HTBP 34

An Unexpected Blind Date

As Tae-hyeok had expected, the moment Na-young heard Professor Choi Tae-hyeok calling from the rooftop, she hurriedly dashed down the stairs.

She stopped only after a frantic descent, already well below the rooftop.

Leaning against the wall with her hand, she exhaled sharply. Her heart had dropped thinking she was caught for sure.

It was only thanks to Professor Choi Tae-hyeok’s quick reflexes that she hadn’t been discovered—but somehow, she had ended up fleeing alone.

She wondered if anyone in the hospital could dare harm Professor Choi Tae-hyeok, but she felt guilty for leaving him to deal with the consequences of what they’d done together while she escaped. Peeking outside the stairwell, she looked up.

She couldn’t hear Tae-hyeok coming down.

Too hesitant to go back up, she took out her phone to call him—but a message arrived first.

<What are you going to do with the heart I’m holding that you abandoned?>

Seeing the rose petals he’d sent with the message, Na-young felt a small tremor under her eyes.

He had called her his “Goddess of Fortune” after they had overcome the danger, and now, in a crisis, she had abandoned him and run off alone.

Had she really done something so wrong?

No. Professor Choi Tae-hyeok was probably just joking.

It was no big deal, just a small, accidental mishap. If she drew a line with him over this, that would truly hurt him.

In the past, Na-young would have done just that—but now, she had no intention of doing so.

She dialed Professor Choi Tae-hyeok’s number.

[The customer is unavailable, connecting to voicemail.]

He didn’t answer, and Na-young’s expression fell.

The effect of the “Goddess of Fortune” seemed to fade so quickly.

Knock. Knock.

When Na-young knocked and opened the lab door, the room was empty, with only a lunchbox sitting on the desk.

She had even brought coffee to apologize for leaving on her own yesterday, but now she couldn’t even meet Professor Choi Tae-hyeok. She sighed.

“Where could he have gone?”

At that time, Tae-hyeok had stopped by the pediatric ICU to check on the infant patient he had operated on, then attended morning rounds.

Na-young gave him a look that said she had something to say, but he deliberately ignored her.

He found her reaction amusing. Normally, she avoided eye contact with him, but now she was staring so intently that he wanted to enjoy the situation.

Thinking back, he realized he had been trailing her too much ever since meeting her at the hospital.

It hadn’t been fair, and sometimes, she needed to crave his attention too, to balance the relationship.

Tae-hyeok felt proud that he had realized this without Cha-hyun’s guidance.

“Patient Hwang Myeong-soon is being discharged today.”

Hwang Myeong-soon had been the first liver transplant patient he treated after returning to Korea, making it a special case.

He briefly explained to the patient how to care for herself at home.

“Doctor, this is our granddaughter. Isn’t she pretty?”

Suddenly, the patient introduced her granddaughter, and the atmosphere took a turn that Tae-hyeok hadn’t anticipated.

The residents all shifted their eyes to look at the granddaughter the patient proudly presented.

Usually, the daughter stayed by the bedside, so it was odd that the granddaughter was there today—but the patient had a plan.

The granddaughter shyly participated in her grandmother’s matchmaking scheme and greeted Professor Choi Tae-hyeok with a blushing smile.

“Hello.”

As the rounds unexpectedly turned into a blind date scenario, the residents watched with keen interest.

Everyone except one.

Would the “Viper” lash out at the patient’s guardian, or would he show the proper demeanor of a suitor?

“Could you give me your phone number? If grandma feels unwell, I can call you.”

The girl held out her phone first, requesting his number, and the residents watched to see the Viper’s reaction.

“You can come straight to the hospital then.”

As expected, he was the Viper.

But his gaze seemed unusually uneasy. Could it be that he was shaken by the granddaughter? That would be even more spectacular.

“But for a cold or something minor, it’s hard to come to the ER.”

“I specialize in liver treatment. Not family medicine.”

Clearly, he didn’t want to give her his number, and the residents exchanged glances, shaking their heads. This blind date was doomed.

[The customer is unavailable, connecting to voicemail.]

Unable to connect by phone, Tae-hyeok grabbed his phone with a look of frustration.

Yet he felt it was unfair. He had been diligently conducting rounds, and he couldn’t fight with an elderly patient who had barely survived surgery.

So treating the patient’s granddaughter professionally was the best he could do.

Why, then, was Na-young not answering his call?

Eventually, he called Cha-hyun instead.

[I didn’t think she’d call me anytime soon.]

Tae-hyeok expected Cha-hyun to be upset for revealing the story to Na-young without his consent.

“Na-young isn’t picking up my call.”

[She didn’t even come to the hospital?]

Cha-hyun was shocked.

“No, she’s working fine at the hospital. She just isn’t answering my calls.”

Tae-hyeok had thought everything was fine now that he had agreed to perform the surgery with her persuasion.

[Did something happen before Na-young ignored your call?]

“I was the one who didn’t answer her first.”

[Is that all?]

“And during rounds, a patient introduced her granddaughter to me.”

[Ah!]

Understanding the situation, Cha-hyun continued.

Tae-hyeok crossed his legs and complained.

“I was just as much a victim here. How is this my fault?”

[Still, Na-young would be upset.]

“She left me behind and ran off alone first. If you blame someone, isn’t that worse?”

[So you want to win over Na-young?]

Tae-hyeok immediately deflated.

“No. I just want things to go smoothly.”

[Then just apologize.]

Tae-hyeok bristled at the suggestion.

“Apologize? For what?”

[If you keep nitpicking, you’ll keep fighting. Broaden your heart. Be mature enough to embrace Na-young.]

He sighed. Tae-hyeok was the type to repay kindness with kindness and enemies with enmity. Generosity was unfamiliar to him.

“I have a favor to ask.”

[I can’t apologize to Na-young for you.]

Of course not.

“I think Na-young went through something big when she was young. Can you find out?”

[Finding out isn’t the issue, but if she learns you investigated on your own, she won’t like it.]

“To embrace her properly, I need to know, right?”

[Fine. I’ll look into it and let you know.]

Click.

Tae-hyeok hung up and gazed out the window. He had called Cha-hyun because he wanted to know what bad thing Na-young had experienced.

“She’s someone I saved.”

He thought if he found out for her, she would be happy—but he wasn’t entirely eager.

It seemed like it could be even more troublesome than the patient’s granddaughter who had popped out during rounds.

Today, the ER had been especially busy. On days like this, he was more likely to encounter difficult patients.

“Doctor, you’re stunning. Why work so hard in a place like this? I know a famous manager—interested?”

The man kept bothering her even though she wasn’t responsible for his patient, but Na-young ignored him and continued suturing.

“It’s not a lie. Look at these photos on my phone. You’d recognize all the celebrities by name.”

He held his phone up right in front of her face, blocking her view. Finally, she looked up and said coldly:

“My father is friends with the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office. Want me to introduce you?”

The man flinched slightly at the word “Prosecutor” but quickly laughed it off as a joke.

“Hahaha, this lady even jokes well. I like that.”

In fact, she wasn’t joking—she was telling the truth.

Her father had instructed her when sending her to college: if any man harassed her, call his friend in the prosecutor’s office immediately. At the time, he was a chief prosecutor; now he was the head of the office.

Everyone at the hospital already knew. That’s why, while many might confess to her, no one dared make advances.

Hearing from Seung-jun that Na-young had called the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office to deal with a difficult patient, Tae-hyeok looked incredulously at him.

“Seoul Central District Prosecutor?”

Seung-jun nodded.

“That’s right. The head is Na-young’s dad’s close friend. So if someone harasses her, she calls him immediately. Isn’t that amazing? She set up the head of the prosecutor’s office as her bodyguard to protect herself.”

Tae-hyeok felt a lump in his throat.

“Are you serious?”

Seung-jun shook his head.

“When you didn’t trust some guy and told him to come immediately, he actually showed up at the hospital. I saw the Seoul Central District Prosecutor in person—it was exactly like the news! Hahaha, unbelievable, right?”

Tae-hyeok lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks.

He imagined one day being caught and interrogated by the head of the prosecutor’s office.

Seeing him lose his appetite, Seung-jun tried to console him.

“You should actually be glad. Na-young never called the prosecutor’s office when you bothered her. How lucky is that?”

Tae-hyeok promptly kicked Seung-jun’s leg.

Eventually, Tae-hyeok finished his meal hastily, left the cafeteria, and took out his phone—but hesitated to call Na-young.

After all, today her call to the prosecutor’s office might feel like an outburst against him.

This was beyond what his broad-mindedness could handle.

He was also intimidated by the head of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office.

Tae-hyeok lamented why Na-young’s father had to be friends with someone like that as he headed to the operating room.

Once the ER became less busy, Na-young finally checked her missed calls.

Seeing that Tae-hyeok’s call had come in and then abruptly ended, she frowned.

She knew he was in surgery, but it still put her in a bad mood.

Holding her phone with both hands, she typed a message.

<What will you do if the patient guardian introduces another girl again?>

Looking at it, she realized it was a silly question. She almost deleted it—but then Professor Choi Tae-hyeok’s voice sounded right by her ear.

“You should say you already have a girlfriend.”

Startled, Na-young jumped to the side.

Professor Choi Tae-hyeok had suddenly appeared behind her, mischievous at first, then turned serious and asked:

“So if word of us spreads around the hospital, will you cut me off immediately?”

Na-young just stared blankly at his face.