Sori fell asleep on the soft cloud-like bed he bought for her, as if she had fainted.
With the happiest face in the world.
Back in his room, lying on the bed, Hyun-woo propped an arm behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
A faint smile spread across his lips as he recalled the recent events.
Sori’s face, blurred by the wispy steam rising from the teacup.
Her eyes, shimmering like dewdrops, gazed at Hyun-woo with an unusually bright twinkle.
Sometimes, due to Yoo Sori’s impudent words, Hyun-woo found himself unable to smile or get angry lately.
Just like a moment ago.
“Husband…”
He too felt strangely about the unfamiliar title he had heard from her just now.
How exactly should a husband offer comfort?
In that moment, he felt frustrated with his own lack of experience, trying hard to come up with a good response.
Seeing Yoo Sori disheartened was displeasing, and he didn’t want to disappoint her with his gaze.
Impulsively, he grabbed Sori, who would flee as soon as he approached her, after blurting out foolish words.
It was the memory of that picket sign that suddenly came to mind.
He gazed at the “Free Hugs” sign leaning against the floor by his wardrobe.
A wooden picket, styled in a vintage look on white paint, was a gift from Jiwoo a few years ago.
He hadn’t thrown it away because it had its own special meaning to him, even though he disliked trivial things.
Back when celebrity ice bucket and free hug challenges were all the rage.
“Oppa, at first I wondered why they did those things. But it’s strangely comforting. Of course, those who hugged me were probably all my fans.”
“Seo Jiwoo, you’re losing your humility.”
“Tch. But then I realized I’ve never hugged you.”
“We don’t need to do that among family.”
“Forget it. Oppa, hug me.”
Jiwoo, then 25, embraced Hyun-woo for the first time, losing his words to his dynamic sister’s command.
Her embrace, though naive, was very comforting to him too.
Whether it was the right way to comfort as a husband, he wanted to hug her in that moment.
“Why do I keep doing things I don’t usually do?”
The distinct feeling of her heartbeat, as if echoing in his ears, strangely affected him even though he was just trying to offer comfort.
The palpitation he felt from Sori earlier left him a bit confused.
Her small movements snuggling into his embrace and the blushing face after the hug felt endearing.
Making him want to hug her again.
Though they were only a temporary couple on the surface, and he never thought of himself as a good husband, he found himself trying without realizing it.
Clumsily, but to be a good husband for Yoo Sori.
“Anyway, she really is high-maintenance.”
He still seemed unaware that his face had been wearing more smiles since being with Sori.
The end of a particularly exhausting day turned out to be surprisingly peaceful than usual.
Hyun-woo closed his eyes, still with a smile lingering.
The next day.
Sori spent the entire day at work feeling uneasy.
Reflecting back, she realized that before Min-guk’s seizure, she had confronted Se-hun.
The epitome of insubordination.
Especially since Se-hun already considered her a thorn in his side, she had just given him the perfect reason to hold a grudge.
She knew she wasn’t entirely blameless, but couldn’t help thinking that a kind word, even if it was the right thing, would have been nicer.
No matter how disobedient a young patient might be, a medical professional shouldn’t have made such provocative remarks. Kang Se-hun often tended to lecture without considering the audience.
“I shouldn’t have reacted that way. Ugh…”
Throughout the morning, Se-hun, who had encountered Sori a couple of times, seemed intent on calling her aside. Strangely, each time, he had to rush off somewhere urgently.
It was a relief for Sori, yet the tension continued unabated.
Sori entered the neurosurgery department and sat in front of the computer, embracing a rare moment of respite in the afternoon.
A special day with no emergencies and no major incidents in the ward, yet the calm felt unnervingly unsettling.
All residents were gathered in the neurosurgery department, except for Department Head Se-hun.
“The Chief must have been called there again, right?”
“Probably. He mentioned he had to enter the surgery room with the professor this afternoon. He should be rushing back soon.”
“We’ve been sidelined already.”
“Only up or down left for us.”
Soon enough, as Eun-seok and Jong-woo predicted, Se-hun burst into the department, kicking the door open.
“Man, I really can’t stand this.”
“Chief, are you returning from there?”
“Really. Really. Do all VIPs matter that much??”
The atmosphere in the NS department turned chilly with Se-hun’s heated arrival.
Just as expected, the calm was indeed unsettling.
Sori felt like a guilty party watching Se-hun’s excessive agitation.
“They don’t call for a fever check. They complain about a sore throat. It’s not like I was late because I was in the surgery room, but they get upset and ask to change the attending physician morning, noon, and night. Ugh, it’s infuriating.”
Se-hun couldn’t calm his agitated voice, seemingly on the verge of explosion.
Originally, the attending physician was the second-year resident Jong-woo, but after requests for a change, Eun-seok and then Se-hun had been assigned in just the past few days.
This meant Se-hun was already the third attending physician.
Eun-seok thoughtfully spoke up.
“The patient is a VIP. They probably don’t think a resident is adequate.”
“It’s a malingerer. No abnormalities in CT or MRI, yet they keep requesting to change the attending physician while staying in the VIP ward. I feel like I’m losing all my hair!”
“My opinion is…”
Eun-seok, resting his chin on his hand, shared his thoughts.
“Maybe if we involve Professor Seo, it might get resolved?”
As soon as Seo Hyun-woo’s name came up, Sori, who was standing nearby, jumped in surprise.
Why is our professor being summoned here?
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
