(a/n: Happy Birthday, TheTrueAwesomeness. I love you, bestie. This is for you. I know how you love JiHooxJanDi. ;) Hope you like it! And happy birthday again.)

Second Chance

Yoon Ji Hoo kept his feelings all to himself. He had three other best friends... five if you count Eun Jae, and Seo Hyun, to tell about them, but he kept them to himself. Why burden your friends? Why trouble them if you could carry them yourself, right? So through and through, Yoon Ji Hoo kept his feelings, his love for Geun Jan Di, to himself.

He was happy for them, he was. He even helped Jun Pyo win over Jan Di even when his evil, yes evil, mother came into play. He knew Jan Di was in love with Jun Pyo. He knew that Jun Pyo had been in love with Jan Di the moment Jan Di kicked him in the face. He knew that this love was the love that conquered boundaries and that there was nothing he could do but be happy for them both.

Their happiness was his. So he did whatever he can just to get those two together. He would kill Jun Pyo before the latter could even think of giving up on Jan Di. He would even plan their marriage himself if that was what it took to get them together. Because he wanted Jan Di to be happy.

So now, why was he feeling dreadful?

"Dr. Yoon," his senior doctor called his attention, his voice crisp and superior. "This is the last time I will call your attention, understand?"

Ji Hoo nodded, and bowed, a bit embarrassed of his mistake. It was the first time he was lost in thought. It was the first time he was not paying attention. He could see the look of his fellow interns that they, too, were surprised. After all, Ji Hoo was the best among them.

Ji Hoo took a shaky breath and focused at the task at hand. He was chosen to lead the new batch of interns through the hospital. A whole semester had passed and they were all already considered regulars at the hospital. They only had on the job trainings at that hospital, but that was all it took for the nurses and other staff to remember their faces, Ji Hoo specially.

"An F4 doctor?" the senior doctor remarked on his first day, a grin on his face. "Let's see how long you'll last," he had told Ji Hoo who had his special attention the whole day, making sure he pointed out all the younger's mistakes and barking out commands that Ji Hoo didn't have to do, and didn't do. "Are you saying no, doctor?" the senior asked him.

Ji Hoo just looked at him calmly and said, "It's the nurses' job to follow the doctor's orders, doctor."

The senior doctor nodded and said, "That would be your first day." Ji Hoo figured that that was as close as he would get to a compliment. After that, the senior doctor treated him with more respect than any other intern there was, so having him catch Ji Hoo in a daze was a break at the record. Ji Hoo knew he meant it when he said it would be the last time. The next time would probably be an assignment at the mental ward.

"That would be your call, Dr. Yoon," Ji Hoo caught what his senior doctor told him just in time. He was about to fall into daze again. Ji Hoo nodded and took his leave. He took his clipboard just to make him look professional and went to greet the new interns.

He took another deep breathe as the crowd of fresh lab coats came into view. And as he expected, she was the first person that he saw. He put a shaking hand in the pocket of his coat and tried to walk as calmly as he could. He knew he looked calmer than he felt, Woo Bin always told him so. It was a point to his benefit most of the time, like this one.

Jan Di's face lit up when she saw a familiar face, but Ji Hoo knew in this hospital, interns needed to be tested. Connections and contacts were not entertained. All of them needed to be proven true. They were doctors. Lives were placed on their hands. One mistake could mean lives of many. Ji Hoo cleared his throat and conversations immediately died down.

"Good afternoon, and welcome, new doctors," he said, the very words his senior doctor said the first time he went here. "No long speeches, don't worry," he said and a lot of faces broke into a smile. A lot of them were feeling nervous, he knew. He did, too, when he was in their shoes, and now on his. "Follow me, and I'll be walking you through your battle ground."

He spun his heel and walked, and behind him he heard shuffles of other shoes trying to keep up and trying not to push each other. He did his duty of mentioning places that needed to be remembered, where things were kept, where to find who, and who to find when this happens...

"This ends our tour," Ji Hoo said finally when they reached the place where the senior doctor stood, who looked like he was standing there for ages, although Ji hoo knew better. His senior doctor was probably the busiest person he knew in the whole hospital. "Dr. Park will now threaten you and make sure you don't make a fool of yourselves."

Dr. Park smiled at Ji Hoo, obviously pleased at the introduction, and then looked at the interns who's faces were full of excitement just now begin to turn ashen as the doctor flashed his famous evil grin. Ji Hoo made his way quietly to the back of the crowd.

"Ji Hoo-sunbae."

Ji Hoo really jumped that his glasses fell off his face. Jan Di reached down to pick them up and then handed them to him. "Thanks," he said and placed them on his nose. "How's med school?" he asked in a whisper, having nothing else to ask at the moment.

Jan Di laughed silently, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. "Do I have to answer?"

Ji Hoo shrugged, finding that gesture alien to him and then stopped.

"How about you, sunbae? You're already doctor-y and distant..."

"I'm not distant," Ji Hoo said. He wasn't, technically. He was just trying to see Jan Di less in hopes that he could get over his feelings from her. To no avail. "I was just busy, with all the work, doctor-y stuff." It was true.

Jan Di nodded. "There's no helping it. I'm getting goosebumps already."

Ji Hoo didn't want to lead her to thinking the doctor life was always as heroic as he thought it would be before. But he also didn't want to tell her about his first death case. It was so devastating that Ji Hoo almost wanted to kill himself then. He didn't want to ruin the moment. So instead, he asked, "How's Jun Pyo?"

Jan Di looked at him, obviously surprised. If there was someone who knew the whereabouts of Jun Pyo best, it would be the F4, next to his mother of course. But she answered nonetheless, "Ah, you know. Business. He even speaks fluent English now," she laughed.

"That's not what I'm asking."

Jan Di smiled with her lips pressed together. "I know," she said. "It's just..."

"Dr. Yoon? May you do the honors?" the doctor up front called him.

Ji Hoo took a last look at Jan Di before going to the front again. He knew Jun Pyo was always out of Jan Di's reach and it was because of Jun Pyo's mother's innate strictness. He knew that Jan Di was always unhappy and had used all her time to studying. Now she'd topped her class but never had contact with Gu Jun Pyo. She was happy yet heartbroken.

The senior doctor handed Ji Hoo the nameplates he was to give each doctor. He took his time calling their family names and each doctor called went to him to get their plates. When he reached Jan Di's name, he purposely skipped calling it until the last. "Dr. Geum?"

Jan Di, with a smile, walked to the front and opened her palm.

Instead of giving her nameplate, he pinned it to her lab coat. "Welcome," he whispered to her. He was not Jun Pyo, but he will have to do. He will protect Jan Di, he will help her the best he could and he will be her firefighter until their OJT would be finished.

Why was he feeling dreadful? Because he knew he had a chance. A chance to win her over again. Will he take it?

He offered a hand for Jan Di to shake. She took it and shook it, her grip firm. She was as stable as a rock. She was strong. She was the weed that didn't give up.

Will he take his chance? He won't. Because her happiness was his.