Unsurprisingly, Chaewon and Minjoo met up the next night as they arranged before and they never stopped talking. Be it the busy surgeon schedule or the actress with pre-drama broadcast promotional activities lined up, they continuously kept in contact through texts. 

Chaewon opens the picture that Minjoo sends over and frowns. She reads the text in the next message and snorts.

Minjoo

Look at my glow in the dark nails.

Chaewon

How freaky is this at night.

Chaewon smirks at her own reply and puts her phone on her desk. She removes her doctor’s coat and hangs it on the stand. Chaewon takes her hair tie and brings her hair together, forming only a little tail because of how short her hair is. She pins all the loose strands up and finishes neatly with her favourite scrub cap - Nako picked it for her, a design filled with ice creams and sweets. It may seem childish and unusual for a 40-year-old neurosurgeon but Chaewon likes it as it is. Her phone buzzes.

Minjoo

Do you really want to know? 

Minjoo adds a smirking emoticon at the end leading Chaewon to send a deadpanned emoticon back.

Minjoo

Look at what I am eating! I love it not even because I endorse it.

A picture of a box of cheeseballs comes through and Chaewon shakes her head. She types her reply as she walks up to the surgical floor.

Chaewon

I haven’t eaten as many as you but I should probably try it again soon.

Especially this brand since someone is blatantly raving about it.

Okay can’t talk anymore, going into surgery. Ttyl.

She puts the phone on silent and pockets it, then doing the routine she can execute even in her sleep. Chaewon thoroughly goes through the surgical hand wash, focused on this simple but vastly important step. She releases the pedal she was stepping on that controls the flow of water, keeping her hands raised as she walks into her surgical room.

“Everything is ready, Dr Kim.” Wonyoung says once Chaewon enters the room.

“And the time starts now.”

That last text conversation took place at 10am when Minjoo was at the beauty shop getting her hair and makeup ready for today’s activities. It is now 8pm and Minjoo is guessing the surgeon may still be in surgery. She hasn’t gotten over the shock of learning how tough Chaewon’s job is and an eye-opening information when Chaewon told her the other day about her 12-hour surgery. I wonder if it is another 12 hours today? Minjoo finishes the last bit of her rice and puts down her spoon. She is with her staff having dinner after work today.

Finally, Minjoo’s drama is broadcasting in a couple days so today is the last of her pre-drama promotional activities. There was the press conference along with a slew of interviews from magazines, to online news sites, to television. She should probably only think about going home to get her well-earned rest but there is someone that is lingering in the back of her mind. 

“Is there a ‘Monster chicken’ branch nearby?” She asks Chaeyeon. 

The manager looks perplexed at the question. “I think there’s one right next door. You still want cheeseballs after having them this morning?!” 

Minjoo gives her a shrug.

Chaeyeon gets a box for Minjoo along with an additional request for chicken. The manager hands the plastic bag to Minjoo who is waiting by the car and the manager gets even more confused when Minjoo gets off her seat. “Thank you unnie. I’ll grab a cab myself, you guys can go home and rest.”

“Why does this feel eerily familiar.” Chaeyeon stares suggestively at Minjoo as she puts on her mask and dons a bucket hat. 

“Nothing you have to worry about. Really. I am just being a nice friend.” Minjoo pats Chaeyeon on the arm and walks away, not even giving the manager a chance to respond. Chaeyeon watches as the bright woman gives her a big wave and she can only shake her head and enter the driver’s seat. 

Minjoo stares at the extensive directory the hospital has in the main area of the ground floor lobby. The huge electronic screen displays everything from the map of each floor and allows users to interact to find more specifics. Minjoo plays with the options and under neurosurgery there are still many places Chaewon can be. Since she hasn’t replied me, she probably is still on the surgical floor. 

Minjoo takes the elevator up. Nobody has recognised her yet because it is not crowded at this time plus they likely have more important things to focus on. When the elevator arrives, Minjoo steps out and looks around. Everything on her left is restricted and that is presumably the operation rooms. Therefore, Minjoo heads to the right to the waiting area with pockets of groups sitting around with worried expressions. She can’t imagine what they are going through right now if she already reacted that way when Chaewon told her about her disease, because people waiting here have someone toeing the line between life and death tonight. 

Minjoo decides it is best to wait by the corridor away from the waiting room. She contemplates texting Chaewon but she really wants to surprise her, especially if the surgeon pushed through another long surgery. As she thinks about moving to the neuro department’s ward level - which was where she stayed last time - the double doors of the restricted area opens and there is the person she is waiting for. 

Chaewon doesn’t notice Minjoo’s presence, talking to Wonyoung as they enter the waiting area. An elderly couple, possibly around their sixties, stand to greet the two surgeons. Minjoo watches from afar as Chaewon speaks calmly but the expression doesn’t look positive. It confirms when the lady of the elderly couple starts breaking down and loses strength in her legs and the surgeons hurriedly support her. The older woman sobs while the man stares aimlessly at her; clearly, Chaewon’s surgery didn’t go well. Minjoo looks at the plastic bag of food.

The older woman reaches out for Chaewon’s hands even as the surgeon has nothing else to offer. She says something and Chaewon nods.

Wonyoung takes over from Chaewon, gently taking hold of the older woman. The younger surgeon supports the elderly couple leading them towards the elevator and Chaewon’s eyes follow. That is how she spots Minjoo standing in the corner. 

“I thought I was hallucinating.” Chaewon says when she approaches Minjoo. Wonyoung had already left with the patient’s family. 

“I figured you were still in surgery so I brought you food.” Minjoo lifts the bag up. 

“Monster chicken?” Chaewon takes the bag from Minjoo and smells it. It is still slightly warm to the touch. 

Minjoo nods. “Though I don’t know if you are in the mood for any…” The actress trails off at the end. The surgeon doesn’t respond but instead, Chaewon prompts for Minjoo to follow her to the elevator and Chaewon pushes the button to level 5.

“Chicken’s always good.” Chaewon puts up a tired smile as the lift moves. “Are there your highly raved about cheeseballs because if you didn’t bring me some after all that showing off this morning-”

“It’s inside!” Minjoo comes closer and finds the box, opening it for Chaewon. The hungry surgeon immediately takes one and puts it in ; she frowns as she chews, looking as though she is in pain when Minjoo already recognises that this is the ‘she is loving her food’ Kim Chaewon expression.

“Oh, it’s good. Either that or I am really hungry.”

“I think it’s both. Was your surgery like 10 hours today?”

Chaewon nods and she is going for the second as they exit the lift. Chaewon guides Minjoo along the familiar hallways, greeting a couple of nurses who pass by and Minjoo notices the lingering gazes on Chaewon. The oblivious surgeon opens the door to her office. 

“Tadah, sorry it is a bit messy.” The surgeon says as she puts the bag of food on the coffee table that she has at one side of the office. Chaewon stacks the books and papers, moving them to her main desk. Minjoo notices that it piles on even more to the already cluttered desk. “Have a seat or look around. I need to use the washroom first. 10 hours surgery.” The surgeon tosses aside the blanket that was laying on her long sofa and jets out of her office leaving Minjoo alone. 

The actress puts her bag on the now free sofa and removes her mask while she takes in Chaewon’s office. The only places that are on the messier side are her desk and what was previously on the coffee table because other than that, it is obvious the surgeon has particular organisation skills. Plants are placed nicely in a row by the window and Minjoo’s eyes are drawn to the glass cabinet in that corner of the room. She takes a closer look and Chaewon’s awards are filling the cabinet up to its capacity from the obviously strategic placements inside to maximise the use of space. Minjoo smiles after reading all of them. Then she takes a look at the other side of the office, walking towards the main table and the filled corkboard on the wall captures her attention. On it are all letters from patients thanking Chaewon and some giving updates detailing the improvements in their lives. Chaewon kept them and unlike the awards cabinet that she has situated in the corner of the room, this corkboard she keeps close to her desk, which is in direct view of the door. It is obvious what her priorities are. 

Just in that moment, Chaewon walks back in. The doctor unties her scrub cap and stands amused that Minjoo is by her desk. “I know it looks messy but trust me, it is all strategic placement.” She puts the scrub cap on top of one pile.

“Defensive huh, Dr Kim? I didn’t even say anything.” Minjoo giggles. “That’s a cute cap by the way.”

“My niece chose it for me and I am not defensive. That is because everybody that walks into my room always comments about my desk so I had to say it first.” Chaewon smiles and they move to the sofa. She casually folds the blanket she tossed aside earlier and places it on the side of the single sofa seat she is on. Minjoo takes her place on the long sofa.

“Thanks for bringing this to me. It’s just what I need.” Chaewon unpacks the food properly, gesturing for Minjoo to take some. 

The actress declines. “I had dinner, this is all for you.” Seeing the surgeon hungrily devouring the food, Minjoo doesn’t feel as worried as before. She thinks back to what she saw just now and wonders if it is okay to talk about it and it seems like Chaewon can read Minjoo’s reluctance. 

“Something’s the matter?” Chaewon asks between bites. 

Chaewon’s concerned eyes end up being the one that breaks Minjoo’s hesitance. “How do you do it? Telling the patient’s loved ones bad news? I watched you and it alrea