Disclaimer: I don't own DotS.

.

.

.

“Lieutenant Yoon, pour me another glass.”

Yoon Myeong Joo, who were in her own world a few moments ago, is snapped out of her reverie by her sunbae’s words and calmly pours soju into the empty glass that is handed in front of her. “Are you good at holding your liquor, sunbae?”

“Ani,” Mo Yeon sighs, taking the now full glass to her lips and finishing the content in one shot. “But I figured this would be a good way to pass time. I’ve been kicked out of the OR from overworking.”

The army doctor raises her brow. “So you choose to drink instead.”

“Why can’t we? They did it too, you know.” Mo Yeon rests her chin on her palm; her gaze slowly turns to the scenery outside and to her utmost dismay, it is raining again. The water falls hard against the glass window of the bar and she quietly reminisces about that time last year when she and Myeong Joo were sitting at the exact place, thinking of when their boyfriends would be coming back from their mission. “Should we do that, three days and zero nights?”

“Well, I’m on furlough right now so I see no reason to decline your invitation…” Myeong Joo stares at Mo Yeon, then her eyes fall to the black pager sitting at the corner of the table, “But don’t you have work tomorrow?”

“Ahh, my bad,” Mo Yeon grabs at the green bottle in front of her, huffing slightly when she realizes it is now empty, “I mean, I’ve been kicked out of the OR for the entire week.” She suddenly pauses. “Actually, scratch that. It’s a week and a half. Oh no. What should I do.”

Myeong Joo snorts. “What do you mean what should you do? Any normal person would have been happy to get a break.” She raises her hand and gestures to one of the people working in the bar. “Ahjumma! Give us three more bottles, please.”

“No—make that five!” Mo Yeon adds on hastily.

“Five? So we are really having a three days and zero nights?” Myeong Joo asks, the corner of her lips tilting up slightly in amusement, “Want to make it five days and zero nights instead?”

This time it’s Mo Yeon’s turn to snort. “As much as I would like to do that, I think we are going to destroy half of our liver’s function by the time we are done…if we would even survive doing that.” She closes her eyes and groans loudly. “Ottoke, ottoke. My mother is going to Busan with her friends next week and I would have nothing to distract myself from…”

“From…?” Myeong Joo repeats, sending a small smile and a ‘kamsahamnida’ to the ahjumma for the newly brought soju bottles placed on their table.

“From thinking about that stupid captain of mine…” Mo Yeon grumbles, taking one of the bottles in her hand and opening it with a loud ‘pop’. However, instead of pouring the alcohol into her glass like before, she brings the mouth of the bottle to her lips, drinking—no, chugging it as if she’s been starved of water for days. “Wait, he is a squadron leader now, isn’t he. Anyways. I need something to distract myself. Tell me if you have anything interesting to do. Maybe you can take me to a shooting range and teach me how to shoot?”

Myeong Joo smirks. “Wae? So you can shoot Si Jin sunbae in the head when he gets back?”

Mo Yeon scowls at the mention of her boyfriend’s name. “Tsk, that heartless guy. I don’t want to spare another second of my time thinking about him. That’s the whole point of us drinking today—so we can stop worrying about our boyfriends and just…just…” Mo Yeon pauses, unable to come up with a proper word to continue her sentence due to lightheadedness.

“Forget?” Myeong Joo offers.

“Yeah,” Mo Yeon sighs and rubs her temples, nose scrunching in annoyance as she starts feeling the telltale signs of being drunk. Tsk. Why does she have to have such low tolerance for alcohol? “Forget. That. About him. About how we were waiting for them at this same bar last year only to find out that they were supposedly killed and missing in action.”

Myeong Joo stops playing with her kimchi. Although the bar is relatively lively and filled with chatters from people around them, the table where Mo Yeon and Myeong Joo sits at suddenly turns silent and the atmosphere surrounding them is now somber. “Let’s not think in that direction.”

“Again, that is exactly why we drink, Lieutenant Yoon,” Mo Yeon gives the shorthaired girl a dry smile, “To forget. To stop worrying. Thinking that every second we are here in our nation, safe from all dangers and threats, our boyfriends are out there risking their lives fighting against enemies equipped with all kinds of weapons and bombs…” She laughs emptily, honestly finding no humor in her previous statement. “At least, I am hoping that by drinking for three days straight I will be knocked out for the rest of the week.”

“Wouldn’t that make you a hypocrite?” Myeong Joo looks at Mo Yeon, the corner of tilting upwards, “Since you’re a doctor and all. Imagine what your fans would say, seeing their star doctor who always gives advices on television shows how to live healthily, getting herself drunk to death.”

Mo Yeon waves her hand in the air flippantly. “I won’t die from just this.” She then points at finger at the army doctor, smirking in retaliation. “Besides, you are a doctor yourself. The pot calling the kettle black.”

Myeong Joo shrugs. “Whatever.”

Mo Yeon continues to chug at her drink and places the bottle none-too-gently at the table. “Seriously, though. Just wait until he comes back. I’m going to tie him up on my bed and make sure he won’t leave my sight for the next forty-eight hours.”

Myeong Joo shakes her head at the sight of her sunbae all haggard looking and miserable. Although she snorts inwardly when she thinks back to what Mo Yeon has just said. Si Jin sunbae will probably grin like a lovesick fool if he knows what his pretty girlfriend has just said to her. “Cheer up, Kang-sunbae. They are supposed to be back next week,” Myeong Joo says, playing with the rim of her empty glass, “If all goes well.”

“If all goes well.” Mo Yeon echoes gloomily.

Myeong Joo stops for a second and thinks about Seo Dae Young and how last year Sergeant Kim Beom Rae had break the news to her that her boyfriend was never coming back. The look that he gave her was a mixture of pity and hopelessness. And that look in her father’s eyes. Guilt. Regret. Suddenly, the coldness of Dae Young’s dog tag against her skin doesn’t feel all too welcoming and Myeong Joo absentmindedly plays with the metal that is circling around her neck, praying to the heavens that the churning in her stomach has more to do with the amount of alcohol she has just consumed and not because of a certain person’s safety.

“I think you are right,” Myeong Joo sighs in agreement, courteously taking Mo Yeon’s again empty glass and filling it to the top, “We both need this drink.”

“To forget?” Mo Yeon raises her glass.

Myeong Joo nods and clicks her glass against Mo Yeon’s. “To forget.”

.

.

.

Ten and a half bottles later, both Mo Yeon and Myeong Joo are completely, utterly smashed.

Mo Yeon is a very expressive and childish drunk.

Myeong Joo on the other hand, is stoic and blunt (even more so than she usually is) but still highly functioning.

Mo Yeon squirms in her seat and giggles happily as she steals a spoon from the kimchi-jiggae that Myeong Joo is currently eating. She tilts her spoon and lets the broth falls into the plastic cup containing soju and the coke she ordered a few minutes ago, stirring the insides attentively and smiles proudly after she takes a sniff at her…concoction. Turning her head, she pokes at the person sitting next to their table and flashes him a wide smile. “Ahjussi, would you like to try my specialty drink? I named it Kang Mo Yeon’s special rejuvenating stamina juice!”

The man, who looks to be in his early thirties, glowers at Mo Yeon, initially about to tell her off for calling him an ahjussi (he is not that old!…is he?), but when he looks at who exactly it is that is talking to him and offering him such a sweet smile, he gasps and slaps the back of the man sitting beside him, resulting in the other people on his table to direct their attention at him. “Ya, ya, ya! Isn’t she the pretty doctor from KBS’ 9 a.m. healthy living program? Kang Mo Yeon’s Body Check. Dr. Kang Mo Yeon. Geureochi?”

The doctor in question only smiles brightly and tilts her head. “Do I know you?”

Myeong Joo snorts and offers in a deadpan voice. “Kang-sunbae, you should retract your hand before he actually drinks that poison you just made. Wouldn’t want to have you thrown into a jail for killing some unsuspecting fanboy.”

“Wah, it really is her! Yah, yedera! It’s her! That pretty doctor that you guys said looks like Song Hye Kyo!”

Five pairs of eyes turn to Mo Yeon and Myeong Joo’s table.

“Omo! Jinjjaro?”

“Wah, daebak! She is even prettier in real life!”

“Ya, who is that other girl?”

“Nugu? Nugu? The one eating the kimchi-jiggae?”

“Heol. Is she a doctor too? How can the two of them be so pretty?”

And thus, in a matter of seconds, Mo Yeon and Myeong Joo’s table is suddenly populated with a bunch of drunken men, with the former not even being slightly fearful or alarmed as she continues to pose cutely and giving small hearts while taking pictures with her fanboys.

Myeong Joo just stares at the empty cup in her hand, eyebrows scrunched tightly, irritated by all the noise and shouting taking place in front of her. She glares at any of the men that are trying to approach her, giving them her most impressive scowl, which makes them shrink back in fear. She sighs again and pours herself another glass of soju before she notices something vibrating on the table. Her phone is in her bag right now. And Mo Yeon’s pager would have beeped first before it vibrates so that only means…

“Kang-sunbae, I think somebody is calling you.”

Mo Yeon, hearing her name being called out, snaps out of her daze and stands up, ending her pseudo fan-meeting session to her fanboys’ disappointment and protest. She staggers her way to the other side and plops herself beside the glum Yoon Myeong Joo, who is still taking turns between eating calmly at her food and taking big gulps of her soju. “Your phone. Handphone.”

“Who called?”

“I don’t know,” Myeong Joo munches on the sliced pork and drinks the spicy broth in contentment, one of her hands pointing at Mo Yeon’s phone which has stopped vibrating at the moment. “You should check, it could be important.”

“Lieutenant Yoon,“ Mo Yeon grins while clapping merrily, “Are you drunk?”

“I am highly intoxicated. But I can still function like a normal human being…to a certain extent.” The army doctor skims at Mo Yeon’s appearance and scoffs. “And I see that you are completely drunk. Geurigo, don’t ignore my words. You better take that call.”

Mo Yeon’s phone once again vibrates as if in agreement to Myeong Joo’s chiding, and the owner of the phone pouts before sulkily takes the phone in her hand and answers the call without bothering to take a look at the caller ID beforehand. “Yeoboseyo?”

“Dr. Kang?”

Mo Yeon giggles in reply. “De? I am Dr. Kang Mo Yeon at your service! Salute!”

Myeong Joo snorts into her soup and corrects Mo Yeon’s wobbly stance. “Your hand should be at the level of your eyebrow.”

Mo Yeon pulls away from the phone and clicks her tongue at Myeong Joo. “Ey, I know that. I have seen it a lot of times before.” She then gasps, circling her arms around herself at the sudden recollection. “Omo, how did I remember that?”

“Your phone, your phone.” Myeong Joo calmly reminds Mo Yeon who is now busy muttering to herself.

The thirty-year old cardiothoracic surgeon squints her eyes at the screen of her phone, her eyes barely making out the blurry characters through her drunken stupor. “Yoo…Si…Jin?”

“Yeoboseyo? Dr. Kang? Are you there? Is anything the matter?”

To Mo Yeon, the name Yoo Si Jin is very unknown yet there is something warm and familiar in the person’s voice. “Yoo Si Jin-ssi? Nuguseyo?”

“Your namja chingu, duh.” Myeong Joo replies dryly. “Wah, you must be super drunk right now, huh? Not being able to even recognize the voice of your own boyfriend.” Then another thought hits her as her eyes widen in realization. “Geureomyeon…jamkkanman. Sergeant Major Seo…are they back already?”

“Yeoboseyo? Yoo Si Jin-ssi?” Mo Yeon whispers, as if she is conveying a top secret to somebody or partaking in some epic conspiracy, “You’re my namja chingu. Jinjja?”

“…Dr. Kang.” The voice sounds strained. “Are you…drunk?”

Mo Yeon gasps loudly before giggling like a ten-year-old. “Mwoooo? Me? Drunk? Maldo andwae! Of course not! I’m eating cola right now…” She pauses. “Oh wait, no, drinking cola. It’s very, very delicious…and bubbly…so of course I’m not drunk, you silly.” She resumes her bouts of giggling and taking small sips at her ‘cola’. “Would you like to join us? I think you will be great friends with Ah In and Bo Gum here. Isn’t that right, yedera?” Mo Yeon hollers at the two people whom she is particular fond of and took many pictures with just now. The two males in response hoot extremely loudly and Mo Yeon claps her hands excitedly at the liveliness.

“Dr. Kang,” Mo Yeon notes that this Yoo Si Jin’s voice turns so chilly all of a sudden that she unconsciously shivers (no pun intended), “you are out drinking…with a bunch of guys?”

Mo Yeon pouts. “Anigodeun. I’m out drinking with Myeong Joo right now!”

She hears a lot of shuffling and another foreign voice that is also strangely kind of familiar to her ears says, “Yoon Myeong Joo?”

Mo Yeon grins and walks towards said girl, nudging the army doctor slyly. “Isn’t that right, Lieutenant Yoon? We’re here to drink and…” Mo Yeon pauses. “What did we come here to drink for again?”

“To drink and forget about our stupid boyfriends.”

“Ah, maja! Our stupid boyfriends. Dumb and dumber, geureochi?” Mo Yeon giggles happily and sighs. “There is absolutely no guys here, so don’t worry, uri namchin!”

“What are you talking about, sunbae. There are eleven guys sitting beside our table taking pictures of you every second right now.”

“Ssssh, you shouldn’t say it out loud, my namchin can hear you,” Mo Yeon makes a shushing gesture with her index finger and says in what she thinks is a small voice. “Besides, it’s twelve guys. Twelve, not eleven.”

But with her phone still connected to the other person, and the speaker placed dangerously close to , said boyfriend can perfectly hear the conversation that just took place.

“Dr. Kang,” Si Jin starts in a low voice. “Jigeum, eodi simnika?”

.

.

.

While Yoo Si Jin doesn’t expect anything particularly big from his girlfriend—maybe a kiss or a kiss and a hug—when he comes back from his two-month long grueling mission, he certainly does not expect to find her dead drunk while playing the fold-your-finger game with a big bowl of mixed alcohol in front of her and a crowd of drunken, dangerous guys cheering in the background.

He spots his hoobae, Yoon Myeong Joo—that girl, how can she just stare at the scene amusedly as if there is nothing wrong?—and sees Dae Young walking briskly to her direction, eyes never leaving her form. Serves her right. If she gets scolded by him, I’m not going to help. Si Jin glowers inside his mind. His own gaze focuses on his girlfriend, who is still drinking merrily (so trustingly!) without a slight suspicion of what might be put into the drink, laughing and clinking her glass with the other guys.

“Jeo bwa, jeo bwa. That woman. Just wait until I get my hands on her.” Si Jin mutters under his breath, tsk-ing when he watches her making a high-five with two other guys. “She doesn’t even remember anything when she’s drunk. Aish.”

He schools his features and puts on his most intimidating look, turning his soldier mode on to full blast, and the crowd, noticing the dangerous aura that is emitted from the handsome stranger, slowly abandons their circle and makes a way for him to pass.

Si Jin reaches his destination and puts both of his arms in front of his chest, trying his best to maintain the stern expression on his face even as Mo Yeon turns around on her seat to face him and gives him her first smile—the smile that he misses so very much and the same beautiful smile that he dreams of every night—in two months.

He slowly crouches so that he can meet her at eye-level and places his hand on her left arm gently. “Dr. Kang.”

The female doctor blinks at him; recognition enters her eyes and her smile stretches even wider. Si Jin swears he doesn’t just imagine the painful tugging at his heart and that treacherous voice inside his mind coos at him to pull her into an embrace, but he manages to restrain himself by tightening the grip on her arm just a little bit. “Let’s go home.”

The crowd of men gives a loud ‘boo’ at his declaration but Si Jin simply stares at them with a sharp glint in his eyes—one that promises danger and unspeakable threats—and they all suddenly turn as silent as a stone. They gulp and watch the interaction between the pretty doctor and the dangerous man, all of them inwardly wondering if said man belongs to some kind of underground, criminal organization. Maybe a loan shark? Or perhaps a member of some infamous mafia group?

Mo Yeon however is immune to Si Jin’s supposedly dangerous aura.

Instead, the lady doctor giggles and holds out both of her arms to Si Jin, flailing them like a child who is asking for their parent to carry them. “Ai!”

Si Jin’s heart gives another painful tug and he can feel it clenching tightly at her adorable gesture (just like a spoiled child, he thinks amusedly). He lets out a deep breath and closes his eyes, trying to calm his erratic mind all the while maintaining that stoic composure on his face. Once he feels his mental state is hardened enough, he looks back at his girlfriend’s face, trying really hard not to falter or give anything away (not even a twitch of his mouth) no matter how much he wants to smile at the pleading look she gives him.

Clearing his throat, Si Jin awkwardly takes Mo Yeon’s hands and he turns around so that his back is facing her, guiding her hands around his neck and he proceeds to securely wrapping his hands around her legs (thank god she is wearing jeans right now, he muses). With her weight now on his back, Si Jin stands up slowly and hoists her slightly upwards, finding the perfect position to piggyback her. Walking towards her and Myeong Joo’s