24ES | Chapter 2.1

“Good work, sunbae.”

“Yeah, you too. Hang in there.”

Yesung switched places with Park Joohyuk, who had just returned to the hospital after a brief break. When Joohyuk left the emergency room earlier, he had looked more like a corpse than a person, but now he was at least presentable.

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The excited expression he had when realizing he could finally escape the hospital faded the moment he returned, turning gloomy again.

Yesung gave him a pat on the shoulder with a small, encouraging smile. Then, he headed straight to the pediatric surgery fellow’s on-call room to change clothes before heading out.

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“Sung! Over here, over here!”

At the main entrance, Kang Baek-o was waving his arms wildly to get Yesung’s attention.

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“Let’s go already. Everyone else is already there.”

Yesung joined Baek-o, and they left the hospital together. The bar where the welcome party for the new cardiothoracic surgery fellow was being held was only a five-minute walk away.

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They didn’t have to walk far before they reached their destination.

“Here we are. This place is great, isn’t it? No need for a bus or taxi, just a five-minute walk from Hanguk University Hospital! Let’s go in.”

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Excited by the rare opportunity to drink, Baek-o led the way, practically bouncing as he went. Yesung followed close behind.

The bar was packed, with barely an empty seat in sight. The lively atmosphere made finding their group challenging. As Yesung looked around, someone near the center of the room raised their hand high in the air.

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“Professor Kang! Dr. Han! Over here! This way!”

Though the shouting was drowned out by the noise, the exaggerated gestures were impossible to miss. In such a boisterous place, actions spoke louder than words.

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Thanks to the bold movements, Yesung and Baek-o quickly spotted their group and made their way over.

“Welcome, Professor Kang! Dr. Han, welcome to you too!”

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“Wow, it’s crazy packed here tonight. Surely not all these people are from Hanguk University Hospital, right?”

“Well… considering it’s only five minutes away, maybe?”

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“Ha, no way! If that were true, the hospital would have to shut down! And seeing how it’s running just fine, that can’t be the case.”

By the time Yesung and Baek-o arrived, it seemed like most people had already had a drink or two. Their tipsy chatter turned Baek-o’s casual comments into a lively discussion. Laughter echoed around the table, showing just how much fun everyone was having.

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Baek-o was the only one present with the rank of professor, but since he was a newly appointed assistant professor who had grown close with everyone over time, no one seemed to treat him with formality.

“Long time no see.”

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Yesung discarded his usual stoic expression, donning his well-practiced social smile as he greeted the group. Sliding naturally into the seat beside Baek-o, he nodded politely.

At this, Shin Yesuh, the Chief Resident of Pediatrics, widened her eyes in delight.

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“Wow! Hanguk University Hospital’s poster boy, Dr. Han! Hello~!”

“Ah, Dr. Han is here! The whole vibe of this dark and dreary bar just brightened up, didn’t it?”

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Plastic surgery fellow Lee Siyeon joined in, layering her compliment with extra flair. Alcohol’s influence was clear; otherwise, such over-the-top remarks would have been unthinkable without the added courage from liquid confidence.

Yesung responded with a practiced, familiar smile. Before he could say much else, Baek-o interrupted after placing an order for beer with the server.

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“Hey, why did Dr. Shin and Dr. Lee start drinking before we even got here?”

“Professor Kang, don’t you know that in neurosurgery, time is money? Who knows when the next call will come? We’ve got to drink fast and sober up faster. And Dr. Shin here is guilty only of sitting next to me!”

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Though everyone shared the same precarious on-call situation, the uniquely hectic life of a neurosurgery fellow made her words hit differently, drawing sympathetic nods from the group.

Even Yesung gave a faint smile at her words. Sensing the need to liven up the mood, Baek-o suddenly stood up.

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“Alright, alright! Let’s not forget why we’re here today. This is Dr. Jung’s welcome party, isn’t it?”

Everyone turned their attention to Jung Hageon, who had been sitting quietly across from Yesung the entire time.

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It was only then that Yesung got a proper look at Hageon. From the moment Yesung entered the bar, Hageon had been silently staring at him as if he had something to say. Now, for the first time, his gaze shifted to the others.

Despite the sudden attention, Hageon’s expression didn’t falter. He calmly accepted the focus, his demeanor unruffled.

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This quiet confidence made the others a bit self-conscious, and they hurriedly chimed in to echo Baek-o’s sentiment.

“R-right! We almost forgot!”

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“Haha… Sorry about that, Dr. Jung.”

“Okay, Dr. Jung, how about a self-introduction?”

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Everyone was trying to shake off the awkwardness. Baek-o, the self-appointed host, pointed theatrically at Hageon.

“Hello, I’m Jung Hageon.” But Hageon’s brief, no-frills introduction wasn’t exactly what Baek-o had hoped for. It was like a ship sinking before it had even set sail.

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In a hospital setting, such brevity might have sufficed, but here, it only made the atmosphere more strained.

However, Baek-o wasn’t one to give up so easily.

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“Ahaha! Looks like Dr. Jung is a bit shy! Alright, everyone. This is Dr. Jung Hageon, who just earned his specialist certification and joined us as a cardiothoracic surgery fellow at Hanguk University Hospital yesterday!”

Rebranding Hageon’s lack of social skills as shyness, Baek-o powered through the awkwardness with sheer determination.

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“And I’m Kang Baek-o, a newly appointed assistant professor in emergency medicine¹w who basically specializes in cleaning up after my senior professors….”

“Pfft! Professor Kang, the powerhouse of the ER is calling himself a cleanup specialist?”

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“Yeah, seriously! Isn’t that too self-deprecating?”

“You guys wouldn’t say that if you knew how my life’s been lately….”

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Baek-o managed to steer the atmosphere back into a lively, humorous tone. As laughter filled the air again, introductions continued around the table. Yesung’s turn came last.

“And this is….”

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“Han Yesung. Nice to meet you.”

Yesung cut Baek-o off before he could continue with any exaggerated commentary. But if Baek-o were one to back down so easily, he wouldn’t be Kang Baek-o.

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“Oh, come on~! Dr. Jung already knows Dr. Han well, don’t you? They’re both alumni of Hanguk University, and they were even in the same club back then!”

As Baek-o rambled, Yesung silently wished for a needle and thread to sew his friend’s mouth shut. If he had them, he might have actually done it.

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It was obvious Baek-o was fishing for something. He wanted to confirm that Yesung couldn’t remember someone he should know.

Sure, people forget things sometimes. University was ages ago, and the hospital workload was overwhelming enough as it was. Expecting someone to remember every passing acquaintance was unreasonable.

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The issue was that Yesung wasn’t just anyone. He had an exceptional memory and remembered every person he had ever met. That’s why Baek-o found it so surprising when Yesung didn’t recall Hageon.

“Overreacting as usual… Baek-o.”

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Resigned, Yesung shifted his focus to Hageon. Prepared to deflect whatever Hageon might say, he turned to face him.

Their eyes met. Hageon’s gaze was steady, almost piercing, with an intensity that made Yesung’s brow twitch involuntarily.

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Then, Hageon’s lips moved, slow and deliberate.

“Please take care of me, sunbae.”

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It was the verbal equivalent of a finishing blow.

—

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One person had grown secretly uncomfortable, while another had chosen voluntary isolation, yet the atmosphere at the gathering grew increasingly lively. Although the ostensible purpose of the night was to welcome the new cardiothoracic surgery fellow, Jung Hageon, no one seemed to care about that anymore. The welcome party was merely a fancy excuse—what everyone truly wanted was to drown themselves in alcohol.

Yesung had anticipated this outcome from the start.

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“Dammit, I’m telling you—ugh—are fellows not considered human beings?! Huh?!”

“Ah, geez. What’s wrong now, Dr. Lee?”

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“I’m saying! My professor—hic—doesn’t even treat me like a person! Calls me here, yells at me there! I swear he treats me like some dog that fetches whenever he calls!”

With a loud thud, Lee Siyeon slammed her now-empty 500cc beer glass onto the table, shouting.

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“There are three fellows in neurosurgery handling brain cases, including me, right? But our dear Professor Seok only ever calls me! Me! I’m off-duty, you know! There are other fellows working in the hospital! There’s Dr. Kwak Nahyeon, who has more seniority than me and is also off-duty! So why does he call me? Huh? Why only me?”

Completely drunk, her words slurred, Lee Siyeon was clearly venting frustrations she had accumulated against Professor Seok Hoon, a renowned authority on neurosurgery specializing in brain cases. Naturally, the blame extended to Shin Yesuh, sitting next to her.

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“Did I do something wrong to Professor Seok? Or does he think I’m easy to deal with? Tell me, Dr. Shin. Do I look easy to you?”

It wasn’t because of a mistake or because she appeared “easy.” Siyeon had simply caught Professor Seok’s attention for another reason: her competence and eagerness to learn.

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Professor Seok Hoon, a respected figure in neurosurgery across Korea, likely saw potential in her. To ensure she learned as much as possible, he prioritized her involvement in surgeries, even when others were available.

Of course, this was only Yesung’s personal theory, but he suspected Siyeon knew it too. If it had truly been unbearable, she would have spoken to the professor by now. Her quiet compliance, despite the grumbling, made it seem more like a frustrated outburst caused by physical exhaustion.

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Shin Yesuh, who might have consoled Siyeon with words about how such complaints could be seen as a blessing, was equally drunk.

“Let me tell you something, okay? The other day, I got a call to check on a four-year-old in the ER complaining of abdominal pain. So, I go down there, right? But the kid starts bawling, like they’re terrified or something. I couldn’t tell if it was from pain or because they were scared of me.”

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She heaved a dramatic sigh, her eyes quickly welling up.

“Crying kids? Sure, I’m used to it. It’s because they’re in pain, so you just try to calm them down and get on with the exam. But suddenly, the mom glares at me and says, ‘Do something!’ I mean, I was about to do something! But, ah… I know parents get sensitive when their kids are sick, and I’ve seen it plenty of times, but that day… I just felt so miserable hearing that.”

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Tears hovered at the edge of her lashes, threatening to fall. Overwhelmed, she finally burst into sobs, her head collapsing onto the table.

“I hadn’t even gone home in four days! I was so tired!”

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