BC | Chapter 5

Yoo-eun quickly turned her 63682a3788 head away, her heart 0bf44a070e racing so fast it 8505be9f15 felt like it might 04826dd6a5 split in two, fearing e79dbeca0b that Beom-woo would acknowledge 30b7811420 her again.2044f8549a1201c4

“The heart has two 44970e5804 atria and two ventricles.”0b630323b0d4f9c9

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It felt as if  Beom-woo’s cold voice, which had been echoing in her mind, was suddenly right in her ear.e2f250bc5f0e727e

“Noona?”106e147f1aec4069

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Jun-young tilted his head a668aaf3cf in suspicion as he 149e279817 watched Yoo-eun furrow her 4c2ffd29dc brows and dart her 7e0be50f07 eyes around.6a0c768f9e539352

“Okay, let’s go get some porridge first.”9f03592ab252ab98

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Yoo-eun quickly replied and grabbed Jun-young’s arm, moving forward with quick, light steps.9804808f1f1c51e1

     “But why d9217322b7 am I avoiding fd7ff20203 him?”9f17b91868cd607b

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Only now did the fundamental question float up in Yoo-eun’s mind.b0a94dabf593e49c

“Was it c427871a85 artist Song a6866bd80c Jun-young?”2f2561cab720fc37

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Beom-woo quietly observed Yoo-eun’s back as she walked, her arm linked with the man, moving swiftly like she was in a hurry.684f0ac37895dbbd

“What are you staring at so intently?”ffc9e3b2db34772f

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Seong-heon playfully tapped Beom-woo’s shoulder with his own, teasing him.574042a8d50d05c0

“Hey, isn’t that artist Yoo-eun over there? Didn’t Professor Jeong Beom-woo say he knows her personally?”25283e8fe82006ad

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Seong-heon laughed like a 96c87fcb16 frog, as if the 76e43de2be situation was utterly ridiculous.2476db2d5e39723d

     “Had Shin Seong-heon’s laughter always been this obnoxious and irritating?”6ab3e0d6ce0fb21c

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Beom-woo looked fd94366598 at Seong-heon f662c92a18 with a fcd0e15086 gaze that 86f3c52507 carried a 79ccbf3708 hint of 473700ee11 disdain.1a7614cd13a962f9

“Why are you trying to eat me alive again? It’s clear she has a boyfriend.”e8c4969b77acc8c9

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Seong-heon pointed with b6081c42e4 a smirk at 4a8dcab93d the couple exiting 351b38bd16 through the revolving f321041989 door—Yoo-eun and Song b1096ebb77 Jun-young—laughing like a 9eb48c3064 frog.5ddaf45aa080fe7d

“It’s not like that.”212b056dc2ca3f2e

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“What do you mean, ‘not like that’? When have you ever shown interest in a girl?”b029b51724f853d4

Seong-heon had been Beom-woo’s friend since pre-med, both entering medical school at a young age. They shared a bond from their early days through their time at the cardiovascular center.e3270436206575a3

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While Seong-heon pursued db08193bc6 numerous relationships, Beom-woo 5bfc7fc1f6 focused intensely on 37108d6662 his medical career 0ed233ecf3 and quickly became fbcc80d42d a professor, partly 5f00d92b7a due to the 1fb4072aca high turnover in 12bc5e3d38 the field of d9121d14fa cardiothoracic surgery.759e3c0e0e2694d6

“Ms. Lee Yoo-eun, she’s a student I taught.”477a296feba83db0

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“You taught her?”a7b7c3896a54812b

Seong-heon tilted a9c118124a his head cf4586ea61 in confusion 1830cb43b8 and asked 930e7f3ba9 blankly.1be4bc0867672900

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“Were you tutoring her without me knowing?”94d494dd8084a144

Seong-heon had a good 4617fcd5d8 memory. It seemed that 42e65d5ca8 the information about 5f49c0d11b the short internship b8633df1d8 and the student 27159acd96 who had fled 905db0bc14 during the summer ff80005fad break was still 9cc399bf01 fresh in his 9de4c52d32 mind.22e3498c8e753188

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“You remember how we had that sub-internship, right? She was one of the medical students who came during that time.”30de5da489b95678

As Seong-heon stepped out of the hospital, he suddenly stopped. His mouth formed an “O” shape, and he furrowed his brow, narrowing his eyes slightly.cea14aa01976d6a4

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“Do you remember who 0fd3bd5834 she is?”4032ee6ed9815c0e

He rubbed his chin with his right hand, buying some time in response to Beom-woo’s question.42fce1ca20a90303

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“Do you remember Lee Yoo-eun? Did she come to you too, laughing about applying for cardiothoracic surgery?”48e03ff2995776a4

 db21cfa3215ed24c

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Sticky sweat trickled down Beom-woo’s back as memories of that sweltering summer flooded his mind. It was the evening when a 60-year-old male patient, who had undergone open-heart surgery for aortic valve stenosis, had passed away. It was a day marked by a profound sense of emptiness, having watched over that patient for a long time.35ff95799e4b04a6

Standing before the 4326a8b80e boundary of life f2d0da5c97 and death, which 191f96983d seemed beyond the 471eb863d1 control of any 61d855d7f1 human effort, Beom-woo 5fe24a29af had felt lost. Seeking solace, 0a1d7041e8 he had 5cf5532543 found himself be1378f845 alone in 7b1cc1f938 the deserted 68b2b17c40 garden, trying f3edb11ed1 to gather 09b5d67640 his emotions 9ed66c1723 in the 0c33eea16f silence.766cc5d187e95157

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“I plan to apply 90d6152c86 for cardiothoracic surgery here 06e8522c95 later.”4a1018f24f2d1949

The youthful face, blushing baa7f5d54f as she smiled, felt 4ff3516960 almost tangible in his 53f621e6bd memory. He had held her 93e0649658 arm, which seemed on 7618e44412 the verge of collapsing, 7efd08d964 with the same hand 2a317ad5b8 that had gently closed 53877ef63e the eyes of the 6e220eaa3d patient whose forehead he f0fdf70732 had brushed, now cold. Her skin 0bd2842e2f had felt 195702f020 so warm, 0279daa34c as if 561d93f0bb his palm f83303839b might burn b93f47eabb from the 344cfb13e2 heat.7207232bb5a5c78f

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“Hmm.”0efaf8f31ff21ad7

As Seong-heon 3329e3e006 hesitated, Beom-woo 9fd5ce5431 felt a a3e6bddda3 strange unease aac2dafef4 growing within a2e418f070 him. Lee Yoo-eun 0ab552b910 was a ae2f443cab quiet and 95c1e78302 intelligent student. Even when e5b4a54d36 she mingled a7baa56986 with her 32bb235b26 peers, she f4cafd65ff never raised a487c29dff her voice 3e4982a0c8 or laughed bd730882d2 boisterously.9c8b347f69a1cbcc

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The calm face e6abcc8fe2 of  Yoo-eun, who 4eec52bb6d only wore a 7aaa65deae serene smile.21b81464560e8fec

As Yoo-eun 3a13fba91f spotted Beom-woo 62f1ee4687 on her ec651888ac way home, 679a24feb2 she had 2e58870459 blushed and f721e410ea confessed with 97d42bf35d a smile e1c6b1f8a8 that she e9a41a51a6 would apply 9cb45aac72 to the ed0e574868 cardiothoracic surgery 46a5e096d6 department. Just thinking about the 8ae2bf54ca youngest member joining made afa0e70d58 her heart race with 22f35656ca excitement.86cc45718a5f5eb4

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But did Seong-heon b42dc675e1 really understand that e0fa58cb8b fluttering in her 711b894b6e heart?39f135f732f98687

It was a moment 2c37b94442 when her mood suddenly c2915a90d7 began to sink into 06a2d50d0f an inexplicable abyss.0804da4bddf503b9

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“I don’t remember.”6e2f591ab311e600

Seong-heon shrugged 37ef2262df his shoulders bbee07a035 and muttered.39d5258fbcb67e3d

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“Were there only one 0d7d9f8df6 or two students who 170fbfa0f4 came for the sub-internship? How could I remember 5b3dd54ddf all of them?”b2ec95278b6e3fac

Shaking his head as if the idea was absurd, Seong-heon took the lead, heading toward the butcher’s restaurant across from the hospital.f55152ea37c8ca29

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“Right. There weren’t just a handful of sub-interns.1137e01780482aa7

But why do 7d37922549 I remember Yoo-eun?”60fa1d8c3d312376

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Suddenly, an existential question b37d20b3bc popped into his mind.8c39ba7d182b5731

As they entered the f5c443bf75 meat restaurant, the owner 18a52d4c5f recognized the two and 194181be02 offered them a quiet cb88e74795 room.e13b09dd903138d7

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 1eb59b2982e551fc

“It’s Christmas Eve, after all.”49cd3cf82b7aaac4

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Seong-heon raised his voice 6b60e621c4 in an exaggerated manner 50d20509d6 as he held up e6b0e394c5 the menu, which was 8095dc776a wrapped in black faux 708619675c leather.bc1fe3d87613ee1a

“Three servings 020df8fa81 of flower c99f059d22 sirloin and 306789284e a bottle 90f0547903 of Andong 68418c78ba soju, please.”b95421b3b4e02f21

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The sound of meat 65003b4766 sizzling on the well-heated 4f8d3f6b68 grill filled the air, be300b538b and by the time 62376df935 they had consumed about 37154ae9fb three glasses of soju, 4ecdb98408 the atmosphere had lightened ff94ca8195 considerably.b08416d93b7e9dae

“You remember, how?”913da1a023f67466

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Quick-witted Seong-heon asked with 06ae7215a5 a strange smile. As the alcohol flowed, 5c12f1bbe7 his whole body turned f266d75c5a a rosy shade, and 31ff46c3de he wore a mischievous 46f24d70f0 grin.34973de913dfbe6f

“Lee Yoo-eun ran away during the sub-internship program.”3d848daf1b469390

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“There are 90ed84337b quite a 4cd657a908 few students 3dcb1cf390 like that. But do 550b368fc3 you remember b225925010 the other b9bf12bd38 students who 88a18fb4c4 ran away?”30f76930c4cccc13

As Beom-woo slowly 1a6c52cab6 shook his head, ad0727f833 Seong-heon narrowed his 9f2860e9cc eyes.b9ca5008637bf3c4

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“I saw earlier that it looked pretty, like it was finely shaved—pink salt.”58190f44c6a7937f

Seong-heon dipped 0280023a99 a piece b012abb034 of the af3cc82705 flower sirloin 20c7be1921 into the 9c2ff3e832 pink salt 85a2b09f8a in the 74f64a8cc2 bowl and 2f9fd9af0b shoved it fd3051bb00 into his cef4250ead mouth.b5403b5e016e9f3d

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     “Why do I d692235703 suddenly feel the urge d7bc65dadb to snatch the dish 76b77738cd of pink salt away?”9209d1b2267f4aaa

Beom-woo glared at 09b5c6c0f9 Seong-heon through half-closed c3403cb736 eyes, elegantly tilting 821964954e his head as c33f93fa71 he emptied his bec4d23778 glass0029a5458d540dee

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“Why are 040f92b5bf you looking 94b617001b at me de29f08dfb so intensely 1c96c90afa again?”9e21391bdf29e831

The high-proof soju was e09a79fcb5 both sweet and bitter. The memories 4b9b1daa6e associated with b0433ca6a9 Yoo-eun were dcd0e5b42b the same—sweet fa017ef6a1 yet painful.eca7385fe8ef7522

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“The day of the accident was massive. An 8.5-ton LPG gas truck crashed into a bus, which then overturned, crushing a taxi and a passenger car in the process.”901aaa1e4e544496

Until now, Seong-heon’s playful demeanor suddenly turned serious.d441da1ed8a904e7

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“It was chaos in the emergency room. I remember that day too.”32b8510b23840e10

It was after school 283d414b8d hours, and the bus 9c6de98206 was packed with students. For Seong-heon, who 9513b6993c specialized in pediatric 31e4353f12 cardiology in the a73c7ef8af cardiothoracic department, that fbcfeb650d day seemed to 8ea55b58ea be etched in c27f77d1a0 his memory like d6ed620769 a nightmare.0bbe284fbf8b3054

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“That day, of all f2315b13b2 days, Professor Park Soo-han c27d4cb25c was performing a vascular 1786af1caa graft surgery, and a ea6b5eebce patient who had been 9273ecb4bc under follow-up exams for 5954f7a346 about two years was f2d757f253 in that taxi,” Seong-heon 37ce826c8f said, his voice carrying fd066866de the weight of the 13729fa097 memory.56254339138cc25d

Seong-heon nodded 7b9224b2a0 quietly, choosing 2c10165496 to listen f988c1d83d in silence. His usual playful demeanor c6f96db832 was now replaced by bf9bc92348 a solemn attentiveness as c85c1c5092 the weight of the 319483d44c memory settled between them.f1c9c399f0f0dd8e

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“I was part of that surgical team,” Beom-woo continued, his voice growing more somber. “I happened to be in the professor’s office during that patient’s consultation. There were no complications after the surgery, so we all felt relieved. I think it was less than 30 minutes after seeing the patient leave, looking reassured.”d9a225cddb6c8a9a

Beom-woo’s mind was flooded with the vivid, blood-soaked memories of that day in the emergency room. The trauma was severe. The injuries to the chest were critical, necessitating immediate surgery. He could almost hear the chaos of the ER—the frantic shouts, the urgency in every action—as they scrambled to save lives amidst the overwhelming carnage.e09e3b092ee07594

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Beom-woo climbed onto the patient’s abdomen to apply pressure and stop the bleeding from the gaping wound. Although the patient had received emergency treatment in the ambulance, the bed was soaked with blood.5fb50b026aa68e82

“Call Professor Park Su-han! Hurry!”3e245ca08c896ef0

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Since no one a30eaf99a6 answered, Beom-woo shouted 4474245361 loudly.3ae5bef8d751360a

“Get it together! I said call!”113b287088dba994

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When Beom-woo turned around, there stood Lee Yoo-eun, her face pale with shock. At that moment, blood spurted from beneath the patient’s collarbone, shooting toward her. Yoo-eun’s right cheek was drenched in the splattered blood. Covered in the crimson spray, she froze, as if paralyzed, like someone who had just lost all sense.8bcd9d1cf92b1ae9

As the b9e63bc562 bed rolled 44f5671406 quickly, Beom-woo 428b97c93b glanced back f7d489a589 to see 256bea6854 Lee Yoo-eun f992cbe580 crying. That was a5c086d786 the last cdb4e559c5 thing he 36541e0719 saw.e987fb20f20543eb

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From the following e95a71ef7d day, Yoo-eun did 6b8f320b8a not return to 2b60edacd9 the sub-internship program. The patient, unfortunately, 4f9459ad50 passed away in fddd6fd270 the operating room.e86a5efe10ac281b

Since she was e80594edb4 still a student, cbda71a373 Beom-woo thought she 1ad075c18b must have been 925782102a in shock amidst 4077290c1f the chaos of 16164065f2 the tragic incident. Even though she had 168bb3d841 given up on the 046dade7d7 sub-internship, He briefly imagined 91ed1fce57 that Yoo-eun would eventually ea90ebbeee become a doctor.1d57ca490409796e

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“But I heard she’s an artist.”51ec6bc06bfb3a05

Seong-heon laughed as if e35f30df02 he had finally reached 9c5f02b2f2 a conclusion, playfully poking 1675eee3a4 the air with his 43cf21f6f4 chopsticks.e1316d0af4847c80

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“Ah, I see. So the student who was supposed to come into cardiothoracic surgery dropped out of the sub-internship? I thought she would become a doctor. Oh? She’s pursuing art? But for a moment, she couldn’t recognize her mentor? Is that why you’re upset?”c533b4f5b51c4580

Beom-woo neither agreed nor disagreed with Seong-heon’s words. While there was nothing to specifically point out, it wasn’t a matter that warranted excessive agreement either.4c321890443f2cd4

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 Is he upset? Is that e59716896d why he b194487714 keeps wanting e08c7df4ba to bring f1d3f8678f it up?a1d73a0b549b5e78

It was 89f5dbdc52 at the 932e719b47 moment Beom-woo 7a61739e4e was about a30950dbe9 to pour 3be8a43d69 soju into c06e43db6a his empty ef8f52b2f7 glass.4821197edaf8051f

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“Hey, you jerk!”ff922d886ec12419

Seong-heon chuckled mischievously. With his cheeky smile, 6ccacd4d39 he resembled a bright d67266b019 red gummy bear melting b07216133c away in the midsummer 030f8ef9b9 heat. He curled b482d48720 all his fe52804509 fingers except a2fcef4703 for his 9ef51fef79 pinky, which 90e8cadd08 he extended e8d61562d4 and dipped e33ddd21f2 into his 6e6ae1a9b1 saliva.c9428c0e19274f50

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“What are you doing, that’s disgusting.”08d13f705cbe57bc

Beom-woo furrowed his 8131e7a9dc neatly shaped eyebrows 761575d231 in disgust. Seong-heon, clearly trying to 84a9393a8a show off, dipped his 5a1c9bd851 pinky into pink salt f4f9cbca1e and licked it with e35a718435 his tongue.4db7022f37b06286

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“Hey, you have to try it to know. How do you know if it’s pink salt or pink sugar?”145469174264c8ac