The Walk-ins Begin
Working-Class Mr. Ahn's Unscheduled Visits to Dr. Yeon's Clinic continues...
Missed the Intro? Start here → INTRO
Warning: this post deals with some heavier psychological topics and dark fictional elements. Everything here is totally fictional.
The Hidden Photo Frame
bowl of non-canon, highly-revisionist soup — by Asuka
Because he didn't always knock, one day Mr. Ahn barged in to find a rather startled Dr. Yeon. This was on purpose, of course; alarming his closest friend was a form of gentle teasing he had been doing for years. It didn't matter that the physician here was something of a cult hero, revered and envied by insiders for his phenomenal memory and the precision of his cuts and injections. To him, Dr Yeon was just a more decorated version of his reticent high school mate, the strength behind his heartbeats, and Mr Ahn loved seeing those liquid eyes widen into pure, clear pools.
This rude entrance was usually followed by a lecture on manners and morals from the medical savant, but the nature of the procedures the doctor performed here on him made these Confucian scoldings sound hollow. Still, Mr Ahn absorbed every word. He wanted to hear his voice. It was all part of an elaborate ritual that sprang up in place of him saying —
"Si-eun-ah, did you miss me? I missed you."
That would have been the plain truth of things, but the words burned with embarrassment in his mind, and he couldn't say them, since he was already going for checkups almost every other day.
This time, however, Dr. Yeon remained quiet. He simply gulped.
Something's off.
Dr Yeon abruptly gestured to a sound panel behind Mr Ahn, and asked — "Doesn't that one seem slightly crooked?"
While the light of his life turned around to check the offending installation, Dr. Yeon hurriedly swept a small photo frame off his sparse tabletop and stuffed it into the lowest drawer, desperately pried open with the tip of his leather shoe.
But Mr. Ahn sensed the fluster and spun back just as the drawer closed with a soft but distinct click.
Yah!! How sneaky! He must have been like this when he buried my phone in the sofa all those years ago!
He tilted his head and smirked cheekily. "And was that thing in the drawer for my treatment? Or yours?"
What? No way he saw that! Tsk! How is he so sharp?
Dr. Yeon said — "Don't be so disgusting, please. And not everything is about you. My patients here have the right to confidentiality."
"Of course they do." Mr. Ahn walked over. "That's why I trust you won't say a word about my preferred therapy for today."
Mr. Ahn lunged for the drawers and was promptly blocked by Dr. Yeon. This resulted in the two turning back into high schoolers as they engaged in a wild bout of jostling, grabbing, pinching, and tickling, much of which was audible to the nurses outside. They have known for a while now to put up the notice "closed for lunch" whenever Patient A strolled in.
The panels didn't do much to dampen the bass thumps. At best, they muffled conversations, but the screech of shifting furniture, the growling and groaning, the shrieking, and the shouts of "YAH!!" were especially sharp today.
The nurses whose imaginations were set on fire got into gossip mode.
"Wow, so much energy these two..." "Bet it's too much ginseng." "They say eel and sea cucumber works as well." "Well, whatever it is they are eating, my husband needs some."
Giggles all around. And then:
"I think they are eating each other."
Silence. Then an explosion of hushed cackling and sharp whispers: "What?! My god, girl! SSHHH! If he hears that, he will know the soundproofing was a scam, and we are so fired!"
The Prod, the Flick, and the Grab
There was no beating Su-ho in a physical match. He was just too strong, fast, flexible, and born with a spatial awareness that was the dream of athletes. It didn't help that he was still doing heavy hands-on work, whereas Si-eun had lost weight and stamina from the demands of medical school, serving as a military doctor, and then single-handedly setting up the clinic.
Remarkably, the exertion burned the last of his baby fat, gave him eye circles that looked like light-goth makeup, polished his cheekbones, and sharpened his jawline, so he unknowingly carried a special 'hot-weak' look. The line of nurse trainee applicants grew to unmanageable length as word spread of the mysterious Weak Doctor.
While the thought of strangling his bestie with his stethoscope did cross his mind, as did bonking him with a defibrillator paddle, he decided mid-wrestle to save these tools for the boss of Jeon clinic across the street.
Su-ho refused to make a fist this afternoon. No kicks, knee butts, or elbows either. He was not going to mar the complexion of his favourite face on the planet.
God, how do people look so much better as they grow older? He must be injecting himself.
Instead of his quicksilver knuckles, Su-ho employed three highly irritating techniques: 'the Prod,' 'the Finger Flick,' and 'the Grab'n'Squeeze.' The Prod was meant to tickle, the Flick was pure playfulness, the Grab was utter humiliation — as well as an invitation to more trouble.
Totally exhausted and unexpectedly bruised top to bottom, Si-eun now lay sprawled out on the ground. Drip stands were toppled, his files and books lay on each other like collapsed dominoes, and some sound panels were now crooked for real.
Just Showering, Okay?
"No, wait... wait, please..."
The Fourth Drawer's Secret
What Dr Yeon didn't know was that in a hard-to-access part of his wallet, Mr Ahn carried a much smaller, almost passport-sized version of the exact same photo. He received it from Beomseok and printed it out years ago, back when they were friends. But he could see sadness flash across Dr Yeon's face every time they talked about Byeoksan high. So he asked about Yeong-i as a way out.
And what Mr Ahn didn't know was that Dr Yeon pried open the fourth drawer with his foot, not the third. In that last drawer was a photograph of Si-eun on the left, and Beomseok on the right, both of them holding pool cues. And in the middle, looking all hyung-ish, sat Su-ho, his arms around the two boys. The afternoon sun was behind them, as if trying to nourish this fragile flower bud of a friendship.
"Hmm it looks kind of swollen. Did I really squeeze that hard?"
"Oh shut up."
This free ebook will ruin you. In the best way. A character analysis of Si-eun, Su-ho and Beom-seok that goes beyond what subtitles can carry. Take it — it's free → DOWNLOAD HERE
This post was originally published on Jennie's blog in the summer of 2025. The original blog has since moved to Blogger due to hosting changes — welcome to the new home.
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