When the still silence surrounds us
You trap me deep in my dreams, deep in my dreams
You flood into and stir up my calm heart
I'm used to this, used to this

“Watch out!” Someone yelled.

Her low and clear voice woke me up from my reverie as I stood blankly on the zebra crossing with a car driving full speed towards my direction, and I thought… that’s it. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact.

I was going to assume the last thing I am gonna hear is the car honk, but the same mysterious lady that had yelled at me earlier, tugged on my arm quickly and pulled me away – back to the pedestrian walkway and my heart just felt like it was about to leap out from my chest. 

And that is when, our eyes met for the first time. She had long and straight maroon colored hair, bright eyes and heart shaped lips. 

“Are you alright? You seemed very out of it. The light was red but you crossed it anyway,” I heard she ask. “Do you need any help?”

“I… No, I am fine. Got a little distracted, that’s all.”

“Good to know. Um, I am running late so be careful on the road and stay safe!” was the last thing she said as she walked away.

That was my first encounter with the maroon haired lady.

But how can I not be distracted when Taeyeon, my longtime girlfriend had decided to break things off with me and decided to date another man, when I was all ready to get on one knee to propose to her?

Despite feeling like an absolute crap, life goes on anyway.

Chanyeol has had surgery done on his fractured knee from basketball yesterday and I was told that he would not be discharged from the hospital soon anyway, so being the best friend I am, I decided to pop by for a visit as usual. It did took me a while to locate him since he has been transferred to a new ward, and the moment I arrived outside and slid open the door of his suite, I was surprised to see the mysterious maroon haired lady standing next to the patient.

It is my second encounter with the same lady within a day.

“Oh, it’s you -- the guy from the pedestrian walkway earlier!” she greeted.

“Ah... yeah. You’re his... doctor? I remember there was another doctor that took care of him though.”

She smiled. “You meant Jongin-ssi? Yeah he definitely did. Jongin-ssi is a general physician but but anything orthopedics is under my care and I conducted his surgery yesterday. And you are?”

“I’m Chanyeol’s friend. My name is Baekhyun, Byun Baekhyun.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Byun. I am Kim Eunyeong,” she replied as she extended her hand out for a handshake.

For some reason, her bright smile brought me some comfort despite going through an already crappy day.

“I don't mean to sound a little creepy but you look really familiar...,” she said as she broke the handshake. “Are you by any chance, the CEO of Privé? You looked like that guy that has been appearing in the magazine a lot these days, except that you look a lot more... exhausted in real life.”

Yeah, that's because I just got dumped. I grinned sheepishly as I scratched my head lightly. “Uh, yeah.”

“Good to know! I am a fan of your designs, Mr. Byun.”

She's... pretty interesting.

I find myself continue to visit Chanyeol the next few days together with Sehun, and each time when I visit, she is always there — it seems like Chanyeol really enjoyed having her around. And on each time when I appeared inside the suite, she would quickly excuse herself to leave.

“Your friend’s here Chanyeol-ssi! I’ll make a move now,” she said as soon as we made eye contact.

“Yah, Eunyeong-ah! Can’t you stay?” I heard Chanyeol plead.

“Chanyeol-ssi, your dad may be the director of this hospital and you may be my patient, but that does not mean I can escape from doing my work. Mr. Byun is already here, I’m sure he can keep you company! Right, Mr. Byun?”

“I... call me Baekhyun, please.”

I liked hearing her voice, I thought. It's a little deep, but it has a certain lightness to it. When I listen to her voice, I could feel like my problems went away, bit by bit. It makes me wanna talk to her more.

Do I actually like her? It's a little too soon to know -- since Taeyeon and I broke up only days ago.

It was then revealed that Chanyeol had to extend his stay in the hospital for another three months, for rehabilitation. And somehow, my visits to the hospital became a little more frequent than usual despite knowing Chanyeol is recovering well from the surgery.

Why am I doing this? I don't know. Why do I feel this way? I don't know either.

I could not help it but to feel envious too, when I saw how Chanyeol could just converse freely with Eunyoung as I watched from a distance. I was too afraid to be hurt again -- hence I am not courageous enough to man up, talk and be friends with her. But pushing those thoughts side, I decided that today will be different because I shall make an effort to talk to her.

"Chanyeol-ssi, my work here is done," I heard she speak as I watched them from a corner. "I will transfer you to this good looking man right here, Dr. Kim Jongdae for a more thorough assessment on your rehabilitation."

The man named Jongdae grinned at Chanyeol and the latter could only frown back at her. "But Eunyeong-ah, can't you stay as my doctor? Please?"

"I would like to, Park Chanyeol-ssi. But then again, I am not a rehab specialist. I am an orthopaedic surgeon. There's only so much I can do!"

"But I really liked having you around!"

"Is that a confession?" I heard she ask, giggling.

"I'm gonna say yes, but you would still reject me anyways..."

"Just like in college?"

"Just like in college," he replied.

"Alright Chanyeol-ssi, I am gonna leave you with Jongdae-ssi right here. Please direct all your complaints to him, alright? I'll see you when I see you again."

I heard swift footsteps heading towards my direction and after making sure that I look okay and presentable, I decided to appear in front of her.

"Oh! Mr. Byun!" she greeted as soon as she saw me.

"Hey," I heard myself speak, feeling a little flustered. "I... I got you banana milk." Lies. It was for Chanyeol but I gave it to her anyway.

"Not for Chanyeol-ssi?" she asked again, grinning. "I can't really accept this you know, it's the... no gift policy."

"I really got this for you! To... thank you for... saving me the other day. It's not a gift! Just something to quench your thirst after talking that human loudspeaker over there!"

"I have always preferred water... but since this is something to quench my thirst, I'll take it!" she replied as she took the banana milk from me gleefully. "So... not to meddle but, speaking of the incident the other day, do you need a listening ear?"

"I guess I could."

I followed her lead as she took me through a central corridor to a large terrace, overlooking a lush garden. The sounds of birds chirping, the scent and fragrance of the leaves calmed my mind as I stood there, in awe of the view before me.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" I heard she ask.

"Uh, sorry, I got carried away."

"It's fine! Take your time. My patients often find solace here. I give them space as they admire the view and eventually they spill their thoughts to me. In case you're doubting, I am a certified psychologist too. Double board."

That probably explains why I felt so comfortable around her. Raising my brows quizically, I asked, "So... am I one of your patients now?"

"Not really. I consider you as an acquaintance, I guess? Since you're good friends with Yeol so... you're a friend too... in a way?"

I chuckled. "You call him Yeol here but called him Chanyeol-ssi in his face?"

"It gets on his nerves. It's fun."

I chuckled because I never knew there is someone else in this world whom enjoys annoying Chanyeol as much as I do. "So, how'd you guys met?"

"In college. Music class. Both of us played piano," she replied curtly as she took a seat at the bench, while gesturing me to join her. "And we were in basketball club together too."

"Must be a chaotic classmate."

"Yeah, he is definitely a handful," she replied, grinning. "So... what's the story about you? Don't worry, take your time, although I do not have an entire day."

I sighed as I looked away from her, now staring into the garden. She did not say anything further as I could sense her just staring into the garden as well, waiting for me to speak.

"My longtime girlfriend broke up with me. She confessed that she was already seeing someone else while we were together and... I was about to propose to her on the day itself, but she beat me to it. Remember when you dragged me off the road? It was on that day. And to be honest, I have known for quite a while that she has been two timing me for sometime and I tried my very best to make her stay... and... I don't know. It just... hurts. Sorry, the way I said it is all over the place, must've been confusing for you."

"No it's fine! And, I am sorry to hear that, Mr. Byun."

"Call me Baekhyun, please."

"As you wish, Baekhyun-ssi. So, how are you feeling now?"

"It has been days or even...weeks...? And I feel like, I still miss her... but I wasn't sure either, and I don't know how to move on. There were days I would blame myself each day -- like, things would not have gone this way if I had spend enough time with her and not be engrossed by work and..."

"Baekhyun-ssi, hold up," the doctor interrupted as her hand reached for my back and gave it a gentle pat. "Don't blame yourself. But don't blame her either. Things happen."

The unsettling feeling on my chest began going away as I began listening to her advices.

"And most of the time, I... I just don't know what to do and what to begin with. How do I move on?"

"Start slow. It takes time to forget someone," she paused. "When you are at home, start by packing up things that reminds you of her, like the things that she has gifted you with, shift things up at home by moving or changing your furniture a little, block and delete her number and her social media if you have to, learn new stuff or find a new hobby to invest your time in... well that sounds like a lot of work, but once you put your time and effort into it, you'll gradually feel better. I mean, it may sound like you are trying to avoid reality but it's also a way to cope too, by not looking and thinking about her."

"You're right... I'll try. Thank you for the tips, Eunyeong-ssi."

"I hope you find them useful," she replied as she took a glance at her watch. "Look, I gotta leave now because I have a patient appointment in few minutes. But if you ever need a listener -- you can reach me through Yeol, or just make an appointment with me through the hospital, alright? Cheer up, bye!"

I did not had the opportunity to get her number as she dashed off hurriedly to her next appointment.

But I can attest to the fact that she is a pretty cool person.

Not wanting to be alone at the terrace, I made a move back into the hospital again, and decided to look for Chanyeol.

As I walked past several departments, almost reaching the ward that Chanyeol is in, I heard someone familiar calling my name and it definitely caught my attention. I looked around to find my dad walking towards me, with a smile on his face.

"My son, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, abeoji! What are you doing here? I was gonna visit Chanyeollie."

"I was going to see my doctor for my yearly check up. Would you want to accompany me?"

"Sure thing, abeoji."

I followed as my dad led me to the Orthopaedics, and my mind went back to Eunyeong again. I don't know why am I thinking about her anyway. Perhaps because we're in her department, that's why.

"Next patient, please head to Room Two, Dr. Kim will be waiting for you!" I heard the nurse spoke as she approached my dad and I.

Walking into the room, I was delighted by the presence of the same Kim Eunyeong that had given me a mini therapy session earlier. She on the other hand, seemed to be surprised with my presence in the room as well, as I caught her eyes widen a little before she let out a small smile at my direction.

That was our third encounter, totally unplanned.

You may consider first and second encounters as a coincidence -- but I'd like to consider the third one as a destined one. Will it be okay if I think of it that way? 

"Oh? Am I in the wrong room?" I heard my dad speak as he began looking around.

She smiled warmly and replied, "No, you are in the right room, sir. Dr. Kim Jongin has an emergency case to attend to at the moment, so his patients for the day will be under my care for the meantime. Not to worry sir, I have all your previous records here... so you're in good hands. Come, have a seat."

I could sense that my dad is a little apprehensive about being checked by a new doctor as he stood frozen, not moving a single inch. "She's my friend, abeoji. She's also Chanyeollie's doctor too, a good one."