“Why did you hold me back? Is it because you still like Sohee?” Gaeul asks Jongin cautiously. It was a difficult topic, but she wanted to address it before moving onto anything else.

Neither. Jongin shrugs his shoulders ambiguously. He didn’t know how to respond to such a straightforward question. There was a simple answer, but to tell her the simple answer meant there were other stories he would have to tell, but did he have the right to tell her those stories?

Gaeul, mistaking Jongin’s shrug as an acknowledgment for his remaining feelings for Sohee, pouts miserably.

“I thought you were over her…” Gaeul mutters again quietly. She didn’t know why she was so disappointed, but right now she wanted to go back to her room and crawl into her bed.

Jongin notices Gaeul’s miserable pout and smiles at her. He found it adorable that she was pouting sadly. “Why are you so sad?” He asks her playfully.

Gaeul cheeks flare red at Jongin’s playful smile. Her heartbeat jumps faster, creating a loud drumming in her ear. What was going on down there? Wasn’t it broken?!

Jongin, unaware of Gaeul’s heart situation, keeps smiling and poking her playfully. Right now, he just found her cute and fun to tease. He had no idea, Gaeul was just about to die due to confusion and embarrassment.

With her heart about to burst, Gaeul jumps up from the wooden bench. “Stop poking me!!” Gaeul shouts at him angrily. Gaeul found it very unfair that unlike her, Jongin seemed to be enjoying teasing her. Why was she the only one flustered and embarrassed?

“I have to go back in.” Gaeul tries to make an excuse.

Jongin’s smile disappears as he realizes Gaeul seems to out of place and confused. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I-I uhm, I have a check-up.” She lies. But as a terrible liar, Gaeul fails to be convincing.

Jongin can’t help but smile at Gaeul’s nervous response. “Gaeul…I’m your doctor, you don’t have a check-up.”

Gaeul slaps her forehead. With her heart beating and cheeks burning, Gaeul couldn’t seem to think logically at all. She knew she just had to run away right now. “I need to go to the toilet!” She yells at him and runs away timidly.

Gaeul runs into her room and jumps into her bed. She pulls the duvet over her head and tries to hide from her own feelings. “I wish I could separate myself from myself!” Gaeul yells frustrated.

Solbi, who had been in the room since morning, stares at Gaeul. She’s gone crazy. Broken heart and now broken head.

Gaeul peels out from the duvet and takes a deep breath of fresh air. She glances to her right, and notices Solbi observing her as if she were some monkey in a zoo. “Why are you observing me?” Gaeul asks.

Solbi raises her eyebrows. A true sign of mental illness is when you don’t know you are mentally ill. “Just think of everything you did the moment you stepped into this room.”

Gaeul frowns. Everything she did seemed perfectly normal. “Anyways, I have a problem. I don’t want to ask Dr.Kim because…” because it happens when I’m around him.

“Because?” Solbi asks curiously. Was there something fishy between those two? The last time she saw them, Jongin couldn’t keep his eyes off her!

“Uh…just. I think he’s a lousy doctor. So…my heart, the broken thing, beats really fast, my cheeks suddenly feel like they are about to burn, and my stomach clenches. What is this?”

“Hmm…a very common case. My diagnosis says you, Son Gaeul, have a crush! Wait…hold up…no…NO! You have a crush on Dr.Kim!!!” Solbi’s voice escalates and finally hits the loudest volume, almost breaking down the walls.

Gaeul shakes her head frantically, while Solbi glares at her with the deadliest hatred embedded within. “Son Gaeul!! Tell the truth!!” Solbi demands.

“What truth?” Baekhyun asks as he walks into the room casually.

Gaeul rushes to Solbi and places her hand tightly over Solbi’s mouth. “Nothing.” Gaeul smiles brightly at Baekhyun like a little child hiding her sweet from the dentist.

Baekhyun looks at the two with doubt. There was something fishy, but he knew asking further wouldn’t help him. “As long as you two are getting better, I don’t care about any secrets. I’m going to be out next week, so I’m handing you to Dr.Kim too.” Baekhyun tells Solbi, who is still sealed behind Gaeul’s hand. Without a mouth to talk, Solbi simply nods at Baekhyun.

“Where are you going?” Gaeul asks casually. She wasn’t particularly interested, but it was one of those questions to be polite.

Baekhyun purses his lips. This was not a question he wanted to address, but he knew there was no point avoiding it. “I’m getting married.”

Gaeul is lost for words. This was not an answer she expected. Immediately, Jongin’s face appears in her mind. How depressed would he be if he knew Baekhyun and Sohee were getting married next week!

“Oh…congratulations.” Gaeul tells him with a lack of emotion. She didn’t mean to be insincere, but the thought of Jongin miserable made her feel negative about this wedding.

“Are you sure you’re congratulating us?” Baekhyun asks in a playful tone.

Immediately, Gaeul feels sorry for her insincerity. “Yes I do! I really do, and I hope you have the best wedding! I’m just a little tired right now.” She tries to make an excuse.

Baekhyun without asking further question, accepts Gaeul’s response and leaves the room. As soon as Baekhyun leaves, Solbi pushes away from Gaeul’s hand and sets free.

“Do you actually have a crush on Dr.Byun???” Solbi asks

Jongin slows the pressure of the blood pack as the circulation session comes to an end. Gaeul is lying down on the bed, biting her bottom lip nervously and staring at Jongin gingerly. The whole circulating session, she was debating in her mind whether she should tell him about Dr.Byun and Sohee’s wedding.

Without looking at Gaeul, Jongin asks, “just say it. What’s been in your mind the whole time?” It was as if he could read through her mind now.

Gaeul quickly looks away as if she were caught stealing something.

“I promise I won’t get mad. Confess your wrongdoing.” Jongin tells her.

However, Gaeul shakes her head. This wasn’t something he would get mad about. “Promise you won’t be too sad?”

Jongin looks at Gaeul curiously. “Is there something I will be sad about?”

“Sohee and Dr.Byun are getting married next week.” Gaeul speaks quickly, as if she were throwing away something dirty.

Jongin chuckles. Beneath his chuckle, Gaeul could sense sadness.

“I know.” He tells her to her surprise.

“You know? Are you ok?” Gaeul asks worried. Honestly, he seemed better than she expected.

“Would be telling a lie if I say I’m fine…but I don’t think I’m doing bad. In fact, I’m so close to fine.” Jongin tells her honestly. From the moment he cried in front of her, he started to tell her all of his inner emotions. He didn’t feel like he had any secrets he needed to hide from her, and somehow he felt at ease telling her everything.

“That’s good…Dr.Kim, I need a favor…” Gaeul tells him out of the blue.

Jongin nods. “Sure, what’s the favor?”

“I need you to sign me an outing. It’s my grandmother’s Memorial Day next week. I want to visit her.”

He nods at her request. “What day is it?”

“The 21^st, Wednesday.”

Same day as Sohee’s wedding…

Jongin thinks to himself. There was a bitter taste to his mouth whenever he thought of her wedding. It was true he was almost fine because he didn’t find it depressing, but he still felt confused. The long and harsh journey of loving Sohee was coming to an end, and her wedding was really marking the final days. It was a salutation to those years for him.