The nurse paused mid-motion, turning her head with a look of genuine surprise. She leaned her ear closer to his face. "Pardon? Did you say something, Mr. Do?"
Ra-ik swallowed hard, trying to force his stubborn throat to cooperate. "The... woman..."
"Which woman?" the nurse asked, a mischievous, teasing glint suddenly appearing in her eyes.
Ra-ik's brows furrowed in deep frustration. "THAT woman!" he rasped out more forcefully, his dark eyes flashing.
The nurse bit back a smile, thoroughly enjoying the rare sight of the formidable, terrifying patient looking flustered. She crossed her arms, tilting her head with exaggerated curiosity. "That woman? Sir, this is a hospital floor. There are dozens of female doctors, nurses, and specialists coming in and out. Which woman are you referring to?"
Ra-ik froze.
The words caught in his throat. How was he supposed to say it? 'The woman who slapped me across the face twice and poked her finger into my surgical wounds?'
A deep, burning flush crept up his pale, scarred neck, reaching his ears. Mortified by his own embarrassing predicament, Ra-ik reached up with a heavy, bandaged hand and clumsily touched his stinging cheek, casting a brief, uncomfortable glance at the nurse.
The nurse's eyes lit up with instant recognition, and a wide grin broke across her face. "AHHH! That woman!" she gasped, trying desperately to suppress a laugh.
Ra-ik's face burned hot with utter humiliation. Snorting with irritation, he grabbed his heavy white blanket, yanked it over his head, and hid beneath it like a moody, embarrassed teenager.
He waited under the dark cover of the duvet, his heart hammering against his ribs. He fully expected her to explain to tell him her name, her department, or why a female doctor had looked at him with such terrifying, intimate fury as if she knew the exact weight of his soul.
Instead, he heard the soft rustle of scrubs, followed by a quiet chuckle.
The nurse simply finished adjusting his IV line, stepped back, and quietly walked out of the room, closing the heavy wooden door behind her without saying a single word.
Hearing the soft click of the latch, Ra-ik slowly pulled the blanket down past his eyes.
The room was completely empty.
He lay back against the pillows, staring up at the sterile white ceiling in profound frustration. Because of his drug-induced dizziness, the trauma, and the chaotic blinding light of that morning, he couldn't even remember her face clearly. She remained a blurred, sharp silhouette with blazing, unyielding eyes.
Yet, as he rested his hand against his stinging cheek, the echo of her voice echoed relentlessly in the quiet room:
Didn't it hurt more when you threw yourself off a hundred-story building?!
He closed his eyes, unable to escape the phantom memory of a woman who seemed to know his darkest secret.
The silence in Room 802 didn't last long after the nurse walked out.
Do Ra-ik threw off the white blanket, his dark eyes ablaze with a sudden, relentless focus. The drug-induced brain fog was clearing, replaced by an obsessive need for answers. He reached over, grabbed the call button, and held it down until the chime echoed endlessly through the nurses' station.
Five minutes later, Dr. Choi entered the room, looking visibly worn and carrying a thick medical binder.
"Mr. Do, please, pressing the emergency call repeatedly is..."
"Who was she?" Ra-ik interrupted, his voice deep, gravelly, and cutting directly through Dr. Choi's weary explanation.
Dr. Choi paused, adjusting his round glasses. "Pardon?"
"The doctor," Ra-ik said, sitting up straight despite the dull, throbbing pain in his chest and the heavy fiberglass cast wrapping his broken left forearm. His gaze locked onto Dr. Choi like iron vice grips. "The female doctor who came into this room. The one who... s..lap me."
Dr. Choi winced slightly, clear discomfort flashing across his face. "Mr. Do, there was a minor breach of decorum during your acute episode. The hospital administration has already handled the matter internally. You don't need to concern yourself..."
"Give me her name," Ra-ik growled, taking a low, dangerous step off the side of the bed, his bare, bandaged feet touching the cold floor. "Or I rip out this arterial line, walk down to the lobby in my gown, and ask every single staff member until I find her."
Dr. Choi raised his hands in immediate surrender, knowing all too well that this man was capable of making good on his threat.
"Dr. Maeng Se-na!" Dr. Choi blurted out. "Her name is Dr. Maeng Se-na!"
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