Yerin

Two days since I came from the hospital, I lied in my bed and stared at the ceiling, which, by the way, didn't look strong enough to support the house. In it were holes and a dark space from which I can hear rats and other insects living there. I grimaced. 

I was used to living here, however, somethings you can just never get used to. I continued to study, placing my earphones in, admiring the greenery from my window from time to time. 

 

Taehyung

The clock ticked and ticked... I wasn't going to get out of this place till the two hours were over. If this was working in a hospital as a doctor is like, I'd rather just manage a hospital then. I was still working in the Busan hospital, except I was in the maternity ward, talking to new mothers, young and old, and measuring their baby's height, head circumference, etc. 

I preferred this ward over the emergency department, but two days ago, I did meet someone I kind of...liked? I remember her walking out of the hospital and helping elderly people along the way. I have seen pretty faces... none as pretty as her's, but they were also not as gentle and kind-hearted as her. 

She intrigued me. 

I think her name was Jung Yerin? Well, I did get her phone number and I'm supposed to check up on her when the two hours are over. By all means, I cannot wait. 

---

Heading out, I checked my phone. 20 messages and two missed calls all from Sana. Great. She knew I would be at work. What is her problem? Taking off my white coat and sthethoscope, I rang her back.

Ring~ Ring~

"Hey, what's up?" I said, now walking out of the front door of the hospital and onto Busan's streets.

"Hey! I tried calling you and texting you, you never picked up."

"I did tell you I was at work."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I forgot. I keep thinking you're there just for a holiday. My deepest apologies."

I heaved a sigh and said, "Is that all? Are you finished?"

"No! I wanted to ask you something to do with our wedding." I pursed my lips and breathed in deeply.

"So, I have the bridesmaids line-up ready... Around eight of them. And you have six grooms men. Is it okay for me to have eight and make the line-up unbalanced?"

"I thought you had six earlier... who is now part of the line-up?" 

"Well! I made two new bestfriends from Japan! Their names are Momo and Mina. Even though we just met, they're the best and I am dying to let them be part of it." I bit my lip. Is it THAT Mina. The one I slept with? Why are her and Sana friends. Don't tell me she's using Sana to get to me.

"Babe, I've only been gone for two weeks and all of a sudden, you make these plans? They'll have to be your friends for at least five years, like with me and my grooms men. I'm sure your other bridesmaids are jealous and it may start some bad blood."

"I-. Fine, but please think about it. I do want you to meet Mina and Momo when you come back. We can go for some high tea...or even Japanese food!"

"Whatever suits Babe. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye. Enjoy your holidays~"

"K," I ended. I reached the white, luxurious Mercedes Benz my Dad hired for me to use in Busan. I miss my black Hyundai Palisade but this will do. 

Starting the engine, a picture of a pretty girl popped into my head. She was younger than me, but not my that much. I am only a second year of medical school so maybe two years? Because instead of going through the typical biology and sciences undergraduate degree, my Dad helped skip the competitive applications and I went straight into medical school... Though I did score first in my grade, I didn't try as hard to get in since, well, I knew I would get a place regardless. 

Ring~ Ring~

"Hello! This is Jung Yerin. Who is this?" 

Hi, this is Kim Taehyung, your doctor from two days ago."

"Oh yes, I remember you are meant to call me."

"I can tell you're breathing fine. Do you have any concerns you would like to tell me about your health?"

"Well, it's not related to my health at all. Can I still ask it?"

"-Of course," I said, a bit surprised. 

"This is embarassing, but you seem very young for a doctor. I wanted to ask what university you went to..."

"I am still a student. My Dad owns the hospital and he asked me to work there over the holidays. I'm not sure why, but that's what I need to do." I was surprised at how open I was to her. "You see- I graduated two years ago from high school and through connections, they let me study as a medicine student."

"Wow. That means you're only two years older than me. I'm very much shocked... My parents are too poor to send me to medical school, so I'm riding on a scholarship to get in...And that's how I fainted the other day. I guess I studied too hard."

"I admire that," I said. This girl wanted to be a doctor for her parents, which is so different from me. In fact, the exact opposite. 

"Thanks," she shyly said. I found a faint smile form on my lips. 

An idea popped into my head. "Would you like to have work placements at the hospital?" 

"That sounds awesome, but what- what for? I still have exams so I'm not so sure..."

"If you have work placements here, I promise you... you will get a place into the same medical degree as me. Study and work at the same time. Can you do it?"

"I-I-..." she paused. I could hear her muffled, suppressed tears from over the phone. "This is such a great opportunity. I don't see a reason for saying no. I-I think I will." I chuckled at her nervousness. I found it cute.

"I'll pick you up from your house. I'll send you my timetable so you can plan your studies around that. And... I think I can help with your studies also."

"Oh- you don't have to do that... but I don't go to cram school like my classmates, so I think that will be amazing... to have someone who can help me for once." 

"Great. I'll pick you up 10am sharp tomorrow."

"Thanks so much. I'll send the address. See you."

"Bye." A blush unknowingly formed on my cheeks. I didn't expect her voice to be that sweet to listen to. I pressed play on my Spotify playlist, consisting of classical, operah and rock. 

Yerin

OMG. Did I just hear him say-. WHAT. My mind couldn't process what had just happened. I breathed in deeply to relax myself, but tears came out despite my attemp. Luck was on my side... at last. The universe was finally aligning for me. What did I do in my past life to deserve this? Another tear fell out. I wiped my tears away with my oversized pink jumper. Seeing my reflection on my small mirror that sat on the left-hand side of my desk, I cringed. I hated how I looked when I cried and my friends always made fun of me for it.  I can see why, but this time, it was happy tears. 

I didn't know if I could tell my parents yet, but I needed to tell someone. I called Eunha. 

"Hey Yerin, what's up?"

"Umm. Eunha. I-I don't know how to say this. But you can say I got lucky?" I told her everything.

"-So a rich medical student huh? What did I tell you?"

"It was so sudden that I-I don't know anymore."

"Maybe he likes you... I don't think he would give you that opportunity if... well, if you weren't being your lovely, dorky self. I bet he had a reason to."

"I barely spoke or saw the guy. He said he'll pick me up tomorrow... what should I wear? How can I trust him?"

"Huh? Just wear anything! So his name was Kim Taehyung right? We can look him up. If he's famous, it'll be easy to trust his word."

"Oh! You're a genius Eunha." I looked up 'Kim Taehyung' and out poured out results of the doctor I saw at the emergency department. My mouth was open reading all the news about him. He even had paparrazi follow him to Busan. 

"What? What did it show?" 

"He's super famous. He's handsome, a medical student, has a rich father who owns a chain of hospitals and was part of that popular high-school boyband... BTS. I heard they went international last year. But oh my gosh..." I saw a news I expected, so I wasn't shocked, but I was disappointed nonetheless. Talk about getting your hopes up.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you talking to me?"

"He has a fiance."

Taehyung

Today's the day I get to see her again. I got ready, wearing DIOR cologne, the one I saved for special occassions. Opening the car door, I slid in and drove off. My Dad bought a house for me here, in this small city. It was one of the most renowned suburbs in South Korea. It was a closed-off area, protected with a gate, and all the houses were modern mansions with a pool in the backyard and some sport cars parked outside. Busan was the perfect place to retire since Seoul became overpopulated. Those who wanted a peaceful life tend to live in Busan. It's nice, but it's not my style. I prefer going out on the weekends, shopping, yadda yadda. 

Jungkook and Jimin were living with me also, except, they've went to the beach today. I haven't told them about Yerin. I don't think they need to know about her just yet anyways. 

So I drove to where she lived. Already, I could tell she was poor. The suburb wasn't like the others. It had lots of farm land and was at least three kilometers away from the school and other shops. I'm guessing she bicycles to school every day... or worse, maybe she walks there and back.

I parked outside her house at 10am exactly. It was the very definition of quaint. It was a one-level house made of wood. It had a small balcony at the front which lead to a short set of stairs. The path wasn't made of concrete. Instead, it was one of those square pebbled paths. Their backyard is very big, I give it to them for managing such a big lot. 

The girl, Jung Yerin, came out of her house, wearing a decent outfit of black pants and a white button up. She looked professional. I smiled at her from inside the car. She opened the door to the passengers' seat. 

"Good morning! Thank you for picking me up. I really like your car," Yerin said, already radiating a pearly smile at me. I returned it with a box smile. 

"My pleasure and thanks. It's my Dad's. Some of us are born lucky I guess. I can't entirely claim these riches as mine. I like your house." Yerin blushed a bit from embarassment. I think she couldn't tell if I was being sincere. 

"Thank you."

"I think the fact that you have such a big lot that is very neat shows that your family is very hardworking," I clarified, driving off to the hospital. 

"Oh, yes, they are." Followed silence. I swallowed my throat and playfully . 

"Are you nervous because I'm so hot?" Yerin choked on her water.

"Yes, actually," she admitted quite seriously, much to my surprise.

"Oh."

"I have a few guy friends. Most of them aren't that goodlooking, successful, smart or kind." At the last word, I noticed her eyes travel downwards to her hands as she fiddled with her fingers. Strange, I noted. 

"Well... I'm nervous also. Although I have a lot of girlfriends, friends who are girls, none of them are as beautiful and as pure as you." I tried not to look into her eyes. It was too embarassing saying this all of a sudden and my ears heated up. I peaked a look at the side mirror and noticed her cheeks turn red. I chuckled and swallowed nervously.

"I read that you have a fiance... I'm sure you're not being serious. I think... I think I shouldn't do this. You just want to use me so you could get in between my legs. Most guys like you would do that," her voice was wavy and I could tell she was upset despite her 'strong' facade.  What she said hurt me, not going to lie.

"Do you want the scholarship or not?" She bit her lip. 

"I would do anything for the scholarship.. for this opportunity that comes once in a lifetime... But if I have to sleep with you to get it, I would rather reject it." I parked on the side of the road. Kind of hurt that she would actually say that. 

"I'm not toying with you. I want to help you." I stared right into her eyes that wanted to waver from my gaze. 

"Then one condition. Focus on your fiance and not on me." Her lips looked too irresistible as she said those mean remarks. I stole a kiss without hesitation, not really knowing what came over me. She broke it off immediately, but I pulled her back in and this time, she didn't resist and kissed back. I could tell she never really kissed anyone before because she barely moved or initiated anything. 

Pulling away, I confessed, "It's an arranged marriage. She doesn't mean anything to me... and for some reason, I like you. And no, I will never use you. Think about it. I'm rich, you're not. I have a fiance already... yet I still want you. Is that hard to understand?"

"Um, yes it is! We just met remember? And here you are kissing my in your car and making me look stupid." She looked cute even as she was angry. 

"You kissed me back..." Yerin hid her blush behind her hands, trying to forget what had happened earlier.

"I-I've never kissed a guy before... you're cruel," she hissed. I tried to comfort her, but nothing could help in this situation apart from silence. I sat there, watching the cars pass to ease my mind that couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. A few minutes passed and she eased as well. I took the opportunity. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Do you want me to drive you back to your home?"

"No, it's fine. You'll be late to work. I will go with you to the hospital and get picked up from there," she said.

"Look, I'm so sorry for flirting with you and kissing you... You have every right to have a bad opinion about me, but don't throw your future away. Do placement at the hospital with me. I'll teach you a lot. I promise I won't ever kiss again or do anything that will make you uncomfortable. Just please," I pleaded, letting my head hang low to look into her eyes. 

"Treat it like nothing happened between us. I know you're trying so hard to be nice to me... that it's not just because you have ulterior motives, but because you want to help me. Thanks for that. But please, no more kissing and flirting with me. You have a fiance. I know she's just an arranged marriage, but technically it's cheating and I would hate to hurt her even if I haven't met her. You and I... 'we' don't exist..."

"Fine. If that's what you want, then so be it. But I'm still going to pick you up for placement and teach you afterwards," I smiled, driving off. 

"Why do you want to help me so much?" I couldn't answer her question as directly knowing she'd be pissed off, but I just wanted an excuse to see her. As selfless as it looked, it was very much for my own selfish reasons. 

"I saw you at the hospital helping the elderly woman. When you said you wanted to become a doctor, I realised you could do a much better job at it than me. Except, you didn't quite have the same opportunities as me... in a way, I felt upset that someone like you isn't doing what they should be doing." 

"Oh," she said, keeping her eyes outside. I was telling the truth, so why was she like this. 

"It's true."

"I know."

"Then..."

"Because I must've been a hero in my past life to be this lucky. 'Pinch me, I'm dreaming' kind of situation."

"So disbelief?" I asked. She nodded. I smiled at her. 

Yerin

We arrived at the hospital. Dr. Kim, aka. Taehyung, put on a sthethoscope and his white coat. He gave me a sthethoscope also.

"Alright assistant, come with me," he said, rolling up his sleeves until it past his elbows. He wore his watch in a weird way. It wasn't flat on the back of his wrist, but towards the side of it. Weird, but I bet it's easier to read like that, I noted. 

He brought me to a private office to meet the director, Mr. Chou.

"Sir, this is my assistant that I spoke to you about," Taehyung said, sitting in front of the the man behind his desk. It didn't look like a GP hospital office, but more of a secret library kind of office for a CEO.

"Oh, yes! Jung Yerin. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady." I blushed. "Taehyung spoke highly of you. I heard you want to get into medical school once you graduate. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that is true."

"Well! Then celebrate. I have secured a spot for you at Taehyung's school, Seoul National University, for their medicine course." My eyes widened and just about my mouth as well. I glanced at Taehyung who was also surprised. He smiled at me.

"I-I can't thank you enough! But I haven't even graduated highschool..."

"Indeed, that was sorted out. We took your grades and found you to be quite an impressive young lady. Think of it as a gift from me, "Mr. Chou's eyes smiled behind his glasses. "Well, continue on with your placement. The university will inform your parents this afternoon of your acceptance. Accomodation, scholarship money, living expenses, etc are all paid for during your degree. But it does come with a slight condition. You will need to maintain high grades in your degree and work as an assistant for Taehyung."

"As an assistant?" I asked. All of this... it sounded too good to be true. But being an assistant isn't the worse thing that could happen.

"Yes. Taehyung has a fiancee, Sana. She looks after him quite splendidly already, but I request for you to be his assistant while he works at the hospital. You will be paid for your work on top of that. You see, direct entry into the program from highschool is quite a special case for those selected in that you will have paid placements, basically working as doctors, and will be able to move around freely around the hospital to observe surgeries, etc. Plus, you will get private tutoring from one of our current doctors. It will make you a more competent doctor and will allow you to specialise into any field you wish at a quicker rate."

'Ohhh' was all I could say. Word after word, I still couldn't believe this was happening to me. Me of all people. 

"Thank you so much. I will try my best to be of use to Taehyung and to never let this opportunity go."

"Yes. That is what needs to be done. Thank you for your formal cooperation with Taehyung," Mr. Chou said.

We walked out and my legs felt like they could collapse at any second. From working hard for a scholarship to now knowing I have one was mindblowing. I felt my body weaken a bit at that. 

"Are you okay?" Taehyung asked. My eyes landed at his lips for some reason then to his eyes. I couldn't get that scene out of my head. I moved away out of instinct.

"Yes, I'm okay. Thanks again. I can't believe this is happening to me." He chuckled.

"You're to become my assistant. It seems we'll see each other a lot from now on. Come, let's go for a tour around the hospital," he said, checking his watch. I got up and followed him around.

Damn his handsome face, I cursed.

For years to come, I'll see him a lot huh. I nugged it off. Once I become a doctor, I can finally say goodbye to him. No matter how long it will take, I will endure, I motivated myself.