Residency is . Complete . After her adrenaline wore off in the first twelve hours, Kyungha honestly just wanted to collapse on the nearest hospital bed and pass out. She could only hope that the five shots of espresso she had throughout the day would keep her up and running.

And she was pissed. Kyungha was surviving on no sleep, and she had a twenty-three-hour shift. As of now, it was one in the morning, and she had five more hours to go. She didn’t know how long she could go on. This was all Oh Sehun’s fault. If only he—she falters. There was no point in blaming him. She wasn’t a child.

This was work, and she was determined to keep her private life out of it.

“Kyungie, do you have any salonpas?” Seulgi asks when the two are looking over the paperwork for the recent outpatients.

Kyungha shakes her head. “Sorry, I don’t.”

The nurse—Elise—nearby them smiles at the two of them. “Are y’all new?”

Seulgi nods reproachfully. “How do you do this?” She cries quietly, flipping through her chart.

Elise chuckles. “You’ll get used to it, honey.”

“Ugh, I don’t think I want to.” She groans in contempt.

Kyungha gives her an encouraging nudge. “I’m going to go walk around. You can take a nap if you want.”

Seulgi’s eyes sparkle at her suggestion. “I love you!” She gives Kyungha a kiss on the cheek before running off energetically.

Elise and Kyungha share an amused look. She excuses herself, heading to the emergency room.

Kim Jongdae is lounging nearby, speaking to the head nurse, and if she didn’t know any better, they were definitely flirting. She strolls over quietly, stopping just short of the two.

“Dr. Kim,” she acknowledges with a slight nod.

He flashes her a grin. “Hey! Um—er, what was your name again?”

“Dr. Kim, you are insufferable,” the head nurse comments with a shake of her head. “Sorry, my husband’s kind of stupid. Nice to meet you, I’m Bae Suji, but most people just call me Suzy.”

Kyungha nods politely. “Do Kyungha, nice to meet you too.”

Jongdae leans forward. “So you’re new right? Can I just call you Kyungha?”

“Yes and yes,” she replies.

Suzy chuckles. “You’re not much of a talker, are you? My sister is a chatterbox. She will just not shut up.” Her eyes flash with certainty. “My sister’s actually here too. Bae Joohyun? Do you know her?”

Kyungha nods again, and maybe that’s really all she does. “We’re being taught together.”

Jongdae beams. “Well, I’m just gonna apologize in advance for you. She has a severe case of iness when she’s—“

His head flies forward, and Joohyun is standing right behind him with her palm up. Kyungha is guessing that he just got hit. “Just because you're married to my sis does not give you the right to talk about me.”

He shivers and rubs the back of his head. “Christ, do you have supersonic hearing?”

Joohyun ignores her brother-in-law, and instead, smiles at her sister. “What time do you get off?”

Suzy hums, “at 2 AM.”

“Lucky,” Kyungha and Joohyun drone in unison. They stare at each other for an awkward beat before sharing an exhausted look.

Suzy claps her hand together. “Both of you are so cute. I just love interns. Y’all are like babies—all fresh-faced. I feel like a hag in comparison.”

Jongdae clicks his tongue. “You're being too humble, darling. Your skills in bed don’t match up with what you’re claiming.”

Suzy smiles endearingly. “Ignore this dirty bastard. I don’t know him.”

Joohyun shakes her head, throwing Jongdae a distasteful frown. “Why can’t you be more like Dr. Oh?”

Jongdae harrumphs, “Sehun’s an even more arrogant son of a than me.”

“Language, Kim Jongdae,” Suzy warns.

“Sorry, babe,” he apologizes easily.

Joohyun sighs, “he’s just so dreamy, you know? I was following him around today in Peds. His back is perfect and all sorts of amazing. It really makes you wonder if he’s real. Gah, and he’s got brains too.”

Kyungha grows antsy all of a sudden. All this talk of Oh Sehun is giving her rash, and she wants to dip if she’s being honest.

Jongdae ruffles Joohyun’s hair until it’s a disheveled mess. “Focus on your work, moron. Just so you know, Sehun likes girls who have their together. You don’t fit that category, Joo-Joo.”

“Don’t call me that, . I’m not ten!”

“Then don’t act like one. Sehun’s more likely to date Kyungha. You should be like her. She’s pleasant—way more than you could ever be,” Jongdae states this as a matter of fact.

Kyungha snorts, “I don’t date deceiving s.” And by the time she realized she said it aloud, everyone’s already heard her, loud and clear. She suddenly wishes she never met Oh Sehun, so she could actually sleep at night and therefore, she could actually function as a human being and not let loose some word vomit.

Jongdae blinks. “I did not expect that from you, Kyungha. The quiet ones are the rowdiest ones in the crowd or so it seems.”

Joohyun smirks, “exactly, Dr. Kim. Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Jongdae rolls his eyes at her snarky comment.

Suzy inches closer to her from behind her desk. “So,” she sings. “You both have history?”

Kyungha backs up stiffly. “Er—ah. We don’t.” It comes out too sharp and unnatural. The three of them share a look. They know it’s a blatant lie.

Joohyun leans closer as well, completely ignoring the confinements of personal space. “Spill, sis. I need to know everything about him to take my shot.”

Her stomach flips unexpectedly. Joohyun was interested in him, and it was perfectly fine. She’s pretty, and Sehun’s type. Why did Kyungha’s chest suddenly feel so tight? It didn't make sense. She shouldn’t care. She and Sehun were separate individuals. What either of them do is solely up to them.

But Kyungha can’t seem to convince herself. At least, not this minute. She blames it on the lack of sleep.

Her jaw clenches, but she manages a polite smile. “There’s nothing between us. We’re only acquainted because he’s close to my older brothers.” She hopes it sounds natural because Kyungha isn’t completely lying.

Jongdae snaps his fingers. “Wait, are you Kim Jongin’s little sister? I’m pretty sure I saw you at one of his movie premiers. Ah, that’s why you looked so familiar…”

“He’s married to my brother, so yes.”

Suzy asks, “how old are you, Kyungha? Are you the same age as Joo-Joo?”

“I’m twenty,” she replies casually. There’s silence as if the three of them are waiting for her to finish answering. Kyungha blinks in confusion, glancing between the other three. “Is there something wrong?”

Jongdae’s jaw is unhinged, and he opens and closes it, but nothing comes out. Joohyun answers instead. “I thought you were my age! W-what? You’re saying you’re twenty, as in two-zero?”

Kyungha yawns in her arm. “That’s correct.”

“Oh my god, you’re 14 years younger than me,” Suzy gasps. “So you definitely weren’t lying when you said Sehun and you weren’t involved romantically.”

Kyungha should be glad that it’s been cleared up, but Suzy’s statement makes her uneasy. Sehun and Kyungha’s always had a whopping between them, but it wasn’t like he was fifty and she was twenty. She wasn’t a gold digger. So what was the problem? Why did everyone always react the same way? Was their that inhibiting? Was it hard to believe that they could date?

Not that she wanted to date him. Never. It wasn’t a possibility. But Kyungha couldn’t help wonder why people were so simple-minded. What she did was none of their business anyway.

“What’s wrong with them dating?” But it didn’t come out of Kyungha’s mouth. Joohyun was the one who asked it.

Jongdae snorts, “is that a question?”

She doesn’t look like she’s joking. “I’m serious. I don’t think age is a problem. If they’re two consenting adults, why the hell not? Besides, it’s none of our business what goes on between them anyway.”

Suzy reflects on this. Her eyes flash with apology when she glances at Kyungha. “Joo-Joo’s right. Sorry for being ignorant.”

Kyungha is surprised and…guilty. At first glance, she thought Joohyun seemed like the typical female. The girl was bubbly and didn’t seem to care much about anything else but herself, but just now, her words made Kyungha feel solace.

She was definitely lacking sleep. She didn’t need other people to feel better about herself. Kyungha only needed her own strength. If she got too used to depending on someone, she’d grow weak, but still, she couldn't help but feel thankfulness to the girl beside her.

Jongdae offers her a kind smile, something she didn't think he was capable of. But, she’d be stupid to assume that people couldn’t surprise her. After all, she’s been proven wrong, and Kyungha’s used to being right.

“Sir, can you please tell me your name?” Kyungha asks, trying to ignore the stank of alcohol wafting from the man sitting across from her.

He grumbles, “I just gave the nurse or whatever she was my name. Why don’t you ask her?”

She continues, ignoring his attitude, “it’s protocol. I just need to make sure you are what the chart and your wristlet says.”

“Doctors and their ing superiority—oh for s sakes,” he mumbles under his breath. She can still hear him. He isn’t doing a very good job. “Mam’, I don’t even want to be here. What makes you think I’m going to do what you say?”

She maintains her calm and answers him, “I understand—“

His nostrils flare. “What the do you understand? Geez, I can’t deal with ing women. Is there a male doctor?”

Kyungha’s jaw ticks. Not because he was drunk out of his mind. Not because he was giving her attitude. Not because he was blatantly being ist. But because he wasting her time and resources.

Based on his symptoms—stomach cramps, nausea, rigid abdomen, fever and sharp pain in his right iliac—she’d suspected appendicitis. If caught early, she could be helping him with pain management and send him to an OR as quickly as possible, but he was not cooperating. And if he’d continue to be stubborn, he’d ascend into peritonitis and be in even more excruciating pain and possibly dying.

“I’m sorry that my presence is upsetting you, but there are no other doctors available at this time of night as it is currently 3 AM. If you could just calm down, I can offer you some solutions to help with the pain that’s currently making you temperamental—“

“Don’t try that doctor jargon on me! I told you I want a male doctor! Is that how you bastards run this place? I came here because I thought this big, fancy hospital would listen to me.”

Kyungha assuages, “sir, I assure you. I am listening to you, and I’m insisting that it’s best for you to calm down—“

“I won’t calm down!” He huffs. Then, he flicks his eyes at her, sizing her body up. Kyungha feels dirty from the way his eyes absorb every inch of her. “You’re just a pretty face, anyway. What do you know?” He pauses to sneer at her. “You’re an intern, right? I haven’t seen you here before.”

She refuses to scream because even though he’s stepping all over her, she was going to do her job and help him. Even if the first thing on her mind is strangling him, and even if he deserves his pain, it wasn’t her place to make a judgment on his character and what he deserved. She was a doctor, and she’d made a pledge. Like hell she’d let him break her work ethic.

“I may be inexperienced, but I can still try to help you—“

“Why would I want your help? Let me see a real doctor!” He’s cutting her off again, and Kyungha is at her last wit. She was running out of words to say—at least words that didn’t start with profanities that would have her dad rolling in his grave.

Before she can attempt to speak, the sound of rubber soles squeaking on the shiny linoleum behind her interrupts her train of thoughts.

“Greg, I see that you’re here again.” Kyungha recognizes Sehun’s voice. How could she forget the husky quality of it? Or the way it seems to brush past her bitterness and make its way into her ears, assuaging her own discomfort? He shouldn’t be the one to assuage her. She was supposed to calm down her patient, but Kyungha’s the one speechless and irate, and Sehun is the one who’s coming to her rescue.

She can hardly have any more contempt toward him. Her heart can’t handle it.

Greg AKA the drunk clears his throat nervously. “Dr. Oh…” He stammers. Then with a flush, he comments with indignation, “are you the only doctor around here or something? Goddamn it.”

Sehun smiles his usual charming smile, but Kyungha senses some irritation behind it, which is surprising. She’s never seen him upset toward anyone, not even with Taeyong when he was being a spoiled brat.

“I just missed you, Greg. Believe me. It's not like you come here all the time,” Sehun mocks playfully.

The man on the bed looks like he’s stuck between deciding to laugh or be offended. Too late. Kyungha’s already decided for him. He’s too much of an idiot to tell that Sehun’s mocking him out of pure dislike and not goodheartedness.

“So, what’s going on here, Dr. Do?” He asks, stepping toward the hand sanitizer bottle in the back of the room.

She answers reluctantly, “Greg Forehand, age forty-seven. He shows symptoms including fever, nausea, pain in his lower right abdominal region. I suspect that it’s appendicitis. Suzy told me that his pain level is at seven as of right now.”

Sehun nods, “alright, Greg. I’m going to press against your stomach for a few seconds. Tell me where you feel the most pain.”

Kyungha watches the drunk man who had previously given her a hard time obey Sehun. She can’t help but feel the blatant ism slap her in the face. She’s used to it. She should be used to it by now. In university, it’s always been the biggest problem she’s faced. Being younger than everyone else and a girl made her a target to male professors who had old-fashion mindsets.

She’s annoyed, but for some reason, it’s not at Sehun or Greg. She doesn’t have anyone to blame. It’s a societal problem. Too many people do it every day of their life. What could a twenty-year-old do or say to change that?

After Sehun inspects Greg, he turns to her. “Meet me outside for a minute.” Then, he faces Greg again. With a polite smile, he says, “Dr. Do will be back in a couple of minutes to prep you for surgery. I’m going to borrow her.”

Kyungha begins to follow him, but he stops in the doorway, and she walks right into his rock-hard back. She holds in a pained groan, clutching her chin.

“By the way, Greg. I have a condition before I do your surgery,” Sehun states.

The man furrows his forehead. “What do you want me to do?

“Thank her. Dr. Do has just begun working yesterday, and she’s probably been here since 8 AM, but I haven’t heard her complain a single word. She managed to diagnose you, and I can tell you that most interns don't have the confidence to do what she just did—and nor do they have the patience to endure your treatment.” Sehun heaves a breath and continues, “I expect both an apology and a thanks.”

Greg is rendered silent as he stares awkwardly between the two doctors. It’s like he can’t decide to be offended or surprised that he’s been talked back to by Sehun, the most pleasant person the world has to offer.

Kyungha is also silent when she follows Sehun out. He closes the door behind them gently and faces her in the hallway. “He’s a regular,” Sehun explains pointedly. “He usually comes here for opioids, but he’s just been lucky enough to face a life-threatening situation.”

She purses her lips. “I’m not going to thank you for whatever you just did. I didn’t ask you to stand up for me. I could’ve handled the situation myself—I’ll have you know that.”

Sehun breaks into a smile, but to her surprise, she can’t detect any irritation in it. “You're welcome, sweetheart. Ask Suzy to help you prep him for surgery and page me when you’re done. Find Charity and tell her to assist me as well. You can do that, right?” And he’s mocking her. .

Kyungha snorts, “I’ll see you later.” Then, she turns to head back inside Greg’s room. Now, she’s just like Greg. She can’t decide whether to be amused or pissed at Sehun.

Her sense of balance is swayed, making Kyungha startle awake. She hears a slight oomph, forcing her to turn her head to look up at the person carrying her in his arm. “Don’t struggle, sweetheart. I don’t wanna drop you.”

Against her will, she relaxes when she realizes it’s Sehun, again. “Why are you carrying me?”

“You didn’t have to wait for the surgery to finish, you know? You could’ve had a quick shut-eye until I paged you.”

Kyungha looks away. “He was my patient. I wanted to make sure he was okay,” she drawls, uncomfortable with the fact she was sharing her thoughts with the man she’s been trying to avoid for years.

Sehun laughs quietly. “Right, because sleeping on the floor outside of the OR is more comfortable than a bed.”

“Shut up,” she shot, embarrassed.

He continues laughing, and her surrounding changes. She’s in a dark room. There are multiple bunks, but it looks like no one’s occupied this room in ages. He places her on one of the bottom bunks to the right. He even has the liberty of tucking her in. “Sleep,” he urges.

Kyungha wants to fight him on this matter. Her first patient had just come out of surgery. She should be checking up on him and filling out his chart, but for once, she wanted to listen to Sehun. Her eyes were too heavy, and she was increasingly losing the fight with her consciousness.

Her vision blurs as the comforting smell of Sehun and his warm, big hands her head pushes her to slumber.

She promises herself that this is the only time she’ll ever heed his words, but for the first time in ages, Kyungha wasn't sure she could keep that promise.