Chapter 7: Who Is It? Is She Pretty?TL: Sisona

    Seung-Jun was startled to find Choi Tae-hyuk standing in front of a mirror, fussing with his hair, when he stopped by Tae-hyuk’s office to ask him to have dinner together.

    It was unmistakable – Choi Tae-hyuk, of all people, was primping in front of a mirror!

    Seung-Jun burst into the office, making a loud announcement.

    “Are you meeting a girl? Who is it? Is she pretty?”

    Tae-hyuk glared at Seung-Jun and dismissively told him to mind his own business, then picked up a jacket hanging on the coat rack.

    As Tae-hyuk hurried to leave the office, Seung-Jun blocked the door with his hand, making a pitiful face.

    “We’re both getting older; don’t just meet nice girls yourself, introduce me to someone too.”

    He was on the verge of cursing at Seung-Jun, who was being particularly annoying today.

    How could he ask for an introduction when his nose was three feet long?

    “Move. I don’t have time to deal with you.”

    Tae-hyuk brushed off Seung-Jun’s arm and walked down the hallway.

    Seung-Jun, left behind, took out his phone and made a call.

    “Ah! It’s me. Looks like Tae-hyuk has another appointment.”

    [What appointment?]

    “He wouldn’t tell me willingly, with his personality.”

    The atmosphere seemed like Tae-hyuk was definitely going to meet a woman, but Seung-Jun didn’t tell Yoon I-na the truth.

    He knew she still had lingering feelings for Tae-hyuk.

    There seemed no need to hurt her by saying it outright.

    After hanging up with Yoon I-na, Seung-Jun looked down the empty hallway Tae-hyuk had left behind.

    He suddenly remembered something Tae-hyuk had said while drinking.

    ‘Do you know Moon Na-young, a first-year resident in our department?’

    It couldn’t be.

    Surely, a professor wouldn’t harbor improper thoughts toward a new resident just starting out, right after returning to the hospital.

    Feeling uneasy, Seung-Jun called his sister, Seung-hee.

    “I’ll buy you dinner. Come out with Moon Na-young.”

    It seemed like a good idea to subtly warn Moon Na-young.

    But Seung-hee said she couldn’t come because she was on duty.

    “Then at least send Moon Na-young.”

    [Are you crazy?]

    Trying to look out for her, he ended up being called crazy by his sister.

    ***

    My brother suddenly wants to buy dinner for you and me. I’m on duty, so he’s asking just you to come. I think he’s lost his mind.

    Receiving a message from Seung-hee, who was cursing her brother, Na-young didn’t think Oh Seung-Jun had lost his mind.

    In fact, having dinner with him seemed like a pretty good idea.

    Oh Seung-Jun was the brother of her close friend and a colleague of Professor Choi Tae-hyuk.

    She was a bit worried about the atmosphere getting awkward if it was just the two of them, but with Oh Seung-Jun there, that seemed unlikely.

    So, Na-young called Seung-Jun first.

    [Was it you who was having dinner with Choi Tae-hyuk?]

    But Seung-Jun seemed surprised by her invitation to dinner.

    No, he seemed surprised that she and Professor Choi Tae-hyuk were having a meal together.

    Na-young felt a bit regretful for contacting him first, but she couldn’t lie about it now.

    “I’ve made a lot of mistakes with Professor Choi, so I’m buying him dinner as a gesture. Please come and be on my side, Professor Oh.”

    [So, you’re buying him dinner because he’s your supervising professor?]

    “Yes, of course. How can a resident learn if they’re disliked by their supervising professor?”

    Na-young found herself explaining in detail, feeling a sting in her heart.

    [Okay, I’ll take responsibility and sort things out between you and Professor Choi.]

    Sort things out?

    Hearing something so grandiose from Oh Seung-Jun made Na-young a bit anxious.

    Should she have gotten Professor Choi Tae-hyuk’s consent before calling Seung-Jun?

    It should be fine.

    After all, she was the one paying for the meal.

    ***

    Arriving early at the meeting place, the main gate, Tae-hyuk checked the time on his wristwatch.

    He had arrived a bit early because of rushing due to Oh Seung-Jun, but he didn’t mind.

    Waiting like this didn’t seem so bad.

    He usually hated waiting for someone, but right now, he didn’t feel that way at all.

    She thought of it as just a dinner between a supervising professor and a resident, so the atmosphere would be entirely different from when they met at the club, but still, Tae-hyuk was looking forward to meeting her.

    However, he had to be careful not to let any personal feelings show.

    For the time being, he had to properly play the role of a respectable professor to her.

    Dignified and with decorum.

    Tap.

    As someone lightly tapped his shoulder, Tae-hyuk naturally thought it was Moon Na-young and turned around smiling, only to frown upon seeing Oh Seung-Jun standing there.

    “Are you a stalker? Why are you following me here!”

    Seeing Tae-hyuk’s immediate anger, Seung-Jun also looked taken aback.

    The expression Tae-hyuk had just before turning around was unmistakably that of a man on a date.

    He would never have believed Choi Tae-hyuk could look like that if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

    “Are you out of your mind? Calling Moon Na-young? She’s just a first-year resident. She’s busy enough with her hospital work, what are you doing to her?”

    Tae-hyuk tried to push Seung-Jun away and get rid of him.

    “Get lost.”

    “Get lost? I’m here because Moon Na-young invited me!”

    At Seung-Jun’s words, Tae-hyuk hesitated.

    “What?”

    “Moon Na-young felt uncomfortable having dinner alone with you, so she invited me too. Don’t you understand the situation? Professor Choi.”

    Finally, Choi Tae-hyuk, unable to say anything, shut his mouth as Seung-Jun clicked his tongue and then clasped his hands together, pleading politely.

    “Professor, please resist your desires and teach her with a noble heart, turning her into a great doctor.”

    Madonna, freeze to death.

    Tae-hyuk hated that nickname the most.

    He saw Moon Na-young coming down the escalator from a distance.

    Seeing the two of them together and not being surprised showed that Seung-Jun was right.

    Tae-hyuk thought it wasn’t something to be disappointed about, but his mood was already heavier than before.

    “It’s an honor to have dinner with both professors.”

    Seeing her polite attitude, Seung-Jun deliberately spoke as if for Tae-hyuk to hear. s?a??h th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

    “Wow, Dr. Moon really respects the professor.”

    Seung-Jun’s retort that only he harbored ulterior motives made Tae-hyuk’s eyes darken even more.

    He was the first to turn around and walk ahead.

    Thus, Seung-Jun and Na-young ended up following him.

    “It would have been nice if Seung-hee could join us.”

    Since Seung-hee was their common link, they naturally ended up talking about her.

    “That kid still has a long way to go. She needs to work twice as hard as others, but she’s getting lazier, reading romance novels.”

    “No, she’s been working hard lately.”

    Na-young glanced at Professor Choi Tae-hyuk walking ahead, his tall and broad back in view.

    She felt a bit uneasy since he had been silent all this time.

    Could he be upset because she invited Professor Oh Seung-Jun without his permission?

    But apologizing in front of Professor Oh would make him uncomfortable, so she couldn’t apologize right now.

    “Are you and Professor Choi close?”

    She asked about their relationship deliberately to draw him into the conversation.

    “Of course. Among our peers, I’m the only one who can handle Choi Tae-hyuk’s ridiculous personality.”

    Professor Choi Tae-hyuk turned around and glared at Oh Seung-Jun.

    “Ridiculous?”

    “Why? You want to act like a cool professor in front of the young resident now? You’re already known as the venomous professor among the residents.”

    When Tae-hyuk looked at her, Na-young smiled politely, interpreting it positively.

    “Being scolded helps avoid the same mistakes. I think I need Professor Choi’s stern guidance.”

    “He used to openly curse at professors even when he was a resident.”

    “What?”

    She was so surprised that she covered her mouth with both hands.

    Tae-hyuk gestured to Seung-Jun not to reveal any more of his unsavory past.

    “Come stand next to me.”

    Seung-Jun deliberately stayed beside Na-young, shaking his head.

    “No thanks. I prefer being next to Dr. Moon Na-young.”

    Tae-hyuk’s mood was evidently affected, and he moved to grab Oh Seung-Jun.

    Seung-Jun, not standing still, dodged behind Moon Na-young.

    Suddenly, the two professors started a game of tag around her.

    Na-young found the situation absurd yet funny, as the professors, who should be authoritative, acted childishly. She covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

    Rrrrrrrrrr Rrrrrrrrrr-

    Then someone’s phone rang.

    It was Seung-Jun’s phone.

    Upon answering the call, Seung-Jun’s relaxed expression vanished instantly.

    “Got it. I’m heading to the ER right away.”

    Hearing the mention of the emergency room, Tae-hyuk also stopped chasing Seung-Jun.

    Seung-Jun quickly explained to the two of them as he hung up the phone.

    “An emergency surgery came up. I have to go.”

    Before either of them could say anything, Seung-Jun had already left in a hurry.

    After all that commotion, only the two of them remained.

    “…….”

    “…….”

    As Tae-hyuk and Na-young, who had been watching Seung-Jun leave, turned their heads and their eyes met, a strange tension filled the air.

    It didn’t take a year, just a second, for the relationship between a professor and a resident to change.

    The moment she locked eyes with Professor Choi Tae-hyuk, she felt a completely different sensation than when she was comfortably talking with Professor Oh Seung-Jun, and she couldn’t help but become conscious of it.

    Perhaps it was a mistake to call Oh Seung-Jun in the first place.

    If he hadn’t been there from the start, she wouldn’t have felt this self-conscious.

    Na-young turned her gaze away first and spoke casually.

    “Then, I guess it’s just the two of us for dinner.”

    He nodded in agreement.

    ***

    Na-young went to a nearby restaurant known for its barley grilled fish set meal with Professor Choi Tae-hyuk.

    “I chose this place because it’s affordable, tasty, and healthy, thinking you might feel burdened if I picked something expensive.”

    The barley grilled fish restaurant was a place Tae-hyuk had visited a few times before going to the United States.

    It was a well-established eatery near the hospital.

    Since the only menu item was the barley grilled fish set, there was no need to ponder over what to order.

    There was a brief silence as the two sat down.

    Professor Choi Tae-hyuk didn’t seem to mind the silence much, but it bothered her greatly.

    The awkwardness between them kept dragging her back to that day.

    Therefore, driven by the silence, Na-young asked anything.

    “How was your life in the U.S.?”

    “Just like here, always in the hospital.”

    It sounded like the only difference was the ethnicity of the patients.

    “I’d like to work at Cleveland Clinic someday.”

    Tae-hyuk frowned and immediately shook his head.

    “It’s nothing special.”

    Huh. She wondered why he, who had worked there and gained recognition, was discouraging her from going.

    “But I still want to go.”

    Thinking of crossing the Pacific Ocean, not just being a resident.

    The first meeting when everything seemed to work out effortlessly now felt like a dream.

    How was that even possible when things are so difficult now?

    Tae-hyuk just stared at the innocent barley grilled fish.

    “Try it. It’s really good.”

    When he looked up at her, Na-young smiled properly.

    Even though it wasn’t with all her heart like that day, she still looked beautiful.

    Tae-hyuk picked up his spoon.

    As Professor Choi Tae-hyuk began to eat, Na-young also ate more comfortably.

    “Fortunately, we haven’t received any emergency calls. Looks like we’re lucky today.”

    She meant it in a good way, but when Tae-hyuk stopped eating and stared at her face, Na-young hesitated.

    “Ah! I hope I didn’t jinx us by saying that.”

    It wasn’t because of what she said, but because she used ‘we’.

    That one word suddenly made them feel closer.

    Just as he was about to say something to Na-young, a familiar voice greeted him.

    “Professor Choi. Fancy seeing you here.”

    It was Yoon I-na.

    Instead of an emergency call, a woman with a history with Professor Choi Tae-hyuk appeared.