24ES | Chapter 10.2

The child’s bright smile seemed to clear the dark clouds filling the sky. Yesung couldn’t help but smile back at him mischievously.

“Really? I know everything, Seungchae. You shouldn’t lie, right?”

“Ah… did Nurse Eun already tattle to you? Shoot, I told her to keep it a secret…”

“Even if Nurse Eun hadn’t told me, there’s nothing about Seungchae’s condition I don’t know. You had a fever last night, went up to 39 degrees.”

The air conditioning was on all day in the ward as it was summer. Despite efforts to regulate the temperature centrally, the immune systems of children who had undergone major surgeries could still be vulnerable.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Yesung admonished him, and Seungchae, who had kept his mouth shut, hurriedly made excuses.

“It was just a brief fever, really brief! It went down quickly after I took medicine, and Nurse Eun said it was okay…”

“Is that so? No sneezing or anything?”

“No! I’m all better now! Really, doctor, right?”

Seungchae looked up at Yesung with pleading eyes. Holding onto his arm, Yesung grabbed his stethoscope.

“Shall we check if that’s true?”

“Ah, ah… Chest-sunbae already checked earlier! Right, sunbae?”

Seungchae desperately signaled to Jung Hageon with his eyes. Alternating his gaze between the child and Yesung, Hageon slowly nodded.

“Yes. I checked, and there was no problem.”

“See, doctor! I was telling the truth this time! I’m really, really fine!”

“Hmm.”

With narrowed eyes and arms crossed, Yesung looked back and forth between the two. It seemed unlikely that Jung Hageon’s affirmation was false. He wasn’t the type to play along with a child’s pretense, and it was improbable he’d lie in front of Yesung, who was known for his blunt honesty.

Reluctantly, Yesung lowered his stethoscope and moved closer to Seungchae. As he put his weapon down, the child clung back onto Yesung’s arm. Looking down at Seungchae, Yesung laughed as if resigned.

“Do you hate being in the hospital that much?”

“Isn’t it obvious, doctor? I really want to go home soon! I want to see my friends, and the hospital is so stuffy! Not to mention the food is awful, bleh!”

As if waiting for the cue, Seungchae listed all his complaints and mimed throwing up. Watching the child express his displeasure with his whole body, Yesung folded his arms.

“Then until you can go home, you better not kick your blanket away at night. You need to cover yourself well while sleeping.”

“Doctor, are you a ghost? Did you secretly install cameras here or something? That’s it! You put cameras!”

Quickly letting go of Yesung’s arm, Seungchae looked around as if checking for real CCTV cameras.

Laughing at the absurd idea, Yesung asserted his innocence.

“There’s nothing like that here. Installing that kind of thing is illegal; if I did, I’d be arrested.”

This time, Seungchae crossed his arms. Leaning back against the bed’s headboard, he scoffed.

“Hmph. That’s boring. Did mom tell you?”

Had he known the answer and still asked? Probably itching to play with his friends but unable to do so. Anyway.

With a resigned smile, Yesung was about to say more when the ward door opened. It was Seungchae’s mother, returning from her urgent errand.

“Oh, doctor? When did you get here?”

Surprised, she widened her eyes as she entered the room. Yesung clasped his hands respectfully and greeted her.

“Hello, Seungchae’s mother. I just stopped by to check on Seungchae. I heard he had a fever again last night.”

“Ah… yes, that’s right. He kicked off his blankets again last night. As usual, the fever went down quickly after taking some medicine. You don’t have to worry, doctor.”

Perhaps it was Yesung who should be reassuring her, given how different her demeanor was from when Seungchae first arrived in the emergency room. Is this why they say mothers are strong?

With a bright smile, Yesung nodded.

“Still, if anything happens, please let us know immediately, okay?”

“I will, doctor. Thank you always for looking after both me and Seungchae so well. And Dr. Jung too.”

“It’s nothing. Just doing my job.”

A cliché response, but perhaps that stiff reply was genuinely Jung Hageon’s sincerity. Yesung wondered if Seungchae’s mother might misunderstand his true feelings, but it seemed an unnecessary concern.

She smiled in response.

“Thank you for saying that. Now that I’m here, you both can go. I know how busy you are, and I hate to think I’ve been holding you up here unnecessarily.”

“It’s okay, really…”

Yesung tried to say it was fine, not to worry, but Seungchae cut him off.

“Mom, are the doctors leaving? Can’t they stay and play with me a little longer?”

“No! The doctors are very busy. Now that mom is here, okay?”

“Ah, mom’s no fun! Playing with the doctors is much more fun!”

“But still, no. The doctors need to go now.”

“Siigh…”

Arguments always had a foregone loser. Seungchae, feeling defeated, pulled the blanket over his head and hid inside it as his mother’s expression turned stern.

“Seungchae. Why are you doing this again? You know it’s not possible, why are you being so stubborn?”

It seemed like Seungchae might start crying if left to hide under the blankets. Before the gap between them could widen further, Yesung quickly intervened.

“Mother! Mother, please wait. Let me talk to Seungchae for a moment, okay?”

“But, doctor…”

“I’ll talk to him. He just wants to stay with us a little longer.”

With a firm expression, he persuaded her. Eventually, she stepped back, allowing Yesung to approach the blanket-fortified Seungchae.

“Seungchae.”

“…”

“Seungchae, can we talk for a minute?”

Softly coaxing him, the fort stirred. Seungchae poked only his head out, his hair static and tousled. Yesung bit his lip hard, struggling to hold back laughter.

“Doctor.”

“Yes, Seungchae.”

“You have to go, right?”

The child asked with a crestfallen look.

“Um…”

Yesung deliberately trailed off his words as if pondering something. Then he nodded.

“There are many other sick kids besides Seungchae. I should go see them.”

“…Sigh. Okay. I can’t help it then. I’ll give in. There might be kids who need you more than me.”

Yesung almost burst out laughing again. He bit the inside of his cheek to hold it back. How could a 9-year-old pretending to be mature and giving up be so cute and funny?

This is why I love kids. They’re so pure and innocent.

“Ahem, ahem.”

With a forced cough, Yesung suppressed his laughter and stroked Seungchae’s hair, who was peeking out from under the blankets.

“You’re good, aren’t you, our Seungchae?”

“Hmph. I’m naturally good, you know?”

“I know, I know. The teacher knows very well how good our Seungchae is. So, since Seungchae gave up this time, I guess I have to give up something too, right?”

The intriguing statement made the child gaze up at Yesung with sparkling eyes full of anticipation. Yesung smiled.

“I’ll stop by after dinner for a bit. If you listen to mom and behave until then, I’ll play with you for 30 minutes. How about that?”

“Okay! You promised, right? If I listen to mom and behave, then 30 minutes!”

“Yes. But I’ll check with your mom first to see if you’ve really been good.”

“Okay!”

“Then it’s a promise.”

Yesung ruffled the child’s soft black hair first. The child, as if waiting, intertwined his pinky with Yesung’s.

“Teacher, teacher! Don’t forget, so stamp it and copy it. Quick, quick!”

The blanket he had used to hide suddenly didn’t matter. Seungchae couldn’t hide his excitement, even wiggling his bottom as the blanket slipped under the bed.

The sight was too adorable for words. Yesung, with a smile, fulfilled the child’s request for a stamp and signature. Then, an unexpected situation unfolded.

“Chest teacher! Quick, the chest teacher too!”

The only person in this place the child could be calling the “chest teacher” was Jung Hageon.

This was… completely unexpected.

Yesung, flustered, reached out to stop Seungchae, but Jung Hageon was quicker.

He promptly reached out his hand to Seungchae, even sharing a stamp and signature as Yesung had done.

Jung Hageon, this guy…

Yesung glared as Jung Hageon joined in. He hadn’t planned on involving him at all. Jung Hageon was too busy with surgeries to entertain kids, and he wasn’t exactly skilled at taking care of or playing with them. From what Yesung had seen upon entering the room, Jung Hageon had been like a statue. It was obvious. He would have only repeated words like “yes,” “no,” and “that’s right” to whatever Seungchae said. It was clear he was not comfortable with children, yet he had made a promise simply to get another chance to see Yesung in the evening.

As soon as they left the room, Yesung called him out.

“Jung Ha… Dr. Jung. Could we talk for a moment?”

Normally, he would have just called him by his first name, but conscious of the eyes and ears around, he changed the address. Jung Hageon followed Yesung obediently.

Yesung led Jung Hageon out to the emergency stairs.

Squeak― thud. The heavy metal door closed behind them as Yesung turned to face him.

“Jung Hageon, what are you thinking? Don’t you have surgery scheduled tonight?”

“I do, but it’s okay. I said I could manage.”

At his nonchalant reply, Yesung let out a sigh he had been holding. He brushed back his bangs as he eyed Jung Hageon.

“So what about now?”

“Right now, it’s just a little bit of free time between surgeries. Seungchae is also my patient, after all.”

So, he had been in Seungchae’s room not solely because of Yesung, he argued.

As if I’d believe that. His actions spoke otherwise, making his statement very, very doubtful.

Really…

Angrily messing up his own hair, Yesung was deep in sighs when Jung Hageon looked him straight in the face and spoke.

“You know, it seems to me that you really love kids.”

Those words stopped Yesung in his tracks. He narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Hmm? What makes you say that?”

“There are many reasons.”

“Name a few.”

Jung Hageon, watching Yesung’s eyes sparkle with curiosity, struggled to keep his laughter at bay.

“Ahem.”

After clearing his throat, Jung Hageon tilted his head.

“Well, for one, just looking at you tells me.”

“My appearance? What about it?”

“The way you handle your patients and talk about them.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. The care and affection you show are quite evident. Just watching you with Seungchae… frankly, it’s almost enviable.”