CRP Ch 1

The reunion came without warning.

That season had arrived.

Onyu, holding a vending machine coffee in her hand, closed her eyes. The breeze brushing against the tip of her nose, the hot air digging into the nape of her neck, were so welcome that she slowly stretched her body.

Onyu loved summer. To be precise, she loved the summer scenery of Cheongdam-ri, Munsoeup, Taeju City, her hometown.

The summer of Munsoeup, filled with the sweet scent wafting from orchards laden with peaches and grapes, shone brightly. The water of the stream flowing through the village sparkled clearly under the blazing sunlight, and trumpet creepers bloomed profusely on every wall.

Sitting on the bench under the large hawthorn tree near her home, she could forget the heat. Just like her parents, Onyu enjoyed sitting in the cool shade of the tree and taking in the familiar scenery.

“What kind of tree is this? The flowers are pretty.”

“This one? It’s written here. It’s a hawthorn, isn’t it?”

“Oh? This is a hawthorn? Aren’t hawthorn flowers red? These flowers are white?”

Onyu opened her eyes at the conversation between Nurse Jeong and Nurse Kim sitting next to her.

Hawthorn. Right. The hawthorn was the problem. The hawthorn that caught her eye every time she went home was the problem. The fact that there was a hawthorn in the 5th-floor outdoor garden of the hospital was also a problem.

“The ones with red flowers are Chinese hawthorns, but this one is a hawthorn too.”

“Really? You know a lot about flowering trees, Cha. Well, hawthorn berries are used medicinally, right?”

“Yes, well… that’s right.”

Onyu smiled bitterly as she looked at the petal that had fallen on her hand. The petal, which had been swaying in the gentle breeze, was soon blown away by the wind and disappeared into the distance. It reminded her of a time when snowflakes were fluttering.

Memory defies the seasons. The hawthorn instantly transported Onyu to the winter of Cheongdam-ri.

It was under the hawthorn tree that they first kissed. In February, the year she turned twenty, under the snow-covered hawthorn tree, she endured the sharp winter wind while kissing a boy who was just as clumsy as she was.

So, it was only natural that whenever she looked at a hawthorn tree, she thought of the twenty-year-old boy who, forgetting the cold, explored her lips, the boy who smiled shyly after the awkward kiss.

Kang Taehyung. That Kang Tae jerk. He was so unnecessarily handsome that he made most other guys seem invisible. And then you. You.

“Ugh, it’s hot. If it’s like this already, how hot will it be in midsummer?”

“It’s almost June. Spring seems to be getting shorter and shorter.”

“Exactly. I only wore the trench coat I bought with much determination four times this year.”

“You’ve worn it a lot. I failed the timing game. I guess I’ll have to wear it in the fall.”

“No way. Let’s go inside. What about you, Cha?”

The two, who had been grumbling about the increasingly hot afternoon air, turned their eyes to Onyu.

May, a season too hot to be called spring and too early to be called summer. Onyu, back to reality, drained her lukewarm coffee and stood up.

“I should go in too.”

“Oh, but Cha. Don’t you have no afternoon appointments today?”

“I don’t, but I was summoned because the new chairman arrived.”

“Ah… right. They shouldn’t call people who are off. They can greet each other later.”

“I know, right?”

Onyu shrugged and tossed the empty cup into the trash can. The stinging sunlight followed her as she walked, her hands tucked into the pockets of her light blue gown.

<Gwanghye Oriental Medical Hospital>

Onyu glanced up at the sign on top of the large main building and quickened her pace.

Cha Onyu, twenty-nine years old, second-year resident in the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, specializing in spinal and joint diseases and chronic pain. It was time to put on a smile for the sake of smooth social interaction.

🌼˳༄꠶

‘Gwanghye Oriental Medical Hospital,’ the largest oriental medical hospital in Korea, was affiliated with the College of Korean Medicine at Gwanghye University, under the Gwanghye Foundation, and had twenty branches nationwide.

It was famous for providing more scientific medical services by combining Korean medicine with Western medicine, and it was also establishing new standards for Korean medicine by establishing clinical centers, research centers, and international cooperative care centers.

The Gwanghwa-mun branch in Seoul, where Onyu worked, had the longest history. It consisted of two annex buildings, a recently built parking building, and the main building, which had three basement floors and fifteen above-ground floors. The chairman’s office was on the 4th floor of the main building.

The 4th floor, filled with only offices and meeting rooms, not wards or examination rooms, was also a place where only hospital officials could enter. The superstition about the number 4 being unlucky was ridiculous, but it couldn’t be helped, especially in a hospital.

<Jeong Doheon, Chairman of Gwanghye Oriental Medical Hospital>

The man standing in front of the desk, staring at the nameplate with an impassive face, had both hands thrust into his slacks pockets.

He perfectly pulled off the fitted three-piece suit and looked too young to be the chairman.

Was he even thirty yet?

The man had been shrouded in mystery. Aside from the fact that he graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Gwanghye University, nothing else was known. He had been abroad since graduation and returned to Korea not long ago. After his grandmother’s death, he took over the vacant position of chairman of Gwanghye Oriental Medical Hospital and came to work for the first time today.

Once called the prodigal son of the Gwanghye Foundation and constantly the subject of gossip, he now exuded an ascetic aura, as if all those rumors were lies. It was surprising how neat and tidy he looked, considering he was said to have been addicted to alcohol and drugs since his teens.

“Yes.”

He turned around, answering the knock from outside. The door opened, and his secretary entered.

“Chairman, the directors of each department and the doctors are here. The Spine Department will greet you first.”

The hospital director, the research director, the counseling director, the clinical center director, the international cooperation director, the pharmacy director, the academy director, and the directors of each department. There were over forty directors alone. Including the practicing Korean medicine doctors, there were over a hundred people.

No matter how spacious the chairman’s office was, it couldn’t accommodate that many people. Moreover, he didn’t want to waste time greeting everyone in the hospital.

However, he couldn’t tell the gathered people to leave either.

“…Tell them to come in.”

He already knew about the power struggle between the counseling director and the academy director. He had also heard about the spine director, who was caught in the middle.

They weren’t the only ones. Many people wanted to make a good first impression on the new chairman, Jeong Doheon, the only child of the head of the Gwanghye Foundation.

It was a bothersome task, but it had to be done. The man let out a low sigh and straightened his posture.

Knock, knock. Following the knocking sound, the door opened. The spine director, with a kind-looking face, entered with a beaming smile.

“Oh my.”

The spine director’s steps were hurried as he extended his right hand toward the chairman.

“I finally get to meet you. Our chairman, I’ve heard stories, but you’re truly a sight to behold. You look exactly like your father when he was young.”

The spine director emphasized his familiarity before even introducing himself. He then placed his other hand on top of the hand holding the chairman’s hand and shook it repeatedly.

“…Do you know the general chairman?”

The man, who must have heard many times that he resembled his father, Jeong Seung-jae, the general chairman overseeing the entire foundation, didn’t even offer a polite smile.

He seemed somewhat displeased, but the spine director, busy expressing his delight with much enthusiasm, didn’t notice the young chairman’s expression.

“We’re university alumni. He cherished his only son so much and kept him hidden. It’s truly heartwarming to see you in person. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Chairman Jeong Doheon.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

“Oh, you’re too kind. Now! Then, let me introduce the doctors of the Spine Department, the highlight of our Gwanghye Oriental Medical Hospital, the ones responsible for the most crucial treatments. You already know me, but I’m Jang Heung-yeop, the director of the Spine Department! Everyone, say hello. First, this is Dr. Seo Dong-jin, our deputy director of the Spine Department. And also…”

Doheon politely shook hands with the dozen or so specialists lined up. Due to the large number of people, the line extended outside the chairman’s office.

“And now, I should introduce the interns and residents who will be responsible for the future of the Spine Department. First… Huh? Where is she? Where’s Cha Cha Cha, the pride of our Spine Department?”

“Yes, Cha Cha Cha is here!”

At the director’s call, a woman in a light blue gown poked her head out from outside the door with a bright smile. The woman, who was about to push through the crowd, stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the man standing in front of the director.

“…….”

“…….”

“Cha, what are you doing? Say hello. Chairman, this is Cha Cha Cha, Dr. Cha Onyu, the most popular doctor in our Spine Department. She’s a second-year resident in the Acupuncture and Moxibustion Department, but her skills are incredible… Chairman?”

“…….”

“…….”

Onyu’s lips, framed by her long, curly hair tied up in a bun, slowly parted.

It was around then that the chairman’s dark eyebrows, armed with a business smile, began to furrow slightly.

“Chairman?”

The director, sensing something was amiss, tilted his head and stepped between the two frozen figures. Onyu took a step to the side, fully capturing the chairman looking down at her in her eyes.

“Chairman…?”

Her gaze, echoing the director’s words with a hint of confusion, scanned the nameplate on the desk behind the chairman.

<Jeong Doheon, Chairman of Gwanghye Oriental Medical Hospital>

“How… do you two happen to know each other…?”

While the director looked on with puzzled eyes, Onyu’s head creaked as it turned, her gaze returning to the chairman.

No matter how much time had passed, she couldn’t forget such a strikingly handsome face. No matter how much time had passed, she couldn’t fail to recognize her first kiss.

“No way…?”

Onyu’s eyes flickered between the nameplate and the man standing before her. Jeong Doheon? It couldn’t be.

With growing certainty, Onyu naturally uttered the words she had been pondering.

“Kang Tae jerk…”

“Huh?”

The chairman’s eyes widened noticeably. At the same time as the director winced at the unexpected profanity, Onyu raised her hand to cover her mouth.

The Kang Tae jerk, no, Kang Taehyung, who had once consumed her nights and stolen her sleep, had appeared before her after nine years.

Lost for words at the unbelievable situation, Onyu stared blankly up at the young chairman.

The reunion had arrived without warning. In that season again.

And the unexpected reunion instantly transported Onyu back to her high school days. To the summer of her eighteenth year, when she first met Kang Taehyung.