24ES | Chapter 2.1

“Good work, sunbae.”2ef640763d464d6f

“Yeah, you too. Hang in there.”3b8bbcd2ba1e42c1

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Yesung switched places 5d7048f48a with Park Joohyuk, 21409b2f8e who had just a38a65c9cf returned to the d92ccefdbe hospital after a 9246321f49 brief break. When Joohyuk left the f9db8ca389 emergency room earlier, he f66ab77dea had looked more like ab04345fd3 a corpse than a b51fcf849e person, but now he dc2aa803df was at least presentable.e8da3f6915b8fa39

The excited efd70bcb13 expression he ff7d5089a6 had when 1a5dbdf5d3 realizing he 95724b554f could finally c3184f086a escape the c605a38ca0 hospital faded 78981ec6eb the moment b6a891331b he returned, 2c4d08965f turning gloomy ffb3ef2ff2 again.75907f9d20a91d9a

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Yesung gave him eda4e859a2 a pat on dd85b7370e the shoulder with 3394a595a2 a small, encouraging ad99d101a7 smile. Then, he 4cd28dcb46 headed straight 1c921a01b0 to the 011df4205c pediatric surgery da72cf6f17 fellow’s on-call 366d660f88 room to 87acd06191 change clothes d3edf091c5 before heading 76d1c2eb5a out.43e5638bc61db34d

“Sung! Over here, 6aa36ccc45 over here!”e39246ae41a26693

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

At the main 33d2647678 entrance, Kang Baek-o 41589846ad was waving his 15438170db arms wildly to d640e7938a get Yesung’s attention.c787a29d50f92e71

“Let’s go already. Everyone else is f1195b078a already there.”e474a796ac06c3dc

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Yesung joined Baek-o, 9c5001907e and they left cd40fbdbaa the hospital together. The bar where the a750d15c17 welcome party for the dd200f5503 new cardiothoracic surgery fellow f9d7c70113 was being held was b1a2ea4e81 only a five-minute walk 14efd311d0 away.7d086d45e896592c

They didn’t have to 59fd6837d6 walk far before they 61c26a3bf8 reached their destination.afec340638e6964a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Here we are. This place c24e7df3ec is great, 7c69fdf292 isn’t it? No need 870cc73983 for a cdc20e204e bus or 12ef9d3b3e taxi, just 46ab4b68e4 a five-minute 61d3d5b565 walk from 2173e46eaa Hanguk University 80adb264ba Hospital! Let’s go in.”8ba64eb86d7bf50d

Excited by the rare 151ae92f61 opportunity to drink, Baek-o 7167537bc4 led the way, practically c9466afd57 bouncing as he went. Yesung followed close f0580e1807 behind.2eb249d6b772cbd2

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The bar 98e31b314a was packed, 7d91dc29e2 with barely b5d17ba077 an empty bbd42588b7 seat in a6cdeb3b6e sight. The lively atmosphere made 8bc7eac7a2 finding their group challenging. As Yesung looked 31cf0aff11 around, someone near 2476f8aef7 the center of 411668bd47 the room raised 20a6e36968 their hand high 5d170e9cf2 in the air.4ab18b2532e36414

“Professor Kang! Dr. Han! Over here! This way!”2c873a80df925727

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Though the shouting d951132946 was drowned out 66b666e126 by the noise, 27755494a8 the exaggerated gestures d9699acda3 were impossible to 2002c85fc5 miss. In such e1875ccda9 a boisterous 8d57d6c426 place, actions da5a91521e spoke louder 3d465f256c than words.6e416df85f9d3abd

Thanks to e73ed4dbed the bold 86c199519a movements, Yesung 02a72ef147 and Baek-o 98991562ca quickly spotted 227af2ad6f their group 010911793b and made 628177ae46 their way de2d26130b over.d77a7502d7d4cea1

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Welcome, Professor Kang! Dr. Han, welcome to you e169aebd47 too!”9ea37a24215c9b47

“Wow, it’s crazy packed 4e7430438d here tonight. Surely not all these 340bdeeeb5 people are from Hanguk 67d705124d University Hospital, right?”ccb34b863e98f7ce

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Well… considering it’s only 51cd9ca051 five minutes away, maybe?”22cdd33db9baf6b8

“Ha, no way! If that 900c1f19f1 were true, 1e1f13b071 the hospital 4af24951e8 would have 1d487e0fc6 to shut 7b9850b60c down! And seeing how it’s 5179fd711d running just fine, that f89d66f80b can’t be the case.”ae9afc7945312f87

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

By the time 688f600dea Yesung and Baek-o 7062eae2f2 arrived, it seemed beb3756543 like most people 54d6a166b9 had already had 966fcc88fc a drink or e325e5074f two. Their tipsy chatter 3cb2880620 turned Baek-o’s casual 1f9d0130f7 comments into a 10b52acd1e lively discussion. Laughter echoed around the b7b0740470 table, showing just how c01d234956 much fun everyone was b9c93b86a7 having.6a6047e82595ab27

Baek-o was the only 618b43320b one present with the 3e398b5b23 rank of professor, but 7f12d34c2d since he was a f296901594 newly appointed assistant professor 4ee2e0b9ea who had grown close 31cbde17af with everyone over time, b8a25a1cd9 no one seemed to 0a012e6485 treat him with formality.53a65867ae02a106

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Long time 5297ee1e12 no see.”ef6d6f3144e0d3d9

Yesung discarded ff94ba1d67 his usual 22a85d2d36 stoic expression, 133c14d593 donning his e224b7dd68 well-practiced social fadfac35e2 smile as 9c371a97f4 he greeted 3b495926b2 the group. Sliding naturally b9fd426667 into the cb98f157cd seat beside 90d3446d20 Baek-o, he c1899a5afa nodded politely.839ffe35f8ae2da4

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

At this, Shin 885936dd72 Yesuh, the Chief 815ca26f95 Resident of Pediatrics, f35905fc3e widened her eyes f508eedf34 in delight.3712d39830cad2af

“Wow! Hanguk University Hospital’s poster bc5f95d317 boy, Dr. Han! Hello~!”cb40997a1fc03cc7

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Ah, Dr. Han is here! The whole vibe 73e56beeaa of this dark 8d3b65d04c and dreary bar e132536569 just brightened up, c99063848d didn’t it?”536ca5f291d0a715

Plastic surgery fellow Lee 2024694394 Siyeon joined in, layering e105a29d24 her compliment with extra 532b769714 flair. Alcohol’s influence was clear; 78bc6302d7 otherwise, such over-the-top remarks bb7a62e02a would have been unthinkable 644ea5409f without the added courage 2e5fd39d59 from liquid confidence.ebe2daaafb1b534a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Yesung responded with a 7434613c93 practiced, familiar smile. Before he could say 8320c72531 much else, Baek-o interrupted f618d6d22b after placing an order 5c9879c78b for beer with the 6dfc9f212c server.00c233271702d511

“Hey, why did Dr. Shin and Dr. Lee start drinking a5f2f817bd before we even 0593d4fc98 got here?”ba649370cfa7792e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Professor Kang, don’t 0a2853022f you know that f8d7bdca61 in neurosurgery, time fc8edba216 is money? Who knows when aeaecab260 the next call 61d95d9a11 will come? We’ve got 604ac7e3dd to drink 190f8aaa8d fast and 3a30981f6c sober up dc7394a9ad faster. And Dr. Shin here is 70c3af4a64 guilty only of 0e3c0f1684 sitting next to d4780f2284 me!”e8ba65540db7232f

Though everyone shared 5d629a45de the same precarious 3ed120f6ac on-call situation, the 41f7ea70f1 uniquely hectic life 4d92316dd1 of a neurosurgery b4aa88e652 fellow made her 128512fcd9 words hit differently, 4b9572266d drawing sympathetic nods 8a71c0e347 from the group.b1c3cc14c7e160c3

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Even Yesung gave a 6fe4259e2e faint smile at her 1325d7ca5d words. Sensing the 9b80521fc3 need to a27deb815a liven up 38a096e172 the mood, 30dcd8dae1 Baek-o suddenly b7981f619b stood up.3664f872d7df7623

“Alright, alright! Let’s not a204fdd8f5 forget why 524bb58cf3 we’re here 12cf42599b today. This is Dr. Jung’s welcome party, 1de267f465 isn’t it?”d65e32e5fcec4818

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Everyone turned their 7a566b5c14 attention to Jung 768695b80e Hageon, who had 4d58fadc3f been sitting quietly f26f3fc404 across from Yesung 81fc1fc171 the entire time.ea4b184aca62e62a

It was only then 4926d5e22e that Yesung got a d7122b8298 proper look at Hageon. From the moment Yesung 3a65f83818 entered the bar, Hageon c836140169 had been silently staring 3e3b78def6 at him as if dea77a7a09 he had something to 2bb8b6e3fa say. Now, for the a9b5f44cb5 first time, his e4445adbb8 gaze shifted to 4f46d50d42 the others.8e5df4036300d81f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Despite the e8da99c998 sudden attention, 471d4e2ea1 Hageon’s expression 4df109b3a1 didn’t falter. He calmly accepted 3c5441360b the focus, his b154bbc7eb demeanor unruffled.0671a53e10579428

This quiet confidence 9550159970 made the others 732960343f a bit self-conscious, d16bc3ebd5 and they hurriedly bed9b1d8c6 chimed in to e538e1b68f echo Baek-o’s sentiment.66d2d7c7bf06d037

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“R-right! We almost forgot!”56a11c81b805dad7

“Haha… Sorry 4fe7922d35 about that, 699d2f9c78 Dr. Jung.”f232e1dfd66734b7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Okay, Dr. Jung, how about a 6ea7a82556 self-introduction?”66de9069ddae014d

Everyone was 3dac005e10 trying to c04b646886 shake off 7a40adbca4 the awkwardness. Baek-o, the self-appointed d851ce4c29 host, pointed theatrically 2a6ec215d6 at Hageon.0bfc30a0a5d7ba2a

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Hello, I’m Jung Hageon.” 4cfc5695b2 But Hageon’s brief, no-frills 18ae96a47c introduction wasn’t exactly what 209c9b7cfd Baek-o had hoped for. It was 94ee2184dd like a 67de67aa81 ship sinking e04880a861 before it 294f726ae8 had even e5daf54e78 set sail.1ed8f8225598c3db

In a 78a7b6c026 hospital setting, 388e4ee538 such brevity dd5f259134 might have 92c9c60f2b sufficed, but d108ebd073 here, it a58c43634e only made dd64bc80aa the atmosphere 3405a9a944 more strained.18d31013704a0148

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

However, Baek-o wasn’t one b9ad1b0fd9 to give up so 02e22d987d easily.cee2d2bc403aa59e

“Ahaha! Looks like Dr. Jung is a bit 069d2615a7 shy! Alright, everyone. This is Dr. Jung Hageon, who 205d10c6f8 just earned his a630e5eafd specialist certification and 44c68995e5 joined us as a7605e0cde a cardiothoracic surgery dac7ce836a fellow at Hanguk 7c2675923c University Hospital yesterday!”be632239adf6a43b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Rebranding Hageon’s lack 0122ff3702 of social skills f6e1cfcb07 as shyness, Baek-o b3d44387ad powered through the ed94e1b445 awkwardness with sheer cf8a83d999 determination.960ecdb98f09bdeb

“And I’m a86ecd016f Kang Baek-o, b9b308546b a newly 466881c99a appointed assistant 1c33facb21 professor inemergency medicine¹w who basically 048f625fea specializes in cleaning fa34816a75 up after my a8d75dad60 senior professors….”7758a5c82b3c58ae

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Pfft! Professor Kang, the 7d96c5c07e powerhouse of the bb9dfa8c0f ER is calling 239f72e3be himself a cleanup 7b697d9eea specialist?”95afbb3450ef4106

“Yeah, seriously! Isn’t that too self-deprecating?”372dbd117f74f3e3

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You guys wouldn’t fc84352dd8 say that if 3f215a9669 you knew how 007bd5a6ac my life’s been c1cdad852a lately….”1770f73dbe6f936a

Baek-o managed to steer b8d68ae50f the atmosphere back into 2bade4ff35 a lively, humorous tone. As laughter filled ea3a2ae677 the air again, 2d6cdc93d1 introductions continued around 0a176fdd8e the table. Yesung’s turn came last.961a24debb0d598d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“And this is….”c6c590de31bda017

“Han Yesung. Nice to meet 0e5de3df37 you.”c5e6dd047411bf83

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Yesung cut Baek-o 89630e23c5 off before he 54cf5c1e88 could continue with e6488500ec any exaggerated commentary. But if b764acbec6 Baek-o were f4f4b32aaa one to ecb6ee4666 back down c948b68361 so easily, c86f662ea0 he wouldn’t db4c44c7b1 be Kang 0d9e61396b Baek-o.743db90473807f9a

“Oh, come on~! Dr. Jung already knows fe70d36ea0 Dr. Han well, don’t 9bbef24637 you? They’re both alumni of 6fd6608dbb Hanguk University, and they 31ef97f83d were even in the 42925f9f74 same club back then!”664da412641fc69e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

As Baek-o c874d3e13a rambled, Yesung 130f2f07ed silently wished 4e2ce85b45 for a 6623abb4e8 needle and 66d40d513a thread to 557893b4ff sew his 365891d75e friend’s mouth da3ef8dbd4 shut. If he e4d11e421f had them, 4c0c3c3651 he might 9ff111f94c have actually 2e0855e57b done it.704ef68900103b33

It was obvious Baek-o dbbffc33ac was fishing for something. He wanted to confirm ef87b35cfa that Yesung couldn’t remember 5f4df4eea4 someone he should know.28d3523f14c80b51

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Sure, people 8fe1435333 forget things 52293e8970 sometimes. University was ages ago, 593b66b3cc and the hospital workload 9a04450059 was overwhelming enough as 1792b493df it was. Expecting someone to 286bf73f7d remember every passing 71452f2eb0 acquaintance was unreasonable.d85ea6f8c9258107

The issue was that 816df14d70 Yesung wasn’t just anyone. He had an ae77c87e44 exceptional memory and 13d600ce6b remembered every person c81d5cfeb1 he had ever 5d9403ef12 met. That’s why Baek-o b2a81a129d found it so f8982fe641 surprising when Yesung 7d504964c3 didn’t recall Hageon.42d5473759128e1e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Overreacting as usual… b16aa1e665 Baek-o.”3fba96fe1914eec3

Resigned, Yesung shifted d51bce27a6 his focus to 55af44081f Hageon. Prepared to deflect 570a628bfa whatever Hageon might 023d050576 say, he turned f9c08251f1 to face him.ef476a2731def23a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Their eyes met. Hageon’s gaze was cd09c79a1f steady, almost piercing, 3fabc2b6f7 with an intensity 01d15ff2e1 that made Yesung’s 4a3f6f87c3 brow twitch involuntarily.51b20559f3485d26

Then, Hageon’s 6a2c3cdd91 lips moved, 79a05270c5 slow and b8bb7dbfcc deliberate.44ec9d6dcbb4886c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Please take ec550cc38c care of e7e1ee7165 me, sunbae.”64bc06caf93712bc

It was the verbal 7846d8ea28 equivalent of a finishing 58f2771d3d blow.7baf748b1db2f43b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

—30b589a1773aefe1

One person had grown 5bdf0c2c5b secretly uncomfortable, while another 9a55bcd9b7 had chosen voluntary isolation, 9a849446cc yet the atmosphere at 9bc1c2b310 the gathering grew increasingly 1e1c506a06 lively. Although the ostensible 4514eefe1e purpose of the 6b295ecc9f night was to 05041acfdb welcome the new 9fcdd5e222 cardiothoracic surgery fellow, adfddd4567 Jung Hageon, no 4ed45fb327 one seemed to 2c6c9ad43a care about that ed6da7beb2 anymore. The welcome party was 3feed8b44e merely a fancy excuse—what 5ab880e6c3 everyone truly wanted was 4f593473e1 to drown themselves in f723acaea2 alcohol.b237d5dcdde2ed4e

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Yesung had anticipated 27338bb0a4 this outcome from c5d8378230 the start.612c90c956356c4b

“Dammit, I’m aff3914c2f telling you—ugh—are 436c9268f9 fellows not f755f41a40 considered human ec297a9b61 beings?! Huh?!”7fb11616feecbbba

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Ah, geez. What’s wrong now, Dr. Lee?”2b459f4b7e041554

“I’m saying! My professor—hic—doesn’t 41af6a2524 even treat e42624f914 me like 667af0b92e a person! Calls me here, 7ffd3353b7 yells at me 9b32d7256c there! I swear he treats 13c1bb76ea me like some dog b7c240f81c that fetches whenever he 444d17aa09 calls!”d87154d4b90afeb6

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

With a loud fe9f381a30 thud, Lee Siyeon 7d1278cbf8 slammed her now-empty 720a71b01c 500cc beer glass 5d2e470733 onto the table, 808a821372 shouting.df1bc4404e1a6a2d

“There are three fellows a86c4e9bf3 in neurosurgery handling brain 9cc283a640 cases, including me, right? But our dear Professor 790226828b Seok only ever calls 651587897a me! Me! I’m off-duty, you know! There are other fellows 711befd7c1 working in the hospital! There’s Dr. Kwak Nahyeon, bbac7bf867 who has 8df6c1fd28 more seniority 4eceed514d than me 31362c52e2 and is 65c6482152 also off-duty! So why does ef7e24d411 he call me? Huh? Why only me?”ae2beaa9fc9e764b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Completely drunk, her words 2a11295612 slurred, Lee Siyeon was 6f5fd9bd76 clearly venting frustrations she 4c5e1b76f6 had accumulated against Professor 6c6c855985 Seok Hoon, a renowned 349e40488f authority on neurosurgery specializing eb3bcb6649 in brain cases. Naturally, the blame extended 1c7ed6ffe4 to Shin Yesuh, sitting 90e328ed9e next to her.987fa5a897d52427

“Did I do 6fa27b7b87 something wrong to a3747aa6bb Professor Seok? Or does he think ce15383014 I’m easy to deal 0e3c254019 with? Tell me, Dr. Shin. Do I look a46a34eb2b easy to you?”435921a7c3d107e8

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It wasn’t ef295f5893 because of 9e1903cf77 a mistake 58fbed28c8 or because 186f67054a she appeared 2ae60e024f “easy.” Siyeon b3b150e448 had simply f6596e24fa caught Professor 30f04bd6e2 Seok’s attention b757d37d0e for another aa0eda0878 reason: her ae5ea86075 competence and 38469c66fe eagerness to 8949de3cbf learn.8c933741ba06f868

Professor Seok ba5d773143 Hoon, a 2c68f26ced respected figure d59023a5c2 in neurosurgery 51c79ce025 across Korea, 13bd5bb449 likely saw 7ed6236b96 potential in ce72fb17c8 her. To ensure she 92fb152083 learned as much b815783b1e as possible, he 96f33d275a prioritized her involvement 2eec1ea870 in surgeries, even 368478a833 when others were ab3c74e05a available.5923294836d6937c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Of course, this 1e6e24be2e was only Yesung’s 1236296585 personal theory, but 473f987a4e he suspected Siyeon 3c1fedeb00 knew it too. If it 0bd0f1c4ba had truly 96218ac1d5 been unbearable, 8740fcd192 she would 7fd961e077 have spoken f9bc812a80 to the ba6960dc61 professor by f94ff87280 now. Her quiet compliance, despite ab00c4a606 the grumbling, made it cf995fa5c6 seem more like a 7eb54dba54 frustrated outburst caused by 8ccfce1a55 physical exhaustion.9a29d1f6fca21b51

Shin Yesuh, who e241ee1e77 might have consoled 1994636082 Siyeon with words fa07ff098c about how such 5fd74b11ee complaints could be 73d95e00ca seen as a 9b479300b0 blessing, was equally d3d839802f drunk.982ddd982e27879e

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Let me tell e9be86024f you something, okay? The other 6ead0051ca day, I 37e30c4bc3 got a 2edcb0ca3a call to 615b69ddf4 check on cc8b761da1 a four-year-old 7f9afc9eca in the b87de30aef ER complaining 23dc4c98c3 of abdominal 59e5aac9f1 pain. So, I go ae7e22c2fc down there, right? But the c0b68c9229 kid starts a1edc9f7eb bawling, like 0508d8a504 they’re terrified ad5438847c or something. I couldn’t tell 02db4fa387 if it was 3c23570aa3 from pain or 3665f89e1b because they were 29cade7186 scared of me.”14121272562f1016

She heaved a dramatic 8e1dbe2244 sigh, her eyes quickly e05bdd26df welling up.fa85c20737bea143

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Crying kids? Sure, I’m 591c717abb used to d639da7392 it. It’s because they’re 876013ceed in pain, so 19800d8eb0 you just try d117a6b391 to calm them fc2b6f4855 down and get fcdc9eeee9 on with the 16c3837a98 exam. But suddenly, the mom da3e1a5ff1 glares at me and ac54169667 says, ‘Do something!’ I a11dcbf025 mean, I was about 5bc200468e to do something! But, ah… 179262009b I know a268a90793 parents get ae0a540e8a sensitive when eb0ce5c259 their kids 99935387ca are sick, cc5ee1fa78 and I’ve d85d57a958 seen it 397bf4ea26 plenty of 0ad5980890 times, but bb3a8b3cad that day… 8f41a2d7a2 I just ac7614d1a6 felt so 7c58e03710 miserable hearing b989f6d1f2 that.”939cac8ae05150bf

Tears hovered d54122ac08 at the 7749d1b4cd edge of 544a7d9a7a her lashes, 3ed1f42506 threatening to 3e10e4fe86 fall. Overwhelmed, she finally burst 379f69b973 into sobs, her head 99b8f6705c collapsing onto the table.b823f04744d911b2

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I hadn’t 3748219c8e even gone 4ae1d82dd2 home in ad7369b4a5 four days! I was 9ca2049fe9 so tired!”bfac658aae6be4bd