Chapter 1-1
The Night When Our Destiny Is Sealed

“Hey kid, Mrs. Matsuda said she wants to go out for a walk. Can you accompany her?” A middle-aged man shouted at a tall girl who was washing her hands.

“Roger that!” The tall girl shouted back as she turned off the running tap. She hurriedly approached her superior.

“Fired up like usual! As expected from our Ahn Yujin!” The man praised his favorite subordinate. The girl smiled sheepishly, happy that the manager praised her for her work.

      The manager handed Yujin the information of Mrs. Matsuda, one of the residence of the nursing home. Yujin read the information carefully, trying not to miss a single information about the residence. Since Mrs. Matsuda just arrived at the nursing home less than a month ago, Yujin still had a hard time remembering her information. Of course, that wouldn’t make Yujin falter. She’d do her best to make those elderly happy.

      Mrs. Matsuda was really calm. She only said a few things to Yujin during their outing. She was soft-spoken, somehow making Yujin felt relieved and comfortable while pushing the old lady’s wheelchair.

      Even though the old lady didn’t talk much, Yujin already got some information about her background. Mrs. Matsuda decided to enter the nursing home because she didn’t want to be a burden for her married sons. Her sons promised her to make a visit once per month, and also be responsible for paying the facility. A private nursing home like the one Yujin worked in was slightly expensive, since the facilities are a lot better than the public one.

      At Mrs. Matsuda’s request, they went to shopping center. Public service ads banners featuring a small-faced female doctor were everywhere, making Yujin somehow felt bored.

“I like watching Doctor Kim on television,” Mrs. Matsuda said suddenly.

“I see... She must be a great doctor, right?” Yujin replied, her eyes were glancing at the smiling woman on the banner. The smile plastered on the woman’s face was bright, but didn’t look sincere enough for Yujin.

“Exactly. I never see a doctor as kind as her. Also, her explanation is easy to understand. Not to mention her soft voice,” Mrs. Matsuda told Yujin about the woman on the banner with excitement. The tall girl who was pushing the wheelchair replied her with a hum, trying not to contradict the old lady’s opinion.

“Health is Tokyo’s number one priority!”

      Yujin chuckled as she read the jargon on the public service ads poster during her way home. The poster was even funnier for Yujin as she looked at the female doctor pretending to serve the patient with a smile on her face. The girl pulled her smart phone, taking the picture of the poster. With that one shot, she’d have another topic when she arrived at home.

      Arriving at the station, Yujin slightly ran to the platform, knowing that the train would come in a minute. The tall girl hopped on to the train when the train door opened. She stood near the priority seats, putting an earphone on her ears to listen her favorite music that would accompany her during the seventeen minute ride.

      Yujin threw her gaze around. The interior of the train was decorated with ads for Jang Wonyoung’s new single. Her company seemed to put so much effort to promote her. The pretty idol was also appeared in so many commercials and also casted in movies. Reaching the peak of popularity in such young age would be distressful for her in the future, Yujin thought.

      The ride was like a blink of eyes. In no time Yujin arrived at the station nearest to her home, ending her seventeen minutes journey from her workplace. To reach her residence, Yujin needs another 15 minutes walk from the station.

“I’m home!” Yujin greeted as she entered inside her crampy apartment, hoping her housemate would greet her back.

“Welcome home!”A voice from the kitchen greeted her. Yujin put off her shoes on the genkan, then went straight to the kitchen.

      A beautiful tall figure, yet not taller from Yujin was standing with her back facing the woman that just arrived home. The room was filled with a delicious smell, enough to make Yujin starving. It was Yujin’s usual evening, having a dinner with Kim Minjoo, her housemate.

      Yujin approached Minjoo, trying to see what the latter was cooking. It was a stew, an appetizing stew to be more exact. For Yujin, everything that Minjoo cooked was delicious, and that night stew was no exception.

      Without any notice, Yujin circled her arms on Minjoo’s waist, trying to send off her gratitude.

“Yujin, stop it. I’m cooking right now!” Minjoo protested while trying to release herself from the taller girl.

“Uh, okay! Okay!” Yujin released her embrace from Minjoo, slightly disappointed with Minjoo’s reaction. Feeling upset, Yujin headed to the living room, waiting until Minjoo finished preparing their dinner.

“There’s a weird envelope when I checked the mailbox. There’s no sender identity, but I found your initial, so I think it’s for you. It’s in the TV table’s drawer,” Minjoo informed Yujin. Intrigued by Minjoo’s description of the letter, Yujin reached the drawer without any hesitation.

      As Yujin opened the drawer, a white envelope was placed on the top of stack of letters and promotions leaflets. She took and examined the letter carefully. Sliding the finger on the wax seal on the envelope, Yujin then noticed a heart symbol on the corner of the envelope.

“How about ‘Heart’? I think it will suit you the best. You wanted to protect someone precious, am I right?”

      Abruptly, Yujin opened the envelope and read the letter inside. After reading the whole letter, words by words, Yujin took a glance at her older housemate who was still cooking.

“Yujin,  can you please bring the stew to the table?” Minjoo asked for help.

“Okay!” Yujin stood up, then headed to the kitchen to help Minjoo.

      The two of them finally had their dinner. The stew was supposed to be delicious, but it tasted bland for Yujin that night. She couldn’t get rid what was on the letter she just read.

“Are you alright? You don’t look well? Does it taste bad?” Minjoo asked worriedly. Yujin is a big eater, so seeing her with no appetite was worrying for the older woman.

“N-no! I’m fine! The stew is delicious as always!” Yujin shook her head, convincing Minjoo that she was fine.

      Yujin reached for her phone, opening the gallery and show Minjoo a picture she took earlier.

“Look! Doctor Kim’s new poster! I think you don’t see this one yet, so I took this for you!” Yujin showed Minjoo the photo of the poster she saw earlier.

“Wha-? There’s no need to do such a thing, Yujin. I-It’s  not like I’m her fan or anything...” Minjoo blushed for a bit. It was embarrassing for Minjoo to be caught as Doctor Kim’s fan.

“Nah, no need to lie, Minjoo. I know that you never missed her appearances in morning TV shows! It’s okay, you know. There’s no different with those teenagers falling head over heels for Jang Wonyoung! She’s a rare feat, being one of the most famous doctor at the age 25!” Yujin teased the older housemate.

      Since their apartment was a 1DK apartment, they shared the same bedroom. The futons were already rolled out, indicating that Yujin and Minjoo were going to sleep.

      Minjoo quickly was sent in to a deep slumber as her head touched the pillow, but it didn’t apply to Yujin. The younger couldn’t stop thinking about the letter she received today. She took a glance to her housemate, her best friend since the time they were in the orphanage... her most precious one.

“I’ll protect you no matter what will happen...” Yujin whispered to the sleeping woman beside her, brushing the latter’s hair with her fingers. She leaned closer to Minjoo, then planted a soft kiss on the older’s forehead.

“Thanks for your hard work today, Doctor Kim,”a nurse bowed deeply to a woman in her twenties in a white coat. The woman referred as ‘doctor’ just smiled as she sent her assistant off. Her sweet smile immediately changed to a stoic face as soon as she was finally alone. She exhaled her breath, relieved that she finally got her freedom back after being restrained by her profession a whole day.

      The female doctor removed the name tag that was hanging on her chest everyday. It might be an exaggeration, but she always thinks that the piece of plastic with her photograph printed on it is a symbol of imprisonment. Every time she wears that name tag, she feels that she is disconnected from the outside world.

      The woman looked at the text below her portrait, reading her own name and title.

Dr. Kim Chaewon
Neurologist

      Chaewon wondered what was the reason she became a doctor at first? Her parents might be a brilliant doctors in the past, but is that really her reason to be a doctor, a neurologist to be more specific?

      No, she never thought that she was regretting her decision to be a doctor, but consuming most of the time in a small room was no different from hell for her. She checked her favorite analog watch with leather bands, curious about the time.

10.00pm

She missed the proper dinner time again.

      Usually, Chaewon could prepare her own late dinner, but she was sleep deprived that day. She sighed, upset due to the fact that she was stuck with the only choice for the dinner, a bento box from convenience store.

      Being a celebrity doctor, Chaewon’s fee from television appearances allowing her to live in a mansion (A/N: ‘mansion’ in Japan means a luxurious vertical residential building, as opposed to it’s simpler and cheaper counterpart, apato/apartment) not so far from the university hospital she was working. She was lucky to be able to live in the same area with the hospital. Compared to her, the condition of the internship doctors and medical students around her age were miserable.

      Chaewon left her room, quickly heading to the elevator. The hospital was quiet at this hour, and Chaewon found no one on the corridor. Great, she thought.Bumping into a nurse at this hour might be meddlesome, so she quickened her pace to the elevator at the other side of the corridor.

      The lobby of the hospital was full with posters featuring Chaewon as the model. Chaewon took a glance at her own portrait as she walked past the lobby, finally exiting the hospital. The air outside was really different with the smell of carbolic acid inside.

      Jang Wonyoung’s most popular single was played when Chaewon entered the convenience store near the mansion she lived in. She looked at the sleepy part-timer, alone behind the cashier. He looked tired even though the night shift had just started.

      She wondered perhaps he worked at another place before he came here. The dark eye circles and dead-fish eyes on him was already explaining about his lack of rest. Even without looking on his nametag, Chaewon already knew that he was a foreign student. He must be violating the law for working over than 28 hours per week, but it couldn’t be helped.

      No one could survive in this metropolitan city without money anyway.

      Chaewon headed to the bento section in one of the corner of the convenience store. A grilled beef bento would be okay for her that night, and she was lucky to find the last one. She took the bento and headed to the drink section.

      A can of beer would be nice...

      The doctor shook her head. Drinking beer would only make her condition worsened. She was already tired, and the drowsiness she usually gets after drinking would make her head ached all day.

      Oh, Chaewon wished that she didn’t have a weak alcohol tolerance.

      Soon as she arrived at the lobby of her mansion, Chaewon opened the mailbox with her room number on it. She didn’t receive letters on regular basis, but she had a habit of checking the mailbox, afraid that she might miss something important.

      A strange envelope greeted Chaewon when the doctor opened her mailbox. Intrigued, she took the envelope and scrutinizing it. No one used wax seal anymore, so Chaewon was suspicious.

‘k.cw’

      Her initial was written on the envelope, and when she checked it further, a symbol of spade was printed on the corner of the envelope. Looking around, Chaewon was making sure that no one was around. Bringing the envelope with her, she walked towards the elevator that would bring her to her room.

      Digging in to her grilled beef bento, Chaewon couldn’t avert her eyes from that envelope. She could be impatient and just tear the envelope open and find what was inside, but she chose to wait because half of her felt that it’d change her life forever.

      The spade symbol was really making the doctor felt curious. She remembered that someone once said something related to spade even though she couldn’t remember who.

“Spade. Do you know about spade? Spade is the strongest, you know. Not about physical power, but about what’s inside your head. Yes, I think you’re The Spade...”

      Carefully, Chaewon opened the envelope. There was only a letter inside the envelope. She pulled the letter and read everything that was written there...

      Chaewon regretted her decision to not buy a can of beer that night.