“Doctor Wu,” Secretary Hong called out as Kris left his office. “Your next appointment is at 5, do you think you’ll make it?”

Kris stared at his watch. Four hours should be enough. “Yes I’ll make it.”

“Okay,” she nodded, “Drive safe.”

Kris nodded in return and walked off. Just as he was about turn at the hallway, a figure walked out and bumped into him.

“Ouch,” Hye Mi whimpered and rubbed her forehead.

Kris looked down so he could examine her closer, “Hye Mi…?”

Hye Mi looked up and her eyes widened, “Doctor Wu!”

 “You have an appointment today…?” Kris asked, confused about her presence. “Are you hurt anywhere? Did the symptoms worsen?”

“Nope,” Hye Mi shook her head, “I came to talk to Secretary Hong about something.”

“Oh…” Kris nodded. “Then do you… have work after?”

Hye Mi shook her head again, “The café is closed today because ahjumma needs to go out of town for a couple of days.”

Kris suddenly had the urge to take her with him, but he didn’t know how to ask. “Oh okay then, you should go.”

Hye Mi nodded with a big smile, “Okay, goodbye!” She walked pass him and turned into the small corridor near Kris’ office, “Secretary Hong!”

Secretary Hong looked up, “Oh! Hye Mi-sshi!”

“I bought the folders that you told me to bring last time,” Hye Mi smiled as she handed over a pink folder, “All my medical records from when I was little are in there.”

“Oh you didn’t have to rush it over,” Secretary Hong smiled as she took it and put it away. “You could’ve just bought it here the next time you had your appointment.”

Hye Mi grinned and scratched her head, “I was scared I’ll forget.” Secretary Hong shook her head. “Oh and can I ask for another copy of my appointment dates as well? I think it’ll be better if I have a copy in my bag just in case.”

“Sure,” Secretary Hong smiled, “Just give me a few minutes to print it.”

“Mhm!” Hye Mi beamed. After a few minutes of chatting with Secretary Hong, Hye Mi took the schedule paper and left. She walked out the same way she came from and stepped back when she saw Kris still standing there. “Doctor Wu!” she called out.

Kris was nervously waiting with his hands in his pockets, there was no doubt she wanted her to accompany him. When he heard her call his name he looked up with an alarmed expression, “H-Hey…”

“You’re still here?” Hye Mi asked with wide eyes, she stepped closer to him. “Why? Don’t want to leave your hospital?” She teased.

Kris gulped and nervously scratched the back of his neck, “Actually… I was waiting for you.”

Hye Mi blinked at him, “M-Me?”

---------

“Woah! It’s so pretty!” Hye Mi squealed as she stared out the window of Kris’ car. “Omo there are horses here too!”

Kris chuckled at her enthusiasm. He had no idea how but about 20 minutes before he had somehow managed to pluck up the courage to ask her to join him. Thank the lord she said yes.

“You seem like you like the countryside…” Kris commented as he turned into a long road.

Hye Mi nodded, “Yes!” She giggled as he pulled the window down and stuck her head out, “It’s really quiet and clean!”

Kris chuckled and shook his head. This girl never fails to amuse me. Watching her adore the view made him happy, and he was glad he had taken her. He decided to keep quiet to let her enjoy her time.

Hye Mi inhaled as the wind hit her face. She hasn’t felt this relaxed since 3 years ago. After sticking her head out for about 15 minutes, her head started pounding, pouting she came back inside the car and looked at Kris, who was too focused on driving to notice her.

To be honest she herself had no idea why she agreed to go with him. When he had asked, something in her body said yes without thinking. She hardly knew him properly, didn’t know where he was taking her and yet… She still felt like she could trust him. As she watched him focused on the road, a smile came onto her lips. Doctor Wu has really sharp features… She quietly giggled as she imagined herself touching his sharp jaw line.

“Where are we going?” She asked after a while.

“Hmm?” Kris looked at his watch, “About 30 minutes?”

“Woah… So far,” Hye Mi gasped as she leaned further into her chair, soon her eyes drooped and she was fast asleep.

A few minutes later Kris noticed her even breaths and looked over. His gaze softened when he realised she was sound asleep. When he noticed the wind was blowing her hair all over her face, he immediately pressed the up button to pull it up. After making sure that her head was in a secure position, he turned his full attention back to the road and continued driving.

-----

Hye Mi’s eyes slowly opened, she realised that the car was now parked and sat up, causing a blazer to fall off her body. Her eyes widened when she realised she was at a cemetery and Kris was nowhere in sight.

She stepped out of the car and looked around, “Where could he be…” Her heart started beating fast as she desperately looked around; it was scary being in a place like this all alone. Clutching onto Kris’ blazer, she started walking past the graves. After what seemed like forever, her legs finally bought her to a certain figure sitting by a grave. She sighed in relief when she realised it was Kris and slowly came towards him.

Kris was staring at his mother’s picture when he sensed a presence and turned around, he sighed when he realised it was Hye Mi, “You’re awake?”

Hye Mi gave him a meek smile and scratched her head, “Yeah… I’m so sorry for falling asleep…”

Kris smiled and turned back to his mother’s grave, “It’s not your fault.”

Hye Mi watched quietly as Kris wiped the picture of a lady in her late 30s. She watched Kris’ stiff expression and felt a whole heap of pity for the doctor. Slowly, she walked closer towards him, “You look like her.”

Kris looked up at her gentle face, “What?”

Hye Mi smiled as she sat down next to him, “You really look like your mother.”

“How did you know she’s my mother?” Kris whispered.

“Puh-lease,” Hye Mi rolled her eyes. “Not everyone has your jaw line.”

Kris touched his jaw line and looked at his mother’s picture, indeed they were identical. Hye Mi gazed at the picture, “She’s really beautiful.”

“Her personality was too,” Kris whispered.

Hye Mi looked into Kris’ eyes; no way would she have guessed that this young doctor would have such a sad past.

“She had cancer,” Kris said as he broke their eye contact. “When I was 14.”

Hye Mi froze, that dreaded word has come again, “Cancer?”

“Yes cancer,” Kris nodded, “But unlike you… She had leukemia.”

Hye Mi felt a pang in her heart as she watched Kris look at her with painful eyes, “And you know what the worst thing about it was? I couldn’t even do anything to help her, all I could do was sit by her side during those 3 weeks that she was hospitalized and attend to her every need. I stood on the side and watched the doctors take out her blood and give her all the painful treatments, I cried with her every time the doctor said the cancer had destroyed another part of her body and yet, I still couldn’t do anything to get rid of it.” Kris hit the floor as tears were about to escape from his eyes.

Hye Mi bit her lip as she reached her hand out to touch his shoulders, “Hey hey… It’s okay, at least you’re a doctor now, she’d probably to know that you are saving hundreds of other people out there.”

“What’s the point? There’s no use now that I’ve already lost her,” Kris clenched his fist, “I didn’t even get to attend her funeral before I got kicked out by my dad’s second wife.” Hye Mi suddenly wanted to hug him. “If it wasn’t for my uncle, I probably would’ve died on the streets and my mother wouldn’t even have had a proper grave.”

Hye Mi sighed gently and patted Kris’ back, “There’s always a use with saving someone’s life… Kris.”

Kris looked at her, the way she spoke gave him so much warmth, and yet he hardly even knew her.

 “S-Sorry for taking you here…” Kris said after a moment of silence.

“No, thank you for taking me here,” Hye Mi smiled, “It was nice being out of the city once in a while.”

Kris smiled back, hearing her say that made him happy yet bad, it was her first time out of the city in a while and he had taken her to a graveyard.

“Are we… going back now?” Hye Mi asked, a little unhappy. She didn’t want to go back to the city yet.

Kris thought for a moment before pulling out his phone. “You should go back into the car first, it’s pretty chilly here. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Hye Mi nodded, “Mhm!” She thought he wanted some alone time and skipped away.

When she was out of sight, Kris dialled Secretary Hong, “Sorry but can you cancel all my appointments for the rest of today? Something important came up.”

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A/N: Thank you for reading :)