His words, though well-intentioned, only seemed to sink deeper into her, triggering a sense of numbness rather than relief. She understood he was trying to comfort her, but all she felt was the weight of her own exhaustion, physical and emotional.
She had tried, truly tried, to throw herself back into her work. She had watched enough Korean dramas to know that when someone loses everything, the only way to survive is to immerse yourself in something else, to work yourself to the bone until the pain is drowned out. She had hoped that was the answer. She had hoped the hospital would bring a sense of purpose back, that her patients would help her focus and forget for even a moment. But it didn't work. Every time she picked up her doctor's coat, every time her fingers brushed against her stethoscope, memories of that day flooded back—memories of the phone call she had missed.