Hyejung just finished her shift that night. She barely had enough sleep for three days, so she meant to grab some tea to relax her muscles but failed to do so when two of Dooil’s buddies appeared in front of her, running out of breath.

“Big Sis!! Our boss is…”

She disliked how clear the worries were seen from their eyes, which proved something bad just happened to that man. They brought him to the hospital secretly. His injuries weren’t the type that could be treated outside the hospital. She literally begged Director Jin to give Dooil the permission to get into the hospital under different name. She felt guilty that it sound as if she took the old man for granted just because she once saved his life in the past, but the director understood, “It’s okay. I won’t ask you the reason. But if something happens, you have to take the responsibility” he said. Hyejung bowed with gratitude and went back to treat the sick man.

Three days had passed. Dooil hadn’t woken up ever since he came to the hospital. Hyejung knew he’s a tough guy with no fear, but running away from the gangsters for 6 months surely took a toll on him.

It took an amount of silence staring at the unconscious body in front of her. “Idiot!” she called the man, it sound more like a concern rather than an insult, although she knew he couldn’t hear her. She sat beside him, and she stared at the crumpled photo that Soojin gave her earlier. The nurse said Dooil clenched the photo in his hand so tightly when they first treated him. It’s a photo of Hyejung’s younger self, back when she’s a 2^nd year medical student. That man was still with his former feeling. To be so falling in love with her.

She had rejected him twice. Associating herself with a gangster wouldn’t give any good to her. At that time, she also still had a crush on her former high school teacher. “I won’t confess for the third time, don’t worry”, Dooil told her with a smile. Yet the man was pretty consistent though he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance. Hyejung thought he wasn’t sincere from the start, that he was just playing a cheap game to win her heart as a challenge. Gangsters usually held pride over everything.

A tear slid from her right eye without she realized. She quickly brushed it off, “Geez what happens to me? It’s not like he will die or anything”, she laughed to herself yet another tear slip again.

“I won’t die”

Hyejung froze for a second, stared back to Dooil, wondering if she heard it wrong. She saw he was slowly opening his eyes, “I told them I am okay… I just need some sleep. Why didn’t they listen to me?”, Dooil said in a husky voice.

“They did the right thing, you fool! You’re bleeding a lot, you were almost died”, Hyejung scolded him.

He snorted, “What is it? Are you worrying about me now?”.

“I am not! I am not even curious why you disappeared for 6 months without calling me”, she reasoned, felt a half mad and a half relieved to the man who was laughing at her. “It’s not funny!”, she added. Dooil stopped teasing her then took a long breath, “Hyejung-ah!”, he called her. Hyejung got herself closer, “Yes. What is it? Do you need anything?”.

He grimaced a bit, barely able to hide his pain, “Can you call Youngchul now? I need to get out from here”

 “What do you mean? You can’t even move your body, are you out of your mind?”

“I can’t stay here any longer. It’s dangerous for you too”, Dooil held his aching chest and tried to get up, but Hyejung grabbed his shoulders and put him back to the bed, “Worry about yourself! This hospital ward hasn’t been used for long, no one will know you are here except the three friends of yours”, she told him.

“It’s still dangerous. You have no idea how scary Leader Kim Eungsoo is”

“No, you can’t”

“I said I have to get out from here. DO YOU HEAR ME?!”, Dooil suddenly raised his voice for the first time toward Hyejung. There’s an empty silence for a moment. Dooil had his eyes toward Hyejung and boldly said, “Just because I have a feeling for you, it doesn’t mean l let you to do anything to me Dr. Yoo Hyejung”.

Hyejung felt taken a back seeing him angry and the sudden formality for a second but she managed to stay firm, “You and your buddies already put me in danger by coming here, Mr. Choi Dooil. So deal with it by following my RULE!”

Dooil paused for a moment, he knew how stubborn Hyejung was. It just took him by surprise seeing how care she was toward someone who was considered as a trash of society like him. “I am sorry”, he said. Hyejung knew he was mad because he was worried about her, but she’s Yoo Hyejung for God’s sake and she didn’t fear anything.

Hyejung sat again beside him and took a deep breath, “Is Park Taesu or something is so important to you that you would die for him?”, she said out of the blue. She knew it from Dooil’s buddies, about the childhood friend of his, a prosecutor who backstabbed him yet Dooil still had an urge to save his a s s.

“Because I promised him. I have to protect him”, Dooil said while he was staring at the ceiling.

“Eventhough it would cost your life?”, Hyejung set her jaw hard, had no idea why it upset her hearing his reason, that there’s someone else he held so dearly. She stood up before letting him said his answer, she grabbed a glass of water for him and put it on the table, then she made herself busy by fixing the IV tube.  “I have to go now to check on my patients. A nurse will come here soon. I’ll be back to check on you”, she said without seeing his eyes.

She was about to walk pass the door, but stopped when Dooil said, “I did a lot of dirty s h i t s. I’ve been staying in the dark side too long. But Hyejung-ah, falling for you is the only best thing happened to me”.

Hyejung turned around, their eyes found each other. As she didn’t say anything, Dooil added, “I know you won’t come to me. It’s never my intention to make you mine from beginning. Bright side suits you better anyway”, he ended with smile.

He expected Hyejung to smile back, because from his own understanding, Hyejung only saw him as a friend or just someone unworthy who chased after her heart. However, Hyejung’s reaction surprised him the most. The female was crying in front of his eyes.

“You’re really a bad guy. Falling for you is the worst thing happened to me”, she said with her lip trembling. Dooil lost words. He didn’t expect it’s coming. Hyejung then turned around, leaving Dooil with so many questions.

****

There’s no news about Dooil since he left the hospital two weeks ago. After that day she gave him silence treatment, only spoke to him through a nurse or Dooil’s buddies and she always changed the topic whenever the man tried to talk about ‘that day’ with her. She just didn’t know how to act in front of him after that sudden confession. Mad, embarrassed, confused, happy, nervous, and other feelings were mixed into something she couldn’t describe. It felt as if she got rejected instead of getting his 3^rd confession.

“Dr.Yoo, someone wants to meet you. He said he’s a lawyer. He is waiting at the lobby”, a nurse came to inform her and gave her a name card. She saw the name and frowned.

“Are you Mr.Park Taesu?”, Hyejung asked the tall man in a suit as she arrived at the lobby. Taesu greeted her, “Good afternoon Dr.Yoo Hyejung”. He offered to shake her hand, but it seemed she didn’t want to, so he retreated.

“I thought you’re prosecutor”, Hyejung said coldly. She couldn’t pretend to be nice toward the man after knowing what he did to Dooil.

“I quitted. I am a lawyer now. Look Dr.Yoo, I want to…”

“I think I can’t help you, Mr. Park. I am sorry. I am busy right now”, Hyejung interrupted. She bowed to him reluctantly and excused herself to leave, but then Taesu stopped her and said, “Dooil wants to see you”.

Hyejung turned around, her cold expression turned into worry, “How can I know that you’re telling the truth?”.

Taesu gave her a warm smile, “Dooil talked a lot about you. Believe me, he is only worried about your safety”, he said then gave her a paper.

“Honey!”, Taesu turned around when a woman called him. “It’s my wife. I have to go”, Taesu bowed and excused himself. Hyejung read the paper. It’s just the drawing of a bicycle with broken pedal. Hyejung drew a tiny smile as a memory popped up in her mind.

****

She arrived at one side of Han River. The place where she met Dooil for the first time when she went cycling by herself. One of his buddies broke her bicycle and went to pick a fight with her. She won of course, leaving the gangsters all battered. Dooil came late. His tall build didn’t scare her but his hawk eyes did make her uneasy for a second. She was ready to throw a punch toward him when he rolled up his sleeves, but instead of fighting her, he apologized for his buddies’ mistake then fixed her bicycle by himself. Seeing his arm muscles did make her in a daze for a moment.

She could see his figure was standing on the exact spot. He turned to see her and smiled. “I am glad you’re okay”, Hyejung said with a sigh of relief. “You look nice by the way”, Hyejung added. Dooil smiled again and looked at his own clothes, “I and Taesu bought a new suit. We just decided to fight back”.

Hyejung paused for a moment, worries then drawn on her face again, “Are you sure? Can you trust him? Have you learned your lesson?”. Hyejung raised her voice at the last sentence. Dooil was too loyal to Park Taesu. She was afraid that he would be tricked again.

“I can’t running away forever. Beside, I have a strong reason now”.

A tear was slowly sliding on her cheek then she quickly brushed it away. She had it enough for the man seeing her weak side, “I shouldn’t have coming here. My words won’t matter to you anyway”. She turned away to leave, but Dooil grabbed her shoulder then gently hugged her from behind, “It matters. You’re the reason why I want to survive”.

Hyejung held her breath. The sudden contact made her heart racing crazily. It’s the first time she heard his voice that close. She always liked his deep voice, and she hate herself for letting her heart swinging because of it.

“I wish I could come to you as a better man”

“You just did”, Hyejung whispered.

“I and Taesu know it will be difficult to win this fight and we bet everything we have for it”.

“Do you mean… this is the last time we meet?”, Hyejung doubtly asked. She didn’t want to hear his answer, but she lost the strength to leave from the circle of Dooil’s arms.

“No. I am asking you to wait. It may take a while to defeat Han Kangshik. When it’s done, I’ll quit as a gangster and live in a right way”. Hyejung turned around as Dooil freed her from the hug. Dooil looked at her, “I can’t put you in danger”.

Hyejung scoffed, “Worry about yourself! Have you forgotten who I am?  I am Yoo Hyejung! Just because I confessed to you, you don’t own me”.

Dooil smiled, “I know”.

Hyejung paused for a moment, to have her own time to remember the figure in front of her, “Just don’t die… You’re not allowed to die. Understand?”, another tear slid down through her cheek.

This time it’s Dooil who wiped it out gently. The tall man leaned closer and gave a peck on Hyejung’s forehead. “I promise”, he whispered.

And Hyejung believed his words. Because It’s the promise from Choi Dooil.