder, a bit rough than the last three times.

The woman finally opens her eyes, slowly at it though. Then, the trauma surgeon winks at her while shooting her charming smile.

”I love you, SinB-ssi,” Yerin said wholeheartedly and smiles before caressing SinB’s cheeks.

SinB who is bending, flinched and immediately stands upright at the sudden act. She stands there frozen, still baffles with what just happened. SinB can feel her cheeks are getting flushed, she runs her fingers on them just to confirms. Yes, they are flushed. And her heart beats went frenzy, but SinB is not sure why. She then look back down on the bench, Dr. Jung Yerin is sleeping but now with a smile on her face. 

”Did she just say I love you to me? Is she for real? Did she just sleeptalk?” SinB asks herself under her breath.

”Dr. Jung, wake up! There’s an emergency!” SinB yells at the sleeping woman causing Dr. Jung to abruptly sits up. The trauma surgeon’s lips nearly touched her face but SinB quickly steps backward to avoid it.

”Oh okay. Let’s go Dr. Hwang. Thank you for come and get me.” Yerin quickly stands up and starts walking towards the ER.

SinB just blinks her eyes rapidly, looking at the surgeon who just walks away leaving her behind. SinB is still taken aback by what just happened and she is sure she was not dreaming. It can’t be a dream because it will too weird for her to be dreaming Dr. Jung Yerin confessing her love to her. Yes, she admits that she has been hearing stuff about the trauma surgeon and even spent four days researching and thinking about that said surgeon. But, there is no way on earth she would be dreaming something like that because she has no feelings for that trauma surgeon. Plus, Dr. Jung Yerin utterly unimpressed her. SinB starts jogging and grasping the reality when Dr. Jung stops at the cafeteria’s entrance and looks at her, gesturing SinB to join her.

SinB doesn’t stop and jogs passed the trauma surgeon who is waiting for her because she can feel her cheeks are burning up, still unsure of the reason why. The trauma surgeon trailed behind her as soon as she passed her. As she is jogging her way through the hallway leading to the ER, her wrist was grabbed softly by someone. If she needs to guess, it must be Dr. Jung Yerin because there are not many people in the hallway and who among them have a reason to do so. SinB didn’t stop, but keeps walking to her destination.

”I mean it, SinB-ssi. What I said earlier.” 

Those were the words Dr. Jung Yerin whispered to her when they arrived at the ER just now before she smiled at her and darted to one of the sinks attached to the wall to wash and sanitise her hands. SinB joins her two best friends who are luckily on night shift with her although they are under different surgeon’s service. Their schedules mostly overlapped with one another as they belong to the same group, Group A. The first year interns are divided into two groups to accommodate the schedule. Yuju and Umji both stare at her when she joins them. Probably the shocking expression on her face hasn’t worn off, making her two friends ask her if she is okay which she didn’t answer because she couldn’t. SinB doesn’t know if she is indeed okay.

”Did something happened?” Umji who is already suited up with gloves and gowns over her scrubs asks worriedly while SinB is donning the same gown on her.

”She said ’I love you’ to me...” SinB tells them as she is spacing out, still couldn’t believe what she heard in the cafeteria and the confirmation just now. 

”She what?!!!” Yuju, Umji, and unexpectedly Eunha and Sowon exclaimed in utter shocked. 

All four of them wanted to say something but couldn’t as the ambulance transporting the most critical victim has arrived and everyone systematically scattered to do their own jobs. Thanks to the chaos in the ER, SinB and four others who happened to hear SinB’s revelation don’t have the chance to think about it. SinB manage to steal a glance when the trauma surgeon who confessed her feelings to her a few minutes ago rushing with six other medical personnel while pushing the gurney carrying a bloody and messy man with a metal rod sticking out of his leg to the operating room. SinB and her two friends attend the less critical patients, mostly the passengers on the bus. 

After almost three hours, all the patients have been looked after. One-third of them sustained minor injuries and are being discharged while the rest had suffered multiple injuries and were hospitalised. SinB, Yuju and Umji slump on the couch on the break room once everything settled down and they have discharged and reviewed their patients accordingly. This is their first emergency involving a mass of patients and although it is tiring, they feel like those hours were the best time of their life up to this point. Although they didn’t get to scrub in in any of the emergency surgeries tonight, they still feel gratified as tonight they used their skills and knowledge they had gathered and honed all those years through medical school. The three rested on the couch and dozed off for half an hour.

There are about two hours till their shift ends and they all got up to review their patients in the ward. They set out to meet at the cafeteria after their shift ends to get some breakfast before going back home. When SinB got to the ward, she saw a familiar figure just exited the ward and immediately the thought that was suppressed at the back of her mind resurface. Dr. Jung Yerin just left the ward with one of the fourth-year residences and she still looks like is going for another surgery or just got out of a surgery because she had her duck-printed surgical cap on.

”Ahh...you are here to review all the cases, Dr. Hwang?” one of the nurses asks her as she approaches the nurse station, she smiles and nods her head.

”Dr. Jung Yerin probably not going to make it for the morning ward round, so she already reviewed the patients’ file. So, you don’t have to worry too much,” the nurse said as SinB starts reading and reviewing the patient’s charts on the tablet.

SinB smiles at the nurse and gets back to the tablet. She is not under Dr. Jung Yerin’s service this week, so the information pertaining to the woman absence is not a good news to her. Although some of the patients from the MVA that she treated earlier will be reviewed by Dr. Jung, there is nothing she has to worry about because she already documented everything she did and the treatment plan clearly in all the patients’ file. She has to prepare for the fussy consultant that is going to lead the ward round in a few hours.

Umji is the last to join SinB and Yuju at the cafeteria. The three were at the hospital for their night shift for only a little more than ten hours but they looked like they haven’t been out of the hospital for 48 hours. Probably last night was their first busy night shift and they have yet to adapt to that. As they were waiting in line, eyeing the food in the trays and thinking about what to get, an attending brisk walk hurriedly in the opposite direction from their lines shocking the three of them. 

At the sight of the attending caused both Umji and Yuju to wriggle their eyebrows at SinB while smiling eagerly, showing their intention of talking about the person who just passed them. Amidst the emergency-looking walk away from the cafeteria, the attending slows down her step in front of SinB and winks at her. SinB’s eyes widen, she wanted to shoot a death glare at the attending but she is already out of sight.

The person in a navy blue scrubs, with a slice of sandwich dangling from while holding a bottle of milk is none other than the infamous Dr. Jung Yerin. Yes, the person who confessed her love to SinB last night right after she opens her eyes when she was woken up to standy for an incoming emergency.

”Is she still on the clock?” Umji asks once Yerin passed them.

SinB shrugs her shoulder in the most nonchalant way possible and answers Umji’s question that was not specifically directed to her, ”I guess so, she was supposed to be on her break between shifts when I woke her up last night.”

SinB thought she had successfully dodged the topic on the trauma surgeon seeing that her two friends just nod their head without saying anything. They move forward with the line as they decide what to get for breakfast. Eventually, they all get the traditional, typical hearty Korean breakfast which includes a bowl of rice, soup, a main dish and a few banchans. They thought this will fill their hunger and can lasts until they wake up later in the late afternoon or evening. Oh yes, this is the most exhausted night shift they ever had and they had all the intention to go straight to bed once they got home.

”Enjoy your food doctors,” the cashier smiles cheerfully at the three without asking for their money for the foods and drinks.

”Um, how much?” SinB asks, of course with a smile although she finds it strange when the man didn’t ask them to pay. The last time she checked, they have to pay for the food.

”Dr. Jung Yerin already pays for them,” the man answered still wearing a warm smile on his face.

”How did Dr. Jung know what are we eating?” SinB asks, still not satisfied although they have just got themselves free food which almost every human being will cheer on it thankfully.

”She didn’t. We’ll just put it in her tab. Oh, and Yerin only manage to grab one of the sandwiches, do you mind finishing the other one, Dr. Hwang? It’s just I don’t know when she will come back, and it’s probably not going to taste as good when she comes back. Thank you. Enjoy your meal doctors,” the man puts a sandwich that is still in the plastic packaging on SinB’s tray and smiles at her before looking at the man behind SinB that is ready to pay.

SinB had to stop refusing and insisting on paying for their food when the cashier attends the man behind her. She walks towards the table where her two friends already sip on their free drinks and ready to eat their free full course breakfast. There is nothing SinB can do, so she puts the tray on the table and sits with her two best friends. She starts with the sandwich that the trauma surgeon left without and proceeds to eat her hearty breakfast. Umji and Yuju look happy shoving the foods into their mouth without uttering any words. They are always happy when they eat and today they are much happier because they didn’t spend a single won for them. SinB tries to forget about the trauma surgeon and just eats her food silently. But, to no avail her friend had to bring the surgeon’s name up.

”So, mind telling us what Dr. Jung Yerin said to you last night?” Umji asks, slowing down on her eating.

”She said let’s go Dr. Hwang, thank you for coming and get me,” SinB said while drinking her water.

”I’m sure she said that to you. But, we all know that’s not what I am referring to,” sneered Umji. Yuju nods her head rather excitedly, agreeing with Umji.

”She asked about the MVA and the nature of the injuries that the critical victim’s suffered,” said SinB still feigning her incomprehension of Umji’s question.

”Go on, Hwang Eunbi. We got all day. Let’s see who’s going to cave in first,” Umji puts down her chopsticks and snickers at SinB.

SinB sighs. She thought that she will not hear the name again today, but, who is she kidding? Her two gossipers friend will not let it go until they got the full scoop. And they will do everything they could to get SinB to tell them what happened. SinB stares at her food, contemplating on her next action. She takes a deep breath to get ready to tell her friends what happened last night because if she doesn’t, they are going to bug her for the whole day and she wouldn’t get to rest or stop hearing the trauma surgeon’s name.

”I tried waking her up but she didn’t even flinch. On my fourth try, I shook her a bit rougher and half-yelled at her. She opened her eyes and say, I love you. Then she went back to sleep. I woke her up again, she woke up and we went to the ER. The end.”

SinB tells the two what happened last night but of course she altered a bit what Dr. Jung Yerin said to her. She left out a tiny detail, she left out her name after the surgeon’s confession so it doesn’t sound like Dr. Jung Yerin was saying she loves her, instead, like a random love confession. And surely she left the part where the trauma surgeon, in fact, confirming that she meant every word of her confession. These two details will only give her a headache for the whole day if Umji and Yuju know about it. She still wants her six hours of sleep, so it’s best to keep that to herself. But now, she doubts that she could sleep as the three words are ringing in her ears.

”Did she sleeptalk like me?” Yuju asks and laughs by herself, probably thinking about those weird incidents caused by her sleeptalking habit.

”Could she? Well, it’s kind of absurd that she would fall into a deep sleep and sleeptalk while sleeping at a hospital, waiting for her on-call to start,” Umji rubs her chin, as if it will help her decipher the meaning behind SinB’s incomplete story.

”Did she slurred when she confessed?” Yuju asks trying to figure out the trauma surgeon’s state of alertness.

SinB frowns a bit, pretending to think back about last night when she clearly remembers everything. Just to get her act on point, SinB stares at the vacant table at the far end of the cafeteria where it all happened. She even squints her eyes and runs her fingers through her hair while staring at the vacant table. SinB is a great actress and her believable act earned her the lead actress in every play in high school and medical school. She even won best actress awards in high school and medical school. 

”Probably, I couldn’t remember correctly.”

Lies. Well, not a total lie since she said probably. She is conscious of the effect of lying both morally and psychologically, so she doesn’t want to lie, instead, she just didn’t tell them the whole truth. Of course SinB remembers how clear the trauma surgeon’s voice and pronunciation when she confessed. At first, she was like her friends, thinking that the woman was sleeptalking. But, last night when she got a bit of rest, her mind unconsciously revisited the incident and she was able to process what happened clearly and yes, Dr. Jung Yerin confessed her feeling for her in a coherent manner.

The woman didn’t fall back to sleep, she probably just close her eyes feeling contented with what she just did, as shown by her contented smile. Plus, that trauma surgeon even confirmed it to SinB that she meant what she said before they both parted way and do what they were supposed to do - treating patients. Well, SinB do that while Dr. Jung Yerin was doing emergency surgery on the man.

”Does she sounded like she was sleeptalking?” Yuju asks another question which bears a similarity with her previous question.

”I don’t know. How do a sleeptalking person talk sounds like? Sometimes I can’t even differentiate when you were sleeptalking or just talking,” said SinB, giggling with Umji. Yuju always spaced out when she talks, especially at night and they really had mistaken Yuju for talking when she actually sleeptalking a few times.

”I don’t even know how do I sound when I sleeptalk. Maybe you guys can record a video when I talk in my sleep and we can compare. Hehehe.” Yuju grins at the two women and laughs with them.

”What does your heart tells SinB? Is it a genuine confession?” Umji asks, getting right back to business after they had their laughs.

”My heart? What does that get to do with my heart? I thought we listen with our ears?” jeered SinB.

”You have had your share of people confessing to you, probably more than a hundred. So, you must have known if she was really confessing. So, what does you heart tells you?” Umji continues asking, brushing off SinB’s witty remark.

SinB places her hand on her sternum where the heart, the organ is located at and closes her eyes. Then she frowns because her heart is actually thumping hard. Her heart is fluttering?! She originally plans to frown as if she is thinking long and hard but now she is actually frowning wondering why is her heart fluttering.

”I don’t know.” 

SinB said the truth. She doesn’t know why is she feeling what is she currently feeling. She did experience a similar situation once in high school when her crush confessed his feelings to her. Yes, she also has a heart of a girl who has crushes on people. But, she was never interested to be in a relationship, or rather can’t be in a relationship. That is beside the point, she knows exactly why her heart was trembling back then but she is confused as to why is her heart doing this irregular activity right now.

”Hey, SinB-ah. It’s okay. Don’t worry too much. Probably it was nothing. Dr. Jung probably was just sleeptalking. Don’t think too much about it,” Umji her forearm gently and assuring the worried-looking woman in front of her.

”Yeah SinB, it’s okay. You look troubled by it. Let’s go home, shall we? The bed is calling me.” Yuju SinB’s head and holds out her hand to her as she stands, getting ready to leave the cafeteria.

SinB nods her head and stands up. They bring their trays and place them in the designated bins at the corner of the cafeteria. She doesn’t know if this is the effect of working night shift or because of Umji’s question about Dr. Jung Yerin’s confession and her heart, but her mind is boggling and her head is throbbing.

***

Eunha opens the on-call room’s door slightly and peeks through the crack to see if the person she is looking for is in there. Luckily, the person is lying on the upper tier of the bunk bed. She walks in and climbs the ladder, pulls and twists the ear of the sound asleep Jung Yerin. 

”You. Come with me.” Eunha said with her hand still on Yerin’s ear after her friend opens her eyes wincing in pain.

”Eunha-yang, five more minutes please,” begs Yerin as she tries to get Eunha to let go of her now red ear.

”You’ll lose your ear, get up.” Eunha twists Yerin’s ear even more that she could see tears are forming in the woman’s eyes.

Yerin reluctantly and carefully gets up from the bed as her ear might really get detached from her face if she stays lying or move hastily. She is still sleepy and dumbfounded with Eunha’s angry pulling and twisting her ears but gets off the bed slowly with her ear is still being pulled by Eunha. 

”Please Eunha, let’s be civil. Let go of my ear or you will end up with a disfigured soulmate.” Yerin bravely threatened the petite woman who just side-glaring her.

”I can ask Heechul oppa to help me with that.”

Eunha finally lets go of Yerin’s ear when they are walking in the hallway and some interns are eyeing them. Yerin quickly rubs her ear that is red and pained, resulting from Eunha twisting and pulling it. She can even hears a constant ringing in her ears as she was dragged by her ear for more than 20 meters. She didn’t complain though fearing that her other ear might suffer the same consequence if she does and follows Eunha to the cafeteria.

This is Yerin’s second consecutive night in the hospital’s cafeteria but that is not rare for her. Eunha grabs a sandwich while Yerin grabs a burger and a soda before they go to their table, or known as ’Jung Yerin’s nest’. Yerin spends a considerable amount of time at the table that people working in the hospital rarely sit there unless there is absolutely no place available. Yerin eats, sleep, read and rest at the table. She just left her things there, and no one moves them. Yerin is close with the cafeteria owner, Mrs. Lim and the workers that they just leave or kept Yerin’s things for her. 

”What did you do to that girl?” Eunha starts the conversation as she unwraps her sandwich.

”Which girl?” Yerin asks, genuinely have no idea who is Eunha talking about.

”Dr. Hwang SinB. I heard you confessed to her last night?”

”Ahh. Ne.” Yerin said with zero sign of remorse in her voice and expression.

”Tell me exactly what you said to her,” demanded Eunha. She is not jealous, but she wants to confirm if what she heard last night while waiting for the ambulance carrying the victims of the MVA was true.

”I love you SinB-ssi,” Yerin casually repeats what she said last night to SinB in the same spot as they are right now.

”Uhh, I was reading this when I fell asleep last night. Then SinB came and woke me up. And I confessed to her,” Yerin takes the comic book at the corner of the table and flips the pages to where she believed she stopped reading last night before fell asleep.

”You what? So, what I heard was true then?!” exclaimed Eunha causing Yerin to startle.

”You heard it? I don’t think there were people near us last night. Has the news spread already?” Yerin asks, putting down the comic book on the table. She really doesn’t believe people would know about it because as far as she knows, SinB is not the type that gossips.

”She accidentally let it slip last night when we were all waiting for the MVA victims. She looked confused. I think only four of us heard her. Sowon, and her two friends - Umji and Yuju.”

Yerin nods her head, ’oohing’ upon hearing Eunha’s explanation. She expected that those four people will know about her confession but not in this way. Yerin sure SinB will tell her friends, they all live together. And she is planning to tell Sowon who will then pass it to Eunha when they talk during their lunch date or having homemade dinner or snuggling in front of the TV at home. Probably Irene will come to know about it too because the woman somehow always know everything that is going on in Yerin’s life thanks to her loyal resident who can easily pass the test to be a spy.

”Just why did you do that?” Eunha asks, giving half of the second piece of her sandwich to Yerin as she takes Yerin’s burger and eats it.

”Because I love her,” said Yerin, rolling her eyes at Eunha and takes a bite of the sandwich.

Yerin shoots a quizzical stare at Eunha. The woman is asking a weird question tonight. Yerin thought, isn’t it obvious that people confess their feelings to the person that they love. If that is not the reason, why on earth would people confess then? She would expect Sowon to ask her that but that is because sometimes Sowon is clueless and have a pretty strange way of thinking. But, for the question to be asked by Eunha who is smarter, it doesn’t make sense. Well, she admits that Sowon and her are not much of a difference in terms of their weird train of thoughts, but Eunha is the most logical and sensible among them.

Eunha just stares at Yerin who doesn’t look slightly remorse or even understand her concern. She is sure if she do a survey, majority of people will agree with her that it is unconventional, almost insane that someone just says ’I love you’ to a person that she only acquainted professionally for not more than a month and had only talked to for a couple of times. People usually say something on the line of probably liking them or have a feeling of more than a friend first, not straight to ’I love you’. To make it weirder, Yerin didn’t only say she loves the intern, she confessed her feeling right after she woke up, on a hospital cafeteria’s bench. 

”You said I love you to her right after you woke up. Who in their right mind would believe when someone confessed like that? ” Eunha blurted out what she had in mind.

”I told her again I meant it right before we parted ways at the ER. Why wouldn’t people take it seriously? I meant every word I said. I love her,” Yerin said in all honesty.

She doesn’t think there is a flaw in her confession to SinB. Yerin has been trying to tell SinB about her feelings for the past three weeks but she never had an opportunity to talk to her. SinB was not assigned under her service yet, so she doesn’t see the intern on a daily basis. They have bumped into each other in the hallway, in the ER, in the ward, outside of the OR, but there are always people around and they are engaged in some sort of work, she couldn’t have confessed at those times.

Last night when she heard SinB’s soft voice waking her up, she thought she was just dreaming. But when she opens her eyes, there she was, SinB was looking at her and she confessed her feelings. Seeing that SinB might think she was joking or sleeptalking, Yerin assured her that she indeed meant what she said. Yerin even thought she made it clearer when she told the man working at the cafeteria’s counter to put SinB’s spending in her tab and winks at SinB for the second time this morning as she was passing her to get to the ER when her pager went off.

”Are you being serious, Yerin? You confessed, you wink and you pay for her breakfast, and you think that is clear enough to show that you are seriously in love with her?” Eunha asks in disbelief.

”Yeah! Why? How was I supposed to do it then?” Yerin exclaimed in utter confusion and disbelief.

”That’s not how you do it! Well you can...” Eunha stops mid-sentence and facepalms herself. She just remembered that Yerin is loving, caring, great in bed, responsible, charming, chivalrous, but she was never good at confessing her feelings in at least an acceptable way or situation.

Yerin told Eunha she loves her when they were in the toilet stall. Yerin was punished to clean the toilet and Eunha went to visit her to see how she was doing. She badly needed to pee and they both used the toilet at the same time. While they were in the stall, Yerin told her she loves her and asks her to go out on a date as a couple. That’s how they started seeing each other years ago. Before Eunha, Yerin dated Irene.

Yerin confessed to Irene when they were in the change room. Irene was giving Yerin the lunch that her mother packed for Yerin. Irene was horrified at that time seeing Yerin was covered in blood from her head to toe, as anyone should be. And there and then, Yerin asked the horrified woman to be her girlfriend. Well, it was not Yerin’s blood, a patient’s blood vein just burst and Yerin happens to be in the trauma bay attending the case. So, in comparison, Hwang SinB got the most normal and best confession. It didn’t involve some unsanitary activities or horrified appearance.

”Well, I’ll just let her know tomorrow that I really mean what I say and tell her again that I love her,” said Yerin reassuringly and that makes Eunha gives up. Clearly her best friend doesn’t find her confession is concerning that she just reassured Eunha who doesn’t need a reassurance.

They finish their drinks before walking to the basement parking. Yerin is driving Eunha home tonight and will spend the night there so they can go to work together tomorrow morning. Sowon was working morning shift, so she got off work while Eunha was working. Meanwhile, Eunha and Yerin had the evening shift, but Eunha was in surgery so she clocked out a bit late, giving Yerin some time to sleep before she was woken up rather violently.

”Ready to go?” Yerin asks the mid-length black-haired woman in white flare skirt that slightly above the knee, paired with a long-sleeve baby pink shirt who is waiting at the automatic door leading to the parking.

”Yes. Thank you for driving me home. Hi Eunha,” the woman smiles at Eunha before they engaging in a brief hug.

”Hey, Irene.” Eunha said as she hugs the woman who is a few centimetres shorter than her. They trailed behind Yerin towards the woman’s car.

****

Yerin puts down the tray full of drinks on her table. Eunha and Sowon are already sitting there with their lunches. She transfers Eunha’s fruity ice blended, Sowon’s fruit juice, her water, a glass of ice tea and a glass of iced coffee from the tray onto the table.

”So, you really did say you love her after you woke up? That’s better than the last two,” Sowon gives Yerin a thumbs up before drinking her fruit juice that Yerin bought for her.

”Yes. Well, thank you for the compliment.” Yerin smiles and bows elegantly before taking a seat next to the tall woman.

Eunha sighs and shakes her head in disbelief. She asks her girlfriend, ”you didn’t find there’s something seriously wrong with her confession?”. Sowon just pursed her lips downward and shrugs her shoulder wearing the ’what’s the problem?’ expression on her face. Eunha sighs again and starts eating.

”Yah!” Sowon slaps Yerin’s hand as the woman steals a breaded fried squid from her lunch box. Yerin pouts, making a sad, begging face which Sowon totally ignore and takes back the food from Yerin’s hand.

”Omma said thank you for driving me home last night, and the kimchi you gave her.” 

Yerin looks up at Irene and smile from ear to ear when the person and foods she has been waiting finally arrived. The ’goddess on earth’ sits opposite Yerin and smiles back at her. Everyone knows Yerin likes to eat, especially home-cook meals. 

”It is far from the ideal way of confessing your love to someone, but it is way better than what Eunha and I got,” said Irene, starts to open the lunch box that her mother made for Yerin, then opens hers. She always takes care of Yerin first before herself.

Yerin shrugs her shoulder and begins eating after saying her thank you. She nods her head a few times, responding to what her friends are discussing without actually paying attention to what they are saying. Her main focus is the delicious foods in front of her right now. She can cook herself and it’s tasty, the foods in the cafeteria also tasty, but Irene’s mother’s cooking is on another level. It’s delicious and packed with motherly loved feeling. Halfway through her lunch, Irene’s girlfriend shows up with a sour face, grunting as she takes a seat.

”Did your mother just packed her lunch?” Seulgi asks Irene, emphasising ‘her’ in an annoyed tone while slurping the iced coffee.

”You really should stop hating me, kid.” Yerin said coolly.

”Why? It’s not like I seek advice from you like Sowon unnie did,” Seulgi scoffed.

”Omma packed me lunch because I drove her daughter home last night. She didn’t pack yours because your girlfriend cooked and packed your lunch. Wipe that smug off your face, you came begging me for help when you two started dating. Ohh, and I bought you that coffee by the way, you’re welcome.” Yerin looks at Seulgi for a moment before going back to her food.

Irene had already opened the lunch box she prepared for Seulgi in front of the woman who is a few years younger than them. Seulgi smiles brightly when she sees the food and still wears the proud expression on her face, not fazed by Yerin’s words. 

”Ahh...” mutters Irene with a face showing a realisation of something. She then looks at her girlfriend before looking at Yerin and smiles a bit. Seulgi’s face immediately changed from a proud one to a mortified one.

”You really think she wouldn’t have guessed?” said Yerin just to crush Seulgi’s pretend self-conceit personality that she put up whenever Yerin is around Irene.

That girl is actually really friendly and warm but chooses to be self-conceited, proud and scorning in front of Yerin probably trying to enforcing her dominance. She couldn’t care less about it but sometimes Seulgi just act tough and do something without thinking about Irene and it’s hurting her girlfriend in the process more than it’s affecting Yerin.

”Uhh...Yerin, I think you should talk to Sang Min oppa. Your ice princess is arguing with him at the counter,” Sowon said as she directed her gaze at the cafeteria’s counter.

”Huh?” Yerin follow Sowon’s gaze and smiles, unfazed by the scene. ”She is pretty adamant on paying for the food I guess.”

Just then, a burger and a piece of paper is placed in front of Yerin from behind her. Everyone is startled by it but Yerin just smiles and puts up her hand and gives the person who’s standing behind her a thumbs up. 

”I told you so!” Yerin shouts at the person who has already walked away from her without bother looking back. And the person shouts back at her, ”yeah! Enjoy your burger, Dr. Jung.”

That was Dr. Park, the same Dr. Park that did the dressing for Yerin a few weeks ago after the hot coffee incident. They are pretty close and the burger was for losing their bet on whether Irene’s informant, the second year intern a.k.a spy or goes by the name Nayeon has a crush on him. And of course Yerin was right, the intern does and thanks to her she just won herself a burger and a copy of the first year’s interns’ rosters for this month.

”She does bear quite a few resemblances as you. You both are not a fan of people paying for your food. Oh, but you have an exception for home-cooked meals and of course winning a bet. And...obviously you two put on a facade, that cold, austere personality of yours. I can see deep inside her eyes, that girl is as a beagle as you are, Yerin. She did call you Duckie after all,” Sowon lets out a small laugh.

”This cold Jung is a beagle? Is there a monster breed named beagle?” jeered Seulgi.

”Yah, that’s my future wife you are talking about. And that’s all thanks to you, calling me that. You should help preserve some of my coolness. Have you forgotten what I did for you?” complained Yerin, ignoring Seulgi.

”You might not know this Seulgi. But, this Jung over here used to be the hottest stuff in the hospital. She used to be warm and friendly.” Sowon proudly told Seulgi who transferred to the surgical program in the hospital when she was already a third-year resident, the year Yerin started putting on a cold person mask when she is not with her close friends.

”You know how many apology letters I have written in a year? I could have published a novel or guidelines on how to write an apology letter. Those interns and residents...they were the one misunderstood me and then wrote a report saying I was being unfair with the assessment. Tch. I’m tired of writing all those letters.” Yerin continues eating her food after sending the love of her life outside with her gaze.

”That’s becase you were flirty too. Well, she still is. A flirty, dirty-minded hopeless romantic,” adds Irene, glaring sweetly at Yerin.

”I am a romantic person, that, I admit. Not so much on that hopeless part...”

”You sure about that? You just profess your love and need I remind you that you did it in a dubious state. Don’t think anyone would take it seriously,” said Eunha.

”I’m renewing my confession after this,” Yerin smiles happily.

”Renewing a confession? Is that even a thing?” Seulgi asks, scoffing.

”Well...it is for Yerin. She never thought or planned out when she first confesses, and then she will do it again. She did that when we went to the fundraising dinner. She did that with you too, didn’t she Eunha?” Irene looks at Eunha for confirmation.

Eunha nods, smiling as she thinks back on that day, ”yes, at the hospital festival when we went out, just before we went home that night.”

”You really do live in this hospital, don’t you? Even confessed while attending the hospital function,” Seulgi asks, amused with the newly learnt facts about Yerin. Sowon laughs at Seulgi’s conclusion that is totally incorrect, ”not because of that, she would then able to refer to the event calendar for their anniversary.”

”Yah! Sowon-ah! Don’t tell on me. Alright, everyone, I’m going to leave you all for now and go renew my love confession to the owner of this heart.” Yerin gets up, dramatically clenched her scrubs top at the chest and kisses Irene’s cheek, whispering her thank you for the lunch earlier.

**

”May I sit here?” 

SinB looks at other benches around the park. There are still a few benches that are vacant, SinB wonders why is this person asking to sit beside her. She knows sometimes people try to hit on her does this, and she is still on the clock, so, she doesn’t respond to those people trying to hit on her. Well, honestly, if she is not working, she never likes to respond to them.

However, the voice belongs to a woman, although there is a possibility she is trying to hit on her because it had happened in the past, the probability is very low. SinB thought probably the woman just wanted to sit somewhere near the hospital as the vacant benches are quite far. Or probably she doesn’t want to sit alone, but SinB has no intention whatsoever to make small talk with anyone, so she will stay silent as much as she can if the woman starts talking to her.

SinB nods and scoots to her left a bit, holding up her hand, gesturing to the woman that she can sit there. She does all that without even looking at the person who is standing at the side of the bench or mutters a word.

”Is that all you are eating for lunch? You should eat more to have the energy to do all those charts,” the woman asks as soon as she sits on the bench at the park next to SinB. The park is just beside the hospital’s cafeteria. The hospital has a small park equipped with playgrounds, benches and a small pond for the visitors and patients to walk around leisurely.

”Hmm. I got a heavy breakfast this morning.” Not wanting to seem rude, SinB answers the question blindly without even thinking about the person who suddenly sits next to her, asking her that. Only after she takes another bite of her sandwich, she realised that the person just said something related to her work indicating she must be someone working in the hospital too. So, SinB turns to her side to see who the person is.

Dr. Jung Yerin? What is she doing here?

The trauma surgeon shoots her infamous dazzling smile at SinB before unwrapping the burger in her hand, taking a mouthful bite. SinB quickly looks back to the front, not believing her own eyes. She never expected to see the trauma surgeon here, like this. Especially not after what happened two nights ago. SinB silently praying that the trauma surgeon is not going to talk about it. She sighs in relieved when the woman eats her burger in silence.

”Do you like eating sandwich for lunch?” Yerin asks, looking at SinB from the corner of her eyes.

”Emm...sometimes. If I’m eating alone or had a heavy breakfast already,” answered SinB to which Yerin just responded with ’ooh’.

”Speaking of which, can you stop with the food?” SinB said with her voice a bit louder than she intended to, startling the attending and causing her to stop chewing the mouthful bite of the burger that just entered . The woman literally stops moving, the burger is still half inside , half outside .

”No, not that one. Chew and swallow that. I mean at the cafe. It’s weird. My friends are going to think that we are in a relationship, plus I can pay for my own food,” SinB clarifies.

”Ohh. But, we are going to be in a relationship. I’ll tell Sang Min oppa to just put yours in my tab then, not your friends. I know you can, I just want to pay for you-”

”We are not in a relationship, Dr. Jung,” cuts SinB.

”I love you, SinB-ssi. I am not joking the other night. I really do love you. I am renewing my confession and this is a perfect place for it. The view is nice, it’s breezy,” Yerin enunciates every word carefully but in a calm manner.

”You really are a weird person,” muttered SinB.

”Huh? Why? I think it’s quite normal for someone to pay for the meals for their loved ones. Isn’t it normal? And don’t people usually profess their love in a place like this?” Yerin asks.

”Well yes, if they are together. But we are not. So it is weird. And, people don’t go telling they love someone. They usually start with they like the person. Plus, we had only met like... three times,” SinB retorts.

”I love you, that covers the part that I like you too also. I fell in love with you the first time I laid my eyes on you in the on-call room. And I take care of the person I love, this includes but not exhaustive of taking care of their everyday needs such as eating,” Yerin said adamantly.

”I don’t feel the same,” said SinB.

”We can work on that. I’ll be courting you and show you how much I love you. You’ll feel the same way as me after that.” Yerin said casually, looking at SinB’s profile, smiling. 

”I am not planning to be someone’s girlfriend. And I am not into girls,” SinB persistently rejecting the trauma surgeon’s confession.

”You don’t have to be into girls. You just have to like and love me, not other girls. And I am not planning to make you my girlfriend. I’m going to make you my wife,” Yerin said confidently.

What did she just say? Her wife? Is she crazy? ”I don’t want to get tied in a relationship,” SinB said firmly, still rejecting the stubborn, crazily overconfident trauma surgeon.

”You won’t,” said Yerin in a reassuring tone while shaking her head slowly.

”Of course I will! People are getting tied to the person they are involved with.” SinB starting to lose her cool, half-screaming at the attending who still looks calm, smiling happily, relentlessly convincing SinB to accept her feelings.

”Being with me is not going to make you feel like that. People said being with me doesn’t feel like being in a relationship,” Yerin tries to reason with SinB.

”Then what’s the point of being together? I don’t like being forced,” reasoned SinB.

”Because we love each other? I won’t force you. I’ll wait for you, SinB-ssi. I love you, I will wait for you to accept me and then I’ll ask you to marry me.” 

”Haih. You are impossible to talk to,” clamours SinB frustratedly.

”I’m not. I’m a good listener. Try me,” Yerin said in utter excitements, turning to her side, looking at SinB with anticipation.

Did she even listen to herself just now? ”I just did! And you talked back. Every. Single. Time.” SinB drinks her water to cool herself down, avoiding eye contact with the trauma surgeon’s puppy eyes.

”I simply answered your question and reassuring you. You want me to just listen to you? Okay. I will do that.” Yerin gestures an ’okay’ sign with her hand and smiles jovially at SinB. 

”See? I’m a good listener. That’s a good characteristic for a girlfriend, boyfriend, lover, partner, wife, husband, whichever do you prefer. I don’t really bother with labels.” Yerin said proudly.

”No. No. I’m not asking you to. We are not together, you don’t have to listen to me,” SinB shakes her head rapidly while waving her hand sideways, vehemently disagreeing with Yerin.

”Oh? Okay, then. I won’t listen to you then. And I’ll keep courting you and win your heart, then.” Yerin nods her head, looking determined as ever. 

SinB was about to say something when the trauma surgeon’s pager went off. The intern waited for the attending to check her pager before saying what she had in mind to rebut Yerin’s self-proclaim resolution from her words of rejection.

”I’m sorry, SinB-ssi. I have to go. There’s an emergency.” Yerin smiles apologetically at SinB before standing up and bows slightly before walking towards the hospital’s building.

”No, it’s okay. Go save lives, Dr. Jung.” SinB also stands up and returns the attending’s bow. She is actually happy that the trauma surgeon has to go because her head is about to explode talking to her which feels like a lost cause.

”See?! I told you, it doesn’t feel like you are in a typical relationship. I sometimes had to run off like this. And you too Dr. Hwang, go save lives. And save me and my heart too!” shouted Yerin, smiling with a tad excited, while still walking towards the main building with her head looking back at SinB.

”Look-” 

Baam!!! 

”-out!”

SinB shakes her head in disbelief. She tried to warn the attending, but the woman already bumped into a middle school boy who is struggling to open an orange juice’s bottle. The bottle’s cap went flying along with its content onto Yerin’s scrubs. The attending bowing and apologising to the student and his mother repeatedly. She buys a new bottle of orange juice at the nearby vendor and gives it to the boy before darting towards the main building. Amidst the commotion and running, Yerin managed to shoot a playful wink at SinB, shouting happily, ”you care about me, thank you!”.

SinB shakes her head in mirth, her lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

”Wait. Did I just accept her confession? No, I didn’t, didn’t I? What just happened? Arghhhh!!!” SinB said to herself, not bothering if people could hear her. She blinks her eyes, tries to relive the past ten minutes of her life just now and figures out what happened between her and the trauma surgeon.

”Arghhh!!!” once again, a frustrated howl finds it way out of SinB’s mouth.

***

Sowon bumps into Yerin at the ER as she is being paged as well. Her eyes are being glued to Yerin’s scrubs’ top hem and crotch that is wet.

”Did she reject you and scared you until you wet yourself?” Sowon asks still couldn’t get her eyes off Yerin’s crotch region.

”I bumped into a boy, that’s his orange juice. She did reject me but I think not fully? And she did make me wet, not that you can see where it is but I believe you know where it is. You know how hot an angry woman can be.” Yerin winks at Sowon as she dons the blue gown on top of her scrubs.

”You really don’t know how to take a rejection, do you?” Sowon asks, shouting a bit as Yerin is already on the move.

”She likes me too! Shouldn’t be long until she falls in love with me. And I love her!” Yerin shouted back ecstatically before vanishes alongside one of the gurneys being wheeled in.

SinB halted her step at the hallway that is full of people. She witnessed the exchange between the trauma surgeon and her friend, the tall and beautiful pediatric surgeon. She couldn’t believe her ears. Other people doesn’t know what the two are talking about, but she knows exactly what it is because she was the subject of the banter. Her eyes widen, her jaw almost drop to the ground and she can feel her blood is boiling up in her head, feeling like she is being treated unfairly.

”In which part of my speech that indicates I like her?!” grunted SinB.

”Hey, I think we will get close soon, best of luck, kiddo!” 

SinB looks up as her hair is being ruffled by someone only to met Sowon’s kind eyes. The pediatric surgeon smiles as she passes by and disappears behind a trauma bay’s curtain leaving the dumbfounded SinB frozen in the middle of the busy hallway.