Profile
Intro
3rd year resident doctor in the pediatric cardio ward. Lives off of coffee (his night shifts depend on it). Has a hobby of reading medical papers and journals to 'keep his mind off things'. Despite not trying to dwell on it much, a sense of solitude gnaws at his insides each time a colleague hands him a wedding invitation.
His high school friends tell him that he's developed a frighteningly intense gaze, but he says it's just because he's been squinting at his patients' charts too much.
Details
"There's no other reason to keep living, is there."
- brooding on thoughts over coffee/tea
- reading medical articles or journals
- quiet classical music
- clean, organized spaces
- a certain mouthy co-worker
- doing declarations of death
- seeing couples going on dates
- being pressed for time
Character
On the outside, Eunbyeol comes off as cold and stoic. He is rarely rude or disrespectful, even if he greatly dislikes the person talking to him (though a certain co-worker has recently been picking at his patience). His calm charisma is highly appreciated during emergencies or CPR events that happen frequently in the ward.
Inside, he is stringent; his capacity to feel emotion is suppressed in the deepest parts of his consciousness. He knows he must be logical and rational in his work, as he is a sentimental person at heart, and there is no knowing when his emotions will tear his very being apart. This is also the reason he deems himself unworthy of what people would call 'happiness' - it is something ordinary people should pursue, not someone who stands on the thin line between life and death, trying to keep his patients on this side. Somehow, it feels selfish to want to be happy...
Eunbyeol's main motivations include seeing his patients become healthy, and blind academic pursuit to keep his mind off trivial things. He values hard work, respect, good manners, and loyalty - he tries his best to keep to this code of honor, and gets irritated when others don't.
Though he will never admit it for fear of a mental breakdown (or worse), he is greatly afraid of falling in love again.
[ T R I V I A ]
≫ Enjoys medical journals/articles over novels or poetry because the latter makes him emotionally exhausted.
≫ Once was seriously ill enough to consider injecting himself with potassium chloride. Has yet to go see a psychiatrist.
≫ Keeps his old engagement ring and a bottle of cologne on his bedside table for nostalgic reasons.
≫ Surprisingly has no problem falling asleep, though he frequently has nightmares.
≫ Probably has a syncope from overworking at some point.
Design
- wears unrimmed square glasses
- usually seen with formal wear, even when off-duty
- phone : Galaxy Note 4 (he likes the removable battery design.)
Summary
See 'Eunbyeol Cho' for high school life and college years.
Internship Year
An unexpected breakup at the start of his internship left him numb, but Eunbyeol had no time to mull over things. Was renowned for his excellent skill in intravenous catheterization and swift wound dressing. Somehow was unlucky enough to happen across Jae-Gyeong over multiple occasions. Each encounter left Eunbyeol wondering whether the other party was inherently rude or simply trying to pick on him for a stupid reason.
Passed his resident doctor application tests with ease, which meant he could easily have applied for the more popular (and less demanding) departments such as psychiatrics or dermatology. However, Eunbyeol opted for the pediatric cardiology department for his interest in the cardiovascular system and love for children.
The breakup was unfortunately due to situational circumstances: Aver, who had been working for the Swedish embassy in Seoul, received news that he would be transferring to the department of national security back in Sweden. Eunbyeol would be starting work in a tertiary hospital in Korea, which meant he was unable to move anywhere else without having to quit his job and serve his mandatory military service first. (By law, physicians are allowed to finish their training before applying for military service as medical officers(working in the army) or, if lucky, public health officials(working in public health clinics). Quitting in the middle of one's training is a one-way ticket to a mandatory 3 year military service as a medical officer.) Eunbyeol had pleaded for Aver to let him finish his 5 years of training before joining him in Sweden; Aver merely shook his head, explaining that he would not have ready access to means of contact, nor would he be guaranteed a secure life - he would rather that Eunbyeol follow his own career path and be successful there. Perhaps, sometime in the future, fate would let them be together again.
During his year as an intern, Eunbyeol wrote countless letters to the address Aver provided upon departure, only stopping when they started to return as undelivered mail. Aver was never one to actively use social networking sites, and his replies to Eunbyeol's chat messages became sparse. Eunbyeol would tell himself that the other was probably too busy to reply, or his job put restrictions on individuals' overseas corresspondence.
Resident Doctor - Years 1-2
The ending of his relationship a year prior still has him in dull shock, but he's too busy to dwell on difficult feelings. Over the course of these two years, Eunbyeol had to say goodbye to more than just his ex-fiance - he soon loses count of the number of death certificates he's issued for his young patients. Emotion is at the back of his priority list, and soon he finds himself locking away his want - or rather, need - to mourn loss and parting. Jae-Gyeong doesn't help at all, when he sticks his wedding invitation into Eunbyeol's face in a knowingly mocking manner.
Resident Doctor - Year 3 (current)
Subconsciously, Eunbyeol yearns for meaningful human interaction - and whether by fate or by chance, he stumbles upon a dying being on his doorstep. (Blood-drinkers, or simply known as vampires, are among the rare species of humans that exist in the shadows of this society.) Acting upon his code of honor as a physician, he willingly gives his blood to the other party and nurses them back to health. Only when the other party remarks that Eunbyeol "is good looking enough to have a lover" and wonders whether he "happens to be lonely" does Eunbyeol throw him out in a fit of blind rage. The being's words still haunt him; his carefully displaced memories and suppressed emotions now overwhelm him every day to the point where he feels he would rather be better off dead.
Hyun-Que and Seo-jin are his closest acquaintances at this point of life; he doesn't really have time to socialize outside of work. Somehow his patients get worse by the year. It's a miracle he's still alive.
Relationships
Hyun-Que
[ friend and life advisor ]
Eunbyeol frequently asks him over for tea and a quick chat on mundane things. Despite Hyun-Que's mysterious aura and background, Eunbyeol trusts him the most; his presence is oddly soothing, as if this moment is suspended in time and space.
Seo-Jin
[ old friend ]
Master cook and housekeeper. Frequently barges into Eunbyeol's apartment to cook dinner and scold him for not eating healthy. (His visits were so frequent that Eunbyeol had to give him a spare key to his apartment.) His impromptu sleepovers resulted in Eunbyeol arranging a spare room into a guestroom for Seo-jin to stay in whenever he's around.
Jae-Gyeong
[ rude co-worker ]
Loathing of a lifetime. Why is he so obsessed with picking on Eunbyeol? If it weren't for their superiors keeping him in check, things might have gotten nasty between the thoracic surgery and cardiology departments. Certain events over the course of their three-year acquaintance may or may not have softened his attitude towards Eunbyeol, though.
???
[ a fateful encounter ]
A dying being Eunbyeol 'donated' blood to for a period of three months. Their deep blue eyes and blond hair brought up memories too painful for Eunbyeol to remenisce. Perhaps the only person that realised that Eunbyeol was truly, utterly lonely. Unknowingly influenced Eunbyeol's ways of thinking, in more ways than one.
Gangmin
[ high school lowerclassman ]
They're both too busy to meet up often, but Gangmin is always willing to keep Eunbyeol company whenever time allows. His soft conversations are a great distraction from everyday hospital stress.
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