The atmosphere inside the private office was heavy and suffocatingly quiet. Dr. Hyun-woo sat despondently behind his large wooden desk, staring completely blankly at the medical reports and patient files scattered chaotically before his eyes. For the past three consecutive days, he had not been able to meet, see, or even catch a passing glimpse of Kim Seo-ah due to his hectic hospital duties and grueling surgical shifts. He leaned his upper body heavily back against his leather chair, letting out a deep, defeated sigh. His face was etched with pure, unadulterated disappointment and longing as his mind raced relentlessly with thoughts of her.Suddenly, the heavy cabin door swung open with a soft rattle. His close colleague, Dr. Min-jae, walked straight inside the room holding two steaming paper cups of coffee. Seeing Hyun-woo's incredibly gloomy, drained expression, Min-jae stopped dead in his tracks and frowned in deep concern."Hey, Hyun-woo," Min-jae said, setting a coffee cup gently on the desk panel. "What on earth is wrong with your posture today? You've been sitting here looking like the absolute world is ending. Did a surgery go wrong or did something happen?"Hyun-woo looked up with tired, deeply disappointed eyes, letting out another heavy sigh. "It's nothing professional, Min-jae... it's just that I haven't been able to meet her face for three days now. Not even a single once."Min-jae stared at him in absolute, paralyzing shock, his jaw dropping completely to the floor tiles. "Wait, what?! You... a girl? You actually, mandatory like someone?! Is that the real reason why your build has been so incredibly upset, distracted, and moody for the past three days straight?!"Hyun-woo felt a sudden wave of mild embarrassment hitting his neck. He quickly looked away toward the window pane, rubbing his collar. "Yeah... I guess that's exactly the case.""Oh my god, this is absolutely huge!" Min-jae broke into a wide, excited grin, shaking his head in total disbelief. "We all honestly thought your heart was completely married to your medical career! If you like her so much, why on earth don't you just go ahead and confess your feelings to her face? Just stand firmly in front of her and tell her how you feel!""Actually..." Hyun-woo spoke softly, a trace of deep sadness and vulnerability cracking his voice. "I already told her everything. I successfully confessed my feelings to her face."Min-jae's eyes widened even more in pure surprise, leaning over the partition. "Oh! Wow, you move exceptionally fast, Doctor! Oh... wait a minute. So is that the real reason why she isn't meeting your build anymore? Is she actively avoiding your presence because of the sudden confession? Who even is this mystery girl anyway?"Hyun-woo leaned his frame forward, his clinical expression turning serious as his fingers clenched around his pen. "She is the older sister of one of my orthopedic patients, Kim Junu. She's been coming down to this branch for her brother's recovery treatment."Just as Dr. Min-jae opened his mouth to ask for more gossipy details, the cabin door opened sharply and violently without a single warning knock. Nurse Han Ga-on stepped straight inside the private room, holding a heavy metal clipboard firmly against her uniform.The absolute milestone moment her eyes locked onto Dr. Hyun-woo's handsome face, her rigid, formal expression instantly melted away entirely. A bright, warm, and deeply affectionate twinkle appeared in her eyes, and a beautiful smile broke across her lips."Dr. Hyun-woo!" Nurse Ga-on spoke in a highly sweet, soft, and deeply affectionate tone, completely stepping into his space. "Oh... Dr. Min-jae, you also happen to be here so... the Chief Senior Doctor has explicitly requested both of your presence in the main conference room immediately. Please come down quickly."Min-jae intervened quickly to keep the heavy room atmosphere light, speaking in a very warm, polite, and friendly tone as he grabbed his chart. "Ah, Nurse Ga-on! Yes, yes, please tell the Senior Doctor that we are right on our way to the wing. We are just finishing up a brief clinical discussion. We will arrive in a couple of minutes!"The very instant Min-jae finished speaking his line, Nurse Ga-on's gentle, warm smile completely and totally vanished from her features. She ripped her eyes away from Dr. Hyun-woo's face and shot a freezing, razor-sharp glare straight at Min-jae. Her affectionate, sweet tone completely disappeared in a flash, replaced by an incredibly cold, blunt, and rude demeanor."I was talking to Dr. Hyun-woo, not you," Nurse Ga-on snapped, glancing sharply at Dr. Min-jae with an abrupt and rude wave of her clipboard. "The Senior Doctor explicitly said both of you mandatory need to report immediately, not in a few minutes. Don't be late for the board."With a harsh, dismissive turn that completely and intentionally insulted Dr. Min-jae's professional standing, Nurse Ga-on turned her upper body right back to face Dr. Hyun-woo. She offered his face another sweet, lingering, and adoring smile, and then swiftly exited the private cabin, slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind her build with a loud click."Wow, what on earth is her absolute problem?!" Min-jae scowled furiously at the closed door, turning back to face Hyun-woo in deep irritation and visible, burning jealousy. "Did you see that blatant disrespect? She didn't even talk to my face properly, yet she was practically dripping with pure sweetness the exact second she looked at your build! Why on earth does she always act so incredibly rude, toxic, and annoying to my presence? She behaves like she owns this entire hospital floor layout! It honestly irritates my soul so much because it is so incredibly, glaringly obvious why she turns into a completely different person around you. Everyone in this entire medical department knows that Nurse Ga-on is completely, deeply in love with your name!"Dr. Hyun-woo let out a soft, patient sigh as he stood up firmly from his desk chair. He straightened his white doctor's coat with professional precision, shaking his head in complete, calm disagreement. "It's absolutely not like that, Min-jae. It's strictly just your thoughts that think she likes my build. The truth is, she is just a highly disciplined, formal person who takes her medical job and the senior's orders very seriously, which is the only reason why she acts a bit strict and rigid. You are just blowing things entirely out of proportion.""Bro!" Min-jae followed right behind Hyun-woo's long strides, literally slapping his own forehead flat with his hand in pure, unadulterated frustration. "You are an absolute, certified medical genius when it comes to science and complex surgeries, but your brain is an absolute zero when it comes to reading girls! The entire world can see her feelings clearly, and your innocent mind honestly thinks she's just being 'serious'? You are completely unbelievable!"Hyun-woo gave a faint, preoccupied smile, completely ignoring the comment as he picked up his patient file from the mahogany desk. "Alright, stop this useless arguing immediately. The Senior Doctor has formally summoned both of our names to the wing. We mandatory need to leave right away."The two doctors opened the private cabin door together and stepped out into the bustling, crowded corridor, heading straight toward the executive conference room lines. All the while, Min-jae kept muttering furious complaints under his breath, deeply and thoroughly annoyed by Dr. Hyun-woo's absolute innocence and total blindspot regarding romance.
The large, soundproofed medical conference room was stark, clinical, and brightly lit by rows of aggressive fluorescent overhead lights. Chief Senior Doctor Park sat authoritatively at the head of a long, polished mahogany table. The room was completely packed to capacity with department colleagues, experienced consultant doctors, and residential nurses, all shifting uncomfortably under the heavy atmosphere. Directly in front of the Senior Doctor stood another clinician, meticulously reviewing patient files. Dr. Choi Hyun-woo and Dr. Min-jae stepped inside the crowded room together, navigating through the tight rows of staff. Hyun-woo walked over and stood right next to the doctor standing before the chief, adjusting his broad frame to blend into the medical assembly.Chief Doctor Park cleared his throat loudly, the sharp sound echoing off the soundproofed walls as he locked his intense, demanding gaze onto the entire medical team gathered before him."I have formally called every single one of you here today because our university hospital has been officially invited to lead a major medical camp and emergency surgical review," Chief Dr. Park announced, slamming his folder onto the mahogany panel. "This is an important folk welfare mission to treat the village people who completely lack advanced healthcare access. Everyone in this department is included in this mission, and our team is heading directly to a specific village region in the OEAM FOLK district."Hearing the sudden travel announcement, Dr. Hyun-woo nodded his head slowly. His deep voice was laced with a thoroughly sad, distracted tone, his mind still entirely preoccupied with why Kim Seo-ah hadn't met his face or answered his messages for three consecutive days."Huh... Seriously?" Hyun-woo murmured softly, his heart heavy with longing. "This time, even our core surgical department is going to be included in this trip layout, Senior?"Chief Dr. Park nodded firmly, tapping the table. "Yes, absolutely. All of you have successfully become highly experienced and senior in your respective fields now, so you absolutely need this kind of raw field experience. But... Dr. Hyun-woo, what on earth is wrong with your posture today? You don't look enthusiastic or full of your usual passion at all. Why exactly are you looking so down and fatigued?""Oh, no, Senior!" Hyun-woo stuttered slightly, his clinical composure cracking as he quickly manufactured a transparent excuse. "It's absolutely nothing like that! I was just... thinking deeply about a complex patient case file. I am perfectly fine, don't worry."As Dr. Hyun-woo tried his absolute best to brush off the executive query, his dark eyes accidentally drifted sideways to inspect the clinician standing right next to him. At first, due to his own inner romantic misery and heavy hangover remnants, Hyun-woo didn't quite register the man's features. But as he glanced closer under the bright fluorescent light, his eyes suddenly froze completely. A sudden, violent jolt of pure recognition hit his chest like a lightning bolt.This was the exact same extraordinarily handsome, charming man who was closely interacting, leaning in, and laughing so completely freely with Kim Seo-ah at the corporate lounge party three days ago!'Wait... what?!' Hyun-woo thought to himself, completely stunned, paralyzed, and dramatic as his blood boiled. 'Him?! How on earth is he standing here inside this room?! How did my mind not know until this very second that the guy who was hovering around Kim Seo-ah at the dance floor actually works right here in this exact same university hospital?!'The sheer, raw shock of the discovery completely threw Hyun-woo entirely off balance. His knees literally gave out under his weight, and losing his physical footing, he stumbled backward, falling right over Dr. Min-jae's shoulder partition. Min-jae let out a sharp gasp, quickly grabbing Hyun-woo's arms with force to steady his staggered frame and pull him back upright."Dr. Hyun-woo!" Chief Dr. Park slammed his hand hard against the mahogany desk, deeply and thoroughly annoyed by the physical disruption. "What exactly is wrong with your coordination today? Do you not feel physically well? What on earth was that clumsiness?!"Min-jae let out a highly nervous, frantic laugh to cover up for his friend, aggressively whispering under his breath through his teeth, "What on earth is completely wrong with this idiot now?!" He then raised his voice politely toward the head of the table. "Ah, Senior, it's absolutely, completely nothing to worry about! You already know how his system is. He just got a bit dizzy from overworking himself during that five-hour surgery. He is completely fine!"Chief Dr. Park frowned heavily, looking sternly down the row at Hyun-woo. "Dr. Hyun-woo, stop all these childish, dramatic antics right now and behave like a true, disciplined professional. You are a senior medical doctor, for heaven's sake!""Yes, Senior," Dr. Hyun-woo quickly stood perfectly straight, clearing his throat awkwardly as he adjusted his doctor's coat, though his eyes remained locked onto his rival. "I apologize sincerely. But... who exactly is... this person standing here before us?"The handsome doctor turned around slowly, a calm, incredibly polite, and magnetic smile breaking across his features as he pointed a finger to his own chest. "Huh? Senior Doctor, are you talking about my build?"Chief Dr. Park answered for him, gesturing toward the man with a nod. "Ah, yes. Many of you might not know his face properly yet due to scheduling friction. This is Dr. Sung Jin-woo. He officially joined our department a few months ago. Because of his constantly rotating night shifts and everyone's incredibly busy surgery schedules, I hadn't gotten a proper chance to formally introduce his name to the core team until today."Hyun-woo remained completely, entirely paralyzed in shock. Crossing his arms tightly over his chest, he glared sideways at Dr. Sung Jin-woo with an intense, burning wave of pure, unadulterated jealousy. Chief Doctor Park turned back to the entire room, clapping his hands loudly to wrap up the emergency briefing."Alright, everyone. Our team needs to head out soon, so I want all of you to go down to the lockers and start preparing your emergency medical kits and surgical gear right now. We are leaving for the village coordinates in the OEAM FOLK district.""But Senior," one of the consultant colleagues raised a hand, asking curiously. "Where exactly in the OEAM FOLK region are we going? What is the name of the village temple area? And where exactly are we supposed to stay for the nights?"Chief Dr. Park stopped mid-sentence, his stern face going completely, utterly blank as he suddenly froze. He raised his hand, rubbing his temples frantically as his memories stalled. "Uh... wait a minute. What on earth was the specific name of that village place again? It's a very specific, legendary village... uh... let my mind think for a second..."The otherwise exceptionally strict, terrifying, and kaddak Chief Senior Doctor completely lost his memory regarding the village coordinates, standing there blankly for a few painfully awkward, silent seconds. Seeing their otherwise terrifying boss freeze up like a broken terminal, the entire conference room completely burst into a loud, uncontrollable roar of hysterical laughter. The colleagues, nurses, and doctors began whispering and teasing him openly across the table."Look at that layout!" Colleague 1 laughed, trying his best to stop chuckling. "Dr. Park forgot the location name completely! Sir, if you start forgetting basic names like this, what if you accidentally forget a surgical towel inside a patient's stomach during a major open-heart surgery?""Exactly!" Colleague 2 giggled loudly, nudging a nurse. "Imagine him asking for a scalpel in the middle of an operation room and then completely forgetting where on earth he was supposed to cut the skin!""Silence!" Chief Dr. Park's face turned bright, violent red with extreme embarrassment, and he shouted at the top of his lungs to restore absolute order. "Completely quiet, everyone! Stop laughing this instant! If all of you have so much extra energy to make ridiculous jokes, go use it for packing your files! Get out of this room right now and start your medical preparations immediately!"The meeting broke up instantly. The exact milestone moment the colleagues, doctors, and nurses stepped out of the tense conference room and entered the busy hospital corridor, the heavy, rigid clinical atmosphere completely shifted into one of pure joy, high-fives, and massive travel excitement."Huh! We finally got a real chance for a field trip this time!" the colleagues cheered, high-fiving each other happily as they walked down the hallway. "We completely missed out last year, but this time, we are going to give our absolute best to the village people!"As they walked down the long hallway, the group of colleagues quickly surrounded Dr. Sung Jin-woo, peppering his build with curious questions to get to know him better."Hey, Dr. Sung!" Colleague 3 inquired warmly. "When exactly did you join our wing? What is your core surgical field? Where exactly were you practicing before coming to this hospital?"Dr. Sung Jin-woo smiled warmly, answering their queries with an incredibly polite, well-mannered demeanor. Nearby, a group of residential nurses watched his handsome face intently, their eyes practically sparkling under the corridor lights."Oh my god, look at Dr. Sung," Nurse 1 whispered, giggling behind her clipboard. "He is so incredibly charming, handsome, and tall! This medical trip is going to be so refreshing with his presence around."Nurse Han Ga-on stepped forward instantly, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as she glared at the whispering nurses. She snapped in a highly defensive, proud, and possessive tone, "Oh, please! He is absolutely nothing special compared to our core team. Dr. Hyun-woo is way more extraordinarily handsome, charming, and a far superior surgeon than him!"Dr. Hyun-woo, who was walking right behind their steps with Min-jae, overhears Ga-on's passionate defense perfectly. His protective male ego instantly preened. He tossed his head back confidently, flipping his formal collar with an incredibly smug, arrogant, and conceited smile. He turned his frame toward Ga-on, offering a confident, theatrical nod."Thank you, Nurse Ga-on!" Hyun-woo said smoothly, giving a dramatic, confident wink. "I deeply appreciate the absolute honesty on this floor."Hyun-woo then shot a glare over at Dr. Sung Jin-woo's retreating back, a proud, triumphant smirk plastered across his handsome face as he thought to himself.'Well, she's absolutely, mandatory right!' Hyun-woo thought to himself, highly conceited as he adjusted his jacket cuffs. 'This new guy might be decent, but he is definitely, completely not better than my build! I don't care a single bit if he was laughing, leaning in, and talking with Kim Seo-ah at the corporate party. Kim Seo-ah is the absolute one I love, and a rotating shift doctor stands absolutely zero chance against my name! The village tomorrow will be my victory floor!'
With a triumphant huff, Dr. Choi Hyun-woo strutted right past the rows of workstations, his posture brimming with absolute confidence as he walked away toward his private cabin. Dr. Sung Jin-woo also offered a polite, well-mannered nod, bidding a warm goodbye to the surrounding colleagues before leaving the corridor to finish up his remaining morning shift duties. The exact microsecond the two main targets left the aisle, the remaining residential nurses turned around on their heels and stared straight at Nurse Han Ga-on in utter, paralyzing disbelief and pure shock."Whoa, Ga-on!" Nurse 2 whispered loudly, leaning over the medicine cart. "Why on earth do you always do that? Why do you constantly praise Dr. Hyun-woo so aggressively, passionately, and openly in front of the entire department staff? It is so glaringly obvious to everyone!"Dr. Min-jae, who was walking up from behind the nursing station folder counter, shook his head at Ga-on with a knowing look. "Yeah, seriously, take a step back. Stop running behind his shadow so much. Don't waste your precious romantic energy on Dr. Hyun-woo, girl. The absolute truth is, his heart already deeply, completely likes someone else."A pin-drop silence instantly hit the aisle before every single doctor and nurse on the floor snapped their heads around to lock their eyes onto Dr. Min-jae's face."WHAT?!" the entire medical crowd yelled out in unison, their voices echoing loudly down the sterile hallway corridor. "Dr. Hyun-woo actually likes someone else?! Who on earth is this mystery girl, Dr. Min-jae?! Tell us right now!"Min-jae's face turned completely pale white as he realized his gossipy mouth had just leaked highly confidential family data. He frantically waved his hands through the air, backtracking at lightning speed as he tried to cover up the layout. "Wait! No! I absolutely did not say that as a fact! What I actually meant to say was... if! If his build happened to like someone deeply in real life... if!"Nurse Ga-on completely ignored Min-jae's nervous warning, rolling her eyes dramatically at the surrounding crowd as she adjusted her uniform belt. She spoke with absolute, unwavering confidence, her tone sharp. "I don't care a single bit what anyone says or what rumors roll around this hospital. The absolute truth is, I deeply love Dr. Hyun-woo, and that's that!"Without waiting a single microsecond for their replies, Nurse Ga-on turned around sharply on her heel and marched off down the polished tiles to begin her own ward duties. The remaining medical staff shook their heads in absolute pity, murmuring softly about how she was completely crazy and blindly in love with a man who didn't even notice her existence.With the final, strict executive orders officially locked into the hospital directory system, the entire medical department threw themselves into a frantic, high-energy rush to pack their mobile kits, emergency medication crates, and surgical gear. The team was scheduled to depart the city for the mysterious Gangwon-do village tomorrow afternoon—completely, entirely unaware that Kim Seo-ah's architectural office team was already heading to the exact same mountain coordinates first thing in the morning!