Tae-sung finally regained consciousness, finding himself in a hospital room with Minjin, Kim Bon-hwa, and Park Micha by his side. Their faces showed both relief and concern as they watched him wake up.

Minjin moved closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently taking his hand. “We’ll be here for you until you make a full recovery, oppa.”

Tae-sung’s gaze held a trace of worry as he looked at them. “I’m concerned about the hospital expenses,” he admitted in a weak voice.

Minjin exhaled deeply. “We’ll manage it together, oppa. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Tae-sung sighed. “I’m really sorry for causing all this trouble.”

Minjin squeezed his hand reassuringly. “There’s nothing to be sorry for, oppa. We’re family. We’ll get through this together.”

Kim Bon-hwa, trying to suppress her tears, nodded in agreement. “Just focus on getting better, yeobo. We’re here for you.”

Tae-sung managed a faint smile and rested back against his pillow.

Minjin then let go of his hand and stood up. “Unnie, I’ll go buy us some lunch.”

Kim Bon-hwa returned a small smile. “Araso, gomawo, Minjin-ah.”

Leaving the room, Minjin walked down the hospital hallway and stopped in front of the elevator, pressing the down button. As she waited, Minjun, Im Sung-ae, Song Hyein, and Jang Harin approached from a distance.

Minjun instantly noticed the striking blue hue of Minjin’s loose hair. He almost hesitated in his steps, but his colleagues continued toward the elevator, leaving him no choice but to follow.

As they reached the elevator, Jang Harin also recognized Minjin. But she suddenly remembered that she had requested to remain unknown.

Minjin caught a strong scent of perfume in the air, making her sniff instinctively. She turned her head and spotted Jang Harin.

“Annyeong haseyo, seonsaengnim, ” Minjin greeted politely with a slight bow.

“Annyeong haseyo, Minjin-ssi,” Jang Hari responded, returning the gesture.

Minjin sniffed again, following the source of the perfume, and her gaze landed on Minjun. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing him, but she quickly smiled and waved. “Hi.”

Minjun gave a small smile in return and acknowledged her with a slight nod.

Jang Hari noticed their interaction. “Do you two know each other, Kang-seonsaengnim?”

Minjun replied calmly, “Yes, she’s my patient’s younger sister.”

Minjin’s eyes widened slightly at his response before she nodded with a small smile. Though she kept looking at Minjun, he didn’t meet her gaze this time.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and the people inside stepped out, bowing respectfully to the doctors. Once the elevator was empty, Minjin gestured for the doctors to enter first.

Im Sung-ae was about to step inside when Jang Harin placed a hand on his shoulder. “Wait, let Minjin-ssi go in first. Please, go ahead.”

Minjin gave an awkward smile and bowed. “Gamsahamnida, seonsaengnim.”

She stepped inside, moving to a far corner to create some distance as the others followed. The lingering scent of perfume made Minjin sneeze three times.

“Excuse me,” she murmured in English, wiping her nose.

Jang Harin turned to her with concern. “Are you alright, Minjin-ssi?”

“I’m fine, seonsaengnim,” Minjin replied with a polite smile.

Standing next to Minjun, Song Hyein spoke up. “Oppa, do you have a scheduled surgery?”

“Tomorrow morning,” Minjun answered plainly.

Im Sung-ae sighed and rubbed his stomach. “Ugh, I’m starving. At least the cafeteria food is pretty good.”

“How about dinner later, oppa? I mean, all of us together?” Song Hyein suggested.

Minjin noticed Jang Harin subtly smirking at the proposal.

"My mother wants me to join them for dinner tonight." Minjun plainly said.

Song Hyein lowered her gaze and did not respond.

Minjin slightly smirked as she noticed that Minjun was not just acting cold towards her. But she then glanced at Song Hyein and quickly pulled out her phone, scrolling through her messages. She stopped at a picture Lee Hawoon had sent, accompanied by a note: “This is Minjun’s new girlfriend.”

Her expression shifted slightly as she absorbed the information before nodding and putting her phone away. Having heard Song Hyein call Minjun ‘oppa,’ she deduced that she was younger than them. Minjin kept observing her discreetly, noting how Song Hyein occasionally stole glances at Minjun.

Minjin smirked once again, thinking to herself that despite Minjun's cold demeanor, she still loved him. That made her shake her head once again.

When the elevator doors finally opened, Jang Harin turned to Minjin and whispered, “Gyoseonim, I’ll go ahead,” bowing slightly.

Minjin’s lips curled into a small smile, realizing that Jang Harin was deliberately keeping her identity a secret.

“Ne, seonsaengnim.” She returned a slight bow.

Jang Harin then stepped out to follow her colleagues. 

###

After buying lunch, Minjin returned to Tae-sung’s hospital room.

As she stepped through the doorway, she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the familiar faces of her old high school friends. The room, which had seemed spacious moments ago, now felt overwhelmingly small.

Her gaze locked onto the girl standing closest to Tae-sung—a woman with long, wavy hair.

“Unnie…” Minjin whispered, the word slipping out before she could stop herself.

The room fell into a brief silence, and she felt the weight of everyone’s eyes turning toward her.

Kim Aecha’s voice was barely above a whisper. “You’re back, Minjin-ah.” Her eyes studied Minjin’s face as if trying to confirm that she was really standing there.

Minjin hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to place the meal she had bought on the table. “What are you all doing here?”

“Of course, we came to visit Oppa!” Lee Deji responded without hesitation.

Mun Sara followed up with a question of her own. “When did you return, Minjin-ah?”

“Ah… a couple of months ago,” Minjin answered with an awkward smile.

Lee Deji’s gaze sharpened as she asked, “Have you eaten lunch?” Her tone carried an unspoken challenge.

Minjin swallowed. “N-not yet, unnie."

“Let’s eat together,” Lee Deji stated—not as a suggestion but as an order.

“A-araso,” Minjin quickly agreed.

Kim Aecha and Mun Sara turned to Tae-sung and Kim Bon-hwa, bowing respectfully before excusing themselves. They were the first to step out of the room. Just as Minjin was about to follow, Lee Deji suddenly grabbed her arm.

“Ya, this is too much, Minjin-ah. I let you take a break, but you didn’t even tell me about Tae-sung-oppa?!”

Minjin glanced awkwardly at Kim Bon-hwa and Tae-sung before turning to Lee Deji.

“I’m really sorry, unnie. Everything happened so fast. I didn’t get the chance to tell you,” Minjin explained.

Lee Deji narrowed her eyes. “Eun-kyung-ah told us through chat. He found out that you’re back.”

Minjin gave her an awkward smile. “Because Oppa’s doctor is Minjun-ah, unnie.”

“What?!” Lee Deji blurted out in shock. Her gaze flickered between Tae-sung and Kim Bon-hwa before she turned back to Minjin. “What the hell—”