Suh Young took a deep breath as she stared at the door. It had been nice that morning, but it was a whole other story to show up and have lunch. Just what exactly am I going to feel? she wondered, not for the first time that week. She squared her shoulders before slowly raising her hand and knocking on the door.

"Come in."

She eased it open and saw Hyun Joong at his desk signing some papers.  He looked up and smiled then gestured at the couch she'd sat in last time. "I'll be done with these in a second." 

She nodded and went over to the dark leather seat. During her first visit, she hadn't really paid attention to his workplace, having wanted to leave as soon as possible. This time, however, she looked around carefully to see what she could glean about his life so far. There was the main workplace room and then a tiny, walk-in closet-like space where a sink, cupboard, coffee maker, and microwave were located. Suh Young remembered going through the cupboard, which had been mostly empty except for a few coffee mix packets and tea bags. The walls were white and bare except for the framed diploma hanging by his desk. The desk itself was dark like the couch and covered in stacks of patient files, with barely enough room for the sleek macintosh resting on the side. Bookshelves lined the wall behind the desk, and a potted plant rested on one of them. The absence of any personal clutter in the room would have stumped most people, but Suh Young smiled a little at seeing it. At least decor-wise, it was still the same old Kim Hyun Joong she'd known during his med school days. 

She shifted in her seat and cleared , hating the awkward feeling that was creeping up on her. "I feel like a patient," she finally said, breaking the silence. Hyun Joong laughed. He pushed his papers away and leaned back in his chair. "What should we do about lunch? There's a place nearby, or we could order out..."

Suh Young shook her head. "Let's just order out. I only have half an hour." 

"Alright then. What do you feel like?" 

She didn't feel like waiting with him in the room alone, and she wanted to stretch her legs. She smirked. "Ramyun." 

"Chincha? You might not be able to stop at just one bowl." He rose from his chair and grabbed his doctor's coat, slipping it on. Suh Young got up as well, and they made their way to the cafeteria. 

~ .  ~ .  ~ .  ~ .  ~ .  ~ .  ~ .

The place was still empty when they arrived except for the doctor sitting in one of the corner tables, going over some paperwork. Soft music played in the background, and sounds of preparation for the lunch hour could be heard coming from the kitchen. Hyun Joong stepped up to the rack containing the ramyun packets and selected one. "Which one do you want?" he asked Suh Young. She pointed at the spicier one, and he grabbed a pair of disposable bowls as well. The cashier scanned his ID along with Suh Young's, and together they covered the cost of the meal.

As they waited for the ramyun to finish cooking, they selected one of the corner booths and slid in. Suh Young unwrapped her chopsticks and started to twirl them between her fingers. The feeling of nostalgia and a sort of deja vu, that had started to creep up on her as soon as they entered the cafeteria, was starting to get uncomfortable. She cleared , trying to rid herself of it and ended up reaching for the water bottle in front of her. Hyun Joong laughed softly, and she looked up, puzzled. 

"Do you remember when we had to work at the old cafeteria?" he chuckled, looking around. "It was smaller, and a lot more crowded."

She almost choked on her water. "N-ne. I remember." She glanced away. "That was a long time ago," she said softly. Hazy images of a younger Suh Young and Hyun Joong wiping off tables came to mind. There was a third, blurred out image, but Suh Young blocked it as fast as she could, shaking her head. "We really needed to pay for our tuition back then."

Hyun Joong nodded in agreement. "I can't believe we managed to fit in any studying." He could still remember crowding into corner booths, sipping from ramyun cups and meticulously going over lecture notes with each other. 

"Oppa," Suh Young would call out. "Bbali, name the signs for post-op complications!" 

"Yah, Suh Young-ah, why are you asking me? Why don't you ask Hyun Joong?"

She glanced at him. "Because I know he knows already."

Hyun Joong smirked at Hyun Su from his position in the corner. Hyun Su flashed him a playful glare. "Yah yah yah. Arasso arasso. Forget I even asked." 

"We went through a lot back then. I wonder if the old serving ladies would recognize us." He squinted his eyes. "It hasn't been that long." Hyun Joong looked at Suh Young, who gave a noncommittal "mm" and a nod. Her face was blank again, and he didn't like the feeling he got when looking at it-- the feeling that something was different. This wasn't the same Suh Young he'd known in med school, and he wanted to know why. 

Well there you have it. Finally, another chapter! So sorry for the extremely long wait. I hope you guys are enjoying it a lot, and hopefully Suh Young has peaked your interest. Feel free to message me with speculations, suggestions, or comments. Thank you also for all the encouragement, and continue to anticipate more chapters. ^ ^