Chapter 29
Because of that, Daeho had to drink half of all the alcohol that kept piling up.
And just then—
Instead of another bottle, an empty glass appeared in front of his blurry eyes.
Along with a blunt voice.
“What are you doing? Your glass is empty.”“Y-Yes, of course, I should pour for you.”
Clumsy as he was, Daeho fumbled several times before finally grabbing the bottle.
Someone sighed at the sight.
“Even that proud Richard becomes powerless in front of alcohol.”“Thash... because I drank all thish... hic... for you...”“So why did you even do that?”
More and more, the tone became casual—too casual. And worse, it was a man’s voice.
Daeho squinted at the blurry figure in front of him.
“Hmm? Why does this nurse... look like a man?”“Get a grip.”“Wait... huh? Park?”
Daeho blinked rapidly—and at last, the blurry figure came into focus.
It really was Park Jinkyu.
Park Jinkyu raised his empty glass and said,
“It’s hard to get even one drink from you.”“W-Why are you here!”“What do you mean? I’ve been drinking with you this whole time.”
Startled, Daeho quickly turned his head to the other side.
Whoosh!
This time, it was a long-haired woman for sure.
“Nurse... when did Dr. Park arrive?”“Dr. Richard, it’s me—Suhui.”“Oh. Head nurse—”“No, Park Suhui.”
When Park Suhui revealed her name, Daeho blinked again, realizing his mistake.
“Ah! Park Sunbaenim!”“Ahem, I’m here too.”
From the front, Lee Taekkyung raised his hand as well.
The trio of residents had shown up—completely unexpectedly.
Daeho was so shocked, the alcohol haze almost vanished.
“What the—didn’t you all go home?”“I called them,” Suyeon said calmly.
Daeho turned around and finally spotted Nurse Lee Suyeon.
“You called them?”“You seemed to have something to say to each other.”
She wasn’t the only one watching—every nurse was quietly observing the scene.
That’s when Park Jinkyu spoke.
“You planned this, huh? Pretending to take the blame all by yourself.”“...”“People don’t change that easily. If they do, something must’ve made them.”
He spoke casually, but Daeho didn’t argue back.
“Just drink.”
Park filled his glass.
“Yeah. Let’s drink.”“Me too.”“I’ll join as well.”
Clink!
Lee Taekkyung and Park Suhui eagerly joined in the toast.
And just like that, the residents officially became part of the dinner.
The atmosphere that had been missing something now felt complete.
Daeho smiled faintly after emptying his glass.
“People can’t live alone.”“You’re just realizing that now, you cocky bastard?”“...”“Don’t walk alone—you’ll trip before you even go ten steps.”
Park filled his glass again, mocking him lightly.
Daeho chuckled weakly.
“Why are you choosing a hard road?”“Because there’s something to learn. No—because I must learn.”“From me?”“Of course. Otherwise, I’d just end up like those arrogant specialists.”
He gulped down his drink.
Lee Taekkyung and Park Suhui carefully added,
“That cerebral angiography earlier—honestly, even most neurosurgeons avoid that procedure.”“Even if such patients come in, we’re not even allowed to observe.”
Listening quietly, Daeho tilted his head.
“Hmm, I’ve heard something like that before.”“Probably from Juran and Jinsu.”“Right.”“They were dying to come tonight. Should’ve scheduled better shifts.”
Park teased, and Daeho replied dryly,
“If you hang around me, Chief Gwang won’t like it.”“I don’t like people with ‘Gwang’ in their name anyway.”“That’s discrimination.”“My mouth, my rules.”
Park said firmly.
Daeho shrugged and raised his glass.
“Don’t expect too much from me.”“You don’t expect too much from us either.”“Hmm. I’m not the kind who’s patient enough to teach.”“Then do as you please. Enduring it’s our job.”“Suit yourself.”
Daeho said no more, leaving the door open.
But inwardly, he saw them in a slightly different light.
If they came this far...
Then it wasn’t just empty words.
Just then, Lee Taekkyung and Park Suhui began talking.
“That patient, Lee Youngrae—the one transferred to another hospital? Apparently, it’s someone Dr. Richard knows.”“Really? Then why did the transfer happen so suddenly?”“Probably financial reasons. Stroke care costs a lot. Just the caregiver fee alone—ugh.”
They were talking about the transferred patient.
Something came to mind, and Daeho asked Park,
“By the way, why are our hospital fees so cheap?”“Cheap? Our ER fees are some of the highest in the country.”“Then I must’ve calculated wrong. Well, it’s not my money anyway.”
He shrugged it off, satisfied.
But Park gave him a sharp look.
“Ah, wait—were you comparing it to the U.S.?”“Yeah.”“We have this thing called the National Health Insurance. It’s like…”
Park patiently explained the system.
Daeho’s eyes widened.
