Rex
Ring ring
Ring ring!
Rex wakes up to the sudden ringing of phone at midnight.
"Hello?"
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Nihar
They are sitting in a room with glass wall which separates it from the OT room.
You can have a clear view of everything going inside from here, there's also a monitor for detailed viewing.
Some other doctors including them are present here to witness the operation.
Mi-jeong is also sitting with them. Usually family members are not allowed but since Dr. Jung is her uncle and herself being a celebrity she's an exception.
Niharika cannot but throw occasional glances at her. She's beautiful, indeed. Even the way she sits is graceful.
How does she know Rex? She wonders. Is she...
They'd look good together though. A beautiful couple, she can already imagine people saying.
And this won't be considered 'scandal' unlike her...
'Good, now I feel bitter.' Niharika sighs. She tries to focus on the operation but her mind is all over the place.
"Do you know what is used for general anaesthesia?" Dr. Kim asks.
"Huh?.." Niharika scolds herself for losing focus.
Dr. Kim gives her a raised eyebrow.
"G.A, you're supposed to know this from pharmacology."
"Oh- uh, yes I do, we can use Propofol or ketamine...also there are drugs which can be inhaled, like the fluranes..." Niharika starts rambling everything she can remember, not wanting Dr. Kim to think she doesn't know the basics.
Thud!
A sudden blunt noise makes them stop and turn to the source. Niharika gasps slightly to see Mi-jeong's body collapsed on the floor.
And this is why family members are not allowed in OT. Most people, even doctors cannot bear watching their loved ones going through such difficult times.
Most of the senior doctors present just make dissatisfied grunts due to the interruption and look unbothered otherwise. They are used to watching worse.
Some nurses come running to help her. Niharika instinctively gets up from her seat.
Since she's the junior most here and this is not an emergency, it's only right she attends the issue and not bother the seniors. She takes look at Dr. Kim and he nods in approval. So she accompanies the nurses and helps her out of the OT.
They take her to a VIP room. She regains consciousness after some time.
"Where am I? How's dad?" She asks, looking disoriented and panicked.
"Don't worry, he's being operated." Niharika tries to reassure her.
"Let me see him!" She pleads. Niharika is surprised to see how vulnerable she looks, all the calm and composed facade gone.
"I'm afraid I can't, you just fainted there."
"But-"
"No."
"Okay, at least give me my phone."
She hands it over to her from the table and excuse herself from there. She should come check up on her later.
She tells a nurse to watch over the girl and call her in case of any emergency on her way out.
Rex
Rex rushes into the hospital after getting the call from Mi-jeong.
It must be some emergency, otherwise why'd she call him of all people?
At first the nurses won't let him in the VIP ward but after Mi-jeong confirmed from inside they let him.
"Hey...you okay?" He doesn't know what to say. They are not even that close. They only recently reconnected after meeting in the reality show. Rex cannot think of a reason what could've been the case. Nevertheless he came, Mi-jeong has been trying to help him a lot recently, he's indebted to her.
"Jun..." And she starts sobbing.
Rex feels helpless. He's not really good at comforting people, being the subject of pity most of his life, he's not really a giver when it comes to sympathy. Still he goes near and places a hand over her shoulder, hoping to convey some support. She turns around and hugs him--
He freezes. He was not prepared for this. He tries to awkwardly pat her head a few times with his free hand.
"Ahem...sorry to interrupt but I need to check the pa-" a voice calls from behind them, and Rex shifts out of her embrace, mentally thanking the person for coming to his rescue.
He turns around to face the owner of the voice. And he's in for another surprise, even more unexpected. He's rendered speechless by turn of events back to back.
The figure standing in front of him, is the same one he's been thinking about a lot lately. But he was convinced he's never going to encounter this face again. What kind of twisted fate is this?
He gulps. Why's it HER again?
If he didn't see it wrong her eyes also flicker momentarily but she looks away quickly and continues where she left in monotone,
"I need to check the patient."
Then she strides forward slowly and comes to stand in front of Mi-jeong. The white coat, the stethoscope hanging around her neck is enough to speak for itself. Rex is bewildered, he cannot stop looking while she continues to ignore his existence.
Her shoulder length black hair tied in a pony, she's wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans beneath her apron. Rex cannot stop thinking how cool she looks when she proceeds with her questions and examinations all directed to Mi-jeong. She looks confident and professional. As if she has everything figured out about life.
Rex had always thought she's different. So when Lee hyung accused her, he wanted to argue, he just didn't know what made him feel so. But now he does. And it looks like he's in trouble because she's just doing her work and Rex can feel his heart racing.
"Okay, your pulse, BP and oxygen levels are normal now, you can rest up for tonight. Thank you." She says in a professional voice and turns to leave.
"Wait doctor, what about my father!" Mi-jeong asks.
"I cannot say anything, you should ask the senior doctors attending him. The surgery is still ongoing."
Mijeong's father is here? Rex suddenly remembers why he actually came here. He didn't even get to ask Mi-jeong what is going on. But it can wait, because he has something more urgent to attend now, this is his chance.
"Wait, I'll be right back-" he blurts out to Mi-jeong and runs after the one who's already on her way out. He still owes her an apology.
"Hey!" He calls after the figure which is striding across the hallway in quick purposeful steps. As if she is determined to get away.
"Wait!" Rex calls again, increasing pace to catch up.
She stops walking and Rex can feel her entire silhouette tense up briefly before she resumes again without looking back.
What the-
"Hey listen-" He's desparate, almost behind her. A hand or two breadth of air separating them.
Instinctively he holds onto her wrist to make her stop.
She turns around fiercely and jerks her hand off him. Rex flinches, he knew she'd be mad but she seems to hate him with all her being. And it settles something unpleasant in his chest.
"Don't touch me." She repeats the same words as she had in the cafe but this time with added malice.
"Ah... Sorry!" Rex recoils his hands back, bowing a little. He's had people behaving rough with him all his life, and he had kind of accepted his fate. He is a loser after all. Surviving on pity of others thrown here and there probably owing to his good looks. They didn't think twice before throwing him away once the purpose was served.
But she never made him feel that way. She made it like even his cheap satin shirt was something to be valued. He cannot put it into words but he felt worthy for the first time.
So now, when she is looking at him like she hates him, it stabs sharply onto his lungs, punching out air. He wants her to look at him the way she did 'that' day, with awe and praise.
Instead she gives him a death glare and turns back to walk away.
Rex takes a deep breath, he has to get this out of his system.
"No wait! Sorry, for that day in the cafe, for what hyung said, I'm really sorry on his behalf. I know you won't do anything like that, it's just he cares a lot about me-" he quickly words out before she could step away any further.
She stops.
"And sorry, for not calling. I should've been more responsible." He continues.
She turns around to face him.
Her eyes red ,jaw clenched, fingers digging into the palm. She looks like a fighter. Rex is amazed by how fierce she looks.
But she swallows everything and closes her eyes. Gathering all strength to bring back her composure.
When she opens again to look at him, all the emotions are gone. It's blank.
"It's okay, I don't care." She says slowly,word by word. And oh it hurts, the indifference is even more unbearable than the look of hatred.
One sentence, and Rex feels like he's been shot in the chest. Something wells up inside him. He knows this is the end.
So, he parts his lips one last time, " Also, thanks for coming to watch my performance that day."
The finale of Rising Star. He remembers very vividly, getting up on stage. Holding onto his guitar. He's been feeling very anxious, he wished someone was there for him in the crowd. There were a few people cheering on him in the audience but he knew he was disposable. They'd forget about him as soon as he leaves the spotlight.
A little lost in thoughts, he strummed on the cords of his guitar and started singing. Looking up straight midway through his song he suddenly noticed a familiar face in the crowd. Everyone was busy cheering and dancing and there she was sitting still, eyes focused on him, 'focused' on 'him'. She was looking at him like she could see him inside out. Rex felt a rush of heat surging across his torso. He wanted to sing for the one audience who offered him undivided attention.
"Don't be delusional, who said it was for you?" She sneers folding her arms across the chest.
"Yeah...right." He lets out a breathy dry laugh. She knows the exact words to hurt him. Of course she wasn't there for him.
"If you don't have anything else...then excuse me, I'm busy." She says sounding borderline annoyed.
Rex feels so small, like he's been abandoned. He's faced humiliation a lot but this one pierces through his ski n. Makes him nauseous. He nods despite.
And she walks away.
It hurts, for unknown reasons. It didn't hurt this much when results of the Rising Star came out and Lee hyung patted his back with a disappointed sigh.
He came after her to sort things out because he's been feeling uneasy ever since their last encounter but now he feels even more miserable. The itch under his skin keeps growing.
He didn't want to end things like this. No, he still doesn't want to end things this way. But this is really the end, isn't it?
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