The fluorescent lights beamed brightly from the ceiling, making it impossible for those inside the building to distinguish between day and night. The scent of disinfectant lingered in the air that vibrated with the hum of constant machinery. Rainbow stripes decorated the floor, guiding visitors along the twists and turns of the labyrinth-like corridors . The standout colour was of course red; a red so vibrant that even during moments of frenzy and utter disarray, there was no way to get lost. Follow the red path until the very end, and the daunting sign with the letter ‘ER’ will be there to welcome anyone and everyone.

An endless flux of worried patients meant the waiting room was never empty. With each emptied bed or  patient that left a clinic room, another one would take their place. Today however the ER was much busier than usual and the reason was very simple: it was the last day of the year, a day of celebration and festivity but also the cause for various incidents and bad life decisions resulting from too much alcohol. This was the predicament the staff of Seoul National University Hospital Emergency Department found themselves facing. Nurses in simple navy scrubs scurried around in an attempt to catch the attention of a doctor who was not already attending a patient — quite a task when the ER is perpetually lacking in doctors.

One nurse stood out amongst them due to the minute difference in her uniform; a clean white line that travelled along the hem of her scrubs, adding just a little spice to the otherwise mundane outfit. Sitting behind the nurse’s station, the said nurse twirled a strand of her faded red hair along her middle finger whilst her brows etched together closer and closer as her pupils darted along the words written on the computer screen in front of her.

“Nurse Gae, a moment please.”

Breathing in heavily, the nurse readjusted the lanyard around her neck, making sure her name was on display  as per hospital policy before turning her attention towards the new arrival.

“Yes Doctor Lee?”

Doctor Lee blinked slowly, taking in the youthful appearance of the nurse before his eyes landed on her ID, ‘Gae Soonbok — Nurse Practitioner’ as if to make sure he had gotten the right person. Soonbok brushed her hair aside, using her hand to mask her twitching eyebrow. It had been three months since she joined SNUH’s ER and yet it would appear people were still put off by how deceivingly young and naive she looked. It it were not for her uniform, she would likely be confused for one of the student nurses. Lips straining into a professional smile, Soonbok stared straight into doctor Lee’s eyes without any hesitation.

“Is this regarding the patient in bay 5?”

Embarrassed for his behaviour, doctor Lee broke away from the gaze and motioned for Soonbok to sit down as he motioned towards the computer screen she had been glaring into earlier.

“What do we have?”

Soonbok bit back a snort. Making herself comfortable, she scrolled back to the top of the page where she had just finished uploading her notes.

“Patient is female, 26 years old. She was brought in by police due to antisocial behaviour including yelling, running i