1.7

The nights in hospitals were especially quiet.  

Outside the patient rooms, the nurse stations, hallways, and even the lounge chairs by the windows—which were always crowded during the day—were deserted.  

Occasionally, faint sounds of patients complaining or someone talking on the phone drifted out through the slightly open doors of patient rooms.  

The 20th floor, where the VIP ward was located, was always quiet, but it became even more tranquil at night.  

“This is driving me crazy.”  

A nurse, standing awkwardly in front of the station with a cart, let out a burst of frustration.  

She had only been out on rounds for five minutes before returning, her face flushed. She fanned herself vigorously with her hands as if trying to cool herself down, but it was clear she was still seething.  

Her senior, who had been calmly reviewing patient prescriptions on a monitor, looked up at her in confusion.  

It was unusual to see this particular nurse, a veteran praised for her calm demeanor in even the most chaotic emergency room situations, lose her temper.  

“What happened with patient Gu Junhyung?”  

The veteran nurse opened her mouth as if to say something but then hesitated, closing it again. She eventually shut her eyes tightly and sighed.  

“No, it’s nothing.”  

“What is it? Should I go check on him?”  

“Why would you go? It’s my job, and he’s my patient.”  

Her response came out sharper than she intended.  

“Oh, I just thought—”  

Caught off guard by the unexpected outburst, the younger nurse didn’t know how to respond.  

“I’ll handle it later. There’s no rush.”  

Though her tone had softened, the frustration was still evident on her face.  

She glanced at the clock, then stared at the door to the room she had just left, as if willing it to disappear.  

What a lunatic!  

Her anger flared again, and she felt a wave of nausea rise within her.  

What kind of scumbag behaves like that?  

Being assigned to the VIP ward was starting to feel like an unfortunate punishment. While illness shouldn’t be judged or prioritized, this was the first time she’d encountered such an absurd situation.  

‘If anything troublesome comes up, feel free to contact me. Anytime is fine—whether it’s late at night or early in the morning.’  

The words spoken by the woman accompanying the troublesome patient came to mind. While the patient’s secretary handled the hospitalization paperwork, the woman had silently observed the entire process. She didn’t even glance into the patient’s room once he was admitted. Instead, she handed over her business card and left, as if she had anticipated such an incident would occur.  

The veteran nurse rummaged in her pocket. Along with medical tape and a pen, she pulled out a small note and unfolded it.  

Yoon Leeseo.

The name and phone number were written in neat handwriting on a memo paper faintly stamped with the hospital’s logo.  

The nurse glanced at the clock on the wall.  

2 a.m.

Even though the woman had said she could be contacted at any time, this was still a moment of hesitation. But the situation was far from ordinary.  

Setting aside her doubts, Park Sujin entered the number and pressed the call button.  

• Yes, go ahead.  

The response came immediately, as if the person had been waiting. Her tone was strictly professional, but her voice carried a clear, composed quality.  

“This is Park Sujin, the nurse in charge of Mr. Gu Junhyung.”  

She introduced herself and mentioned the hospital, keeping her words brief.  

• I’ll be there shortly 

She didn’t even ask what had happened before ending the call.  

Exactly 20 minutes later, the elevator to the VIP ward opened.  

Yoon Leeseo stepped out, dressed in fitted jeans and a jacket. Something about her seemed entirely different this time. The professional impression from their first meeting was gone, replaced by a fresh-faced, youthful appearance devoid of makeup.  

“Let’s head to the patient’s room.”  

Leeseo offered a polite bow to Sujin, who was standing near the station, and then walked ahead toward the room.  

“You didn’t even ask what happened.” 

Sujin remarked casually, matching her pace to Leeseo’s.  

By now, Sujin had regained her composure, leaving behind the shock and anger from earlier.  

“I’ll know when I see it.” 

Leeseo replied.  

As they reached the room, Sujin raised her hand to knock, but Leeseo pulled out an access card instead. It was one of the cards issued only to patients and their designated guardians.  

“Wait a moment. It might be better if I explain the situation first…”  

Sujin gently grabbed Leeseo’s arm, thinking it would be wise to provide some context before she entered. A sudden thought crossed Sujin’s mind: perhaps this composed woman, Yoon Leeseo, was the patient’s lover.  

“It’s fine.”

Before Sujin could stop her, Leeseo held the card to the reader. With a beep, the door unlocked.  

“…Oppa—”  

Even before the two women entered the room, a female voice pierced the quiet.  

It wasn’t a sound one would expect from a patient resting alone in a hospital room.  

Both women froze in place for a moment, stunned. Sujin hesitated, but Leeseo, unfazed, strode across the room toward the bed.  

“Wow, damn. Tighten it a bit more.”  

“Ahh, I’m going crazy. This feels so good.”  

“Just a little more… just a bit more… ah…”  

The sounds coming from within painted a clear picture of the situation.  

Leeseo reached out without hesitation and pulled back the curtain surrounding the bed.  

Swish.

As the curtain slid open, the scene that unfolded was beyond appalling.  

A woman dressed in a nurse’s uniform—one that looked like it belonged in a cheap adult film, complete with an outdated nurse’s cap—was straddling a man. The man beneath her, his upper body arched like a cobra, was panting heavily.  

Sujin felt her diaphragm tighten as though she might vomit.  

s*x, in a hospital room. And with a woman wearing that kind of costume?  

She glanced at Leeseo, her face betraying her disgust, but Leeseo remained utterly composed.  

Click.  

Leeseo calmly took a photo with her phone, her expression indifferent.  

Her detached demeanor and precise actions suggested she knew exactly what needed to be done next.  

“Get out!”  

The man, finally realizing the situation, shouted furiously.  

There wasn’t a hint of embarrassment or shame in his voice—only anger at being interrupted.  

“Don’t mind us. Please, continue where you left off.” 

Leeseo said, her tone calm and unbothered.  

She then began picking up the scattered pieces of the woman’s clothing, which were strewn across the floor, the sofa, and the foot of the bed.  

Sujin could only gape in astonishment at Leeseo’s composed behavior.  

“You f*cking b*tch. Get out of here right now!”  

Even amidst the chaos, Leeseo managed to dodge the pillow the man had thrown at her. The woman who had been on top of the man was caught in an awkward position, unable to get down or remain as she was. No matter how shameless one might be, it was evidently difficult to continue in such a situation. The woman, covering her exposed legs revealed by a ridiculously short skirt, cautiously climbed off the bed.  

Junhyung, glaring at Leeseo, ground his teeth and slammed his head against the edge of the bed in frustration.  

“Damn…!”  

Ignoring the endless stream of curses pouring from the man’s mouth, Leeseo handed the nearly n*ked woman her scattered clothes.  

“Put these on quickly and leave immediately.”  

The woman, clutching the clothes to her chest, glared at Leeseo with sharp eyes. She seemed more concerned about her pride than the state she was in.  

“You’re not even his real sister, so what does it matter to you?”  

For the first time, Leeseo let out a faint laugh—not with her lips, but with her eyes, which were filled with scorn and disdain. Responding calmly to the woman’s abrupt and disrespectful tone, Leeseo said,  

“No matter how urgent it is, this is still a hospital. You should at least know when and where certain things are appropriate.”  

“Hah!”  

“Do you think this is funny? Should I call hospital security? Want to experience some public humiliation?”  

At Leeseo’s cold and threatening words, the woman hurriedly began putting on her clothes. After hastily throwing on her outfit, she grabbed her handbag and carefully checked her appearance in the mirror before leaving without so much as a glance back.  

Once the woman was gone, Leeseo turned to Park Sujin.  

“Could you please change the sheets? Sorry for the trouble.”  

“Of course.”  

While Sujin left to handle the sheets, Leeseo picked up the neatly folded patient gown and handed it to Junhyung, who was wearing only a hospital gown. In response, Junhyung dramatically yanked off his gown, leaving himself completely exposed.  

Even as the man’s n*ked body was revealed, Leeseo’s expression remained utterly indifferent. Beneath her calm demeanor, there was a clear sense of disdain for his exaggerated display of masculinity.  

“Wow, Leeseo. You’ve grown so much that you don’t even blush at the sight of a n*ked man anymore?”  

“Shouldn’t you be the one feeling embarrassed?”  

“Impressive. Truly.”  

“Junhyung, the cholesteatoma removal surgery isn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s located inside the eardrum, and depending on its size, they might need to make an incision if the endoscope isn’t enough. As you were briefed earlier, your blood pressure needs to be stable, and you must fast. That includes no water.”  

Junhyung buttoned up his shirt, muttering under his breath.  

“s*x wasn’t listed as a restriction.”  

“Do you even hear yourself? Just because it wasn’t explicitly mentioned doesn’t mean it’s permitted. No one would even think of doing something like that in a hospital.”