Taming the Wicked Professor (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12

Na Young took out her phone to check the time.

By now, Professor Choi Tae Hyuk must have finished his surgery and should have found the bouquet she’d left in his office.

‘I wonder if the flowers lifted his mood a little?’

That thought kept nagging at her.

She wished he’d just sent a single text saying he’d received the flowers—but his complete silence made her feel disappointed and hurt.

Rrrrrrrr Rrrrrrrr

As soon as the phone rang, Na Young pressed the call button without even checking who it was.

“Hello?”

[It’s me. Unnie.]

Hearing her younger brother’s voice instantly deflated Na Young.

Her younger brother, Hwi Young, was a college student currently on leave because he’d received his military draft notice, so he was just lounging around.

[Mom told me to bring you the new clothes she bought, so I’m on my way. I’ll be at the hospital soon.]

Their mother must have gone out shopping again and bought her more clothes.

“I keep telling you I don’t need new clothes since I’m always at the hospital.”

[Don’t complain to me—tell Mom yourself. Because of this, I’m already late for plans with my friends.]

Na Young let out a sigh.

It felt a bit unfair—her brother knew perfectly well she wouldn’t dare confront their mother, yet he still scolded her for it.

Tae Hyuk left the bar, got into a taxi, and headed straight back to the hospital.

Only after hearing Cha Hyun’s words did he realize how biased he’d been.

How could he have blindly believed every careless rumor the residents gossiped about like idle chatter?

He’d ended up doing the exact same thing as all those people who’d spoken badly of him based solely on hearsay.

The most honest and accurate thing would’ve been to just ask Moon Na Young directly.

It was true—if she actually admitted to seeing another man, he’d probably feel even worse. But right now, he hated himself even more for lacking the courage to ask her properly.

Just as the taxi entered the hospital driveway, he spotted Moon Na Young walking out from the main gate.

It felt like their thoughts had somehow aligned, and Tae Hyuk’s face brightened—until he saw her expression harden as she noticed a man approaching her.

The young man in his twenties stood tall with strikingly handsome features—the kind every woman would find appealing.

He handed her a paper bag bearing a department store logo, and she accepted it without the slightest hint of refusal.

When Tae Hyuk saw Na Young reach out to grab the man’s hand as he turned to leave, something inside him snapped with a sharp, audible crack.

The two exchanged a few more words.

“Sir, aren’t you getting out?”

The taxi driver asked, puzzled, since Tae Hyuk hadn’t moved despite having arrived at the hospital.

Tae Hyuk couldn’t bring himself to step out of the taxi until Moon Na Young disappeared back inside the hospital’s main entrance.

Click.

Tae Hyuk opened the door to his office and immediately slumped onto the sofa.

On his desk sat fifty pages of a report left by Nam Ho Jin, but Tae Hyuk didn’t even feel like checking it—he knew for certain it was just a slapped-together patchwork anyway.

Right now, he didn’t care about such trivial matters.

The image of Moon Na Young with that stranger at the main gate kept replaying in his mind, weighing his eyes down with heaviness.

He’d thought it understandable that she’d avoided him the first time she saw him at the hospital.

It must have been difficult for her to casually treat as a professor the man she’d spent just one night with.

So he’d pretended not to remember—for her sake.

But now he finally understood: her rejection wasn’t only because their relationship might interfere with her residency training.

What truly angered and hurt him was realizing he’d meant nothing more to her than a disposable one-night fling.

For the first time, Tae Hyuk regretted that single night with her.

It would’ve been better if they’d met for the first time right here at the hospital.

That way, he’d never have started seeing Moon Na Young as a woman.

And then today, he wouldn’t have ended up feeling so pitifully humiliated.

Tae Hyuk closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

All he wanted right now was to rest without thinking about anything.

The next day.

Na Young arrived earlier than usual to prepare for morning rounds.

She figured Professor Choi Tae Hyuk must have seen the bouquet by now and would surely have changed his attitude.

She hadn’t even confessed anything outright, yet as his arrival time drew near, her nerves began tightening little by little.

Spotting Professor Choi Tae Hyuk walking toward her in the distance, Na Young smiled faintly.

But the moment their eyes met, his cold and indifferent gaze wiped the smile right off her face.

Apparently, even the bouquet had failed.

It almost felt like the more she tried, the more he grew to dislike her.

Honestly, Na Young now thought Professor Choi Tae Hyuk was being completely unreasonable.

She’d bought and personally delivered a bouquet of flowers—something she’d never done in her life—and yet his attitude had only grown colder than before.

If their relationship weren’t professional but personal, she would’ve cut ties with him immediately.

How could someone be so utterly heartless!

Just as he brushed past her, Na Young impulsively called out to him, overcome by frustration.

“Professor Choi.”

His dry gaze turned toward her.

“I really think I’ve done all I can. Can’t you just forgive me already? We have to keep working together from now on.”

“You’re asking me—a professor—to adjust to a first-year resident? So your life as Doctor Moon Na Young becomes easier?”

He’d never been the gentle, accommodating type, but today he sounded especially authoritarian.

Feeling completely unheard, Na Young looked away—only to catch Nam Ho Jin smirking at her, which made her frown.

What’s his problem now?

Had he been annoyed about the “report bomb” she supposedly caused him, and now got a kick out of seeing her scolded by the professor?

What a nasty mindset.

After morning rounds ended, Na Young headed to the ICU in a foul mood.

She decided she’d just focus hard on her work—but then a message from Seung Hee popped up.

What was this nonsense about?

Apparently, someone must’ve seen her carrying flowers into the hospital and started spreading wild rumors.

Na Young sighed and typed a reply to Seung Hee.

Beep beep.

Seung Hee’s reply came instantly.

Hearing that the issue was her gift choice made Na Young let out a hollow laugh.

Right—I was just being overly romantic.

She’d impulsively wanted to give him roses the moment Lee Su Ji described Professor Choi Tae Hyuk as a “thorny rose.”

Now she realized just how naive that thought had been.

But since she had no desire to buy him yet another gift to beg forgiveness, Na Young simply stuffed her phone into her pocket and stepped into the elevator.

Ten minutes later, another message from Seung Hee arrived—and after reading it, Na Young clutched her forehead in exasperation.

Why did you ask that without even checking with me first!

This was spiraling completely out of control.

Just imagining Professor Yoon I Na viewing her as some desperate resident trying too hard to impress Professor Choi made her blood pressure spike.

She was seriously fed up with everything now.

All she wanted was to go home.

Tae Hyuk took off his white coat and left work earlier than usual today.

It wasn’t physical exhaustion that drained him—it was emotional fatigue.

Every time he saw Moon Na Young, his heart felt uneasy.

Just thinking about having to work with her going forward gave him a pounding headache.

Should he have just asked her directly who gave her that bouquet?

But picturing himself doing that felt so pathetic he couldn’t bear it.

Even if he knew—what would actually change?

Was he really going to go snatch it back from someone else?

Forcefully cutting off those thoughts, Tae Hyuk headed toward the elevator.

“You’re leaving early today.”

Of all days, he ran into Yoon I Na.

Tae Hyuk deliberately avoided meeting her eyes.

Yoon I Na stopped beside him.

He tried his best to avoid conversation, but then she spoke.

“I honestly thought Moon Na Young was a bit special to you.”

Hearing that name—impossible to ignore—Tae Hyuk turned and stared at Yoon I Na.

She even had a faint smile on her lips.

“But I guess not.”

“You’re wrong about that.”

At his blunt denial, Yoon I Na’s eyes wavered for a moment—but she quickly regained her composure.

She preserved her self-esteem by pitying someone else.

“Moon Na Young is pitiful.”

What absurd nonsense was this?

He was the one treated like a disposable item—why was Moon Na Young the pitiful one?

Ding.

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

Wanting to get away from Yoon I Na as fast as possible, Tae Hyuk gestured toward the elevator.

“Go ahead and take this one. I’ll wait for the next.”

Yoon I Na gave him a dry look—he clearly didn’t even want to share an elevator ride with her—before stepping inside.

Turning around inside the elevator, she looked back at him and asked,

“Did you throw away the bouquet?”

Tae Hyuk didn’t understand at first and gave her a blank stare—until realization slowly dawned on him.

He suddenly recalled Nam Ho Jin’s report sitting on his desk.

‘I really think I’ve done all I can.’

And Moon Na Young’s words that morning, which he’d brushed off as insignificant.

Realizing he’d missed something huge, Tae Hyuk turned around and bolted away in a hurry.

Watching his retreating figure vanish between the closing elevator doors, Yoon I Na furrowed her brow.

Bang!

The on-call room door suddenly flew open, and Professor Choi Tae Hyuk appeared—startling the resting residents, who jumped to their feet in shock.

“Where’s Nam Ho Jin right now?!”

The residents exchanged nervous glances at the professor’s deadly tone.

Did Nam Ho Jin cause another mess?

I have no idea.

Just then, Nam Ho Jin, returning from the restroom and whistling cheerfully, walked into the on-call room—only to spot Professor Choi Tae Hyuk and instinctively spin around to flee.

But in an instant, the professor’s iron grip clamped down on his shoulder.

Nam Ho Jin was slammed against the wall, pinned between it and the furious professor.

The watching residents were horrified.

If Nam Ho Jin hadn’t been male, the position would’ve been ripe for serious misunderstanding.

“What did you do in my office yesterday?”

Even caught red-handed, Nam Ho Jin responded with casual innocence—it was just a bouquet, after all.

He hadn’t stolen any important research paper or anything.

“Oh! The bouquet was wilting, so I watered it! I just forgot to put it back where it was.”

Hearing confirmation that Nam Ho Jin really had taken it made Tae Hyuk feel as if he’d been struck hard on the head.

So the report he’d dismissed as worthless had actually been the root cause of everything.

Nam Ho Jin immediately retrieved the concealed bouquet and handed it to Tae Hyuk.

It was a bouquet of white roses.

Tae Hyuk had never imagined in his life that roses would become so deeply tangled with his fate.

“The card is still there too.”

Without being asked, Nam Ho Jin even pulled out the card to show him.

<I’m really sorry for taking your photo without permission. I deeply regret it, so please accept these flowers and forgive me. Moon Na Young>

The bouquet had been meant for him—given by Moon Na Young, not received from another man.

Even now that he finally knew the whole truth, a surge of emotion choked Tae Hyuk.

How was he supposed to have guessed these flowers were for him!

Of all things—why did it have to be flowers…

Professor Choi Tae Hyuk, who’d appeared so abruptly in the on-call room, just as suddenly grabbed the bouquet and hurried out.

Feeling guilty, Nam Ho Jin dutifully saw him off.

“Professor, please take care on your way!”

But where on earth was he rushing off to in such a hurry?