Hyomin’s pov

I was on my way back home when my phone rang, flashing Jiyeon’s name on it. That phone call lead me to here, facing this woman who is now observing me from head to toe.

“So you are Hyomin?” She asked. More sound like wanting a confirmation rather than asking.

“Yes” I answered, bowing to show respect to her.

“I am Yoo In Na” She offers a handshake and I took them. “I am Jiyeon’s work partner plus her mom’s sister but I’m obviously still young so just call me unnie”

“Oh, nae unnie” I bow again, a bit nervous. This is my first time meeting Jiyeon’s relative.

In Na then ask me to take a seat joining them. I sit next to sleeping Jiyeon, observing her for seconds before looking back at In Na. She look like want to have a talk.

“Let’s have a drink first. How is your alcohol tolerance? Don’t drink if you are going to passed out like that kid” In Na pointed to Jiyeon with her soju bottle, knitting her brows and sigh.

“I will be careful” I said, cupping the glass of soju poured by In Na and raised it a bit, telling that I’m fine with it.

“I heard your name for the first time tonight from her” In Na pointed to Jiyeon again. “How long did you two know each other?”

I can’t help but feeling like being questioned by Jiyeon’s guardian now to inspect that I am a good friend or not. By the way, I’m curious what did Jiyeon talk about me though?

“I guess almost 2 years?” I said, unsure but I guess that’s it. I still feels like it just yesterday we first know each other. It still feels like not too long ago when I first met Jiyeon.

“Did you guys dating?”

My face redden as I heard that question. I was sipping on the soju and almost spit it out but manage to not.

“We are just friend” I responded, silently clearing my throat.

“I see” She said, diverting her gaze to outside view, watching the cars passing by. I follow her gaze and observe the outside view with her.

“Did she always drunk like this?” I ask. I don’t remember seeing her drunk but maybe because whenever we hang out together, we always put coffee as priority.

“No” Short answer followed by a sharp gaze laid on me. “She don’t usually drink much when we go out to have a drink. She said alcohol makes her feel sleepy” 

I’m surprised that I don’t know that. I guess I don’t know a lot about Jiyeon.

Is there anything bothering her for her to drink until she passed out like that?

“Sorry to bother you about her but I have something to do after this” In Na then rose from her seat smiling to me. I followed her action, sensing that she going to leave.

“It’s okay. I will take care of her” I responded, slightly bowing.

“We should meet again sometimes. Nice to meet you...” She hug me. “...Hyomin ssi”

In Na then walk away leaving me with Jiyeon.

“Jiyeon ah” I shook Jiyeon’s shoulder to wake her up. She woke up on my touch, then look up at me.

She narrow her eyes, looks like blinded by the bright light from surrounding. “Hyomin?” Her voice sound like stuck on .

“Let’s go back home” I said, helping her to get up and walk her to my car.

...

Jiyeon smell like alcohol so I think of helping her to change to comfortable and clean cloth to sleep.

“Hey drunk sleepyhead, get up and change your cloth” I try to wake her up again but this time she didn’t respond.

I try to remove her shirt but she stop me. I look at her in case that woke her up but she still close her eyes.

“I’m just trying to help you, kiddo” I smile. Drunk Jiyeon is equally stubborn with sober Jiyeon.

I try once again.

“No. Don’t touch me” Jiyeon murmured, sound almost unclear. She push my hand away.

“It’s me. Hyomin!” I said, louder this time. “You are smelly and sleeping on my bed!”

“Huh?” Jiyeon then stop her pushing as if she is listening. She still didn’t look like she is awake but she didn’t stop me anymore.

“Do it by yourself if you are awake” I said again, equally loud.

“I am drunk” She murmured again.

Is she awake? I examined her face but she didn’t look different.

My next try, she didn’t stop me. I pull off her cloth, revealing her bare upper part skin, leaving only her tank top.

My eyes caught something on her skin which draws me to look closer. “Tattoos?” I traced my fingers on it. It’s indeed a tattoos, the permanent one.

“I don’t know you” I whisper. How much more of you that I don’t know?

I then wipes her body with wet towel. Secretly inspecting her skin. The tattoos is kind of hidden, I can’t really get the view of it.

Then, I put on new cloth for her. She obediently let me. I then move to wipe her face.

Done wiping her, I sit on the bedside, watching her.

“What with the tattoos? Are you a gangster?” I said playfully and pokes on her nose. She didn’t react.

I then move closer to smell her in case she still smell like alcohol but to my surprised, she open her eyes, looking back at me. Our faces are just few inches away and that caused me to hold my breath instead of sniffing.

Jiyeon gave me a sober look and that makes me think that she is not drunk but then her eyes slowly getting smaller again. The next seconds, her heavy breath once again filled the place.

Oh gosh! That was close! I quickly pulled my face away, worried in case she open her eyes again and get wrong idea of me.

I then once again examined her face. Is she just drink for fun or is there anything bothering her? 

I decide to just ask when she is awake.

...

“Did I do anything weird last night?” Jiyeon ask that morning.

“Yes”

“Really? What did I do?” Jiyeon shows obvious anxiousness as she heard my respond. I find her reaction is really funny.

“No I was joking. You didn’t do anything weird” I laugh “But I found out something about you” I said and that didn’t make her any less anxious.

“What is it?” Jiyeon quickly ask.

I with delaying my respond.

“Did I said anything weird?” Jiyeon ask again.

I move closer and point to her cloth, touching it and ask her to look at it. Jiyeon look confuse for a while, thinking hard. It took her a while to realized that she is wearing my cloth.

Heaving a relieve sigh, Jiyeon lift her cloth. “Ahh this” She pointed at her tattoos. “It’s cool right?” She ask, proudly smiling. “Faster, said it’s cool!” She is now forcing me to praise her tattoos, sensing that I didn’t look impressed.

I roll my eyes, shutting my mouth tight.

“Eyy you don’t know art. By the way, how did I ended up with you?” Jiyeon then put down her cloth.

“In Na unnie called me to pick you up”

“She did?” Jiyeon now looks unsettled once again. “Did she said anything weird?”

I rolled my eyes again. “No. Why would she? She just tell me to meet her again next time”

“Decline! Say no if she ask you out” Jiyeon quickly respond.

“That will makes me appears rude” I said.

“Then, make sure I am with you”

“Why? Is she dangerous?” I ask. Jiyeon reaction show that as if In Na is dangerous person. She look nice though.

“Yes. She is” Jiyeon laugh under her breath while said that. “By the way, can you send me to my car? I have family lunch this afternoon. I kinda need to show up early”

“Sure”

And I forgot to ask her if she is alright but it looks like there is nothing unusual though this morning, so I let it slip.

...

Time move faster to another weekends in a blink of eyes. I was carried away with heavy workloads, I don’t have time to focus on my surrounding.

It’s weekends again, I get used to my busy schedule the whole week, now that I got nothing to do, I suddenly feels awkward.

Jiyeon is on business trip, so I don’t have weekend hang out partner. As I boringly scroll on SNS, I saw Qri liked some post on IG, so I think she might be available. I learned that she only play with SNS when she is not on call.

“Let’s meet up” 

I ended up at Hospital cafeteria. This doctor said she is not busy but when I ask to meet up, she ask me to come here, meeting her at her workplace. So not busy, huh?

“Hey” Qri greet me as soon as she saw my face.

“You look tired” I said, feeling guilty for asking her to meet up.

Despite of her tired face, Qri smiles to me. “Come on give me hug” She stretch both of her arm to me. I was confuse at first but noticing her fragile expression, I hug her.

“Is there anything wrong?” I ask.

“No but I feel like badly need a hug. You show up at a very perfect timing” She said.

I can’t understand doctor world. Maybe she just facing a difficult operation or anything.

“Is everything alright?” I ask again to make sure, slightly feeling relieved my visit is actually needed.

...

“You know I almost gave false diagnosis to that patient” Qri pointed to a patient that lies asleep. Her head wrapped with bandage. There is someone visiting her, back facing us, holding the patient’s hand.

We are both standing outside the room, watching the patient through the transparent glass.

“It turn out it’s not any psychiatric illness, you know like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia but it was appears as if she is, from every diagnosis result and I was mistaken at first”

I just listened to her. The least that I can do.

“I finally found out, luckily not too late”

“So what is it?” I ask, eyes diverting to the visitor inside the room. That person backside look familiar to me.

“It was a rare neurological autoimmune disease, her body is messing with her brain, something like that. That was pretty much curable” Qri stop talking, heaving a relief sigh.

“You saved her anyway, right?” I said, try to make her feel better.

“Yeah” Qri look proud and relieved at the same time. “Thanks to that brat too” Qri sound better, pointing to the visitor and as if she know we are talking about her, she turn her head to look at us.

No wonder she look familiar, it was Eunjung.

“As much as I never give up, she too never did but she is a brat because she keep giving me hard time with her ill mannered, violent act and harsh verbal along the way” Qri shook her head, ready to walk away sensing that Eunjung is getting out.

“Doc!” Eunjung call for Qri. Qri ignored her which cause her to grab Qri’s arm. I just watched them, feeling confuse.

“I will pay you back” Eunjung said.

“No need”

Qri did look like she dislike Eunjung. Why though? Because of her ill manner? Is that why she don’t want me to get close to Eunjung before? Qri is professional person though to act that way, just because of that, plus Eunjung is not that bad, the way that I know her.

“I will still pay you back and thanks for your hard work” Eunjung said, slightly bowing to Qri.

Qri stop moving, look a bit surprised at Eunjung act. “You should go back. Everything is fine now. I will stay to accompany her and notify you if there is anything happened” Qri change her direction and walk to the room, leaving Eunjung stunned there.

I watch Qri as she sat watching the patient and I saw her grabbing the patient’s hand, bringing it close to her face.

Who is that person? What is her relation with Eunjung and Qri?

I didn’t noticed Eunjung who is now standing beside me. It startled me a bit when I heard her voice close to my ears. “What are you doing here?”

I look at her, examining her side profile “I am here to meet my friend” 

Eunjung is now watching intently at Qri and the patient.

“That friend” I pointed to Qri.

Eunjung then ready to walk away. That somehow remind me of how she left when I last saw her but this time after few steps, she stop walking and look at me, who is watching her. She seemed hesitate. Without warning, she suddenly grab on my wrist and shoot me an unexpected smile.

There, my heart flustered for the first time ever for her. Her sudden action caught me off guard, her hand that was firmly holding mine and her bright smile which is...

..for me?

Why is that?

Why is she smiling?

I move along, following her steps.

Where are we going?

“Do you have any other plan after this?” Eunjung ask me as we walk side by side leaving the hospital building.

“No” I said, avoiding eyes contact. I’m still having irregular heart beats, so I don’t have courage to look at her.

“Can I borrow you for this whole day?” She ask, forcing me to look at her.

Borrow? What is she talking about?

Eunjung loosened her grip on my hand as she noticed my hesitation in responding. Smile faded from her face.

Oh gosh, I think I lose my ability to talk now. Not that I don’t want her to ‘borrow’ me. Open your mouth, Hyomin! Jeballl!

Eunjung almost completely letting go of my hand when I finally come back to my sense. Now, it’s me that is grabbing her hand.

“Let’s go!” I said, almost stuttering but luckily I didn’t.

Eunjung narrowed her eyes looking at me, as if trying to read if I actually not willing to go with her.

I heave a long sigh, shaking off my nervousness and quickly hug her arm, to convinced her. Eunjung then tilt her head to look at me closely. Feeling that my face turn red because of the closeness, I buried my face on her arm.

I heard her chuckles before she start walking again, shaking her arm to stop me from hiding there.

“Let me stay like this” I said on her arm.

Eunjung then gently move my face from her arm. I obediently detached my face from her arm but didn’t open my eyes.

“You are scary” I mumbles under my breath.

“I heard that” She said. I open my eyes and saw her smile again.

Is this a dream?

I guess it’s not.

I hope it’s not.