Are You Awake?
Na-young hadn’t meant it as an invitation for another one-night thing.
This time, she only meant to sleep deeply and return to Seoul the next morning.
She calmly explained, so he wouldn’t misunderstand.
“I’m worried you might get into an accident if you drive a long distance after five hours of surgery. My safety… uh? Professor! Where are you going?”
Before she could even finish explaining, Professor Choi Tae-hyuk left her alone and returned to the hospital building.
“I’ll be right back. Don’t move from there.”
What? Did he just forget something?
Could it be an urgent bathroom break?
Helplessly, she had no choice but to wait until Professor Choi returned.
He hurried back to the ER.
Approaching a familiar ER specialist, he asked urgently:
“Where’s the nearest hotel around here?”
The ER specialist, surprised to see him back, said:
“Ah! Since it’s so late, I guess you plan to stay the night?”
“Tell me quickly before I change my mind.”
Not because there wasn’t time, but before he changed his mind?
The ER specialist hesitated for a moment, then replied:
“I’m on night duty anyway. Just sleep at my place. It’s right near the hospital.”
Since he had been saving ER patients and missed the chance to return to Seoul, the ER doctor offered his home out of goodwill.
Tae-hyuk stepped closer and asked seriously:
“How many rooms?”
“Two.”
Hearing that there were two rooms, Tae-hyuk’s disappointed expression made the ER specialist ask:
“Want to go to a hotel instead? But a good hotel is about thirty minutes from here.”
Even someone as skilled as him in surgery couldn’t help but falter when it came to romance. The ER specialist chuckled to himself.
Click.
Turning on the light revealed a neatly organized room.
Na-young looked around with admiration.
“Wow. You must be really organized.”
Even the house she shared with Seung-hee wasn’t this clean, making her feel a little guilty.
The ER doctor was just as busy, yet his home was spotless.
When Professor Choi Tae-hyuk headed straight to the kitchen, Na-young quickly intervened:
“Don’t touch anything.”
He ignored her and opened the refrigerator.
“This is a house lent to us for tonight anyway. We didn’t sneak into someone else’s home.”
Having agonized between this house and a hotel, Tae-hyuk realized his worry was pointless.
If there were many vacant hotel rooms, he’d have to reserve both anyway. Reserving only one would have made Na-young suspicious and defensive.
So, he came to this house instead.
“I’m hungry. Aren’t you?”
The grilled clams had been the last meal they shared today.
Na-young realized she was hungry too and glanced at the clock, feeling a bit helpless.
“But it’s really late.”
“I’ll make some simple ramen. You go shower first.”
Hearing he wanted ramen again, Na-young frowned slightly.
But ramen was the fastest thing they could eat at this hour, so she headed to the bathroom.
While she showered, Tae-hyuk prepared the ramen.
He wasn’t great at cooking, but ramen, he could make perfectly.
As he watched the water boil, he thought about their time at the beach.
Na-young, in the end, didn’t answer him at all.
It wasn’t that he was as cool as she thought—he was restraining himself because he cared.
Since she had shared the difficulties she’d been through, he had been careful not to hurt her with his words or actions.
Even if it put him at a disadvantage.
Feeling restless, Tae-hyuk took out his phone and called Cha-hyun.
[Hello?]
“I had one last chance today, but I was too considerate…”
He turned his head, sensing something off, and was startled to see Na-young standing right in front of him. In his shock, he dropped the phone.
He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed her coming out of the bathroom.
“….”
Na-young slowly scanned the floor: the dropped phone, the boiling water, and Tae-hyuk, frozen like a statue.
“Professor, you should shower. I’ll make the ramen.”
Tae-hyuk immediately turned and disappeared into the bathroom.
Click.
Closing the door, he grabbed his head with both hands, berating himself:
“I messed up. Completely messed up.”
Being caught calling Cha-hyun directly, even when he could have lied that it was his first call, Na-young probably wouldn’t believe him.
There had already been several situations to arouse suspicion.
For the first time in his life, Tae-hyuk felt embarrassed enough to want to cry.
After he went into the bathroom, Na-young bent down to pick up the phone he had dropped.
The call was still connected.
She held it to her ear and spoke to Cha-hyun in his place.
“Professor went to shower, Director.”
[Ah! You’re Moon Na-young, right?]
“Yes.”
[Being together at this hour on your day off…]
“We couldn’t make Professor drive a long distance at this hour. We’re going in the morning. Don’t misunderstand.”
[Ah! And it’s not even Seoul.]
Director Cha-hyun chuckled quietly to himself.
Since he wouldn’t spread rumors to anyone else, Na-young gave up explaining and hung up.
“Then go inside.”
[Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?]
“Eh?”
She only wanted to ask him about what had happened at the hospital that day.
[You saw it just now. Tae-hyuk asks me if he’s unsure. Na-young, try asking him too.]
Since becoming an adult, she had never consulted anyone about her feelings—not even family.
Director Cha-hyun was a stranger in many ways, but considering what he meant to Professor Choi, Na-young finally found herself able to speak.
“How do I summon my last courage?”
Hearing her question, Director Cha-hyun said cheerfully:
[If it’s hard alone, share it with the other person. You know the saying: joy shared doubles, sorrow shared halves. Courage shared…]
“What happens?”
[You’ll find out when you try it, Na-young. I’m curious about the result too.]
After hanging up, Na-young felt a weight lifted.
She also understood why Professor Choi kept calling Cha-hyun.
Click.
When he emerged from the bathroom, Na-young had the fully cooked ramen ready on the table, waiting for him.
“Come, eat the ramen.”
Tae-hyuk walked over and quietly sat across from her.
He was about to scoop noodles with his chopsticks when Na-young spoke:
“Can you give me a chance too?”
He looked up at her, puzzled.
“What kind of chance?”
She couldn’t postpone the words she hadn’t said at the beach or in the car any longer.
“You asked me for three chances first. So I could accept you. I feel like I need a chance too, to summon my last courage.”
It was harder to summon courage than to like someone.
Courage was approaching despite knowing you might get hurt.
Realizing she hadn’t had the courage all this time, Na-young felt her chest burn.
“If you don’t help me, I can’t do it alone.”
Although she claimed she couldn’t do it alone, Tae-hyuk thought the fact that she could say this meant she had already taken courage.
The old Na-young would never have said this.
He liked her even more, seeing her willing to change herself to accept him.
“You’re better than me, so one chance is enough. Right?”
Na-young shook her head, holding up three fingers.
Tae-hyuk smiled and forcibly pressed down one of her fingers.
Then, he asked quietly:
“Did you call Cha-hyun too?”
Na-young shook her head firmly.
“No.”
Cha-hyun was helpful, but also an awkward, secretive presence—like a shadow friend.
With the remaining time before sleep, they ate only the ramen and went straight to bed.
She used the bedroom; Tae-hyuk took the living room sofa.
After driving long distances to Gangwon-do and spending five hours in surgery, he should have been exhausted, but sleep didn’t come easily.
Tae-hyuk opened his eyes and glanced toward Na-young’s room.
It was the first time since that night they had slept in the same space.
Though the situation was very different, his feelings were even more genuine than before.
He suppressed the urge to open her bedroom door and check, like a child resisting chocolate.
Alright, just sleep.
He turned the other way and closed his eyes.
But in less than five minutes, he turned back toward her door, glaring at the innocent door.
Now, he was beginning to feel both love and resentment toward the “chocolate.”
“….”
Na-young couldn’t sleep either.
Though she thought she’d fall asleep instantly from exhaustion, thirty minutes had passed, and her eyes were wide open.
‘Professor must be asleep,’ she thought.
She glanced toward the door.
The night with him felt overwhelmingly real, unlike the unreal feeling when she had spent a night with him while drunk.
Na-young began thinking about what might happen between them in the future.
Next time, they should go to the movies together.
The more ordinary, the better.
Beep-beep.
Her phone rang suddenly. She reached for it.
A new message appeared on the screen:
<Are you awake?>
It was sent from just outside the door.
Tae-hyuk had already moved from the sofa and was sitting cross-legged at her bedroom door, clutching his phone.
“If you don’t come by the count of five, I’ll just sleep too.”
Even if it was only their second night together, at least trying would prevent future regrets.
Tae-hyuk clasped the phone in both hands like a prayer and began counting.
“One.”
Back at the hospital, counting had worked once.
“Two.”
Hoping she would appear just like that time.
“Three.”
Five was too short. He should have counted to ten.
“Four.”
Closing his eyes, he continued counting as if praying.
“Five.”
Click.
Not a message—but the door opened.
