The Group Forms

It was during their second semester when Choi Sae Joon entered their lives. Despite being three years older than most first-year students, Sae Joon had started medical school late after working various jobs to save money. He was tall, muscular, and had a loud, friendly personality that contrasted sharply with Ryun's quiet nature.

Sae Joon first met the group in the cafeteria. He was carrying his lunch tray when he accidentally tripped. His food flew through the air and landed right on Ryun's table, splashing soup all over Ryun's textbook.

"Oh no! Oh man, I'm so sorry!" Sae Joon said, grabbing napkins and trying to clean up the mess.

Arum and Yi Jin gasped, expecting Ryun to be angry. But Ryun just calmly moved his now-ruined textbook aside and said quietly, "It's okay. Accidents happen."

"No, it's not okay! That book looks expensive!" Sae Joon said, still apologizing frantically. "Let me buy you a new one. Please!"

"It's fine," Ryun said, his voice still calm.

Arum laughed. "Don't worry about it. Ryun isn't the type to get angry over small things."

Sae Joon looked relieved but still guilty. "At least let me buy you all lunch tomorrow to make up for it. I'm Choi Sae Joon, by the way. First year, but yeah, I'm older than most of you."

"We can tell," Arum said with a grin. "I'm Park Arum. This is Chae Yi Jin, and the guy you just baptized with soup is Ryun Hyun Woo."

"Nice to meet you all. Even though this is the worst first impression ever," Sae Joon said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

The next day, Sae Joon kept his promise and bought them lunch. He sat with them and started talking about his life - how he had worked in construction, as a delivery driver, and at a convenience store to save money for medical school. He talked about wanting to become a doctor because his younger sister had died from a disease that could have been treated if they'd had money.

"I don't want other families to go through what mine did," Sae Joon said seriously. "That's why I'm here."

Arum was touched by his story. Yi Jin respected his determination. Even Ryun, who rarely showed emotion, nodded in understanding.

From that day on, Sae Joon became part of their group. He was protective of all of them, especially Arum, who reminded him of his late sister. He often acted without thinking, which got him into trouble, but his loyalty was unquestionable.

Park Min Jae joined them a few weeks later. He was one year older than most first-years, having taken a year off after high school to volunteer at medical camps in rural areas. Min Jae was calm, analytical, and had a gentle way of speaking that made people trust him.

The group met him during a particularly stressful group project. They had been assigned to work together with another team, but that team's leader was arrogant and refused to listen to anyone's ideas. The situation was getting tense.

"Maybe we should try looking at this from a different angle," a quiet voice said.

Everyone turned to see Min Jae, who had been silent until then. He calmly presented a solution that combined everyone's ideas in a way that made sense. His approach was so logical and fair that even the arrogant leader couldn't argue against it.

After the meeting, Arum grabbed Min Jae's arm. "That was amazing! You totally saved us. Want to join our study group?"

Min Jae smiled gently. "I'd like that."

He fit into the group perfectly. When Sae Joon acted impulsively, Min Jae calmed him down. When Arum got too excited and distracted, Min Jae helped her focus. When Yi Jin felt pressured by her father's expectations, Min Jae listened without judgment. And even Ryun, who kept his distance from most people, seemed comfortable around Min Jae's peaceful presence.

Now they were five - Ryun, Yi Jin, Arum, Sae Joon, and Min Jae. They studied together, ate together, and slowly became inseparable.

But becoming friends with Ryun wasn't easy. Even as months passed, he remained distant. He joined their conversations but rarely initiated them. He studied with them but never shared personal information. He helped them when they needed it but never asked for help himself.

One evening, after a particularly difficult exam, the group decided to go out for dinner to celebrate. They chose a small Korean barbecue restaurant near campus.

"Finally! That exam was brutal!" Arum said, dramatically collapsing onto her chair.

"You did fine. You always do," Sae Joon said, ruffling her hair like she was a little sister.

"Hey! Don't mess up my hair!" Arum protested, but she was smiling.

Yi Jin looked at Ryun, who was sitting quietly as usual. "Ryun, how do you think you did?"

"It was okay," he said simply.

"Okay? You probably aced it like you ace everything," Min Jae said with a gentle smile.

Ryun didn't respond, just looked at the menu.

Arum leaned forward. "Ryun, we've been friends for almost six months now. But we barely know anything about you. Where are you from? What do your parents do? Do you have any siblings?"

The question made everyone uncomfortable. They had all wondered these things but hadn't dared to ask. Ryun's expression didn't change, but his eyes became even colder.

"I don't like talking about my family," he said quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to pry," Arum said quickly.

"It's okay," Ryun said. "But I prefer to keep my personal life private."

There was an awkward silence. Then Sae Joon, trying to lighten the mood, said, "That's fine! We all have things we don't want to talk about. What matters is that we're here now, right?"

"Right!" Arum agreed enthusiastically. "The past doesn't matter. We're friends now, and that's what counts."

Ryun looked at each of them - Arum with her bright, forgiving smile; Sae Joon with his honest, open face; Min Jae with his calm, understanding eyes; and Yi Jin with her warm, accepting expression. Something in his chest felt strange, like a wall was starting to crack.

"Thank you," he said softly. It was perhaps the most emotional thing he had ever said to them.

That night marked a turning point. Ryun was still quiet and cold, but he became slightly more open. He started sharing his opinions more. He laughed - very quietly and rarely, but he laughed. He even joined them for non-study activities sometimes.

The group began to understand that Ryun's coldness wasn't rudeness - it was protection. He was guarding himself against something, though they didn't know what.

*****

He came back not to heal —but to remind them what they broke.

And this time, even God won't stop his scalpel.

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