Hospital Chronicles

“Good morning, Professor!” Go Seung Tak exclaims happily as he leaves his car and approaches Cha Young Min. “You’ve come,” the cardiac surgeon says and clicks his tongue turning around to go to the hospital. “Of course! I couldn’t leave you here alone with such amount of work,” the resident chatters and catches up with his boss adjusting to his step. “You’re walking too close to me,” Young Min makes a remark looking at Seung Tak who does not even think to step aside. “You’re exaggerating, Professor. As usual,” the young man responds cheerfully and takes a step to brush Dr. Cha’s shoulder a bit provoking him. They are already at the hospital door and have attracted the nurses' attention. That’s the only thing that doesn’t allow the professor to smack his resident upside his head. Instead of it Cha Young Min looks straight ahead and tries to have an indifferent expression on his face, while Seung Tak smiles to everyone causing a lot of sighs from the girls. “They are both so handsome,” one of the nurses whispers enthusiastically devouring the professor and his subordinate with her eyes. “Professor Cha would be even more handsome if he smiled just a little. He only frowns and scolds Doctor Go. I can’t understand why Doctor Go tolerates it and walks next to him,” the second nurse develops the idea. “That’s not all. They always come and leave the hospital together,” another nurse adds lowering her voice to a whisper. “Yes, yes, yes, they are always together. Doctor Go even stopped seeing Doctor Kim in his spare time, and they used to be friends,” the first nurse adds following the men at the escalator with her eyes. “Don’t you think they walk too close to each other for… rivals?” the nurse starts whispering again and her eyes shine strangely. “Right! They say that once Doctor Go was caught in Professor Cha’s office,” another nurse adds excitedly and lowers her voice even more. “He was standing and stroking the sleeping professor!” “What?” everybody almost exhales this word and smiles. “Could they be dating in secret?” “Maybe Doctor Go is secretly in love with Professor Cha, but he is too afraid to come out of the closet, so he follows him and sighs languidly?” Jang Se Jin has been standing here for several minutes unable to move. The emotions are overwhelming her and there are too many of them, so she isn’t sure which one prevails. It can be disgust at such filthy gossip, indignation, shock or even denial. The doctor wants to approach the nurses and scold them for shirking their duties and gossiping about a respected professor and his subordinate, but she is a bit late, because the nurses walk away and continue to giggle stupidly. The woman exhales and closes her eyes. She goes to the office to change clothes and tries not to think about what she’s just heard.

***

Cha Young Min recoils slightly and tries to push Go Seung Tak away for a bit. “What are you doing?” he asks impatiently with a hint of irritation in his voice. “What does it look like?” the resident asks back and continues his attempts to catch the lips of the professor who is trying to dodge even harder. “Have you lost your mind? Somebody can come in at any second!” Young Min growls and looks discontentedly at the subordinate who takes the advantage of the moment and quickly kisses him. “I locked the door,” Seung Tak whispers and pulls the professor by the collar, forcing him to bend down a little, to kiss him properly. Young Min gives up and lets it happen, because he knows how stubborn Seung Tak can be when he wants something. For a couple of minutes the office is filled with the sounds of quiet contented sighs while these two are kissing leisurely, as if it is their first kiss. The longer they’re kissing, the less innocent it’s getting. Professor Cha steps back when he feels that they’re about to lose their heads and forget everything. “What’s got into you?” Young Min asks looking at Seung Tak’s smug face and the young man frowns. “I’ve missed you,” he replies and presses his lips to the professor’s neck where the pulse is beating faster than usual. “We saw each other yesterday,” Doctor Cha reminds trying to cope with his body while Seung Tak starts teasing him by licking his neck. “I was alone at night!” he grumbles indignantly and makes such a face as if something terrible has happened. “What a tragedy,” the professor responds ironically and lifts Seung Tak’s face for a gentle kiss. “Yes, it is! Why should we hide? We’re not doing anything wrong,” the resident breathes into the man’s lips and frowns slightly. “Your family will kill me for seducing you,” Young Min says half jesting, half in earnest. “WHAT?” Seung Tak shouts. “I’ve been trying to seduce you since the first day!” “Hush!” the professor hisses, pinching the resident’s mouth, and begins to scold him the way he usually does. “Don’t shout! Are you trying to give us away?” Seung Tak glares with cunning eyes, and Young Min feels the tongue licking his palm. He pulls it away, but the junior doctor leans forward and lowers his voice to a whisper. “Professor, how strong is your desk?” he insinuates. “What?” Young Min asks uncomprehendingly and within a few seconds he gets it. “Go Seung Tak…” he lowers his voice threateningly, but this only motivates the young man to take further actions. “Let’s try it out,” he whispers and snuggles up to the professor. Doctor Cha clenches his teeth and gathers all his will into a fist in order not to succumb to the temptation, but he can’t just leave it like that either. Seung Tak groans in amazement when Young Min grabs him and knocks down on the desk for hard kisses, but he quickly comes to his senses and wraps the arms around his neck. Just a second later he gasps with pain. Professor Cha straightens up contentedly and adjusts his medical gown while disheveled and shocked Seung Tak licks his bitten lip. “Prepare for daily patients round, Resident Go,” Young Min orders and goes to the door. When he opens it, he sees Intern Oh who has already raised her hand to knock. “Good morning, Professor Cha. I was sent to find you. It’s time for the patients round,” the young woman says and looks sideways. Young Min belatedly realizes that after the screen has been removed and the massage chair has been placed, the whole office has become easily observed from the door and the desk as well, where he left Seung Tak a few seconds ago. The professor turns to stone and does not dare to turn around to see if the resident is still lying on it. “Hi, Crystal!” Seung Tak happily says and waves his hand standing behind his professor. Luckily he was quick enough to stand up when the door was opened. “We’re on our way,” he says and goes out into the corridor. “Great,” Crystal smiles back. She doesn’t seem to notice anything, but a few seconds later she frowns. “What’s wrong with your lip?” “The coffee was too hot,” Seung Tak says and puts his hands in the pockets of his gown heading towards the patients’ rooms.

***

Doctor Jang Se Jin orders a cup of coffee in the lobby of the hospital and heads to the rooftop patio, where she can spend some time on her own and recollect her thoughts. Once she met Cha Young Min there after many years of their breakup, and at that moment the man looked at her with cold hostility. Now their relationship is on a friendly level, thus means they occasionally exchange nods of greeting at the meeting, but nothing more. After that memorable meeting Se Jin has been there once or twice, and right now she wants a little privacy. The day hasn’t started well, so it is vital for her to distract herself a little and unload. When Doctor Jang comes to the rooftop patio, she notices that someone is there. Cha Young Min and Go Seung Tak are sitting on one of the benches both bent over a tablet. The professor explains something to his student, but the last one looks more at his teacher than at the screen, which makes Young Min angry and he purses his lips. They are so engrossed that they do not notice that another person has come here as well, and Se Jin doesn’t come out from behind the bushes to show that she is here. Instead of it she decides to remain an observer. A woman watches the learning process with a smile feeling the warmth deep inside. She wants to come up and join them, because she has pretty warm relationship with Seung Tak, and she will be happy to help him, but she is not quite sure about Young Min’s reaction. Seung Tak, overwhelmed with emotions, turns to the professor and puts his hand on his knee, and Doctor Jang stops breathing. There is nothing wrong with this gesture, because she has noticed that Resident Go is very mobile and can grab something or someone when he is extremely excited, but she has never seen Young Min reacting so calmly to being touched by somebody else. There are some rumors that Professor Cha is so arrogant that he even pulls his coat out of the children’s hands when they try to touch him, but he doesn’t try to remove Seung Tak’s hand. Suddenly Doctor Jang feels as if she has seen something she shouldn’t have, so she turns around and leaves as quickly as possible throwing away the coffee she hasn’t tasted.

***

Jang Se Jin can’t remember why she has come into the room next to the operating theatre. Did she leave something here when she was watching the operation yesterday? Did she hear anything strange when she was passing by? Just inner feeling has prompted her to come in? She is unable to answer this question, as well as unable to take her eyes off the operating theatre, where Cha Young Min and Go Seung Tak are now. The resident is bending over the dummy and clutching the scalpel and the expander (or whatever he is holding in his hands right now). The professor is holding his hands in his own and guiding him. However, it is not that attracts Dr. Jang 's attention, but the way Young Min leans pretty close to his subordinate and whispers something in his ear, and a satisfied smile on his lips, which she saw the last time many years ago. Seung Tak looks a little scared (embarrassed?) and tries to have a look at his professor. Their hands are moving together smoothly and synchronously, as if they have been created for this or is it just Young Min doing all the work for Seung Tak? What is the point of such practice? Doctor Jang looks at the face of Resident Go and notices his reddened lower lip. While looking at him, the woman catches with her peripheral vision Professor Cha’s movement and it seems to her that his lips are slowly touching Seung Tak’s ear. Se Jin immediately looks at Young Min, but he’s just saying something, and his lips do not touch the young man in any way. Has she just imagined it? The woman shakes her head and leaves the room feeling awkward again for some unknown reason.

***

Seung Tak sleeps with his head on one more desk, which is the closest to the door, in Professor Cha’s office while the cardiac surgeon sleeps on a chair opposite the resident with his feet on the chair next to himself. “Oh God, the poor boy has been waiting here all night for him after the surgery again,” Tess grumbles and clicks her tongue in displeasure putting the mop in water. After that he approaches the desk and pushes the chair causing the professor’s feet to fall to the floor. That is not enough for him and he starts shoving them with the mop with all the might. “Caused such a mess and just lay there! You can hurt yourself with the lack of sleep as long as you wish, but at least you could have taken care of the boy and sent him home instead of stroking him at night while he was sleeping. My God, how have you not been caught yet?” Tess grumbles loudly washing the floor and spraying Doctor Cha with water. The professor wakes up instantly and looks at the woman in front of him trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. “Excuse me?” “You should take care about patients and about each other as well”, Tess adds, picks up his bucket and leaves the office. Young Min isn’t fully awake yet, that’s why he just follows him with his eyes and then turns to sleeping Seung Tak. A faint smile touches his lips. “Sorry, the patient couldn’t come around for a long time, and as his surgeon I could not leave him. You haven’t probably slept for a long time and haven’t eaten anything as well. I’ll bring you breakfast,” Professor Cha whispers and stands up stretching his cramped muscles. Before leaving the office he kisses the top of the sleeping resident’s head.