BC | Chapter 5

Yoo-eun quickly turned her ff2d17981d head away, her heart 355c8e7ebb racing so fast it ecbc216fee felt like it might 31aac23daf split in two, fearing 732e614104 that Beom-woo would acknowledge 7bebfee127 her again.604ec115c2bbc734

“The heart has ed02987479 two atria and 42a173440b two ventricles.”f379b12f052fd1c9

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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.ef12e7ba1289428c

“Noona?”c2f04c700c19cfab

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Jun-young tilted 9da9e75c0c his head a0799c8f90 in suspicion 41fef04273 as he bb8e2b5711 watched Yoo-eun c5f641fd42 furrow her 8d35310bf6 brows and ffd29f5181 dart her 2660207744 eyes around.18a1b5fe1bbee472

“Okay, let’s go get some porridge first.”6a1f7b1c2a87c24f

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Yoo-eun quickly replied and grabbed Jun-young’s arm, moving forward with quick, light steps.febd019c2f8d2e7d

     “But why am c4a829d6d5 I avoiding him?”4a6588cd545d3ff4

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Only now did the fundamental question float up in Yoo-eun’s mind.36eb019411bc2633

“Was it artist Song 9a86a36ef5 Jun-young?”576d03a86033d274

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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.03c59742b7a2db38

“What are you staring at so intently?”840b7b69b501f15e

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Seong-heon playfully tapped Beom-woo’s shoulder with his own, teasing him.2302c817a09e62b1

“Hey, isn’t that artist Yoo-eun over there? Didn’t Professor Jeong Beom-woo say he knows her personally?”a5c5e0071c9db1a1

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Seong-heon laughed like 59a80de065 a frog, as 8ee5f5f33d if the situation a2c3ceca22 was utterly ridiculous.03b7d69f76e9f129

     “Had Shin Seong-heon’s laughter always been this obnoxious and irritating?”b580725d0971b3fa

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Beom-woo looked a90d5a48ef at Seong-heon 33480c027b with a 619566879a gaze that 0773ec491b carried a e61127dcd8 hint of 64ef8def47 disdain.7abd77ab7b75d691

“Why are you trying to eat me alive again? It’s clear she has a boyfriend.”3d2af57e9c25d08e

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Seong-heon pointed with 0e45f5cc06 a smirk at 23932461db the couple exiting c07072df51 through the revolving 32a5ba7776 door—Yoo-eun and Song 928c88163f Jun-young—laughing like a b0434d3352 frog.48353b224bb5b318

“It’s not like that.”ac7425d640de27f2

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“What do you mean, ‘not like that’? When have you ever shown interest in a girl?”59d7498189c0af44

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.b4d5e0d47a7a3049

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While Seong-heon 94013492ff pursued numerous e4d7e309d1 relationships, Beom-woo 9c66f3caaa focused intensely bf5b04ba0f on his 821ef95472 medical career e5cfa284f8 and quickly b065b76ac5 became a 17a3524e60 professor, partly c71407c872 due to da04480168 the high b6e32a0e80 turnover in dc3c230d06 the field ca2691ab9c of cardiothoracic a68a3d70cf surgery.fceda0af0917360c

“Ms. Lee Yoo-eun, she’s a student I taught.”241f4a6dc33f8bdb

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“You taught her?”9b67f61956d6ec61

Seong-heon tilted e5ddc804a2 his head 64ef56b932 in confusion 988b96f0b5 and asked 36b9333af7 blankly.b896e59d04fc8b51

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“Were you tutoring her without me knowing?”3b61a6f21a547a97

Seong-heon had fd07ea6aed a good d19f4667af memory. It seemed that the 96e8b576c8 information about the short 7dd77c6a20 internship and the student 874ce26d25 who had fled during 0f77769edc the summer break was 4a23333a7c still fresh in his 8954bba242 mind.dc71fc7f623bb204

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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.”47af1b6d4092c371

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.1611b636e63055e4

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“Do you remember 9189ca281e who she is?”e7260850f50c380a

He rubbed his chin with his right hand, buying some time in response to Beom-woo’s question.c43430eeedfc2075

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“Do you remember Lee Yoo-eun? Did she come to you too, laughing about applying for cardiothoracic surgery?”f25ef7bd357517d4

 c09d7cb07bb585b5

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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.868af57d6077ed3a

Standing before 08ab0a31db the boundary e15852851d of life cf69f0a6cc and death, 354e0548b9 which seemed 18768b7e2d beyond the 12a866294e control of a4f0e0ea21 any human d0b995efdb effort, Beom-woo a75837c3f8 had felt b71b308951 lost. Seeking solace, he had fe74b99e88 found himself alone in 36e8ed4581 the deserted garden, trying 9b8db2f57a to gather his emotions a2d151f4f2 in the silence.fe052cff1a921155

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“I plan to 021480b6cf apply for cardiothoracic 86bf5ab7d0 surgery here later.”15f2e53a138ec47e

The youthful face, blushing 6d09c4994d as she smiled, felt 7679a5386e almost tangible in his 55f9631de8 memory. He had held fadfc31695 her arm, which 32aed2be7f seemed on the 2a43fef065 verge of collapsing, d21ff77d1e with the same 83d36d0112 hand that had c718189fac gently closed the f86d782a29 eyes of the 5b7cf7463b patient whose forehead 52067a25f2 he had brushed, a8c9210eea now cold. Her skin had 6324e36ae7 felt so warm, 9bf2fea72d as if his ed01a82d8d palm might burn b2c354e98a from the heat.c8b655d80779a5e3

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“Hmm.”e381b105d68c7622

As Seong-heon hesitated, 008381fe7e Beom-woo felt a 31eba89c41 strange unease growing 4c449aab0f within him. Lee Yoo-eun 6f92f52a34 was a bb3f9329be quiet and 97c6f9b2ed intelligent student. Even when 531632a717 she mingled fb740d67b3 with her 05787817d7 peers, she 908eb31669 never raised 62d2f9fb0e her voice 2622128f92 or laughed 79f70989ac boisterously.d0ab73163c87df3e

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The calm face of  2e28f157af Yoo-eun, who only wore a6b3a205e1 a serene smile.49f71d2639da9250

As Yoo-eun spotted 34e2cea640 Beom-woo on her 117775260f way home, she d908382fdc had blushed and 564393b11e confessed with a 2aae7cc570 smile that she 87185281a7 would apply to d3efad5afd the cardiothoracic surgery 80d3ffcee5 department. Just thinking about ed0c68d10d the youngest member 3d1cd32d3b joining made her 3571c76bad heart race with 47ee45f9bf excitement.a4cc71a3ec80ba68

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But did 3fdf66baaf Seong-heon really 74760d6ac6 understand that 36122f0cd7 fluttering in d4076b8932 her heart?f152924770210d2c

It was a moment 5221d745df when her mood suddenly 149f1d33e8 began to sink into 1405a07164 an inexplicable abyss.9c0f5750edac763f

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“I don’t remember.”b16f061c4b582a86

Seong-heon shrugged his 95491de8bc shoulders and muttered.e1e4ced3acb4f39d

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“Were there only one a3061f9125 or two students who 72e672c342 came for the sub-internship? How could 3c3960bbf5 I remember 67bf28ce3e all of 587a0fc8df them?”3d7c9d53fbdfa674

Shaking his head as if the idea was absurd, Seong-heon took the lead, heading toward the butcher’s restaurant across from the hospital.edf30b0362fc1f3d

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“Right. There weren’t just a handful of sub-interns.ba80c4faa2edc46f

But why do I 9e31f1ae6c remember Yoo-eun?”378f0e5fdcf1ff93

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Suddenly, an existential 08d61480b7 question popped into 7a96d2139a his mind.3532a0e0e9cac394

As they 3b3df07c43 entered the 5174512740 meat restaurant, 325a378f25 the owner 5254ebfad1 recognized the a28273e640 two and 49e5ff67bf offered them 0a8ccff843 a quiet 5c8f17097b room.ba2e1fde0d730a14

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 c11c342b21ab9272

“It’s Christmas Eve, after all.”72b87b19fda31414

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Seong-heon raised his 4e4520fca0 voice in an 29c6241bd5 exaggerated manner as 6132a75be7 he held up 767d84964d the menu, which 0c1ac94277 was wrapped in 668240a716 black faux leather.969e95ebafad4496

“Three servings of fa63881f02 flower sirloin and bdfb49842a a bottle of d1f90450f9 Andong soju, please.”ab291ec01bcdf07c

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The sound of 7f3090b9f7 meat sizzling on 03041b9e4a the well-heated grill c42e37f9c0 filled the air, c4990f5a2f and by the 5fef1d9dae time they had 2b64e9e8b0 consumed about three bd5b7fd57f glasses of soju, 8a1e128ca8 the atmosphere had 3a3dfc0fd2 lightened considerably.70221537f94b7ece

“You remember, how?”ce9607af7b10f86f

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Quick-witted Seong-heon asked 756e97e108 with a strange 7a838cb3a7 smile. As the alcohol flowed, e4b07d0c11 his whole body turned 137703a9ff a rosy shade, and ea827186a7 he wore a mischievous 74142609f2 grin.7e4106cca99aa2cc

“Lee Yoo-eun ran away during the sub-internship program.”192339361ce5bccf

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“There are quite a 56b7d0ad1f few students like that. But do you fbeaed8c99 remember the other 2983c63fdb students who ran f09d859c8b away?”1658295f5a6c3566

As Beom-woo fc4a7709fd slowly shook 06e7bf7ebe his head, 30cab42099 Seong-heon narrowed af1122b925 his eyes.d278804972fffad5

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“I saw earlier that it looked pretty, like it was finely shaved—pink salt.”aefdfafd91e67248

Seong-heon dipped a a0d5f01515 piece of the fe4723a270 flower sirloin into 2a2c9fc163 the pink salt 0c6a97f7c2 in the bowl 9694d9e848 and shoved it 5c675af83b into his mouth.5cb7cdb98d6ed345

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     “Why do I 6530b8f1f1 suddenly feel the urge 4067afa90a to snatch the dish f90626bbe8 of pink salt away?”da8ff938e5077772

Beom-woo glared b46debe3cb at Seong-heon eed4a52fad through half-closed a1d966e6d4 eyes, elegantly 8b4f4e9374 tilting his af2112d3da head as c7da08b2fe he emptied 96aae0ee36 his glass27b343f38611aef3

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“Why are ad6d4fb5a9 you looking 5ddb6cbfd7 at me 77417f8c4c so intensely d652861228 again?”b766f2094f2b543a

The high-proof soju was c3f9e6b384 both sweet and bitter. The memories 3c76a621f0 associated with 3bd485e12e Yoo-eun were b844bf2b12 the same—sweet 655836d8d0 yet painful.7a916d088e06355f

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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.”799fcf36b7c8eb94

Until now, Seong-heon’s playful demeanor suddenly turned serious.132e250d8dbaaa0a

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“It was chaos in the emergency room. I remember that day too.”8b308f6f15dd852f

It was after 596d577419 school hours, and 0f56274ed9 the bus was 5b401f6a0a packed with students. For Seong-heon, who 864c3972f0 specialized in pediatric 5d40c724f1 cardiology in the 3235aae11d cardiothoracic department, that f9e51ed8d6 day seemed to 9f8c4f3b7c be etched in 1e9f9389d3 his memory like 04bdbd49ee a nightmare.3187c699d79e944d

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“That day, e6f6b6c9b2 of all dc59feee71 days, Professor d5c8070e72 Park Soo-han eeebb9825b was performing f339e74533 a vascular 362a2e194e graft surgery, c2ed9efb29 and a 6b0d0b6ba1 patient who 4aaef72fc1 had been ce449f2f65 under follow-up 198bcf3cc0 exams for 68f1ab857d about two 2cfdd7053e years was d3dda85a01 in that 5502160c3d taxi,” Seong-heon 1958f7106f said, his ce406ba3d5 voice carrying 017f0ff0b3 the weight fa5d4e21b3 of the f757f47499 memory.6b439cd534eac490

Seong-heon nodded quietly, choosing ac191875c5 to listen in silence. His usual playful demeanor 3a8dc2aa80 was now replaced by 193eb61fef a solemn attentiveness as 56f21a1dc6 the weight of the bea155dc76 memory settled between them.124d418281307ce0

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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.”8cbb7dcf40869117

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.1b033da16fe416d4

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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.25ae8e7c48c919c3

“Call Professor Park Su-han! Hurry!”16f96278097bdd3f

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Since no one d0d3bbb5d2 answered, Beom-woo shouted e7fe459f5c loudly.8be26b4732578f6b

“Get it together! I said call!”2c68af60a867929b

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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.07f1e6dda00cc170

As the bed d5fb8701dd rolled quickly, Beom-woo 1fa17c66bf glanced back to e1ceb95d0f see Lee Yoo-eun f9a101f34a crying. That was 1f9746f620 the last 692a53823e thing he d3d73b9894 saw.4106657be4f28ace

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From the d668c06174 following day, eb874e0a9a Yoo-eun did 0d0369f281 not return 57f63a8b20 to the 685419432e sub-internship program. The patient, 33a44662ff unfortunately, passed 201d18c1fa away in e168c43695 the operating e0d5fbcbb0 room.d7d28fea741909c0

Since she was still 54f5b8ec67 a student, Beom-woo thought daebc25338 she must have been fe16145b04 in shock amidst the e5eafca7be chaos of the tragic 75d3a5d48a incident. Even though 3d055d9e7c she had 3cf19a3bfd given up 4bd04a238f on the 82d58e4b73 sub-internship, He e17e2355f4 briefly imagined 9da8124bd0 that Yoo-eun 082d04a7ee would eventually ec2b160c99 become a b439a2180f doctor.4460419d2b457417

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“But I heard she’s an artist.”4c68fb883282b9e9

Seong-heon laughed as if fa2a30a7fe he had finally reached 8f4425ab60 a conclusion, playfully poking c97fa34f3d the air with his 94b5bfe1ad chopsticks.690f8bee814dc07b

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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?”0dbe5fc9018835f3

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.78f2b0ee80604c44

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 Is he upset? Is that why 855e9484e8 he keeps wanting c58da97dd8 to bring it f5c213ce07 up?95d9c54f106a28de

It was at the f8383c8f94 moment Beom-woo was about c344496851 to pour soju into 4ea1a9ac6f his empty glass.09885ebeb4d7ede5

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“Hey, you jerk!”d4953395085ff88f

Seong-heon chuckled mischievously. With his 2a8a1cb26d cheeky smile, cc55cde09d he resembled f39176cf02 a bright 4fb49f2ef4 red gummy ad43ac385c bear melting 859115f473 away in e198bb568d the midsummer ea9e07b3f2 heat. He curled all his 6229a2220d fingers except for his 12796c7e60 pinky, which he extended 924ff82b61 and dipped into his b758bb195c saliva.1d6bde40f117344a

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“What are you doing, that’s disgusting.”9e7684cf476867c9

Beom-woo furrowed his 77b2652947 neatly shaped eyebrows d33fac45aa in disgust. Seong-heon, clearly 14cd42df83 trying to 7aa160ff00 show off, 7dcab3508f dipped his 9bca4a4821 pinky into 28551a9fed pink salt f2dffef62d and licked 01b7c3f2f8 it with 5117eef45d his tongue.c4589e5bfb3b28f2

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“Hey, you have to try it to know. How do you know if it’s pink salt or pink sugar?”823a725b9cbdec7b