"Doctor Kang?" said Jihoon with a sigh of relief. Seojin had no choice but to turn around again to face her senior.
Yes?"Oh, thank goodness you're here," he said, walking toward Seojin. He looked exhausted as he approached her."Can you look over that patient? His guardians... ugh, friends, whatever...they're making a fuss over there," said Jihoon, checking his phone."Patient? Wait, isn't this a charity event?" Seojin asked, dumbfounded. Even though she didn't intend to say it out loud, her confusion betrayed her. Hearing that, Jihoon gave Seojin a look which practically screamed; Did you drink last night?"Doctor Kang, please take care of this for me. I'm late for my surgery." He patted Seojin's shoulder and left the Emergency Care Unit without another word, leaving Seojin totally helpless.
With no choice left, Kang Seojin made her way to the patient's bed. She tried to remain calm, though she could feel everyone's gaze lingering on her. But she completely lost it when she finally saw the patient's face.
It was Kim Taeha.
She was shocked to see him seriously ill. His face was pale, and she could see his fingers trembling slightly.
Sweat ran down Seojin's temples. She gulped. A wave of emotions took over her mind. Guilt. It swallowed her."Is it because of me?" she mumbled, remembering the previous night when Taeha offered her a ride to the hospital. She knew he might not have gotten the chance to sleep. Even though she didn't know the real cause, deep down, she felt like she had something to do with what happened to him.
She looked at the monitor next to Taeha's bed. The beep echoed through the room, weighing down Seojin's heart with overwhelming emotion she couldn't even explain. She forced herself out of that nagging feeling. She wasn't there to let emotions take the best of her. She had to play her role as a doctor and do whatever it took to make sure he was okay.
Since Doctor Park Jihoon had taken care of the basic emergency care, all she had to deal with was the saline infusion and the blood tests. She reached for the kidney tray( a small curved tray used for medical purposes) and grabbed the cannula, which had already been selected by Jihoon.
She didn't need to check it again. She knew how exceptionally skilled he was at his job. The saline bottle was already hanging from the IV stand, so without wasting another second, she gently touched Taeha's hand to find the vein and was about to insert the cannula when suddenly, a voice interrupted her.
"W-Wait!!!" shouted Kim Ill-soo, trying not to raise his voice too much. But it was still too loud for Kang Seojin. She looked at him, confused."Is something wrong?" she asked uncertainly."Ah, well… he didn't forget to have his breakfast. I mean, he had a very good breakfast.""So?""So... I think you shouldn't give him that saline."
Seo Jin was speechless. Seeing her unreadable expression, Ill-soo continued talking, as his only aim was to get Tae Ha out of the hospital as soon as he could, before someone found out about his secret. He didn't want to see anyone dying at Tae Ha's hands or risk him being exposed by a blood test (he believed a blood test would reveal Tae Ha as a vampire).
"I mean… if I were you, I wouldn't do that. You know, when someone takes a lot of nutrition at once, he might suffer from, uh… from… a severe stomachache… plus, a headache later."
Seojin was too stunned to speak. His words made absolutely no sense not to her, and not to anyone else either. For a few seconds, the room fell silent as everyone tried to grasp what he had just said. Even Ill-soo looked confused by his own sentence.
"What kind of rubbish are you talking about? Let her do her job," said Minhyuk, frowning at Ill-soo.
Seojin instantly recognized Minhyuk as the person who had been supporting Doctor Jihoon in the heated argument earlier. After Minhyuk's warning, Ill-soo seemed to be giving up a bit. Taking that as her opportunity, Seojin returned to inserting the cannula.
But she was so wrong about Ill-soo. He suddenly smacked the cannula out of her hands, and it flew over Taeha's bed.
Seojin gasped and looked at Ill-soo. She couldn't believe what he had just done.She was mad and confused at the same time. She wanted to ask if he was crazy as she almost forgot that he was a member of her favorite boy band. Someone else said it for her.
"Ill-soo, what the hell is wrong with you, you brat?!" shouted Minhyuk.
Ill-soo didn't respond. He just remained silent. Kang Seojin sighed and turned to Minhyuk."Sir, can you tell them to leave before I inform security? Also, this many people aren't allowed in the Emergency Care Unit," she said firmly.
Then she looked at Ill-soo, who was already planning his next move. He was about to speak while the other members were silently backing him up, but Minhyuk snapped at him and dragged him out of the Emergency Care Unit along with the other three members. They seemed defeated without their leader's guidance.
Seojin sighed, finally feeling like the disturbance was over. She gently touched Taeha's hand again to find his veins. Even though she'd done this countless times before, she felt nervous for some reason. As usual, she took out the cannula and checked the needle type for extra clarification.
"Are you plotting to kill me this time?"A deep voice startled her so badly that the needle she was holding pricked her finger.
"Ouch…" She let out a soft gasp as she looked at Taeha, now fully awake and staring at her with curious eyes, waiting for an answer."Oh… you're awake…" said Seojin, her heart still racing both from the shock and the way Taeha was looking at her. She kept her eyes on her injured finger, using it as an excuse not to meet his gaze."What happened?" Taeha asked coldly."Ah, you were unconscious when I came here and I—""To your finger, not to me," he said, maintaining his cool attitude.
"Ahh... it's not a big deal." Saying that, Seojin examined her finger and gently pressed it.
Rolling his eyes, Taeha leaned over to have a closer look. But that's when he sensed it, the smell of blood. He immediately saw it too: blood dripping from the finger the needle had pricked.
Taeha gagged and stumbled backward, making Seojin jump in fright. The sight and the intoxicating smell of blood screamed at him, urging his primal instincts to take over. He quickly covered his nose and looked away to hide his crimson eyes.
"Are you okay? Is something wrong?" Seojin asked, terrified, trying to reach out to him."No. Stay away from me," he shouted, still looking down."Stay the hell away from me!" he demanded again as Seojin tried to come closer despite his warnings.
Taeha got off the hospital bed, wobbling. But he didn't have the strength to take another step toward the door. He was trying so hard to suppress his hunger. With every last ounce of strength, he started moving toward the exit. He had to get out of there before doing something he'd regret.
He passed Kang Seojin and reached the door. But just as he was about to grab the doorknob, Seojin took his hand.
He stopped but didn't dare to look back."Let go of me… if you want to be alive," he snarled."Where are you going?... You're not okay, let me help you" Seojin said, still holding his hand.
Taeha didn't say anything. He stood by the door silently, panting, trying to fight the hunger inside.
"Ah… sorry. I didn't mean to—" Seojin began, letting go of his hand. But she didn't get to finish. Taeha grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him, cornering her against the door, towering over her like a predator.
"W-What are you doing?" Seojin tried to break free, but he was too strong. Something was definitely wrong, she could feel it. She tried to look at his face but just then, he leaned closer to her neck perfectly hiding it from view.
"Huh…!" Seojin gasped. She forgot how to breathe the moment she felt his warm breath against her skin. Frozen in place, she couldn't move even if she wanted to. Then she heard it.Taeha's voice.Low. Trembling.And it sent shivers down her spine."I'm sorry…"