23 | Sleep Talking
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Seeing how stressed and exhausted I look in my body, I suppose being a resident really is. It was unbelievable to see a resident, who is supposed to lead a busy life every day, lying in a hospital bed.
With me—the busiest person of all—out, the Cardiovascular Surgery department became even busier. Not only Serin but even the professor was busy, so there was no one to visit me, except for my attending physician.
It is a habit to think of Grandma the more you are alone. When I saw the framed photo of me and Grandma that I had brought from home, I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. The more stressed I was, the more I missed Grandma. Just as tears flowed and I felt a lump in my throat, I heard a knock and the door opened.
The door opened before I could even wipe my tears, and of all people, the person who walked in was also the professor. The professor entered with a bright face, but after our eyes met, his expression instantly hardened, and he ran toward me.
“Why are you crying? Does your stomach hurt?”
“No, it’s not like that…”
“Then why, why are you crying?”
“… I miss Grandma, Professor.”
"ah…"
The professor climbed onto the bed without a word and hugged me. In his warm and affectionate embrace, I choked up even more and tears flowed. Just like that, I cried out loud in his arms.
Just as I had calmed down a bit and was sniffling, the professor released his arms from around me and met my eyes. He cupped my cheek with his hand, wiped away my tears with his thumb, and smiled faintly. Not knowing why he was smiling, I just stared blankly.I just watched.
I laughed because it was cute.
“Ah… yes?”
"You're cute, your eyes are swollen."
“…Don’t look, it’s embarrassing.”
“Why, I want to see my girlfriend.”
The professor tried harder to meet my eyes and fidgeted with my hand. Seeing him do that, I, who had been shedding tears, burst into laughter, and the professor was pleased that I laughed.
“Professor, do you have any surgeries?”
I came because I have about an hour to spare.
You could at least get a quick nap during that time.
Yeah, I'll sleep here.
“What? Here?”
“Yeah, the bed is wide.”
I have surgery at 6:30, so please wake me up at 6:10.
“Uh… yes!”
The professor fell asleep immediately, perhaps quite tired from frequent surgeries. I watched him sleep. Wondering how he could be so handsome even while sleeping, I pushed aside the bangs that were trying to cover my eyes and admired his face up close.
As if sleep-talking, the professor suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me toward him. My heart pounded wildly at his bold action, while he slept with a happy expression, seemingly oblivious to my feelings.
Our faces were so close that I could hear our breathing. From the professor's long eyelashes to his straight nose and full lips, he was so close that I couldn't see everything at a glance. It felt like if I moved even slightly, our lips would touch at any moment.
My heart was pounding as if it had malfunctioned, and my face was already flushed. Unable to control my expression and not knowing what to do, the professor suddenly opened his eyes, and our lips met.