âWhat are you doing?â he asked her.
âIâm cooking ramen,â she replied, eyes fixed on the boiling pot of water.
âRamen?â He gave her a fierce look, moving to grab a water bottle from the fridge.
âI forgot to have dinner, and I couldnât sleep because I was hungry.â
âYour face is going to end up bloated tomorrow morning.â
âOnce I run around the ER a few times, itâll calm down.â
Muyeol couldnât believe she was having ramen, again. He opened the fridge and looked inside, silently wondering if she chose to make ramen because there was nothing else available.
âDonât even think about nagging me,â she added when she saw what Muyeol was doing, âI simply decided not to eat whatâs in there.â
Muyeol got up, closing the fridge after him. âAre you trying to recall the days you hungered for success? Is that why you keep eating ramen?â
âNo, I earn more than enough money to not think about it. Why are you talking about the old days, you idiot?â
Muyeol leaned against the fridge. He took in her upset features and realized she wasnât in a good mood, but didnât understand why. âWhy are you upset?â
Yiyoung put the dry noodles in the pot, and gave him a random reply, âI shouldâve been born in the jungle. I wouldâve been its queen.â
It was a seemingly irrelevant, incoherent comment, but Muyeol somewhat understood what she meant. Yiyoung was referring to the unfair way the world treated her, which meant something must have happened at the hospital.
Muyeol grabbed a bottle of wine out of the wine cooler, also bringing a couple of glasses, before sitting down at the dining table. He poured himself half a glass and took a sip. âIâm sure you would have, since youâre so good at fighting. You would never lose a fair fight.â
âYeah, youâre right. I wouldâve been the queen because Iâm so good at fighting with my own abilities.â Yiyoung stirred the pot. âDarn it.â
Muyeol took note of how she swore. âWhat happened? Did you lose the battle?â
Yiyoung pursed her lips, hesitant to tell him the truth. What if Muyeol got himself involved in the situation?
But it seemed he noticed her hesitation. âBut even if you tell me about your situation, donât expect me to do anything. Iâm not interested in matters related to the hospital.â
He didnât have to worry about others; he needed to prepare for Jaehoâs return. His half-brother would immediately find a way to be part of the project he was currently leading, so Muyeol needed to find a way to prevent that. He already had a lot on his plate, so he could not possibly be expected to intervene in a feud between doctors.
Besides, the hospital was meant to be a philanthropic contribution to society on S groupâs part; nobody expected it to be profitable.
Yiyoung turned off the gas, carrying the pot full of ramen to the table. âDo you mean it?â
âWhat? That Iâm not interested in hospital related matters?â
âYeah,â Yiyoung replied with a frown.
Muyeol observed her carefully. She had lost weight, clearly an effect of all the stress she was taking. She was an idiot for believing she could handle it, like some sort of superhuman. It would be good for her if she could spill everything on her mind.
âRight now, Iâm focused on myself. As long as the hospital doesnât go bankrupt because of poor management, I have no interest in it,â he said so calmly that it almost sounded provocative.
âIs that so?â
âYes. Why? Is there a rumor about the hospital going bankrupt?â
âNo.â Yiyoung lost herself in her thoughts, hands still busy stirring the ramen. She desperately wanted to talk to someone about it. She couldnât wait to vent all the frustration and hatred eating her up from inside. It would definitely make her feel better, but she wondered if it really was the right thing to do.
âThen, you donât have any reason to not tell me about it,â Muyeol urged her.
But before she could make up her mind, her heart had already given in. Without even realizing, the words began to spill from her mouth, âYou knowâ¦â
She told him everything; she couldnât help it. All the anger and resentment bottled up inside her which she couldnât even express in front of Jaehee⦠It was all out in the open.
The clock ticked past midnight, and the ramen turned two servings instead of one after the first one became soggy.
It was the next day already, and Yiyoung flew into shock when she checked the time. âTime flew by so fast! How did that happen?â
Yiyoung didnât think she had talked so much. How had time passed by so quickly? She didnât even realize it. Yiyoung knew she should clean up and go to sleep so she could work tomorrow, but something inside her did not let her move, almost as if her body was glued to the chair. She didnât want to leave, and Muyeol felt the same way.
âAre you going to finish that?â Muyeol pointed with his chin, crossing his arms.
Yiyoung followed his gaze. Seeing the pot of ramen, she replied quietly, âNo.â
She hadnât eaten properlyâcourtesy of her conversation with Muyeolâwhich had never happened to her before.
âThenâ¦â Muyeol asked, âdo you want to cook another packet?â