12 months ago  

 

Kim Minjoo

Cherry blossom trees were only beautiful when they had flowers Kim Minjoo thought to herself dryly as she stared outside the tinted windows at the seemingly brittle and dry trees around her. The trees looked like they were dying, just like she was. She wished she could just reach out and stick fake scented paper flowers to all the trees. With fake flowers maybe they would pretend to look healthy and alive, like her parents wanted her to look. Wistfully she forced herself to look away as the car moved deeper into the city. At 18 years old Kim Minjoo had rarely been allowed to go outside and run around the cherry blossom trees, but was forced to stay indoors and study.

 

Forced to stay inside for her own health she thought looking down at her thin almost sickly looking hands and translucent skin.  Luckily today she would see a new doctor. A younger, smarter, and more brilliant doctor that would definintley this time be able to cure her irregular beating, weak, and broken heart she was told. Or at least that is what her parents told her. It was one of the few times her parents had spoken to her in the last couple years and she rather keep it that way. She honestly rather not speak to her parents, or rather her father, ever again. 

 

Sitting up straighter in her seat she looked at the high buildings around her only to shrink back in her seat in annoyance and even as little bit of fear griped her. What if this new doctor told her what countless others had?  Something her parents refused to believe even though Minjoo was relieved almost happy hearing from the handful of doctors she saw every year.

 

That she would die before her 21^st birthday.

 

She had come to terms with the fact that she would probably die on her 16^th birthday when something unspeakable happened to her. Since then she had often thought of death sometimes even searched for it. When others thought of death tey thought of the end and to her it was seemed like a cool calming ocean, a new beginning. But even with her yearning for death she couldn’t help but fear it.  That little bit of fear forced her to want to also live. That tiny part of her that wanted to live only gave two emotions that she knew would only cause pain. Fear and hope. Her fear only grew worst as the car stopped and at the driver got out and opened her door.  She sat still not daring to go out or move.  The only reason she was here was because her parents refused to believe the only heir to their multimillion-dollar company was dying.

 

“Minjoo. We are here.” Her driver said in a kind placating tone despite his impatience.

 

“Chansung just give me a moment. I need to recollect my thoughts and put some sunscreen on. Its dreadfully hot today.” She muttered as she stared at the shiny obviously new hospital in front of her.  Confusion ran over her. She was so ready to die, yet her heart just wouldn’t let her. Hearing from a new doctor that she had a chance would only bring more hope. She wanted to kill the hope inside her so she would finally leave the rotten world that cursed her. Only then she could be free.

 

The irony of the beautiful and rich girl who could get anything she wished for, but could not get the one thing she wanted.

 

Death.   

 

“Darling the sun isn’t going to burn you. Do you want to be late?” The elder man said with a look of worry in his eyes. Changsung had been working for the Kim family for decades and was one of the few to know about Minjoo’s health status. He had been treating the girl as his daughter when her own father never did.

 

“No I don’t want to cause the Kim family a bad reputation now do I?” She whispered with a crooked half smile as she took Chansungs hand and stepped out of the car.  Minjoo squeezed his hand and looked into his ageless eyes and took a deep breath. Chansung was one of the only people she had ever respected and admired in her life. She believed his extensive knowledge and experiences throughout his life serving for rich families had given him an almost sixth sense in being able to calm down anyone from fussy spoiled babies to rich snobby elderly women.

 

She took a couple of wobbly steps and looked down to frown at the Louie Vuitton heels her mother picked out for her. They were much higher than she was accustom too and the style was too gaudy for her taste, but off course even as an elderly woman Ms. Yuri Kim had to dress up for every occasion that brought her out of the house. Even for gardening she would put on her Marc Jacob slacks, a perfectly ironed Ralph Lauren button up, and a Burberry scarf to tie up her hair.  Minjoo quickly smoothed out her dress before moving an inch closer to the hospital. She knew what her mother would say about an unruly appearance and swallowed hurriedly as she looked herself over in the reflection of the car window.

 

“You look fine. Come on is your health or your appearance more important?” Chansung chided her gently as he led her into the cool and quite modern hospital.

 

Minjoo blinked and looked around in awe of the shiny contraptions and the models of 3D hearts in glass cases lining the walls. Don’t get your hopes up she muttered in her head. But hope still filled her chest and her weak heart. She dreaded and prayed at the thought of someone being able to fix her. She sat down quickly as Chansung began to fill out her name and information on a clipboard nervously looking around. Human interaction was not her forte.

 

A cute short receptionist with a too bright, too wide, and too fake smile walked up to her after a couple minutes and said “Mr. Kim Jong In will see you now.”

 

Minjoo’s heart began to beat faster and faster as she followed the receptionist to a elevator. She quickly hugged Chansung goodbye who whispered encouragements into her ear and closed her eyes as she left him behind as the elevator doors closed around her. The quite was interrupted as her eyes flew open as they hit level five and a group of very young doctors practically ran inside. Minjoo squeezed into the back corner of the elevator and tried to make herself as small and non-noticeable as possible.  Peaking out from under her long lashes she clearly noticed them though. Three young and, even to her, handsome doctors in white starched coats laughed and teased each other.  They laughed almost like children at each other as they pushed each other around. The tallest of the three  kept holding a manila folder away from the shorter two and played with them putting the folder behind his back.

 

“Hey did you hear Baekhyun?” The taller one with curly hair laughed in a deep voice as he looked over at the shorter one with well-defined features.  He kept holding the folder up and moving it away before the two could grab it. Minjoo couldn’t help but giggle at the exuberant and childish personality matched with the model height, proportional body, and deep voice.

 

The taller one glanced over at her small sound and in that moment the one she assumed as Baekhyun grabbed the folder in with a cry of triumph. The taller one looked away in shock and the fight over the folder resumed. Minjoo began to smile at their antics.  The receptionist next to her frowned in annoyance.

 

“What Chanyeol?”  The third man with wide eyes and smile said trying to distract the taller man. Minjoo stared at his high cheekbones and wondered if all young doctors were this handsome and recollected the many old wrinkly doctors she had in the past.

 

“You know about Kai’s research?” The taller man named Chanyeol questioned quickly into story telling mode completely forgetting the folder.

 

“Yeah what about it?” Baekhyun asked.

 

“Well apparently Kai is getting a new patient today and of course I heard she’s beautiful, rich, and of course has the exact medical condition he needs for his research.” Chanyeol remarked his voice filled with animation and hands flying everywhere.  Minjoo thought if she would like to marry someone full of life and excitement like him. Well that was if she wasn’t prepped for death.

 

“Kai always gets the pretty patients and then of course he ruins them.” The third doctor with great bone structure whined. “God how many more patients is he going to break before we all get sued? He gets to make millions and get some on the side sometimes too! When will I get patients like him?”

 

“Chen you work on Alzheimer’s disease patients.” Baekhyun laughed. All three of them stopped talking and quickly turned around when the receptionist made a dry cough and stared at them with a look of anger. They seemed oblivious that anyone else was in the elevator and the sight of other people made them quickly shut up.  Minjoo noticed the one named Baekhyun quickly went white as a ghost and stopped speaking. The elevator finally stopped on the 31^st floor and the receptionist made a motion for her to get off.

 

“Shoot sorry Taeyeon.” Chanyeol muttered as they moved out of the way.

 

“Don’t gossip around the patients and can’t you guys act your own age?” Taeyoen remarked, as the three doctors seemed to cower from the tiny receptionist.

 

“Never mind us. Who are you?” The one named Chen said staring at her with a devious smile, as all three of them seemed to notice her pressed up against the elevator wall. “Are you lost sweetie? We can help you find your way back.”

 

“Kim Min—“ She didn’t finish her tiny whisper as the receptionist dragged her out of the elevator with a huff.  Human male interaction was never her thing as her cheeks began to burn.

 

“Those boys never grow up. Gosh they are annoying. Brilliant, but annoying.” The tiny woman said pulling her to a room grumbling the whole way.

 

 “Here is Mr. Kim Jong In’s room.” Taeyeon said as they stopped in front of a door and quickly left grumbling bout Baekhyun and his issues.

 

Minjoo decided not too look to deep into it or get involved. She wanted to her visit here to be short and quick, like a dandelion in the breeze, so she could leave as soon as possible.  Her parents would look at the bill for a check up and once they found out she was incurable again they would finally leave her alone. She readied herself and took a deep breath as she opened the door to be greeted by a strikingly handsome man in a lab coat deep in thought over a pile of papers. She had to stifle a gasp at the tall lean young doctor looked up from a notebook and at her.

 

 First she admired the way he walked toward her with almost a graceful manner. She wondered if he was a dancer? He had to be with the way he seemed to glide over to her. Secondly she wondered how old he was. He didn’t seem much older than her. He looked straight out of college. Thirdly she thought of her defective broken heart that seemed to be pounding in her chest. She quickly looked away and down at her trembling hands.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Minjoo stuttered remembering her etiquette classes and bowing ninety degrees.  God she should have just went here instead of those smelly expensive old doctors if she was going to die by 21 she laughed in her head.

 

“Hi I’m Kim Jong In. You can call me Kai.” The man said with a dazzling smile and his hand stretched out to her.

 

 

12 months ago

Kim Jong In

 

Kai thought he saw an angel when his new patient, his next guinea pig, walked into his lab. A weak fragile angel, but still an almost perfect angel. For a short while they stared at each other and for the first time Kim Jong In, the heartless lady killer who only cared about his research, felt a bit guilty.  He quickly pushed aside those thoughts as the thin pale girl in front of him bowed down and stuttered a greeting.

 

Kai put a fake smile and reached his hand out to her.

 

The angel looked at him with a mixture of fear and defiance that shocked him before slowly placing her hand on his. He shook her hand firmly noting the prominence of her bones and soft skin.  He would make mental note to not start he physical procedures to early.

 

Subject 21 was a weak one he sighed.  She had the perfect heart condition though and he would make do with that.

 

“What’s your name?” He asked in a soothing voice as he tried to calm her down a little bit. She was like a cute jumpy rabbit as she followed him to a therapist looking couch and past all the machinery. Of course he knew her name as he had expensively studied her files and her incurable disease. A disease he would find a cure for. He vowed that to himself.

 

“Minjoo. Kim Minjoo. Your office is… um lovely.” The petite girl said with fake politeness. He could tell she was just going through the motions that thousands of dollars probably were used to drill into her at a young age. He glanced ruefully at her expensive dress, shoes, and probably designer bag.

 

“Well Ms. Minjoo can you tell me how you feel?” He said sitting her down on the couch and encouraging her to lie down on it. The girl layed stiffly down in confusion and barely moved after that and Jong In could have swore she was some type of beautiful Greek statue.

 

“I won’t hurt you. Today’s appointment is for me to know more about your disease and to check up on how you’re doing.” Jong In said also going through the motions pretending to care. How is your heart? What stage is your disease? Let me cut it out of your chest now. He thought with impatience sitting on a swivel chair near the couch. 

 

“I am fine. My disease is stage two approaching three by the end of the year. My heartbeat is irregular only when I get nervous or put myself through physical strain. My heart is also has expanded by two centimeters in the last year.” Minjoo said in a detached voice as if reading off a cue card. Kai looked over her wonderingly she didn’t even seem human, but he found happiness in her direct answers. He needed a compliant easy subject for the next round of testing. He reached over to take her pulse and she quickly shrank back in fear.

 

Kim Jong In felt annoyed. The timid girl would need to feel comfortable in order for his experiments to become successful. He placed a charming smile on his face and held his hand out gently. “I only want to check your pulse.”

 

“Oh. Okay.” The girl muttered and looked away holding out her shaking arm.

 

He gently held her arm and took her pulse. Her heart was weak, but in great condition for the test he thought with glee as she smiled and wrote down numbers on a notepad.  He glanced up and could see her shaking with a small frown on her face. Jong In had read about her anxiety, asthma, allergies, and sickness and was surprised she was strong enough to come all alone, but her being scared wouldn’t do well for the tests. He had to figure out the mystery of the abnormally beating heart that would grow too large for a human to handle. He just had too. He made a promise to someone that he would cure it. And Jong In had to keep this promise even if it killed him.

 

“I will schedule testing and exam for next week?” He asked already marking it down on his calendar.

 

“No.” The girl muttered and Jong In looked up quickly. No? What did she mea by no?  He almost glared at her opening his mouth with confusion.

 

“I don’t want more tests. Just tell me if I am going to die or not.”

 

“But you have to go through with these exams! You want to live don’t you? You want to find a cure. You must let me test you some more.” Jong in wanted to shout but continued to use a calm tone. This was not part of what he was expecting.

 

“Why?” Minjoo asked for once without shaking looking directly into his eyes. Both their eyes hardened as they realized this was not what they were expecting.

 

“You will die if I can not find a cure!” He was now raising his voice. This was the first time a patient had questioned him. The first time he met anyone who from the beginning did not want to try.

 

“So you don’t have a cure.” Minjoo said with seriously. Jong In could have swore this was the first time someone had said this with a ghost of a smile on their face. He could not believe the audacity of subject 21.  He pondered lying to her but for some reason the innocent pale beauty in front of him made him choke out the truth.

 

“Well no but—“

 

“So will I die? Tell me the truth how likely is it that I will die before you find a cure.” The girl continued on tautly. 

 

“Just answer my question. Please do not even try to lie to me.” Minjoo said in a serious tone sitting up after moments of Jong In’s shocked silence.  The thoughts of the weak fragile girl he met moments ago left him to someone he never imagined her to be.

 

“Probably.” He choked out before he could stop himself. No! He needed subject 21 to go through his tests. It could be years until he could find someone with the same heart condition. He reached out to sit her back down with force, something he had never done with a patient.

 

As soon as he touched her the defiant strong girl disappeared and all was left was a weak body with a even more fragile mental fortitude shaking on the bench.

 

“I am ready to die.” The girl said whispered ever word lined with fear. “Just stop the pain until I do that’s all I want.”

 

Jong In’s mind was spinning. He had never met anyone like subject 21, but for some reason he was fascinated and frustrated. How could he test someone who wanted to die?

 

Jong In knew he had to do something desperate.

 

“Would you like to talk this over with me by the cherry blossom trees?” He asked quickly pulling her up.