Final
Of Infatuation and Microbiology
_________________________________________________________________________
It all started as a joke. I'm on the brink of flunking Microbiology and I'm running out of time to make up for my terrible grades. Final exams are just around the corner. I desperately need help.
-----
"Soojung," I pleaded to my best friend, "please tutor me."
"Dana, I need a tutor just as much as you do," she replied laughing. "Do you want to see how low my scores are?"
I took a sip from my iced oolong tea and laughed with her. "What do you suggest I do to pass?"
"Hmm..." her eyes wandered around the coffee shop as she thought. A sly smile started to appear on her face. She pointed at the wall of post-it's on the opposite corner of our table.
"What are you thinking?" I asked.
"You see what that green post-it says?"
I shook my head and put my glasses on to see clearer.
"WANTED: Biochemistry tutor. Please help me :(" below was the cellphone number and e-mail address of the student who wrote it.
"No way," I told her.
"It wouldn't hurt, right? What if someone's really willing to tutor you?"
"What if some weirdo calls me instead?" I asked.
"Dana, come on. No weirdo would go into a coffee shop named 'Pathogenicitea' that uses beakers as glasses and has a barista that wears a lab gown...except us," she said. "And all the other students taking up a medical course at the university."
Of course. A coffee shop named after disease causing microorganisms wouldn't attract outsiders.
"Just jot down your e-mail; don't write your number," Soojung suggested.
I took a pen out of my pocket and a sticky note from my bag and started to write.
"Wait, you're seriously doing this?" Soojung asked in surprise. "I was just kidding!"
"Too late," I replied with a smile. "Hey, it might actually work."
Someone sent me an e-mail that night. I squealed when I saw that little red dot over the mail icon in my phone. I clicked it with my fingers crossed. Not to get my hopes up, I reminded myself that it could just be some random spammer or an e-mail from K-pop Mart telling me that my 2 AM album was on its way to be delivered at my doorstep.
"Hello. I'm Baro. I saw your little post-it at Pathogenicitea. I'm willing to tutor you with Microbiology ^^ I'm a medicine student at Jeguk University. You must be from Jeguk too, right?"
Oh my gosh. God just answered my prayers! I shouted for joy, loud enough to wake the entire dorm.
My roommate stirred in her sleep and gave me a deadly glare, "Keep it down, will you?"
"Mianhe," I whispered while holding up a peace sign.
"Yes, I am. I'm Dana, a 3rd year Clinical Laboratory Science student. Thank you so much for offering your help! What time are you available?" I hit 'send' as I danced around the room. I decided to call Soojung to brag.
-----
I walk clutching my Microbiology text book and notes on my right hand and my tablet (which used to be filled with pictures of Jinwoon, Jokwon, Seulong and Changmin that had to be deleted to make way for pictures of bacteria and parasites under the microscope...sorry 2 AM oppas! I swear I love you more than parasites) on my left. As I approach the coffee shop, I spot a familiar silhouette crossing the street.
Even without glasses on, I can tell who it is. It's Cha Sunwoo-seonsaengnim, my instructor in Anatomy and Physiology lab. Even if he was a hectare away from me, I'd be able to see him. How could I miss that cutie in the crowd? Too bad I don't see him as much as I used to. He quit teaching to proceed to medicine and then someday, become a doctor (he'd be a good one, I suppose.)
It's getting quite obvious, isn't it? I had--okay, have (present tense, because I still do) a little crush on him.
Or maybe that was an understatement.
I stop staring at Cha-seonsaengnim before I bump face first into a lamp post. I do not want to damage the few neurons left in my brain.
I enter Pathogenicitea and greet the waiter whom I've made friends with. "Annyeong, Siwon-ssi!"
"Annyeonghosaeyo, Dana-ssi," he says. "Where's Soojung?"
"Home. Studying on her own," I answer, giving him a mischievous grin. "Looking for Soojung, eh? She's gonna be happy to hear that."
I order a large oolong iced tea (or in this case, a 500 mL beaker of it) and find an empty table by the window, away from most of the customers so it would be silent. I settle down and arrange my belongings just as Cha-seonsaengnim enters the shop.
My jaw almost drops open. My heart rate immediately increases. I see nothing else but him. My eyes follow him as he goes to the counter to order.
He turns around and catches me staring. I almost hide under the table from embarrassment. I can feel my cheeks burning up, but I smile at him and greet him politely when he comes closer.
"Good evening, Cha-seonsaengnim," my voice sounds more high-pitched than usual.
"Miss Dani! Long time no see," he answers casually and smiles.
Damn, that smile. I think I just died.
"Umm...it's Dana, Sir," I correct him shyly.
"Dana?" he says, incredulous, "you're the student asking for help?"
I nod uncertainly. How did he know about that? The post-it I left wasn't on the wall anymore.
He sits with me, and I look at him, confused, unable to grasp the situation. "You're my tutor, seonsaengnim?"
"You can stop calling me seonsaengnim, Dana," he tells me.
"Ba...Baro-sunbae?" I stutter.
"All my friends call me Baro. Please call me that too," he says as he takes my text book and flips it open. "Actually, Baro-oppa will do."
"Okay," I say, trying to hide the huge, silly grin plastered on my face, "Baro-oppa."
I love you, Lord! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
"Shall we begin, Dana?" he asks and I nod. "What are you having a hard time in?"
I switch my tab on and show him slides of Neisseria gonorrhae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. "I sort of have a hard time telling some organisms apart."
"Ah, I see. Before you start identifying the organism, it's best to identify the kind of staining used and the reaction of the organism," he explains patiently. "Neisseria are gram negative while Streptococcus pneumoniae are gram positive. So by looking at the color of the slides, you can tell them apart."
"Can I see your test results?" he asks.
I hesitantly take them out. He reads them, and tries not to laugh. "Brilliant green light blue?"
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaim as I snatch the paper away from him. "It's wrong, I know. It's supposed to be 'brilliant green lactose bile' but I had nothing else to answer."
He continues to teach me for the next two hours. By the time we go through the entire chapter, I look like I'm ready to drop dead, but I've learned so much more than I would have if I studied on my own.
"Thank you so much, seonsae--I mean, Baro-oppa," I tell him sincerely. "Do you want dinner? I'll pay for you," I offer.
"You don't have to, Dana," he refuses. Then his stomach gurgles in contradiction.
"Let me treat you to dinner, oppa," I insist and unsuccessfully stifle my laughter. "You've helped me so much."
"Alright," he finally agrees and laughs along.
He looks adorable when he does.
We eat dinner at a near-by fast food chain. We talk a lot as we eat, and I find out that we have so many things in common.
"So when shall our next tutoring session be?" he asks as we walk.
"Is next week okay with you?" I ask. I don't want to bother him; I know he's busy too.
He nods. "Sure thing."
"I'll drive you to your dorm," he says.
I could almost dance around the streets because of happiness. "No need to, Baro-oppa. My dorm's really near."
"It's late and I want you to get home safely. Come on," he gently takes my hand and walks me to his car. He drives me to my dorm and wishes me luck on my exam the next day.
I sort of wish the drive took longer. Well, okay, not just sort of.
I fall asleep with a smile on my face.
Four weeks later, our grades are finally released. I sit in Pathogenicitea, shaking as I open the university's website and enter my ID number. I tap my fingers nervously as I wait for the page to load and show my final grades.
Baro-oppa sits beside me and watches the tab's screen intently too.
Then it finally appears. My grades. My grades...and oh my goodness I passed! I passed everything!
I turn to Baro-oppa and see that he's just as joyful as I am.
All of a sudden, he pulls me into a hug. I am taken aback and pleasantly surprised. I can smell his cologne, and I can't think of anything else.
"Congratulations, Dana!" Baro-oppa tells me. "I knew you could do it."
He releases me from the hug and smiles at me again.
"I'm really happy for you," he says looking straight into my eyes. "And I'm really happy being with you, Dana."
Wait. Did he just confess?
I smile back at him. "I'm happy being with you too," I tell him in a shy voice.
He holds my hand and interlaces our fingers. We both know this is the start of something wonderful.
Comments