[CONTENTID1] THE DOCTOR - part 1 [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Seokjin + OC (Kim Tae Li)

Word Count: 4.9K

Written by: AnnieWilson

Seokjin watches with envy, and a little bit of jealous, as Yoongi catches Ga Yoon in his arms. They’re in the backyard of his house, with his family and a number of his friends gathered for a BBQ. It’s Seokjin’s son’s birthday today and, since it’s nearing the end of summer but it’s still hot, he saw it fit to host a little party outside. 

Jinwoon is running around with his friends, playing some game Seokjin is too old to understand or participate in, according to his son.

Yoongi was able to get away from training early and, as expected, his girlfriend of three months is overjoyed. It took a while for Ga Yoon to accept the Marine’s confession but with a little persuasion on Krystal and Seokjin’s part and some smooth talking and wooing on Yoongi’s part, she finally said yes. He’s still undergoing psychotherapy, though with a different doctor, and Ga Yoon is unofficially helping him deal with his problems, too.

Their relationship is far from normal but it works for them and they’re happier than ever. Seokjin can’t help but take a bitter swig of his beer. He doesn’t usually drink but seeing how proudly Ga Yoon looks at Yoongi when he talks about his career and life as a soldier makes him feel…miserable.

He’s happy for them, of course — Yoongi is his childhood hoobae and a good friend — and he’s glad they found each other. He’s glad he made them find each other. But he can’t help but go green with envy whenever they’re lovey-dovey, since his own romantic situation is far from similar to theirs.

“Hello, ello, ello!” 

Seokjin looks over his shoulder, as does everyone else, and a smile etches his face as his eyes land on Krystal. The young woman is hauling a ridiculously large white sac behind her and, behind that, is another young woman of similar age. She’s pretty, Seokjin mentally remarks.

“Krystal-ah,” Ga Yoon gets up from Yoongi’s lap to hug her younger friend. “Took you long enough, where have you been?”

“I don’t kiss and tell,” comes the secretary’s reply. Ga Yoon rolls her eyes, while the others chuckle. Krystal gives the white sac one last yank so that it lands in front of her. “Jinwoon-ah! GUESS WHAT AUNT KRYSTAL GOT YOU FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY!?”

“Omona! Aunt Krystal, you’re the best person ever!” Jinwoon squeals on his race over to her. She catches him in her arms, barely, and hugs him, ruffling his hair afterwards. He then digs right into the sac, emptying the contents onto the grass. “Omono! Aunt Krystal, thank you so much!” He hugs her fiercely before dashing off to show off the presents to his friends.

“You didn’t have to get him all that, Krystal-ah,” Ga In says, rubbing the girl’s arm. Krystal shrugs.

“I wanted to,” she replies easily. “In case you haven’t noticed, I love being loved the most.” Seokjin laughs and gets up from his seat, walking over to the secretary to ruffle her hair. “Annyeonghaseyo, Seokjin oppa.”

“Annyeong,” he replies softly. He looks over her shoulder at her friend. “Who’s your friend, Krystal-ah? Introduce us.”

“Oh, right!” Krystal shakes her head, smacking her own forehead. “Duh! Um, everyone, this is Geum Jun Ri, my roommate. We’re the same age.”

“Annyeonghaseyo,” Jun Ri says, bowing, “It’s nice to meet all of you. Please take care of me.” Seokjin takes her hand and shakes it. 

“This is Seokjin oppa, he owns this house. This is his wife, Ga In eonnie,” Krystal informs her, then reveals everyone else’s names. She then takes her friend’s hand and starts dragging her to the dining table. “Come on, Jun Ri-ya, I’ll introduce you to my favourite eonnie, Song Ga Yoon. And her really hot boyfriend.”

“Arasso,” Jun Ri laughs whilst following her. 

“She seems nice,” Seokjin comments after the two college students have walked away. He looks at Ga In even though he expects silence in response or maybe even a glare. Instead, she smiles and nods. He bites his lip and hesitantly reaches over to tuck her hair behind her ear. “You look pretty today, yeobo.”

“Jin…don’t,” she whispers, looking down. She grasps his hand and moves it away from her face, dropping it at his side. “Just because we’re on talking terms, does not mean everything is okay.”

“Ga In,” he starts but she lifts a finger up.

“Let’s not fight, not at our son’s birthday party,” she says with finality. He nods sullenly and she walks away, plastering a fake smile on her face as she joins Seunghyun, Sandara and Youngbae near the grill.

Seokjin smiles sadly as he watches her chat and joke around with their friends. He wonders what will happen, how they’ll react, when they find out about the pending divorce. He wonders if they’ll take sides when he and Ga In will have to go their seperate ways.

He refused to sign the divorce papers at first. He couldn’t even believe it when Ga In threw them on his desk. They’ve been together since high school; high-school sweethearts since they were sixteen. Back then, they had it good. They had their life plans sorted and they thought the world, and everything in it, was perfect.

They graduated high school, Seokjin with the intentions of becoming a doctor while Ga In wanted to be a nurse. They got into the same university and rented out an apartment together. They got married. They went to school together, ate together, slept together, worried about the bills and their exams together.

They were the perfect match.

But everything changed when they turned nineteen. Ga In fell pregnant and the bills just got too high for them to continue to pay. So, they made a choice. Whilst medical school would be more expensive for Seokjin, in the long-run, being a doctor would bring more money than being a nurse. And neither of their parents were rich or even well-off, so they were already funding their own studies.

So, Ga In dropped out of school whilst Seokjin continued to study throughout his wife's pregnancy. It was hard to balance everything but they managed; they always managed. They really thought that once Jinwoon was born, everything would fall back into place.

They were wrong.

Medical school just got harder and harder. The bills got harder and harder to pay. Seokjin had to take on multiple part-time jobs whilst simultaneously studying for his exams and working through his residency. Ga In was unable to go back to school and after a while, the arguments between the couple got heated enough that sometimes, the neighbours would call the police due to Jinwoon’s cries. The tension between the couple only worsened as the years passed but they tried everything — everything — to put an end to it and return to the loving relationship they once had.

They tried marriage counselling, date nights, spending some time apart, having more , having less …they tried everything but none of it worked, not fully. It always came back to the major, most destructive root: Seokjin’s job and Ga In's resentment.

Not only was Ga In resentful that while she only had her high school diploma to get by with, Seokjin had both an undergraduate and a doctorate degree in his pocket, but she also hated that she more or less raised Jinwoon on her own.

Seokjin admitted, and still does, that his job takes a lot out of him. It takes up 80% of his time, the remaining 20% is spent fighting with his wife and catching up with much-needed rest. He tries to spend time with his son but things get in the way, problems occur. Jinwoon knows his father loves him, is what Seokjin tells himself.

He knows. He must know.

Ga In thinks otherwise. So, after another heated argument last year, she filed for a divorce. Over the course of a year, they’ve fought and argued over it. It’s only recently that she got a lawyer in attempt to settle the divorce once and for all.

She wants sole physical custody of Jinwoon, whilst sharing legal custody of him. That means Jinwoon will live with her at all times and Seokjin will get to visit or take him out on arranged days, though they will both continue to make decisions regarding his welfare, education, etc. together.

Seokjin refused. He’ll divorce Ga In if he has to but give up his son? He refuses. He understands Ga In’s point of view. She’s not a bad woman or evil in anyway. She just wants what she thinks is best for their son. She doesn’t think Seokjin can take care of an 11 year old with the demanding job that he has. Jinwoon doesn’t know his father like he knows her, Seokjin hasn’t been around like she has.

She’s his mother, she knows him better than anyone in the world.

Seokjin agrees that she knows him better but that doesn’t mean he loves their son any less than she does or that she loves Jinwoon any more than Seokjin does. He wants to change the relationship they have, he wants Jinwoon to be able to go to his father whenever he wants or needs to. He wants Jinwoon to be comfortable around him, to be proud to be called his son.

And Seokjin believes that with his job, he’s in a better position to take care of Jinwoon. His pay can cover more expenses than Ga In’s. He understands that there is far, far more to parenting than money but anyone who says that money isn't important is either an idiot or they’re fooling themselves.

Or both.

So the battle over the custody of their son lies between them. Seokjin wants to live with his son but Ga In believes he’s not around enough to even consider such a thing. She wants to have the only say over what happens with and around Jinwoon, but Seokjin doesn’t believe that she has the money to even consider such a thing.

They both love their son.

Seokjin loves his wife.

Ga In…he doesn’t know if Ga In still loves him. Hell, he doesn’t even know if he’s still in love with her or if he’s just in love with the Ga In she used to be, the Ga In he married when he was 18 and naïve. Things have changed — they, Seokjin and Ga In, have changed.

Their feelings for each other have changed. The love they have for Jinwoon is no longer enough to keep them together and to keep their family, one.

~ ♦ ~

“No, Luhan-ssi, you can’t sue someone for ending your engagement and dating someone,” Kim Tae Li says, a hint of annoyance in her tone. 

“But we were going to get married! And she technically cheated on me, since she flirted with him while we were still together,” the male on the end of the line insists, his voice growing more burdensome to Tae Li with every word. She’s been on the phone with him for the past ten minutes which is more than enough for her to want to file a complaint under the circumstances of torture. 

It pains her to see someone so handsome — she keeps tabs on all of her customers and contacts — be so utterly, ridiculously doltish. 

“She may have exchanged intimiate words with him — which, by the way, you have no proof of — but it doesn’t change the fact that she waited until she terminated her relationship with you before seeking one with someone else,” Tae Li explains and Luhan groans for a good five seconds. “You can’t sue, you can’t press charges, hell, you can’t even fish for more than ten likes on Facebook. Your ex’s hands are clean. You have no case.”

“But-”

“Goodbye, Mr. Lu,” she sighs, hanging up. She tucks her phone into her white leather clutch bag and runs a hand through her short, abound hair. She opens the door to the law firm at which she works and enters it. A buzzing comes from her bag and she groans, fishing her phone out again. “Yoboseyo?”

“Eonnie~~~”

“No,” she states, even if she doesn’t know what her dongsaeng wants. Whatever it is, Tae Li knows it’ll come at a great cost to her. Probably mentally. “I’m hanging up, Ga Yoon.”

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