Things were happening.

SinB wasn’t entirely sure how to classify what exactly was happening, so she just thought about it as things. Maybe it was because she wasn’t entirely sure how to wrap her mind around the fact that she’d been regularly receiving coffee from Yerin for going on a month.

At first, SinB thought it was pure coincidence when Yerin would run into her right before a shift and offer to buy her coffee. However, it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t pure chance that led SinB to see Yerin before every shift at the hospital. SinB suspected Yerin was using whatever authority she had to look at SinB’s schedule, and with anyone else, SinB would’ve been more than a little unnerved. Except it was Yerin.

It was Yerin who bumped shoulders with her playfully with a cheerful grin on her face as she handed her coffee, made exactly the way SinB liked it. It was Yerin who was bubbly and goofy, a ray of sunshine amidst the death that SinB was usually surrounded by at the hospital. It was Yerin that SinB found herself falling for more and more every day.

“If Sowon asks, I’m not here today,” Yerin said very seriously to SinB as she walked into the hospital. Did Yerin just wait at the entrance for her now?

“Okay,” SinB agreed simply, taking the coffee from Yerin’s hand. She took a long sip before she asked, “Why don’t you want Sowon to find you?”

Over the past month, SinB and Yerin had taken to exchanging small talk before SinB’s shift, and naturally, the conversations ranged from their closest friends to their favorite foods and everything in between.

“She’s going to ask me to have lunch with her and her dad, but I really don’t want to be a buffer today,” Yerin explained, looping an arm through SinB’s. She did that a lot. She touched SinB a lot. It was all innocent, of course, but it was rare when Yerin didn’t initiate some form of physical contact. SinB wondered when she’d gotten so used to it that she didn’t even bat an eyelash anymore. “If you can, make sure she stays away from the children’s ward on the fifth floor.”

“Using the kids as a shield?” SinB mocked. “You’re a terrible person.”

Yerin just grinned and replied smartly, “I am keeping sick children company. If that also means Sowon won’t find me, then it’s just an added bonus.”

“Right,” SinB snorted.

It was strange sometimes, being this comfortable around Yerin. It was hard not to be though. Yerin was just so warm and friendly, slowly chipping away at all of SinB’s attempts at distance. It made it even harder that this couldn’t be anymore than friendship, but SinB was strict about that. She always made sure Yerin and her were surrounded by other people, always making sure that there was always a decent amount of space between them.

“Hey,” Yerin said as they got close to the interns’ locker room.

“Hey,” SinB repeated with a teasing smile.

Yerin rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she said, “We should hang out sometime.”

“We do hang out,” SinB pointed out, a feeling of dread already forming in her stomach and weighing her down.

“We should hang out outside the hospital sometime,” Yerin corrected herself. She looked at SinB with eyes that were bright and adoring, and SinB tried to ignore the flutter in her chest when she met her gaze. “We’re friends now, aren’t we?”

SinB looked away and echoed, “Friends.”

A beat of silence.

“Aren’t we?” Yerin asked hesitantly.

“Of course,” SinB said, but she was still looking down at her feet. She took a deep breath and said, “I’ll think about it, okay? The other interns already hate me for getting all the good surgeries. If anyone hears we’re together outside the hospital, I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about all the rumors that’ll fly around about us. They’ll say I’m using you for surgeries or something.”

When Yerin didn’t say anything, SinB looked at her and immediately regretted it. Yerin looked at her with undisguised affection, and it made SinB squirm. She shouldn’t be looking at her like that.

“Okay,” Yerin said finally. “Think about it.” She squeezed SinB’s arm before she slipped her arm away. “Have a good shift,” Yerin added with a small smile.

SinB watched her walk away, a mess before her shift even started. Sometimes, she hated how magnetic Yerin felt. Her life would be so much easier if she could just cut her out of her life. Except, she tried that once and she was miserable. Now that they were talking, SinB couldn’t deny she’d been a lot happier. It was nice to talk to someone who wasn’t an intern, so that they weren’t competing against each other, but still someone who was associated with the medical field so she didn’t have to explain everything she said when talking about her day. It felt like a joke that it would be Yerin that SinB found a confidant in.

Shaking her head, SinB chugged down the rest of her coffee and tossed it in the trash before walking into the locker room. It was easier if she didn’t walk in with her coffee. Kyulkyung was well aware of where she’d been getting her coffee, and SinB liked to avoid the judgemental looks if she could.

“Morning,” SinB said as she walked to her locker room.

Kyulkyung looked up from the bench where she was absently flipping through a magazine. She flashed her a quick smile and said, “Morning.”

“What do you have today?” SinB asked.

“General,” Kyulkyung said. She tossed away her magazine and stretched her arms lazily. “What about you?”

“I’m in the ER,” SinB replied with a sigh. She put her things away and quickly changed into her scrubs. “I hope something cool comes in today. I haven’t done a fun surgery in almost two weeks.”

“At least you’ve been in surgeries,” Kyulkyung pointed out. “I know some interns haven’t been in a surgery for over three weeks now.”

SinB couldn’t help but gape at that. “How come?”

“Who knows,” Kyulkyung shrugged. “Maybe they’re just idiots.” She grinned and added, “Not all of us can be as good as you.”

“Don’t be like that,” SinB huffed.

Kyulkyung laughed and slung an arm around SinB’s shoulders. “Aw, I meant it in the nicest way possible, SinB.” She tilted her head then said, “I won’t lie though. You probably have more enemies than friends among the interns right now.”

“They’re all sharks,” SinB lamented, even though she knew full and well that she was just as much of a shark as they were when it came to surgeries.

“It doesn’t help that you’re seen with Yerin so much,” Kyulkyung said pointedly.

SinB glared at her and said, “I told you that we’re just friends.”

“I know that,” Kyulkyung said, “and you know that. The other interns though? For all they know, you’re screwing your way to the top.”

SinB couldn’t help but flinch at the blunt statement, and she was instantly reminded of the conversation she just had with Yerin before walking in. The last thing SinB wanted was for anyone to underestimate her or think she had to resort to such dishonest methods to get to where she deserved to be. Maybe she should try and cut off Yerin once and for all. Yerin was everything SinB needed, but if she was also what would stop SinB from becoming the surgeon she knew she could be, then so be it. Even if it would hurt like ing hell.

“Listen, I didn’t mean to bring you down,” Kyulkyung broke SinB’s thoughts. She was staring at SinB with a worried look now, eyebrows slightly furrowed. “I know you would never, and I shouldn’t have even brought it up. those other guys, right?” She sighed when SinB just kept staring at her blankly. She tugged on the end of SinB’s ponytail affectionately and said, “Why don’t you come out with me and some other interns tonight? We’re gonna hit up this new club. It’ll be a good way for them to get to know you and dispel some of their dumber notions about you.”

SinB pressed her lips together before saying, “I’ll think about it.” It looked like she’ll be thinking about a lot of things today.

Kyulkyung looked like she wanted to say before, but she just shook her head and said, “Okay.”

Not long after that, they were officially told their assignments by their resident and were dismissed. SinB trudged down to the ER, already dreading her shift. Her mind is a jumbled mess now, so she suddenly hoped there wouldn’t be anything life threatening. She was off her game, and she didn’t want anyone to die because of it.

As if blessing her just this once, SinB got what she wanted. Nothing extreme came into the ER that day. She got a few bumps and bruises, some stitches here and there, but otherwise, there wasn’t much going on. SinB spent her free time catching up on paperwork as well as trying to sort out her thoughts on Yerin.

It wasn’t until about an hour before SinB finished her shift that she heard the familiar wail of the siren. She was on her feet in an instant, throwing on her gown and gloves as she rushed out to meet the ambulance. SinB nearly crashed into the paramedic running from the driver’s seat.

“What do we have?” SinB asked.

“Female, mid to late 20s. Nasty car crash not far from here. Head looks fine aside from a possible concussion, but her arm got pretty messed up.”

SinB nodded and waited for them to bring out the gurney. However, as soon as they did, SinB felt like she was going to throw up.

The woman on the gurney was Yerin.