"If there are no questions, it's your turn to practice." their professor announced during their afternoon lesson, "Pick a partner, then demonstrate how to find a vein and draw blood using a medical syringe."

Eun Jae looked around to find a partner. Seulgi and Hyorin had paired themselves up, and so did Kibum and Jinho. She frowned, trying to see who else was available, but the rest of her class seemed to be purposely avoiding eye contact with her. She ignored the uncomfortable feeling and scanned the room for someone sitting alone. Her eyes landed on Woo Jin's the same time he found hers, and she hesitated. They still haven't spoken since the incident, and a lesson where they poke each other with needles doesn't seem to be the best time to do it.

He cleared his throat, "Want to pair up?"

"Um..." she replied, hiding her surprise, "If you don't mind?"

Woo Jin shook his head, "I don't." he said as he moved to the chair across from her. He flipped open his book to the correct page, reading the instructions to himself. Eun Jae pretended to examine the tools they were going to use, while sneaking a glance at his face, trying to judge what he was thinking about. He hadn't exactly been avoiding her, he just doesn't seem to pay her any attention. It's almost as if they were back to being strangers, and she found that it troubled her a lot.

Why am I bothered when I didn't do anything wrong? she wondered.

"Looks pretty straightforward," Woo Jin said, finally looking up at her, "do you want to go first or should I?"

Eun Jae skimmed over the instructions, "You have a go." she decided. He puts on his surgical gloves silently as Eun Jae placed her arm on the table. She looked at the book to double check what they were looking for, "So you need to locate my antecubital vein first, just above the elbow crease." she told him, and Woo Jin nodded. Gently, he cradled her arm with one hand, sending goosebumps all over her body, as his other hand traces faint lines over her elbow crease, tapping the skin lightly to check for tautness.

"Should be quite easy since my veins are prominent, you know." Eun Jae continued, too aware of his warm hands for her liking, "A lot of nurses told me I'm an easy patient to draw blood from. Of course that was a long time ago, back when I was seven when I was hospitalized for pneumonia. It wasn't too severe, thank goodness, but they had to inject an IV, and they said it was lucky that my veins were easy to spot."

She knew she was rambling, but she couldn't stop. If she did, the silence would become too heavy with the questions hanging over their heads. Woo Jin didn't say anything, he just tapped her forearm one more time before letting it go to choose a needle.

"Did you find it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess your nurses were right."

Eun Jae flushed, and she sat straighter on her stool. Woo Jin turned back to her with a tourniquet, which he tied around her upper arm. He cradled her arm again with one hand while the other flicks the vein until it's bulging. Next, he took a needle syringe from their pile, pausing to gauge her reaction, "Ready?"

Eun Jae took a deep breath and nodded. She never had a problem with needles, anyway, preferring to watch as Woo Jin drew her blood. He worked with surprising ease, as she watched him pull the syringe out and press a cotton ball over the injection site.

"Whoah, it's like you've been doing this for years."

"It's not difficult."

"Show off." she teased him lightly.

Woo Jin smiled a little, and her heart did a cartwheel in her chest. "I thought it's better to just do it as quickly as possible so you don't have time to think about it."

"I didn't even notice the needle go in, and it was over before I could properly digest what we're doing." she agreed, amazed.

Woo Jin broke eye contact as he removed his gloves , "Your turn." he urged as he took off his hoodie so she could see his arm more easily.

Eun Jae pressed her lips together, her heart hammering. Would this be just like anatomy class? she thought fearfully. What if she couldn't find the right vein? or worse, what if she inserts it on the wrong place and he bleeds out? It was one thing to study on a cadaver, but to practice on a living, breathing person...can she afford to make another mistake?

I can't.

"Hey." Woo Jin said, interrupting her thoughts, "Could you, uh, give me a warning before you stick the needle in?"

Eun Jae frowned, "You mean...like a countdown or something?"

Woo Jin nodded, "Yeah, a countdown works. Just so I know."

Eun Jae narrowed her eyes a little, "Are you afraid of needles?" she asked in disbelief.

Woo Jin quickly shook his head, "Of course not! It's just..." he paused, hesitating, "Unlike you, I don't have much experience going to the hospital...maybe just twice all my life."

"Hmm..." Eun Jae said as she examined his forearm, "you're lucky then."

Woo Jin grimaced, "I don't know about that." he mumbled.

Eun Jae gripped the syringe tightly, running through the instructions in her head. She visualized what Woo Jin did on her arm a few minutes ago.

Do I look for the vein before or after the tourniquet? she thought, pressing her lips together.

As if he could hear the doubt in her head, he suddenly demanded, "Ya, do you know what you're doing?"

"Of course." she snipped, pulling his arm towards her so she could tie the tourniquet, a bit too tightly than probably recommended.

Woo Jin winced, which she promptly ignored. Pointing the needle against his arm, she took a deep steadying breath "One. Two—"

"Everyone," the professor suddenly announced, "We'll stop here."

Eun Jae groaned, debating if she should stick the needle in quickly, but Woo Jin sighed with relief and pulled his arm away from her, so she had no choice but to let go, disappointed that she lost the chance just when she felt like she could do it.

Woo Jin noticed her pout and smiled a little, "A bit too excited to stab me?"

"Yes, actually." she shot back, "you owe me quite a lot."

He rested his head chin on his hand as he studied her, "We could do it after class, if you're free?"

Eun Jae checked her watch, going over her appointments for the day, "I guess I have half an hour to spare." she agreed.

Woo Jin nodded, "Okay."

They waited for the room to empty out, Eun Jae looking at everything and everyone but him, telling herself to remain calm. She'd been alone with him before, so it's not a big deal. Plus, they're just studying, she told herself, and she needed to practice.

Once everyone had left, she turned to face her partner again, syringe in one hand. Woo Jin placed his arm back on the table. "Remember, do a count first."

She rolled her eyes dramatically, "Could you try and relax? You're making me nervous."

"I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Just be quiet so I can concentrate."

"Hurry up then." Woo Jin grumbled.

Eun Jae took another deep breath to clear her mind. The room was eerily quiet without their bickering, making her more conscious of the loud thudding sound inside her rib cage. She felt like her hands were beginning to sweat, and she gripped the syringe tightly.

"See, that's the vein you want right?" Woo Jin's voice cut through the silence.

Eun Jae looked down, nodding. She leaned closer to study his arm, locating the right vein.

"Woo Jin..." she began slowly, "why did you ask me to be your partner?"

"Because you didn't have one." came his immediate reply.

"There were other people available." she pointed out.

"I know." he said, "Why did you say yes?"

Eun Jae paused, looking up at him. She suddenly became aware of how close they were. His eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and surrounded by dark circles. She thought he smelled like cedar wood, and her cheeks went red with embarrassment. "I...because no one else asked me?" she offered, looking back down and pressing on his arm a bit more forcefully to distract herself.

"Mmm."

"Are you not afraid I might make a mistake?" she blurted out.

Woo Jin shrugged, "That's what we're here for. To make mistakes." he told her, and suddenly she wasn't sure if he was still talking about their lesson.

"You know...we never really talked...about that incident." she said casually.

"What's there to talk about?"

Eun Jae raised her eyebrows, "What do you mean? We can't just pretend it didn't happen."

Woo Jin looked away, "We can, if that's what you want."

"It's not." she said, then quickly tried to backtrack, "I mean, we should talk about it so that we're on the same page. So it's not awkward."

"I told you, just forget about it."

"Well, I can't." Eun Jae retorted, "it's not that easy. Look, I wanted to say sorry for how I reacted, I didn't mean to hit you...Well, maybe I did at the time, but I shouldn't have done it."

"How are you doing now?"

"I'm...hanging in there." she answered truthfully, "At first, I thought my nausea must be because I was anemic or I wasn't eating well. But I felt it again the next time I was in the lab, so I need to figure out what's causing it if I ever want to be a doctor."

"Why are you staking your future on the fear of cutting bodies open?" he asked, "A doctor has many skills, this is just one of them."

"But it's one of the foundations, isn't it?" she argued, "How can I treat people when I can't even do this right?"

"Why? Are you planning to become a surgeon?"

She nodded, "My mother wants me to be a cardiac surgeon."

"And you?" Woo Jin pressed, "do you want to be a surgeon?"

"I don't know? I guess so...it seems like a challenging field and there is plenty of room to grow." she sighed, "To be honest I just want to survive Anatomy class, then I'll think about the future."

Woo Jin was silent for a while, and when he finally spoke he said, "Have you found that vein yet?"

"Oh, right." Eun Jae said hastily, putting the tourniquet around his arm and removing the cap from her needle. She took a deep breath, preparing to insert it on his skin, the needle quivering. She tried not to think about the different scenarios she could fail and what might happen as a consequence afterwards.

Woo Jin reached out to lightly touch her hand, steadying her grip. The world stopped spinning on its axis, her hand frozen in mid-air.

"I'm sorry for what I did before. " he said softly, "If I offended you, it wasn't my intention."

Then what was your intention?, she wanted to say, What did you want me to do?

"I trust you, Cha Eun Jae."

They stared at each other for a long minute, until Woo Jin removed his hand on top of hers and the world began moving once again. Eun Jae counted to three before she pushed the needle in, watching the syringe fill up with his blood. She pressed a cotton ball on his arm as she drew the needle back. Once it was finished, she sighed with relief. "I did it." she said in amazement, "Thank goodness that worked out."

"Did you think it won't?"

"With the way my luck's been going, I won't be too surprised." Eun Jae said with a grin. "I guess it's good to know I'm not completely hopeless."

"You're far from hopeless."

"My performance in anatomy lab begs to differ."

"That incident doesn't define who you are," he said carefully, "There are other things that matter more, as a doctor."

Eun Jae smiled gratefully, the burden inside her lifting a little. "Thank you. I have no intention of giving up, but it's nice to be reminded."

Woo Jin nodded, satisfied. He started clearing up their table, and once again she struggled to continue their conversation. It's as if they were dancing around something unspoken, waiting for each other to make the first move. She didn't know what to do. She desperately wanted to probe him more, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear his response.

So she let go of that moment, helping to put away their tools and shifting their conversation towards their next lesson. She stole glances at him from time to time, admiring the way his brows drew together when he's concentrating and how relaxed she felt just sitting beside him. He may seem aloof and cold, but he's actually warm and thoughtful underneath his facade. She remembered the time they entered the music competition, his fingers dancing along the piano keys. His smile was broad and infectious when they were onstage, and she liked how it was directed towards her. She wished she could see it again.

"Ya, Cha Eun Jae, are you listening?"

Eun Jae blinked a couple of times, "Pardon?"

Woo Jin frowned at her, "Were you daydreaming?"

She scoffed, busying herself with organising her things into a pile, "I was just thinking of the exams," she lied, "what were you saying?"

"I said, do you want to study together?"

Eun Jae nodded automatically, "I don't mind. When do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow? at the lab?"

"The Anatomy lab?"

"It's for the Anatomy test so...yes, that lab."

She bit her lip. "I don't know if I can...just yet. Maybe we can go somewhere else?"

Woo Jin nodded in understanding, "It's up to you...but you know you can't keep avoiding it."

"I know," she said, "I'm working on it."

She looked at her watch to check the time, "I have to go." she said, gasping when she saw how late it was.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just an appointment," she replied hastily, "Thank you for helping me practice, but I gotta run. I can't be late."

Woo Jin watched at her curiously but didn't push her for answers, for which she was grateful. She knew that if she wanted to continue down this path in her career, she had to address her problem before it gets worse...and fast. She's worked hard for the past four years to reach the top, she won't give up easily when she's so close to her goal.

***

The following weeks flew by in a blur. Woo Jin's time was consumed by his studies and his job, as well as frequently visiting the university's hospital in preparation for their internship in the following term. He doubled on the hours he worked at the cafe and made sure his payments were on time, so that the loan sharks who visited him before won't reappear in the university. Woo Jin noticed them passing by the cafe several times, smoking a cigarette across the road. However, they never entered the cafe nor approached him; they seemed content to let him know that they can find him if they want to. He tried not to think about its implications in the future.

Woo Jin was sitting on a bench in the quad, reading his notes, when someone sat down across from him.

"Hey Woo Jin." Kibum greeted him cheerfully.

"What do you want?" Woo Jin grumbled.

"Just wondering what you're up to this weekend." Kibum said innocently.

Woo Jin flipped to the next page, "Not the blood drive, that's for sure."

Kibum puts his hands together and bowed his head to the table, "I'm begging you!" he pleaded, "I just need one more volunteer, even if it's only for the afternoon."

"Nah, I'm busy."

"I'll buy you lunch for a week."

"I have work to do. Find someone else."

"Lunch and dinner?"

Woo Jin shook his head firmly, but Kibum pressed on, "Please Woo Jin, if you don't help out we will have to cancel the event. The blood bank desperately needs it, think of all the patients who might be waiting..."

"Making me feel guilty won't work."

"Fine, okay. I wasn't supposed to mention this but since you're my friend." Kibum said, leaning in, "There will be hospital professors in the blood drive and they will be observing us. They are most likely going to be our supervisors in our internship. It's a good chance to make a first impression...Well, I'm sure you will do well anyway, but you can impress them as early as now."

Woo Jin stared at Kibum, considering the offer. Truth be told, he doesn't have any plans that weekend. He was planning on doing a long run, but other than that his schedule was free. Meeting their future professors while practicing his skills wasn't a bad alternative.

Woo Jin rested his chin on his hand, "Lunch and dinner. For a week."

Kibum hooted, "Yes! Thank you! Whatever you like!" he cried, "well, as long as its reasonably priced and from the cafeteria, of course."

Woo Jin nodded. "Deal. Where do I go?"

"We'll set up here at the quad, just come at 9am and I'd let you know where you'll be."

On Saturday, Woo Jin arrived on the dot. There was a short queue of donors patiently waiting by the gate, and he excused himself to enter inside. Several booths were erected on one side of the quad, equipped with a bed, a table, and a chair. Kibum quickly approached him and told him where he will be receiving donors.

"We'll work in pairs to make the process quicker," Kibum explained, "One will interview the donor and check their blood pressure. When they are suitable, you take them to a bed and extract the blood into this bag. I thought we could all rotate jobs after two hours. Do you mind doing the extraction first?"

"No, that's fine."

"Thanks, man." Kibum said, grinning, "Ah, Eun Jae! Over here!"

Eun Jae walked towards them, her ponytail swaying behind her. "Hey, sorry I'm late." she apologized.

Kibum waved it away, "You're just in time. Woo Jin will do the extraction, are you okay to do interviews?"

She nodded, taking the clipboard from Kibum. Kibum was whisked away by two other volunteers, and Woo Jin was left alone with Eun Jae. She scanned the form, "Looks like a standard medical history." she said, "Which booth is ours?"

Woo Jin pointed to the one at the end, "That one is free."

Eun Jae nodded and walked towards the booth. They inspected the supplies, making sure everything was complete and well-stocked. He watched her from the corner of his eye, trying to puzzle something out. She seemed different these days. Normally, when they were approaching midterms week or the dreaded final examination of the year, Eun Jae was a walking bundle of nerves, prone to bad jitters and irritability. However, she looked composed this morning, even relaxed, drumming her pen on the clipboard and smiling.

"Is there something on my face?" she asked him.

Woo Jin flushed. He tilted his head to one side to study her, "How have you been?"

Eun Jae shrugged, "Still the same. Seulgi and Hyorin both hate me since I made them pull all-nighters two nights in a row."

He raised an eyebrow, "What were you studying?"

"The brain. We went to the lab to look at the specimen, but Hyorin was certain there was a ghost in the room with us." Eun Jae said, chuckling, "There wasn't by the way, it was just Kibum hiding in a corner."

Woo Jin smiled a little, "He's a dork."

"That's what I told him." Eun Jae said, "Anyway, what about you? You seem to be busy again these days."

"Just doing more shifts at work." he replied, "I might need to cut back once we start internship, so I want to save up while I can."

"Aigo, you make the rest of us look lazy." Eun Jae chided him.

"Well..."

"No, don't finish that thought," she cut in, rolling her eyes, "Oh, I think they're coming in now. Hello, good morning!"