12

 

       It is totally silent inside the laboratory as students of Medical Laboratory Science focused on a single subject who’s preparing the materials for phlebotomy, their professor who they are focused on not only because she is the professor, but also because of the beauty she holds.

 

 

Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science – a preliminary medicine (premed) program; future job: Medical Technology/Medical Laboratory Scientist. The people in this profession play a vital role in a patient’s diagnosis and treatment. These people are those who examine specimens from a human body, such as: blood, urine, stool, and etc. They are also usually the ones who perform extracting of specimens, depending on the test procedure needed. Phlebotomy – the art of extracting blood from a vein; this is also known as venipuncture.

 

 

“Um, I need one volunteer to help me.” Almost the whole class raised their hands, “You will be the subject for my demonstration of phlebotomy.” She smiled and even chuckled when the hands of her students dropped immediately, “Okay, so maybe I should give some plus points to whoever wa-…”

 

 

“ME!” The whole class laughed, some even clapped. Giving out the plus points really turns the table.

 

 

“Okay, then, please come here and take this seat.” The student followed and sat there beside her, settling her arm on the table as she waits for their professor to do her job.

 

 

“Okay, so first thing first…” Lifting up a rubber band, the professor showed it to the class, “This is called a tourniquet, apply this two to three inches above the venipuncture site to make the veins prominent.” She applied it and some of the students had to stand close to her table to see how things go.

 

 

“Then, if the veins are still not that prominent, you may touch the spot from one side to another to search for it. But in this case, her median cubital veins already showing, so that’s good. It is always suggested to extract from the middle one, why? Because it will be less painful than the other two. But if you have no other choice, you may, of course, extract from either of the other two. After searching for the best vein, remove the tourniquet and prepare for your materials.”

 

 

“We all should be aware of how long has the tourniquet been gripping on our patient’s arm because if it’s more than a minute, the blood that you will extract is surely hemoconcentrated, which might affect the result of a following examination.”

 

 

The demonstration went on, students were all filled with knowledge just from that and as it finished…

 

 

“Since you are all still first year students and in your first semester, this must be your first time to practice venipuncture? So, I am not expecting everyone to succeed in today's extracting or even in hitting the vein. All I just want you to do as of now is to try using the syringe, practice once, so that you’ll know how it feels to use a syringe and puncture it to the skin of your partner.”

 

 

“Miss, can we choose partners on our own?”

 

 

“Yeah, sure, do whatever will make you feel comfortable, this procedure is always nerve-wracking for the new ones.”

 

 

“Miss, what will happen if we don’t hit the vein? Will it do something to the patient?”

 

 

“You may do fishing of the vein, but that's a different lesson. For now, if you didn't hit the vein, just pull the needle out. There would just be a wound that the needle will leave, but there won’t be any bruise or the spot won’t be swollen as bruises only form when you hit the vein.”

 

 

The professor explained before instructing her students to, “Now, please wear your PPEs. Let’s start with your practice.”

 

 

Everyone obeyed and prepared for their materials after, while the professor roamed around the laboratory to facilitate and supervise her students who are all nervous yet excited. She can remember herself doing the same years ago, when she is still a student – holding the syringe with shaking hands, looking at the arm of her partner with quivering pupils, fidgeting a lot, not sure if she’s doing the right thing, nervous as she might cause something unpleasant.

 

 

And upon seeing her students all shaky and fidgety, she chuckled and called for everyone to lend their ears on her, for a moment again “Everyone…”

 

 

“Please, I know you’re nervous, but practice to fight that, because that’ll be your enemy whenever you will do this activity, which will be one of your main jobs in the future.”

 

 

A student then took the courage and asked, “What about you, Miss Jang? Do you feel nervous too when you’re doing these types of procedures?”

 

 

Behind the face mask, she smiled, and that can be seen through her eyes as they curved a little.

 

 

“Yes, back when I’m still a student like you, but now…”

 

 

“It’s a common thing. You see, I’m working here part time as your professor while I’m also a registered medical laboratory scientist who duties in the hospital.”

 

 

 

 

        It has been how many hours? Probably, fourteen? Maybe, fifteen? Or maybe more than that, and she is still watching the video that contains her meeting with her wife. She replayed the video for several times within the past hours up until now.

 

 

But there’s… nothing she can squeeze out anymore.

 

 

It feels like her intelligence and skills in the field of law and justice vanished during those days she was locked up in prison, or mayhaps, it is because, the long clip she is watching, is her wife and herself, discussing a crime they are both involved.

 

 

There are no evidences, no other witnesses.

 

 

Just her wife alone, just Minjoo herself.

 

 

Eunbi’s points are remaining strong, and although she should not, Yujin is somehow blaming the senior lawyer for pushing Minjoo into being the suspect. But why, why does she feel like this? Why is she so bothered? Why does it seem like, it is automatic for her to believe that her wife, Minjoo, the woman she loves the most, and also the woman who cheated on her, is not the real suspect?

 

 

This is confusing her, bugging her a lot. And not only this, but also the fact that why can’t she just let this go without herself getting dragged back, it is her wife who caused this anyway, why can’t she let go?

 

 

Why does it feel like she is still imprisoned while she is here, sitting on her office chair in their house, doing her supposedly, job as a defense lawyer.

 

 

She threw her head back after pressing the pause button on her computer, resting her back against the support of her swivel chair. Even with the paddings the chair has, she still doesn’t feel comfortable leaning on it and this is the first time she felt like this.

 

 

Feeling her muscles just getting more stiffed, she stood up and left her workplace for a bit. She stopped right after she closed the door of her office, she then looked around just to feel her house empty once again.

 

 

“Empty, so this is how it feels.”

 

 

Her feet heavily brought her to the kitchen to get a glass of cold water. After finishing the whole glass, she unknowingly stared at a particular spot, on the bar corner where, back on the night of the incident, she first saw unfinished snacks and two bottles of soju.

 

 

She then had the thought of searching around the house, to seek something, something that might not be seen by the investigators, something that may help her finish this.

 

 

She rushed to the same room they had to lock, and for that known reason, she was halted and her body froze right in front of that very door. Her hands lifted to the knob, almost touching it, but an inch of a distance between the iron and her skin sent chills that travelled along her spine.

 

 

She had to take rough, deep breath to gather all the courage she needs just to open that door, and as soon as she twisted the knob and  pushed the door, just as soon as her eyes got a sight of the interior of the room…

 

 

Pictures of her, grabbing the victim, hardly pushing her against the floor, giving rough punches with no words coming out of , but with hatred, anger, jealousy and pride evidently taking over her mind, flashed altogether and made her let a shaky gasp, while her eyes instinctively shut close.

 

 

“Take a grip on yourself.” She mumbled under her quivering breath.

 

 

“Yujin, relax.” Talking to herself, “It’s not your fault, it’s not…” convincing herself, to be able to move further.

 

 

She had to swallow an amount of thick liquid to flush the sand that had hardened on before opening her eyes once more, she took a step inside, her slippers touched the carpet covering the floor that was cleaned as blood stains were scattered on it that night. While her eyes scanned the room, from the bed where she saw the act of sin, down to the part where she left Chaewon unconscious, and up again to look at everything else.

 

 

It’s clean. Really clean, as if a crime didn't occur in this very same room. And despite of the fact that the whole house was actually cleaned, she still searched – under the pillows, the thick blanket, the bed, and even under the carpet.

 

 

She also opened the cabinet and drawers, went to the bathroom to check each and every side of the room, but found nothing. She then headed back to the kitchen, to search there, but still, got nothing,

 

 

She even went to their yard to check, but ended up going back inside and her last spot was the master bedroom.

 

 

Yujin walked in, just like in the other rooms, she opened the cabinet and the drawer, because even if she’s thinking that Minjoo is innocent, her wife is still the primary suspect as of today and just what if, she has been hiding something here.

 

 

She searched… she removed some of their clothes to see the inside clearly, only to find an album that stopped her from what she is doing.

 

 

Her eyes recognized the cover, the thick box that is protecting the main contents.

 

 

She crouched to reach for it, and her fingers traced upon its edges as her mind goes blank.

 

 

Wedding album.

 

 

Their names were written on the cover, elegantly colored with gold ink and minimally designed sophisticatedly. She wanted to look through it, but having to see it now, when she’s just searching for more evidences for the crime that had happened, when she’s carrying a burden…

 

 

Her palms touched her face as she fell on her bottom, sitting on the floor, still facing the wardrobe. Her eyes started burning along with while her chest slowly started clenching, with her strong stamina fading.

 

 

She feels stupid.

 

 

She feels weak.

 

 

For how many years, she loved Minjoo, Kim Minjoo.

 

 

She worked hard for the betterment of their future, she did her best to get a stable job and be one of the top lawyers known nationally to give everything for her love. All she was thinking for the years they have been together was to give Minjoo the best life she deserves, and this…

 

 

This is what she got.

 

 

How many years have they been married? How many years have they been living together?

 

 

Why now? Why like this?

 

 

Why the did she cheat?

 

 

She looks up to her. Just from the beginning, she respects Minjoo, her personality, her way of speaking, behaving, thinking, she… respected her. She even idolized her, being the hardworking that she is, the smart doctor that many knows…

 

 

So how? How is this even possible?

 

 

All the things they promised together, in front of the altar, in front of everyone, the vow they stated on the day of their wedding – it is all nonsense. Those are just probably for the formality, because if it is to be taken by two souls, then… this should not have happened.

 

 

Yet… the three words she uttered in front of everyone that day, despite what's happening today...

 

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