Chapter 11
“Argh, I’m dying here!”
Ji-woong, the ER doctor, groaned as he took off his blood-splattered doctor’s coat.
Ji-woong, who was born and raised in Cheongbong and proudly called himself the son of Cheongbong, was an emergency medicine specialist. Before Yeon-woo arrived, he was the undisputed favorite among the staff and local elders.
It was only natural. Although the department heads took turns being on-call, the ER had only two dedicated doctors—Choi Man-soo and Seo Ji-woong.
Ji-woong was so loved that even his farts were met with compliments like “how cute!” or “good job.” But ever since Yeon-woo arrived, his once-solid position had begun to shake.
Yeon-woo, who had just finished CPR with all her might, gently massaged her trembling arms and straightened her outfit.
Although the hospital had air conditioning, sweat was trickling down her back—perhaps because the weather had been unusually hot this year.
Compared to the scorching heat of Sudan, Africa, this was nothing…
Or maybe it was just her emotions boiling over because of Master Beom.
Even so, she felt guilty for cursing one of the few people she truly respected. She let out a small sigh and fanned herself when she felt Ji-woong’s gaze on her face.
“…What?”
When Yeon-woo asked suspiciously, Ji-woong flinched and quickly looked away.
Having been exempted from military service, Ji-woong was the same age as Yeon-woo.
He had suggested they speak casually, and Yeon-woo agreed, so they now spoke informally and comfortably.
“Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“N-no, nothing at all.”
So bland.
Yeon-woo didn’t make much of it. Ji-woong was like that all the time.
Still, on such a hot day, an iced coffee sounded perfect.
Just as she was thinking about running to the convenience store in the hospital, Head Nurse Kim walked over with a smile.
“Dr. Yeon-woo, Grandpa Kyung-bae from the upper village brought these. Have a coffee.”
As soon as it was clear that the coffee was for Yeon-woo, Ji-woong’s expression soured instantly.
Ji-woong, who was cute enough to be called a heartthrob, looked like he was smiling even when he was sulking.
“What the heck? I didn’t expect that from Grandpa Kyung-bae. Betrayal! He used to praise me all the time for being the pride of Cheongbong!”
“Oh come on, not this again. There’s one for you too, Dr. Ji-woong.”
“Oh really? Hehe, you should’ve said so! Thank you kindly!”
Grabbing his coffee, Ji-woong gulped it down without even stopping for air.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
Yeon-woo took her coffee, sipped it through a straw, and sat down to open a patient chart.
The patient brought in by 119 (emergency services) had been in a car accident, unconscious and severely bleeding from trauma.
Eventually, they even went into cardiac arrest, and CPR had been necessary.
Having seen far more horrifying cases in Africa, Yeon-woo had calmly performed the procedures without flinching, even when blood splattered on her.
After stabilizing the patient’s vitals and administering emergency care, they were transferred by ambulance to a large hospital in the city.
If Master Beom had been here, he would’ve opened up the OR on the spot—no transfer needed.
Yeon-woo couldn’t help but let out a bitter sigh.
Would he really show up?
She’d already decided to stop waiting and to give up, but it wasn’t as easy as saying it.
It was already June, and there had been no sign of Master Beom—not even a glimpse.
“You really got swindled. Who does something like that? Good thing I didn’t follow you to Cheongbong. It’s not too late. Come back to Seoul.”
Se-young would call whenever she had a chance, trying to persuade Yeon-woo to return to Seoul. But Yeon-woo had no intention of going back.
“Stop being so dramatic. What are you, Chunhyang? Why are you waiting for a Beom Do-ryeong who isn’t even coming?”
Yeah.
Because it was unfair. So incredibly unfair.
She’d been swindled again, and it made her blood boil.
If she was going to face the end of this, it would be here.
She didn’t know what country he was in now, but eventually, he would have to show up.
“You scammer… just wait till I get my hands on you.”
Frustrated, angry, and bitter, she stomped her foot and stood up.
The wheeled chair rolled back and banged into the wall.
Ji-woong, who was crunching ice next to her, jumped in surprise and stared at her.
“Sorry.”
“Why? Was my ice crunching too loud?”
“That’s not it.”
“Whew, you scared me.”
Ji-woong sighed with relief and glanced at Yeon-woo.
From the beginning, he had found it suspicious that such a pretty woman would come work at a rural hospital.
Maybe that’s why he overreacted to every little thing she did.
He looked like a frightened hamster—especially the way he puffed his cheeks while snacking.
Yeon-woo was well aware of the rumors swirling around the hospital about her.
But they were nothing serious—just idle gossip—so she didn’t let them get to her.
As someone working on the front lines of saving lives, she didn’t have time to care.
Dragging her chair back over, she sat down and resumed entering data into the patient chart.
“Dr. Ryu, come on, let’s be honest now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your ex-boyfriend was a scammer, right?”
She must’ve said “scammer” out loud one too many times, and now Ji-woong had the impression that Master Beom was her ex.
“That’s not it.”
“You can be honest with me. Was it some kind of new-age pyramid scheme? I once got roped into one too. It only cost me a massage chair—thank God.”
Yeon-woo ignored Ji-woong’s chatter and tried to picture Master Beom’s face, which was starting to fade from memory.
At this rate, she really might forget what he looked like.
Of course, that wouldn’t happen… but if enough time passed, maybe.
Not that she’d let that happen—she was going to catch him herself.
“…I won’t let him off the hook once I do.”
“R-right? Want me to help? I know a guy who’s famous in that field—finding people is his specialty. He’s great at collecting unpaid debts too. He’s pricey, but if I say you’re a friend, he’ll give a discount.”
“If I need help, I’ll let you know.”
“Alright, just say the word.”
From the confident tone in his voice, he wasn’t bluffing.
Yeon-woo stopped engaging with Ji-woong and got up to check on patients.
“Let’s see… where’s that number…”
Ji-woong started flipping through his contacts while Yeon-woo walked away, making eye contact with an intern hiding in the corner of the station.
Intern Woo Dong-min slowly rose from his seat, his hair greasy and his coat filthy.
Because of his name, everyone called him “Udon” or “Udon Noodles.”
He was an intern from a university hospital in Seoul, currently doing a short-term rotation at Cheongbong.
His disheveled appearance was pitiful.
Still, work is work, right?
“I get kind of scared when I see Dr. Ryu. She said she took a year off after getting her board certification, but I have no idea what she did during that time. How is she better than me?”
Ji-woong complained, and Head Nurse Kim smirked.
“Right?”
Before Ji-woong arrived, the ER only had one full-time doctor—Choi Man-soo.
Even though they constantly ran job ads, no one applied. They had almost given up when Ji-woong came along.
So the affection and praise he received were off the charts.
With his gentle and childlike nature, Ji-woong was loved by both staff and patients alike.
And that’s not all.
Afraid he might leave, Choi Man-soo and the other doctors treated him like fragile porcelain. Though the work was hard, Ji-woong lived a stress-free, happy life at the hospital.
That all changed when Ryu Yeon-woo arrived.
Passion is contagious.
It had only been five months since Yeon-woo came to Cheongbong, but Ji-woong was already inspired by her energy.
Despite her delicate appearance, she transformed into a warrior when treating patients—something that surprised everyone.
But the surprise didn’t end there.
It was as if she’d undergone some kind of elite training. Unlike Ji-woong, who flinched at the sight of blood, Yeon-woo handled the ER like a seasoned veteran of ten years.
From basic CPR to intubation, drainage, sutures, emergency ultrasound—there was nothing she couldn’t do.
She was even skilled at delivering babies, leaving everyone stunned.
