#( int. peyton and taejoon. )

[intheaftcrglow]

dr park was one of the most gifted neurosurgeons in the country; a credit to himself, to the hospital and to the many patients who had benefited from his expertise and excellence. his methodology as well as his own private research was most definitely worthy of an ivy lennox award. peyton figured it was only a matter of time before he was honoured with such. "with all due respect to the other surgical programs, your specialty is the one i've been most eager to join since my internship began." the blonde doctor informed him, trying to remain calm amidst the excitement she felt. taejoon's presence was enough to intimidate even the most experienced doctors, but his praise was something she yearned for, something she'd been willing to work harder than the rest of the interns to receive. academic validation at medical school was one thing, but to gain the respect of one of the most exquisite minds of his generation here in the real world? that was what she dreamt of. "i'm more than ready to assist you, dr. park." she'd been waiting for the opportunity to showcase her professionalism, to let him see just how high the bar she set for herself was raised. "it's a privilege to be working this case with you. i won't let you down."

the similarities between him and peyton stopped and ended from the fact that they had both gone to harvard med. their upbringings and circumstances had been dichotomous, and perhaps that taejoon wants to take her down a few pegs as the result of a rooted bitterness. it's not something that he is willing to acknowledge, though he will acknowledge that peyton has the chops to back up the nepotism that she has benefited from. she just needs to be given the chance to prove it to him, and this is the perfect opportunity. because he does believe her capable. he would not assign her this task merely as an experiment if he didn't believe as such. as cavalier as he could be, he would not put the lives of these young twins at risk just to prove a point. his gaze is level, nodding to peyton's surface assessment. "that is correct. we have pediatrics involved, and plastic surgery at the ready. we have over twenty team members assisting, but our part is the most laborious and longest segment. you're sure you're ready? i will be relying on you to essentially be my second pair of eyes and hands."

[intheaftcrglow]

since word spread of the latest medical anomaly at the hospital, all of the interns had been fighting for the same spot, aiming to win the golden ticket of the surgical lottery. as granddaughter to the renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and founder of the ivy lennox foundation, there was a lot of pressure riding on the young blonde to prove herself. she wanted her attendings to notice her for reasons beyond the obvious. yes, there was greatness in her dna, but that was only a small part of what got her here. determination did. hard work did. excellence did. a standard set and achieved at harvard medical school. taejoon appears while they're all huddling together to look at the board, surveying the schedule for the day. peyton is surprised, but not shocked when he calls out her name and she steps forward to retrieve the folder from his hands. "i've studied it. dreamt about it. manifested it." they all had. "according to apsa, given the complex nature of this case, a multi-stage separation will be required to detach the twins." she says, addressing her attending with a quiet confidence and a hopeful, excited smile.

☀︎ — closed starter for @intheaftcrglow from taejoon park to peyton lennox

another day, another lineup of surgeries. and another morning of having the interns try and kiss his ass, hands tucked into the pockets of his white coat as taejoon grabs a clipboard from a nurse and strolls up to the board to see what surgical rooms he's in throughout the day. he does so without saying a single word, and he's not surprised that there are several shadows standing behind him as he surveys the schedule. he knows which one they are all salivating over, the one that the whole hospital is prepping for as it would involve multiple surgeons and multiple stages. the separation of conjoined twins. when he finally turns to regard the interns, he holds out his folder in anticipation that the one he is about to call out would hold it for him. "lennox, you're scrubbing in with me today. you've studied up, right?" let the nepo baby have a chance to prove herself, see just what it is that she is made of when her back is against the wall. it's not like this is a procedure that any of them practiced in med school.