24ES | Chapter 1.1

The city lights stayed on late into the night, the eight-lane roads filled with cars speeding past, and even the noisy chatter spilling out from the bars.

It was a late Saturday night, and the vibrant atmosphere of the city, flaunting its dazzling nightlife, felt completely at odds with Yesung’s utterly drained state. He found himself face-to-face with someone he was sure he’d only met recently. It wasn’t a situation he wanted to be in.

With a slight furrow of his brow, Yesung began to walk. His plan was to pass by without engaging. However, before he could even put his plan into action, a voice, low and subdued, stopped him in his tracks.

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“Sunbae.”

Yesung didn’t respond.

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The person called him again, this time with a question he hadn’t seen coming in the slightest.

“Sunbae, are you gay?”

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That was Han Yesung’s secret. A deeply personal truth he’d never shared with anyone, a part of him that had never been discovered before. Yet now, that secret had been uncovered—by none other than Jung Hageon, his junior from college and a fellow doctor working in the same hospital.

And this had all happened within just 53 hours of meeting each other.

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***

53 hours earlier.

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♬♪♩~ ♬♪~
The silence was abruptly broken by a loud alarm, only to be silenced just as quickly. Rustle. Yesung turned off the alarm on his phone, slid off the bed, and searched for his slippers, which were tossed around carelessly.

Grabbing the gown that was draped over the bed railing, he moved naturally. Despite the alarm’s ruckus that shattered the stillness, the on-call room was dead quiet, as if nothing had happened.

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Even though all three of the beds—except the one Yesung had just vacated—were occupied, the silence persisted.

One of the skills you pick up naturally in a hospital is the ability to block out alarms that aren’t your own. It’s almost a survival mechanism. Unless it’s their personal call or an emergency broadcast summoning hospital staff, no one stirs.

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Leaving behind his exhausted colleagues, who didn’t even flinch at the alarm, Yesung exited the on-call room and walked down the hallway.

It was 7:20 a.m.

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The staff-only corridor was quiet and mostly empty. As he walked, Yesung wiped at the sleep in his eyes and used the water bottle he had grabbed on his way out to smooth down his hair. At the end of the hallway, he passed through a heavy steel door, tossing the nearly empty water bottle into the trash. The plastic container disappeared neatly into the bin.

“Good morning, doctor.”

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“Morning, sir.”

As soon as he stepped out of the quiet staff corridor, his expressionless face shifted. Fellow medical staff greeted him with polite formality as they passed.

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“Yes, good morning,” he replied with a courteous nod, his steps quickening.

Navigating through the bustling path of patients and staff, Yesung naturally stopped in front of the ER station.

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“Good morning, doctor.”

A voice called out from above. A nurse, busy typing on the keyboard behind the station, glanced up.

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“Oh? Dr. Han, you’re on ER duty today?”

ER nurses, who worked in three shifts, usually didn’t know which doctor was on duty until they arrived at the hospital.

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“Yes, I’m swapping with Dr. Park,” Yesung replied with a faint smile.

Almost on cue, the mentioned “Dr. Park” shuffled toward the station, looking like a complete zombie.

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“Se-sunbae… Can I go home now?”

Dr. Park—Park Joohyuk, a chief resident in general surgery—asked in a half-sobbing tone. Joohyuk was a rare case, having decided on pediatric surgery as his specialty since his first year of residency, and he was also Yesung’s junior from college.

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Hadn’t he said he hadn’t been home in three days?

Even though Yesung himself had been at the hospital for 20 hours straight as a pediatric surgery fellow, Joohyuk’s situation seemed worse. Watching his junior, worn out and unwashed, Yesung felt a pang of sympathy as he reached out his hand, gesturing for the chart.

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“Yeah, you did well. Just finish the handover and head out.”

“Yes!”

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The mere mention of going home brought Joohyuk back to life. He quickly and precisely recited the details of the patient cases he’d managed overnight, like a rapper at an audition, and then bolted out of the ER without looking back.

Yesung stared after him, marveling at how fast he disappeared, before turning his attention to the chart in his hands. It was a relatively quiet morning in the ER.

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“Yo, Yesung! Long time no see, huh? You’re on ER duty today?”

As he flipped through the chart, an iced Americano—complete with a straw already in—suddenly appeared from the left. The familiar logo of the hospital café was printed on the cup.

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Glancing at the logo and hearing the voice, Yesung instinctively wiped the smile off his face. He looked up to see a grinning face.

It was Kang Baek-o, Yesung’s college friend and the assistant professor in charge of the ER.

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Checking that the nurse who had been in front of him earlier was now gone, Yesung’s expression relaxed a little.

“Yeah, been a while, huh?”

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“Probably?”

They exchanged meaningless small talk, neither knowing the answer. Yesung gestured at the coffee Baek-o had handed him.

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“…So, what’s this? A bribe?”

The coffee was still fresh, with the ice not yet melted, suggesting Baek-o had taken a quick break to grab it from the café. But since it was Baek-o, Yesung was skeptical.

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If Kang Baek-o, the social butterfly who always knew everything and everyone, had brought coffee at this exact time, he had likely timed it deliberately.

Given his meddlesome but friendly nature, often called ojirapsae by others, there was no way Baek-o didn’t know Yesung was here.

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It felt like he had bought the coffee to coincide with Yesung’s arrival. And whenever he acted like this, it usually meant he had a favor to ask.

Baek-o made an exaggeratedly offended face at Yesung’s slightly suspicious tone.

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“What? A bribe? No way. I just popped out for a bit during a rare moment of peace between emergencies. And it’s not just for you. I bought it for the whole ER staff!”

His explanation felt overly detailed, only making Yesung more suspicious. However, a glance inside the station confirmed that there were indeed identical cups at each desk.

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“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it,” Yesung said, nodding slowly before taking a deep sip of the coffee.

Baek-o, watching him intently, grinned.

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“Hey, you actually got some sleep, huh? Your face still looks rough, and your dark circles are practically down to your chin… but you look vaguely human.”

“Three hours,” Yesung replied, holding his thumb and index finger a small distance apart.

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Baek-o groaned dramatically, flopping over the station counter.

“Ah~ I’m so jealous! I just hit the 24-hour mark awake. I don’t even need a vacation; I just want to sleep. Like, just let me go home…”

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Hearing the whining beside him, Yesung frowned.

“You sure you’re complaining to the right person?”

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Emergency medicine had much clearer on-and-off shifts compared to pediatric surgery. These days, aspiring doctors placed a lot of importance on having personal time, and emergency medicine fit the bill.

Giving Baek-o a look that said, Are you seriously complaining to me of all people? Yesung sighed as Baek-o, realizing his mistake, quickly raised both hands in surrender, flashing an apologetic smile.

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Clicking his tongue in irritation, Yesung took another long sip of coffee through the straw. Noticing the shift in atmosphere, Baek-o smoothly changed the topic—likely bringing up the reason he had gone out of his way to get the coffee.

“You’ve heard about it, right?”

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“Heard what?”

“The new cardiothoracic surgery fellow arriving today.”

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If it was about that, it had already been the hottest topic in the hospital for a month now. It was almost strange not to know about it.

“Yeah, I heard.”

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“Man, aren’t you curious about just how crazy they might be? With all the buzzwords attached to them already—cardiothoracic surgery fellow! That alone is huge!”

Indeed, there was a reason for all the buzz surrounding the new arrival. Typically, no one cared much when a new doctor joined, but this time was different.

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A cardiothoracic surgery fellow. Cardiothoracic¹ surgery was infamous, ranking at the very top of the least popular specialties. It was a sad but laughable truth—one that even called for a mixture of humor and tears. Cardiothoracic surgery wasn’t just unpopular; it was the number one specialty that residents actively avoided.

There was even a well-known anecdote in medical circles, almost like an urban legend. Once, an intern who didn’t know better during their first year approached the department head of cardiothoracic surgery, expressing interest in joining. The department head allegedly asked:

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“Are you rich? Or is your partner a doctor?”

The implication? Unless you came from a wealthy family or had a significant other who was a doctor to support you, you should reconsider.

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In truth, all medical professions required sacrificing your body and soul to save lives. But when even doctors unanimously raised their hands and pleaded with you not to walk down that path, that said it all.

So the arrival of a fellow in such a notoriously grueling department was bound to spark curiosity. Fellows, often nicknamed “fell-slaves” among doctors, were expected to endure absurd workloads for less pay than residents.

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Naturally, curiosity brewed. A cardiothoracic fellow named Jung Hageon.

As Yesung nodded lightly in agreement, Baek-o’s eyes sparkled.

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“So, here’s the thing. We decided to throw a welcome party for the new doctor tomorrow night with the off-duty folks. It’s at a pub five minutes from the hospital.”

Yesung had known Kang Baek-o longer than even Baek-o’s family. From their college days to now, they’d seen each other constantly. Baek-o was the polar opposite of Yesung, who would use any free time to sleep. Baek-o thrived on being around people, going out, and organizing social gatherings.

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Yesung clicked his tongue internally. He claimed it wasn’t a bribe, but this was one hell of an expensive bribe. He should’ve known the moment the excuses got too long. This coffee? It was bait to drag him to tomorrow’s gathering.

“So, Yesung, you’re coming tomorrow, right?”

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“No.”

His refusal was immediate and firm, but Baek-o wasn’t one to back down so easily.

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“Why not? You’re off-duty after the ER shift tomorrow evening!”

Great. The guy even had his entire schedule memorized.

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“Hah.”

Yesung hadn’t told him, so he must have found out from someone. Probably Park Joohyuk, who had just left. Of course, the culprit could only be Park Joohyuk.

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The furrow in Yesung’s brow deepened. Shaking off Baek-o, who clung to his arm, Yesung took a long sip of coffee like it was life itself.

“I want to sleep. I’m tired.”

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“Hey, think about it! That guy’s our college junior. And it’s cardiothoracic surgery. You’re bound to run into him at work anyway. And most importantly…”

“And most importantly?”

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Baek-o glanced around, lowering his voice.

“He was in the same club as you back in college.”

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“What?” Same club? He’d just learned the guy was a junior, but being in the same club? That was news to him.

“His name is… Jung Hageon, right?”

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“Yeah. Why? Don’t tell me… you don’t remember him?”

“…No.”

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“Seriously? Not at all?”

“Well, even if I don’t, so what?”

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“Wow… If even Han Yesung doesn’t remember, that guy must’ve been practically invisible!”

At Yesung’s annoyed tone, Baek-o let out an exaggerated exclamation. Ignoring Baek-o’s overly entertained reaction, Yesung dug through his memories, trying to recall.

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No matter how hard he searched, there was no memory of a “Jung Hageon.”

Yesung’s expression twisted in frustration. If the guy had only been a junior from the same school, maybe he could’ve forgotten. But someone from the same club? Forgetting that seemed impossible.

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Seeing Yesung’s troubled face, Baek-o slapped him on the back.

“Well then, you have to come now! Maybe this new guy was so nonexistent he practically evaporated, or maybe you’re just unusually forgetful for once!”

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Baek-o, amused by Yesung’s rare memory lapse, kept slapping his back, making Yesung twist in discomfort.

Grinding his teeth, Yesung growled in frustration.

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“Ah, stop it!”

“So you’re coming, right? You’ll figure it out once you see him!”

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It seemed Baek-o wouldn’t stop until Yesung agreed to come. Of course, if Yesung genuinely got serious and told him to quit, Baek-o would stop. But after hearing this, how could Yesung refuse?

If he was going to keep running into this doctor at work, it wouldn’t hurt to build some rapport. Plus, he wanted to confirm whether he had really forgotten or if they’d never met.

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Shaking off Baek-o, who was still clinging to him, Yesung straightened his disheveled clothes. His gaze momentarily fell on the half-empty coffee cup before he looked away.

Shouldn’t have drunk it.

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But it was too late for regrets. The fault lay with the one who drank, knowing it was a poisoned chalice. He thought he could say no even after drinking, but look where that got him.

Clicking his tongue, Yesung was about to grumble irritably when he noticed a nurse returning to the station. He softened his tone immediately.

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“…I’ll go, so stop bothering me. I need to check the charts.”