Emi, Yuan’s childhood friend, arrived in Korea as promised. She had to set out to pick her up from the airport. It has already been decided that Emi will be staying with Yuan during her stay. The younger girl’s mother even called Yuan from Japan to make sure that Emi would follow the conditions in which she was allowed to take her studies overseas. As always, they were very protective to their one and only child and heiress.

Emi’s parents were associates to Yuan’s parents and they met when the former went to China during summer. Her parents made it a point for her to study Mandarin in order for her to be capable of taking over their business which was based in Beijing when the time comes for them to retire. Yuan would understand Emi’s wish to break free from her parents’ strict supervision considering the pressure they were putting on her. She’s still young but her parents can’t seem to understand her.

She was really surprised when Emi met her at the airport, looking very chic and sophisticated. As usual, she still cared too much about how she looked like and dared Yuan to tell her that she’s gained weight. Nothing of that sort happened, but Yuan understood how self-conscious Emi is. After the rather noisy greetings which earned them stares, Emi suddenly turned petulant, repeatedly glancing behind her at the man and woman standing vigilantly by her luggage.

“What’s wrong?” Yuan asked.

“My dad insisted on letting them come with me,” she said with a scoff, referring to the pair behind her. “I can’t be free, can I?”

The woman, whom Yuan recognized as Sui, the secretary of Emi’s mother, smiled pleasantly at the Yuan and Emi. “We’re here to assist you, Miss Emi.”

“And to spy on me,” Emi grumbled, earning her a fond slap to the arm courtesy of Yuan. “I’m not gonna cause trouble. You don’t have to worry about me.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on. I’m hungry.”

Yuan smiled furtively at the assistants who were sent to watch over Emi. They were partly the reason why her friend became rebellious, but Sui and Mori, the bodyguard, were for Emi’s own good. They keep her in check since she had the tendency to become reckless. Both smiled back at her as they were ushered to the parking lot.

“So how’s this town we’re staying at?” Emi asked during the trip back. “My dad specifically asked for me to be enrolled at a university in Seoul, but since you’re here, I figured we can stay together. He was delighted.”

“It’s a small town called Block 7, but I’m sure you’ll love it. It’s peaceful and my apartment is just a few blocks from the university. It should be convenient.”

“How’s work?”

“Busy, but I get by. You should visit the hospital some time. It’s just a short walk away, too. Maybe we can eat lunch together if my schedule is lax.”

“That’s nice.” Emi seemed excited. “I could use some peace.”

They made their way back to the apartment so Yuan could still prepare some snacks for them before she drops by the hospital to hand in the work she has taken home the previous night. Emi went out of the elevator excitedly, greeting everyone she saw on the way. Typical Sano Emi. The moment they got to their floor, Emi ran across the hall, almost bumping against another young woman.

Yuan immediately apologized, bowing before the other woman. It was to her surprise when she saw the female writer who frequented the café down the road. “Oh!” Before she could say anything, the woman bowed and smiled slightly before walking away, laptop in hand. She surmised that she was heading to the café as usual.

“Who was that?” Emi asked, staring at the woman. “She’s pretty, but she doesn’t seem to talk much.”

“She’s our neighbor, apparently,” Yuan responded whilst she led Emi and her assistants to her unit.

“Apparently?” Emi repeated.

“I always see her at the café across the hospital, but I never thought she lived here,” Yuan, said, noting how the woman was holding keys with the same holder as the one issued to her by their landlady. “I’ve never seen her around here before.”

“Oh.”

Yuan went back to work the following day, quite exhausted as she slept really late. Emi kept her up, but it was the least she could do to welcome her friend. Emi didn’t know anybody around and Yuan felt responsible for the younger girl. She promised to make it in time for dinner so they could grab supper downtown. It ought to cheer her up.

“You seem out of sorts,” Bambam commented as he entered the office, holding a box in his hands.

Instead of answering, Yuan stood up from her chair and helped him set the box down on the table. “What are these?”

“I’m setting up a Christmas tree, if you don’t mind.”

Yuan smiled, feeling a bit better at the mention of Christmas. “That’s really nice of you. And no, I don’t mind.”

Bambam busied himself with assembling the tree while Yuan worked. Jackson was out helping out at the pharmacy across the street. His uncle owned the place and he often hung out there on his free time. It was a slow day, so Yuan didn’t really mind that he wasn’t in.

“What are you doing on Christmas?” Bambam asked out of the blue.

Yuan hasn’t thought about it yet. “I don’t know. My childhood friend is living with me now, so I think we’ll just celebrate together. If the hospital is short on hands then maybe I can stay here.”

“Oh.” He frowned slightly.

“Are you going home to Thailand?” Yuan asked.

He shook his head, looking sad all of a sudden. “Not enough time. I’ll probably crash Jackson’s party this year again. His uncle’s parties are boring.”

“That’s too bad.” She observed the boy as he started sorting out the decorations he would be hanging on the tree he just finished assembling. Yuan wasn’t going home either and so was Emi. If Jackson would like to, maybe they could all get together to celebrate. They could even do that at the hospital should emergencies arise.

“I’ve got an idea,” she said.

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t we all hang out together on Christmas day? Maybe Jackson would like to tag along, too,” she suggested.

The intern’s face brightened up. “You won’t mind? I mean, your friend is here, so you probably have plans and…” He placed a at the back of his neck, looking awkward.

“Don’t you want to?” she prompted.

“I just don’t want to disturb you.”

“It’s fine and I think it would be fun.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a deal then?”

“Sure!”

**

Though the season arrived early, heralding winds that made skin moisturizers more necessary than ever, snow came late. It was already the second week of December when snow finally fell. It was a surprise since the day before had been warmer than most days. When Yuan woke up, the rooftops and streets were covered in snow. A plow was passing by her street when she looked out of the window. It snowed heavily the previous night and she was frustrated that she did not see it falling.

Though the skies were clear, the sun had a frozen quality to it, making her shiver as she was only dressed in a pair of sleeping shorts and an oversized shirt. It was fortunate that she brought her winter garments out earlier in the week, hoping for snow. The whole week had been a disappointment, but now, she felt happy seeing the white surroundings.

Emi had been complaining endlessly about the weather making her skin dry and the like. The girl didn’t want to go to her morning schedules, too lazy to get out of bed. Yuan could just laugh as she left the apartment to go to Park Medical.

However, it wasn’t so good when she finally made her way to work. Before she was able to make her way to the main entrance, an ambulance rushed past her, heading towards the entrance to the emergency room. It was a daily occurrence, but her mood immediately plummeted when she saw the medics pulling out a woman in obvious pain on a stretcher. She was pregnant. She watched as the woman was wheeled through the entrance, following the trail they made from the ambulance to the emergency room.

She clutched her bag against her chest, wincing to herself. Yuan couldn’t imagine what kind of pain the woman must be in, and a part of her wanted to go to the emergency room to see to it that she was well tended to, but she did not want to intrude in the business of the ER people. They were always cranky and in a hurry. They worked in the emergency room after all.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter