24ES | Chapter 9.2

The large-scale collaborative consultation involving multiple departments concluded successfully. The possibility of needing a second surgery, which many doctors had worried about, was now off the table. Initially, there was only a 50% chance, yet the first surgery managed to restore up to 90% of the damaged structures, thanks to the patient’s resilience.

While full recovery depended on the patient’s own healing abilities, the consensus was that the remaining 10% could be reconstructed with proper medication management following the surgery.

“The antibiotics are working well.”

“Yes. The response is good, and the progress looks favorable.”

“That’s great. Let’s continue to monitor closely.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the child, who was from another country, was showing remarkable adaptability and was recovering well.

“With this rate of recovery, he’ll be moved to the general pediatric ward soon.”

“Indeed. Children are much stronger than we often think, regardless of nationality.”

Yesung replied with a smile to the nurse and left the PICU. His next stop was the main building’s 3rd floor, where the general pediatric ward was located. Upon reaching the central station visible right off the staircase, he checked the patient’s name next to the door and entered.

“Ah, doctor! Hello.”

As soon as Yesung stepped into the room, the guardian greeted him. He nodded lightly at her and immediately checked on the patient’s condition.

“Hello, Minwook.”

He greeted the boy with a gentle voice, but no response came back. Yesung lifted the gauze to inspect the surgical site and signaled the guardian with a look, suggesting they needed a private word outside the room.

“Madam, is Minwook still…?”

“Yes. As you’ve seen… he keeps on like this. If only he would speak, we might at least know why he’s like this, but he simply won’t talk…”

Holding her chin, the guardian sighed in frustration. Yesung glanced back through the small window in the door at Minwook’s bed. The boy was staring out the window with a vacant look, the curtains fluttering slightly with the breeze. Yesung turned back to face the guardian.

“Madam, may I have a word alone with Minwook?”

“You mean, you want to talk to him alone?”

“Yes, I have something to say to him.”

“Oh, uh… Yes, go ahead. I’ll wait outside.”

Minwook’s surgery had been successful, and he had quickly moved from the ICU to the general ward. However, since regaining consciousness, he had not spoken a word.

Despite constant efforts by doctors and nurses, and even attempts by the guardian, he remained silent. Even concurrent psychiatric treatment showed no improvement. The only people who knew why Minwook had shut himself off were Yesung, Park Joohyuk, and Kang Baek-o.

After entering the room, Yesung deliberately knocked before stepping further in. Minwook’s gaze, which had been fixed on the window, now turned toward Yesung.

Yesung approached the bed with a smile.

“Minwook, hello? I said hi earlier. Do you recognize me? I’m the doctor who performed your surgery.”

Yesung spoke with as much warmth as he could muster, but again, there was no response. Undeterred and having expected silence, he continued.

“What were you looking at through the window? The sky?”

Minwook’s gaze shifted back to the window. Through the open window, he was looking at a sky filled with fluffy white clouds. The weather was exceptionally good that day, almost like a scene from a painting.

As Minwook continued to stare silently at the sky, Yesung stretched a bit.

“Ah, the weather is so nice, isn’t it? It’s the perfect day to go out. We should be outside on a day like this.”

It was unclear if Yesung was talking to Minwook or merely to himself, but Minwook’s gaze drifted back to him. Yesung gave him a warm, encouraging smile, like a sprout blooming on a spring day. Minwook’s lips twitched slightly in response.

However, only a faint movement of the chapped skin was visible, no sound came through. Yesung quickly noticed that Minwook had tried to speak but stopped.

Maintaining his smile, Yesung leaned in closer to meet Minwook’s gaze.

“Minwook.”

“…”

“There are a lot of adults in the world who want to help kids who haven’t grown up yet. First, there’s me, and you know Dr. Park Joohyuk, right? The doctor who comes every day to disinfect your surgery site.”

Even though Minwook didn’t respond, his eyes were fixed intently on Yesung.

“He wants to help you if you’re having trouble speaking. And not just him—the nurses, and everyone at the hospital feel the same.”

Yesung gently stroked the boy’s hair, which was fine enough to slip through his fingers, a testament to his mother’s diligent care.

“And most of all, the person who wants to hear from you the most isn’t me, or Dr. Park, but your mom.”

Yesung locked eyes with Minwook, conveying sincerity.

“Your mom and all of us are ready, so we’ll wait. Until you’re ready.”

Yesung spread his thumb and pinky and offered them to Minwook.

“How about making a promise with me? When you feel ready to talk, you’ll tell me first. Okay?”

Minwook’s clear eyes shifted from Yesung’s face to his hand. Slowly, his own small, thin pinky rose to link with Yesung’s.

Yesung pressed their linked fingers with a bright smile, and Minwook looked at him. A vivid light of hope sparked in the boy’s eyes, previously dim with despair.

The undeniable change brought a wider smile to Yesung’s face.

***

After leaving Minwook’s room, Yesung headed to the central station of the pediatric ward. When he stepped out through the door, Minwook’s mother approached him with a questioning look, but Yesung responded with a smile instead of words.

He had promised Minwook. To wait until he was ready. So, until then, their conversation was a secret even from her.

Luckily, Minwook’s mother didn’t stop him. Yesung, having reached the central station, was busy writing on a chart in a corner so as not to disturb the other medical staff.

Then, a whisper reached his ears, catching his attention.

“…Really? So Dr. Eun also thought so.”

“Come on. Do you think it’s only Nurse Eun who thinks Dr. Jung from thoracic surgery is handsome? Our hospital must be full of them!”

It was the phrase ‘Dr. Jung from thoracic surgery’ that struck Yesung’s ears precisely. His gaze drifted beyond the station, deep into the medication preparation and conference room.

“True. But it’s not just the nurses.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I overheard it by chance last time. You know Dr. Seo from internal medicine?”

“Dr. Seo… you mean, Dr. Serin?”

Yesung couldn’t help but perk up his ears. The conversation continued amid the excitement about a well-known figure in the hospital.

“My God, yes. That Dr. Seo who became famous when five men dashed at her on her first day at our hospital?”

“Yes! That Dr. Seo asked for Dr. Jung’s number, can you believe it?”

“What? Directly?”

“Yes, directly!”

“Wow… Dr. Seo’s got guts. So, what happened?”

“What do you mean, what happened? She got flatly rejected.”

“No way! Why? Dr. Seo seems like a really decent person even to other women!”

“Well, the reason is…”

The nurse paused, and Yesung, who had been eavesdropping, swallowed dryly along with them.

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“What?”

It was a moment of utter deflation. Yesung nearly let out a foolish gasp, feeling his energy drain away.

The nurse, sensing the colleagues’ eyes on her, hurriedly spoke up.

“But one thing’s for sure!”

“…What is it?”

“Are you really sure this time? You’re not setting us up for disappointment again?”

Considering their history, the voices were tinged with skepticism. Yet, the nurse exclaimed confidently.

“Don’t worry! It’s not like last time. One thing’s for sure…”

“What is it?”

“Dr. Jung doesn’t seem to have a partner to refuse for!” Shockingly, that made Yesung’s heart sink inexplicably.

“Really? But how do you know? Did you hear it directly from Dr. Jung?”

“You can tell just by looking! There’s no ring on the fourth finger of his left hand!”

“Come on. People with partners might not wear rings. You know our job. It’s easy to lose a ring or find it uncomfortable.”

Yesung found himself nodding along without realizing when the nurse advocating for Dr. Jung’s singleness slammed the table and stood up.

“What else could it be?”

“Hmm? Is there another reason?”

“What is it?”

“I’ve seen it more than once. I heard Dr. Jung moved into the housing provided by our hospital’s foundation. But I’ve never seen him go home.”

“Really?”

“Yes! Forget about going home, he practically lives in the hospital’s on-call room every night. If he had a partner, why would he do that? He’d escape the hospital to go on dates!”

“That makes sense…”

“Just now, that seems quite credible.”

Everyone seemed convinced by the argument. Yesung, still pretending to be focused on his charts, frowned. Little did he know his connection to Jung Hageon would come back in such a twisted way. He wished he could defend him but couldn’t.

“Maybe I should give it a shot? If he’s really single, I might have a chance!”

“Oh my… really, Nurse Eun? You’re going to try?”

“Yes! Even though Dr. Shin failed… they say you don’t fail till you stop trying! I believe that!”

“Wow, Nurse Eun, you’re brave! Look at you!”

“Go for it! If he’s single, you never know! It’s definitely possible!”

Jung Hageon was more popular with the women than expected. He really was good-looking.

As the nurses were chattering, Yesung felt his mood plummet further.

Just then, laughter rang out, worsening Yesung’s mood, and he was about to close the chart irritably when—

“Sunbae.”

The very subject of the nurses’ gossip had appeared in the general pediatric ward. Seeing Jung Hageon walking straight towards him made Yesung’s eyes widen.

He hurriedly glanced inside the station’s preparation room. Fortunately, the nurses hadn’t noticed Jung Hageon’s presence yet.

Almost reflexively, Yesung grabbed Jung Hageon’s arm and pulled him along.

“Sunbae?”

Despite the confused voice following him, Yesung kept walking. They left the general pediatric ward on the third floor and didn’t stop until they reached the neonatal intensive care unit on the second floor. Only then did Yesung let go of Jung Hageon’s arm.

With a puzzled expression, Jung Hageon alternated his gaze between his arm and Yesung’s face.

Meanwhile, Yesung couldn’t smooth the furrow that had formed between his brows while overhearing the nurses.

Was I crazy? Why was I even listening to that?