24ES | Chapter 2.1

“Good work, sunbae.”85e44fc458a7e419

“Yeah, you too. Hang in there.”22391b0c2ef16003

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Yesung switched places 10a4a8c4d1 with Park Joohyuk, a20d45ea8f who had just 5fdd49015a returned to the a3ddf7a52c hospital after a 5489665abc brief break. When Joohyuk left e777c65e01 the emergency room 1daf0ecdd0 earlier, he had cf4ef05827 looked more like 687f7df785 a corpse than f39c193029 a person, but 913321b1b2 now he was 7adf7bca8a at least presentable.a339da8dec6bdaed

The excited expression he 4f17e8dc05 had when realizing he 458acd007e could finally escape the 4fbd43003d hospital faded the moment 63eac2f2ab he returned, turning gloomy a90c2d65b1 again.2227d24b5d2b23cf

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Yesung gave d870fd8b3f him a e81978c24e pat on c0ee8dd39c the shoulder 87f268ec5b with a 0b011f1d7d small, encouraging cc10667440 smile. Then, he 38d86f9b0b headed straight a20a2fe50a to the b4ec445109 pediatric surgery 661aa5cc01 fellow’s on-call 428b2b4139 room to 89ee834a30 change clothes 4145478c8b before heading aade4825d0 out.d6ccfccfd8190538

“Sung! Over here, 5f94a63cae over here!”14d8b913768fc88b

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At the main fc4a2cf6c7 entrance, Kang Baek-o 79a7b632ff was waving his ec889ff377 arms wildly to 20df344e20 get Yesung’s attention.2ec08e30c8316299

“Let’s go already. Everyone else is already 8649c53e3f there.”fd240825893ed77a

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Yesung joined 693ef384ef Baek-o, and 427a9acfc6 they left fa398ec3c4 the hospital 8abcece6f1 together. The bar where 4110745104 the welcome party 6c773f8d4b for the new 97c833b71d cardiothoracic surgery fellow bbbd9c7797 was being held f7dc76fdd4 was only a fac72308d3 five-minute walk away.f7f41089f737c73d

They didn’t have to 0baaa98dd0 walk far before they 2fd520863e reached their destination.9cb658bf7c829ecf

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“Here we are. This place is b7ae2e52a9 great, isn’t it? No need bd6402be89 for a 2c8e11ccd8 bus or 62aa4eb39e taxi, just 3f338c7d59 a five-minute af258594a8 walk from 45d8b9b5c1 Hanguk University a2b1ffa4ee Hospital! Let’s go in.”91d5c0ba136f6f95

Excited by the 47ebcd722d rare opportunity to 7df0b4602d drink, Baek-o led ceb45975fb the way, practically 53e408d720 bouncing as he ff29238e9c went. Yesung followed close behind.880cf5dd63dbf863

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The bar f712a8dd66 was packed, 9550423e25 with barely ac2900446a an empty 646e13378d seat in 08d4f28e1e sight. The lively 012aaabe39 atmosphere made 9f5c5c8825 finding their 7d2c0844eb group challenging. As Yesung looked 2ee0fa0094 around, someone near 4e685e04e2 the center of 7b70ae165b the room raised 7d08b791b1 their hand high c35f43e331 in the air.5e9edb0a50318fb8

“Professor Kang! Dr. Han! Over here! This way!”c512fd2474549c4e

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Though the shouting 48360b0749 was drowned out fbc9c4119f by the noise, ce5eb49845 the exaggerated gestures 4e935aafea were impossible to c9a8cea56c miss. In such a boisterous e7cae1df07 place, actions spoke louder 1a59846eb7 than words.48e8a2e623608636

Thanks to the f9faa740a8 bold movements, Yesung 6dde8aa194 and Baek-o quickly 74d924a869 spotted their group 65c59b9b39 and made their c30ddf0ac1 way over.cc417988435d37e3

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“Welcome, Professor Kang! Dr. Han, welcome to 49e70e072c you too!”1af75b39a2a516f7

“Wow, it’s a3d995957e crazy packed fd05b75437 here tonight. Surely not all these c1e5fa2265 people are from Hanguk 8e17ffb347 University Hospital, right?”af24dfe211c4621c

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“Well… considering it’s 8cca15d23b only five minutes 0d9ced9172 away, maybe?”418e3363f0e50066

“Ha, no way! If that 72ac75bd2e were true, 608f244c2c the hospital 7f2ad4bab4 would have c6eec9c357 to shut 131a65db40 down! And seeing how 42411b4f82 it’s running just 6a6424157b fine, that can’t c3d7cb2ea9 be the case.”35f8570d8ce8dd25

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By the time 48fe35675e Yesung and Baek-o c8921925f1 arrived, it seemed b963b807c7 like most people c9a733d8bf had already had 74cd292f14 a drink or 58b8517134 two. Their tipsy chatter 13d2975474 turned Baek-o’s casual adfd639bea comments into a 970d76f316 lively discussion. Laughter echoed around the 02deaa2f9f table, showing just how b0aefe6b3e much fun everyone was c66af01d28 having.eea55e787ba9ddd7

Baek-o was the only 3b30f6d74a one present with the c251f798b0 rank of professor, but 9b55764b4b since he was a 068feff0ad newly appointed assistant professor 16b2d8d13a who had grown close 11b7eeefdc with everyone over time, cb0be16775 no one seemed to 4906978404 treat him with formality.3a9ca58ef3128e48

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“Long time no see.”a73ecd3b41456089

Yesung discarded his 3a80165660 usual stoic expression, 70022b0ec7 donning his well-practiced 14305da831 social smile as cd622cf452 he greeted the 3e11d624ad group. Sliding naturally into ce1866bf44 the seat beside c376775b21 Baek-o, he nodded 1a762ef004 politely.4da87f7e220cb69e

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At this, Shin 3d19cb5ae2 Yesuh, the Chief e3e6fa5a52 Resident of Pediatrics, e4ee224e3c widened her eyes 54e11ab022 in delight.3a127683cfd8a6ba

“Wow! Hanguk University 699b6dea13 Hospital’s poster 1f477d2c56 boy, Dr. Han! Hello~!”df0f8832a6e7ad59

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“Ah, Dr. Han is here! The whole vibe 1dcd9bc59c of this dark aee701a1b7 and dreary bar 84b7c08c33 just brightened up, 4a388852d7 didn’t it?”51507b2c70cbdc02

Plastic surgery 29bd0f22d8 fellow Lee eda13cc83b Siyeon joined 935450531c in, layering 4f57e3bfae her compliment dbe91cd8d2 with extra 596531db2c flair. Alcohol’s influence 51634fb761 was clear; 9706c65e04 otherwise, such 9873296e1d over-the-top remarks ae07e7ff97 would have 414069310c been unthinkable 956a7b22ad without the a51d23bf2d added courage 65828d93e8 from liquid 161649afff confidence.70e7ea04a515ec9c

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Yesung responded with 51912a65e4 a practiced, familiar 8588a57401 smile. Before he 6fad826d24 could say ddf3133931 much else, a97614363a Baek-o interrupted 6bba07d0e2 after placing 9d276fac14 an order 6d565f6f87 for beer ce0f401f5d with the aa13bbc411 server.a1b9267bd779be07

“Hey, why did 66b81dc4bb Dr. Shin and Dr. Lee start drinking before 25e94da285 we even got here?”09b6d82778d63254

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“Professor Kang, ac37d85292 don’t you 667dbad209 know that 58fc895aa1 in neurosurgery, cc826d66d8 time is 99053b4586 money? Who knows when 77837c9d57 the next call 98091465ff will come? We’ve got e49af8a7e8 to drink 868ae30d8c fast and 0ab82be424 sober up 8777321a99 faster. And Dr. Shin here 7fc4e69139 is guilty e6764801dd only of b00fd66475 sitting next 2e1c270c30 to me!”83a153be144f85a3

Though everyone a659d01d75 shared the d5e84b3739 same precarious b6ac77f994 on-call situation, 717ffc2f0c the uniquely fc8c149d35 hectic life c191a7bff6 of a baa8f7a294 neurosurgery fellow 482be9371f made her 3914d48b94 words hit 6ba67175ed differently, drawing 3664e7cba3 sympathetic nods f1c4aeab5d from the 0a83a58916 group.35c55c85545a1815

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Even Yesung 9434daa0a2 gave a d45e2a7691 faint smile 2945871c5a at her 85589a7b10 words. Sensing the need 4069fe5db7 to liven up 9650ca8fcf the mood, Baek-o 271344ba9d suddenly stood up.bf6e16b71b680960

“Alright, alright! Let’s not ff3c4b6236 forget why baa1687e00 we’re here a82dcb4380 today. This is Dr. Jung’s welcome party, e7c791ccdf isn’t it?”067e17ccc15a5433

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Everyone turned their attention 2e4a132dba to Jung Hageon, who 4d3c9f6cd5 had been sitting quietly 34ff2b2056 across from Yesung the 277302a2c7 entire time.c420c95802b28b15

It was only 0a9e0ff2f0 then that Yesung 7efca21b82 got a proper 34e9ad4048 look at Hageon. From the moment Yesung fa93f30256 entered the bar, Hageon c00bd5dd32 had been silently staring a4ec834a4f at him as if 96613735b5 he had something to 855cbc58d3 say. Now, for the 3198f6d733 first time, his 80576e1dd6 gaze shifted to 841d335860 the others.f8ee372d29c0f4db

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Despite the 63abfa19e9 sudden attention, 7439e0a05c Hageon’s expression 9bfc1a56d4 didn’t falter. He calmly accepted a4bed8cfc2 the focus, his 8496b9deb8 demeanor unruffled.ca2d902bd09b2201

This quiet confidence made 72a65fd70b the others a bit 74660200e5 self-conscious, and they hurriedly 367111ef26 chimed in to echo d16b157414 Baek-o’s sentiment.9dbb352e1f6662e6

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“R-right! We almost forgot!”608ae842b69f9ca3

“Haha… Sorry about 2ebd7d584d that, Dr. Jung.”edd269d4509dea32

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“Okay, Dr. Jung, how about 5c46dcd393 a self-introduction?”8c8f62b4be1e3018

Everyone was 5c49908787 trying to bb88a47b16 shake off 431da7ab49 the awkwardness. Baek-o, the self-appointed 31663af113 host, pointed theatrically 302f74b6e7 at Hageon.3e3833537ab3896e

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“Hello, I’m be63b94453 Jung Hageon.” 23e8477046 But Hageon’s 51b9e5c4b3 brief, no-frills 4eacd4caee introduction wasn’t a9a3bf8fc4 exactly what c55235b722 Baek-o had b61b41288f hoped for. It was like 9a851833ee a ship sinking 6d0dc68914 before it had 9b835b9daa even set sail.4b8288499fcf55d4

In a hospital 8054d97a20 setting, such brevity 40f2a9eda9 might have sufficed, eb30785c4c but here, it b62c191c91 only made the 6528bd46c4 atmosphere more strained.41755255fa65b409

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However, Baek-o 5c72690fb2 wasn’t one 5eeae6b4f5 to give 1e1ac4bd3f up so e8d1f37c14 easily.9a154b9237c6fe2b

“Ahaha! Looks like Dr. Jung is a 4333bfce6c bit shy! Alright, everyone. This is Dr. Jung Hageon, who just 3e4396e3f3 earned his specialist certification 14e5b72a3c and joined us as e541211df7 a cardiothoracic surgery fellow 58fc1b8f9b at Hanguk University Hospital 7bdaf04943 yesterday!”09d6f0fa62b56fdc

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Rebranding Hageon’s lack 3b19e2b630 of social skills 0126d83947 as shyness, Baek-o 69ad757d98 powered through the 340380da83 awkwardness with sheer e3dc71032d determination.be74188284a729bb

“And I’m Kang Baek-o, b2303c1dd3 a newly appointed assistant 26046bca4a professor inemergency medicine¹w who basically 4589481885 specializes in cleaning 47778ecc21 up after my 72a4abed72 senior professors….”f3b30a8ae3dfc04d

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“Pfft! Professor Kang, the 0c5e20d4cd powerhouse of the a034d91e40 ER is calling 69ee881262 himself a cleanup 38654de438 specialist?”ebd9b89f594a1bb6

“Yeah, seriously! Isn’t that too faf4949299 self-deprecating?”53a3b7447ead296d

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“You guys wouldn’t say 2cd0506a53 that if you knew 3ba3d64670 how my life’s been 2d40243eb8 lately….”b1cf21e5b5c8f6ff

Baek-o managed to steer ac84971cb7 the atmosphere back into 551119c6b5 a lively, humorous tone. As laughter e23fd45aaf filled the 78b91c693f air again, 3467fbe882 introductions continued ed57993c92 around the c1f572f42b table. Yesung’s turn came last.21a3cd039e36c9dd

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“And this is….”eb01a0f644c70b17

“Han Yesung. Nice to meet you.”fe8774c6a71323f1

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Yesung cut ac3990a3ac Baek-o off c9f7bf8066 before he 15516ea63c could continue 7f1cffe2c4 with any 411f769030 exaggerated commentary. But if Baek-o 9a6fc10048 were one to 196860758e back down so 99d1560a0d easily, he wouldn’t d9324dd74a be Kang Baek-o.05beb777aaa6b5ff

“Oh, come on~! Dr. Jung already knows Dr. Han well, don’t you? They’re both alumni of 4ea2742320 Hanguk University, and they e0d036c63c were even in the 675d37b582 same club back then!”50f11af07743dc01

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As Baek-o rambled, Yesung 7292a935a7 silently wished for a d3886b01dd needle and thread to 1e599d5292 sew his friend’s mouth 2bf28507db shut. If he 973d0818fc had them, 1061b112f5 he might 12ddb4f770 have actually 941d7baf02 done it.61b4a54324d598fa

It was obvious ab23006182 Baek-o was fishing 0fa887c67e for something. He wanted to ba4e984062 confirm that Yesung 35d653b367 couldn’t remember someone 97892487cd he should know.912736068d10ec02

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Sure, people forget d8c59f2089 things sometimes. University was ages ago, 653a450763 and the hospital workload edce9d04e8 was overwhelming enough as a4b5a6d151 it was. Expecting someone to remember 599d46ee1a every passing acquaintance was ba511b9d8d unreasonable.cd4a8a9e08c32f27

The issue was 93873712d5 that Yesung wasn’t 65b1bb5ea0 just anyone. He had an exceptional be34564076 memory and remembered every d405a64bcc person he had ever 20273285eb met. That’s why 7fc73733b6 Baek-o found 539ad8592a it so 3710958b6f surprising when c15d999dad Yesung didn’t 9cabdd21d9 recall Hageon.3539ed1b4e65ab8e

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“Overreacting as usual… 1063d508b7 Baek-o.”900a9d5b6727724b

Resigned, Yesung shifted 4810d0f041 his focus to 2913a147ab Hageon. Prepared to bffc41c761 deflect whatever ea90244cf8 Hageon might 5e719398f8 say, he a276c964d9 turned to 587ec9b1fc face him.b0b658342170a3ba

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Their eyes met. Hageon’s gaze 4735709deb was steady, 4948ec259d almost piercing, fc7bfdca11 with an 02c9e64d8b intensity that c5eb444110 made Yesung’s 045323ca30 brow twitch 0925adfb37 involuntarily.73c229fd769ee16c

Then, Hageon’s 9288686d17 lips moved, be83d1ddda slow and 4f058b0699 deliberate.d225e8e187134978

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“Please take care of 67ab8f8444 me, sunbae.”a820bd3732563f12

It was ff014f3015 the verbal 4ace0d2413 equivalent of c9a685e285 a finishing 7d8e1bd469 blow.83d4787886a1aebb

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—e6709e3036a05500

One person 3263d7aee0 had grown 3eee6816a6 secretly uncomfortable, d9189bff41 while another 5cff2d4bf0 had chosen 33209b527a voluntary isolation, cfdbbd2f82 yet the 9df80aa1a2 atmosphere at ad44fd9fad the gathering 6b5d299a1d grew increasingly 95e7531bc2 lively. Although the ostensible purpose 503411d660 of the night was c80b18fe42 to welcome the new 87d4eac33f cardiothoracic surgery fellow, Jung 6d92df8f3b Hageon, no one seemed a5e3a9225f to care about that 881857e809 anymore. The welcome party 63c31a4d26 was merely a bcc2f6f5f7 fancy excuse—what everyone 4dbe3fa0d3 truly wanted was 09493f65a8 to drown themselves 9ffb90cee2 in alcohol.840a8f803da34cde

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Yesung had anticipated 138d65bdee this outcome from 5c14f9e14d the start.73657a940ddd0fed

“Dammit, I’m telling you—ugh—are ac11605de6 fellows not considered human 32d8ee8bea beings?! Huh?!”43da272bb5ed00b3

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“Ah, geez. What’s wrong aae2dade70 now, Dr. Lee?”f028043c33df35ec

“I’m saying! My professor—hic—doesn’t even treat 8c38c9acae me like a person! Calls me 80c5811faf here, yells f7ff3905ac at me 074cf40a59 there! I swear he fea269bee3 treats me like ccdb3d85d3 some dog that e9f9ddaacd fetches whenever he 2e40045766 calls!”b1623a935c0b60a6

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With a loud 4a7db4a1e8 thud, Lee Siyeon ac4fe4da3d slammed her now-empty b64289a0d4 500cc beer glass 4244830b58 onto the table, a87f6b7eeb shouting.8060a9de2f214038

“There are three 778e236a94 fellows in neurosurgery a5e339d119 handling brain cases, 0f7cc4bb1a including me, right? But our dear 5c40583121 Professor Seok only 5ebd33a883 ever calls me! Me! I’m off-duty, you know! There are other fellows 5567a06511 working in the hospital! There’s Dr. Kwak Nahyeon, f23fe00bc7 who has 0a00a4ce78 more seniority a5fb51cd55 than me 661a7c7dae and is 41dd04170a also off-duty! So why does he 258293f799 call me? Huh? Why only me?”a43f6948bd5a5645

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Completely drunk, her f8524db845 words slurred, Lee 72ae4322b4 Siyeon was clearly 0d576d6647 venting frustrations she 0697b1f2f2 had accumulated against 5f15110e99 Professor Seok Hoon, 89cb437416 a renowned authority 04426a5eb9 on neurosurgery specializing 831fcd3a3a in brain cases. Naturally, the blame 7b89beb708 extended to Shin 7dd992d8ac Yesuh, sitting next 4c694eff0a to her.5e050a198551704f

“Did I do something a769824e29 wrong to Professor Seok? Or does he 87a21764e6 think I’m easy e48b90ceeb to deal with? Tell me, Dr. Shin. Do I 674e5f897c look easy 069e37ae0b to you?”7d5ec1e1c02e1a94

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It wasn’t because of 1ecc376e50 a mistake or because f59987d16f she appeared “easy.” Siyeon b8db8d411a had simply caught Professor 13690d06fb Seok’s attention for another 53b3723e65 reason: her competence and a7a3427af5 eagerness to learn.bcd64f103250d030

Professor Seok b83fd0a74e Hoon, a a68fbf8ceb respected figure 22ac67045e in neurosurgery 953d099455 across Korea, 75d9d5a587 likely saw 247eea6021 potential in 377d989d71 her. To ensure she learned e3e8115368 as much as possible, b228df6764 he prioritized her involvement 8ed8b5e566 in surgeries, even when 339cd062fd others were available.82a57b77bca8f002

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Of course, 1caeb574a1 this was 2d637e3347 only Yesung’s 3ccf2316f7 personal theory, fe483737fd but he e39ac55a67 suspected Siyeon a252788368 knew it dd46fc678e too. If it had truly 7074b778e8 been unbearable, she would a59f3ee9a8 have spoken to the 835457a634 professor by now. Her quiet 51e214c5e3 compliance, despite 25452f3c28 the grumbling, a8118a4781 made it 97ffcc28d4 seem more cfae7f5025 like a 4c3c361208 frustrated outburst aa00bd8d61 caused by 0e6535e09a physical exhaustion.1ba1f978dc2c39a2

Shin Yesuh, who might a69582eec9 have consoled Siyeon with 51d5d97a51 words about how such 98d7ceb4f4 complaints could be seen 5fe23800b8 as a blessing, was 16f984dee1 equally drunk.b178f6da0adbe1c6

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“Let me tell ad720b809d you something, okay? The other b82961fddb day, I cbbd817b57 got a adc524041e call to 2e1cdae952 check on 6687283689 a four-year-old e3547eaa25 in the 79ea5ca945 ER complaining d6c6c2bfa8 of abdominal 3d47586fce pain. So, I d70ea1d5f6 go down ccd41d0da0 there, right? But the 716e8e75a7 kid starts 319686681f bawling, like ac60bfcbe8 they’re terrified d84ff6324c or something. I couldn’t bb47a55032 tell if 00d86d488d it was 86ec7137aa from pain 9d8287b2e0 or because b4956459d5 they were 39aaca23ca scared of 8225948a67 me.”d673f731094a8c9d

She heaved a 3c5a61ed6e dramatic sigh, her a7cea32030 eyes quickly welling a7aa74c321 up.74c3e148787957d2

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“Crying kids? Sure, I’m used to 4fdcc515c3 it. It’s because d1522adb25 they’re in 1e23e2a6c9 pain, so ca269b4b42 you just c735737810 try to f53f19f0e0 calm them f6ca15ce7f down and 0b6792ce73 get on 1d8bdd9c42 with the c4fcaf9053 exam. But suddenly, 30e7d8c616 the mom afad98013c glares at 27ef581c76 me and 6156f79617 says, ‘Do 4bff57a1a6 something!’ I 6b7cc89616 mean, I 8f49eb7dbf was about b037b7dce7 to do 5ed7f924fb something! But, ah… e7b9c2a4b6 I know cae929b465 parents get ff86eafb44 sensitive when 0881765f0f their kids 972a69411e are sick, f29f1e17d3 and I’ve e53361e5fd seen it 6b490645ec plenty of ae4d5520bc times, but 0cc7722719 that day… 4ac33a2631 I just 84212802fc felt so 0887366176 miserable hearing 53cb4e48fd that.”0190724f5ca82409

Tears hovered at a7ed9b9bdc the edge of 2e8343356d her lashes, threatening c4a122363f to fall. Overwhelmed, she finally burst 1cb3719056 into sobs, her head 5275f67e05 collapsing onto the table.4565bcb850d07d49

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“I hadn’t even gone 80f58ff1cd home in four days! I was 89c21f2ac9 so tired!”8362f048ec609980