Racing Against Time

Ji-won's eyes widened as she crouched beside the girl. Her hand went to the girl's forehead — she was hot and clammy. A quick check of her pulse sent a jolt of alarm through her: fast, weak, irregular.

Her heart skipped. Oh no... she thought, seeing the swelling in the girl's stomach and the blood seeping through her clothes.

"Stay with me... please, stay with me," Ji-won murmured softly, keeping her voice calm even as her hands shook. She pressed a clean cloth gently to the bleeding wound on the lower abdomen, careful not to apply too much pressure, her basic first-aid training guiding her movements.

She leaned closer, whispering, "Breathe slowly... I need you to breathe.

She checked the girl's breathing — shallow, rapid, a dangerous sign for both mother and child. Clammy skin, pale lips, weak pulse... Ji-won's mind raced. She quickly assessed: this wasn't just a cut or bruise. Internal bleeding was likely.

Ji-won's hand hovered over the girl's stomach, instinctively keeping it still.

Ji-won pressed a clean cloth against the girl's bleeding , trying desperately to control the flow. Her hands were slick with blood, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She panicked for a moment, unsure how to call for help in time.

Then, a security guard came running toward them, noticing the chaos.

Ji-won's eyes widened, and suddenly she remembered the group of doctors she had seen in the restaurant. Without thinking, she shouted, her voice trembling but loud enough to cut through the rain:

"Ajushi! Call an ambulance! Hold this for a second!"

She dashed through the wet parking lot toward the cafe. Her hands were coated in blood, dripping onto her coat, leaving red streaks as she ran.

Bursting into the restaurant, she drew every eye immediately. The doctors froze mid-bite, mouths open in shock, staring at the girl-stained woman before them.

Ji-won's breaths came fast. She took a deep breath to steady herself and said:

"Excuse me... I need help! Please, come with me — now!"

From across the room, Min-jun looked up from his table, noting her panicked expression and the blood on her hands. His eyes narrowed slightly, and without hesitation, he stood.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, voice calm but urgent.

Ji-won didn't answer — she only grabbed his arm. "Come with me. Parking area — now!"

Min-jun turned immediately, his instincts kicking in. The group of doctors followed without question, each moving quickly into action.

When they arrived at the scene, Min-jun crouched beside the girl, assessing the situation in seconds.

"Show me her injuries," he said sharply, voice authoritative.

Ji-won stepped back slightly, nodding. "Lower abdomen... she's bleeding, and I think it's internal. Pulse is fast, shallow breathing. She's clammy, lips pale... vital situation," she explained, her voice shaky but precise.

Min-jun's eyes flicked to the girl, then back at Ji-won. We'll move her carefully to the ambulance. Everyone else, prep stretcher and monitor."

The team moved with synchronized precision. Min-jun grabbed a clean sheet and carefully slid it under the girl.

They put the girl in the ambulance.

Min jun replied Are you coming with us.

Ji won without hesitation ask him which hospital?

Min jun replied: Prestigious Seoul Hospital.

Min jun goes in the ambulance.

Ji won ride her scooter faster and goes there.

Ji-won sat outside the hospital entrance, rain-drenched clothes now slightly drying but still stained with blood. Her hands, her coat, her shoes — all marked from the chaos earlier. She hugged her knees, her body trembling from adrenaline.

Hours passed. She waited, staring blankly at the sliding doors, her mind replaying the situation panicked face and the way she had rushed to get help. Slowly, exhaustion claimed her. Her head slumped forward. The hum of the hospital outside, the soft beeping of distant machines through the walls, became a lullaby.

She fell asleep right there on the bench, blood-stained coat as her pillow. The rain had stopped, but her exhaustion weighed heavier than the wet clothes ever could.

After what felt like eternity, footsteps approached. Exhausted doctors emerged from the ER — wet hair, bloodied scrubs, fatigue etched into their expressions. Min-jun walked ahead of the group, his coat still slightly damp from the rain, face serious but composed.

As the others dispersed, Min-jun's eyes caught a flash of red against the pale hospital walls. He froze. A figure slumped on the bench, clothes streaked with blood. Something about her posture, the panic, the way she had moved... it sparked recognition deep inside him.

He approached slowly, kneeling beside her as if not to startle her. He studied her carefully: the blood-stained hands, the trembling shoulders, the faint scent of rain and antiseptic.

This... this is the woman from the parking lot. She was panicked, pulling me to help...

His voice broke the quiet around them:

"Ma'am? Ma'am?"

Ji-won stirred. Her eyelids fluttered open. For a moment, disorientation clouded her gaze — and then she saw him, kneeling there, calm but intense.

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