Yerim wasn’t entirely sure how she found herself sitting across from Park Sooyoung, in the same seat she’d sat in just moments ago with her (former) best friend, crying in full while the older girl comforted her. It was almost surreal. None of it made sense. Where was the tough, no-nonsense physician that struck fear into the hearts of her co-workers at the hospital? Where was the nagging need for perfection that seemed ever present with the black-haired girl? Where was the angry-eyed user who had refused to speak to Yerim for the remainder of the shift after their bathroom encounter? That woman was gone, replaced by an understanding, sympathetic woman who was willing to listen to everything Yerim said without interruption, offering only nods of understanding and gentle, soft pats on the hand as the younger girl poured her heart out.

    When she was finished, Yerim felt both exhausted and relieved. She sat in silence, looking down at the table, refusing to make eye contact with her superior. The shame of what she’d just done was still creeping its way through her veins, but venting to someone made her feel significantly better. It was Sooyoung who eventually broke the silence, her voice coming low and sweet, sending tingles of warmth spreading out from the back of Yerim’s head.

    “Feeling a little better now?”

    “Yeah. Thank you for listening to me,” Yerim said, looking up, “I really didn’t mean to talk for that long…”

    “It’s fine. As long as it helped you.”

    “No offense but… why do you care? Why did you sit here and listen to me ramble like a schoolgirl? I always got the feeling that you were the type of person that didn’t really care much for sentimental stuff.”

    Sooyoung’s laugh came out genuine and full, a sound that Yerim had never heard from the doctor before.

    “Same reason you didn’t tell anyone what happened in the bathroom. Because I really do care about you, whether you want to believe it or not.”

    Yerim could only blink in disbelief. Nothing made sense anymore.

    “Listen, what are your plans for tonight?” Sooyoung continued, her brow crinkling, “I don’t want you moping around and wallowing in self pity.”

    “How’d you know? I might have been planning on just drinking alone…”

    “Believe it or not, I’ve been in a similar position, before,” Sooyoung said, her eyes unfocused as she reminisced on some long-passed memory, “And the one thing that always helped me was the alcohol. But drinking alone was just depressing. So I’ll be your drinking buddy for tonight, if that’s alright with you.”

    “Uh-I… yeah, sure,” Yerim said, still trying to process just what exactly was going on, “When should we-”

    “We can go to my place,” Sooyoung said, her voice taking on the same commanding tone it did when she was giving orders at the hospital, “I’ll drive.”

    The older girl stood, scooping her bag up onto her shoulder and finishing her coffee with one long swig.

    “Are you coming?” she asked when Yerim made no move to stand.

    “Y-yeah, let’s go.”

    They walked out together, Yerim still in a daze. For the first time, the younger girl was recognizing something about the doctor that she’d never considered. Park Sooyoung was one of the most beautiful women she’d ever met.

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Decided to update two days in a row because this chapter is extremely short. Next one is pretty long and one of my favorites so far, so get hyped (: expect it Saturday night. Just gotta get some editing done for it, so maybe earlier :D

Thanks for reading<3