🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 27
I Don’t Want to Lose You
“Sorry.”
Na-young said nothing more and walked away.
Left alone, Tae-hyuk felt even worse.
Why was she apologizing? Was it because she truly didn’t care?
Her single word of apology felt like it was tearing down a tower he had painstakingly built.
How did it come to this? Just a moment ago, even the housewarming conversation had gone smoothly.
Ah, yes. It was because of that one word. Misunderstanding.
Tae-hyuk had a neurosis about that word. Misunderstandings had existed countless times in his life. Yet most of those misunderstandings had simply passed by as misunderstandings.
But when those words came out of Na-young’s mouth, he couldn’t help but feel resistance.
He couldn’t tolerate the idea of such words interfering between them.
Tae-hyuk clenched his fists and then relaxed them, deciding to chase after her.
If she had just said she was going to the housewarming, everything would have ended there. There wouldn’t have been any reason for hurt feelings.
So now, he intended to catch up and tell her she was going to the housewarming.
After walking for a while without seeing her, he took out his phone.
Just as he was about to call Na-young, the elevator door opened, and Yoon-inah stepped out.
Since that incident, he had only brushed past her casually and had never met her face to face.
Tae-hyuk tried to avoid her and turn toward the lab.
“Professor Choi.”
Yoon-inah’s voice caught his steps.
“I’m not going to avoid you. I won’t do anything anymore.”
Only then did Tae-hyuk turn his head to look at her.
When their eyes met, Yoon-inah smiled faintly, silently.
“I just wanted to apologize to you.”
She knew, of course.
A cowardly sincerity could never work.
But she also couldn’t confidently confess, knowing she would be rejected.
For her, something that seemed impossible for her to do was so easy for Na-young, which made it even harder to endure.
Perhaps that was why she resorted to a despicable way just to hurt her.
“I justified it to myself, thinking it was okay because I liked you—but it wasn’t okay.”
It was the first time.
Yoon-inah had admitted she liked him first.
Yet, her words felt less like a confession and more like a silent confession, like a penance.
If it were the old Yoon-inah, she would never have shown her feelings first, not until he confessed.
“You’re a better doctor than I am.”
Tae-hyuk didn’t blame her for the past, speaking only the truth.
“So don’t do anything that will ruin your patients or yourself.”
Yoon-inah looked at him quietly, then nodded.
“Tell Na-young I’m sorry in my place.”
Hearing Na-young’s name from Yoon-inah narrowed Tae-hyuk’s eyes.
If her apology were sincere, she would have gone to Na-young herself.
It felt like the words were meant only to show him, leaving Tae-hyuk feeling uneasy.
He had intended to go find Na-young, but the encounter with Yoon-inah had dampened his mood, so he returned to the lab.
First, he needed to meet Cha-hyun. So that he wouldn’t make a mistake in front of Na-young again.
“Good job.”
Hearing praise from Cha-hyun, Tae-hyuk felt as if he had been scolded.
He gave Cha-hyun a displeased look.
“Did you hear that properly? Na-young apologized to me.”
That was definitely not a good sign.
“So, it’s not like you did anything to apologize for.”
Was he teasing him?
Tae-hyuk’s suspicion grew, and his gaze became sharp.
“Isn’t today about my blind date?”
O Seung-jun suddenly interrupted the two, voicing his complaints.
He had conceded the house just to get the blind date, and before he could even mention it, Tae-hyuk interrupted with his own concerns.
Cha-hyun stepped in to mediate.
“So this side is about the blind date, and you’re worried about the doctor girl you like.”
“It’s not liking. She’s just running after me because she likes me.”
O Seung-jun teased, and Tae-hyuk glared at him.
“Then first, deal with the person who’s about to get sick.”
“No! I already gave up my house, so my blind date comes first!”
He regretted only calling Cha-hyun, but it was too late.
Among the three gathered, Cha-hyun, the most socially adept, didn’t get annoyed with Seung-jun. Instead, he unlocked his phone and held it out.
“Then pick a girl you like from the photos on my phone.”
Seung-jun’s eyes immediately widened.
Since the women Cha-hyun knew had appeared in films, there were likely many celebrities.
Seung-jun eagerly looked through the photos while Cha-hyun turned to Tae-hyuk.
“Giving the other person something to think about is a good thing. If you had casually said you’d go to the housewarming, none of this would have happened. Because of your opposite reaction, she’ll keep thinking about your words and actions repeatedly. Then, she’ll realize she keeps thinking about you. Eventually, she’ll start recognizing her own feelings.”
Tae-hyuk, unaware that his petty behavior carried such depth, leaned in closer to Cha-hyun.
“So, I shouldn’t say I’m going to the housewarming?”
“You should go.”
He thought the same. Not going would only be a loss.
“Then when should I say I’m going?”
Cha-hyun lifted his drink, pondered briefly, and answered like a fortune teller revealing a prophecy.
“When she brings up the housewarming again.”
“And if she never brings it up?”
Tae-hyuk was about to get angry, so Cha-hyun paused—but just then, Seung-jun, looking at the photos, held out a woman’s picture.
Truly, no one is useless.
“I’ll take this one.”
The woman Seung-jun chose had starred in Cha-hyun’s film and won Best Actress, Jang Hye-rim.
Surely, young star Eun-byeol wouldn’t even dare meet her gaze in front of Jang Hye-rim.
“Are you going to borrow a house and ask her to pluck stars from the sky too?”
Tae-hyuk immediately scolded Seung-jun for having no conscience, and Cha-hyun boldly deleted the photo and handed the phone back for him to choose again.
Seung-hee’s hobby was eating snacks while watching dramas. It made her feel like nothing in the world could bother her.
Today, Na-young was sitting beside her. She joined Seung-hee in watching the drama to stop thinking about Tae-hyuk, who kept coming to mind.
Seung-hee pointed at the male actor on screen as if she had discovered something great.
“That guy, the main actor, looks like Professor Choi Tae-hyuk, right?”
Cough!
Na-young choked on her fruit, startled to hear his name while watching a drama.
Seung-hee poured her some water and handed it to her.
Na-young drank it down.
Seung-hee patted her back and, obliviously, continued talking about Professor Choi.
“Lately, female doctors and nurses keep saying Professor Choi is handsome. Now that they’re used to his sharp tongue, they notice his appearance fitting a romantic lead, and I guess everyone’s developing other interests.”
He had also become slightly more approachable since first coming to the hospital.
Na-young’s chest ached knowing that people liked him.
“Someone saw Professor Choi with Professor Yoon-inah.”
She froze.
She put down her glass.
“They had a serious conversation. I wonder what’s going on between them?”
Even though she knew how Professor Choi had actively protected her when Yoon-inah tried to undermine her, Na-young felt unsettled by Seung-hee’s speculation.
There was a long history between Yoon-inah and Tae-hyuk that she could never match.
If Yoon-inah had truly repented and apologized sincerely, Professor Choi would have certainly forgiven her.
Though his words were rough, his heart wasn’t. He was a person who genuinely cared for others.
So, once he opened his heart…
“I’m going to go to bed.”
Getting up, she saw Seung-hee glance at the time with a disappointed expression.
“Okay, then I’ll watch TV alone before sleeping.”
After saying goodbye to Seung-hee, Na-young went into her room, sat on the bed, and looked at her phone.
She was dying to know what he had discussed with Yoon-inah, but she couldn’t call.
He still hadn’t told her if he would come to the housewarming.
Na-young collapsed onto the bed.
She had given him three chances to draw a proper line between them.
To remain just professor and resident.
But it seemed like she had failed.
Every time she thought of him, she became emotional.
Every time she thought of his connection with Yoon-inah, she felt uneasy.
Before, if Yoon-inah had clashed with her, she would have cut Tae-hyuk off immediately.
Two women fighting over one man was ugly.
Back then, her dignity mattered more than the man.
But now, whether it was Yoon-inah or anyone else, she didn’t want to lose Professor Choi Tae-hyuk.
Na-young felt unfamiliar with this feeling.
And the fact that he still hadn’t said he would come to the housewarming made her anxious.
Why not?
Had he already lost interest?
Feeling lonely, Na-young curled up slightly.
On his way home from work, Tae-hyuk saw patients being carried out of an ambulance in front of the ER and stopped his car.
It seemed like a traffic accident; several people were being brought in at once.
Since he wasn’t on duty, he could have left, but seeing the busy medical staff and patients, he couldn’t ignore it.
Tae-hyuk got out of the car and walked toward the ER.
“Are these trauma patients?”
The ER staff looked at him in awe as he appeared out of nowhere late at night to lend a helping hand.
“Wow! I didn’t realize Professor Choi was such an angel.”
They say good deeds bring good fortune. He was usually unlucky, so at least he had to try to accumulate some merit.
After helping the traffic accident patients, he tried to leave quietly without a trace. But the ER door opened, and a patient clutching his stomach was brought in with his guardian’s support.
“Here! Please take care of my son!”
An ER resident hurried over, helping move the patient, who couldn’t even stand due to abdominal pain, onto a bed.
Tae-hyuk stopped and watched the patient closely.
“Are you in pain here?”
“Ah!”
The patient groaned in agony as the resident pressed on his lower right abdomen.
After palpation, he was moved to the CT room, and Tae-hyuk took out his phone to make a call.
Rrrrrrrrr Rrrrrrrrr—
[Hello?]
The voice on the other end sounded groggy, as if just woken.
“If you want to hold the scalpel yourself, come to the hospital immediately.”
Tae-hyuk said only what was necessary and hung up.
Na-young, woken by Professor Choi Tae-hyuk’s call, hurried to the hospital, getting dressed along the way.
By the time she arrived, the patient had been diagnosed with appendicitis, and the guardian was signing the consent form.
Breathless from running, Na-young stood in front of Professor Choi.
“Huff… but I’m only a first-year. Can I really hold the scalpel in the OR?”
Typically, a second-year resident would get the first opportunity to act as the main surgeon.
“It’s night, so there’s a shortage of staff, and I’m the attending surgeon. It’s up to me. So, will you join the surgery or not?”
Staring blankly at his calm expression as he gave her the choice, Na-young finally spoke.
“If you come to the housewarming, I’ll go into the OR too.”
At her conditional acceptance, Tae-hyuk smiled.
He had always wondered when she would bring up the housewarming again.
Sure enough, good deeds bring good fortune.
“I never once thought I wouldn’t go to the housewarming.”
Hearing his words, Na-young finally smiled.
