"because a girl and her white coat, as if they were angel wings."
-
tomorrow...
"Did you see the news about the epidemic?" Renjun asked "Apparently it's spreading like crazy right now, especially in central Seoul"
Arin widened her eyes out of curiosity, sliding her chair towards Renjun and leaning towards him.
"An epidemic?"
"You're a doctor. Tell us, what is it?" Haechan pointed to the cartoon picture stamped on the top of the website
"It's written in the title of the website" Arin laughed, sliding back to her spot as she continued her Jenga game with Jaemin. There's been a lot of epidemics in her lifetime, and she's dealt with them plenty of times, so this news wasn't particularly startling to her.
"What are they on about?" Jaemin asked, pulling out a Jenga block.
"An epidemic. Don't worry. I doubt it'll get here. It's probably one of those small epidemics that just die off after a couple days" Arin shrugged, pulling out another block and causing the entire tower to collapse "Fuck"
"No one can beat me in this game. Nice try" Jaemin smiled, rebuilding the tower.
"Why did you transfer here?" Jaemin asked to add small talk
"Did something I wasn't supposed to do a couple years ago" She said "I've always been the doctor who ran with the stroller from the ambulance truck to the ER, and done minor surgeries and whatnot. They used to call me their paramedic but now that I'm here, I don't know if I'm really suiting of that title. I'm a lot weaker than all of you and I don't know. Chenle doesn't seem to like me a lot"
"Why'd you become a doctor then?"
"Never really thought about that. I think the main reason was my mother. She's been sick and lying on the hospital bed for god knows how long. I think I just wanted to help her. That's all. But now that I'm here, sometimes I wonder if this is really what I'm made for"
Jaemin chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder "You think we were all really stupid fit when we first came? God, when I first got here, I was so slow. Chenle, who was deputy captain back then, had to help me fake my time to avoid me getting kicked out. We've all been there. Don't worry about it"
Arin smiled at him, nodding "Another round?"
"You're going to lose"
;
Arin skipped along the path, enjoying her rare break after staying in the station for two weeks. Jungwoo had agreed to join her, having not seen his best friend in days. It was Chuseok and everyone was on holidays, shopping and enjoying the busy streets of Korea. She was no different as she made Jungwoo lug five bags in his hands whilst she enjoys the autumn breeze.
"Finally, fresh air" Arin sighed, closing her eyes to feel the soft blaze of the sun on her skin "Away from the stink of men".
Jungwoo and Arin soon began wandering off, till Arin bumped head first into a woman. Arin raised her head, staring at the woman who seemed paralysed in her position. But when she switched her gaze past the woman, she noticed an elderly on the ground, blood being coughed up from his lungs. Her doctor reflexes kicked in as she didn't think about anything, simply running towards the commotion.
She was one step away from trying to help the elderly when a hand pulled her back, a firm grasp around his wrist.
"Arin, wait" It was Jungwoos voice. Arin's eyes widened, shocked that her best friend was the one who stopped her when he was the one person who should know how much Arin wanted to help the elderly.
"What"
"It's the epidemic" Jungwoo's grasp tightened as Arin whipped her head around to face him.
"What?" She had assumed the epidemic was gone after the two weeks.
"It's spreading like crazy. My parents have gotten it and those are the exact symptoms. Coughing, numbness, blood. It's exactly that"
"That's more of a reason for me to help him"
"You're a doctor Arin. Wake up. It's an epidemic. If you catch it, you'll become a patient when the people need people like you most. Hold back and we'll call the ambulance for him"
Just as Arin was about to retaliate, she received a phone call. Sliding it out of her pocket, she inhaled sharply.
Head Captain Zhong Chenle
"Hello?" Arin distanced herself away from the growing ground as Jungwoo called the ambulance.
"We need you back at the station. The higher-ups have ordered our station to be another place for patients of the epidemic to rest since the hospitals are beginning to overflow. Come back immediately"
"Got it" Arin replied, hiding her disappointment that her break was done just like that.
"I'm going back to the station" Arin tapped Jungwoo on the shoulder
"Be safe, okay?"
"I'll be okay"
;
Arin rushed into the station, heart pounding and sweat beginning to bead her forehead. There was no time to waste as she dressed in protective uniform and ran towards the rooms. Chenle joined her side shortly after she made it to the corridor.
"We've left all the dorms open for patients to come in. All the rooms are full. There is everyone, young, old, literally anyone" Chenle explained "We've gotten you the equipment you need and it's in your office. You'll be the only one working here until we can get more doctors in but currently, they've all fled to the big hospitals"
Nodding, she tied her hair up into a ponytail, her stance confident and long. As the Arin moved through the room, tending to the wounded and the ailing, Chenle watched her with a silent fascination. For just a split second, he was mesmerized by her grace under pressure, her compassion amidst the chaos, and the way she made her profession an art form. He stood at the doorway, his eyes glued upon the petite girl who seemed as if she held the whole world in her hands right now. There was something so magical about saving people, and the power she held with every person she cured.
In the flickering shadows of the station, where disaster loomed, he found himself drawn to the doctor, like a moth to a flame, not out of weakness, but out of the irresistible allure of her confidence. For the first time, he felt a warmth that had nothing to do with the fires he battled daily. Perhaps this was the first spark that he has felt in years. Because a girl and her white coat, as if they were angel wings.
"Chenle" Jisung elbowed him, snapping him out of his trance.
"What" Chenle responded with unintended hostility.
"There's more patients outside. We need to carry them in" Jisung's pointed to the door, where sirens blared and the colours of red and blue reflected against the white walls.
"Why are they still coming in? I thought the higher-ups said we had a set limit of people we can take in" Chenle asked, closing the door to the room Arin was in
"The patients came here upon hearing that we're taking patients. They don't know we have a limit and the higher-ups didn't know that they would come directly here. Most of the patients we took in previously were redirected from the hospital"
"We can't take more"
"We're their last resort. I mean, it must be bad if they're fleeing to a fire station. I cant even imagine what it would be like in the hospital"
"We have one doctor, Jisung" Chenle stole a glance at her direction, which now he didn't dare to even linger on her figure. He knew the consequences of falling into something unexpected with a profession like his, so denying it before anything happens was a logical decision.
"She's got us. We'll help her"