TIME AFTER TIME ; jjk

15

Chapter 15

JEON JUNGKOOK

It wasn't going well. It started when one in my team announced he wanted to transfer and submit his resignation papers, later challenging us if we could do the same. Never did it occur to me that leaving could be an option, and the way he proposed the idea was making me consider it. Then I fell back into a reminder that Severance Hospital had always been where I wanted to be, and its perks would build me an impressive resume although I thought it would be made at the expense of my health. I remained quiet throughout the conversation, knowing that less staff means more workload distributed for each one of us who was staying under Doctor Won's supervision.

"I've heard a nurse ducked scalpels thrown across the operating room," Dr. Cho said as soon as she stormed into the room, rummaging through the papers on her work desk. I looked over my shoulder, my senses starting to panic. The ramen in front of me no longer looked appetizing.

"He did it again?" Dr. Min asked, putting on his doctor's coat hastily.

I didn't waste any time and finished my food, later rushing out of the room so I could be anywhere else than have Doctor Won berate the entire team and have him vent his anger out on us.

I figured the news of his resident quitting the job must have reached Doctor Won. He would come in a few minutes, and everytime a surgery went quite bad, he headed straight to where his resident doctors are, berated the entire team and found anything he could be upset about. We always put up with it. When we tried to explain ourselves, he would say anything to hide the fact that most of the time, he was the one who didn't know what he was doing.

I headed to the nurse station. As soon as the nurses found me, one of them quickly assisted me with my request. I smiled and waved while I leaned over the desk, waiting patiently for what I had come for.

"Doctor Jeon! You haven't been here for the past few days. How are you?"

"I'm good... You guys are doing well, I hope? I wonder if any of you have gotten sleep. Things have been pretty hectic lately, right?"

"Exactly... Thank you for the meals you sent here the other day! And if you could eat with us next time, that'd be great, Doctor Jeon."

"Of course."

"Let us know if you need anything. We'll gladly return the favor."

"Thank you, and there's no need to do that."

"Jungkook..." I hid my surprise at seeing Dr. Nam approaching, sporting one of her best smiles. "Let's get lunch together?"

"I just had mine."

"If you're not busy, can you join me?" Nurse Kwan handed over a piece of paper to me, her smile slightly awkward as Jiwon stared at her and the others behind her.

"What am I going to do? Just watch you eat? I have to get some work done."

I thanked the nurses and gingerly regarded them with a grin before I walked straight into the empty elevator, Jiwon following suit. When the door closed, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with apprehension. "You didn't have to embarrass me in front of those ladies."

I furrowed my brows, wondering why she thought of it that way. "I did not. I was just saying—"

"Does it make you feel good that those freaking nurses are swooning over you?"

I was ready to apologize because I felt like in a way, I could have embarrassed her but the way she was acting right now wasn't the deal that was supposed to work between us. "Where did that come from? Are you jealous? This is not part of our agreement. And those kind people that you call freaking nurses make your job easier, take note of that."