Chapter four
826 Words
Chapter 4
Episode 4: On the Basketball Field
Three Months Later
The afternoon sun hung low over the outdoor basketball court, sharp and unforgiving. Sweat dripped down the players’ faces, mixing with dust kicked up from the concrete. The game had been intense, back-and-forth for nearly an hour.
Coach Ha-rin stood at the sideline, clipboard in hand, eyes scanning every movement. She’d spent the last three months pushing this team harder than any she’d coached before. Today was supposed to be their best practice yet.
Then it happened.
A sharp thud, a yelp, and Hyun-woo hit the ground hard near the key. Player 2 skidded to a stop beside him, eyes wide.
Ha-rin was already moving. “Are you okay?” she called out, voice sharp with alarm.
Hyun-woo groaned, clutching his head. Blood seeped through his fingers.
“Coach, he is bleeding!” Player 2 shouted, panic rising.
Ha-rin crouched beside them, hands hovering but not touching. “Where?”
“It hurts,” Hyun-woo muttered, barely audible.
“Carry him out,” Ha-rin ordered, already turning toward the parking lot. “Let me get my car. We’re going to the hospital now.”
Player 2 nodded quickly. “Yes, coach.”
---
At the Hospital
The emergency room doors slid open with a hiss, and Ha-rin burst through with Hyun-woo slung between herself and Player 2.
“Emergency!!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the chaos.
A nurse at the front desk looked up immediately. “What happened? Bring him in.”
Ha-rin explained in short, clipped sentences as they wheeled Hyun-woo toward a gurney. The nurse pulled out her phone mid-sentence. “Hello, Nurse Soo-young? Is Doctor Ji-hoon busy?”
On the other end, Soo-young’s voice was calm but tired. “No, he just finished a surgery now. Any problem?”
“Yes, there’s an emergency now, and all the doctors are busy. Please let him come attend to the patient. We’re in Ward 12 now.”
“Okay, I’ll let him know.”
---
Three Minutes Later
Ji-hoon entered Ward 12 still pulling off his surgical gloves, mask hanging loosely around his neck. His eyes went straight to the patient on the bed, then to the blood staining the sheets.
“What happened to him?” he asked, voice clipped and focused.
Ha-rin stepped forward. “He fell while playing basketball.”
Ji-hoon examined the wound, pressing lightly around the edges. “Why is he bleeding this much?”
“Nurse Soo-young?” he called without looking up.
“Yes,” Soo-young answered from beside him, already prepping supplies.
“Arrange for a scan. Let’s see if there are any inner injuries on his head.”
“Yes, doctor.”
---
30 Minutes Later
The scan results lay open on the lightboard. Ji-hoon studied them for a long moment before turning to Ha-rin, who hadn’t left the room since they arrived.
“He’ll be fine after a week,” he said. “He’ll need to stay in the hospital for a closer look, just to make sure there aren’t any complications.”
Ha-rin’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but her brow stayed furrowed. “Doctor, is there a problem with his head?”
“Not really,” Ji-hoon replied. “But we have to keep him close in case of any problems. He also needs a blood transfusion. He lost a lot of blood.”
“Okay,” Ha-rin said quietly. “He’ll be fine, right?”
“Yes, he will.”
Ji-hoon glanced at Soo-young. “Nurse Soo-young?”
“Yes, doctor?”
“Call me when he wakes up.”
“Yes, doctor.”
“I’ll be at my office.”
Soo-young nodded. “Noted”
Ha-rin shifted, hesitant. “Excuse me.”
“Yes?” Soo-young turned to her.
“When will he be up?”
Soo-young checked the chart. “I don’t know yet, but maybe let’s say tomorrow morning.”
Ha-rin exhaled. “Ok.”
---
In Ji-hoon’s Office
The office was quiet, the only sound the faint hum of the AC and the rustle of papers. Soo-young knocked once before entering.
“Doctor Ji-hoon?”
“Yes?”
“Doctor Mu asked for you.”
Ji-hoon looked up from his notes. “Doctor Mu-jin?”
“No, Doctor Mu-lin.”
“Oh, why?”
“She asked to meet you at the lunch room. She wants to ask you something over eating.”
Ji-hoon leaned back in his chair, considering. “Okay. No problem. I’ll go meet her when I’m done here.”
He paused, then added, “Is the patient in Ward 12 up already?”
Soo-young shook her head. “No, doctor.”
“Okay, you should go for lunch too.”
“Thanks,” Soo-young said, already turning to leave.
Outside, the hospital hummed with its usual controlled chaos. But in Ward 12, Hyun-woo lay still, breathing steady.
Tomorrow morning would come soon enough.
- Writer
