This was the beginning of a challenging assignment.

I walked home and got into the shower. Aunt and Uncle were out, as my cousin, Wonyoung, sat in the living room watching mind-numbing TV. I put on my most comfortable hoodie and fell into my bed, lying down on my back and looking up at the ceiling.

Yena kept returning to my thoughts every now and then. Her glazed off stare and cold hard glare. It was driving me crazy. Why did she have to make me worry? Why couldn't she be like every other patient in the world and take it easy on me?

I glared up at the ceiling and threw my pillow in the air, only to have it land back onto my face. Remind me to thank gravity.

I pulled the pillow off and sat up. The day wasn't over, it was only 4:30pm. Plenty of time to do things.

I could call my friends in Busan. I suggested to myself, but the thought of doing that only made me more home sick. It being away from home.

Ever since I started high school, I've been staying with my Mom's sister's family in Seoul. My parents believed there just wasn't much for me in Busan, so they sent me here to attend some prestigious high school. I don't really get it since there are plenty of nice schools I can go to back home, but whatever. It's always been this way anyway.

I got up and decided to go out and walk around a bit. Being inside sulking never made me feel better, only more miserable, and Yena was of no help at all.

I grabbed my bag, said a quick goodbye to Wonyoung, and headed out the door.

I took my usual route - the one I take whenever I have a lot to think about, or when I'm upset. It's not a long walk - it's literally just a park with a winding walk path; just enough for me to clear my head and allow myself to be distracted by the sounds of nature.

I put my hands inside the pockets of my hoodie, keeping my eyes down on the pavement as I walked. 

SMACK

"Ow," I muttered as I fell onto the ground. My hit the concrete hard and I winced in pain.

I peered up and gasped. Yena stood there, glaring at me as usual, with a bag in her hands. 

"Yena," I called, stunned. I was too shocked and surprised to move as I watched her from the floor like an idiot. Why is she out of the hospital? I suddenly heard the sound of a cat meowing, distractedly looking towards its direction, but when I had turned back to look at Yena, she was gone.

"I…fell for it again?" I whispered to myself. My cheeks flamed with anger as I roughly got up. What is up with these stupid games? And what the hell is she doing out of the hospital? I stomped back home, furious.

What's wrong with her anyway?

No one at home noticed my behavior. I don't usually have moodswings, but whenever I do, I feel like I suppress it quite well. I don't get this mad often at all. My personality isn't like this at all, but Yena really gets on my nerves. I came into my room and slammed the door. If she thinks she's getting away easy, she's in for it. I have blackmail against her. Yena! Say goodbye to your freewill! I thought and went to sleep.

The alarm clock this morning and I didn't feel like moving. What on earth possessed me to get a summer job? I got out of bed and headed to my bathroom, tired. I started getting dressed, eating an early breakfast with the already up and ready Wonyoung. My plan was set in motion.

"How was your first day of work, unnie?" Wonyoung asked, before I walked out. I smiled.

"Perfect."

---

I headed into the hospital doors, ready. The blood pumped through my veins as excitement filled my body. Yena was going to talk to me today. I would make her. The mystery she held was too hard to ignore. I wanted to know what was going on. What exactly had happened yesterday.

I went into the elevator as it opened to the second floor. I found the room easily this time to see Yena on her bed, staring up at the ceiling again with that same, careless expression. The muted TV was still on. I closed the door so it made a big thud. Yena looked at me curiously for only a moment, but only to glare, then turned back to the ceiling. Her interest was lost to the tiles up above.

I glared and came toward the bed. Yena seemed to grow tense as I came closer, just beside her.

"Hey," I stated, annoyed. Her glare deepened slightly. Ignoring me, playing a trick on me, and almost costing me my job. I was mad. By my expression, she probably knew how I felt. I sighed and slowly looked up.

"I'm sorry," I apologized calmly. Yena looked at me, shocked. Her eyes were wide with confusion and curiosity, searching my own for a hint at what I was getting at. It was my first time seeing her so moved by something I'd said.

"I know you don't like me, Yena. You don't like anyone here, do you? I'm sorry for causing you trouble that neither of us should have to go through, so starting Thursday, I will no longer be your nurse," I admitted and glanced at her expression. It was a cross between confusion and hurt, like a little child would be if you took away their shiny new toy. I swallowed hard and avoided eye contact.

Well, there's a reasonable response.

"But, if you're willing to work with me, I'd be happy to help you with your problems. All you have to do is say so," I explained as my pulse raced. She looked at me as her eyes narrowed. It was quiet, dark as goose bumps formed on my arms. We stared at each other. Her eyes held my own as I waited for response, a nod, a squeak.

Maybe my plan wasn't going to work. However, I tried to keep myself calm and collected, not phased by her reaction. Her response surprised me.

Instead of ignoring me, instead of yelling or leaving, she started to laugh. The small smile crept onto her face and her soft chuckle gave me a tingling feeling that fell in the pit of my stomach. I was happy that I had accomplished what I wanted, a real response from Yena, though my cheeks began to blush at such a light response.

Her laugh ended and the room felt lonely yet again, the smile slowly disappearing from her face. She looked in front of her, spacing out. Her silent treatment was making me nervous. My palms felt sweaty.

She finally turned back to me, and I couldn't understand the expression crossing her face. She watched me for a second and then a smirk appeared.

Huh?

"Alright," she said slowly, turning her head to the side. I finally heard her voice. Her voice is soft, like honey. I waited for something more, beaming with happiness, but she didn't speak again.

"So?" I asked, anxious. Now I was getting irritated. Did she mean, "alright" you can go? Or, "alright" stay as my nurse?

She kept her head to the ceiling, always curious about worn out tiles, but I still wanted more. "Yena?" I tried her name this time. Maybe a different approach would work.

Nothing.

"Yena!" I yelled, leaning onto the bed. I shouldn't be yelling at a patient, but she was frustrating. She suddenly turned, blurring the vision around me.

"Gah!" Falling onto the bed face first was the last thing I wanted to do, but here I was, my face buried into the white sheets. Yena laughed again and I wanted to smack her.

"Shut up," I murmured into the fabric. My face heated up again.

"You know," she started. Her voice, sweet like honey. I lifted my head up and saw amusement and excitement on her face. "You're a lot of talk for someone so clumsy. I thought I'd have fun messing with someone easily frustrated as you, but this might be more interesting than I thought," she almost spoke to herself, thinking of endless possibilities.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, sitting up. Her smirk reappeared.

"You signed up for this job, didn't you? And now you have your patient. Get ready," she stated, leaning closer to me. Her cool breath blew onto my face and made my head spin. Whoa. Her breath smelled sweet…and cool. Okay, that was a little weird. I was flustered, a slight warmth on my cheeks.

She got up then and walked to the door. "By the way, I'm not one for giving up a challenge. You wanted me, you got me. Don't think you can quit so easily." And with that, she left me in the small room, confused. What just happened?