"Hi girl, we're in the process of getting you out of here, okay? But to do so, you should not fall asleep until we get everything sorted out. Is that clear?" The girl replied with a soft nod, followed by a wince. The head cut must hurt really bad.

 

"Don't move too much, it won't help you. Just talk to me. I'm Chaewon, if you already forgot my name. What's your name?" Chaewon asked. It was obvious in her tone that she had no idea what she was doing. 

 

The girl let out a small smile and replied, "Of course I remember your name, Chaewon. I'm Hitomi. It would have been better to meet you... Under different circumstances."

 

What do I say? What do I do? Stop being awkward, Chaewon. You can do this!

 

"So... Where do you live?" asked Chaewon, in the most awkward way possible.

 

Hitomi giggled and replied, "Mapo. That's why I was waiting for the bus."

 

Chaewon can't help but smile when she heard Hitomi giggle. There was something about this girl that drew her in. Her smile, her eyes, and now her giggle; it's just so cute. For a split second, she forgot that this girl's leg was pinned down by an 18-wheeler semi. She was that cute.

 

"Mapo, huh? You're long ways from home right now. What brings you to Gangnam, Hitomi?"

 

"I had a job interview around here earlier today, then I went to the cheese hotdog snack bar near here. Suddenly, I ended up here then I met you."

 

"Did you mean 'Snack in your area'? I've tried their hotdogs and they're delicious. So I'm thinking your interview went well?" Chaewon asked, trying to extend the conversation for as long as she can.

 

"At first, I went to 'Snack' to cheer myself up because I thought my interview went bad. It was my 3rd time to interview for that company and it made me sad that I blew it again--" Hitomi coughs. Chaewon checks if there was blood. Good. There's no blood. Chaewon was relieved and told the younger girl to continue.

 

 

"As I was walking to the bus stop, I received a message from them saying I got the job. I was really happy. That's the last thing I remembered before waking up under this truck."

 

"Third time's the charm, huh? I wish I could say the same for myself," Chaewon replied with the sad tone, which Hitomi caught.

 

"Looks like something's bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?" Hitomi asked. Chaewon suddenly dropped her gaze, obviously hesitating to talk about it. However, it didn't bother Hitomi; she was trained to handle this kind of situation.

 

Hitomi tried to reassure the older girl and said, "It's okay. I have a Master's in Psychology. We don't really have anything else to do right now. Think of it as a counseling session in exchange for your rescue efforts."

 

Chaewon looked at the girl's face again and was pleasantly surprised by what she saw. How can this girl be smiling so brightly? I can't even resist her charms.

 

"Okay, okay. I'll spill. Don't think about charging me after this. I got one condition though," Chaewon shyly replied. "Can you stop smiling? It's making me melt."

 

Hitomi coolly replied, "Why wouldn't I smile if I have a really pretty girl in front of me? You should try smiling for a change, it looks really good on you."

 

"I.. I... Okay. Wait, just let me start with my story. " Chaewon was never the one to stutter, so she was shocked about how a single sentence flustered her. Her heart rate went up and she can feel her cheeks heat up. This girl is something else. 

 

"I've always wanted to save lives since I was a kid. My dad's a doctor and we always talked about his cases during dinner. To me, he was the coolest person in the world. Not surprisingly, he was the reason why I wanted to become a doctor too."

 

"I tried my hardest to become a doctor. I studied hard and got good grades. When I graduated from uni for my undergrad, I applied to the top medical schools in the country. I had all the qualifications, but I failed to qualify," Chaewon bit her lips to stop herself from crying.

 

"I had a positive mindset when I applied the second time, in which I also failed. The same happened for the third time. I couldn't understand why I couldn't get in. I felt like I'm not good enough to be a doctor, which is the reason why I trained to be a paramedic."

 

Hitomi was so focused on Chaewon that she didn't hear the flurry of footsteps from the firemen who were setting the equipment to lift the truck. She just wanted the older girl to continue talking, to let it all out.

 

Chaewon continued, "At first, it was easy. I have a colleague who also became my best friend, Yena, and we did everything together from training to the actual calls we were assigned to. It was all going fine until I experienced my first on-call death two weeks ago,"

 

"Just when I thought I could get over it, I experienced 10 more on-call deaths within two weeks. Heck, I had one earlier today,"

 

"I BECAME A PARAMEDIC TO SAVE LIVES! WHY CAN'T I SAVE ANYONE? I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE A DOCTOR, NOW I CAN'T EVEN BE A DECENT PARAMEDIC!" Chaewon exclaimed while hitting the ground with her fist in frustration. Hitomi was surprised, but she didn't do anything. It's part of the process. 

 

"Which is why... I've decided to resign. I've kept my resignation letter in my front pocket for the past few days and I've decided that I'll turn it in after this call. This city does not need a paramedic who couldn't save lives." 

 

At this point, Chaewon couldn't stop the tears falling down her cheeks anymore. Hitomi notices this and instinctively reached for Chaewon's hands. This is completely wrong during a therapy session, but she doesn't want the girl to feel alone amidst all this. She could tell that Chaewon had bottled it all up until now.

 

Chaewon felt Hitomi's hands and she couldn't help but smile weakly. Chaewon had never felt so free her entire life, like a big weight was lifted off her shoulders. This girl effortlessly made her feel better without saying a word. The two just stared at each other's eyes for a good minute, both of them lost in each other's gaze. 

 

Hitomi broke the silence, but not the gaze, and said, "Chaewon, you should know that none of this is your fault. You are not a failure. You are not a failure even if you didn't get into med school. You didn't fail anyone when those people died. You did your best and no one blames you for it."

 

"It's not how we fall down that defines us, it's the way we stand back up again that does. Now that you have more experience as a paramedic, you can try and apply to med school for the 4th time. Who knows? Maybe you'll get lucky like me."

 

"Also, I think you're an amazing paramedic. You found me and you made me feel comfortable, given the state I am in. You make me feel safe, like I can trust you. You do your best for the best outcome possible, which is for the patient to live until they get proper hospital care. That's exactly what you're doing Chaewon. Don't let the deaths define you. Focus on the ones you can save. Focus on me... "

 

Hitomi squeezed Chaewon's hand tightly and said, "And I'll make sure I'll live...

 

For you, I won't die." 

 

Right on cue, they both hear a whirring sound from the machine that's going to lift the truck. They suddenly heard Eunbi calling for Chaewon in the radio.

 

"Chaewon-ah. We're almost done setting up the equipment. I'm going to slide the gurney to you. Be ready in 2 minutes. Be careful to keep her stable as you drag her out of there." 

 

Chaewon wiped her eyes and answered, "Okay, unnie. So far, she looks good... Uh... I meant she's looking good. I'll be ready to transport her as soon as the truck gets lifted."

 

Both Hitomi and Chaewon blushed when she made the "mistake". Right on cue, Hitomi felt the weight on her leg ease up. The machine must be working. Chaewon noticed this too, and once Hitomi's leg was free, she carefully dragged the younger girl out of the danger zone. Eunbi and Yena were waiting for them, and both of them helped her transport Hitomi back to the ambulance.

 

As they were boarded the ambulance, Chaewon couldn't stop looking at Hitomi's face. With more lights in the ambulance, she can appreciate her beauty in full. Hitomi is the cutest woman she ever met.

 

She was caught off-guard when Hitomi suddenly reached for her hand and said, "You know, I think I might have to charge you for that therapy session we had."

Chaewon was confused all of a sudden. What is this girl talking about? She was about to ask when Hitomi interrupted her,

 

"Buy me coffee when I get better."

 

Chaewon couldn't help but smile because of what she heard. She looked around and saw Eunbi filling out forms and Yena focused on driving. This is my chance.

 

Chaewon swiftly bent over towards Hitomi and gave the girl a kiss on the cheek. "For sure, as long as you live through this. As long as you live... For me."

 

Hitomi lets out a small giggle and suddenly her body began to shake uncontrollably. The monitors started beeping like crazy. Chaewon froze on her spot. How can this happen? She was okay a while ago. What's happening?

 

Eunbi looked at Hitomi's vitals and said, "She's coding. She was under the truck for too long. Chaewon... CHAEWON! Get the ambu bag and help me here!"

 

Chaewon was woken up by Eunbi's loud voice and quickly got the ambu bag. Eunbi got busy with the drugs for the drip to stabilize Hitomi. 

 

You're not going to die on me, Hitomi.

 

You won't be number 12.

 

I'll make sure you get your coffee.

 

You have to live...

 

 

 

 

Because your life is my life now too.

 

 

"YENA, I DON'T CARE HOW MANY ING RED LIGHTS YOU RUN. JUST GET US TO THE NEAREST ER FAST." 

 

Yena heard Chaewon's request and stepped on the gas. Good thing I played Gran Turismo.