you are late to the dance, as you have fully expected after being required to answer to a call for an emergency surgery that needed your assistance. it takes a lot longer due to some internal bleeding complications, but the main surgeon you assisted is composed, very skilled and works quite well with you, so you gave it your best, and soon enough you managed to walk out of the operation room with a big pat on your back for the successful surgery.

however, the ball is already on full swing when you arrive with your hair slightly tousled and both of your lungs working hard to provide you with enough air. miraculously your ankle did not give out in your full effort, hectic running on your high heels to the ballroom from the hospital a couple blocks away.

a hand offers you a glass of water, and you could not be more relieved to see it. you down it quickly, a little sloppy too, perhaps, but who could care at this moment?

you are wrong, of course, as a familiar face grinning down at you gives you much more relief than the glass of water did, and you are immediately washed over by immense gratitude for this person.

"breathe, love," she says with a smile, a hand placed on your back and caressing it gently. "you look like you just ran a marathon... in high heels."

"seulgi-ah," you gasp, still trying to regain your breath. "i'm sorry i'm late."

she holds up your hands after removing the empty glass and depositing it on a passing waiter's tray. "not at all. the party isn't quite over yet."

"oh, but i missed out on giving my speech during the opening ceremony..."

"yes, i noticed you were missing amongst the dozens of speakers. but the emcee updated the audience that you were occupied in surgery, so..."

you sigh, feeling her tender hands your hair, tidying them back to place and generally doing the magical work in calming your erratic heart and mind. "but that's how i could get more funds for my cause... i fought hard to get that slot for a speech."

she pulls you closer by your waist, a soft smile still graced on her features. "now, do forgive me for being so occupied with my own work, but i don't think we talked about this great cause of yours."

"w-well, it's not that great a cause, but..." you pause, suddenly remembering something. "hold on, aren't you on the clock right now? shouldn't you go back to guarding your boss's daughter?"

"don't worry, i have eyes everywhere in this party. my boss's daughter is just being merry and enjoying all of the wine. in fact, i think she was trying to kick nurse park down a peg in a wine drinking competition before i noticed your long, long awaited arrival."

"is she going to be okay? i can assure you from what i've seen in our department's parties, sooyoung can really drink."

"nothing like a friendly competition to prove that wrong." she grins, hugging your waist and leading you to another direction in the massive ballroom.

the sight that greets you at your destination is... difficult to describe. you have never even seen someone capable of outdrinking sooyoung, but this young woman, small and seemingly innocent, has done just that. sooyoung is swaying side to side, all the while giggling quite like a mad woman and leaning heavily on seungwan, who looks unwilling to support her drunken lover, but not being left with any other choice. and the charming young woman, well, she does not look affected by the alcohol much.

"does this mean i won the bet?" seungwan chirps, suddenly looking alive rather than will-less.

"oh yeah!" the young woman, her cute but lovely bob hair swings as she turns to address the shorter of the two nurses. "look forward to some wonderful package on your desk in a few days, nurse son!"

sooyoung slurs out her complaints. "b-baby... you bet against me? w-wow... i feel so incredibly loved..."

"i know your limit, sooyoung-ah. when you passed that line and the kid looks unperturbed, i played my game. we both gained something out of it, and i think you would like it, despite what you might think of this betrayal."

there is a quirky laughter coming from seulgi's boss's daughter. "i doubt she would remember tonight at all."

now sooyoung's body is completely slumped against seungwan's, who just mutters. "you might be right about that."

the two nurses leave, possibly to get sooyoung freshened up, and the young woman finally turns to you. "oh! is that who i think it is?"

she smiles widely as she pushes you a bit towards the young woman, who is not even sporting a flushed cheeks despite all the evidences of empty glasses that depicts how she should at least be a bit red by now. "yerim, this here is my lover, dr. bae juhyun."

yerim rushes to shake your hand, rather too energetically you should say. "pleased to meetcha! at least now i know why seulgi can't stop talking about you. you are a very pretty lady, doc."

"th-thank you, it is a pleasure of mine to meet you as well."

"please don't mind me if i stare, doctor. i think i may have taken too much wine as well," yerim says, staring at you from top to bottom and then back, before she stops for a quick pause, in which she points a finger towards you and mutters lowly at her bodyguard. "she's too good for you, seulgi."

"excuse me? don't try me, yerim."

"no, seriously!" yerim gushes, rounding to your back and holding you by your shoulders to present yourself to your very flushed, caught off guard lover. "you are but a broad triangle looking thing, this here's a goddess! look into your mirror and realise your unholy worthlessness, you mere mortal!"

you have never seen her teased this much, and you must admit that it is quite an entertaining sight.

in retaliation, seulgi roars. "this broad triangle looking thing has saved your multiple times, you ungrateful brat!"

the two of them suddenly embark on an intense hide and seek session, leaving you alone.

perhaps it is time for you to nurse a few glasses of wine as well.

---

on your second glass of wine, the two of them comes back to your side, seemingly apologetic with both of them sporting slumped shoulders, or as yerim has put it, broad triangle looking thing.

"i am sorry, miss bae. i have offended you, and it is not at all my intention to do so." yerim pouts as she apologises, and you find yourself easily forgiving her, understanding the effect of alcohol that clouds any logic and manners from years of trying to save drunk people who drove dangerously or those who get stuck in very uncompromising situations that should have been far outside of their normal physical abilities and thoughts.

you grace yerim with a grateful smile and a nod. "not at all, i feel flattered that you think i am beautiful."

"oh, please. you should see yourself, and after you realise your worth, do what is right and leave this poor sod."

"hey!" she protests. you think it is kind of cute.

"well, i don't think i can do that."

"don't say i didn't warn you," yerim shrugs, downing another glass of wine. "so, what do you do here, hm? what's your pitch? throw 'em at me."

you look at your lover who is now shoulder to shoulder with you, raising your eyebrow and whispering. "has she... gone completely drunk?"

she could only sigh as she whispers back a reply. "she talks like this to everyone, mind, even her father."

"your company's ceo?"

"she calls him by his given name."

"huh."

"yes, please don't mind it. she might not be too eloquent in a formal event like this, or anywhere else, i suppose, but she has the mind and abilities of a very capable heir."

"she is sober?"

"she is worse drunk. though as you can see, it will take a lot for her to get to that point."

"oh, so she is just a bit rough on the edges."

"yes, quite."

"i don't mind it. it's... well, it's new."

"oi!" yerim interjects, having had enough of the two elder women's whispers. "say it to my face straight, why don't you?"

"i am truly sorry," you try to defuse her anger. "it's just... well, i've never had someone younger than me talk to me like this. those whom i talk to... well, people are generally quite polite to their doctors, so perhaps i am mistaken."

"no, no, no." seulgi rushes to yerim and pats her on her head. "this kid's just rude. you can say that."

"buzz off, seulgi! i wanna talk with her. shoo."

"you know i can't leave your side. like, it's literally my job to be here. you paid me to stay by your side and watch over you."

"ugh, can i pay you to go away?"

"what is it that you want to know?" you ask, twirling the little wine left in your glass.

"what are you trying to get funded? i go to these fundraising gala every year without fail, and this is the first time i've seen you. i remember names and faces well, and if i'm recalling correctly, you've always volunteered to staff the emergency room instead of attending this boring thing. so what's changed? why the need for money?"

"um, well... i am unsure if seulgi's ever told you, but back when she was warded at the hospital, she was, well, a bit taken with this one child."

"uhh yeah, i think her name is jungah?"

"you're right," you give a slight nod. "she's from an orphanage just slightly over ten kilometres away from the hospital, and... i poked around and asked, but it does not seem like they have a fixed medical team attending to the children there, and there is no such plans to provide it in the near future... the health ministry has truly made sure this area will get the short end of their unequal distribution of physicians stick... there's just not enough medical professionals that could be recruited for it..."

yerim nods, rasing her glass to sign that you should continue.

"i wanted to make a program in which a team of medical officers will set out and provide free health check ups and immunisations to deprived children at their orphanages and temporary housing, instead of having them come to the hospital themselves. but that would also mean i have to employ physicians and medical support staffs privately, as well as purchase our own ambulance and vans... at the moment, it is just not feasible to have the government fund it. i counted up the costs, and it's... it's a lot. i knew my chance to make my mark is gone when i couldn't give out my speech."

"we're talking about how much exactly here?"

"about five hundred million won in just the first year."

"oh, okay, funded."

"what?" you say in shock.

"i said it's funded." yerim sips on her wine, grinning when she puts it down on a tray as a waiter passes by.

"wh-why? how..."

"i happen to like children," yerim answers simply with a shrug, then turns to seulgi. "get me the executive that's responsible for the payment and what not, will you?"

"of course." seulgi rushes away quickly under yerim's command.

leaving you in your state of still shock.

"i'll be honest with you, doc," yerim steps closer to you, placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. "you're a very good person. and i don't think there is anyone better out there for my seulgi. she's worked with me, or well, worked with my father since she was a child. just like the little brats you're trying to help, seulgi, too, is an orphaned child. so i understand your commitment and kind heart well enough, and i want to help as much as i can. so consider this program of yours to be funded indefinitely, and not just this one year alone."

"i- how can i even possibly thank you...?"

yerim sees seulgi waving for her, she must have found the financial executive and yerim points towards that general direction, grinning. "just take care of that . i think you can do that better than anyone else. she is very happy these days to the point that she's annoying."

---

though you essentially have your program fully funded, you still have to make your rounds to greet the hospital's director, managers and many more important people.

by the time you come across seulgi and yerim again, the two of them are in a hushed discussion, looking serious and grave. you overhear small bits of their conversation when you get near them.

"...a team to investigate..."

"...urgently..."

"...he's dangerous..."

"...can tell..."

"what's going on?" you ask, bewildered.

noticing you, seulgi pulls you into the huddle quickly. "who is that man to your three o'clock? in the grey tie."

"um," you subtly glance to the direction to see the anaesthetist that you often work with. "that's just dr. han jungwoo. he's a practicing anaesthetist. we get into surgeries together often."

"he gives me the creeps." yerim mutters lowly, sounding genuinely disgusted before leaving the two of you alone with a quick wave.

"don't you have to follow her?" you question your lover, suddenly nervous with how she is staring down at you.

"i got dismissed. we're going home."

"home? are you sure? we haven't even danced. i promised you that i would dance with you."

"next time."

without waiting for your reply, she drags you by your upper arm to the entrance of the ballroom, and then outside, where a car is already waiting. she pushes you onto the backseats, sitting beside you, and commanding the driver to start driving.

you cannot keep quiet about it any longer. "seulgi, what is it?"

"look, juhyun-ah, i am trained for this, alright? i keep people safe, and i can easily sense any tint of aggression someone has for another."

"is yerim in danger? you have to go back-"

"no, no. you are." she says urgently, holding you by your upper arms and meeting your eyes with a cold, scathing gaze.

"me?"

"yes."

"i- why would i be in any danger?"

"we have to look further into this, but... i am sure that guy, the anaesthetist, is going to hurt you. somehow, someway, sometime, but... surely."

"and how would you know that?"

"like i said before, i'm just relying on my instinct."

"how often is it right?"

"more than i would like to admit."

"and what do you propose i do?"

"yerim is placing you on a week leave from the hospital, and we're going to place him on an internal investigation."

"wait- how can yerim place me on a week long leave? who is she-"

"she owns the hospital you are working in."

"what?"

"hold on, no, the largest shareholder right now is her little sister, actually. yeah, so, um... her little sister owns the hospital you are working in."

"...what?"

"she's ten."

"what?!"

-----