Blinded By The Lights | Sungjoy

Act 2 - Chapter 48: The Doctor Lays Bare

As the saying goes: Seeing is believing.

But even after seeing it, Namjoo, Minhyuk, Ilhoon, Sohyun, and Changsub still couldn't believe it.

In order to effectively utilize an operating theatre and its resources, a team comprised of surgeons, anesthesiologists, technicians, and nurses are required to cover all of the basic roles and responsibilities. In the case of more advanced surgery, there may be an increase in personnel brought in to lend their expertise.

That would have been the normal procedure.

What they had witnessed had been anything but normal.

There would have been no way for anyone else to have been down in the operating theatre with them. As sorely as they had wanted to jump in and help, the moment that they entered the observation deck, they had been hampered down by the intense pressure emanating from below.

Instead, they watched as two people covered the roles of many. They watched one try to overpower the other, while the other regained her composure and stood firm in the face of adversity.

Ah, they thought as they felt the pressure of the room slowly alleviate. If only this Joy had been there seven years ago. If this Joy had been there, maybe they wouldn't have lost Sungjae, and maybe she would have still been alive.

The change below was significant, the shift in dynamic noticeable. From his earlier, ferocious, almost animalistic approach, Sungjae had become subdued and his influence diminished, while Joy seemed to be in the driver's seat, controlling Sungjae and pushing him to where she wanted him to go. Then Sungjae seemed to be back, his technique strong once more, but not wild, vying for dominance, while Joy remained stubbornly in control, unwilling to concede.

It was like watching a tense match of tug-of-war until the very end. When Joy finished her final stitches on the patient's body and declared the operation over, everyone in the observation deck breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I can't believe she was able to fight back," Namjoo murmured as she let go of the railing she had been clutching.

"She's amazing," Minhyuk admitted. "I don't think any of us could have done what she just did."

They watched Sungjae and Joy below just stare at each other, unmoving, almost communicating telepathically before the door into the operating theatre slid open with a hiss and Lee Seunggi of all people came in to receive the patient for transport.

"He's taking the patient?" Ilhoon asked as he watched the three below transfer the patient onto a hospital bed before they exited the room.

"Let's go," Namjoo rushed to the door, closely followed by Ilhoon and Minhyuk while Changsub was assisted by Sohyun.

"I'm fine," Changsub said as he brushed away the last of the sweat from his brow. "I'll be right behind you."

Sohyun nodded as she joined the other three downstairs, waiting for the doors to Trauma Bay 6 to open and welcome back her childhood friend to Yeoreum.

But when the doors opened, only Seunggi appeared to escort the patient to the convalescent station.

"Where's Joy and Sungjae?" Namjoo demanded, causing Seunggi to only raise an eyebrow.

"They're exhausted at the moment, but I assume they'll be out soon," he told them before he started to wheel the bed away.

Ilhoon eagerly ran to the doors, but before he could get close enough to activate the motion detection sensor, another group had appeared in the hallway, stopping him in his tracks.