Emergency Instinct - Chapter 11

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Still running well, Hong Ji-an.

The corner of Tae-jun’s lips twisted crookedly.

‘We probably won’t meet again, but if we happen to run into each other, I’d appreciate it if you could pretend not to know me. Well then.’

Was running away her way of pretending not to know?

This only made him thirstier.

He had already been forcibly losing sleep for a week now.

The instinct that had awakened once visited him every night.

It wasn’t like he was going through puberty, and he wasn’t originally someone with strong desires either.

She had burrowed deep into his dreams, tormenting him. She would heat up his entire body and then repeatedly run away.

The real Hong Ji-an wasn’t much different.

Still, she was quite cute. Running around like a startled rabbit.

Her immediate reaction was actually quite satisfying.

If she had seen him and passed by calmly, he would have been disappointed instead.

The sudden urge to call out her name struck him, but he quickly suppressed the thought.

He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable for no reason.

They would meet soon anyway, so there was no need to be impatient. The reward would be as sweet as the patience he showed.

After chuckling softly and turning his gaze away, the Hospital Director’s voice reached him.

“Chairman, let’s go. The meeting room is on the 10th floor.”

He nodded and began walking.

But the man who had been with Ji-an caught his eye.

A colleague doctor perhaps?

The man was handsome and wore a kind smile that suggested he would be friendly to everyone.

Ji-an’s small body hiding behind the man’s body as a shield pierced through his mind.

Like flames spreading through dry kindling, an uncomfortable knot suddenly spread through his solar plexus.

His previously calm steps instinctively came to a halt.

“Let’s start by touring the hospital first.”

The Hospital Director looked at him with a confused gaze. But Tae-jun had already changed direction and was walking with quick strides. With his long legs, unhesitatingly.

***

Ji-an rushed into the restroom.

Like someone being chased, she entered the last stall and locked the door first.

“Haa!”

Thud, she collapsed onto the toilet seat and let out the breath she had been holding.

Thump thump thump.

Her heart beat painfully as if it would burst through her ribcage.

Of course, that’s right. I wondered why everything seemed to be going so well.

She never dreamed such an ambush would be lying in wait.

Ji-an clutched her chest and let out deep sighs repeatedly while squeezing her eyes shut.

Why does my life have another hurdle waiting after I overcome one hurdle?

She never dreamed it.

That her first transgression, her one-night stand partner, would appear as the newly appointed Hospital Director…

They say an unlucky person breaks their nose even when falling backward.

That was exactly describing herself.

Why, why, of all people, that man!

Her vision spun as if it were an emergency situation.

When memories of that night she had tried to forget surfaced, she couldn’t collect herself at all.

The moment she saw him, she thought the ground she stood on would crumble like an earthquake had struck.

She had to run blindly. It was instinct.

His intensely piercing gaze came to mind, but Ji-an tried to deny it.

It’s okay. The distance was far, so he probably didn’t recognize me.

But what if he did recognize me? What if he even acknowledges knowing me…

“No, that can’t be.”

Ji-an soon shook her head, recalling reality.

Hong Ji-an, get a grip. What are you thinking?

If he got involved with a woman he spent one night with, it would obviously be more troublesome for him as the Hanyeong Group heir than for her.

What good would come from a newly appointed Hospital Director getting entangled with a mere resident?

Even if they had met face to face right in front of each other, that man would have pretended not to know her first.

“Did I overreact?”

A hollow laugh belatedly crossed Ji-an’s lips as she had gotten scared and run away.

That’s when it happened. The excited voices of women entering the restroom could be heard.

“Dr. Kim! Did you see the new Chairman? Our entire department is in chaos. I thought he was an actor.”

“Not just his face, but his proportions are amazing too. The dreary hospital lobby completely turned into a runway.”

“I heard he’s still single, I wonder if he has a girlfriend?”

“With those looks, he can’t be single. He must be meeting amazing women who match his level, right?”

“Well, they say marriage is business for chaebols. They’d meet among their own kind, right?”

“Haven’t you heard yet? They say he’s already in that kind of relationship with the golden spoon resident the Hospital Director is fond of.”

“No way, that privileged parachute from FM (Family Medicine)?”

“Yeah. They went on a blind date, and they’re getting married soon. That parachute’s father is an executive at Han-young Electronics. That’s why the Hospital Director is also being so careful.”

“Wow, why is the world so unfair? That FM doesn’t see patients, just wanders around, unfairly harassed Dr. Su and got her fired, and now she’s catching a great Chairman and getting married?”

“Watch your mouth. Someone might hear.”

“Let them hear. Dr. Su is a single mom raising her son alone after her husband died in an accident. How can they cut off her livelihood overnight? Everyone’s gossiping. They say she did wrong and blamed it all on Dr. Su. Did she even get her medical license properly? They say her attendance is a mess too? A second-year who can’t even place an order…”

“Shh! Let’s talk outside.”

Their voices lowered and the women’s footsteps grew distant.

In the restroom that quickly became quiet, Ji-an bit her trembling lips tightly.

Ah…

Her heart, which she had barely calmed, churned again.

Usually she lived without caring much about what others said. However, what she had just heard was enough to shake Ji-an.

Her one-night stand partner appearing as the Chairman was already suffocating.

But he even had a marriage partner.

Come to think of it, H Hotel was originally famous as a place for blind date appointments. Perhaps that day he too had gone on a blind date and promised marriage.

‘Keep going. I like it too.’

But with such passionate gazes and gestures, he had spent the night with her…

The surprise and shock quickly led to one clear realization.

She absolutely must not get involved with that man, Seo Tae-jun.

It was something she had thought of as a one-night dream anyway, so she just needed to pull herself together a bit more.

It was a resident position she had regained with difficulty.

Thanks to employee welfare benefits, Mother was able to be admitted to Han-young Nursing Hospital right away, and they were receiving hospital bill discounts too.

Moreover, the person having marriage talks with that man was a golden spoon resident who controlled other people’s livelihoods.

Let’s not stand out. Just work as if I exist but don’t exist.

The Hospital Director wouldn’t come to work every day anyway. The possibility of running into a resident like me who lives in the ER was also slim.

Even if we did run into each other, surgical masks were the most common thing in hospitals. If she just covered her face well, he wouldn’t recognize her.

Ji-an, who had finally found stability, left the restroom and moved with quick steps.

She entered the ER and was looking for a mask first at the station when Min-su approached and asked.

“Hong Ji-an! You’re here already? Where did you dump Dr. Kyung-seok and come alone?”

“Oh, that’s…”

It was when Ji-an hesitantly opened her mouth. Suddenly the surroundings became noisy, and Min-su, who looked up, said in surprise.

“What? Why is Teacher Kyung-seok coming with the Hospital Director? Who are all those people?”

Oh my God!

Ji-an, who turned her head following Min-su, froze in place.

Absurdly, Kyung-seok was entering the Emergency Room, bringing not only the Hospital Director but the entire group that had been surrounding Tae-jun.

Her heart, which had barely calmed down, began beating even faster as if it would shatter her ribcage.

Ji-an lowered her head deeply and quietly hid behind Min-su.

It’s okay. If I stay quiet, they’ll pass by.

As Ji-an clasped her trembling hands together, Tae-jun stopped right in front and opened his mouth.

“The Emergency Room is quite large.”

“Yes. When I became Hospital Director two years ago, I remodeled the Emergency Room. We expanded the area and doubled the number of beds. Currently, it can be said to be the highest level among regional emergency medical centers. We also replaced all the equipment with the latest models.”

As if he had been waiting, the Hospital Director proudly explained his achievements.

“Interesting structure. The facilities have been noticeably upgraded, yet profits have been stagnant for two years.”

At the sharp criticism, the Hospital Director’s face, which had been boasting, turned pale.

“Ah. It’s not a problem with operations, but since there are no hospitals in the surrounding area equipped with both equipment and specialized personnel, we have a high ratio of severe patients. So…”

“Yes. I understand. In short, Hanyeong Hospital’s Emergency Room has a structure that makes it difficult to generate profits.”

Tae-jun turned around meaningfully. Slowly scanning the medical staff gathered at the station like someone searching for something.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————