But Yiyoung couldn’t seem to pull herself out of the chair. Her legs refused to move as they shook, wanting to rest in one place.
Dr. Ji, who worked the same shifts as her, was passing by when he asked, “Dr. Yoon, do you want some coffee?”
“No,” Yiyoung quickly said, “Can I have hot chocolate instead of coffee?”
“Hot chocolate? Okay.”
“Thank you. I have the money here.”
“No, it’s fine. You treated us last time, so I should treat you this time.”
Yiyoung grinned. “Thank you in advance.”
“You’re welcome.”
Dr. Ji went around taking orders not just from Yiyoung, but also the other staff members. He had started working at the ER 6 months ago, and when he heard all the rumors surrounding Yiyoung, he had secretly been on guard. The rumors were mostly about her talent, but there were also some about her tremendous background as the wife of S Group’s CEO.
On his first day after passing his interview, Dr. Ji considered himself unfortunate for being put in the same group as Yiyoung. Why her, of all people? He was talented, but he wasn’t good at telling others what they wanted to hear. In other words, he wasn’t worldly-wise. Thus, he had always been nervous about having to resign if he somehow ended up upsetting Yiyoung.
He didn’t want to give up his career after finally passing the interview. The ER at S hospital was known for having a lot of patients, but it was also renowned for having the best facilities and staff. He wanted to work at a place which amassed a lot of attention, but then he was put in the same group as Yiyoung on his very first day.
However, as time went on, he learned more about Yiyoung. It was inevitable, since they were in the same group. Yiyoung was the epitome of a doctor who tried her best to give her patients the best care. There was nothing less or more to her. She was the wife of S hospital’s president, but she didn’t use the position against anyone.
It was a good thing, but Dr. Ji found it weird. People were usually busy showing off to others, but Yiyoung did not. And though there was nothing wrong with her, in his eyes, it had seemed abnormal.
After some time, Dr. Ji had become curious as to whether he was the only one thinking that way, so he brought it up with Dr. Shin, whom he had recently become close to.
Apparently, they were the same age. Once that was discovered, Yiyoung suggested that they be comfortable with each other. She had said that as long as they didn’t cross a line, it would be fine. She was the more experienced doctor, and yet she suggested it.
“What about her?”
Everyone else acted like close friends with her, and Dr. Ji had wondered how that was even possible. He truly couldn’t understand it. “It’s just… It’s weird how she acts like one of us when her husband is someone so special.”
Dr. Shin had laughed as his eyes widened. “So you felt like that, too, Dr. Ji. It’s become like a rite of passage for the new doctors, huh?”
“What?”
“Every new doctor who comes to our ER department thought the same.”
“But, is it true?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is she really treated the same as us? Her salary, extra incentive, benefits, and all that…”
“If you check it, you’ll see. There’s not one thing different from us, everything is the same. She’s actually losing more because she doesn’t claim a higher position that she deserves.”
“I thought so, too, but it confuses me sometimes. I don’t know if I should call her Madam instead of Dr. Yoon.”
“Try calling her ‘Madam’ and see what happens. You’ll see her true character right away.”
Dr. Ji had later considered himself lucky for being able to avoid Yiyoung’s true character because of Dr. Shin’s advice. He’d witnessed it from time to time in the ER.