Seohyun awoke to soft sheets as the morning light trickled in through the nearby window. Shedding herself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, her eyes slowly fluttered open, and a heavy groan escaped her lips as her head pounded as if it was being battered by a sledgehammer. She blinked back hard several times as she tried to adjust to her surroundings.
"Huh?" She glanced around the unfamiliar room, uncertain of where she was.
"What? Where am I?" She vigorously scratched her head, trying to recall yesterday's events, but her mind drew a blank. "How did I end up here?" The bedroom was more spacious than mine and held a masculine charm to the place. "What if...?" Seohyun widened her eyes and her hands instinctively flew right on her mouth. One nightstand? That's insane! She looked down and found herself in her clothes and a white lab coat. She relaxed and sighed in relief, but this still didn't answer any of the many questions hovering over her head.
She flicked her wrist and almost choked upon seeing the time. It was 9 am, and she was extremely late for her shift at the hospital. She jumped out of bed, no longer concerned about where she was, and slipped on the white running shoes parked next to the bed, the only common thing she recognized in this place.
Seohyun bolted across the bedroom and once she swung the door open, a man appeared right in front of her and she collided with him. "Ouch!" She yelped as she fell backward. She shut her eyes close, bracing herself for the impact, but instead of hitting the floor, the man swiftly snaked a hand under her back to catch her.
She cautiously opened her eyes to look at the man who caught her. His head was tilted to the side as he scrutinized her, confusion and amusement stirring in his face. "You... Who are you?" he questioned with a stern voice. His eyebrows furrowed, and a grimace was pinned on his rosy lips.
"Umm... I—uhh... see, I... "Seohyun stuttered, completely baffled. Her tongue was tied in a knot, and she was unable to form any coherent words. Her eyes instinctively traveled down and her mouth slowly gaped open at the sight.
He was wearing nothing but a white fleecy towel clinging loosely on his waist.
Seohyun couldn't help but scream as loud as she could in disbelief, and the man shut his eyes close. Her scream was so high pitched both were surprised none of the windows broke or formed any cracks. She pushed the guy aside and dashed right past him. Quickly scanning the room, her eyes landed right on a door standing across her.
She hastily advanced towards the door but was met with another obstacle. "OWWWW!" She screeched in pain, realizing that her knee had accidentally hit the coffee table in front of her. How could I have missed that! And why is this happening to me?!
"Hey! You!" The half-naked man called out to her from behind, clutching onto his towel as if it was about to slip. She quickly limped to the door and ran out of the house.
A gust of wind instantly greeted Seohyun in her face and the sun's rays blaring her eyesight. She didn't care to shut the door after herself and realized she was on the rooftop of this building.
After finding a set of stairs, she quickly sprinted down to the ground floor. Why does this place look so familiar? She spotted a small black gate and luckily; it was slightly ajar, and so she burst into the open without a second thought.
"Taxi! Taxi!" She hollered at the car racing to her direction, waving her hand up and down like she was having a seizure. Her heart was pounding so fast in her chest that every beat echoed in her ears like a drum. Once the taxi arrived in front of her, she quickly got in and locked the car door without hesitance. "Severance Hospital," she breathed, her lungs reaching out for air.
Seohyun leaned into the car seat, trying to calm herself. She couldn't wrap her head around what had just occurred. How she ended up in a stranger's house in her uniform, and why she couldn't remember what happened yesterday?
Was I drugged? Kidnapped? Was I held captive, and I had slept for so long that I've been missing for days? Should I file a police report?
Her mind traced back to the man. The image of his face now forever etched in her memory. His face was sharp, and his jawline was so defined that it could cut a brick into two. His curious yet mischievous midnight black eyes were quite mesmerizing, and his dark tousled hair was still wet, dripping with water. His skin was as pale as snow and looked to be smooth like glass; she gulped and promptly erased the image out of her mind.
He was very attractive; she would admit that much. But she didn't recognize him at all, almost sure she never met him before.
Who are you?
* * *
Seohyun entered the hospital, flustered. Her eyes wandered around the busy halls as if she was back in her first year of residency. Her mind was in a state of shock, still not recovered from the incident that occurred earlier.
She swallowed nervously and shook her head, trying to focus on what's important. She quickly trudged down the hall and checked in despite how tardy she was. "Dr. Min!" The receptionist Jihan jumped from his seat and stared at her, wide-eyed with a soda can in his hand. She sent him a sheepish smile and a timid wave, before walking away in embarrassment to find the elevators.
God, I have so much work to do! I haven't started on my rotations and patients are probably gritting their teeth for their canceled appointments. "Seohyun!" Just as she was about to enter the elevator, she whipped her head up and saw Jisu, a colleague, jogging towards her.
Before anything could come out of her mouth, Jisu grabbed her arm and forcefully dragged Seohyun away from the halls. "Hey!" she yelled, staggering.
"Where were you!? Didn't you know Dr. Jong had to cover for you for your rotations! And I had to re-schedule all your appointments for this morning. You crazy— "Jisu seethed, not able to contain her anger anymore or the curse words flying out of her innocent-looking lips. Before Seohyun could even explain herself, Jisu continued, "I need you in the ER, we lack doctors and you need to operate right now."
"What!?"
"Man, in his 30s, got shot in the chest. All the surgeons are occupied at the moment, but luckily I bumped into you." Seohyun rolled her eyes, but her heart was about to implode in her chest. She still couldn't believe all the events that happened so far, and now she didn't feel competent enough to conduct a surgical procedure.
She wanted to protest but had already arrived at the ER and burst inside the operating room. The nurses had already hooked up the patient to the heart rate monitor, and so she instinctively went to the nearest station and washed her hands with strong antibacterial soap and slipped on a pair of disposable gloves as per the protocol. She shrugged off her white coat and quickly put on the hospital gown, strapped on a disposable mask on her face, and lastly, a cap on her head just in time for the monitor to sound its first beep.
She walked over to the operating table and examined the man who laid there, unconscious. There was a distinct bullet hole in the left side of his chest, and blood oozing from the gap as the other nurses tried their best to stop the bleeding.
The hole was so close to the heart that it might as well had already punctured it. It was clear to the medical team that this was a life or death situation in their hands, and every second that ticked by was a risk to his life. "What's his name?" Seohyun asked as Jisu passed her the scalpel, and she cut through his skin.
"Kwon Junhae."
Kwon Junhae, I hope you're praying right now as you sleep.
* * *
"Lucky the bullet didn't enter too deep, huh?" Seohyun muttered, reading through her checklist. She glanced up at the monitor beside the man's bed to make sure his heart rate was normal. "Aera, make sure his I.V. doesn't run out and alert me if he wakes up," she ordered, calling out to the nurse as she neared the patient.
She inspected the fresh bandage on his chest that Aera had newly changed and nodded her head once. The patient was still heavily under the anesthesia, so it would undoubtedly be a while before he would regain his consciousness.
"What happened to him?" Seohyun asked Aera, curious to know the story behind this crime.
"I think he was shot outside his apartment or maybe a parking lot. When a person heard the gunshots, they went out to check only to find his body lying on the ground. I heard on tv it may have something to do with the serial killer on the run."
"Serial killer?" Seohyun repeated, suddenly showing interest.
Aera stared at her in disbelief. "Y-You didn't know? It's all over the news! Several people have already been killed! You need to watch the news more often Dr. Min, his target is usually young girls," she warned, her eyes full of worry.
"Ah, that's nonsense, if his prey were young and pretty girls how come he shot this man right here," Seohyun countered, trying to relieve the nurse of her stress. "But you should take care Aera," she added and handed her the sheet.
Seohyun left the room, shoving her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. Her stomach began whimpering, reminding her she hadn't eaten all day. "I guess a small break wouldn't hurt, right?" she mumbled to herself, patting her empty stomach.
"Excuse me." She was about to walk away before she felt a light tap on her shoulder, and so she turned around.
"Yes?" Seohyun answered, a little annoyed. I thought I would finally have a break, but it seemed like escaping the hospital is a challenge in itself. A man was going through a stack of papers in his hands, and he looked familiar to Seohyun. "Oh, y-you?" her mouth dropped open when he looked up from his documents.
He immediately stepped away, taken aback. He froze in place, gaping at her as if he had just seen a ghost. "Hey! I recognize you! You broke into my house, didn't you?" he suddenly accused, raising a finger to point at the bewildered doctor.
"No! I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Seohyun denied, shaking her hands in front of herself. Why am I acting as if I committed a crime? I didn't do anything wrong! Right? The man regained his composure, placed his hands on his hips, and eyed her intently.
"Explain, just how did you end up at my place then?" he questioned, a sudden shift in his tone. "Are you a spy? A stalker? Am I that handsome that you just had to sneak into my home?" Seohyun was caught off guard as he bombarded her with questions. She stammered and tried to avoid his serious stare.
"Huh? What is this?" Another man suddenly chimed in and looked back and forth at the two. "Do you know each other?" he questioned, pointing between them.
"No, not at all," the man replied, his stern glare still directed towards Seohyun. I'll let you go this time. He sighed and started flipping through his documents. "You must be Dr. Min Seohyun, yes?"
"Yes," she responded, avoiding his gaze. She felt like she was being investigated for a crime she didn't commit. She nervously rubbed her hands together, trying to ignore the tense ambiance surrounding them.
"I'm Park Jiwoo, a crime investigator; and this is Mr. Lee Eunho, a prosecutor." He introduced himself and his partner, both showing their IDs to Seohyun. "So, Dr. Min, I believe you are the one who performed a surgical procedure on Kwon Junhae, who must be in room 529, correct?" Jiwoo briefly checked the sign above the door they stood by and faced Seohyun again.
"Yes, why do you ask?"
Reaching for the doorknob, Jiwoo continued. "Well, if you may excuse us, we would like to--" Seohyun briefly grabbed his wrist, stopping him mid-sentence.
"My patient is currently unconscious, and needs to rest," she countered and folded her arms across her chest. "You should return tomorrow if you wish to interview him."
"I see. Well, Dr. Min, may I request for the bullet that was found in his chest? We would need to confiscate it as evidence as part of our ongoing investigation." the prosecutor, Eunho, piped in. At least he isn't as rude as this narcissist insisting that I was stalking him.
"Well, you'll need a confiscation warrant, an issue from--"
"We have all the requirements." Jiwoo cut her off, waving the papers in his hand right on her face. "Now, the evidence?" She squinted her eyes at him and sighed in annoyance before walking into the patient's room.
"Aera, were you the one in charge of handling the disposal of materials used in the operation and the foreign objects found during the procedure?" Aera furiously shook her head.
"No, this time it was Dr. An who handled that." Seohyun widened her eyes, surprised.
"What do you mean? You are usually assigned this task." To Seohyun, it was incredibly strange for this one time Aera wasn't in charge of monitoring all the tools and objects used in the procedure today.
"After the operation, Dr. An insisted that she takes care of it," she responded, sounding unconvinced herself. "I didn't ask questions, she seemed adamant to complete my job." Seohyun creased her eyebrows together, not able to comprehend why Jisu would take care of this.
"I see, thank you." Seohyun left the room and was greeted by both the men who were waiting outside. They stared at her, caught in suspense for an answer. "Sorry, you'll have to ask the doctor who assisted me during the surgical procedure. Dr. An--"
"Dr. An Jisu assisted you in the operation this morning. Her office is located on the 2nd floor, right-wing." Jiwoo gave her a flat fake smile and nodded his head, "Thank you for wasting my time," he sneered and trudged off down the hallway.
"Hey! Jiwoo!" The prosecutor, Eunho vigorously scratched his head and then bowed in apology. "Sorry Dr. Min, he's usually not like this, I promise." She sheepishly laughed and returned his gesture before he fled, chasing after his investigator.
"Tch, since when do investigators act like punks!" Seohyun grumbled to herself once they had left, and began walking away as fast as she could to avoid any more people stopping her from having a break.
* * *
A lone doctor strolled down the sidewalk, exhausted from her hectic day at work. "Ah, this headache is killing me," she complained to herself as she rubbed her temples in a circular motion.
The sun had already disappeared behind the thick clouds covering the sky, and it had already started to turn dark. Seohyun finally arrived in front of her gate and rummaged through her backpack for her keys. "No way. This can't be real." The anxiety crept up behind her as she was unable to find the keys to her gate. "How is it I have the keys to my front door, but not to my stupid gate!"
She jolted every key she had to the gate, the clinking of metal rattling in her ears and increasing her headache, but to no avail. She kicked the gate out of frustration and immediately regretted that decision. "Oooow." She sat on the sidewalk, gripping on to her foot. Could this get any worse?
As if the heavens had heard her thoughts, the pitter-patter of rain rang in Seohyun's ears. What started as an innocent drizzle quickly developed into a full shower where the rain had changed into a hail of bullets on the rooftop; and she was soaked in less than minutes.
The doctor who sat on the empty sidewalk hugged her knees as if it was the only way to console herself. Slow, desolate tears pooled in her unblinking eyes and dripped steadily onto her clothes.
Her voice cracked into slight sobs, and she cried alone. The sobs were stifled at first as she attempted to hide her grief and frustration, then overcome by a wave of emotions she broke down entirely, all her defenses washing away in those salty tears.
As if her subdued almost silent cries were heard, another being was walking towards her direction. However, the harsh roars of the rain were enough for her to not take notice. "Huh? Isn't that...?" Jiwoo arched an eyebrow as his eyes were cast down at Seohyun sitting at the edge of the sidewalk.
He stopped in his tracks and sighed. Aish, why is she here? She must be a stalker-like I thought so. He grimaced and was about to call her out, but hesitated. "Is she... crying?" Her back was trembling either from the rain or from her quiet weeping. He couldn't see her face clearly through the rain, but his sharp vision had recognized the uniform she wore. He stood there as if his feet were glued to the ground and watched her from afar.
Eventually, he slowly approached Seohyun, and stood behind her, extending the protection his black umbrella offered. Seohyun, noticing she was no longer under the rain, slowly lifted her head, eyes swollen, and face tear-stained.
They stared at each other; no words exchanged, as if they could read what the other was thinking. The moment seemed to stop time and the pouring rain. The silence between them not uncomfortable or tense. Jiwoo tilted his head in curiosity but didn't know how to comfort her.
So, he extended his hand, gesturing her to take it.
Hello my dear readers! I have made some edits to this chapter, so I hope it's better. What did you think of the beginning? I was hoping for it to be a light introduction to the fun you all will witness soon. Don't hesitate to comment, and make that little star bright to show some love to this book. Cheers~