BC | Chapter 5

Yoo-eun quickly turned c49e8b75bb her head away, 18ec3b835e her heart racing 8f91b21076 so fast it 30814a088b felt like it d8cb38ee5a might split in e97dde82a6 two, fearing that 6ef9b65153 Beom-woo would acknowledge 39137c6ec0 her again.d31bba7799b5c3d1

“The heart has two e1a77aecf6 atria and two ventricles.”85a5b0bd9ab8b1f7

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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.37c0bc06e97f6d0f

“Noona?”46d9642e1497a12d

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Jun-young tilted his 8e9221866c head in suspicion 8b61ed23cc as he watched 3be84c874b Yoo-eun furrow her 286ffbf612 brows and dart 2fe0459a17 her eyes around.a38d464bc9e16c7f

“Okay, let’s go get some porridge first.”ca773b674b7b6e6e

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Yoo-eun quickly replied and grabbed Jun-young’s arm, moving forward with quick, light steps.0fbc35727294fbd9

     “But 76c0610955 why am 2558c6a14f I avoiding ecb13a819d him?”6ba67e0ccc5f5a01

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Only now did the fundamental question float up in Yoo-eun’s mind.e5fa5708eef88523

“Was it artist Song 75a1db4577 Jun-young?”dfe0e38b5836ce98

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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.67e7e7277f2bcca9

“What are you staring at so intently?”2195ac740ad32050

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Seong-heon playfully tapped Beom-woo’s shoulder with his own, teasing him.c2064f61daf812ad

“Hey, isn’t that artist Yoo-eun over there? Didn’t Professor Jeong Beom-woo say he knows her personally?”183555a737c0ad5a

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Seong-heon laughed like a a70251219b frog, as if the 813a15cd1a situation was utterly ridiculous.812a7051d512c9f7

     “Had Shin Seong-heon’s laughter always been this obnoxious and irritating?”28732ea2f50d1d8f

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Beom-woo looked at Seong-heon 5fc4a28aca with a gaze that 8b5ded0d95 carried a hint of b0547211e0 disdain.476ec29b610f6609

“Why are you trying to eat me alive again? It’s clear she has a boyfriend.”35868ac6de6c136d

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Seong-heon pointed with cfc4322d7c a smirk at 6095d6a763 the couple exiting c013de808e through the revolving 34d348b0c3 door—Yoo-eun and Song 8fc817d710 Jun-young—laughing like a 96db8d11a6 frog.dba5d2e8398054a0

“It’s not like that.”2bf091c33213f2f4

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“What do you mean, ‘not like that’? When have you ever shown interest in a girl?”305d2a1241de000e

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.4d36c24b52c79fb9

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While Seong-heon pursued numerous 82403a6182 relationships, Beom-woo focused intensely 4aa5885e9b on his medical career ee44564372 and quickly became a 6f695b3c9b professor, partly due to 654c8005f9 the high turnover in b34b843b00 the field of cardiothoracic 9bad06d3d7 surgery.f80c45f9f5f27a40

“Ms. Lee Yoo-eun, she’s a student I taught.”a1a5ac1eb72eeff4

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“You taught her?”b4fa95be4c3c286c

Seong-heon tilted his 21ffe28239 head in confusion 2acdc4d11c and asked blankly.698f7996c291c953

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“Were you tutoring her without me knowing?”c386f23336f4dd8f

Seong-heon had a 82811ecd79 good memory. It seemed 3f1d3362da that the 1e1b2b9ea5 information about aae79020b2 the short 162b7c7203 internship and c1c98cc0e8 the student f82c1ffed1 who had 9057720d1b fled during 94abbd01c9 the summer 93604ba745 break was c75c8081c5 still fresh f5ed7dc934 in his 81fae8d7d1 mind.5fd397b9af134c07

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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.”8eccd4aa2f250a1c

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.d92512d7bc72bc4b

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“Do you remember 612a242069 who she is?”5f7eaa36aaacb69e

He rubbed his chin with his right hand, buying some time in response to Beom-woo’s question.60eeae159c63539a

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“Do you remember Lee Yoo-eun? Did she come to you too, laughing about applying for cardiothoracic surgery?”808ed1a196cfc5f0

 adb8249faed0cd4a

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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.a1e1d9c0f269fa9a

Standing before 6e58bc0c8c the boundary ebe863487f of life fa58f2998e and death, aff0d748bc which seemed 37fea6a17e beyond the 368bfe8323 control of ed8f970b5b any human f993c30c10 effort, Beom-woo 810073ba19 had felt ebf75ce5b9 lost. Seeking solace, he had 3a3b841667 found himself alone in c5ab1bfce4 the deserted garden, trying c924c3eac9 to gather his emotions 47fb929e3d in the silence.c986ee9f5d9cf741

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“I plan 656e417b57 to apply f45033e020 for cardiothoracic 49366b3803 surgery here afc0f96112 later.”3b3409a7c8abd0b6

The youthful 6e06ebb9a9 face, blushing 6193343f24 as she 51cdffff51 smiled, felt a8eab0801c almost tangible 627ac828d8 in his 5fff005380 memory. He had held 4e08a8f87f her arm, which 91b5161960 seemed on the a45b03f888 verge of collapsing, 466429c51c with the same dda5dddc63 hand that had fb3323c113 gently closed the 9601802a82 eyes of the 25069cd8da patient whose forehead cf50d5d193 he had brushed, 23a386d40e now cold. Her skin 769d0b5ab1 had felt 20c14f3ec4 so warm, 633b301591 as if 7361fc1275 his palm 1bdc712d9d might burn 22c2076113 from the 3eb42feb74 heat.74cfe54d9991eaf4

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“Hmm.”7af4fa3ff9550b3d

As Seong-heon hesitated, 0f981d28c8 Beom-woo felt a b3e8cc828c strange unease growing e3d8769f00 within him. Lee Yoo-eun 06210d11d6 was a 0ec3b93725 quiet and c48e7bbe11 intelligent student. Even when 2f79bd7d6e she mingled bbb7afae4e with her 6d7d1e2d03 peers, she ce27cdc8df never raised 1382a09f6b her voice 9702be2ebc or laughed a2661df52c boisterously.87f0b3989ac992cc

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The calm face d8012f74f8 of  Yoo-eun, who 32b28fef53 only wore a 7457fbf26e serene smile.287eecee215c20c3

As Yoo-eun spotted 9e56022435 Beom-woo on her 9ab0315b69 way home, she d8b6072445 had blushed and da3db083d9 confessed with a a3a1e43c57 smile that she 71ae359942 would apply to 3d0f4dfb4a the cardiothoracic surgery 7bcc085d09 department. Just thinking about 2685253f95 the youngest member 06bd293aeb joining made her 66eeae95cb heart race with 9f4d44860a excitement.7928caf077551f5a

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But did Seong-heon really 0abc52ff3c understand that fluttering in 67ae3de3a3 her heart?07d3fc35ea9c015f

It was a 91d0dc6350 moment when her d642af2d35 mood suddenly began 04efd7ae74 to sink into 4e7079e9e2 an inexplicable abyss.571befab669d2956

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“I don’t remember.”34d3ab86d09f4b1c

Seong-heon shrugged 461c68a2d6 his shoulders f7c728c108 and muttered.01452d76c4f425b3

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“Were there a1b882aa16 only one 7c10907fb3 or two 4d6959f81e students who 2808550b66 came for c276cecdf1 the sub-internship? How could I 80cdd8ca34 remember all of edbd3e3e81 them?”4f8cef37b9fdadf2

Shaking his head as if the idea was absurd, Seong-heon took the lead, heading toward the butcher’s restaurant across from the hospital.c7c812b6b146e785

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“Right. There weren’t just a handful of sub-interns.362948575ab749b2

But why do 650c5892ab I remember Yoo-eun?”556186182f3891fc

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Suddenly, an existential b1fe10324a question popped into ad5c6e2ed3 his mind.194736da3d9f78ba

As they entered c4e1dac9cd the meat restaurant, ff853c9362 the owner recognized 6c97172556 the two and 1807586720 offered them a ca44032c25 quiet room.3461ccb8631d7614

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 2728fcd81a95c031

“It’s Christmas Eve, after all.”4e6b17c4ff29dc0b

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Seong-heon raised his voice c70f79a146 in an exaggerated manner f6fdbe8b74 as he held up a034414a3a the menu, which was e5dc47b651 wrapped in black faux 4af091eb70 leather.9b58a49fd9374c78

“Three servings of 483ec57c5b flower sirloin and 65a2f987df a bottle of 5203a98358 Andong soju, please.”7a5e2593225f52f8

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The sound of meat 4e06ce8735 sizzling on the well-heated b3b8104ce7 grill filled the air, b0bcdad609 and by the time 01f482c7eb they had consumed about faba355756 three glasses of soju, 6f76138bc2 the atmosphere had lightened 776e733381 considerably.640c0e3ca02f3397

“You remember, how?”4b9daeba24a91454

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Quick-witted Seong-heon asked with 8e7b38d1a4 a strange smile. As the alcohol flowed, f9f1866430 his whole body turned cc9269ef10 a rosy shade, and f281e8662e he wore a mischievous 137c8a29e0 grin.85d6f699fa3c6cc7

“Lee Yoo-eun ran away during the sub-internship program.”77a0bd8d11537a99

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“There are 500e3f578c quite a 4b9d6465a5 few students 5f16729e2e like that. But do you a8571b93d1 remember the other cd2b888a6d students who ran 0f4d9f0fd5 away?”3d9c88fdd30c7786

As Beom-woo 2206801c6b slowly shook 5042e1343f his head, f6ae67d0ce Seong-heon narrowed 28de226af3 his eyes.18580268551f8973

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“I saw earlier that it looked pretty, like it was finely shaved—pink salt.”efc6bca3003d231e

Seong-heon dipped a 3236105a1a piece of the 21c75e948d flower sirloin into 0151584345 the pink salt d98ba3f30e in the bowl b88ec10b5c and shoved it 809ff3cb47 into his mouth.e54962b70e072368

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     “Why do I fe37c0e117 suddenly feel the urge b946a7f289 to snatch the dish ba58a9826c of pink salt away?”a7d8ea8af003cfb3

Beom-woo glared e8121f6f61 at Seong-heon d6408f2d44 through half-closed c7dc131164 eyes, elegantly d79aea2359 tilting his 6f358334fc head as 3535fb375d he emptied fda7dd1db2 his glass8a9263877d543ed2

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“Why are bfa2c069e0 you looking a6814d051f at me 862def1942 so intensely 0ce5bbcb35 again?”e078372aa29eb2f2

The high-proof soju was 548076815f both sweet and bitter. The memories associated with f0d719c1c2 Yoo-eun were the same—sweet 3736a3cf86 yet painful.5a80589521f69255

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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.”06088a6d7813f3d2

Until now, Seong-heon’s playful demeanor suddenly turned serious.1e728bc8f2ffb0ff

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“It was chaos in the emergency room. I remember that day too.”32219c78257e9e6c

It was after school c007050d52 hours, and the bus 1bff2b9936 was packed with students. For Seong-heon, 45075116dc who specialized f188d052bc in pediatric 68e45b34ee cardiology in c67c322201 the cardiothoracic b3d58febf7 department, that 1336511a76 day seemed b2dfe6f8e3 to be 307d4eb1c2 etched in e88d8f0b12 his memory aa402fb649 like a 2c26bad89b nightmare.a67bd64496f51597

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“That day, of all 1b5507d54f days, Professor Park Soo-han 1682a176c3 was performing a vascular cc0e4d4f55 graft surgery, and a ad1570f367 patient who had been 21c28dd535 under follow-up exams for a71c5d6df3 about two years was 743ede99f6 in that taxi,” Seong-heon c844a4c6e4 said, his voice carrying bc2a88c1f0 the weight of the e4018e525d memory.b657ae48f2793243

Seong-heon nodded 319a33631a quietly, choosing a653bb6f4f to listen 7fe5366828 in silence. His usual playful aaad0e2812 demeanor was now ac559e5f00 replaced by a 9683202f6a solemn attentiveness as d8f49fd9cf the weight of a7e27c9637 the memory settled 7bbc5c2ef2 between them.ec693d0b6c61c2cf

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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.”56e953f8977444e4

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.1f8760ed5a3c20d6

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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.fe19af54ac2629ad

“Call Professor Park Su-han! Hurry!”48d43a638a42056a

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Since no c6366d62a5 one answered, b4bf57d809 Beom-woo shouted 6f9fb007a1 loudly.7bf507625472d715

“Get it together! I said call!”d12f6a60eac637e8

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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.ea26a896f58f5e02

As the f2a3256f7d bed rolled 8f8532eab0 quickly, Beom-woo b0783cce62 glanced back 82052a1a8e to see da17ca60cd Lee Yoo-eun bcfa8ca6db crying. That was the 5fbea6d6d3 last thing he 7867b07b76 saw.b7d2516df5217b66

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From the following f2657776ac day, Yoo-eun did 358d589d55 not return to 1dc769e96f the sub-internship program. The patient, d89aed0405 unfortunately, passed cc94bfa481 away in 3452290e6b the operating a4ada84d2d room.855005b1d8e60f6c

Since she was 134c56620d still a student, 03694ab8a5 Beom-woo thought she 0600f57465 must have been 884e71e326 in shock amidst 0b261d2231 the chaos of 8027c4550f the tragic incident. Even though she 9a04a7a3d0 had given up f8825b1b0b on the sub-internship, 3bb30977ac He briefly imagined a66436a3d5 that Yoo-eun would c5cb0e150d eventually become a 2ef33cfb6f doctor.64c835770389597d

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“But I heard she’s an artist.”c2872f15c93899df

Seong-heon laughed as 2d826d897e if he had 0717ab79db finally reached a 645988f26a conclusion, playfully poking 34ac282301 the air with eefcba914b his chopsticks.3baadc11ed59045a

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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?”75c9ee616b8d947b

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.8f8108e775e244f1

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 Is he upset? Is that why c91bb933c1 he keeps wanting 3c8c692ba4 to bring it cae0f0732d up?ed9b8055f21064e8

It was 19fade090c at the 1c9c0ad7e2 moment Beom-woo 863dacb28d was about 22f4557d31 to pour 5ca985c14f soju into 0d4f57cda5 his empty f4f972b497 glass.898de11c09b21612

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“Hey, you jerk!”7b6ebecb72120f60

Seong-heon chuckled mischievously. With his 6173ccd3c8 cheeky smile, 802d80a64d he resembled 868abe4fad a bright 4930cce0a0 red gummy 96cfccc51b bear melting e614ff337e away in dc8b656c3d the midsummer faf6a694a6 heat. He curled all his cfd0045f6c fingers except for his f651603b00 pinky, which he extended 11fc2d5271 and dipped into his 0299e2626f saliva.0128456d0f764356

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“What are you doing, that’s disgusting.”8e599a9cbac4db61

Beom-woo furrowed his neatly 0573b6cba5 shaped eyebrows in disgust. Seong-heon, clearly 21bc0ab701 trying to dc90fb3820 show off, b81965ea1b dipped his 740ae6c720 pinky into b3342df3ec pink salt 77dcb1b8cc and licked 4584d93c44 it with eee46cc542 his tongue.7857cfba10acc5c8

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“Hey, you have to try it to know. How do you know if it’s pink salt or pink sugar?”5cf52356c99974c9