Taeyeon, Her Impossibly Good-looking Ex, and The Ice Princess.

“Please don't kick us out of the program.” Taeyeon squeaks, eyes b with actual tears. She has never been this scared. Never felt this small too. The senior doctor in front of her throws her for a loop. There's a sense of unrivaled authority in the way he carries himself. Taeyeon instantly knows that this is the man that can either build or put an abrupt end to her career.

“Thirty-two minutes late.” Doctor Webber, the head of Surgery Department, peers over his sunglasses at the two new interns. “On your first day.”

“But we-”

“Saved a man from a severe allergic reaction. I know.” The tall, dark, commanding figure takes a sniff from the cup of coffee in his hand, sighing. “Jessica told you to give me this?”

“Yes, sir. Java Arabica with one and a half shot of cream.” Yuri grins her usual innocent grin.

“Yureeeee.” Taeyeon hisses, pulling at Yuri's coat a little, hoping her friend could look a little more apologetic. They are practically in life or death situation here.

“That kid knows me too well.” Doctor Webber takes a slow sip from the cup, inhaling deeply as if the dark liquid has added another ten years to his life. “Fine. Get into a scrub and find Doctor Jung on the fifth floor for orientation.”

“Yes!” Yuri jumps, nearly hugs the doctor but Taeyeon stops her right before impact.

“Thank you so much, Doctor Webber.” Taeyeon wipes her tears, dragging Yuri away. “Thank you so much.”

“Doctor Jung? We need to see doctor Jung?” Taeyeon asks a passing nurse as soon as she and Yuri reach the fifth floor. Each of them already put on a blue scrub, the sanitary top and trousers for doctors and nurses.

“Which Doctor Jung?” The nurse, whose scrub is yellow with tiny white flower prints, doesn't even look up from the chart she's holding.

“Ummmm.”

“Gorgeous Jung or fierce Jung?” Throwing a glance, the nurse smiles a cynical one. “Ah, new interns. Gorgeous Jung for first-day orientation then. He is in the gallery.”

“Gallery?”

“Turn left, the last door on the right.”

Yuri dashes before the nurse even finish her sentence. Taeyeon still has it in her to say thank you before practically tumbling head over heels after Yuri.

“This is the room where you guys can observe surgery directly.” A smooth honey-like voice greets Taeyeon's ear when she enters the designated room. Her fellow interns are flocking around a man who has his back on them. The man's palms are pressed on the oval glass wall overlooking an operation theatre below. His broad shoulder and thick black hair are such a view from behind. “The room where you can learn from every victory and mistake your senior makes.”

That voice. Why is it sounds so familiar to Taeyeon's ear?

“This gallery has witnessed so many impossible procedures made possible and one day, some of you will be lucky enough to perform such procedure down there.” He turns around displaying a face so attractive, so symmetrical, he might as well be an angel hiding two majestic wings under that white long coat.

“Holy .” Yuri shrieks, grabbing Taeyeon's hand.

Taeyeon can't even gasp anymore. Stand before her is the man she used to know so well.

“Ah, the late ones. Come forward, please. Introduce yourselves. I'm doctor Jung Yunho. A junior attending in this hospital."

Taeyeon can feel her stomach churns. Her feet suddenly turn into dead weight. Their fellow interns part into two groups, giving way for the two of them to come up front. That's when Taeyeon's eyes meet those gorgeous eyes she often has a nightmare about.

“Oh, God.” Doctor Jung's eyes go round. “Taeyeon?”

Missing the bin on the floor by an inch, Taeyeon throws up.

“I'm pulling out of this program.” Holding back tears, Taeyeon lets Yuri helps her out of the soiled scrub top. “I'll hand Doctor Webber's my resignation letter tomorrow.”

“You can't do that.” Yuri sighs, chucking the smelly cloth into a clear plastic bag on the restroom vanity. “You can't just give up.”

“I can't do this with him around either.” Grabbing a sheet of tissue from the dispenser on the wall, Taeyeon wipes her undershirt in case there's vomit left there too.

“Yes, you can. You have to. Take off the pants and the shoes too, Tae. They are soiled.”

“I don't have extra shoes.”

“I already borrow a pair from another intern.”

“There are many other hospitals out there, Yuri.” Getting out of her shoes, Taeyeon gazes up at the ceiling. “I'll just need to re-apply.”

“You think? Chance is you have to wait at least another semester, Taeyeon. Six months of wasted times. Tons of money we both know you can't afford. None of that hospital has half of what this hospital can offer too. This program is your best chance.”

Defeated by the logic, Taeyeon sighs. Tears well up in her eyes again.

“Come on, now. Be strong. Get into this fresh scrub and start again.”

Taeyeon shakes her head. It feels so difficult just to think about it.

“You can do this. Yunho is just an from your past.” Yuri rubs Taeyeon's arms. “You can't just give up your dream career upon that bastard. He did nothing but hurt you, remember?"

At the mention of her ex, Taeyeon tears fall.

“Oh, no. Taeyeon, come on.”

She can't stop it. Her tears pour on their own. All the heartbreak suddenly came alive again, hurting her barely healing heart. When she feels Yuri's arms around her shoulders, Taeyeon sobs.

“Taeyeon. Taeyeon. Look at me. This is not you. You are stronger than this. Stop crying.”

“I can't.”

“You have to. We already messed up this first day so bad. We need to rebound. I can't do it alone. I need you.”

“How? I can't even see Yunho's face without this stupid anxiety attack gnawing on my stomach.”

“You can. Think about Hayeon. Think about anything else but him.”

At the mention of her beloved sister, Taeyeon looks up.

“You can't fail this. Not for an undeserving man. Your sister is counting on you. Alright?”

Taeyeon nods, still feel a little unsure but have no other choice but to carry on.

“Good.” Yuri squeezes Taeyeon's tiny body into another hearty hug. “Now smile. We're gonna face this together.”

Sighing, Taeyeon tries to put on a brave face.

“Smile, Taeyeon. Like this.” Still has her hands around Taeyeon, Yuri grins down. “ I didn't hug your vomit-slathered body for a grimace.”

She tries again, happy to know she has such a caring best friend. “Thank you, Yuri.”

“Now that's better. We're keeping this smile until the end of this program, alright? No matter what Yunho says or does."

She nods again.

“You know that you stink like Frankie the dead frog we had to dissect in high school, don't you?”

“Do I?” Taeyeon grins, hugging Yuri tighter. “Happy to know I'll always have you to rub off on. I think I still have some of that vomit on my trousers. Here!”

Yuri shrieks, cursing as she tries to push Taeyeon away. Taeyeon laughs, trapping Yuri's in her arms. When Yuri splashes her with water from the faucet, she splashes back.

“If you both are done groping each other, two interns are needed to deliver all Dr. Webber's lab results.”

The toneless voice coming from the door of the restroom effectively stops the two from jesting around. Taeyeon lets go of Yuri, looking up at the source of command but immediately looks down again. The eyes staring at her are somehow so fiery looking it weaks Taeyeon's knees.

“Hi.” Yuri grins. “Sorry, we're just-”

“Get it done in an hour then get back to me. You two are on my service.” The girl slaps a stack of lab result envelopes on the vanity, narrowing her eyes once more at Taeyeon. She then turns around and leaves, simply flipping her ponytail not even care to throw another look let alone pass Yuri and Taeyeon a sweet smile.

“But-”

“Come on.” Taeyeon puts on the borrowed shoes, grabbing the folders. “Let's split these so we can finish quickly.”

Yuri still has slightly parted, staring at the open door. “That's the girl right?”

“What girl?”

“Jessica? The one who saved us earlier.”

“Yeah. Why?”

“She didn't smile.”

“She's a resident, Yuri. A resident doesn't smile to interns.”

“But the Jessica I met earlier was so sweet.”

“Well. People change. Come on, hurry. You said it yourself, we need to rebound.” Taeyeon pushes Yuri's dazed form out of the restroom. The works at hand suddenly make her forget about her impossibly-good-looking ex.

“This is the craziest thirty hours of my life. The craziest.” Yuri throws herself beside Sunny who's already slouching on a broken hospital bed eating potato chips from a 500g bag.

There are about thirty new interns listed under Kwon Jiyoon Teaching Hospital this semester. Nine of them has grown extra close on the first few hours and now stealing some break on a quiet alley far back into the hospital where a few broken beds and wheelchairs line the wall.

“My diet is gone. I'm gonna stress eating for the rest of my internship.” Sunny shoves the bag under Taeyeon's nose. “Doctor Ok made me do about ten thousand stitches down the clinic then complained about how ugly they were. He said I shall never consider a career in plastic surgery because I will surely turn my every patient into Frankenstein.”

“Ugh.” Taeyeon pushes the bag away, jumping onto the bed feeling queasy. “At least your resident gave you a chance to practice your stitching skill. Mine had me perform every rectal exam for the day. I stuck my fingers up twenty-five patients' asses today. Twenty-five! My appetite is gone for this lifetime.”

“Ewwww.” Sooyoung stops munching her cupcake and opens her eyes lazily from the wheelchair she's sitting on. “Is that the punishment for being late or does your resident just hate you?”

“See? That's what I can't put my finger on.” Yuri adds, reaching into the bag of chips and stuffs a handful into . “We met doctor Jung earlier yesterday all nice and helping but then without explanation, she turned all ice princess on us."

"Right. Ice princess. Cold and bitter." Closing her eyes, Taeyeon shudders at the thought of being Jung Jessica's subordinate for more than a day.  This first shift already feels a lot like torture.

"She made me do a gazillion scut duties without even glancing at me. Simply spewed orders my way like I'm a garbage bin." Slouching, Yuri gazes at the ceiling. "I thought she is an angel. How does she become so devilish so soon?"

“She earns her nickname alright. Fierce Jung.” On Irene's lap, Jackson is yawning widely with what looked like a banana peel covered his eyes. “She scolded Irene so bad, Irene bawled her eyes out.”

“Don't exaggerate. I did not bawl.” Irene frowns, flicking Jackson's ear.

“Please, Dr. Jung. I'm just nervous. I can find the vein. Give me another chance, Dr. Jung.” Jackson sits up on the bed, imitating Irene's crying sound while wrapping a hand around her. “You were all but bowing on the floor in front of her today, baby. And Suho? Fierce Jung has Suho baptized as her PA. He picked up coffee and laundry for her.”

“Really, Suho? Those have nothing to do with practicing medicine.” Taeyeon looks at Suho, the quietest in their group. Suho just grimaces shyly, continue debating sport with Jay and Onew on the corner.

“Wow, she is fierce.” Taeyeon rests her head on Yuri's shoulder. “I'm so glad that there is intern rotation. At least I don't have to endure the Ice Princess all year long.”

Sunny snorts. “You think?”

“Sunny...” Taeyeon stares at Sunny in a warning. Everybody knows that Sunny's father is a stakeholder of the company that owns the hospital. Her older sister was an attending in this hospital for ten years too. Sunny knows stuff.

“Some attending can keep their favorite intern or resident longer than scheduled. It's only a matter of power-play sometime.”

Taeyeon groans, hoping that Jung Jessica doesn't have enough power to play.

“Well, I believe I'm not Ice Princess' favorite.” Yuri grabs another handful of chips, using her other hand to pat Taeyeon's head. “She can't ev