When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 14

Han Wool shakes his head in defeat. “I hate this.”

I beam. “See you tomorrow.”

He groans, standing up. “If I don’t show up, just assume I’ve faked my death.”

I wave him off, grinning. “You’re too stubborn to die.”

He glares at me one last time before leaving, and I finally let out a breath.

Tomorrow, I will get answers.

One way or another.
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The hospital is quieter now, the rush of the afternoon having settled into a calmer evening. I walk down the hall, rubbing the back of my neck. My shift is over, and I should be heading home, but something keeps me lingering.

Maybe it’s the heaviness of today. Or maybe it’s because I know that the second I step outside, I’ll start overthinking again.

Before I reach the exit, a patient catches my eye. He’s sitting on the edge of his bed, adjusting the IV drip in his hand. Mid-forties, slightly tired but still holding onto a smile. One of the older patients I had assisted earlier during a minor procedure.

I step inside the room. “You’re still awake?”

The man looks up, surprised, then chuckles. “Ah, Doctor. Yeah, hard to sleep in here. The beds make my back hurt.”

I smile, leaning against the wall. “You could file a complaint. But I can guarantee you, nothing will change.”

He laughs at that. “I’ll keep my suffering to myself, then.”

We fall into comfortable silence for a moment before he speaks again.

“You know,” he says, voice thoughtful, “I used to be terrified of hospitals.”

I tilt my head. “Really?”

He nods. “I avoided checkups, hated the smell of antiseptic, thought doctors were just people who gave bad news.” He exhales. “But being here… I don’t know. It’s not as bad as I thought. The people make a difference.”

Something about his words makes my chest feel tight. I glance down at my hands, the same ones that prepare doses of anesthesia, that ensure a patient is unconscious before surgery, that work in the background to keep people safe.

“Doctors aren’t that scary,” I say. “Some of us just pretend to be.”

The man laughs again, shaking his head. “Yeah, well. You’re one of the good ones, I think.”

I don’t know why, but that makes my throat feel tight.

I swallow and straighten. “Get some rest. You’ll need it.”

He nods. “Goodnight, Doctor.”

I turn, leaving the room, and let out a slow breath.

Instead of going to the office, I walked to the rooftop.

The rooftop is colder than I expected.

I lean against the railing, a strawberry juice in my hand, sipping absentmindedly as the city stretches out before me. The lights below twinkle, the streets moving with life, but all I can focus on is the chaos in my head.

Breaking this marriage.

I swirl the juice in my cup. I need to be smart. If time is running out, I can’t afford to sit around anymore.

Tomorrow, I’ll make Han Wool remember something. Anything.

The scar didn’t prove anything. But memories… memories don’t just disappear. If I can trigger something, if I can plant a seed of familiarity, then maybe—

I pause mid-sip.

My eyes catch on something below, near the hospital entrance.

A man. Sitting alone.

I squint, my heart suddenly hammering.

That structure. Those shoulders. That height.

It can’t be.

My breath catches. Even from this distance, something about him is too familiar. So much so that my body moves before my brain can process it.

I drop the empty juice cup and bolt.

Down the rooftop stairs. Through the halls. Past nurses and patients who give me startled looks.

I slam my hand against the elevator button. Too slow. I turn and sprint down the steps instead, taking two at a time. My pulse pounds in my ears.

I burst through the hospital doors, onto the pavement.

I look around wildly.

Empty.

No one.

I whip my head from left to right. The bench he was sitting on is there. But the man—

Gone.

I spin in a slow circle, breathing hard.

It can’t be.

I saw him.

Didn’t I?

I clench my fists, a sinking feeling settling in my stomach.

Was I imagining things?

Or… was someone here?