Kang Heeyoung watched as one of the nurses on duty bowed to them and began leading Taemin to a room where they’d be able to take his X-rays. Taemin began following the woman, but then slowed and turned back as he realized Heeyoung wasn’t coming with him. His eyebrows rose and a small frown of confusion crossed his face. Heeyoung smiled encouragingly and gave him a nod. She gestured for him to go on. He held her gaze for a moment longer before allowing himself to be led away.

Turning back to the doctor she'd just been talking to, Heeyoung managed a grateful smile.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am, doctor, that you're willing to take a look at Lee Taemin's condition. I know he doesn't have papers, or an ID. I think he is suffering from some kind of memory loss due to the fall. Once it's recovered, we'll be able to help figure out who he is and get everything straightened out on record."

"That is all well and good," the middle-aged doctor replied in a professionally polite tone that was void of any sincerity, "Normally, we don't make exceptions about things like this, but because of the circumstances  and the severity of the fall you told us about, I'm willing to make an allowance, although it doesn't seem like the young man even suffered a fall at all, he looks completely fine to me. There still is, however, the matter of payment for the X-rays and overall checkup of the young man."

Heeyoung's smile faltered a little as she stopped to think about how much a checkup like that would cost. She literally had no extra income to be able to afford something like this...

Come on, Heeyoung. I know you'll be able to figure something out...But can I really? I'm not someone who will just go into debt for no reason and it's not like I have extra money lying around somewhere. I don't even know this Lee Taemin. He's a complete stranger, and, for all I know, may be a member of some notorious gang somewhere and I could be into some terrible situation. 

Letting out an uncommitted laugh, Heeyoung eyed the doctor, "Oh, I'm sure he'll be able to pay the bill once we figure out where he comes from."

"Perhaps," the doctor adjusted his round spectacles that had slipped precariously down the end of his long, thin nose. "But that doesn't guarantee us payment. For all we know, this young man may never recover his memory, if he truly does have amnesia. Even if he does, that also doesn't guanratee he can pay for the medical bill. If it were life and death, of course we would focus on saving the patient first, but as I mentioned before, he looks completely healthy to me...and we can't afford to perform free checkups and operations on people or we wouldn't be able to keep a building like this running. I'm sure you understand."

"Perfectly." Heeyoung acknowledged though her stomach dropped at the implication. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to balance her options. She could technically just walk away from the situation, walk out of the hospital right then and there and never look back.

But if she did that would she actually be able to live with herself? If she were in that man's position, wouldn't she wish someone would be willing to help her? She released a breath she didn't even realize she'd been holding. There really was no choice.

Aish. I hope I don't end up regretting this. "I'll pay the bill, though it may have to be in installments. Is that alright with you doctor?"

"That will be just fine." the doctor smiled, satisfied. After a few minutes, the paperwork was signed and Kang Heeyoung found herself sitting on a little red chair in the hallway.

"Yah, Kang Heeyoung." she chastised herself, "You don't even know this kid. How can you take him into your home, feed him, and offer to pay his medical expenses? Do you really have to have such decensy?"

She lowered her voice as a young doctor, pristine white medical coat swishing behind him as he walked, passed by her. "You don't even know this Lee Taemin. I hope I know what I'm doing."

A couple of paces away, the doctor who had walked by stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly turned until he was looking straight at her. Slowly, he reached up and took off his glasses, folded them and tucked them into the pocket of his medical coat. He began to make his way towards her across the hard, tiled landing.

Ah chincha! Heeyoung thought as she watched the handsome young man come closer. He'd looked like a very good looking nerd when he'd had his glasses on to frame his teardrop shaped, chocolate brown eyes. But without them, he didn't look like a doctor at all. He looked like an actor playing a doctor in a medical drama, or maybe a pop star with unfairly unnatural good looks. This guy must have heard me talking to myself. He probably thinks I'm completely crazy.

Heeyoung plastered an embarrased smile to her face and rose to meet the young man. She bowed politely and murmured, "Anneonghaseyo." 

The man stared at her for an awkward moment before he seemed to suddenly remember his manners and, in an almost flustered way, cried out, "Oh!" He quickly bowed in return, his dark bangs that had been carefully brushed back falling messily into his face with the haste and deepness of the bow.

"Pardon me," the young doctor smiled (and Heeyoung noticed he really did have a nice smile), "But as I was walking by, I thought I'd heard you say the name of someone I knew."

"Oh." It was Heeyoung's turn to be surprised, "You know Lee Taemin?"

The doctor's gaze grew more intesne when she repeated the name. "It is a name I am familiar with, yes. If you don't mind my asking, how do you know...Lee Taemin?"

"I'm not sure I do really." Heeyoung confessed giving a hopeless shrug. "It's a crazy story. The head doctor over there (she pointed to the ahjussi who'd made her sign her life away to pay for Taemin's medical bills) doesn't really believe me anyway."

The kind young doctor gestured for her to sit back down, and waited for her to relax before he settled into an empty chair next to her.

"Well, I like do like crazy stories," he said with a light laugh, "And who knows, I'm known to believe some things others might not. Why don't you try me and see?"

The man seemed so genuine, so affable, that Heeyoung found herself telling him everything, without reserve. She told him of how she'd taken Minmin to go for a walk, and how she'd seen something falling from the heavens that had hit the ground hard. When she'd hurried over, it had been, not a meteor, but a young man who was completely unconcious. She explained how she'd managed to take him to her place because she couldn't get help, and how after he'd eaten her chocolate and rice, and after she'd gotten him cleaned up out of some very foreign clothes, she'd driven him to the hospital.

The doctor listened intently, the only sign of emotion on his serious face being his eyebrows rising higher and higher in incredulity as her story progressed. When she finished, the doctor nodded slowly. His face had a faraway look as if he were processing everything she had just told him. In a moment, his gaze cleared and he looked at her again.

"May I see this Lee Taemin? If it is the person I know, I'd be very happy to meet him. Which room was he being taken to?"

"I don't really remember." Heeyoung confessed. The warm rush of relief that swept through her made her relax more than she had that day. He didn't think she was crazy. If she had listened to her own story, she would have told herself to get checked at a hospital. But he seemed to believe her, or if not, he was very good at not making her feel intolerably stupid. Her brow scrunching up as she tried to remember what the kind doctor had just asked her, "The nurse took him down that hall over on the left." She gestured to where she'd last seen the nurse and Lee Taemin before they'd disappeared around the corner.

The young doctor abruptly stood up and began heading to the counter that was stocked with nurses aplenty. Heeyoung hurriedly followed his lead. She noticed that the nurses when they saw the young doctor coming, straightened their blouses, their faces lighting up like paper lanterns, their expressions and smiles turned from merely polite to warm and inviting.

"Dr. Lee" one of the nurses shot him a smile that stretched practically from ear to ear, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Dr. Lee smiled kindly at the nurse, "Why yes, if you wouldn't mind, nurse Yoo. I'm looking for a patient that is going in to get X-rayed. His name is Lee Taemin. Would you mind telling me what room he is in please?"

Nurse Yoo practically fell over herself hurrying to the computer to pull up the requested file. After a moment of searching, she glanced up at him triumphantly. "He's being tended to in room 207, doctor."

"Thank you very much. Enjoy the rest of your morning," Dr. Lee addressed the whole assembly of young ladies who nodded empahatically and wished him a pleasant morning back. Dr. Lee turned and proceeded down the hall on the left that Heeyoung had mentioned to him before. Traipsing behind Dr. Lee, Heeyoung watched as the doctor strode confidently past patients and other medical staff. Many waved or bowed to him as he passed and, although he was obviously in a hurry, he smiled and wished them good morning as he hurried along.

After a few quick turns down different corners, Dr. Lee halted outside of a small side room. The number 207 gleamed on a shiny black plaque right next to the door. Turning to face her, Dr. Lee gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry. But protocol asks that anyone who isn't medical staff wait outside. There are some chairs right here across the hall, or" he leaned in conspiratorially, "If you go just around that opposite corner over there, there are some cushioned chairs that are very  comfortable. They're tucked out of the way over there so not many people know about them. You're more than welcome to use those instead if you'd rather."

"Thank you so much," Heeyoung said, touched. "But if it won't be too long, I'll just wait here across the hall."

"Whatever you like," Dr. Lee nodded. He then turned and slid the door open, striding through, and allowed it to slide shut again. Heeyoung settled herself on a chair across the hall. Not even a minute later, the door opened again. Heeyoung glanced up to see the nurse that had taken Lee Taemin to this room emerge. She looked flushed, and irritated. Maybe Dr. Lee had kicked her out of the room? The nurse glanced at Heeyoung and then promptly turned and scurried down the hall and disappeared as she made her way back to her original post.

Heeyoung watched her go. Then she settled back in her chair to wait for Dr. Lee to come out.

***

Taemin followed the strange woman dressed in white down a few hallways. He glanced back one last time at Heeyoung before disappearing around the bend. When she was no longer in sight, his stomach tightened in an uncomfortable knot. She was the only person he really knew in this new world and, as far as he knew, she didn't seem hostile towards him...unless you count the time she'd almost killed him with that spicy food she'd tried to feed him earlier. Or the time when she'd tried to make him touch that little monster rat of hers that had tried to bite his hand off. But even with all that, she had fed him, given him a new set of clothes, and tried to communicate with him. He wasn't sure he could expect that type of generosity from just anyone.

He still wasn't certain what was going on, but if Heeyoung told him to go, he didn't have much choice but to trust her, right?

The woman stopped in front of a door that she slid open. Taemin entered the peculiar room stepping in after the woman in white. There appeared to be a bed, a chair next to it, and a table off to the side sporting an assortment of strange instruments he had never seen before in his life. Moving forward cautiously, he headed towards the chair and lowered himself into a seated position, tensley perched on the very edge. His eyes flittered after the stranger who seemed to be recording something on a set of documents she carried in one arm. She was talking to him...but as usual, he had no idea what anyone was saying.

He stared at her blankly in response. The stranger looked at him expectantly. After a pregnant pause that felt incredibly awkward, the woman gestured for him to remove his shirt, then gestured towards the table full of instruments. Taemin glanced down at the red and cream striped shirt with metal buttons he was wearing.