Beneath His Brightest Smile

[accuscripter]

Just entering the lot, my lady," a woman in her early thirties said, steering her white SUV into the parking garage of Hankuk National University Hospital.

"Don't try to smother me now!" a sharp voice on the other end of the phone snapped.

She just laughed and stepped out of her car. She was dressed in a three-piece maroon suit, hair in a bun, a small designer handbag on her arm, coffee in one hand and her phone in the other.

"See you in the office." She closed the call and stepped into the elevator.

Just as the doors were sliding shut, a man immediately jammed his foot in the gap, forcing them back open. When he looked up and saw her, he froze for a split second, looking like he instantly regretted stopping the elevator. But he checked his wristwatch, steeled himself, and stepped inside.

Se-na sipped her coffee, her eyes scanning him from the ground up.

Shoes are the soul of a personality, she always said. They made a man out of a pauper and a pauper out of a man; or so she believed. Ji-woo would always scold her for judging attire, especially shoes. She used to argue that the more ragged the shoes, the harder the person worked. But Se-na always differed on this; she believed that a person who didn't keep their nails clean and shoes up to date lacked responsibility. Ji-woo would usually hit her on the head, telling her to stop projecting her thoughts onto other people and that it was none of her concern.

And yet, here she was, addicted to the bad habit. She stared at his shoes. They looked older than he was.

Jun-woo was his name. As if sensing her uncomfortable gaze, he turned around and adjusted his glasses. "Can I help you with something, Dr. Maeng?"

Se-na was still looking at his shoes but was snapped back to reality by his voice. "Hm? Nothing," she replied flatly, looking away and taking another sip of coffee.

Jun-woo turned back around, looking pleased with his confidence in showing her her place.

Se-na's floor arrived, and she got off. As the doors were closing behind her, she heard a giggle and a voice. "You were with her in the elevator? How could you even breathe, man! With that Queen?"

It was Won-bin teasing Jun-woo.

Se-na couldn't help herself. She turned back and, this time, she was the one who jammed her foot in the door to stop it.

"I heard you talking about me," she said, loud enough for the whole lobby to go silent.

Won-bin turned around, coffee in hand, looking terrified. "Wha... What? Did I say something?" he asked innocently, glancing at Jun-woo, who was frantically shaking his head no. "You must be mistaken, Dr. Maeng. How would I dare talk about anyone with a rich father? I don't have an interest in talking about people who bought their positions using shortcuts and try to undermine the hard work of others."

"You say 'shortcut' like it's a bad thing," Se-na smiled, though her eyes were cold. "I have money. That is a quality, just like your 'hard work.' The difference is, my quality bought this hospital the best equipment in the country. Your quality just bought you a pair of cheap shoes, a tired face, and... well... it would be an insult to call that shit a coffee. Who do you think the patients would rather have?"

Won-bin was struck silent, his face turning red with embarrassment. A few nurses and junior residents had gathered around to watch the spectacle.

Without waiting for him to respond, she pulled a crisp 50,000 won note from her designer handbag and tucked it into his scrub pocket. "Go buy a better coffee. You look like you're about to fail, and I hate looking at failures. Don't punish your taste buds just to look classy."

She left him standing there, humiliated and speechless. He ran out after her to confront her, with the note in his hand, but other residents stepped in and stopped him. She was hearing the commotion behind her, and loved that she could silence a room with a single sentence. After all, it wasn't just about the money; it was about the fact that she was right.

"Finally! You are here!" angry Ji-woo snapped at her, running up the hall, as she entered the residents room. She was a small woman, full of life and color, and Se-na loved her for that. She was her dearest best friend, the only person who could say anything to this Ice Queen and not get eaten alive. She was the apple of her eye.

"You said you were here ten minutes ago! Look at the time! It's already twenty minutes late! If you are late, who will teach the juniors to be on time? You are supposed to be their role model! What should I do with you!"

"It won't happen again, Ji-woo-ya," Se-na said in a pleading voice, sending her a flying kiss.

Angry Ji-woo caught the kiss in her hand. "Only this time! This is the last time!" she said, sounding just like she always did, utterly smitten by Se-na. She adjusted her color in the mirror, and told Se-na to get ready immediately for morning rounds.

As they got out and started to walk away, a nurse approached them. "Dr. Maeng! Wait!"

Se-na didn't stop. She knew the voice. It was Min-ji, a nurse who had been at the hospital for twenty years and still thought "kindness" was a medical requirement. Se-na was always irritated by her because she constantly lectured her on humanity.

Min-ji caught up to her, breathless. "The patient in 304… he passed away an hour ago. His daughter has been waiting for you."

Se-na looked at Ji-woo. "I will go. You do what you have to do," Ji-woo said, leaving Se-na with Min-ji.

Se-na rubbed her temple. "He died. Why does she want to meet with me when she already knew he would die?" she asked with scorn.

"She just wants to know if he was in any pain before he left... Could you just... five minutes?" Min-ji replied, breathing heavily.

Se-na stopped and looked at her watch. She didn't look at Min-ji's face. "My job ended when his soul left his body. Give me a reason, Head Nurse. Why should I spend five minutes discussing a dead man?"

Min-ji blinked, startled. "Yes, but..."

Se-na leaned in. "Yes, BUT...you don't have a reason. I know you have already explained everything to her, and I don't want to be disrespectful, Head Nurse, but if I wanted to hold hands, I would have worked in a kindergarten. So please, try not to come to me with such requests. It's not my headache that he signed a DNR. I have a schedule to keep."

Saying this, she walked away, hearing the sharp, pained sigh from the nurse as if she had expected nothing less.

Tsk... what a productive way to start a day, she muttered under her breath, going after Ji-woo, who was lovingly guiding some new junior residents.

It was a strange combo, their friendship. They were total opposites, yet somehow they worked. They met in university; Ji-woo had befriended her on her own. For days, Se-na tried to run away, but eventually, she surrendered to her sweetness.

They never tried to interfere with each other's thought processes. Ji-woo had objections against her beliefs and principles and always tried to correct her. But for Se-na... the world was nothing but a broken system where humans were fragile, and everyone was eventually going to betray you. That was reality.

At times she tried to guide Ji-woo not to trust others too much, to keep a boundary with people. But seeing the way Ji-woo smiled and mingled, that careless, loving nature; Se-na didn't want to ruin it with her darkness. So, she rarely showed her harsh side in front of her. And Ji-woo, realizing by now that Se-na wouldn't change, never really interrupted either.

.

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(I tried this K-drama-inspired story with a different name earlier and published it to see what worked and what didn't. Because sometimes writing it down doesn't help with brainstorming unless you publish it, and it's too late to correct it . So yeah... I scrapped it and here I am, starting it again with a different name. I think this name suits it better than the previous one, "Resuscitating Yesterday". That chapter can serve as a base, though I revealed a few things a little too early in it. Let's consider it a spoiler alert . I'll do my best to make this genre, which I've rarely worked on, turn out well. The character in the cover is inspiration for this story (iykyk ). Looking forward to your response and suggestions!!!