What Sehun remembered from the memorial service of his grandfather and later his funeral was Irene standing beside him, bowing and saying “Gamsahamnida, gamsahamnida” to the people who were offering their condolences. He felt he was outside his body that day, bowing to people in autopilot.

Then life went on. Life didn’t stop for anyone, no matter what.

He attended Irene’s graduation from med school.

And then something else happened.

Her choice of location for her internship.

*************************************************

To be an official doctor, Irene had to work as an intern doctor for two years. Usually, to fulfil this, you need to work in a remote area.

She had always wanted to work as an intern doctor in this one place. But she knew Sehun would disagree.

However, there were things that she needed to have in life. Milestones she must achieve.

When Sehun finished his class right before lunch, he was surprised to see Irene waiting at the door.

That was a first.

“Noona? I was going to go to your cafeteria”

“Can we talk?” Irene asked, eyeing his four friends behind him, who were all ready to tease Sehun who got a visit from his pretty wife.

Sehun had learned though, after a year being married to her, that she wouldn’t specifically ask to speak to him, coming all the way to his campus for it, if it’s not something big.

“What happened?” he asked, suspicion filling his tone.

Irene held his wrist and led him to an empty classroom.

“You won’t like this” she warned.

“Let me decide I like it or not after I hear it”

“But you can’t say no, I really will go for it”

Sehun sighed and chuckled at the same time. “You’re so unfair, Noona. Why do you bother to tell me then, if you’ll do it whether I agree or not”

“Because well – you’re my husband, and that’s the way it is”

“Let’s hear it then” Sehun braced himself.

Irene handed him a sheet of paper.

He opened the folded paper and read it.

It was a form to choose the location for her to do her internship.

She had checked “The Hospital Ship around the remote islands near Busan”.

Sehun was horrified.

“You want to live for two years working on a ship that sails around the remote islands there?”

“Ne”

“That can’t be safe!”

“I will stay in a dorm in the evening, except when the ship is too far from Busan”

“Absolutely not!!!”

“My friends will go with me. I won’t be alone”

“Noona, there are storms in that sea!”

“No hospital ship has ever drowned yet”

“Yah. Bae Joo Hyun-ssi” his tone was furious. He wasn’t screaming at her, but he looked absolutely livid.

“I have to do this, Sehun-ssi”

“Why!!!” he yelled, “Why? Explain!”

“I want to be a doctor to help the poor”

“Then work in a city somewhere. There must be enough poor people in a city somewhere. Why can’t you just intern in a hospital in Busan? Why do you have to challenge danger and work in the hospital ship?”

“Because the hospital ship goes to the areas that have no clinics. I want to experience helping those people”

Sehun huffed, “You won’t listen to me, will you???”

“Please allow me to do this. I’ll always listen to you if you let me do just this once”

“Oh, really?” he asked, completely disbelieving.

“Ne. I promise”

Inhaling deeply, he finally said.

“Fine. But you won’t live in a dorm. I’ll buy you a house. Live there with your friends”

“Sehun-ssi—“

“No wives of Oh Family lives in a dorm, Noona. I’m not allowing you to do that”

“But I can intern in the Hospital Ship?”

“If you insist. I’ll visit you regularly”/

“You don’t have to. I can come home once a month to Seoul”

“Don’t even dream that you can live out there for two years without me going there. And I’m sending bodyguards to keep you safe. They will go with you to the Hospital Ship”

“You’re overreacting”

“You’re really testing my patience, aren’t you, Noona? This must be your hobby. Do I need to remind you, that you’re the only daughter of the wealthiest textile tycoon in this country I am not letting you go to anywhere remote without any bodyguards.”

“Fine”

“Accept my terms or I’m asking your dean to disapprove this form”

“Ahrasseo”

Sehun turned around and left the room, banging the door as he left.

*****************************************************

A month after that, Irene moved to the village in Busan with her four friends. Sehun didn’t accompany her to settle there because he was having his mid-term exam. He was cold when she said goodbye, still angry that she insisted to do that.

He was really in a foul mood the month Irene left to work in the Hospital Ship, making his friends talked behind his back, that he was missing her already.

There was something else that might be in his way, though.

“Have you heard, Sehun-ah? Lisa is back” Baekhyun tried, after seeing his instagram feeds.

“What’s that gotta do with me?”

“I thought you’d like to know”

“What for? I’m married”

“Right” Baekhyun grinned.

“Does the bed feel too wide now that Irene noona has left?” Chanyeol teased, which made Sehun threw his pen at his face.

“Go visit her if you miss her that much, aish!” Chanyeol spat, caressing his reddening forehead.

“Shut up” Sehun grumbled.

“He can’t go. We have mid-term exams and then he has Oh Company’s annual banquet to attend” Suho reminded.

“I bet Lisa will go to that banquet” Lay added.

“I don’t care” Sehun replied.

“Yah. Just video call your Noona if you miss her that much!” Baekhyun blurted.

Sehun glared at him before packing up his books and leaving.

“Oy, we have exam in fifteen minutes. Where are you going?” Suho called after him.

“Away from you guys”

*****************************************

He hated himself for doing it, but he really did video called her outside the class.

From her surrounding, it was clear that she was on the Hospital Ship already.

“How’s everything?”

“Oh, it’s great. We just introduced ourselves to the doctors and staff here. They’re very happy to have us. Usually they always lack doctors, but now they have enough to have more regular day offs”

“You’re not a doctor yet” he replied, irritated.

“Well, I’m going to be”

“It’s still two years away”

“.........if you’re going to be annoying, I’ll just hang up”

“My exam will start soon” he informed abruptly.

“Have you studied?” Irene asked. Trust Irene to forget everything when the word “exam” was mentioned.

“Ne”

“Good luck”

He heard a man calling her.

“I have to go now, talk to you later”

“Who’s that?”

“That’s the internist I’ll assist. His name is Park Bo Gum”

“I see”

“Bye. Good luck for your exam”

“Ne”

She hung up then.

And he walked back to his class, his legs felt heavy.

*************************************************

A week later, Irene arrived in the morning at the Hospital Ship with her friends, being welcomed by the Hospital Ship manager and the surgeon with bright smiles and lots of exclaims of gratitude.

“Aigoo.....we’re lucky to have you here, Irene-ssi. After you bought this ship, you sent all those most up-to-date surgical tools and machines. We also have incubators for babies and the most advanced dental care tools too, now. Manhi gamsahamnida, Irene-ssi”

Irene was stunned. So did her friends.

*************************************************

When she had her breaks, she called her husband.

“You bought this Hospital Ship” she accused right after his "Yeoboseyo"

“Do the doctors find the new equipments useful?”

“Why did you buy this ship, Sehun-ssi?”

“I can do whatever I want with my money”

“I can’t see this as a profitable investment”

“It’s charity to reduce some tax”

They were video calling, and he could see her raising an eyebrow at that.

“If you say so”

“I have to go, my lecturer is here”

As Sehun prepared to focus on his class, half of his heart was laughing at his wife out there.

He wanted complete details of all the male doctors and staff in that Hospital Ship. The easiest way to do that was by owning the data itself, therefore he bought the ship.

Besides, it also allowed him to install the most advanced security system on that ship.

************************************************

His friend was right. His ex girlfriend really did attend Oh Corporation’s Annual Banquet.

Sehun was sure she was uninvited, because everyone in the company knew they ended their relationship on horrible terms.

“Sehun-ah. It’s been a while” Lisa greeted him confidently. She wore a dress that hugged her curves snugly, looking every inch like the y wild girl that she was.

He really didn’t need more complications in his life.

He ignored her and walked to the balcony.

Mistaking that as a gesture of wanting to talk to her in private, Lisa followed him.

“How’s marriage life?” she asked, sipping the white wine offered by a waiter.

“It’s interesting”

“You married an odd one. Going off in a fisherman’s boat like that, trying to be a heroine”

“I don’t remember asking your opinion about my wife”

“I would have been more interesting” she said in that annoying way of hers, completely confident, completely heartless of anybody else’s opinions.

“So interesting you’ll jump into another man’s bed three days after we married”

“Still sulking, aren’t we?”

“I’m not sulking, Lisa. Like I’ve told you before, I’m over you”

“Some extreme getting over you did, Sehun-ah. Marrying someone else a month after we broke up. She’s obviously just a distraction”

“Believe me. She’s not”

“Tell me, is she better than me in bed?”

Sehun turned sharply at her, looking at her like he had never really looked at her before.

“What did I ever see in you? God. I was such an idiot”

“You loved me. Or still do”

Sehun looked up at the sky to pray for some patience, because he wished to throw his wine to her face right that very moment.

“You’re disgusting” he pronounced. “And my wife? She’s better than you in so many ways. Excuse me, I have my family’s clients to greet”

“I’ll get you back in no time, Sehun-ah”

“See a psychiatrist, will you? I think you badly need to consult one. If you want, I can recommend you one in my hospital. You’ll get to consult for free. It’s about time someone put that dirty mind to right”

With that, Sehun walked away.

*********************************************

Irene and Yeri just returned from visiting an island’s citizens when Nurse Mina said, “There’s someone very handsome consulting with Doctor Park right now”

“Really?” Irene asked, trying to sound interested.

“He’s like a prince!”

“Is that prince unwell?”

“No, he’s just checking his health. Doctor Park prescribed him some vitamins” Nurse Mina replied, waving a package of capsules.

She hurried to Doctor Park’s consulting room, nearly skipping all the way.

“Irene-ssi, Doctor Park calls for you” Nurse Mina called shortly after.

“Oh? Ne”

She wasn’t scheduled to assist him until after lunch that day, since Dr. Park knew she had her rounds at the island that morning.

But when your sunbae called for you, you have to obey.

“Doctor Park, you called for me?”

Park Bo Gum smiled at her.

“Ne. Our guest would like to meet you”

Irene stood frozen when she saw the “patient”.

Her husband was staring back at her.

“Hello, Noona”

“You seem surprised” Dr. Park commented.

“This is indeed a surprise” she replied.

Sehun got up to kiss her cheek.

What even???

Dr. Park cleared his throat, “I’ll um—give you some privacy. My break is coming up anyway. I’ll see you later, Sajangnim”

Sehun smiled benevolently as Dr. Park left his office.

“What are you playing at?”

“Me? What would I be playing at?”

“You’re acting strange. Did you do something wrong?”

“Ani. Did you do something wrong, Noona?”

“Of course not, I’ve been working very hard”

“As usual”

“You have class tomorrow” she accused, knowing his schedule well.

“The class is cancelled”

“.........Did you ask the lecturer to cancel it?”

“No. He has to suddenly go to Switzerland for a seminar”

“.........your family owns a hospital in Switzerland”

“Must be a coincidence” Sehun smiled.

“But I can’t accompany you. It’s my turn to work this weekend”

“Doctor Kang would replace you”

“Did you rotate the schedule???” she asked, her tone rising.

“Did I?” he asked back.

“Sehun-ssi, you can’t behave like this”

“I own this Hospital Ship now, you know, Noona. All the doctors here are my employees. I can do what I want with them”

“The manager has arranged the schedule so that—“

“The manager was very obliging. He’s very happy with the new medical equipments I gave a week ago”

“Sehun-ssi—“

“And you, Noona, you’re my employee as well. You should listen to me”

“What do you want to do?” she asked warily.

“I want a tour of this ship. Then lunch afterwards. With Noona”

“I have patients to attend in an hour”

“Dr. Park will be assisted by Seulgi Noona” he smiled again.

Irene walked away that instant, huffing and puffing, leading him to the ship’s cafeteria.

Sehun chuckled and followed her.

************************************************

Author’s Note:

I know I’m on a roll. Currently in love with Hunrene, that’s why.

Hope you like the update.