Chapter 52
Yeonwoo woke up wrapped in a warm blanket.
She thought she had fallen asleep while talking to Sajun in the yard, but she found herself lying in a corner of the village hall.
Turning her head, she saw Seyoung sleeping beside her, snoring lightly.
The grandmothers had long since left; no one else was there.
But where had Sajun gone?
As she looked around for him, the door opened, and Sajun walked in.
“Where have you been at this hour? Did you get any sleep?”
“Did you sleep well?”
Sajun carefully examined Yeonwoo’s face.
“Don’t look so closely. I haven’t even washed my face yet.”
“It’s dark, so I can’t see well,” he replied.
Yeonwoo lowered her gaze, covering her cheeks with both hands.
“I took a walk around the village. Luckily, no houses were flooded, and the water drained out fine.”
“That’s a relief. I need to go home for work. Are you taking the tractor?”
“No, I brought my car. You can go in my car.”
So diligent—he even brought a car.
“Did you not sleep at all?”
Feeling both sorry and concerned, Yeonwoo asked, and Sajun smiled gently, stroking her cheek.
“You could rest a little in the hospital during the day. Are you feeling any pain anywhere?”
“No.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
“What did I even do?”
Yeonwoo’s face flushed with embarrassment, realizing she had slept through this flood without worry.
“Still, just being here in the countryside is tough enough.”
“I don’t complain much, do I?”
She said this playfully, and Sajun nodded, gently touching her cheek as if to say she was unbearably cute.
“By the way, yesterday, did Master carry me?”
“Why, are you curious?”
Blushing, Yeonwoo nodded slightly.
“It must have been heavy. I didn’t even realize I was being carried.”
“I told Ikwon to carry you, but I did it because I’m stronger than him.”
“Oh…”
Embarrassed, Yeonwoo fiddled with her lips and looked away.
“It wasn’t heavy at all. So don’t worry, let’s go home.”
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
“It was rather nice.”
“….”
Sajun looked at her flushed face and said softly,
“I wanted to hold you the whole time.”
“I don’t know,” Yeonwoo muttered, her face burning, turning quickly to wake the others.
At that moment, she met Ikwon’s eyes, glowing in the darkness, and startled, she exclaimed,
“Ah, when did you wake up, oppa?”
“Just now.”
“Oh, I see…”
Flustered, Yeonwoo stammered, and Sajun blocked her path, murmuring quietly,
“If you’re awake, get ready to leave instead of standing there.”
“And you, what are you scheming at this hour…”
Yeonwoo looked at Ikwon in disbelief.
Ikwon wasn’t the type for such tricks… maybe Sekwon, but not him.
Anyway, Yeonwoo shook Seyoung awake, who was still snoring.
“Seyoung, wake up. The elders have all gone home.”
Seyoung rubbed his stomach and opened his eyes.
“Seyoung, let’s go home. Pack your things.”
“Mm, alright. But Yeonwoo, why is your voice so loud? Do you have energy left over?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Haha, what about Master?”
“He’s there.”
“Oh, right. Last night he won all the money at the hwatu game.”
“Really?”
“He completely swept the table. Not only is he good at surgery, but he seems skilled in gambling too.”
Sajun chuckled at Yeonwoo’s comment, looking at Seyoung as if saying, You just noticed?
“So, are we taking the tractor, Master?”
“I’ll walk. I just can’t handle the tractor…”
Ikwon stood up.
“Then you walk. The two of you can go in my car.”
“Just saying that… walk? …Sajun?”
And so, the night at the village hall ended peacefully.
“Last night was a total disaster,” said Mansoo, who had stayed at the hospital all night, telling Jiwung and intern Dongmin about the flood.
“My friend lives in a semi-basement. They didn’t get any sleep because they spent the night pumping out water. Natural disasters are the scariest, right?”
“Your friend? A semi-basement in Cheongbong?” Jiwung asked, puzzled.
“What would someone born with a silver spoon know? Of course there are semi-basements, and some live in greenhouses too,” Mansoo chided him while sipping coffee.
He felt unusually refreshed because there hadn’t been a single patient the previous night.
“Dongmin, this is your first time seeing a white bed, right?”
Mansoo proudly gestured to the clean emergency and ICU areas.
For ER workers, a white bed—meaning no patients at all—is something they dream of.
“Brother, there’s nothing good about it. Today will be a busy patient day right after,” Jiwung warned.
Usually, after the rain stops, patients flood in—hence the term “sprouting up like bamboo shoots.”
“Sir… maybe you shouldn’t say that…” Dongmin glared at Jiwung.
“What are you saying? I’m not Fanta, you know.”
“Uh, wow…”
Dongmin opened his mouth wide, staring in one direction.
Following his gaze, Jiwung and Mansoo turned.
“Wow, the ER looks so bright.”
The ER doors opened, and a group in white coats entered: led by Beom Sajun, with Ryu Yeonwoo on the right and Jung Seyoung on the left.
Seeing them enter the empty ER like warriors, they felt a moment of solemnity.
Mansoo and Jiwung watched, mouths agape.
Had Cheongbong ER ever looked this great?
“Why are you all staring?” Sajun asked.
Mansoo and Jiwung bowed politely, almost folding in half.
“Welcome, doctors.”
“You must have rested a little last night?”
“Ah, hahaha.”
Sajun, instantly noticing the white bed, smiled meaningfully—as if leaving early wasn’t an option.
Ring-ring, ring-ring.
The ER phones rang loudly.
With a short sigh, the staff’s expressions changed instantly.
“Sir, we have a male patient in his 40s. He collapsed complaining of chest pain. Can he come now?”
“Tell them the beds are completely empty.”
“Understood!”
Truly, Fanta was none other than Beom Sajun.
After a summer downpour of a workday ended, some went home, while others stayed to guard the hospital.
“Yeonwoo, I’ll go first. Contact me if anything happens.”
“Okay. Go ahead. You need to take Master’s car.”
“Yeah, got it.”
As Seyoung was about to leave, Jiwung blocked his way.
He still half-believed Seyoung was the goddess of the earth eating YouTuber.
“Seyoung, what are you doing tonight?”
Perhaps because it was still awkward, Jiwung spoke politely.
Yeonwoo watched them silently.
“Why? I’m going home.”
“Then, would you like to have jjajangmyeon with me?”
Seyoung rolled his eyes toward Yeonwoo, asking if it was okay.
Yeonwoo briefly wondered if she should intervene for Jiwung’s sake.
Jiwung wasn’t staying at the hospital due to patients—it seemed to be all because of that goddess of the earth.
By volume, Seyoung wasn’t lacking either.
“I don’t believe you’re the goddess of the earth. I just want to treat a fellow teammate. Cheonghwaru is really delicious. Do you want to come?”
Jiwung’s eyes sparkled as he started clinging to Seyoung.
But Seyoung didn’t like that type.
Unless it was someone like Sekwon, who could rival a flamboyant cousin, Jiwung was far from it.
Not that Jiwung was unattractive—he was cute and likable in his own way.
“Yeong-ah, don’t you have laundry and house chores to do today?”
Jiwung glared at Yeonwoo.
He didn’t like being hindered instead of helped.
But if they went together, that wouldn’t have been the case…
Seyoung would probably order extra food with sweet-and-sour pork.
If needed, even yangjangpi could be ordered.
Chances were high Jiwung would pay for this shared meal.
It would only make his wallet thinner.
