They settled into a nearby Korean restaurant, the warm scent of spices filling the air. In front of them, two large bowls of Yukgaejang sat untouched, steam rising into the air.

Minjin took a seat beside Mun Sara, while Lee Deji and Kim Aecha sat across from her. A thick tension lingered between them.

Kim Aecha's gaze remained fixed on Minjin, her brows furrowed as if searching for answers. Meanwhile, Lee Deji and Mun Sara exchanged subtle glances.

Minjin could feel the weight of Kim Aecha’s stare, and that made her swallow hard.

“Aecha-ah, mianhe," Minjin finally said.

Kim Aecha’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What have you been doing all these years, Minjin-ah?” Her tone was sharp.

“I-I… A lot happened during those years…” Minjin’s voice trailed off.

Kim Aecha’s frown deepened. “When did you return to Korea?”

“Since January,” Minjin replied awkwardly.

“Whoa! And you didn’t even bother to call us?” Kim Aecha let out a disbelieving chuckle, resting a hand on her waist. “Ya, we’re already halfway through the year!”

“I needed time… to figure some things out,” Minjin quickly explained.

Mun Sara gently placed a hand on Minjin’s forearm. Her eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of a floral tattoo on Minjin’s forearm, and Kim Aecha noticed it too.

“We were worried about you, Minjin-ah. But we’re just glad you’re back,” Mun Sara said warmly.

Minjin nodded. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

Kim Aecha let out a sigh. “We just… we missed you, and we never understood why you shut us out.”

Taking a deep breath, Minjin admitted, “I missed you too. I just… I didn’t know how to come back.”

“Well, you’re here now, and that’s what matters, right?” Lee Deji remarked as she stirred the steaming Yukgaejang in the center of the table.

Minjin offered a hesitant smile in return.

Kim Aecha suddenly asked, “Did you already meet Minjun-ah?”

“Yeah, he’s my brother’s doctor.”

Kim Aecha’s and Mun Sara’s eyes widened in shock, and they exchanged surprised glances.

Mun Sara turned back to Minjin. “How do you feel about that?”

Minjin hesitated. “N-nothing? When I saw him, it was in the emergency room.”

Lee Deji leaned back, folding her arms. “If you’re curious about how he’s been, he’s doing great. But he barely talks to us anymore—he’s been busy with work.”

Mun Sara quickly spoke up. “Let’s just eat, unnie.”

One by one, they began scooping from the pot of Yukgaejang, but Minjin hesitated, simply staring at the dish, and Kim Aecha noticed her.

“Wae? Are you not hungry?” she asked.

“Aniya… It’s just that my palate has become sensitive to too much spice,” Minjin admitted.

Lee Deji raised a brow. “Have you not been eating Korean food in the States?”

Minjin awkwardly smiled. “There weren’t any Korean restaurants near where I lived.”

The three of them exchanged quick glances, a silent understanding passing between them.

“It’s okay, we can order something else for you,” Mun Sara said kindly, waving to get the server’s attention. “Ajumma! Can we have a milder dish, please?”

“Mian,” Minjin murmured apologetically.

Mun Sara smiled at her reassuringly. “It’s okay. You’ll get used to it again.”

Kim Aecha suddenly extended her phone toward Minjin. “Give me your number."

Minjin hesitated briefly before taking the phone and quickly typing in her number. Kim Aecha immediately began tapping on her screen.

“I added you to our group chat,” Kim Aecha informed her.

Minjin unlocked her phone and glanced at the notification. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the group chat name: "Tteok Squad."

A message popped up from Bang Eun-Kyung: “You’re with Minjin-ah?”

Almost immediately, another message followed: “Welcome back!”

A wave of emotions crashed over Minjin—frustration, confusion, and an unsettling discomfort that made her head feel heavy.

“Wae?” Kim Aecha questioned, her gaze narrowing slightly as she studied Minjin’s reaction.

“N-nothing,” Minjin stammered and forced an awkward smile.

Mun Sara spoke up softly beside her. “It’s just a way for all of us to stay in touch.”

Minjin turned to her and offered a faint smile. “I understand.”

###

Minjin sat in the hospital lobby, engaged in a FaceTime call with her older sister, Jessica, and brother-in-law, Stephen. During their conversation, she mentioned the significant medical expenses for Tae-sung’s surgery. Stephen offered to cover the cost himself without hesitation.

"He was my friend first, and now we’re family. In difficult times, we share the burden," Stephen said in English.

Minjin felt a wave of relief and smiled, sincerely thanking him.

After ending the call, Minjin made her way to Tae-sung’s hospital room. She pulled Bon-hwa outside the room to share the news about Stephen’s offer. Kim Bon-hwa’s eyes welled up with tears, and Minjin gently comforted her.

Later that day, Minjun entered the room with several intern doctors following closely behind. Minjin watched him carefully, her mind drifting back to the long night she spent persuading his father to allow Minjun to pursue medicine. Seeing him now, standing before them, she's filled with quiet pride.

"I always knew he would become a neurosurgeon," she thought.

Minjun turned his attention to Tae-sung. "How are you feeling, hyung?"

Minjin’s eyes widened at his words. She smirked slightly, noticing the way he addressed Tae-sung.

Tae-sung managed a small smile. "I’m not worried since you’re my doctor, Minjun-ah."

Minjun returned his smile. "Yes, hyung. We’ll get through this together."

Hearing him speak of "them" so casually made Minjin huff loudly. Tae-sung and Kim Bon-hwa turned to glance at her, but Minjun continued with his questions.

"On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain? Please be honest, hyung."

Tae-sung sighed. "Ten, Minjun-ah."

"Do the painkillers help?" Minjun asked.

Tae-sung exchanged glances with Kim Bon-hwa and Park Michi before responding. "They don’t last long."

"I can only prescribe this dosage, Hyung, but if the pain becomes unbearable, inform the nurses," Minjun advised.

Tae-sung gave a faint nod. "I will. Thank you, Minjun-ah."

Minjun then turned to Kim Bon-hwa. "Have you made a decision, Bon-hwa-ssi?" he asked in a calm, professional tone.

Kim Bon-hwa briefly looked at Minjin before answering. "We’ve decided to proceed with the surgery."

Minjun nodded politely. "Alright. Before we move forward, I’d like to conduct an MRI to assess his brain condition."

"We understand, seonsaengnim," Kim Bon-hwa replied.

Minjun then turned to the interns. "Schedule the MRI immediately and ensure they sign the necessary documents before surgery."

One of the interns quickly typed on his phone. "Ne, seonsaengnim."

Minjun extended his hand toward another intern holding Tae-sung’s medical chart. The intern respectfully handed it over, and Minjun reviewed the details for a moment.

"Your vital signs are stable for now, hyung," he noted before looking back at Tae-sung. "You’ll need to eat light meals with no cholesterol. And make sure you eat before taking your painkillers."

Tae-sung smiled and nodded. "Araso, Minjun-ah."

Minjun addressed the interns once again. "Inform the nurses of these instructions."

The interns promptly typed everything on their phones.

Minjin couldn’t help but watch Minjun closely.

She had always known him to be hard-working and upright, but now that he had become a doctor, he seemed even more serious. She recalled his cold demeanor toward his girlfriend and found herself shaking her head. Still, she reminded herself not to jump to conclusions too quickly—she knew how much effort Minjun had put into achieving this position.

"I must go now, hyung," Minjun said with a slight bow.

"Ne, gamsahamnida, seonsaengnim," Kim Bon-hwa said, bowing in return.

Only after Minjun exited the room did Minjin shake her head more noticeably.

Kim Bon-hwa caught the reaction. "What’s wrong, Minjin-ah?"

Tae-sung chuckled. "Shouldn’t you be proud that Minjun is a doctor now?"

Minjin finally smiled and turned to Tae-sung. "Didn’t you notice how he treats me now, oppa?"

Tae-sung and Kim Bon-hwa exchanged puzzled looks as Minjin continued. "He’s so formal with me, yet he still calls you hyung."

Tae-sung couldn’t help but laugh while Kim Bon-hwa chuckled and shook her head.

After leaving the room, Minjun headed to the nurses' station, ensuring that Tae-sung’s condition was closely monitored. He informed them that the surgery would take place in two days.

As he walked down the hallway with the interns trailing behind, he spotted Bang Eun-kyung approaching. Minjun slowed his pace, observing as Bang Eun-kyung entered Tae-sung’s room.

A knock sounded at the door, and when it slid open, Minjin was surprised to see Eun-kyung walk in.

"Annyeong haseyo, hyung and noona," Bang Eun-kyung greeted Tae-sung with a respectful bow.

Tae-sung smiled warmly. "Eun-kyung-ah, it’s been a while."

Bang Eun-kyung nodded. "Minjun told me what happened. I brought some fruit for you."

Kim Bon-hwa stepped forward to accept the gift. "Thank you so much, Eun-kyung-ssi," she said kindly.

Bang Eun-kyung then turned to Minjin with a smile. "Oraenmanieya, Minjin-ah."

Minjin smiled back. "Oraenmanieya, Eun-kyung-ah."

###

At the coffee shop, Bang Eun-kyung and Minjin sat across from each other, sipping their drinks. Bang Eun-kyung, sitting with his legs crossed, held an iced Americano while he had ordered Minjin’s usual iced caramel macchiato.

The silence between them was filled with warm smiles.

"You still remember what I like," Minjin said, breaking the silence with a soft smile as she took a sip.

"Of course, we're friends."

"How have you been, Eun-kyung-ah?"

He smiled proudly. "Still a detective."

"Good for you," Minjin said with a smile.

"And you?" Bang Eun-kyung asked.

Minjin hesitated before replying, "Meeting you feels… comfortable, compared to Aecha-ah."

"Is she mad at you?" Bang Eun-kyung asked, raising an eyebrow.

Minjin chuckled softly. "Yeah."

"You can't blame her. We were all worried about you. You disappeared on us for so long."

Minjin let out a deep sigh. "Mianhae..."

"You’ve become a big deal," Bang Eun-kyung said with a hint of admiration. "But you haven’t changed."

Minjin smiled faintly. "The last three years have been the most chaotic time of my life. I came back to escape that hell."

Bang Eun-kyung’s eyes widened. "It must have been tough."

"It was," Minjin admitted.

"And did you feel lonely?" he asked quietly.

Minjin nodded. "Yeah, sometimes."

Bang Eun-kyung smiled warmly. "Now that you’re back, we’ll be with you again."

Minjin smiled, scrunching her nose. "Gomawo, Eun-kyung-ah."

Bang Eun-kyung couldn’t help but smile. "I missed that smile of yours. But how did it feel seeing Minjun-ah again?"

"It’s fine. Seeing him in that white lab coat… I’m proud. He made it to where he wanted to be, and that makes me happy."

Bang Eun-kyung smiled. "You’ve always cared for him."

"Minjun-ah may have forgotten me, maybe he even hates me, but he’ll always have a special place in my heart."

Bang Eun-kyung chuckled. "You haven’t changed. I never told Minjun-ah that you’ve been secretly supporting him."

Minjin’s eyes widened in shock. "Ya, how did you find out? Did Deji-unnie tell you?"

Bang Eun-kyung chuckled. "It was obvious, Minjin-ah. I’m not a detective for nothing."

"Did Minjun-ah ever notice?"

Bang Eun-kyung smiled and shook his head. "I don’t think so. When you left, he became more oblivious."

Minjin faintly smiled as she took another sip of her drink.

"I noticed because I knew how much Deji-noona disliked Minjun since High School. But after you left, she did everything for him. She always made sure we spent time with him during college, and we celebrated his birthdays together until last year."

Minjin smiled faintly but didn’t respond.

"Minjun’s last girlfriend… they were together for almost two years, but they suddenly broke up before we started our military enlistment."

Minjin leaned back slightly, observing Bang Eun-kyung closely. "Ohh… I see now. You’ve gotten muscular."

Bang Eun-kyung laughed.

"Is that a requirement?" Minjin asked sincerely.

"Well, we can’t be fragile in the military. The first few months were the toughest, especially during the winter. We had to build strong stamina and be physically fit to get through it."

Minjin chuckled. "Even in the military, you and Minjun enlisted together."

"We did, but the funny thing was, we were stationed separately since he was a medical officer and ranked higher than me."

Minjin couldn’t help but smile.

Bang Eun-kyung suddenly became serious. "Minjin-ah, can I tell you a secret?"

Minjin nodded. "What is it?"

Bang Eun-kyung sighed, looking at her intently. "Minjun-ah regretted what happened between you two."

Minjin froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

"He may have dated other girls, but that was just his way of burying the regret. Every time he got drunk, he would cry and blame himself."

Minjin swallowed hard, managing a small smile. "Thank you for telling me that, Eun-kyung-ah."

Bang Eun-kyung sighed. "It’s nice talking to you like this. It feels like we’re back in high school."

Minjin smiled warmly. "Me too. I’m really glad we got the chance to catch up, Eun-kyung-ah."

"We should do this more often now that you're back."

Minjin smiled and nodded. "Sure."