Chapter 20

<Youth, Spring Breeze>

In the distance, the restaurant’s sign came into view.

Unlike Yeonwoo, who was coming here for the first time, the hospital staff seemed very familiar with the place.

“We’re here. Get out.”

Yeonwoo, who had ridden in Mansoo’s car, got out along with Jiwoong.

She had expected a barrage of questions, but thankfully the car ride had been mostly quiet.

Though Jiwoong kept glancing at her, he stayed quiet—likely because Mansoo had warned him beforehand.

It seemed the story of Master Beom’s return was about to be wrapped up.

On the way over, Yeonwoo had texted Seyoung that Master Beom had returned.

Seyoung’s messages were still coming in.

She said she was busy, but…

Seyoung: [No way. Why was he late? Did you ask?]

Seyoung: [Maybe he met a woman? That’s my gut feeling.]

Yeah, well, your gut’s way off.

Yeonwoo: [He was delayed because he got injured in Sutan. I’ll explain more later.]

Seyoung: [OMG, injured? Seriously? Master Beom got hurt? If he didn’t show up for nearly half a year, it must have been serious.]

Yeonwoo let out a sigh, her mood dampened by that comment.

“Let’s head in.”

Mansoo, excited for the rare company dinner, sounded thrilled.

Yeonwoo put her phone away and followed after him.

‘Spring Breeze’ was a BBQ place with private dining rooms.

As they entered, the owner greeted them warmly.

Nurses and department heads who had arrived earlier waved at them.

Yeonwoo quietly took a seat at the end of the table. Jiwoong grumbled about her sitting there, then sat across from her.

From the moment she entered, Yeonwoo had been scanning the room for Sajun with sharp eyes—but he was nowhere in sight.

Did he run off again?

Or maybe his leg hurts too much to come?

Worried thoughts filled her mind as the deputy director and head of surgery walked in.

Everyone rose to greet him, and time continued to pass steadily.

Since they’d arrived early, Yeonwoo kept checking the time.

Jiwoong was watching her with an observant gaze.

He still looked like he had a lot of questions—but what could she do?

She’d already told him everything. And that was everything.

Yeonwoo tied back the strands of hair that had fallen loose and stared at the restaurant door.

Today, I’m the main character, huh.

And the main character always shows up last.

He wouldn’t dare stand everyone up again… right?

Even trying to stay calm, anxiety was hard to suppress.

I’m gonna develop trauma at this rate.

Thinking that, Yeonwoo let out a small laugh.

She was becoming more and more like a silly person.

Meanwhile, Jiwoong quietly refilled Yeonwoo’s empty water glass.

She was pretending to be fine, but it was obvious.

Her little finger twitched with nervous energy—she was clearly on edge.

“Dude, can’t you feel that weird vibe between them? What kind of guy calls a girl he doesn’t care about a princess? And Yeonwoo? She’s clearly more excited than usual.”

At first, Jiwoong had thought Sajun might be scolding Yeonwoo.

But after hearing Mansoo’s story, he realized that probably wasn’t the case.

Though he seemed slow like a bear, Senior Mansoo had a surprisingly sharp side.

Yeonwoo was definitely nervous and excited.

And now… she was even laughing like she’d lost a screw.

Wow. Live long enough and you really do see it all.

The “Wildcat of Cheongbong” acting like that…

Even when she laughed like a lunatic, she was still pretty.

He’d always thought she was attractive, but today she looked especially beautiful.

Her big eyes sparkled with energy.

She wore no makeup aside from a bit of lip gloss, yet she stood out more than anyone else here.

When Yeonwoo first joined Cheongbong Hospital, the place had practically erupted.

Her fresh face and model-like figure had captured every male employee’s heart.

Back then, Jiwoong’s heart had pounded out of control whenever he saw her—it had been hard to deal with.

Of course, he didn’t feel that way now.

He had long realized that he wasn’t someone who could “contain” someone like Yeonwoo.

And after realizing that, he stopped seeing her as a woman.

Her behavior helped too.

Seeing her roam the ER in the middle of the night with dark circles down to her chin was downright scary.

So he had forgotten.

Forgotten that Ryu Yeonwoo was a woman.

Still, it seemed worth keeping a close eye on her relationship with Beom Sajun.

“Oh! Dr. Beom, over here!”

The surgery head raised a hand and called out to Sajun.

If people had an aura, this was it—Sajun left a powerful impression the moment he stepped in with a charming smile.

Even the LED lights in the trendiest BBQ place in Cheongbong paled in comparison to his looks.

Jiwoong’s eyes widened.

Damn.

This guy’s in a whole different league.

Sajun’s arrival sent a buzz through the dining room.

Until now, no one had ever outshone Jiwoong at Cheongbong.

He instinctively straightened his slumping shoulders.

The rumored patient who’d been coming in for outpatient treatment at their OS department after a gunshot wound.

Who would’ve thought he’d become the trauma specialist in their ER?

He looked like someone who could slap a celebrity a million times and still come out on top.

“Huff… hooo…”

Across the table, Yeonwoo’s breathing was not normal.

Her wide eyes shimmered like she was about to snap.

…She’s not normal either.

“You may have seen him earlier today, but allow me to formally introduce him.”

The surgery department head smiled proudly as he spoke.

The staff looked at Sajun with curious eyes.

Yeonwoo had been watching his legs carefully since he entered.

At a glance, his gait looked normal—but not to her trained eye.

He wasn’t fully healed yet. His steps were slightly awkward.

Her chest ached with worry.

“This is Dr. Beom Sajun. He’ll be responsible for all severe trauma cases in our ER moving forward. His return was delayed due to personal reasons, but starting tomorrow, he’ll be working regularly. Now, let’s give him a warm welcome!”

👏👏👏

“Welcome!”

“We’re counting on you!”

“Doctor, are you married? You’re so handsome!”

Warm welcomes and flirty questions rang out from all sides.

Even wearing a white doctor’s coat, his presence was overwhelming—but now that he was in a dark, stylish suit, he was practically blinding.

“Haah… so much for inner beauty…”

Jiwoong muttered in a deflated voice as the female staff squealed in excitement.

Seriously…

“Originally, I was scheduled to join in January, but due to health issues, my start was delayed. I’ve fully recovered now, and there will be no issues performing my duties. I’m Beom Sajun. I look forward to working with you all.”

Applause followed his calm and courteous introduction.

Seated beside the department head, Sajun looked around and began exchanging greetings.