Primum Non Nocere Part 1

“You okay?”

“Yeah. This is the second batch from our first session.” Yuri wriggles her fingers in the air before typing in the last number into the computer. With the same flourish, she hits the enter button then smiles up at Shim Changmin. “Nothing but encouraging results so far.”

“You know it's not this data I'm talking about.” The handsome doctor drags a chair close to the desk before sitting down and watches Yuri intently.

“I know.” Yuri clicks a button. The widescreen in front of them gradually displays half a dozen diagrams. “I'm not into talking about other stuff though. Look, six of our twelve comatose patients show remarkable progress in brain activity. Shall I e-mail Dr. Shepherd our results?”

“Yuri...” Max tries to reach for the hand resting on the mouse but Yuri pulls away immediately.

“Please, don't.”

“Why should I not console a grieving friend?”

“Oh dear God, grieving? Have you watched too much British telenovela lately?” Yuri laughs, leaning back on the ergonomic chair. “I'm fine and I will continue to be so without you or Taeyeon checking on me every other minute.”

“You are not fine. I'm not allowing you to say so. Not after working on a dozen trial patients then chart the results in one shift. You overwork yourself to compensate for the heartbreak, Dr. Kwon and that's not healthy.”

“It's my heartbreak, Dr. Shim.  You guys need to stop fussing about it.” Yuri opens an e-mail window then type rapidly. “Yes, my heart has shattered into microscopic pieces. Yes, I take impossibly long shifts to cope. Yes, it's not healthy. Would you guys rather see me wasting myself in the club banging every living breathing man I meet?”

“Well, you can always bang one specific man instead.”

“Dr. Shim!” Taeyeon enters the room carrying a tray of food, glaring at the remark he just conveniently dropped.

“What? I'm her safest option.” Laughing, Max points at the tray. “No eating in the data room.”

“Ssssshhhh.” Taeyeon puts the tray beside the keyboard. “This is for Yuri. She hasn't eaten since morning.”

“This is exactly where you need me.” Dr. Shim grins at Taeyeon. “If Yuri starts banging me she'll be too hungry to skip a meal.”

“You wish.” Yuri grabs the tuna sandwich from the tray and takes a bite. “I'm a new woman now. I'm gonna take everything slow and make sane decisions only.”

“Please include reasonable working hours in those decisions.” Taeyeon also grabs a sandwich while sitting herself down. “Are those the new data?”

“Awesome, right?” Yuri grins smugly. “We're on our way to make another breakthrough. Seeing this data makes me regret Max's decision to only take 12 patients in. We should have done one hundred."

“You know that's not how medical trial works.” Grimacing, Max takes one of the two boba cups on the tray and slurps noisily from the straw. “The Medical Board only approves a small number of patients for this phase.”

“Yeah, Kwon Yul. A good preliminary result does not guarantee a successful trial. ” Taeyeon touches the mouse and zooms in on one particular chart. “That's Yuri's matcha you're drinking, by the way, Dr. Shim. Less sugar.”

“No wonder it's so insipid.” Max puts the cup down, eyeing Taeyeon's cup of mango boba. “Can I taste this one?”

“Jiyong is the only one I allowed to drink from my cup, Dr. Shim. Both literally and figuratively.”

"God, Taeyeon. Not the mental image."

Yuri, laughing at Max's expression, grabs the matcha cup and sips slowly.

“That's equivalent to a kiss you know.” The neuro attending smiles. “How's the taste of my lips?”

“Insipid, Max. Insipid.” Yuri stands up with the sandwich in hand. “I need to get my vitamins, Tae. Keep his lips away from my straw, will you?”

"It's a  little too late for that. I've drunk from your cup. Literally and figuratively." Max tries to reach for Yuri's waist but the girl easily walks away.

Taeyeon laughs, shifting Yuri's cup away from Max's hands.

“Oh, come on, Taeyeon.” Max takes the last sandwich instead. “I thought we are friends.”

“Only if you stop messing with Yuri.” Taeyeon smiles, scrutinizing the data on the screen. “These data look amazing, by the way. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. Too bad you're no longer on the team.” Max shifts his chair closer. “Sure you don't want to join our research?”

“Nah. I'm planning to take two levels of trauma certification at once this year.” Taeyeon takes a sip of her drink. “I'll be too busy.”

“Add wedding preparation and you might end up skipping meal like Yuri too.”

“Wedding preparation?”

“Sooyoung let the whole hospital know you're engaged.” Max points at the ring dangle from the thin silver chain around Taeyeon's neck.

“Of course she is.” Taeyeon grins, tucking her necklace under her scrub top.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Will I be invited to the wedding?”

“Oh my God.” Taeyeon groans. “There's no wedding planned. Not yet. Jiyong and I, we just...” Scratching her head, Taeyeon looks at the computer screen and sees the reflection of herself. She doesn't even know how and when she wants the wedding to happen. “We'll just take it slow.”

“I see. I really like it when two lovers meet and decide to take time instead of rushing into decisions.”

“Me too. Our current pace agrees so well with me and my occupation.  No need to rush the wedding."

“Hmmm.” Max leans in to look into Taeyeon's eyes. “Does it mean you'll agree if I slow pace my way back into Yuri's heart?”

“Dr. Shim, come on. Another break will turn her heart into dust.”

“I mean no harm. I'll start with friendship and only move forward if she gives me the sign to. Isn't that how things work between you and Jiyong?”

Taeyeon huffs out a breath. The handsome doctor is holding her hand now, gazing into her eyes with his mesmerizing charm. She might fight the charm but she surely doesn't want to stand against Yuri's chance of being happy again.

“I'm not here to play, Taeyeon. I'll take it slow and let Yuri lead the way. I promise you.”

“Fine.” Taeyeon sighs. “It's not like my permission means anything. Yuri has a mind of her own.”

“Oh, it means a lot.” Smiling, Max squeezes Taeyeon's hand. “Thank you so much.”

“Hands off, Shim Changmin!!!!” Yuri comes in jabbing Max's shoulder hard. “Why are you getting chummy with my bestie? She's off-limit.”

“Don't be jealous, babe.” Leaning back on the chair, Max now shoots his mesmerizing look at Yuri. “You know my heart belongs to you.”

"You and your cheap move! Get out.”

“Hey, I'm your attending.”

“I don't care. I need to input another set of data and your flirty doesn't help at all.”

“Oh, my flirty can help alright.”

“Get out!”

Taeyeon laughs at the two, sincerely hoping Max will help Yuri bounce back from this heartbreak.

“It's for Yuri. I'm nothing but a wingman.” Taeyeon let her body falls onto the bed while holding her phone up. On the screen, her man is frowning upon her like a little boy seeing his favorite toy being taken away.

“No. I'm not approving you to go anywhere near Yunho. Not in a cottage on a snowy mountain where everything can definitely go wrong.”

“Nobody says Yunho gonna join us.”

“Come on. It's Dr. Shim's cottage. Dr. Shim's birthday. Of course, Yunho's gonna be there.”

“Sooyoung and Sunny will be there too, probably with their plus-ones. There won't be just me and Yunho dancing around Dr. Shim and Yuri."

“Exactly. Everybody will couple up leaving you and Yunho with no option.”

“This is getting ridiculous, Ji.” Flipping over to lay on her stomach, Taeyeon rests her phone against the headboard and glares at her man. “I just want to be there for Yuri. Don't you trust me?”

“It's Yunho that I don't trust.”

“Join us then. Didn't you promise to fly back home this weekend?”

“I can't. I just applied for a part-time job and the interview is on Friday. Why can't we have the usual virtual cuddle? You and me against the world inside each other's warm room. It will be fun."

“As fun as last Sunday where you fell asleep on the call?"

“I was so jet-lagged, babe. I'm sorry. Won't happen again.”

“Alright then. Virtual cuddle.” Taeyeon yawns. It has been a grueling shift in the ER and she has no energy left to argue with Jiyong. Yuri can go celebrate Dr. Shim's birthday with their friends. She can trust the good doctor, can't she?

“Thank you, babe. I promise I won't fail you this time.” Jiyong blows an air kiss and reaches for his phone. “Oh wait, grandma has me booked for hot spring therapy on Saturday and Sunday. There won't be any signal there.”

Taeyeon raises her eyebrows at him now. This is actually getting absurd. They are millions of miles apart. She can't have fun with her friends and he can't promise to call her either.

“Taeyeon...”

“What?”

“Say something...”

“What else there to say? I'm going to spend the whole weekend waiting for you to make the call.”

“Nooo.” Jiyong groans, grabbing his hair. “Don't guilt-trip me like this.”

“Guilt trip? What guilt trip?” Taeyeon grins. “I'm more than happy to spend three days sleeping alone in this quiet house so I can get back to my long grueling shifts by Monday fully recharged.”

“Damn it. Fine. You can go.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I said you can go.”

“That's my boy.” Blowing back the air kiss, Taeyeon picks up the phone and rolls out of the bed. “Don't you worry, babe. You know how much I love you.”

“Five feet apart from that er, alright? All the time.”

“What if we have to share an elevator?”

“Did I stutter? Five feet apart.”

“Dr. Shim said there's a jacuzzi in his cottage. What if all of us decide to dip in together?”

“Stay away from the Jacuzzi.”

“Whoa. What's happened with the Jiyong who's willing to let me go if it's what makes me happy?” Grabbing a towel, Taeyeon steps into the bathroom in a laugh. "Where have your patience and acceptance gone?"

“That Jiyong died the moment you accepted the ring.” Jiyong glares. “This is Jiyong the possessive fiancee you're facing.”

“I really love that word.” Hooking the towel on the wall, Taeyeon put the phone against the tube of her aloe vera face toner on the counter “My fiancee.”

“Your possessive fiancee.” Jiyong grins. “Are you taking a bath?”

“Yeah. Need to wash the stinky shift off me.” Taeyeon starts to take off her sweatpants. “See you later, babe.”

“No. No. No. Don't cut the call.”

“What? Why?”

“You know why.” He winks.

“You !” Laughing, Taeyeon puts on a show of taking off her t-shirt.

“Oh yes, babe. I miss those polka dot bras so much.”

“Hmmm. These bras?” Reaching behind to unhook her bra, Taeyeon deliberately does it in a super slow motion.

“God, Tae, you torture me.” Jiyong rubs his face. “Let me see all. Let me watch.”

“You wish.” Laughing rather evilly, Taeyeon takes off her bra and tosses it over the phone camera.

“Nooo, Taeyeon. Don't do this to me.”

“Serve you right for leaving me.”

“Come on, baby. Don't be mean.”

“Have fun watching your favorite polka dots, babe. Love you.”

“Nooooooo.”

“I miss you.”

“Hmmm.”

“You don't seem to miss me at all.”

“I have no chance to.” Taeyeon presses the button to flip the camera, showing Jiyong the dreamy view surrounding her. “This place is so beautiful.”

“What? I can't hear you.”

“I said this place is too beautiful for me to think about a stinker like you.”

“I think Grandma has a property in that area too. We'll go together next time.”

“I can't really hear you, babe, Your voice is breaking.”

Jiyong groans. “Man, this . Your video keeps on getting paused too.”

Taeyeon laughs as Jiyong's image on her phone screen glitches a few times. Apparently, reception is hard to find in this resort atop the mountain too. “Let's just talk later when we both come back