A Marriage with an Expiry (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Overnight, So Ri became the tragic heroine of a melodrama and was stuck at home the next day without being able to move an inch.
In the morning, she woke up, opened a thick medical textbook as if nothing had happened, watched TV, and while eating breakfast, she wondered:
Should I tell Mom first?
My first day at work is just around the corner—what should I say to the hospital?
Maybe it was because she still couldn’t believe it.
She couldn’t muster the courage to act on any of it.
“Something’s wrong. Yes, it can’t be right. It must be a mistake.”
So Ri remembered how frustrated she used to get during her intern days whenever patients refused to trust the doctor’s diagnosis and kept delaying their admission.
Back then, she should’ve held their hands a little more warmly.
She should’ve offered them more comfort.
Perhaps one truly understands only after experiencing it firsthand.
Now, for the first time, she finally understood how her patients had felt.
She sprang up from the bed where she had been slumped lifelessly.
This wasn’t the time to just sit around.
“I’d rather get tested again…”
If she couldn’t accept the result, she’d have to get retested or do something about it.
So Ri made up her mind to go to another hospital for another examination.
In front of the building bearing the sign “Imperial Hospital.”
Having gotten ready to go out, her feet had unconsciously led her precisely to Imperial Hospital—the very place where she was supposed to start work the next day.
So Ri entered the hospital calmly, naturally heading straight for the reception desk.
After hearing her story, the staff member gave her a sympathetic look and said,
“Do you happen to have a referral letter with you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Then it’ll be difficult to see the professor directly. You’ll need to bring a referral letter and make an appointment first.”
As the staff member spoke, they checked the schedule on the computer.
“The professor has a conference coming up, so the earliest possible appointment would be early next month.”
“Next month?”
She hadn’t realized, even as a doctor herself, that the process could be this complicated.
Poor patients must be agonizing over the wait—how could it take a whole month, even at a top-tier hospital where everyone flocked?
She suddenly wondered again if there simply weren’t enough doctors and hospitals.
“I’ll come back another time.”
“Will you?”
“Yes, I’ll get a referral letter first.”
She didn’t feel like revealing that she’d be starting as a resident at this hospital tomorrow.
Feeling disheartened, So Ri turned to leave.
Since she was already out, she decided to head over to Seohan Hospital instead. As she walked toward the lobby, someone brushed swiftly past her side.
They moved so quickly that her hair fluttered.
But when she absentmindedly glanced at the doctor’s back, she instantly recognized who it was.
“Huh?”
It was Seo Hyun Woo.
Without glancing to either side or behind, he ran straight ahead, vanishing into the emergency room entrance as if pulled in by a magnet.
So Ri found herself drawn toward the ER like a piece of iron to a magnet.
In the distance, she spotted Hyun Woo Oppa—no, Professor Seo Hyun Woo—dressed in a white doctor’s coat.
It was the first time she’d seen Seo Hyun Woo at work.
He took a note from a nurse, pulled a penlight from his pocket, and shone it into the patient’s eyes.
“Quadriplegia’s setting in. Did you call Neurosurgery (NS)?”
“Yes, already done.”
“Then why are you so slow?”
As he questioned the nurse and turned his head, his eyes met So Ri’s, who stood by the gate.
Instinctively, So Ri quickly spun her body sideways. Her heart suddenly began pounding loudly.
But maybe Hyun Woo hadn’t actually noticed her—it might have just been her imagination.
He immediately resumed preparing the patient for surgery.
Moments later, the gate behind So Ri opened, and several doctors rushed in.
They glanced briefly at So Ri standing by the door and hurried past without stopping.
“Professor!”
“Where’s the OR?”
“What?”
“Snap out of it! Secure an NS OR, immediately.”
“Oh, right!”
One of the newly arrived doctors brushed past So Ri again.
So Ri quietly scanned the entire emergency room.
The pained faces of patients and the serious, busy expressions of the medical staff imprinted themselves clearly in her eyes.
Strangely, at that very moment, she felt a surge of energy filling her previously listless body.
Naturally, her gaze, which had been sweeping the ER, came to rest on Seo Hyun Woo.
Amidst the chaos, he was clearly leading a team of medical personnel.
“It’s a CVA infarction patient. Move quickly, please.”
Hyun Woo pushed the gurney from the front so forcefully that his swept bangs trembled, and the medical staff swiftly followed behind him.
The moment their eyes met head-on, So Ri reflexively lowered her head.
But the voice directed at her was cold—spoken to a stranger.
“Move aside.”
So Ri quickly shifted her body toward the edge of the gate.
Just as the patient’s gurney passed through the gate in an instant, So Ri stepped out of the ER entrance as well.
Even from a distance, one figure stood out distinctly among the retreating medical staff, capturing her gaze until the very end.
It was clearly a scene she’d witnessed many times at Seohan Hospital—but perhaps because it was Seo Hyun Woo,
it was the moment her flat, unremarkable daily life suddenly gained dimension and depth.
For a brief moment, she felt a pang of disappointment that he hadn’t recognized her.
“Professor Seo Hyun Woo.”
A faint smile spread across her face as she quietly practiced the title she’d soon have to use for him.
The doctor she’d always wanted to become.
And now, the hospital where her first love—the man she’d admired—worked.
Seeing him in action as a doctor in person made her anticipation grow even stronger than she’d imagined.
She even found herself wondering what it would be like to stand beside him as a fellow doctor.
And, just once, she wanted to try something.
Before she died, she wanted to confess—properly, just once.
Not to anyone else, but to Seo Hyun Woo.
In the locker room after an emergency NS surgery.
Second-year resident Kim Jong Woo and third-year resident Hong Eun Seok entered, exhaustion clearly written on their faces.
After quickly removing their surgical caps, both opened their lockers and immediately checked their phones.
Their actions mirrored each other perfectly, like a pair of decals.
“Dr. Hong, did you see that woman standing by the ER gate earlier?”
Seeing no particular notifications, Jong Woo returned his phone to his coat pocket and asked Eun Seok.
“The one who looked like a marshmallow?”
“You sure had a lot of random thoughts in that split second.”
“I only glanced for a second, but she was seriously stunning. Shocking.”
“That woman—I thought she looked familiar. Isn’t she the resident starting tomorrow?”
At Jong Woo’s words, Eun Seok finally lifted his head from his phone and reacted dramatically.
“Oh! Right! I knew she looked familiar. What was her name again?”
“Yoo So Ri?”
“Ah, yes. Remember? That day we approached her under the guise of giving interview tips.”
The two, who got along unusually well, had wandered near the interview room on resident selection day, checking out the waiting candidates.
Among the sea of candidates—like a horde of dark beasts—there was one person who shone like sunshine.
Without needing to discuss it, they both strode confidently toward So Ri.
Normally unadorned, Yoo So Ri had been strikingly beautiful that day—so much so that she drew everyone’s attention even among fellow interviewees.
Yet she herself remained completely unaware, focused intently on whatever she was reviewing; that sight was beauty itself.
That day, the two men—mere intruders—had approached Yoo So Ri as if spellbound.
“But of all people, why would a princess like her choose our department?”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m honored we’ve got such a capable female junior joining our tough NS team. You don’t like her, Dr. Hong?”
“Not that I dislike her—it’s just, you know how our lonely department head is. He’ll definitely notice if anyone flirts.”
“Oh, Dr. Hong! Are you already in a relationship all by yourself?”
“Heh heh. Maybe since the interview day?”
Though he said it jokingly, a sly grin spread across Eun Seok’s face.
Watching Eun Seok practically gulp down bowl after bowl of wishful thinking, Jong Woo turned serious and said,
“Don’t smear your saliva on our sacred NS junior. It’ll bring bad luck.”
So engrossed were they in their rare, entertaining gossip that neither noticed who else was in the locker room.
“But someone who applied to NS probably isn’t ordinary, right? Her voice sounded super innocent, but who knows—maybe she’s secretly a troublemaker.”
“Whether innocent or a troublemaker, doesn’t she seem like she’ll be our vitamin?”
“Just a vitamin? To me, she seems like a goddess who’ll bestow grace as vast as the ocean.”
“You wipe your own drool first.”
Eun Seok tossed his surgical cap at Jong Woo’s face.
“Ah! That’s disgusting!”
“Of all the nerve, talking like that to your senior.”
Hyun Woo, who had been sitting silently on a stool with his eyes closed, preparing for the next surgery, slowly lifted his eyelids.
The unusually excited voices of his usually respectful residents grated on his ears.
Was it because of the familiar name?
Or perhaps because of their cheap, noisy chatter that disturbed his peace?
His brow furrowed deeply.
“But why was she standing in the ER? Did she come for a pre-start hospital visit or something?”
“As expected—our junior gets full marks for attitude! Heh heh.”
Hyun Woo slowly closed and reopened his eyes.
Only now did he realize the person standing by the gate earlier had been Yoo So Ri.
In that urgent situation, nothing else had registered in his mind.
He probably wouldn’t have noticed even if his own sister Ji Woo had been standing in the same spot.
He leaned his head slowly back against the wall, his languid eyes drifting shut once more.
Behind his closed eyelids, the image of someone as white and pure as a daisy surfaced.
Had that brief bow been meant for him?
Why had she come to the hospital on a non-workday like a fool?
Was her injured hand healing well?
Uncharacteristically, several questions crossed his mind—but that was all.
“Actually, my friend works at Seohan Hospital, and the guy—who’s always acting so full of himself—was genuinely envious of me.”
“Why? Because intern Yoo So Ri’s joining our department as a resident?”
“Yeah. A junior who already makes this senior proud just by showing up. Let her just come—I’ll absolutely dote on her.”
“Why don’t you dote on me instead? Please?”
Their noisy chatter showed no sign of stopping, persistently disrupting his rest.
The sheer pettiness of their conversation was unbearable.
Just as he decided he couldn’t tolerate it any longer and stood to leave,
his phone began to vibrate in his hand.
The screen lit up with the three letters: “Father.”
Normally, he would’ve ignored the call, but this time he pressed the green answer button without hesitation.
“Yes, what is it?”
Then, walking out nonchalantly, he stopped precisely between where Eun Seok and Jong Woo stood.
“Hang up. I’ll call back immediately.”
The two, who had been chattering nonstop, instantly snapped their mouths shut and froze like statues in front of Hyun Woo.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
After ending the call, Hyun Woo calmly looked at each of them in turn.
“Hong Eun Seok. Kim Jong Woo.”
“Yes, Professor!”
“I hadn’t realized NS was such a leisurely place.”
“What?!”
They’d babbled every ridiculous thing imaginable—it was obvious without him spelling it out how pathetic they must have appeared.
“From now on, you’d both better never make a mistake in front of me.”
Hyun Woo’s gaze pierced through them one by one, sharper than ever before.
It was the first time either of them had received such a warning from him.
As Hyun Woo walked out of the locker room, already redialing his call, the two stared after him in stunned silence.
“Do you think we’re totally screwed?”
“Completely, utterly doomed.”
Their expressions instantly matched—a perfect pair of devastated decals.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (20)
Why is sori’s mom at hospital is she sick too?
Girl please finish that transfusion ur life is in danger
Oh i know he is jealous af(^-^)
Inline Comments (1)
She couldn't recall a single word she'd just said.
Oh I will tell you..you said some pretty harsh things🥲
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Bannedbaddie
See i know he is completely and utterly in love with her