Author's Note: I haven't written fanfiction in years but Winter Garden left me wanting for more. And since 2021 is still a fair bit away, I figured why not have a go at it again? We got the first meeting and the kiss. These are what happened in between.

Chapter 1: Double Bacon Sandwich

He watches her intently as she removes the maggots off the homeless man's leg. She is steady, unflinching. The smell— a mix of grime, sweat and rotten flesh, doesn't even faze her. For a moment, he couldn't believe that this is the same doctor who told a patient's mother that her failure to do life-saving CPR meant that her son would die. Back then, he thought that she was brusque and unsympathetic, but seeing her now, the only person in the room who's acting without any prejudice against this homeless man, it dawns on him that he was too quick to judge her based on that one mistake. Clearly, there is more to her that he doesn't know.

He hears the homeless man groan. Gyeo Ul immediately looks at the patient and in her usual monotone voice says—

"I'll be done soon, sir. After this, we'll give you something for the pain."

The man weakly nods his head. Dr. Bong sees that the situation is under control.

"You got this, Dr. Jang?", he asks to make sure.

Without looking at him, Gyeo Ul answers, "Yes, professor."

Satisfied, Dr. Bong turns to leave. Jeong Won takes one last glance of Gyeo Ul before joining his friend. As they walk away, Dr. Bong says, "she's an oddball, isn't she? I've seen all kinds of residents in all my years here, but none quite like her."

Jeong Won doesn't reply, but truth be told, he's thinking the same. Jang Gyeo Ul is a mystery.

Except for Song Hwa, apparently. They're eating dinner in her office when Ik Jun brings up Gyeo Ul's moment in the ER which has been making the rounds in the hospital grapevine. It turns out Song Hwa has known Gyeo Ul for years as the only member of the Lacking 5 who has been in Yulje from the beginning. She even mentored Gyeo Ul during the latter's neuro rotation.

"She finished med school in the Philippines."

That's news to Jeong Won. Before he could think about it, he suddenly blurts out, "Really? She lived there?"

All his friends turn to look at him, surprised by his sudden show of interest. Ik Jun, in particular, eyes him with suspicion. He covers up by saying that he's just surprised. It's not everyday that you hear about a resident who studied medicine abroad. It's usually fellows who pursue further studies elsewhere. Song Hwa explains that Gyeo Ul's father was an engineer in a mining company in the Philippines so his family migrated there with him. They only came back home after her father retired.

"Many were questioning her background when she started here, but she has proven everyone wrong. She may not be the most sympathetic doctor but she's smart, works hard and gets things done."

Jun Wan speaks up with his mouth full. "Give me her number."

Jeong Won quickly turns to Jun Wan but before he could speak, Seok Hyeong beats him to it.

"Why would you need her number?", he asks curiously.

Jun Wan answers with a straight face. "I need a new girlfriend."

A part of Jeongwon wants to wring Jun Wan's neck, thankfully Ik Jun did it for him.

"Stay away from Gyeoulie, you pervert!" Jun Wan pushes Ik Jun away. He screams, "I'll just convince her to shift to CS, OK?! I'd rather have her than that pesky Do Jae Hak!"

Ik Jun promptly lets go. Jun Wan turns to Jeongwon and puts on a desperate act.

"Jeong Won ah, you said she's not your cup of tea, right? Then tell her to transfer to CS. I need a new resident. I swear, Do Jae Hak will be the death of me." Jun Wan grabs Jeong Won's arm and begs.

Jeong Won just smiles this time. "Yah! Cut it out!"

As Ik Jun and Jun Wan bicker over Gyeo Ul, Jeong Won thinks about what he said… she's not my cup of tea… As it turns out, he might just eat those words.

…..

A week later, Jeong Won gets a call from the ER to check on a seven year old boy with severe allergic reaction. While there, he sees the homeless man being discharged. The man looks much better now. The sight warms Jeong Won's heart. The days when patients are discharged are always the best kind of days for him as a doctor.

He overhears the man ask Nurse Hui Su where Gyeo Ul is. He's not one to eavesdrop but the mention of Gyeo Ul's name catches his attention. Hui Su answers politely.

"I'm sorry sir, but she's off duty at the moment. Do you need anything from her?"

The man looks away, a bit embarrassed. "No… I just want to thank her again… she gave me a number for an organization that gives jobs to the homeless…"

Jeong Won goes still. She did that?

The man continues. "I called and they said they already have a position for me… the kind doctor told them about my leg, so they're assigning me to a factory… I can work sitting down… I want her to know that I am very grateful… so very grateful…"

Jeong Won looks up and sees the man holding back tears. It's likely that this is the first time in a long while that the man felt his life had value… and it's all because of Jang Gyeo Ul.

Not many doctors would've done the same thing. Heck, even the thought of helping the man out beyond his medical bills eluded him and he's usually on top of those kinds of things. But lately, he's been distracted… because of her.

He finds himself looking at her whenever they're in the same room. He has noticed that she wears the same thing to work, doesn't wear make up and her hair is always unkempt. Once, he saw her pin her hair with her pen before she ate a huge double bacon sandwich. It's evident that her looks is the least of her priorities. Not that she's not pretty, because she is. She's very pretty.

Jeong Won suddenly stops himself. Why am I thinking about how pretty she is? I'm not interested! I'm applying for priesthood for heaven's sake!

But he goes back to thinking of her again. The other day, he walked in the GS department's office right before she was due to pick which surgery to assist in. A more cunning resident would've taken advantage of her position as the sole GS resident to gain favor or have it easy, but not Gyeo Ul. She picked Ik Jun's surgery which was the most difficult and would take the longest time. After that, he was certain of one thing about her— that she's a woman who defies expectation.

"Dr. Ahn, are you OK?" The nurse asks from behind him. Jeong Won realizes that he's holding the allergy results without reading it for the past minute.

"You look spaced out."

"I'm sorry. Give him 25 mg of dyphenhydramine please, and keep me updated."

The nurse nods her head. Jeong Won leans closer to his patient and in his usual reassuring voice says—

"The nurse will give you some medicine, Seung Woo ah… That will make you feel better."

In his mind, Jeong Won tells himself that this is what he's supposed to do— treat his patient, not think of her.

But that is easier said than done as he later finds out when he returns to the office he shares with Jun Wan. Ik Jun is there, prattling on as always. After grilling him about his priestly plans, Ik Jun gets a call from Gyeo Ul. He notices that his friend's tone suddenly turns soft and sweet when talking to her. He's not the only one who noticed. After Ik Jun leaves, Jun Wan turns to him and asks the question that would plague his mind in the next thirty minutes. "Are they having an affair?"

No way… but then again, knowing Ik Jun's luck with the ladies and with his wife so far away, could it be possible… No! He can't! Not with Gyeo Ul!

Twenty-five minutes later, he's searching the hallways for Ik Jun. He tells himself that he's only looking out for his friend. It's his duty to stop him from making a grave mistake that could ruin his family. He doesn't want to think of the other possible reason… that he's running around like a maniac because he's worried for Gyeo Ul.

Finally, he sees them at the garden, sitting apart but in deep conversation. Ik Jun is eating something… looks like homemade yukjeon. Did she make those for Ik Jun?!

He needs to end this… so he barges in under the guise of wanting a cigarette. Gyeo Ul immediately stands to leave. Once she's out of earshot, he confronts Ik Jun.

"Not Gyeo Ul of all people. You're married! I'm going to beat you up if you continue this!" He's pissed but that doesn't stop him from grabbing a piece of yukjeon. It's delicious. She's kind and could cook! Stop thinking about her, Jeong Won! Think of the Lord!

Instead of denying his allegations, Ik Jun just asks him the question he least expects to hear.

"What do you think of Jang Gyeo Ul?"

He's taken aback. "What?"

"What do you think of Jang Gyeo Ul?"

She's kind… and competent… and beautiful.

But he knows he can't say that and why does he keep on thinking that she's beautiful?! He has to stop! So he goes with, "she's better than I thought. So you… you stay away from her. You get me?"

"You like her?"

He's momentarily caught off guard, thinking that Ik Jun got wind of his thoughts, but he won't fall for it. He retorts back "What?! She's a resident!"

"So?"

He turns the question around. "Why? Do you like her?"

"Yes! Like a sister! She reminds me of Ik Sun. They're both such weirdos."

Jeong Won visibly relaxes. "Good."

"Why are you so interested anyway?"

"I'm not interested. I'm just worried. Even Jun Wan suspects you're having an affair. Why are you suddenly close to her anyway? I always see you talking to her."

"I'm helping her out with her love life." Ik Jun answers, his eyes on Jeong Won's reaction.

Jeong Won pulls out his best poker face. "Don't answer if you're just going to lie."

"I'm not lying. There's this guy she has a crush on…"

Jeong Won's jaw clenches… who could it be?

…..

He's asking himself the same question eight hours later at 1AM while in bed. He couldn't sleep.

Get your act together… you can't think of her. You just sent your letter of recommendation and with any luck by the end of the year you're at the Vatican on your way to becoming a priest.

His phone rings. Perfect timing. He needs something to distract him. He answers the call. It's the PICU nurse. His patient, a baby girl with a kidney condition is crashing.

Jeong Won arrives at the PICU twenty minutes later, trying to catch his breath. "How's Ji Eun?!" The nurse looks apologetic. "I'm sorry, Dr. Ahn. Didn't you get my message? Ji Eun is stabilized."

He looks over at the baby's bed. True enough, the infant looks fine. The nurse continues, "Dr. Jang was here. She took care of it. I'm sorry if I bothered you…"

Jeong Won is relieved. "It's fine… don't worry about it." But he has a nagging question in his head. "Why is Dr. Jang here? She's not supposed to be on the night shift."

"Dr. Kim had to attend to a family emergency so Dr. Jang stepped in."

She's been taking the night shifts three nights in a row… she must be running on coffee at this point.

"Where is she?" He asks, worried.

"She went to grab something from the vendo machine. She hasn't had dinner yet."

Jeong Won tells himself that he needs a drink after running, so after making sure that Ji Eun's condition is stable, he goes to the vendo machine outside the PICU. There he sees Gyeo Ul sleeping. In his hurry earlier, he didn't see her. Her head is resting on the wall, her mouth slightly agape. She's holding an open pack of chips with an empty cup of coffee at her feet.

Jeong Won wants to wake her but he stops himself. More than anything, she needs to rest.

…..

Gyeo Ul finally wakes a little past 3AM. She realizes that she's been asleep for more than an hour. She panics. She hurriedly throws her half eaten food away when the PICU nurse arrives.

"You should've woken me up, Nurse Song. How's Ji Eun?"

"She's stable. Dr. Ahn is watching her."

"Dr. Ahn is here? Gyeo Ul asks, surprised.

"He came when you were sleeping. Here, eat this."

The nurse hands Gyeo Ul a take out bag from her favorite sandwich place. At Gyeo Ul's questioning glance, Nurse Song explains, "Dr. Ahn's treat. He said we've been working hard we ought to eat some decent food."

Gyeo Ul looks touched. She looks inside the bag. It's a double bacon sandwich, her favorite. Of course, Jeong Won bought sandwiches for every one so it's really not that special. Still, it's from him.

"Eat up then sleep at the on call room. Dr. Ahn said he'll take the rest of your shift."

Gyeo Ul looks at the PICU but she couldn't see anything past the glass wall. She really wants to see him… thank him… but she doesn't want to bother him so she just nods her head.

Nurse Song returns inside the PICU. Jeong Won just finished logging Ji Eun's vitals on her chart.

"Dr. Ahn, are you sure you don't want anything? Coffee?"

"No. Thank you."

Jeong Won happens to glance at the closing door. From where he stands, he could see Gyeo Ul eating the double bacon sandwich with gusto.

Seeing her like that makes him smile to himself. He looks back at Nurse Song and says, "I'm full."

Thank you for reading! If you have time, please let me know what you think of it. See you next chapter!