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Chapter 06
Come to My Room
When Professor Choi Taehyuk refused her request and stepped closer again, Nayeong gasped and turned around to run.
Seeing her run away once more, Taehyuk looked completely speechless.
How many times had she run from him already?
He roughly ran a hand through his hair.
When someone keeps running away, it only makes you want to chase them more.
It felt like his patience was being tested on purpose.
Nayeong escaped from him and went straight to the shower room. She washed herself again and again.
Her usual five-minute shower took fifteen minutes.
But what waited for her after she came out was a terrifying message.
<If you want to survive as a resident under me, come to my room within 10 minutes.>
It was clearly a threat.
Worse, more than ten minutes had already passed since the message was sent.
After hesitating, Nayeong nervously headed to Professor Choi Taehyuk’s research office.
At this rate, she might get extra punishment for being a repeat escape offender.
But what could she do?
Every time she got involved with him, she ended up running away.
Standing in front of the door with his name on it, she took a deep breath and knocked.
Knock. Knock.
Click.
As soon as she opened the door, her eyes widened.
The man who had sent such a scary message—
Was asleep on the sofa.
‘What? Is he really sleeping?’
Even when she stepped inside, he did not open his eyes.
Still cautious, she kept her distance and studied him carefully.
Like approaching a wild animal that might bite if she got too close.
After a few minutes, when he still did not move, she slowly approached him.
His sleeping face looked similar to the last time she saw him at the hotel.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Now that she was closer, she could smell alcohol mixed with the scent of meat from his body.
If she could smell him, then he must have smelled her earlier.
Running away had definitely been the right choice.
Even if it made him dislike her more.
“Professor?”
She called softly.
She did not try too hard to wake him.
If he woke up, he would only scold her.
She bent down and moved closer to his face.
She could see his thick eyelashes clearly.
Because he was silent while sleeping, he looked like a perfectly carved statue.
Sharp nose. Deep eyes. A handsome, masculine face.
Suddenly, the expression he had made at their most intense moment flashed in her mind.
Startled, she quickly stepped back.
She decided to leave without waking him.
As she walked toward the door, she suddenly stopped.
If she left like this, there would be no proof that she had come as instructed.
So she turned toward the desk.
She would leave a note.
There was a pen, but no Post-it in sight. She opened the desk drawer.
She froze.
Inside was a small velvet box—the size of a ring box.
She looked back at the sleeping Professor Choi.
She thought she could treat him as just her supervising professor now.
But this—
Who was he preparing this for?
Heat rushed to her face.
Even though she had no right to feel angry.
When Taehyuk opened his eyes, he realized he had fallen asleep on the sofa in his office.
He frowned.
He hated sleeping anywhere after drinking.
How long had he slept?
He checked his watch and lowered his feet from the table.
Crunch.
He heard paper under his shoe.
He looked down and peeled something off his sole.
It was a Post-it.
<You were sleeping, so I’m leaving. Moon Nayeong.>
So she had already come.
He let out a hollow laugh.
When he approached her, she ran.
When she came to him, he fell asleep drunk.
Why was everything like this?
He looked at the crumpled Post-it he had stepped on and frowned slowly.
“….”
But why had it been stuck under his shoe?
That part bothered him deeply.
He quickly stood up and went to his desk.
He opened the drawer.
He confirmed that the Post-it she used was the same kind inside the drawer.
Then he took out the velvet box.
Click.
Inside was a single earring.
‘Did she see this?’
He looked at the earring and the Post-it back and forth.
Still—
Why had she put it under his shoe?
Because his feet were on the table while he slept?
But he was her professor.
The line between politeness and rudeness in that Post-it felt strangely blurred.
Maybe she meant for him to think about it.
The patient who had undergone aortic replacement surgery was moved from the ICU to the general ward.
Nayeong went to see him.
The boy she had thought would die was now sitting up and eating on his own.
Many emotions crossed her heart.
She had once given up on someone who could recover like this.
She felt ashamed.
So she could not bring herself to enter the room and greet him.
Step.
Someone stopped beside her.
She turned with an uncomfortable look—
And her eyes widened when she saw Professor Choi.
“Professor, did you come to see the patient too?”
Though it was technically a Vascular Surgery patient, he had practically saved him.
“No. I came chasing Dr. Moon.”
He turned and looked at her directly.
She froze.
“It seems like running away from me has become your habit. So I’m thinking of making chasing you my habit.”
His words felt like sharp needles poking at her.
She immediately bowed.
“I’m sorry. It will never happen again.”
“If apologies repeat, they also become a habit.”
He twisted her words calmly.
Inside, she cursed him.
Fine. You win.
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
She tensed slightly.
Was it about that night?
Thankfully—or unfortunately—it wasn’t.
“Why did you stick the Post-it under my shoe that day?”
He looked genuinely curious.
She answered calmly without changing her expression.
“What? I left it on the table. Maybe it fell, and you stepped on it.”
His eyes narrowed.
But he had no proof.
“So my Post-it is at fault, then. It couldn’t even stick properly.”
She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing.
At that moment, the Vascular Surgery resident approached them.
“Are you here to see patient Ryu Sangmin? He really wants to thank both of you. Would you like to come in?”
Professor Choi turned away casually.
“He’s not my patient. No need.”
And he walked off.
The survival rate of a ruptured aorta was less than fifty percent.
If the patient had died in his hands, he would have faced a lawsuit.
Yet he walked away like it meant nothing.
Nayeong greeted the other resident and hurried after him.
Earlier, he had said he was chasing her.
Now she was chasing him.
“Professor Choi!”
He stopped and turned.
“Have you eaten lunch?”
He looked slightly surprised that she approached him first.
“Not yet.”
He had actually been on his way to eat before seeing her.
“Then I’ll treat you.”
He stared at her.
She smiled politely.
“I couldn’t attend your welcome dinner. So I’d like to officially welcome you, Professor.”
Her words clearly drew the line—professor and resident.
His left chest ached slightly.
He had pretended not to remember that night so her residency wouldn’t be affected.
But that didn’t mean he wanted her to forget it so quickly.
Professor Choi Taehyuk and Man Choi Taehyuk could never be the same person.
“So you’re trying to flatter your professor? I hate that.”
When he spoke harshly like this, she kept remembering the man from that night.
But she forced herself to act like a proper resident.
“I’ve made many mistakes. I want to apologize properly.”
He checked his watch.
“Then buy me a meal next time.”
“What?”
“I have surgery in thirty minutes.”
“Thirty minutes is enough, isn’t it?”
Doctors ate quickly all the time.
“No. It’s not enough.”
He said firmly and walked away.
She frowned at his back.
Was he making excuses because he didn’t want to eat with her?
Later, she received a message.
<So when are you buying me that meal?>
She blinked.
So he meant it?
She replied immediately.
<Would dinner be okay? I’m free tonight or next Monday evening.>
His reply came quickly.
<Then tonight. 7:30 p.m. In front of the main gate.>
It sounded exactly like asking her out on a date.
And she stared at the message for a long time.
