When Script Meets Stethoscope

Chapter 2 — The Dying Wish

Chapter 2 — The Dying Wish

Weeks after the wedding by the sea, the world didn't just slow down for Dunk Natachai — it fractured.

Ang ospital na dati ay nagsisilbing kuta niya laban sa ingay ng mundo ay naging piping saksi sa sarili niyang pighati. His mother, the woman who was the source of his quiet strength, had been battling a long-term illness.

But as the monsoon rains began to wash over the city, her strength finally wavered.

On her final night, the sterile smell of the hospital room felt heavier than usual. Dunk sat by her side, his hand — the same hand that saved countless strangers—trembling as he held hers.

"Dunk, anak..." she whispered, her voice like the rustle of dry leaves.

"I'm here, Mom. Don't speak, just rest," Dunk replied, his voice thick with suppressed tears.

She smiled faintly, her eyes searching his.

"Promise me ... promise me you'll marry someone who will take care of you when I'm gone. Someone kind. Someone who will remind you to live, Dunk, not just work. Don't let your heart become as cold as these hospital walls."

Dunk felt a lump in his throat. In his world of logic and science, there was no cure for a mother's worry. He nodded, the first tear finally escaping.

"I promise, Mom. I promise."

After the funeral, the silence in their family home was deafening. His father, a man of few words and grand ambitions, approached him in the study.

"Your mother's last wish wasn't just about anyone, Dunk," his father started, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"She wanted you to marry Joong Archen. Our families have been bound for generations. It was her final request to ensure you wouldn't be alone."

Dunk froze. "Joong? The actor?"

His father nodded solemnly. "She believed he would bring light into your life. She saw the hollow space in you that medicine couldn't fill. The engagement is being finalized."

Dunk felt the weight of the world settle on his shoulders. He was a man of duty, but this felt like a sentence. His life was a rhythmic cycle of surgeries and charts. He didn't have space for the chaos of a public life, let alone a marriage built on a dead woman's hope.

To him, love was a luxury he had long ago traded for a stethoscope.

Sa kabilang dako ng siyudad, hindi rin naging madali ang balita para kay Joong Archen.

When his parents called him to the family estate, Joong expected another lecture about his image or a new business venture. Instead, he was met with the ghost of a promise.

The Archens and Natachais were merging, not just their assets, but their bloodlines.

But Joong had a secret — isang katotohanang itinatago niya sa likod ng mga mabulaklak na interview. He was already entangled in a complicated, passionate relationship with his co-star, Jamie. They were the "Golden Pair" of the industry. Although their relationship was a messy blend of PR and real emotions, Joong felt he owed her his loyalty.

"You want me to marry a stranger? Because of a business pact?" Joong laughed, but the sound was hollow.

"It's not just business, Joong," his mother said softly. "It was his mother's dying wish. She was like a sister to me. Would you turn your back on that?"

Joong looked at his reflection in the grand mirror of their living room. He was a man who played many roles, but the role of a "dutiful husband" to a man he barely knew felt like the hardest script he had ever read.

Weeks later, the two men met in a secluded café away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. The air between them was heavy, thick with the shared burden of their parents' expectations.

Joong arrived first, wearing a cap and glasses, trying to disappear into the upholstery. When Dunk walked in, he looked exhausted — his eyes carried the dark circles of a doctor who hadn't slept, and the grief of a son who had just said goodbye.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," Joong said, stirring his cold coffee, the clinking of the spoon the only music in their silence.

Dunk looked up, a ghost of a smile appearing. "Or condolences."

They both let out a small, weary laugh. The tension broke, if only for a second.

"I know about Jamie, by the way," Dunk said softly, catching Joong off guard.

Joong froze, his hand tightening around his cup. He let out a long sigh. "It's not what it looks like. It's ... complicated."

Dunk shook his head, his expression softening into one of understanding.

"Don't worry, you don't have to explain. It doesn't matter anyway. You love her. And I don't want to be the person who ties you down when your heart belongs to someone else. Hindi ako ganoong klaseng tao."

Joong looked at him, guilt flickering in his eyes. He saw the integrity in Dunk's gaze — the quiet dignity of a man who was willing to let go of his own safety net for the sake of another's happiness.

"I didn't ask for this either," Joong admitted. "But our parents... and your mother... how do we say no to a dying wish?"

"I don't believe in arranged marriages, Joong," Dunk said after a moment of quietness. "Marriage isn't something I can treat like a contract. It's sacred. It's supposed to be the one thing in this world that isn't for sale."

Dunk knew the sanctity of the hearth. His parents had taught him that, even if they were the ones now pushing him toward this arrangement.

"Neither do I," Joong replied. "But I can't bear the thought of disappointing them. Especially knowing it was her last hope."

Dunk sighed, looking out the window at the bustling city. "Then maybe we should try. If it works, then good. If it doesn't... at least we can tell them we tried our best."

For a long moment, neither spoke. The hum of the café — the sound of grinding beans and distant chatter — filled the space between them. Dunk realized that as much as he wanted to fulfill his mother's wish, he couldn't build a life on a lie.

Finally, Dunk stood up. He looked at Joong — not as the famous actor, but as a man caught in the same trap as he is.

"But, Joong ... we don't really have to do this," Dunk said, his voice barely a whisper.

"I know my mom. She loved me. If she knew that this would make us both miserable, she would understand. You should be with the person you love. And I..." he paused, a sad but certain smile on his lips,

"I should be with my work. That's where I belong. In the silence of the operating room, where things make sense."

Dunk turned and walked away, his steps steady but his heart heavy.

Joong watched him leave through the glass window. He had expected to feel relief — the kind of relief you feel when a difficult scene is finally over. But instead, he felt a strange, sharp ache settling in his chest. He felt a sense of regret he couldn't quite explain.

He realized that for the first time, someone had chosen his happiness over their own convenience. Dunk Natachai, the cold and distant doctor, had just offered him freedom. And for some reason, Joong wasn't sure if he wanted to take it.

As the rain started to fall outside, Joong remained in the café, staring at the empty seat across him.

The wish was dying, but for the first time, something new was beginning to stir in the silence.