“Good morning. It’s a beautiful day.”

The day shift nurses who had just arrived at work greeted Yi Soo as she came out of the patient’s room after finishing the dressing change.

“Yes. Good morning.”

Yi Soo smiled faintly and went into the treatment room to put away the dressing kit before coming back out.

As a 4-month intern, this was her 25th hour on duty without a wink of sleep. It was thanks to the several emergency situations that erupted last night, making the night shift feel like a war zone.

Regardless, today’s sun rose anew and without fail, a new day shift began.

Mechanically processing the ceaseless flood of prescriptions, Yi Soo’s body felt like it was floating and her mind blanked out from time to time.

Yi Soo plodded over and plopped down in front of the monitor. She felt a sharp pain in her knotted calves.

She put a few drops of artificial tears in her dry, uncooperative eyes. The brief stinging sensation followed by a feeling of refreshment seemed to revive her spirits a bit.

What was the next thing she had to do again? As Yi Soo was trying to recall, nurse Lee Ajin, who had finished rounding the patient rooms, scooted her chair right up next to her.

“Dr. Jung, please have this.”

An iced Americano and a heart-shaped box containing about ten pieces of chocolate, each smaller than a golf ball, were suddenly thrust in front of Yi Soo’s eyes.

“Ah, thank you. I was just thinking I needed a cup of coffee…”

“You didn’t even have time to dry your hair before coming. Your shoulders are all wet.”

“It’ll dry soon. Whatever.”

Yi Soo laughed and gathered her hair ends with one hand, wringing out the moisture.

In the brief gap of free time, instead of a quick nap, she had washed her sweat-drenched body.

Right as she changed into a new uniform, a call rang out as if it had been waiting, so she only had time to give a rough wipe with a towel, leaving the area around her shoulders soaked and turned a deep blue.

At first, walking around with wet hair was embarrassing, but now she was used to even this. It was much better than uncombed, frizzy hair from not washing it at all.

She had been thinking she needed an espresso, but the coffee now clutched in her hand seemed to revive her flagging energy.

“I heard last night was no joke.”

“It was a warzone, no exaggeration.”

Yi Soo nodded her head and stuck the straw in her mouth, sucking down a big gulp. She could feel the cold coffee traveling down her esophagus in sequence.

It must be her imagination, but the caffeine seeping into her body seemed to awaken each and every cell.

“I thought I was going to die from fighting a war yesterday too.”

Yi Soo lifted her head with a puzzled look on her face.

“…The ticketing.”

After blinking her blank eyes a few times, Yi Soo belatedly realized what she meant.

Lee Ajin, a 3rd year neurosurgery ward nurse who was the same year as Yi Soo, had behaved unusually kindly to her from the moment they first met, claiming to be Ji Ho’s fan.

Since most of the doctors and nurses at the hospital were alumni of the same university, there was hardly anyone among those with similar years who didn’t know about Yi Soo’s public relationship.

After starting her internship, Yi Soo encountered self-proclaimed fans of Ji Ho wherever she moved wards.

Perhaps due to their fan hearts, most of them were extremely kind to Yi Soo, and it was true that she received a lot of help thanks to them.

The gazes directed at Yi Soo by Ji Ho’s fans were always mixed with envy and curiosity. There were some who tried to get close to a burdensome degree, and a few who seemed displeased, warily keeping her at arm’s length.

Lee Ajin definitely belonged to the former category.

“Dr. Jung, you know yesterday was the ticketing for J’s concert, right? Like every time, it was a total bloodbath this time too. I synchronized my clock and went in right at 8, but wow… The estimated wait time said 7 hours. It was so ridiculous… I couldn’t even get connected yesterday, but I heard the 80,000 seats were all sold out in 10 minutes. With 400,000 people trying to connect simultaneously, what more is there to say? Sigh… I really thought I was going to die from the absurdity and letdown of it all.”

Lee Ajin sighed several times in between her lament, her face scrunched up in distress.

“Seriously, there are so many fans who can’t go to the concert every time because they can’t get tickets… I don’t get why they only do it for two days. Even if they did it for a whole week, it would still sell out.”

“Yeah.”

Yi Soo just nodded her head while chewing on her straw in response to Lee Ajin’s sigh-filled grievance.

With the night shift that started after 6pm yesterday, Yi Soo had been in a daze until now so she hadn’t even known.

Ever since revealing himself as J the year after, Ji Ho held concerts every year.

The first concert was held at a relatively small venue, but due to fans’ outcry that it sold out in 1 minute, an extra day was hastily added. After that, the concert venues were expanded each year until recently when even the largest venues were showing the incredible ticket power of complete sellouts.

This concert was scheduled to be held in 3 weeks in line with the release of Ji Ho’s 5th regular album.

“When you go to the concerts, you sit in the very best seats, right Dr. Jung?”

“Of course. I’m his girlfriend after all.”

“I’m so jealous. I’d be happy just to get in, even if it was a corner seat. It’s my dream just to hear him live.”

People who had gathered around one by one chimed in. They were all losers of yesterday’s ticketing bloodbath.

“I succeeded yesterday though.”

Then 3rd year resident Jin Seon-woo, who had been quietly listening, spoke up with an air of triumph. He looked like someone who had achieved something amazing, making a V sign with one hand and shrugging his shoulders.

“Wow! Really?”

“Dr. Jin, you’re a total master.”

As people clamored asking his secret one after another, Yi Soo thought of Ji Ho.

‘I should at least congratulate him.’

Yi Soo took out her phone. Yesterday had been so busy that she hadn’t had a chance to call.

There were several text messages from Ji Ho. It was common for her to check them more than a day later when she was working.

It wasn’t anything new, as it had always been like that during exam periods even when she was in school.

Although many lovers get upset over things like this, Ji Ho’s understanding was as wide as the ocean in that respect.

−Did you eat dinner? I’ll pray there are no sick people tonight so you can sleep for a few hours at least. (5:29 PM)

−I think I can make some time tomorrow. I’ll pick you up so wait for me and don’t leave first. (10:33 PM)

−You haven’t even checked your messages yet. Guess my prayers didn’t work. (12:20 AM)

−I miss you. I hope I can at least see you in my dreams. (1:11 AM)

−Don’t tell me you pulled an all-nighter? I’m on my way to work now. (6:20 AM)

Yi Soo chuckled at him saying he was going to work.

These days Ji Ho was spending busy days with final preparations for his new album.

If even a brief gap emerged, he would come pick her up matching the time she finished, but he couldn’t always do that like before.

If anything had changed, that was about the only thing.

Unlike before when he always acted like someone perpetually waiting for Yi Soo, these days Ji Ho was even busier than her.

“I find hardworking men so sexy.”

“I want to play with you all the time… Guess I’ll have to work hard my whole life.”

They had jokingly exchanged words like this long ago, but in the span of a few years, Ji Ho had clearly become an amazing singer. Now it was hard to even see each other comfortably.

−Congrats on the concert selling out. I miss you so much too.

A smile spread across her lips with each letter she typed.

Barely seeing each other one or two days a week had become routine these days, making it feel even more precious than before.

She thought it couldn’t get any more precious, but amazingly, it could.

“Dr. Jung, did you just text your boyfriend?”

Lee Ajin glanced at the couple ring on Yi Soo’s finger and asked.

“Huh? Ah, yes. I couldn’t contact him yesterday because I was so busy.”

Yi Soo’s face reddened slightly at getting caught right away. It was the first time she had texted while working on the ward.

“Dr. Jung, you must have saved the country hundreds of times in your past life. I wonder what it feels like to date a man like J. It’s such a dream to me, but it’s your reality… I’m so envious. It’s been 6 years already, right?”

“Yeah.”

It was something she had heard ad nauseum since it was revealed she was Ji Ho’s girlfriend.

That she must have saved the country in her past life. Not just once, but hundreds of times at that.

Each time, Yi Soo would smile and reply that she thought so too.

“I’m really curious how you two met. It doesn’t seem like you’d have any overlap… The rumors say J is extremely devoted to you, Dr. Jung. Did he make the first move too? I saw him a few times in front of the medical school when I was in college. No wonder people said it was easier to see J in front of the medical school than the business school.”

“We just had a few chance encounters… and ended up dating.”

“Oh my! That’s even more romantic! Like you two were destined for each other or something.”

Everyone showed fascinated gazes, laughing merrily at the sudden talk of Yi Soo’s love story with Ji Ho.

It had been awkward when people who were initially distant would ask about her dating story with Ji Ho as soon as they got a little closer.

Starting with who made the first move, an endless barrage of questions would pour out.

Even if she told the truth, it was obvious the answers wouldn’t be very pleasant to hear as Ji Ho’s fans.

It wasn’t a secret, but Yi Soo avoided detailed answers because it was an embarrassing story to say herself.

“Dr. Jung, I heard when you were interning in OBGYN, J came to the hospital several times to pick you up. My classmate boasted so much about going off duty with you and getting to greet J. You know nurse Jang Na-young, right?”

“Oh my, really? Wow, that must have been so great.”

Yi Soo nodded her head with a faint smile. As if it was only nurse Jang Na-young.

There were countless people, from her intern classmates to resident doctors, asking when Ji Ho was coming to the hospital.

“He doesn’t come when you’re on our ward? Let us greet him just once too, Dr. Jung.”

Since Lee Ajin had actively helped with Yi Soo’s work during her time in neurosurgery, Yi Soo hesitated for a moment.

Whatever her intentions were, it was true she was grateful.

“I get off at 6, are you going to wait until then? For 3 whole hours?”

“What’s the problem with that? I’ll just wait. I could come and wait even if you said to come on my day off, you know?”

Yi Soo had to chuckle too at her beaming face saying time was no issue at all. It looked sincere.

If it was out of fan devotion, it made sense.

“Then wait and see today.”

Behind Yi Soo’s back as she headed to the patient rooms with the surgery consent forms, a small cheer could be heard.

**

Ji Ho turned off the engine and flipped on the hazard lights at a spot with a good view of the hospital entrance. He leaned his head back and looked up at the darkening sky.

2 hours until the next shoot began. He had promised the manager he would return on time before slipping away from the set.

The manager, clearly aware of Ji Ho’s destination, only sighed without daring to stop him.

Considering the grueling schedule that would continue until dawn, he should have eaten dinner and rested, but Ji Ho got in his car, giving that up.

From the beginning, he had purposely brought his car to the set with this plan in mind.

Ji Ho squeezed his tired eyes shut then slowly opened them at the sound of his phone vibrating.

A smile automatically spread across his lips upon checking Yi Soo’s message.

Click.

Ji Ho opened the driver’s side door and got out. Sticking one hand in his pants pocket, he shifted his gaze toward the entrance.

People came pouring out of the exit, but in Ji Ho’s eyes, only Yi Soo’s figure was clearly visible.

Her short hair was tied back tightly and her clear face had not a hint of makeup.

As soon as she spotted Ji Ho, she broke into a bright smile, so dazzling it hurt his eyes.