- "I know what I want for my birthday," YoungSaeng announced, drink in hand. They had been keeping JungMin company, bothering him while he worked was actually more like it.

 - "What's that Hyeong?" HyungJun asked.

 - "I want to go visit Ilana; I've already put in for another week off for my birthday. You guys coming with? Or do I get my Cinderella all to myself?" YoungSaeng knew the answer.

 - "Andwae! She's my Princess too! I'm not staying behind,” HyungJun protested.

 - "Yah! I want to see Unnie, too."

 - "I guess we're going to New York," KyuJong said. "We'll be back for two weeks and then we leave again."

 - "Mworago? Where are we going?" Jung Min came up to deliver more drinks.

 - "To see Unnie!"

 - "Daeback! She'll be so surprised," Jung Min agreed.

 - "We should surprise her," HyungJun suggested with a gleam in his eyes at the prospect.

 - "That would be fun," YoungSaeng agreed.

 - "I'll see if I can call her boss and get her one or two days off," KyuJong jumped on board the surprise bandwagon.

 - "Daeback!" Suzy bounced in her seat.

 - "By the way, how is the scrapbook coming along, you two?" YoungSaeng asked.  Suzy and HyungJun had been collaborating on a scrapbook for Ilana as a housewarming gift.

 - "It's almost done; I just need to put on the finishing touches. I think I'll mail it from Tokyo, she won't have a clue it's from us until she opens it," Suzy’s face lit up in excitement.

 - "You know you guys are going to make her cry," Jung Min smiled, knowing too well the girl that had become a yeo dongsaeng to them.

The next day, KyuJong decided to call the hospital Ilana was working for. Thankfully, Ilana had told them all her boss's name. He went through the directory until he found her.

 - "SungRyung, speaking."

 - "Hello, Mrs. Kim, I'm Dr. KyuJong Kim."

 - "Yes, how can I help you?"

 - "Your employee, Miss Ilana Contreras did work for me for a few months. The reason for my call is that I will be visiting New York, along with others of her acquaintance. In short, we wanted to surprise her. Would it be possible for her to have one or two days off?"

 - "Well, I have to check with her backup and her assigned doctor before making a decision."

 - "Thank you for your consideration, even a half day would be appreciated. We'll be there November second through the fifth, roughly."

 - "I'll give you my answer soon, where can you be reached?" relayed all his information and they terminated the call.  SungRyung sat at her desk and pondered this request. How did this young doctor fit into Ilana's life? A potential suitor would not be good for her plans for Dr. Jihoo and Ilana. But then again, a little competition might help things along.

Ilana realized she'd been in New York almost three months now. She decided to attempt to branch out more. She had tried to do a little jogging that morning as part of a new workout regimen to try and boost her stamina. She'd had so much fun at Isabel's party, with the kids, and with her co-workers; she wanted to be able to do things that everyone else did, such as bouncing in a bounce house without wanting to pass out. The need to apologize to Dr. Jihoo for her behavior was also on her mind, but he wouldn't be doing rounds for two days. Sending him an email or text was an option but thought that would be worse than just blurting it out face to face. Imagining the email or text wording made her giggle to herself.  "He would definitely have me committed," she spoke out loud, without realizing it.

 - "Who'll have you committed, dear?" SungRyung had come into Ilana's cubicle.

 - "Unnie! You scared me;" Ilana tried to hide her blushing face. "I-I was just rambling, it's nothing of importance. Did you need me to do something for you?"

 - "I wanted to know when Dr. Jihoo would be in."

 - "He should be in on Wednesday morning."

 - "That's all; you may go back to your rambling now," SungRyung grinned at her staff member.

Dr. Jaejoong had walked up at that moment.  "Annyeong Jagiya, Noona, Ilana-ssi. I'm having a Halloween party, don't miss it. I'll have the details for you as soon as I get the invites from the printer. Jagiya, where something cute and I might hold you in my arms again," he walked away knowing Abigaíl was burning a hole in his back with her glare; he couldn't resist teasing her.

October 10. 2013

Over a week since Isabel's party and Ilana had yet to be able to apologize to Dr. Jihoo. He'd be on his monthly leave soon and she desperately wanted to talk to him before that. Her opportunity came one morning as their paths crossed at the apartment building. Pushing her morning workout harder, that morning, she sagged against the elevator wall with her eyes closed, still trying to lower her heart rate. The elevator door opened and Ilana opened her eyes to see Dr. Jihoo waiting for her to exit.

 - "Dr. Jihoo!" She squeaked out, still out of breath. He nodded to her as she walked out of the elevator. She had to say something or lose her chance. The elevator doors were closing, thankfully she reacted in time to push the button. Jihoo looked at her in surprise. "I...Please, just a minute of your time?" He dutifully stepped back out of the elevator. "I apologize if I came off rude the night of the party. I...I had a headache." She exhaled, glad that she'd come up with a reasonable excuse.

 - "Forget it," he said in his usual monotone and turned to push the elevator button a second time. Ilana still felt uneasy, but she did all she could do. After all, she was in New York to work; not build relationships.

Ilana smiled as she worked diligently that morning. She had been volunteering at the children's hospital several nights a week. It added hours to her day and fewer hours home alone. She loved the kids, they were a comfort to her and she thought she could learn from their resilience.  She was still smiling to herself when lights began to flash on the floor and the hall and patient doors began to close. The PA announced: Code Blue room 6041. Dr.'s David, Jihoo, Jaejoong, and Patrick ran past along with Hani and two other nurses. Everyone waited anxiously for the all clear.  Abigaíl bowed her head in prayer. "What's the point," Ilana thought. "Doesn't God do what he wants anyway?"

- "It's one of Dr. David's patient's," ShiYoon said.

Twenty minutes later, Dr. David came up to Shi-Yoon's desk looking as if he had just walked a hundred miles instead of a few feet. The other doctors clapped their colleague on the shoulder.

- "Shi-Yoon, please contact the family of Mr. Aaron for me," distress was evident in Dr. David's face as well as the others. The loss affected them all, not just the one.

- "I'm sorry, Dr. David, I'll contact them immediately," Shi-Yoon said.

- "Thank you, Shi-Yoon, it's never easy to lose a patient and I'm glad. It makes me work that much harder..." He slammed his fist on the desk before him.

Ilana tried to continue working, but her hands were shaking and she seemed to make the same mistake over and over again. She knew death could happen at any moment at a hospital but never gave it thought when taking the job. Not long after all the doors had been open, Ilana ran to the restroom and was sick. She cleaned herself up and returned to her desk and attempted to work. Working on the same file for what seemed like an hour, she needed to get away from the floor and before she knew it, she was on the rooftop. It was cold; she didn't take a jacket, but she didn't care. She let the cold air numb her as she sat at the table and sobbed for her parents and the family that had just lost a loved one.

Jihoo visited with a few patients before deciding he needed some fresh air. The morning had dealt an emotional blow to him, he'd lost his own parents when he was only four.  He arrived at the rooftop only to hear breath catching sobs. It was his admin; his body began to propel him forward until his mind took control and stopped him. He could not be the one to comfort her; He needed to maintain his distance. If he hadn't already suspected the girl had a boyfriend; SungRyung had confirmed it the week before. The boyfriend planned on surprising Ilana for a romantic weekend. Perhaps it was a long distance relationship.  He did not want a repeat of his one-sided love for Guam JanDi, the now wife of his best friend. Despite feeling guilty at leaving Ilana alone, he went back to the elevator. Sighing, he opted for a cup of tea instead of fresh air.

Returning to the sixth floor with a restorative cup of tea in hand, Jihoo noticed Ilana had not yet returned. It had been twenty minutes since he'd seen her last. He hovered for a few minutes in the hall by the elevator until at last she arrived.

Ilana stepped out of the elevator and Jihoo grabbed her arm before she could walk past him. If she was startled or surprised; he didn't care.

 - "There are counselors available to the staff to help you sort your feelings after mornings like today." He couldn't bring himself to say the word 'death'; at least not out loud.

 - "I-I don't need a counselor, thank you for your concern," Ilana felt herself on the verge of tears again.

 - "Rinse your face and if anyone asks, you had to deliver an ID for me upstairs." Ilana just nodded as she turned to the bathroom. Jihoo went back to his rounds; he didn't have time to worry about his admin. He would be leaving for home in two days and had to get his patient files and paperwork in order before he left.

The day went by and Ilana's state of mind had not changed. With no appetite, she worked through lunch. It was taking her three times as long to get anything done; she couldn't afford a break.

 - "Ilana? Didn't you take lunch?" Abigaíl asked, sometime after her own return.

 - "Oh, I'll just munch on something later. I'm too busy since Dr. Jihoo will be out for a week."

 - "If you need help, let me know."

 - "I will, thank you."

When the mail was delivered to their floor, that afternoon, Ilana was surprised to receive a package.

- "Ilana, this package is for you." The mail sorter handed her the package.

- "That's odd? Why would I get a package?" Ilana said.

- "Who's it from," Uee asked, curious.

- "It's from Tokyo? I don't know anyone in Tokyo?"

- "Open it." Abigaíl prompted. Both girls were now at Ilana's desk.

Ilana opened the box to reveal a carefully wrapped scrapbook. It was a beautiful rich blue with a type of underwater flower and bubbly type pattern on the cover. She tentatively opened the cover to reveal a 5×7 picture of the MS Amsterdam and an inscription from each of her friends. In the emotional state she was in, tears flooded her eyes, even with Uee and Abigaíl hovering over her.

 - "What's wrong, chica?" Abigaíl asked, wondering why she was crying. "Who made this for you?"

 - "My f-friends," smiling while she rubbed the tears from her face.

 - "Aw, how sweet, do you want to enjoy it by yourself?" Uee asked.

 - "Do you mind?"

 - "Not at all, it looks like they mean a lot to you and you probably miss them." Uee and Abigaíl hugged their co-worker and went back to their desks.

Ilana took the scrapbook to the rooftop where she alternately laughed and cried over every page. "Overwhelmed," she tweeted. "How do you guys always know when I need you the most? Kansamnida! x1,000, 1 million, a billion, a zillion!" Ilana knew it was around eight PM in Seoul, South Korea. Her friends were probably having dinner with their families. She was happy for them; they had been looking forward to this time at home.

Scrapbook in hand, she walked towards the elevator to return to her desk, crossing paths with Dr. Jihoo again.

Jihoo walked out of the elevator only to run into Ilana again. It looked like she had been crying again but with a smile on her face.

 - "Feeling better?" He asked.

 - "Yes, thank you," Ilana looked down shyly as she spoke.

 - "Good," they both went their separate ways and he was left grinning to himself, once more perplexed at this woman that had been assigned to him.

Ilana fell asleep exhausted from her emotional day. She took some files from Uee who needed to leave early and then spent two hours at the children’s hospital playing with and reading to the kids. One particular cutie, Manse, wouldn't let her leave. He was a sweet little Korean child and he rapidly had become her favorite. Arriving home after nine, she went straight to bed without bothering to eat dinner or check her twitter page.

October 11, 2013

Friday morning came with a pounding headache for Ilana. She hadn't even realized her alarm had gone off over two hours before and now over a half hour late for work. Ilana neither realized it nor could she move if she wanted to, she was in a considerable amount of pain.

Dr. Jihoo needed a follow up scheduled for a patient, but when he walked into Ilana's cubicle she wasn't there, neither did it appear that she had arrived.

 - "Abi-ya, is Ilana-ssi not in today?"

 - "I haven't seen her and she's never late; I hope she's okay," Abigaíl furrowed her brows in concern.

 - "Do you mind scheduling this for me? I'll go talk to SungRyung Noona."

 - "I'll call right now for you."

Jihoo thanked her and went to SungRyung's office.  "Noona?" He knocked on the door frame.

 - "Oh! Dr. Jihoo, what can I help you with?"

 - "Is Ilana-ssi out today or will she be arriving later?"

 - "Ilana's not in yet? It's after nine; she's never late," SungRyung frowned. "Sit down and I'll give her a call." Dialing Ilana's number, after several rings only her voice mail picked up. "Ilana dear, Jihoo, Abigaíl and I are worried you aren't in yet, call me back, please." She ended the call.

 - "Voicemail?" Jihoo asked.

 - "Let's see if she calls back," SungRyung affirmed Jihoo’s query.

It didn't take too long for the phone to start ringing after she had set it down.

By the time Ilana realized her phone was ringing, it was too late and it had gone to her voicemail. Her movements were sluggish and it took her a few minutes to react. Full daylight flooded her room, looking at the time she sat up in alarm, causing her head to feel like it was going to split in two. "Ow!" She cried out. Trying to ignore the breath catching pain, she returned her bosses call in hopes that she wasn't in trouble.

 - "Ilana! Where are you dear? It's not like you to be late."

 - "I'm sorry, Unnie," Ilana said, her voice breathy. She was doing her best to concentrate on the call and not on the pain. "I'm not...feeling well at the moment and didn't hear my alarm go off.  I...can try to come in later or over the weekend,” Ilana offered. "Dr. Jihoo will be busy today; he's on leave next week," she worried about leaving him without help and adding to the workload of her coworkers. 

 - "Don't worry about Dr. Jihoo; he's sitting in front of me. and I will take care of his files. Just worry about yourself."

 - "Are you sure?  I can try to come in later in the day..."  At the moment she couldn’t even open her eyes.

 - "Of course I’m sure, dear. Do you need anything?"

 - "It's just a migraine, I'll be alright." Ilana tried to reassure her boss, even if she couldn’t predict exactly when she’d be alright.

 - "Very well dear, take care of yourself and I'll see you Monday," terminating the call, she addressed Jihoo who was waiting patiently for an explanation. "Poor thing is down with a migraine and didn't sound well at all.  I'm sure she's in more pain than she's letting on. I told her not to worry about your accounts; Abigail and I would take care of them."

 - "Noona, thank you for letting me know, I'll be on my way." Jihoo left SungRyung's office but in the back of his mind Ilana took up residence.

Ilana carefully made her way to the kitchen and made herself a tea with feverfew and peppermint, refusing to take her migraine medication unless she was in dire circumstances.  The pills rapidly put her into a deep sleep, where she would lose all consciousness for hours and even upon waking would be unable to function normally for at least a day.

Tea and a warm bath with a cool towel on her head did much to ease the pain. By the late afternoon, the fever that accompanied her migraine had gone away and the pulsing pain caused by a jackhammer on either side of her head was now only a steady ache. By five she finally was able to fall into a light sleep.

Dr. Jihoo finally finished all his tasks by six thirty in the evening, he could leave for a week confident everything was in order. There was one more item on his mental list that needed to be done before going home. He had stopped at a samgyetang restaurant nearby and with a large container of the ginger chicken soup, headed for home. Walking in the door of his apartment, he dropped his wallet on the valet, medical bag by the door, and hung his coat in the closet.  He would immediately be leaving again after a change of shirt and grabbing a jar of citron tea from his cupboard.  Less than ten minutes after he first walked in his door, he was ringing the doorbell at Apartment 10L.

The doorbell roused Ilana from her light sleep. Puzzled at whom it could be, she slowly made her way to the door. The viewfinder revealed it was Dr. Jihoo and she nervously answered, not understanding why he would be at her door.

 -"Oh, Ilana-ssi," inclining his head. "Mianhamnida, I didn't want to disturb you.  I thought one of your roommates would answer," she gave him a perplexed look, for which he took as weariness. He noticed how pale she looked. "Please, may I come in, I brought you samgyetang; it’s a ginger and chicken soup and citron tea."

 - "Thank you," she opened the door to let him in. "You shouldn't have..." Ilana remained frozen by the door until he was already in her kitchen.  Snapping out of her trance, she closed the door and followed after him.  Jihoo had begun rummaging for a bowl and after making sure there was water in the kettle, turned it on. Ilana watched with curiosity as he took over her kitchen.  This was the most she'd been on her feet all day and feeling suddenly lightheaded, she leaned against the refrigerator.

 - "Here," Jihoo noticed her struggle to remain standing. "Sit down." He took her by the arm to her dining table. After sitting her down he brought her a spoon and bowl of the soup. Ilana realized she had not eaten since breakfast the day before. "Have you eaten at all today?" Jihoo asked. He noticed the guilty look on her face.

 - "The soup is very good, thank you." She changed the subject.

Jihoo gave her a look that said she had just answered his question and the way she avoided his eyes reconfirmed his suspicions.  "Finish that bowl and I'll serve you more. Ilana-ssi still needs to eat, even with a migraine. Ilana-ssi is wearing a guilty look which tells me you haven't had anything solid in your stomach all day."

Ilana slowly continued to eat, ignoring indirect scolding.  But, he was right and having nothing in her stomach, she was quickly full.  "I really can't eat anymore," she pushed the almost empty bowl away a few minutes later.

He sighed and took a spoonful.  "Just a few more bites." Intending to feed her himself, he brought the spoon to and laughed at her panicked face. "Arraso, take two more spoonfuls and I'll let you off the hook." The kettle had begun to boil, and he stood to make her tea. "I'll help you back to the chaise you were resting on and bring you a cup of citron tea." He had seen a pillow and blanket when he walked in.

- "I can manage, thank you," the soup had actually restored to her some of her strength.  She cautiously made her way to the chaise; to her surprise, he arranged her blanket and pillow to her comfort and then handed her the cup.

Ilana sniffed the fragrant tea.  "It smells wonderful; I was getting tired of feverfew and peppermint."

Jihoo smiled, glad to see the color returning to her face.  “Feverfew and peppermint..? I'm surprised."

- "My Nana stocked my pantry with every type of medicinal herb I could ever need," Ilana didn’t know why she volunteered that information and buried her face in the sweet and soothing scent of the tea.

Jihoo sat in the armchair opposite of Ilana, so they could still face each other comfortably. They were silent as she sipped her tea. It was odd but Ilana did not find the silence awkward or unpleasant. The soup and tea had done much to relieve her aching head and she was struggling to keep awake.

 - "Ilana-ssi is getting drowsy; I will leave so you can rest. I want Ilana-ssi back to work Monday morning. You'll have to keep everything in order while I'm gone next week." Jihoo stepped out of character and was the first to break the silence. Although it was strange, he had not found it cumbersome.

 - "Dr. Jihoo! I almost forgot...and yet here you are wasting time because of me," Ilana was upset with herself and also grateful for his kindness.

 - "I..." What had he been thinking? "...everything is in order for my leave and I knew the soup and tea would help...relieve any discomfort Ilana-ssi might have." Jihoo stood to leave. "Now, no more headaches or I'll send you to Dr. Jaejoong or Dr. Patrick," he mock-scolded and received an annoyed glare from his admin in return.  Unfazed, he flashed his gentle smile. "I'll show myself out, rest, please," he protested when Ilana began to get up. He walked out the door and closed it behind him. "So much for keeping a distance," he thought.

Later that evening, Ilana moved back to her room, ready to get a good night's sleep. Sometime in the night, she woke, not from pain but a realization dawned on her. She didn't think Dr. Jihoo was just referring to the migraine before he left. In a strange way, the discomfort he meant to relieve was the awkwardness of the night he drove her home.  Without flat-out saying the words, he let her know that it was truly forgotten. He had removed a burden she didn't realize she was carrying, letting her sleep soundly the rest of the entire night.