What Was Never Said

The hospital corridor that morning was busier than usual.

Rapid footsteps echoed along the tiled floor, blending with the sound of stretcher wheels and emergency calls blaring from the loudspeakers. On one side of the hospital courtyard, a large white bus was already parked, its presence impossible to miss. Bold letters were printed across its body:

EMERGENCY MEDICAL VOLUNTEER TEAM

One by one, medical personnel carrying backpacks and medical kits boarded the bus, their expressions solemn. There were no excessive jokes, no loud laughter. Everyone understood—this was not an ordinary departure.

Owen stood near the hospital entrance, dressed in a field jacket with a black backpack secured on his shoulders. A medical bag was clutched firmly in his hand. His face was calm—too calm for a man who had recently lost his mother and was now heading toward an isolated disaster zone.

“OWEN!”

The shout made him turn.

Doctor Lisa strode toward him quickly, her white coat fluttering in the morning breeze. The irritation she had been suppressing was evident on her face.

“Are you serious?” Lisa demanded as soon as she reached him, skipping all pleasantries. “You signed up as a volunteer at the very last minute? After just finishing a long leave?”

Owen offered a faint smile. “Good morning, Doctor Lisa.”

“Don’t change the subject,” she snapped. “You know how dangerous that area is. Earthquakes, landslides, access completely cut off. And you—” her voice lowered, “—you just lost your mother.”

Owen exhaled softly. “That’s exactly why.”

Lisa frowned. “Why?”

“I don’t have patients right now,” Owen replied calmly. “After my leave, my schedule is still empty. Professionally speaking, this is the most reasonable time.”

“That’s a medical reason,” Lisa cut in. “I asked for a personal one.”

Owen fell silent.

His gaze shifted forward, toward the bus with its doors already open, where several volunteers were waiting. The head of the volunteer team from Centra Medica Hospital was giving final instructions.

“Humanity,” Owen said at last.

Lisa let out a quiet scoff. “You expect me to believe that so easily?”

Owen turned to her, and their eyes met.

“You always hide behind neat answers,” Lisa continued, her voice softer now. “But I know you, Owen. You don’t run away from work. You run away from feelings.”

Owen did not deny it.

“I know you’re not healed yet,” Lisa said. “Losing your mother isn’t a small thing. This isn’t your fault. It was God’s will. You don’t have to punish yourself by going somewhere that dangerous.”

“I’m not punishing myself,” Owen replied gently. “I’m choosing.”

Lisa fell silent.

“I’ve thought everything through,” Owen went on. “The risks, the field conditions, the worst-case scenarios. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“And if something happens?” Lisa’s voice trembled slightly. “If you—”

“Lisa,” Owen interrupted softly, “I’m a doctor.”

Silence hung between them.

Lisa took a deep breath. “Then I’m coming with you.”

Owen blinked in surprise. “No.”

“I’m a doctor too,” Lisa argued quickly. “I can help.”

“You have patients,” Owen said firmly. “A lot of them. You have responsibilities you can’t just abandon.”

“You do too!” Lisa raised her voice, then lowered it again. “You have a life you need to protect.”

Owen looked at her for a long moment. “That’s precisely why I can’t be selfish.”

Lisa clenched her fists. Her chest rose and fell sharply. Owen was notoriously stubborn. Once he made a decision, it was nearly impossible to shake.

“Owen,” she finally said, her voice quieter, more honest. “I… I like you.”

The words slipped out without planning, without defense.

In truth, Lisa had blurted it out. But after thinking about it, she realized—if not now, she might never have another chance. Lately, Owen felt farther and farther beyond her reach.

“I really like you!” Lisa emphasized, throwing embarrassment aside.

Owen froze.

Lisa stared at him, her eyes glistening. This was not an easy confession.

“I know this isn’t the right time. I know you might not feel the same. But I don’t want you to leave without knowing how I feel.”

Owen smiled faintly—a smile that was warm, yet distant. He understood. He wasn’t an insensitive man. He had always noticed how Lisa treated him as more than just a colleague. But his feelings were different, and he had always been firm about that boundary.

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “I appreciate it.”

That was all.

Lisa swallowed. “That’s it?”

“I don’t want to lie to you,” Owen continued. “I already have a woman I like.”

Lisa’s heart sank.

“Who?” she asked, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Owen didn’t respond immediately.

His gaze drifted, then stopped at a point in the distance.

Not far from the hospital stood a tall building, towering over the surroundings. On its side, a massive LED screen displayed a skincare advertisement. A woman with gentle yet powerful eyes filled the screen.

Ailine.

A face known by millions. A face loved by countless people.

Owen smiled faintly.

“That woman,” he said softly. “Loved by many.”

Lisa followed his gaze. Her chest tightened as she realized who he meant.

“And she can be found everywhere,” Owen added. “As long as you choose to look.”

Lisa closed her eyes briefly.

She had lost—before she even truly fought. Still, it felt absurd. Surely Owen was joking.

“I know you don’t like me romantically,” Lisa said, opening her eyes again, “but rejecting me by saying you like Ailine Su is too much! Come on—everyone in this country loves Ailine Su!”

Owen laughed. Not loudly, but enough to reveal his neat teeth.

“That’s exactly my point.”

“Owen, you’re unbearable!” Lisa huffed. She wasn’t angry. At least Owen hadn’t given her false hope, not even a little. That made it easier to let go.

The bus doors began to close.

“Take care of this hospital,” Owen said as he stepped onto the bus. “And take care of yourself.”

Lisa stood still, watching his back as he moved away. Then, she smiled.

The engine roared to life.

Slowly, the bus rolled out of the hospital courtyard—toward the airport, toward the disaster zone, toward an uncertain fate.

Meanwhile, behind the city’s buildings, a face on a giant screen smiled, unaware…

That someone was leaving, carrying her name in his heart.

---

The bus moved steadily away from the hospital grounds.

Inside, the atmosphere was not completely silent.

Several medical staff seated near the windows exchanged glances. Some pretended to tighten their seatbelts, others stared at their phones, but their ears had caught everything.

“That just now…” a male nurse whispered, nudging his friend.

“Yeah,” the other replied softly. “Doctor Lisa, right?”

A young doctor glanced toward Owen’s seat, making sure the man had put on his headset and closed his eyes before daring to comment.

“So… Doctor Owen actually has someone he likes.”

“Not just likes,” another added, suppressing a laugh. “That looked like full-on devotion.”

“And did you see where he was looking?” someone whispered dramatically. “Toward that advertisement building.”

“The one with Ailine Su’s face plastered all over it?”

Several people instinctively covered their mouths, stifling laughter.

“No way,” murmured a female nurse. “Doctor Owen—whose life revolves around operating rooms, scalpels, and bitter coffee—is a celebrity fan?”

“Why not?” her friend replied. “He’s a normal human being too, isn’t he?”

“Normal?” another scoffed. “I always thought the only love of his life was his scalpel.”

Soft laughter rippled through the bus.

Someone had already opened the hospital’s internal forum group.

Hospital Forum – Morning Thread

Guys… I just witnessed history.

Doctor Owen got confessed to by Doctor Lisa.

And he rejected her—very elegantly.

Reason? He said he already has a woman he likes.

Replies poured in instantly.

WAIT—DOCTOR OWEN?

That cold guy?

Morning hoax.

Doctor Owen’s only love is patients and surgical tools.

I swear, I’m on the bus.

He looked straight at Ailine Su’s advertisement. HARDCORE FAN CONFIRMED.

So even genius doctors fantasize about celebrities?

Let the man dream, please.

Poor Doctor Lisa though—rejected because of a celebrity crush?

Don’t pity her. She was smiling afterward.

Well, that’s a relief then…

Several medical staff exchanged amused glances, their smiles widening.

None of them realized that the gossip they considered a joke… was the truth. Not merely admiration—Ailine Su was the owner of Owen’s first love, and even his first kiss.

In his seat, Owen briefly opened his eyes.

He didn’t know—and probably wouldn’t care—that inside the bus carrying him toward the airport, his name was being discussed so enthusiastically.

He simply looked out the window.

At the city slowly fading behind him.

At the place where a woman named Ailine Su lived, smiled, and remained unaware that ten years’ worth of feelings had just reached her… and that one man was heading toward a disaster zone carrying his love with him.

The bus kept moving.

And for the first time, a long-standing hospital myth collapsed.

Doctor Owen…

did not only love the operating room.

He also loved a woman.