[PView] for Wish Series

A/N#1: This is just a preview of the Wish Series. It is the first scene of chapter 1 (a.k.a. 1st Wish). As such, not a lot happens because it's setting the ground work for not only the rest of the chapter, but for the entire series.
A/N#2: This PView will not be advertised in the Miracle community. Nor will this be tagged etc. etc.
A/N#3: It may or may not disappear after a few days...



“I’ll see you around lunch!”

That was the last he heard as his friend ran off down the hall dressed in the sea-foam green scrubs that designated those who worked in the operating room. He sighed heavily as he stepped aside as someone else departed from the locker room without so much as a word to him. After all, he was new. Tugging with his own hospital scrubs of jet black, he glanced towards the direction his friend had run off just seconds ago. They had grown up together and, although he was younger than his friend by two years, he had been working in his profession for a few years longer while his friend had just finished his residency as a cardiac surgeon.

Once his friend had finished his residency, he had applied to the hospital they now were in, Sowon Hospital. Somehow, over a competitive game of euchre, he had been convinced to apply to the same hospital and quit his old job at a rehabilitation centre. That was how, after three years of working at the same safe and comfortable job, he ended up in a new place, a new job with new people.

It wasn’t that he was a shy person per se; it was more that he quite liked the rehab centre. It was quite small, located in their hometown of Busan. Whoever came in, he was comfortable working with them and never had to worry about work. Here, however, Sowon Hospital, a reputable and distinguished hospital in Incheon, he didn’t know what to expect.

Sighing heavily, he headed down the basement hallway to the elevators to face his fate. It seemed, however, that fate wanted to toy with him for a bit, because the moment he stepped into the metal encasement and found himself staring at the row of buttons depicting the different level numbers, his mind had completely forgotten which floor he was supposed to go. He knew he looked pathetic the moment a young man stepped into the elevator and said,

“Lost?”

He sighed heavily and nodded. The young man laughed slightly, his timbre marked with a slight raspy quality. He leaned across and pressed the button with ‘3’ labelled on it.

“Black scrubs can only denote rehab in this hospital,” the other man explained when he had raised a questioning brow.

He could only nod in agreement. Every place, every hospital had different rules and regulations. At Sowon Hospital, however, aside from the nurses, all others had specific scrub colours they had to wear. He glanced at his companion’s navy blue scrubs and looked away when the other man noticed his speculative looks.

“A nurse,” he confirmed easily, “As it happens, we’re going to the same floor. I bounce around from floor to floor, but I’m usually in surgical recovery which – if you haven’t already concluded – is on the third floor with rehabilitation, just in a different wing. So, my silent friend, am I correct in assuming you are either a newcomer to Sowon Hospital or have a slight tendency towards memory loss?”

He couldn’t help himself and finally cracked a small smile, “The former, I assure you. My last job was in Busan.”

“Ah, I see,” the other nodded, “You’ll soon realize that, being one of the top hospitals in South Korea, Sowon Hospital is quite lively, if not sometimes chaotic with all the busybodies working here.” Suddenly he blinked and practically jumped around to face him, “I completely forgot!” He held out his hand, “The name’s Kim Junsu. I’ve been working here for a few years and, since I’ll be on the third floor a lot, feel free to ask me anything whenever you get lost in this place.”

Immediately, he grabbed Junsu’s hand and shook it firmly, “I’m Jo Kyuhyun; a physiotherapist.”

Junsu laughed lightly at Kyuhyun’s obvious nervousness, “Yes, I deduced as much. Remember: your scrubs?”

“Ah, right, right,” Kyuhyun’s cheeks pinked slightly as he dropped his hand, “I was supposed to explore a bit with my friend, but I think he was so excited he forgot and ran off without me.”

“Oh? You know someone here? Who?” Junsu asked, sincerely intrigued as the elevator slowly stopped and the doors took forever to slide open,

“Well, today’s both of our first days. His name is Lee Donghae,” Kyuhyun explained,

“Hmm, what department?” Junsu inquired as they stepped off the elevator and Junsu began to lead Kyuhyun down one hallway,

“Oh… erm… ‘surg’?” Kyuhyun said, “Actually… cardio… well… he’s a cardiovascular surgeon… so both?”

Junsu laughed again, “I would’ve been happy with ‘surgery’, but anyway, if he’s in that department that means he’ll be running between this floor and the floor above us.” He paused by a framed map on the wall that depicted the hospital from the side to show the different levels of the hospital rather than the different wings. “Because Sowon is built on a type of hill, the basement and first floor stick out in front making the hospital look like an L,” Junsu explained, pointing to how the diagram on the map looked like an L whose trunk was much bigger and longer than its tail, “The rest of the floors are – clearly – on slightly higher ground and make up the majority of the hospital’s structure. Each floor will have maps like this and other maps that show the floor’s breakdown of its wings.”

Junsu pointed towards where the elevators had been, “If we went the other way from the elevators, that’s where surgical recovery is. As we continue down this hall, we’ll end up in rehabilitation, which is where I’m leading you to.” He pointed back to the map, “For reasons unknown, the floor-breakdown on this map doesn’t list where each department is, but rather, shows which colours are located where. I think the architects and designers wanted to show creativity with that. Frankly, I think it shows stupidity, but I won’t get into that,”

Junsu then continued on down the hall towards rehabilitation, Kyuhyun abreast with him the entire way, “The longer you stay, the more used to where everything else is you will be. First floor is the main lobby, registry and ‘emerg’. It’s crazy down there and I swear all the nurses and doctors down in emerg are a little too cut-throat; no pun intended.”

Kyuhyun laughed anyway but gestured for Junsu to continue,

“Second floor is what I call ‘life or death’. Basically, the second floor is where you go to either eat or die,” at Kyuhyun’s slightly blank expression, he elaborated, “Cafeteria in one wing, palliative care in the other.” Once he saw his new friend nod his understanding, Junsu continued, “Our lovely floor has – as I’ve said before – surgical recovery and rehabilitation. The floor above our heads is a little crazier. Fourth floor has maternity, the O.R. and also paediatrics. Ironically enough the fifth floor is a bit more… solemn; I.C.U. and oncology. Sixth floor is strictly the psychiatric ward, but only short-term care. Anything longer than a few weeks and the patients go to more permanent establishments. The seventh floor is where all testing is done and where the pharmacy is.”

Junsu paused before a set of opened double doors, “And, those who reside on the top floor who get the best view from the hospital, the ones who can’t appreciate it enough. The eighth floor is where the morgue is.” He swung his arm in a gesture to the wide doorway before them, “And here, my dear Kyuhyun, is where I leave you. If you forget anything I’ve said, just press a random number in the elevator and hope for the best.” He grinned and turned to go back where they came from.

“Ah wait – Junsu!” Kyuhyun called out, swinging back to look at him.

Junsu paused and turned just enough to look back, “Yes?”

“I’m… I’m not completely sure exactly where I should be going. Well, well I do,” Kyuhyun amended immediately, “I’m supposed to go to my director, but I’m also…” he sighed heavily, “I’m not usually this… this…”

“Flustered?” Junsu offered and Kyuhyun nodded, “Don’t worry about it; we’re all like that in the beginning. The director of Kinesiology has his own office. Just walk around a bit and you’ll find it; his name is Hankyung. I better get going.” He turned to leave then stopped again, not totally surprised to see Kyuhyun still standing as before, watching him, “If you want, come look for me when you go for break or whatever. I’ll be in the other wing.”

Kyuhyun smiled at him gratefully before replying in the affirmative. He watched silently as Junsu turned and continued down the hall. When he could no longer see him, Kyuhyun turned towards the open archway and sighed heavily. Straightening his spine, he took his first step into Sowon Hospital’s rehabilitation centre.

Kyuhyun had found the director’s office easily enough. He had knocked on the door and waited. After five heartbeats, a voice called him in. He entered and almost blinked as he stared at the man before him who was behind a desk, furiously typing away at his computer. Was this guy really the director of kinesiology in the hospital? He looked way too young, certainly not over thirty. But weren’t directors supposed to be… older?

When Kyuhyun didn’t say anything, he stopped typing and looked up from his computer, “Yes?” he said impatiently,

“I… erm… I’m the new physiotherapist-”

“Yes, yes, Jo Kyuhyun,” the director interjected, “All the files are by the main desk in the unit. Your patient lists and their files are all there.”

When the director didn’t say anything more, Kyuhyun blinked. Had he just been dismissed? Taking a deep breath, he bit down any of the retorts that streamed through his mind. He turned and left the office, not bothering to stop the door from slamming behind him.


To be continued in April 2010...