Chapter 1 — My Sister-in-Law - Part 1 (1)
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Sunday evening, David Park got an emergency call and rushed to the ER. The patient was a young woman hit by a bus while crossing the street.
She had no external wounds, but the impact had fractured her right clavicle, broken her right thigh bone, and cracked her pelvis.
Her face was swollen, twisted in pain, yet even beneath the swelling, her features were striking—she was undeniably beautiful.
No matter how many times the staff assured her she'd be fine, she screamed as if death were imminent, refusing to stop.
With a pelvic injury, stripping her completely was standard procedure.
Pain erases shame.
She lay exposed, yet screamed without hesitation, without modesty.
Even when there's no threat to life, first-time trauma victims often feel like they're dying, spiraling into panic.
When cornered by pain or fear, humans act in ways they'd never imagine in ordinary life.
It's hard to say which version is the real self—but no one faces death with true indifference.
In cases like this, the only solution is a sedative injection to quiet her down.
David was a surgical resident.
Others might have aimed for ophthalmology or ENT, but David, with his mediocre grades, never stood a chance.
Orthopedics, notoriously grueling, had become his best—and only—option.
David lived close to his brother-in-law's family.
His in-laws lived nearby too.
They hadn't always been this close.
His wife had gotten an apartment near her parents' place.
Nowadays, women stayed close to their own families.
Men might feel awkward around their relatives, but with their wife's family? Things were easier.
Women set the tone.
Modern women avoided their in-laws whenever possible—but stayed close to their parents.
For dual-income couples with young kids, parental help was essential.
But beyond practicality, emotional closeness to the wife's family was inevitable.
On Sundays, they hiked the mountain behind their homes.
The two families climbed together, timed to reach the summit by lunch.
Even simple food tasted better on the mountain.
Maybe they came for the food, not the hike.
With his younger brother-in-law away in Japan as an exchange teacher, David always brought his sister-in-law along.
Before the trip, they'd always gone as a group.
His wife didn't object to him taking her lonely sister-in-law and the kids.
David's five-year-old son suddenly tripped and fell.
His knee was scraped, but he wailed like he was dying.
"Honey, I'll take him down first."
"You two stay and keep going."
His wife left with the children.
David's older son, seeing his mother go, followed.
The two kids with his sister-in-law didn't want to climb further—so they left too.
Now it was just the two of them.
They took a rarely used trail, one they'd never walked before.
As they climbed over rocks, David subtly reached down to help her up.
On the way down, he pretended to steady her—his hands circling her waist.
Her body was firm, elastic—alive beneath his touch.
David had been married eight years. He'd known his sister-in-law for just as long.
"Don't laugh."
"Doctors don't see patients as women."
A lie.
Of course a doctor felt desire—any man would, seeing a beautiful woman.
But he couldn't admit it.
"Still… it's embarrassing."
"What's embarrassing?"
"I never thought my doctor would be my sister-in-law's husband."
"Oh? I think it's great."
David feigned ignorance.
"You didn't know it was me back then?"
"I always felt I'd seen you somewhere… but now I remember. Clearly."
"You're the only one who knows."
"Knows what?"
"It's not fair."
"What's not fair?"
"I didn't know… and now you know my secret."
"Doctors swear to protect patient confidentiality."
"Really?"
"If I talk, I could lose my license."
"Still… I hate it. Please forget."
"Haha, I'll try."
"And never tell anyone you were my doctor. Especially not… XX's dad."
She caught his sidelong glances—knew exactly what he was thinking.
Her pale face flushed pink.
David thought, She's bright. Cute.
Being with her felt good.
And he wanted—more than anything—to see her again.