I tilt my head, arms crossing. “You think I care that much?”

“I think you care too much.”

I scoff. “Right. Because trying to tag along to a meeting is the ultimate crime. Should I turn myself in to the police now?”

Her expression hardens. “You can joke all you want, but I see through you. You don’t want Harin happy. You don’t want this wedding to happen.”

I feel something in me snap.

Something deep. Something ugly.

Yes, I don't want want this wedding to happen and I'm planning to stop it from happening no matter what.

I let out a slow, deliberate breath, stepping closer.

“Funny,” I murmur. “Because last I checked, you and your husband never wanted me happy either.”

Her face tightens.

I smile—sweet. Sharp.

“I still remember, you know?” I say softly. “How you looked at me when I was younger. Like I was just some stray you had to tolerate.”

She flinches. Just slightly.

“And now you want to act like you care about happiness?” I let out a laugh. “That’s rich.”

She stiffens. “That’s different. Harin—”

“Harin is your daughter.” I nod, mock understanding in my voice. “And I’m just… not.”

Her jaw clenches.

“But, you know, you’re right about one thing,” I cut in. “I don’t want this wedding to happen.”

She freezes.

And I step closer.

“I don’t want this wedding to happen,” I repeat, voice smooth, steady, deadly. “Not because of Harin. But because I know something is wrong.”

Her eyes dart to mine, something flickering in them—doubt? Fear?

I lean in, just enough for my words to sink in.

“And I’ll figure it out,” I whisper. “No matter what.”

For the first time, Harin’s mother doesn’t have a response.

And for the first time, I enjoyed her silence.
-----------

I stare at the screen.

The hospital's patient log is open in front of me, my laptop casting a dull blue glow across my room. A list of names, details, surgeries scheduled for tomorrow.

Focus, Ye Na.

I inhale deeply, rolling my shoulders back.

Tomorrow’s surgery is a gastrectomy—a partial stomach removal for a patient with stomach cancer. I scroll through the details:

Patient: Male, 57 years old.

Pre-op Notes: History of hypertension. Needs stable hemodynamics throughout.

Plan: General anesthesia, intubation, epidural for post-op pain control.

Risks: Bleeding, aspiration, post-op respiratory issues.

I drum my fingers against the keyboard, mentally running through the process.

1. Induction: Propofol, fentanyl, rocuronium. 2. Intubation. 3. Maintenance: Sevoflurane for inhalation, remifentanil for continuous pain management. 4. Post-op: Extubation once stable, epidural infusion for pain.

When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|Where stories live. Discover now