The day of Tae-sung's surgery had arrived. The medical staff wheeled Tae-sung's bed toward the operating room. Minjin and Kim Bon-hwa waited outside until Minjun and Im Sung-ae arrived in surgical attire.
Kim Bon-hwa and Minjin bowed to greet them.
"Please take care of my husband, seonsaengnim," Kim Bon-hwa said faintly.
Minjun smiled and assured her, "He'll be okay, Bon-hwa-ssi."
He then quickly glanced at Minjin.
She noticed him and smiled softly while giving a slight bow.
"Do you trust me?" Minjun suddenly asked her politely.
Minjin's eyes widened for a moment. She smiled faintly and nodded at him, "Ne, seonsaengnim."
Minjun then turned to Kim Bon-hwa. "You can wait for him in his room, Bon-hwa-ssi. This won't take long."
Kim Bon-hwa gave a slight bow to him. "I understand, seonsaengnim."
"We'll go in now," Minjun said before entering the room.
Kim Bon-hwa and Minjin slightly bowed their heads to him.
A nurse near the entrance handed them medical masks. They put them on before Minjun began to examine the surgical equipment he would be using.
"Minjun-ah, why are you being so formal with her if she's a friend?" Im Sung-a asked as he prepared his anesthesia materials.
"I need to be professional," Minjun replied as the nurse adjusted the medical curtain above Tae-sung, who was unconscious.
Im Sung-ae positioned himself above Tae-sung's head, ready to administer the anesthesia. Just as he was about to inject the equipment, his eyes widened in sudden realization.
"She was your first love!" he exclaimed.
Minjun kept his expression. "Just work."
"Now, I understand why you've treated her as a stranger. You were badly heartbroken."
Minjun did not respond.
He turned his attention to Tae-sung, who was lying unconscious.
Earlier, Minjun had tried to comfort Minjin because he knew how much Minjin loved her older brother. Now, he felt a surge of emotion as he remembered the bond they shared every morning before he and Minjin went to school.
He lifted his head to hold back his tears and sighed deeply, again and again.
He suddenly felt guilty for not informing his mother and Kang Xiumin about Tae-sung's condition. He knew that their family bond made his relationship with Minjin much deeper. If they found out that Minjin was back, they would reconnect with her just like Heo Yeong-hwan and their friends had been doing.
"I am done," Im Sung-ae said, as he averted his attention.
Minjun then turned to the nurses. "We will wait for now."
###
Minjin and Kim Bon-hwa returned to Tae-sung's room and sat across from each other at the table. The silence was broken when Minjin's phone vibrated on the table. She sighed deeply upon seeing the name Heo Yeong-hwan.
Kim Bon-hwa glanced at her phone. "I didn't know you were friends with Heo-nim."
Minjin sighed again and continued to ignore her phone. "It's not a good memory to bring up, unnie."
Kim Bon-hwa nodded. "Yeah, he said you two had a rough history. Could you tell me what happened?"
Minjin sighed deeply again, and lowered her head, while she moved her hands together. "Not to me, unnie, but to Minjun-ah." She then suddenly smirked as she turned to her. "If it weren't for Minjun, he wouldn't be a lawyer. Thinking about it now, I still hate him."
Kim Bon-hwa gently smiled. "You are still loyal to, Kang-seonsaengnim."
Minjin faintly smiled. "We had a long history, unnie. Our families were very close with each other. Minjun and I were also best friends, and then we became enemies, until we became each other's firsts. We had a very deep and impactful relationship."
Kim Bon-hwa then sighed. "I guess, we couldn't just forget our first love."
Minjin faintly smiled, as she lowered her head and stared at her hands. "Minjun and I may appear that we do not know each other, but the people around us have unconsciously reacted like it happened yesterday. I didn't realize that everyone had also been affected by our past."
Kim Bon-hwa weakly nodded. "Like what Kim Aecha said yesterday while Kang-seonsaengnim was here."
Minjin then turned to Kim Bon-hwa. "Even Yeong-hwan-ah did the same to Minjun."
"How do you feel about that?"
Minjin faintly smiled, and shook her head. "Nothing. I think I become numb. Minjun has also been ignoring them although he knew what they meant."
"Are you okay, Minjin-ah?" Kim Bon-hwa worriedly asked her.
Minjin finally smiled with her wrinkled nose, and nodded. "Ne, unnie. You don't have to worry about me, instead I think I should be asking you that. How are you, unnie?"
Kim Bon-hwa faintly smiled. "I am fine. Since everyone is trusting Kang-seonsaengnim, I don't feel like I should be worried."
Minjin reached out her hand to hold Kim Bon-hwa's arm on the table. "Unnie, it is okay to cry and feel tired."
Kim Bon-hwa suddenly sniffled until she couldn't help but cry. Minjin stood up and rushed over to embrace her. She sobbed quietly, as Minjin couldn't stop her tears from falling.
###
Bang Eun-kyung arrived at the bar and scanned the area for Minjun. He spotted him drinking a glass of whiskey across from the bartender. Bang Eun-kyung approached and sat next to him, then called the bartender to request a glass of whiskey for himself.
Turning to Minjun, Bang Eun-kyung asked, "You rarely call me. Did something happen?"
Minjun smiled faintly and replied, "Why? Can't I call just because nothing happened?"
Bang Eun-kyung took a sip of his whiskey and chuckled softly. "Minjun-ah, I'm updated. I know that Tae-sung had his surgery earlier. Does it affect you?"
Minjun lowered his head and stared at his glass. "Tae-sung-hyung is very special to me, even though Minjin and I aren't okay."
Bang Eun-kyung chuckled again and turned his upper body to face Minjun. "Minjun-ah, you're the only one who seems not okay. You're treating Minjin like a stranger." He then shook his head and looked ahead.
Minjun turned to him with a smirk. "I bet all of you know about this. How did you all find out?"
Bang Eun-kyung took a sip before responding. "Sara mentioned it. She said she went to see Minjin."
"What's wrong with treating Minjin like a stranger? That's just a natural response from an unpleasant past."
"We all know that. You're an adult; you know what you're doing."
Minjun chuckled in disbelief. "No, you don't understand. You're all enchanted by Minjin again. I feel like I'm at fault all over again."
Bang Eun-kyung stifled a loud laugh. He faced Minjun and placed a hand on his waist. "Minjun-ah, of all of us, you should know why."
Minjun smirked and looked forward as he finished his whiskey. Bang Eun-kyung shook his head at Minjun's reaction while also facing ahead.
Minjun stared at his empty glass. "Eun-kyung-ah, are you hiding something from me?"
Bang Eun-kyung signaled the bartender to pour them another whiskey. "What would I hide from you?"
Minjun frowned and looked at him again. "Is there a group chat that I'm not included in?"
Bang Eun-kyung couldn't help but laugh this time. "Why would we do that to you? We're not that childish. Listen, Minjun-ah, we all know you've been busy, and while we felt you were keeping your distance, we tried to understand your situation. After all, we know that you are more of an achiever among us."
Minjun lowered his head again and stared at his glass. "I'm sorry."
Bang Eun-kyung stared at his glass and said, "I've been in communication with Aecha, while she's been talking to Sara, which is why I know." He took a sip of his whiskey afterward.
Minjun hesitated for a moment before asking, "What about Minjin? Are you also communicating with her?"
Bang Eun-kyung chuckled and turned to him with a playful smile. "I'll let you know if you can talk to her casually."
Minjun frowned and faced him. "Ya, you're really good at keeping secrets from me about Minjin."
Bang Eun-kyung laughed, "Of course, she's my friend too."
Minjun chuckled in disbelief. "Eun-kyung-ah, I'm your best friend."
"Whoa, you finally remember who I am, Minjun-ah," Bang Eun-kyung said sarcastically, placing his hand on his chest.
Minjun maintained his frown as he took a sip from his glass. "I'll find out soon."
"Ya, Minjun-ah, don't be curious this time. You know the saying, 'curiosity kills the cat.' It already happened to you before, so don't repeat it," Bang Eun-kyung replied as he sipped his whiskey.
Minjun turned to him, frowning again. "Then you should side with me."
Bang Eun-kyung laughed again and turned to Minjun. "Come on, Minjun-ah, since we were younger, Minjin has always been right. How could you still be emotionally unintelligent despite being a doctor?" he said, shaking his head.
Minjun smirked. "I met Heo Yeong-hwan twice with Minjin."
Bang Eun-kyung's eyes widened. "Really? She went to see Minjin?"
Minjun took a sip of his whiskey before smirking again. "I still hate him."
"Of course you should, after what he did to you."
"He already warned me, making me feel like an idiot."
"What did he say?"
Minjun turned to him with a slight smirk. "He said that this time he'll keep Minjin."
Bang Eun-kyung's eyes widened. "How do you feel about that?"
Minjun lowered his head, frowning as a smirk crossed his face. "I still hate him," he replied after taking a sip of whiskey.
"Minjun-ah, please don't get involved with Heo Yeong-hwan again. I'll talk to Minjin about this, okay?"
Minjun nodded and turned to Bang Eun-kyung, offering a faint smile. "Okay."