After quickly wiping the examination table with a towel, he prepared a dog wound disinfectant and other tools, just in case. After Seol Hee finished tidying up the books, she came towards the examination table, catching Eun Woo’s eye.

Am I that scary?

Her eyes, staring at him, held a frightened look. Of course, other technicians, like Chae Rin, were also cautious around him, but Chae Rin was young, and she looked out not only for him but other doctors as well.

But Seol Hee seemed particularly nervous around him.

If he heard chatter from somewhere like a break room, and opened the door, the moment Eun Woo appeared, Seol Hee’s chattering would come to a sudden stop.

“Sir, what kind of patient is coming?”
Seol Hee, who had been watching his every move, asked cautiously. Eun Woo replied,

“A Yorkshire Terrier named ‘BeepBeep’. It’s been injured, and its mother is very worried.”
“Ah… BeepBeep.”
Recognizing the dog that frequently visited, she quickly nodded her head. Just then, the door chime rang. Seol Hee dashed out of the examination room. The clinic was quiet at night, so Seol Hee’s conversation with the woman in the waiting room could be heard clearly.

“Oh! Even the nurse is here! I’m sorry to trouble you.”
“No, I haven’t left work yet.”
Seol Hee’s gentle conversation with the pet owner was audible. Although he didn’t want to admit it, Seol Hee was popular with pet owners.

Despite being inexperienced and limited in what she could do, pet owners frequently asked Seol Hee for help, and they would praise her in his absence. A prime example was BeepBeep’s owner.

As BeepBeep, the owner, and Seol Hee entered the examination room, Eun Woo gave them a smile.

“Have you arrived?”
“I’m sorry, Doctor. I was really trying not to call you at night, but BeepBeep got hurt here. It’s torn.”
BeepBeep, with its fluffy brown fur, didn’t seem nervous and laid back, looking at Eun Woo. Eun Woo gently scratched BeepBeep’s head, parting the fur to check the injured leg.

There was a small cut, about one centimeter in size. He couldn’t help but smile. It was hard to find such a small wound on a dog with such long fur so quickly. He could tell how much BeepBeep’s mother cared for her.

“This will be fine with just disinfection. There won’t be any problems.”
“Really? Phew… I came here for no big reason again.”
“No, I was just sitting here doing nothing anyway.”
He was about to go fetch an Elizabethan collar (a cone) to prevent BeepBeep from licking its wound. But Seol Hee was already holding one, looking at him.

How did she know I was looking for that?

He was grateful, but the words that came out of his mouth were the opposite.

“Did you bring the right size?”
“Yes. I brought the smallest one.”
As she said, the collar fit perfectly around BeepBeep’s neck. As soon as the Elizabethan collar was fitted, BeepBeep twisted its body in annoyance. But soon, as Eun Woo’s hand started scratching BeepBeep’s belly, BeepBeep’s eyes narrowed in pleasure, seemingly forgetting its discomfort.

“I’ll prescribe antibiotics. It probably won’t be necessary, but just in case.”
“Thank you.”

The guardian and the bird, who had looked anxious when they came in, left in a much brighter mood.
It was a good thing they left. If they had waited until the next day for the examination, it would have weighed on Eun Woo’s mind.

“Miss Seol Hee, you’re going home too, right?”
“Huh? Yes.”
As Seol Hee hurriedly packed her belongings, he turned off the hospital lights. After locking the front door and turning around, a cool night breeze swept across Eun Woo’s hair.

Was it because of the night breeze, or because of the humid weather, an unexpected phrase slipped from Eun Woo’s mouth.

“Miss Seol Hee, would you like to have a beer?”
A beer? Was he crazy?

Surprised by his own words, Eun Woo took a deep breath. Why did he say that? There had been social gatherings at the hospital, but he had never personally met other people. All he did was go out for lunch nearby.

But why did he say that? He had never tried to mingle with the hospital staff because it was bothersome. Seol Hee, who was as surprised by his words as he was, stared at him with wide eyes.

She will reject, she hates me.

Even though he expected a rejection, Eun Woo found himself tapping his foot on the floor.

Seol Hee smiled and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but I have to work tomorrow… I’ll go first. Have a good night, Doctor!”
She quickly turned around and left.

“Sigh.”
Eun Woo raked his hair with his hand.

“I have work tomorrow too, Miss Yu Seol Hee.”
With a heavy heart, he blurted out into the void.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Nothing much had changed since he made that comment while recalling past events. Just like that, the car carrying Seol Hee, driven by Eun Woo, smoothly stopped in front of Seol Hee’s house.

“Thank you for today.”
At her words of gratitude, Eun Woo raised his eyebrows.

“Yes.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but fearing he might say something inappropriate, he paused.

“We won’t have much longer of you dropping me off like this.”
In not too long, the two of them were to go visit Eun Woo’s grandmother. That would be the end of this shallow relationship. Eun Woo nodded at Seol Hee’s comment that seemed bittersweet, or rather more cool.

“I see.”
Then he turned his head to look at her. Her eyes, seemingly anxious that he might have overheard the day’s conversation, shone at him.

Yu Seol Hee, dislikes Ok Eun Woo.

For now.

But that would soon change. Having already acknowledged his feelings, Eun Woo had no intention of stopping. No, he didn’t know how to stop.

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