Chapter Text
1. Lee Ikjun
Ikjun has always been a people person. He introduces himself, he talks about his personal life, he hangs out with people that are not from the same department as he is, basically he just knows everyone and everyone knows him. An insider, if you will - and he acknowledges it too.
Since he's such a people person, he just knows and inserts himself in everyone's business. He notices things that aren't that obvious to others.
Being still is not his forte, he just sees and hears things that people try to hide. As an insider in Yulje Hospital, he happens to always witness something shocking or amazing or unexpected. Not that he's going to tell everyone about it, but he has his own pride and happiness knowing something that other people don't know about.
Except for this secret.
Ikjun has just finished his operation that took 13 hours to finish, it's now 6.34 in the morning. Not having other agendas in the hospital since he's not on duty, he decides to go home quickly to meet his own son that he's missed so much.
He's walking to his car in the basement when he notices Gyeoul in Jeongwon's car. His favorite ex-resident who decided to continue half of her fellowship journey in another hospital ever since she got married to Jeongwon. He misses her so much. Has she become an officially HBP surgeon like he is now? It's been how many years? Three? Ikjun can't quite remember as well. Jeongwon rarely updates about her anymore.
Gyeoul giggles because of something Jeongwon just said. Such a rare but warm view. Ah, what a young love. They're still lovey-dovey even after dating for four-ish years. He's still proud of becoming their cupid up to this day.
Without him knowing, he starts walking towards their car with a grin. But when he almost reaches there, he sees them turning their heads around to the backseat. Is Junwan there? He stops himself and quickly hides. He rolls his eyes upwards, trying to think. He saw Junwan earlier in the hospital with Jaehak. So, what are they looking at?
He then sees Gyeoul turn her whole body around and fixes something. Ikjun tiptoes trying to see what the younger woman is doing and he almost chokes. Gyeoul picks up something from the backseat, not something but someone!
A toddler to be precise. A toddler with small pigtails.
The toddler is crying and she reaches out her hands to Jeongwon and Jeongwon quickly hugs her. Who is that toddler? Is she their child?
Then, Ikjun starts realizing something. Is that the reason why Gyeoul resigned from Yulje and started working in a less busy hospital? Everything makes sense now.
That saekki. No, those saekki-deul. How can they keep this secret from him, their cupid?
"Annyeong, Jangmi-yah. Appa is going to work okay?" Jeongwon has stepped out of the car and waving at the toddler from the car window. "Don't cry. Eomma is still with you."
Ikjun scratches the back of his head. Appa? Eomma? He still can't believe his eyes let alone get used to them being called 'appa' and 'eomma'. He closes his eyes, this might be a dream. Maybe you want them to become a family so much you start dreaming of one. Ikjun even pinches his cheek but when he opens his eyes again, they're still there.
"I'll let you hug me once again." Jeongwon says, surrendering to his daughter's cuteness.
Gyeoul giggles again before she also steps out of the car and hugs both of them.
"Go, Gyosunim. You're going to be late. Let's go home, Jangmi-yah." Gyeoul takes their daughter back and puts her in the backseat.
"I'm going to see you go first before I enter the hospital."
Gyeoul nods before she waves her hand sweetly and drives out of the basement.
Now she's driving too? Ikjun's fingers are itchy wanting to tell his friends in the group chat, or the other already know and he's the only one who only found out now? Or nobody knows and Jeongwon is actually not planning to tell anybody? There must be a reason why they're keeping their daughter a secret, right? Right?
Ikjun sighs loudly.
Those saekki-deul jinjja!
2. Kim Junwan
Junwan has just finished with his outpatient appointments and is walking back towards his and Jeongwon's office. It's been five years working in Yulje and he still doesn't get his own office. That prick.
Even though he's still thankful that his office mate is Jeongwon who's a clean freak instead of Seokhyeong's office mate. His apartment is quite messy now that Jeongwon doesn't live there anymore. He actually misses him and their arguments.
Well, or he misses his clean apartment that once was and how even though Jeongwon would get annoyed and nag him from time to time but he would always pick things up and put everything back to where they belong neatly.
He remembers asking Jeongwon if he could live with him and Gyeoul once they got married, but Jeongwon only cursed at him. Again, that prick.
Was he seriously going to become a priest? Would anybody believe him?
Junwan takes off his doctor jacket and slings it on his shoulder before he checks through the window on the door to see if Jeongwon is there.
He is. And he's video chatting with someone.
His curiosity is now through the roof. Is he talking to Gyeoul? He hasn't seen her for a long time. Not that he saw her frequently before she moved out of Yulje, but still he sometimes walked past her.
Nowadays Jeongwon only tells him that Gyeoul is fine and she's working hard. Typical basic answer that Junwan has heard multiple times. It's like he's now hiding Gyeoul from the world even though most people in Yulje already know that they're married.
He's not cheating on her, is he? His anxiety is back, it reminds him of when he caught Songhwa's ex-boyfriend cheated on her and he was so angry. If Jeongwon really cheated on Gyeoul, he's going to berate him and definitely will tell Gyeoul immediately. He doesn't care that he used to be his soulmate.
That's why Junwan opens the door as quietly as possible. If Jeongwon's really cheating on Gyeoul, he might catch him in the act.
"Eo, Eomma. I'll probably be back home at 8, I'm sorry Gyeoul and I are so busy today."
Ah, Eomma. It's just Jung Rosa-nim. Not a big deal.
He almost announces his presence before he hears another thing that almost makes him gasp, if only he doesn't remember that he's supposed to be eavesdropping.
"How many times do I have to say it's okay, maknae-yah? I love taking care of my only granddaughter, she's so sweet like Gyeoul."
"Alright, alright, I know that you love Gyeoul very much, but I'm still your son, remember?"
Junwan can imagine Jeongwon is pouting now. Just the thought is enough to make him shudder.
"Eo." Rosa replies carelessly. "Are you busy? Should we end the call? Jangmi-yah, do you want to say anything else to Appa? You're the one who wanted to call him."
"Eomma?" The toddler's voice can be heard.
Since they're video chatting, Junwan tries to look at the appearance of Jeongwon and Gyeoul's supposed daughter. How? She does look like Gyeoul a lot, but that nose is definitely Jeongwon's. How?
"Eomma isn't here, aegi-yah. You can call Eomma too if you want." Jeongwon explains.
"Eung. Annyeong, Appa." She exclaims and runs away.
And the appearance of his best friend's daughter is gone. Junwan also quickly closes the door again, of course as quietly as possible before running away from there. He can go back to his office later after he arranges the confusion in his heart and brain first.
Jangmi. Ahn Jangmi. It's so weird to hear a little baby call his best friend 'appa'. The best friend that almost became a priest.
But how come he didn't know about this? Is this the reason Jeongwon doesn't talk about Gyeoul a ton anymore? Or is he so insensitive that he missed the information? Or are they really hiding that fact? Should he ask his best friends now?
He sits down on one of the benches and kicks his feet around. Why am I always the last person to know about anything?
3. Chae Songhwa
Songhwa is a dependable best friend. She's always been their emotional anchor, especially for sensitive Jeongwon. Being the only girl in the group makes her somewhat the leader and the boys come to her for their problems, about love, about work, about family, basically everything.
She's not a psychologist nor psychiatrist but she has this personality of hers that's always empathic and she loves being an ear to her friends, her juniors, or anyone. She's not like Ikjun who always wants to be in the loop, she's more of someone who waits until the other person comes to her themselves.
But it's not like she can avoid secrets.
Yes, she wants the other person to come to her instead of her prying. But what if it's accidental? By accidental it means that they didn't come to her first and talk to her about it.
It happens in the afternoon when she's having lunch with Jeongwon since he's the only one that's available.
"Only you?" Songhwa asks.
"Eo. Ikjun is having his outpatient appointments, Seokhyeong is delivering a baby, and Junwan is giving a lecture." Jeongwon shrugs. "Wae? Are you disappointed?"
Songhwa chuckles. "Aniya. I ordered too much then."
Jeongwon sits down on her couch. "I know you can finish them."
"Eo. Probably." Songhwa agrees and glances back to her computer. "Are you on duty tonight?"
"No, Gyeoul is and we have to take turns because we-" Jeongwon suddenly stops explaining.
Songhwa looks at Jeongwon. "Because you...?"
"Nothing. Just we have to take turns." Jeongwon concludes without explaining further.
Songhwa sneers but doesn't push him. Like her motto, she'll let him come to her first instead of her prying into his life. "Is she really coming back to Yulje?"
Jeongwon nods his head. "She loves working here and misses her colleagues and we find it kind of difficult to be working in different hospitals."
"I know-" All of a sudden, Songhwa's phone beeps. "Oh, the food is almost here!"
"Let me pick it up." Jeongwon is already standing up. "In the lobby, right?"
"Eo."
"Songhwa-yah, watch over my phone, please." Jeongwon leaves his phone on her desk and jogs out of the room.
Songhwa is back focusing on her own research when Jeongwon's phone beeps and lights up, indicating there's a new message coming in. She glances at the phone and smiles, she notices that his wallpaper is scenery with a toddler bundled in a white and purple winter outfit playing in the snow. She doesn't know if the toddler is one of his patients or not but she knows the meaning behind the winter wallpaper.
Such a love fool, Gyeoul Wallpaper, really?
Still observing the wallpaper, she can't help but look at the message. From Gyeoul.
Oppa, I'm going to head out at 5. Let me know if you can't come home earlier than that, I'll ask Gaeul to come to watch over Jangmi.
Songhwa knows that Gaeul is Gyeoul's little brother, but who is Jangmi? Why does he need to watch over Jangmi if Jeongwon can't go home before Gyeoul heads out to work? No, no, don't pry, Songhwa-yah. It's not your place. Songhwa reminds herself and wills herself to refocus on her paper, even though she can't help but takes a peek at his phone again.
When Songhwa hasn't done rereading the message, the phone beeps again.
Or I'll just drop our daughter at Gaeul's apartment on my way to work and you can pick her up later?
Songhwa's eyes almost pop out reading the message. Our daughter? Jeongwon and Gyeoul have a daughter together? She now notices there's a word 장미 (Jang Mi) written in the snow beside the toddler.
Oh, this is big. This is a grand secret. Why did she have to stare at his wallpaper for too long? Now, what is she going to do? She shouldn't tell the other boys about it, should she? It's not her place.
She quickly opens their group chat to see if anyone has talked about it before. Is she the first one to know? She scrolls through the chats, no one has ever talked about 'jangmi' or 'daughter' before. There's 'son' and that means Uju, but nothing else.
"What are you doing frantically, Songhwa-yah?" Jeongwon chuckles, showing two bags of food in his hands.
Songhwa snaps out of her phone with a surprised look. "You're here already? Why didn't I hear you?"
"You were so into your phone." Jeongwon sets the food on the table and goes to Songhwa's desk to pick up his phone. "No calls from anybody, right?"
"Uh- no, no." Songhwa stammers. She still can't apprehend what she just saw earlier. Should she provoke him? "But there's a message. Or two. I don't know it beeped twice."
Jeongwon quickly looks at his phone and types his reply before he answers, "Ah, it's from Gyeoul." He answers it like there's nothing going on between them. Like he has no secrets.
Songhwa hums. "Let's eat then."
If he doesn't want to share it, she won't pry. She reminds herself again and again. She just has to keep this secret in her securely protected box inside her head. She can only hope that her best friend won't keep this secret for a long time and will share it eventually.