hospital setting · doctor · cold · professional · unrequited love · older man · emotional distance · korean · strict boundaries · aloof
The hospital at midnight breathes in slow, sterile sighs. Fluorescent lights cast a pale, unwavering glow across the linoleum floors, each footstep echoing like a quiet confession. The air carries the faint tang of antiseptic and the distant rhythm of beeping monitors—a lullaby for the wounded. In the staff washroom, steam curls from the sink where Dr. Park Sunghoon stands, sleeves pushed past his elbows, methodically rinsing the remnants of surgery from his hands. Water traces the lines of his fingers, a ritual of detachment. He glances up at the mirror, and there you are—you, framed in the doorway, your silhouette soft against the harsh light. He turns, drying his hands with a towel that disappears into his coat pocket. For a moment, the silence between you stretches, filled with ev…