Chapter 24

“……”

Sajun’s sharp eyes slowly bore into Jiwung.

What the hell is this bastard?

That look said it all.

“The princess just went that way,” Jiwung said, pointing with his finger.

At that moment, Mansoo shot up from his seat.

Where do you think you are, pointing like that?

“Oh, right. Woong, about patient Lee Yongsoo…”

As if he had just remembered something to assign to Jiwung, Mansoo grabbed him by the back of his neck and dragged him away from the station.

You better realize I just saved your life today.

When Jiwung mentioned “princess,” Sajun’s expression shifted instantly.

Whether there was anything between Yeonwoo and Sajun didn’t really matter.

What mattered was that not just anyone could call her that.

This was a man’s intuition.

He’d have to give clueless Jiwung a serious warning.

***

“Doctor, please understand. They’re all just aging virgins who’ve never even been in a relationship,” said head nurse Kim playfully.

Sajun nodded, staring intently at her.

“But I heard you’re a virgin too, Chief. Is that not true?”

“Okay, Doctor, now that’s crossing the line.”

After a few more joking exchanges, Sajun left the ER in search of Yeonwoo, who had fled from him.

Princess, you were fine with me just last night.

He had a vague idea why she was avoiding him—but still. It wasn’t that big of a deal, was it? This wasn’t like Ryu Yeonwoo.

Just last night, standing at her gate, her youthful face looking up at him, she had asked:

“Master Beom, would you like some ramen before you go?”

Her innocent eyes held not a speck of ulterior motive.

But Sajun had twisted that pure gesture in his mind.

It was after 11 p.m.

Inviting him to her house, where she lived alone—he had the absurd thought that maybe she was trying to seduce him.

“Isn’t that a bit sudden?”

So he had to hold himself back.

Flustered, Yeonwoo stammered, saying she didn’t mean it like that.

“I just crave ramen when I drink alcohol… But I guess you don’t, Master Beom? Haa… I swear, I didn’t mean anything by it. Please don’t misunderstand. Ugh, stop smiling like that. Do you understand what I’m saying? Huh? Master Beom, I didn’t think you were like this! Aren’t you being a little too pervy? I swear I’m innocent!”

No one could’ve known how adorable Yeonwoo looked last night, her cheeks flushed as she fluttered about.

In the end, she ran into her house and shut the newly reinforced gate installed by her mother.

Instead of stopping her, Sajun had shouted over the fence:

“Princess, don’t come at me like that out of nowhere! You scared me!”

“I don’t care!”

Bang!

Sajun chuckled like a madman.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but his mood was oddly light.

He leaned against the wall, gazing into the darkness of the distant village like it was a scenic view.

Ripples stirred in his heart.

And the smile never left his lips.

He turned around to look over the fence. Yeonwoo’s house was lit, and her silhouette flitted through the living room.

Maybe I’ll go to work with her tomorrow?

He made that silent promise to himself as he walked into his shabby house.

That night passed, and the morning came.

Sajun called his driver, Mr. Kim, to bring his car.

The well-maintained car arrived soon enough, and he intended to give Yeonwoo a ride to work—but even after ringing her doorbell, there was no answer.

Yeonwoo had already left, riding her bicycle.

On the way, he stopped at the local pharmacy to buy some hangover medicine, but when Yeonwoo saw him, she bolted away.

In this small-town ER, she blended in so well it was almost strange.

Her hair, tied in a simple ponytail, swung back and forth as she ran off somewhere.

Sajun followed her at a leisurely pace.

Today was her first official day on the job.

Let’s do this right.

***

“Ahh! What’s going on?! Get them into the treatment room, now!”

Jiwung shouted frantically.

Since the morning, patients had been flooding in, and before lunch, a car accident victim arrived.

The patient’s face was severely injured.

Yeonwoo rushed into the treatment room and attempted endotracheal intubation.

But the patient’s jaw wouldn’t open, and she failed repeatedly.

Normally, after two failed attempts, another doctor would take over. But this was Cheongbong.

Jiwung was busy treating another patient, so that wasn’t an option.

“Please get Dr. Beom Sajun!”

Yeonwoo asked a nurse, then tried again—but failed.

A tracheotomy was likely needed.

She called for a cricothyroidotomy set (a procedure used when intubation fails and an airway is urgently needed).

At that moment, heavy footsteps approached.

Sajun entered the treatment room, holding the cricothyroidotomy kit in his hand.

Seeing him already prepared, Yeonwoo’s eyes lit up.

The awkwardness from earlier vanished, and relief flooded in—as if her savior had arrived.

“Failed the intubation!” she cried.

Sajun nodded like he already knew.

His eyes, calm yet sharp, focused.

“For obese patients like this, finding the thyroid cartilage is difficult. In cases like this, use the four-finger technique.”

He aligned four fingers together, placed his pinky on the sternal notch, and used his index finger to locate the incision site.

“Here.”

“Yes.”

“Scalpel.”

Using his thumb and index finger, Sajun pulled the skin tight over the cricothyroid membrane and made a 3 cm vertical incision.

“If you cut horizontally, there’s a risk of damaging the anterior jugular vein. Vertical is safer.”

He skillfully inserted a bougie toward the carina and passed the tube through the airway.

After attaching the Ambu bag and confirming breath sounds, he dressed the wound and fixed the tube with silk sutures.

Everything happened in an instant.

Yeonwoo watched closely, missing nothing.

“Next time, you do it yourself, Dr. Ryu. And once the exams are done, move the patient to the OR.”

“Yes!”

With that, Sajun left the treatment room to prepare for surgery.

There was no need to contact a higher-level hospital.

Because now, Dr. Beom was here.

Yeonwoo shuddered with a jolt of adrenaline and shouted:

“We’re starting the scans!”

From head to toe, dopamine surged through her, energy rushing in.

Her voice rang with strength.

With just his presence, Sajun brought life to the emergency room.

***

The surgery was a success.

Just like in Sutang, Yeonwoo assisted Sajun and completed the procedure.

The cold air of the OR wrapped around her, and the surgical light above her head bathed her in white.

She felt a thrill run through her whole body.

Now in charge of emergency operations, Sajun performed the surgery with the same smooth, skilled hands as in Sutang.

He removed the damaged spleen and connected the intestines—each step was almost dazzling in its precision.

He completed the surgery in under an hour, and the patient was safely moved to the ICU.

Normally, the patient would’ve been transferred to a university hospital after emergency treatment.

Yeonwoo, recalling the operation, vowed she’d build her skills enough to do it herself someday.

After changing out of her scrubs and stepping out of the OR, Jiwung came running up.

The ER had quieted down, perhaps because most of the patients had been taken care of.

Yeonwoo stared at him and thought silently—never aloud—what needed to be said.

“What?”