Part 2: |Imperfection|

Imperfection: /ɪmpəˈfɛkʃ(ə)n/

a fault, blemish, or undesirable feature.

 

Previously on {I’m Perfect: [Perfection]}

Jung eun looks at the card in her hand and decides to call the number. It takes a few rings before the call is answered. She hears a melodic voice coming from the other side of the line. 

That voice... 

Jung eun thoughts to herself.

It's familiar...

I must have heard this voice from somewhere before.

"Hello? Is there someone there?"

"Hey," Jung eun answered quickly. She must be so deep in her thoughts that she doesn't realize the doctor has been calling out for her. 

"Is this Dr. Jung?"

"Yes, this is Dr. Jung. How may I help you today?" 

"I would like to book an appointment with you," Jung eun asks as she grabs her calendar to note down the date for the appointment.

"Okay, are you available on the 10th of October?" Dr. Jung asks as she checks the available time slot that she has. 

"Yes, I'm available on that day."

"Alright, I'll see you on the 10th of October at 1 p.m. Is that alright with you?"

"Yep. that's alright with me," Jung eun says as she pens down the date and time for the appointment.

"I'll see you again Ms...Mrs?"

"Ms. Kim," Jung eun says, and she swears she can see a smile form on the doctor's face even though she's not there by her tone.

"I'll see you again Ms. Kim."

-

A soft sigh escapes when she looks up at the big hospital building in front of her. She looks down at her wristwatch and notices the time. She is half an hour early for her appointment with her psychiatrist. She has been counting down for this day since her call on the twenty-nine of September. Deciding to not waste any more time, Jung eun quickly steps into the hospital building and takes the lift up to the sixth floor. Once the door opens, she turns to the left and sees the registration booth. After she finishes registering, Jung eun takes a seat outside the doctor’s room. She looks at the sign on the door.

Dr. Jeong Jin Sol. 

Jung eun looks around her surroundings. She notices a mother-daughter duo sitting not far from her. The two of them are in tears as they hug each other tightly. She has no idea what has happened between the two, but she hopes that she doesn’t have to come here with Yerim. Before she can stray further away from her thoughts, the small screen monitor next to the door flashes her number. She quickly stands up and knocks on the doctor’s door before entering. Jinsol hears her door click open. She looks up and her eyes widen at the sight of a very beautiful woman in front of her. 

Jung eun let out a sharp gasp when her eyes met Jinsol’s brown alluring eyes. The small smile that Jinsol wears makes Jung eun’s heart skip a beat. The two of them quickly turn their heads away when they notice that they have been staring at each other. Jinsol clears while Jung eun takes her seat next to the doctor. The two of them tried not to look at each other in the eye.

She’s so breath-taking…

Jung eun thought to herself. Her face turns into a darker shade of red immediately when she remembers seeing Jinsol’s jaw drop a little. 

I didn’t know Chaewon’s new employer was this good-looking. Damn.

Jinsol clears and shakes her head to clear away the sight of Jung eun looking at her with a red face. 

“Hello,” Jinsol greets with a smile as she turns to look at Jung eun, “I’m Doctor Jeong.”

“I’m Ms. Kim,” Jung eun returns the greeting with a bigger smile. She takes Jinsol’s outstretched hand in hers and gives it a shake.

“So what will we be doing today Dr. Jeong?” Jung eun asks curiously, she doesn’t know what to expect out of today’s session. 

“Uh...nothing much actually, I want to get to know you today.”

“Get to know me?” Jung eun questions out as she looks at Jinsol suspiciously with squinted eyes.

“Not that way Ms. Kim,” Jinsol chuckles when she notices Jung eun looking at her that way, “I need to learn more about you before I can properly diagnose you and help you.”

“Ahh...right,” Jung eun mutters softly, feeling slightly disappointed. Jinsol’s ears perk up when she hears that.

“But if you want to get to know each other more outside of this...I don’t mind,” Jinsol says looking at her computer screen. Jung eun looks up immediately when she hears that, a small smile appears on her face.

“Okay, that will be nice.”

“Wait really?” Jinsol asks out with wide eyes.

“Yeah? We can be friends,” Jung eun grins and this makes Jinsol smile too.

 “You’ll be the second patient that I will make friends with,” Jinsol shares fondly when she remembers the first patient that she has made friends with.

“Ohh, who is the first?”

“Secret,” Jinsol grins as she pushes herself away from her table to grab the clipboard hanging on the wall. 

“I need you to fill up this form,” Jinsol says as she passes the clipboard to Jung eun.

“Okay.”

After Jung eun is done filling up the form, she passes the clipboard back to Jinsol. She leans back against the chair and looks around her surroundings. She notices the beige room not far from Jinsol, she wonders if that’s the room that they will be going to for today’s session. 

“Are you ready Ms. Kim?” Jinsol asks with a small smile as she stands up.

“I hope,” Jung eun chuckles out nervously and this makes Jinsol smile at her.

“Don’t worry.”

“Mm,” Jung eun nods her head as she follows Jinsol into the beige room. She sees a big basil green chaise lounge in the middle of the room and a small beige stool next to it. The whole setup feels homely, especially the fish tank on the side table which acts as a cherry on top for the room’s furnishing.

“Is that your fish?” Jung eun asks curiously as she points at the betta fish swimming alone in the small fish tank. 

“Yeah,” Jinsol grins as she turns to look at her pet fish, “Ms. Blueblue is beautiful isn’t she?” 

“She’s beautiful like its owner,” Jung eun comments out loud on accident. Her eyes widen and she turns to look at Jinsol whose face turned red immediately. 

“T-thank you,” Jinsol says softly as she looks away. She turns her head away and tries to remember the sight of Sooyoung snorting up her mucus after letting out a loud sneeze. That sight comes flashing in her mind, and it makes her feel disgusted immediately. That helped Jinsol get rid of the blush on her face.

“Take a seat,” Jinsol ushers to the chaise lounge in front of Jung eun, “you can lie down if you wish.” 

Jung eun nods her head and takes a seat on the chaise lounge. She leans back slowly, and a soft contented sigh escapes . Jinsol looks at her with a raised eyebrow, and Jung eun pats on the chaise lounge, “it’s very comfortable.”

“Yeah, it’s good for sleeping too.”

“You slept on this before?”

“Yeah when I’m very tired,” Jinsol chuckles out, “sometimes it gets too busy and when I finally get to have a break, I’ll take a quick nap.”

“You’re a hard worker,” Jung eun says, and this makes Jinsol smile, “thank you very much, Ms. Kim.” 

Jung eun watches Jinsol take a seat on the beige stool and scoot closer to her with a clipboard in her hands. Jinsol looks at Jung eun and asks, “shall we begin?”

Jung eun nods her head, and Jinsol smiles, “Is calling you Jung eun okay with you? Or do you want me to keep calling you Ms. Kim?”

“Jung eun is fine,” Jung eun says, “Ms. Kim makes me sound super old.”

Jinsol chuckles out softly when she hears what Jung eun says and it makes Jung eun smile to herself. 

She has a beautiful laugh.

“So...what brings you here today?” Jinsol asks as she places her clipboard on her lap. She sits up straight and crosses one leg over the other as she leans forward to give Jung eun her fullest attention.

“I’m here because I want to get rid of the perfectionist side of me.” 

“Hmm? Why?” Jinsol asks curiously, “isn’t being a perfectionist a good trait?”

“No?” Jung eun says with a scoff, “If it’s good, then why is it affecting me and everyone around me greatly?” 

“What do you mean?” Jinsol questions, “do you mind elaborating?”

“My daughters...they are badly affected by my actions. My perfectionist tendencies have caused a drift in our relationship. My relationship with my colleagues is also affected because it makes me look like a nitpick, but I didn’t mean it. I just can’t help it because it doesn’t look like how I wanted it to be.” 

“ahh...I see I see,” Jinsol trails off. 

“Well, I can’t cure or get rid of your perfectionist side but I can help you to work on controlling those tendencies and work on how you behave when such tendencies come around. Is that alright with you?” Jinsol asks after explaining what she can do.

“Yeah, at least I’m getting help.”

Jinsol wears a tight-lipped smile when she hears what Jung eun says. She moves closer to Jung eun and places a hand on the girl’s shoulders, she gives it a light squeeze to comfort the girl.

“Don’t be scared alright? I’ll be here with you, we can get through this together.”

Jung eun’s eyes widen when she hears that. She turns to look at Jinsol who is giving her a small comforting smile. Millions of thoughts flash through her mind. The incident that happened five years back, the doctor that saved her from jumping. Is Jinsol that doctor from that day?

Their voices suddenly sound so similar.

“Is there something on my face?” Jinsol asks curiously when she sees Jung eun staring at her.

“Huh?” Jung eun frowns when she hears what Jinsol says. She quickly snaps herself out of her thoughts and shakes her head, “no there’s nothing my bad.”

“That’s okay,” Jinsol smiles as she moves away from Jung eun to create some space in between them. 

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable,” Jung eun apologizes and this makes Jinsol look up from her clipboard.

“No, you didn’t don’t worry,” Jinsol says and wears a bigger smile to assure Jung eun that she does not feel uncomfortable by Jung eun’s actions. 

“If at any juncture of this session you feel uncomfortable and do not wish to continue, please let me know. I’ll stop the session immediately, okay?” Jinsol says and she sees Jung eun nodding her head. 

She always tells her patients this just in case they have a change of mind during their session. She would never force her patients to finish the session with her when they do not feel good midway through, unless they wish to continue then she will proceed. She would also never force her patients to keep seeing her, unless necessary, as some of them might be forced to see her by someone else. If not, some patients do not wish to seek help because they think they can manage it and would overcome it in some way in their life. Nothing beneficial would come out of such a session since the patient wouldn’t feel good or be cooperative with her when she wants to help them.

“Our session wouldn’t take too long, I will take 50 minutes to know as much as I can from and I will take another 10 minutes to wrap it up with you. I can pause anytime if you wish, just let me know.” 

“Alright.”

“Okay, close your eyes Jung eun,” Jinsol says softly. She reaches for her phone in her pocket and starts the timer for fifty minutes.

“What do you seek in your family, Jung eun?” Jinsol asks as she picks up her pen, ready to jot down whatever Jung eun says. 

“Perfection,” Jung eun answers, almost immediately. Jinsol raises an eyebrow at that, Jung eun must have hesitated a little bit before she answers. 

“What do you mean by Perfection?” Jinsol asks.

“To not be seen as a flaw to society...and be someone that everyone deems perfect.”

“So you want your family to be perfect by meeting your views on how you think they would be viewed by society, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And what would you do to ensure your family meets your views on it?” Jinsol asks curiously.

“I lay out my standards and expectations for them to follow,” Jung eun says, her hands slowly forming a fist by her side.

“Have you ever thought about whether your standards are reasonable?”

“No, not once have I ever thought about it…” Jung eun trails off. Silence falls between the two of them. Jinsol looks at Jung eun and sees the girl holding onto her pants tightly by the side. Just as she wants to open to ask whether Jung eun wants to stop the session, Jung eun continues talking. 

“I grew up following the same standards and expectations and I turned out fine didn’t I?” Jung eun says, sounding a little bitter.

“You did turn out fine but are you really fine is another issue Jung eun,” Jinsol says softly.

“I have to be even if I wasn’t...following those standards and achieving the results that they want from me was the only way I could get their love and attention.”

“Who are they?” 

“My Parents.”

Jinsol wears a sad look on her face when she hears what Jung eun says. Jung eun’s eyes glisten under the light, she’s trying to keep her tears inside of her. 

“What would they do to you if you fail to meet their standards and expectations?” Jinsol asks softly, her hold around her clipboard tightening as a sudden surge of anger rushes through her bloodstream.

“They would call me a failure...they would beat me and scold me...they never went easy on me when it comes to punishment,” Jung eun says with a shaky voice. 

“All...All I wanted was their love and attention,” Jung eun adds on as she covers her eyes using a hand.

She can remember seeing their dark figures loom over her with the thinnest cane in their hand. Every hit on her back hurts like mad. It feels like her skin is tearing open and what made it worse was that she couldn’t scream out in pain. She has to take every canning session quietly if not her parents would hit her even more. Her father once caned her on the same spot twice and it made her skin tear open. Her back was bleeding and it hurt too much for her to lie down to sleep. 

“I hope the pain can let you remember what you’ll get if you fail to meet our standards and expectations again!” her father yelled at her, who was just an eight-year-old at that time.

“Y-yes…” Jung eun choked out as she quickly scrambled back up onto her feet and rushed upstairs to her room. 

The room turns silent immediately. Jung eun is trying to not cry when she remembers the ordeal that she had to deal with when she was younger. Jinsol rubs her face using her hand quietly. Her heart aches for Jung eun. No one should be going through all of that, not even from a young age. 

“Are you okay Jung eun?” Jinsol asks as she places a hand on top of Jung eun’s clenched fist.

“Y-yeah,” Jung eun whispers out as she opens her eyes to look at Jinsol.

“Do you want to take a break?” Jinsol asks, “I can get you a cup of water if you want.”

“No I’m okay,” Jung eun says as she stops Jinsol from leaving by holding the girl’s hand, “Just give me a moment.”

“Alright,” Jinsol says as she sits back down. 

“Are you afraid of not being perfect?” Jinsol asks, and she feels Jung eun’s hold around her hand tighten. Jung eun nods her head quietly, and this makes Jinsol let out a soft sigh. 

“Do you mind telling me why?”

“Because it could bring me to failure and lose all the love and admiration I got from my parents,” Jung eun says softly.

“It’s all about pleasing them huh..” Jinsol whispers, and this makes Jung eun sigh.

“I never wanted to be perfect, but my parents want me to be. I was scared that I would fail in life like my parents once said I would if I do not listen to them. I don’t want my daughters to be deprived of their grandparents' love because they aren’t perfect…” Jung eun sighs.

“I already robbed their father’s love, I do not want to take away their grandparent’s love for them. I know how it feels to not be loved, I don’t want that to happen to my kids. With how I am now, I don’t know if I’m capable of loving them…” Jung eun adds on.

“You love your kids a lot, Jung eun,” Jinsol says softly as she places a hand on Jung eun’s head, “you don’t see it, but the others can. You love them so much that you’re willing to do so much for them. You love them so much that you’re seeking help even though you’re very afraid to do it. Your kids are your motivation and power to push through Jung eun, I can see it.”

“T-thank you,” Jung eun chokes out, and this makes Jinsol wear a small smile on her face.

“You said you don’t want your kids to get deprived of their grandparents’ love for not being perfect, what do you do to ensure they are perfect in their grandparents’ eyes?” Jinsol asks, going back to where Jung eun had last stopped.

“I would keep drilling my standards and expectations on them. I would get riled up if they do not meet my standards and expectations set for them. Sometimes I would blame myself for not being good enough, like my parents, to help them to meet my standards and expectations. I...I just don’t want my kids to be seen as a flaw to society like what my parents once told me,” Jung eun explains what she does to her kids and the reasoning behind her actions.

“I’m scared Jinsol...I don’t want my kids to fall behind,” Jung eun adds on, turning to look at Jinsol with fear in her eyes. Jinsol wears a thin-lipped smile when she sees Jung eun looking at her.

“Have you wondered if you’re putting too much pressure on your children as you try to get them as perfect as you want them to be?” Jinsol asks.

“No,” Jung eun answers quickly but softly. Jinsol raises an eyebrow when she senses a change in Jung eun’s behavior. 

“I don’t think I put too much pressure on my kids too. Unlike my parents, I do not hit them for not meeting my standards and expectations. My parents are much worse than I am. I grew up fine and alright, so I don’t see why my children can’t do the same and be half as good as I was when I was their age,” Jung eun defends herself. Jinsol fights back the urge to let out a soft scoff. One second Jung eun’s sobbing her heart out, and the next, she’s ready to come for Jinsol’s neck.

“How did your parents teach you to be perfect growing up?” Jinsol questions.

“They would force me to take many enrichment classes and music lessons so I’m better than everyone. At the age of fifteen, I was a grade 6 pianist and grade 5 violinist. I was also the top scorer of my school, and later the valedictorian. Later on, when I went to university, I was a double degree holder, and a DBA holder after deciding to further my study in business.” 

Jinsol’s eyes widened at that information. Jung eun is a young and very capable woman. She has never met anyone like Jung eun before. It amazes her a lot how someone can do all of those before the age of forty. She is only a PsyD holder while Jung eun over here is a double degree and a DBA holder. 

“They also gave me a list on how to be their perfect daughter. They would always tell me to not go easy on myself because no one on earth would do that to me, and I would be stronger that way too. Their standards and expectations of me grew higher as I age,” Jung eun shares with a soft sigh towards the end. She thought that when she finally started a family, her parents would leave her be. However, she was wrong. Her parents started behaving like helicopter parents to my kids, and it frustrated her a lot. 

“Can you stop meddling into my family business?” Jung eun asks her parents frustratedly over dinner one day. She has her hands in her hair as she paces around the dining table. 

“No,” her father says sternly as he stands up angrily, “I want my grandkids to be better than Mrs. Choi’s grandkids!”

“Mrs. Choi doesn’t even care!” Jung eun sighs out as she stops to turn to look at her father, “you promised me that you wouldn’t treat my daughters the same as you treated me last time, but what are you doing now?! EXACTLY THE SAME!”

“I’m doing this for your kid's own good!” her father yells as he slammed his hand on the table.

“You were supposed to be teaching your kids the same way we taught you,” her mother adds with a distasteful look on her face, “you turned out fine and better than everyone in your friend group!”

“Friend?!” Jung eun scoffs, “I don’t even have friends because of the two of you! You made me push them away! You made me sound and look arrogant because you two wouldn’t stop boasting about me to everyone in this damn community!” 

“And fine?” Jung eun adds on while pointing at herself, “Do you really think I’m fine?!”

Her parents keep quiet when they hear what Jung eun says. The two of them don't chase after Jung eun who stormed out of their house. They turn to look at each other, disappointment evident on their faces. They hope no one heard their loud argument, they don’t want anyone spreading anything ill about disharmony in their household. 

Jung eun turns to look at Jinsol and sees the girl penning down what she said furiously. Jinsol wears a frown on her face while she pens everything down, she can’t believe such parents exist. She heaves out a soft sigh when she’s done. She looks up and sees Jung eun looking at her with a thin-lip smile.

“You alright?” Jinsol asks softly, and Jung eun nods her head.

“Feels nice to know that someone else knows about my struggles,” Jung eun says softly as she turns away.

“Why did you say that?”

“Because I’ve been all alone,” Jung eun whispers out, “I was lonely.”

“You’re not alone anymore Jung eun,” Jinsol says as she reaches over to hold Jung eun’s hand, “you have me now.”

“Thank you,” Jung eun says with a small smile.

Just then, her timer rings. Jinsol quickly pulls away and picks up her phone to turn off the timer. That signals the end of their session. Jinsol picks up her stuff and walks back to her work table, Jung eun follows quietly behind her. The two of them settle back down onto the chair that they were sitting on fifty minutes ago. Silence falls between them as none of them knows what to say. Jinsol crossed her fingers together and rested her chin on them. Her mind is filled with Jung eun’s words, she could understand what made Jung eun such a person she is now. Jung eun looks down and plays with her finger. She wasn’t used to being this quiet around someone. Sure she likes peace but she never likes it when a room gets too quiet that it starts to make her feel uncomfortable.

“So,” Jinsol says, breaking the silence in the room. Jung eun looks up and sees the soft smile on Jinsol’s face, which makes her feel better instantly.

“I’m going to give you a little homework before we meet again, is that okay with you?”

“Yes,” Jung eun says with a nod of her head, and this makes Jinsol smile. 

“I need you to pass me the list that your parents have given you, and also pen down the standards and expectations you have for your children when I see you again for the next session.”

“Alright,” Jung eun mumbles out as she types her homework onto her phone so she can remember them. Jinsol lets out a soft chuckle when she sees Jung eun’s actions. Hearing Jinsol’s soft laughter makes a smile appear on Jung eun’s face and her stomach does a small flip. 

“Do you want me to prescribe some sleeping pills for you to help you catch some sleep?” Jinsol asks as she circles her eyes to show Jung eun that she’s talking about her heavy eyebags.

“That’ll be nice,” Jung eun chuckles out, and Jinsol nods her head. 

“I’ll prescribe you some zaleplon to help you fall asleep at night,” Jinsol says as she types in the medication prescription she wants to prescribe for Jung eun.

“You can pick them up at the pharmacy later.” 

“That’s it?” Jung eun asks, and Jinsol nods her head with a smile on her face.

“You can go now!”

“No more?” Jung eun asks again, sounding like she’s expecting something.

“Is there anything else that you need me to help you with?” Jinsol questions, not understanding why Jung eun is behaving in this manner. 

“Nothing,” Jung eun answers with a hint of disappointment in her tone, “I’ll see you again two weeks later.”

“Get home safe,” Jinsol says as she stands up to see Jung eun out. She opens the door for the girl and bids the girl goodbye softly. She watches Jung eun walk away for a while before heading back in. Once she’s in her room, she scratches her head when she feels that something is amiss.

I told Jung eun that I want to get to know her!

Jinsol’s eyes widen when she remembers what she said an hour ago. She immediately bolts out of her room and runs down the corridor to look for Jung eun. She stops at the lift lobby and looks around. There are so many patients at the lift lobby that it makes it hard for her to find Jung eun. She squints her eyes a little more and she spots a burgundy coat not far from her. She rushes to Jung eun and grabs the girl by the wrist to stop the girl from entering the lift.

“Jung eun,” Jinsol pants out.

“Jinsol?” Jung eun asks with a small frown on her face.

“You two want to go down?” a patient in the lift asks, and Jinsol quickly shakes her head.

“Sorry!” Jinsol apologizes as she pulls Jung eun away to wait for another lift. The patient clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He shakes his head in a disapproving manner at the two. Jinsol wears a sheepish smile at that and watches the lift door close before heaving out a sigh.

“I forget something,” Jinsol says as she turns to look at Jung eun, “your number.”

“My number?” Jung eun asks with a soft scoff.

“Yeah, I said I wanted to get to know more about you outside of the hospital and how I’m going to set up a day without having your number.”

“You can always get it from the staff members Jinsol,” Jung eun says as she holds a hand out for Jinsol to give her her mobile phone.

“You don’t understand how difficult it is to ask the staff members for it,” Jinsol comments as she places her mobile phone on Jung eun’s hand.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll tell you when we meet,” Jinsol says cheekily and it makes Jung eun roll her eyes.

“Who said I would agree to meet up with you?” Jung eun asks teasingly.

“I-I uh...I-I thought you wanted to...I don’t know...maybe you want to know me more too?” Jinsol says, feeling flustered at Jung eun’s reply.

“I just know that I really want to get to know you better in a private setting,” Jinsol says softly, and it earns her a soft chuckle from Jung eun.

“I’m just messing with you Jinsol, relax.”

Jinsol wears a pout on her face when she hears that. Jung eun can’t help but resist the urge to pinch Jinsol’s nose when she sees the girl pouting. Jinsol looks so cute right now, she hopes she can see more of this side from the doctor soon. It also scares her a little that she feels all jittery around Jinsol. 

“So we can meet as Jinsol and Jung eun, and not Dr. Jung and Ms. Kim?” Jinsol questions, her face lights up immediately when she takes her phone back from Jung eun. She looks down and sees the contact name Jung eun has saved herself.

Kim Jung eun-ssi

“Yes, I look forward to the day where I’ll meet you outside of this hospital building. Goodbye Jinsol-ssi,” Jung eun chuckles as she bids Jinsol goodbye. Jinsol watches Jung eun step into the lift and she keeps waving her hand goodbye until the door closes. 

Jinsol looks down at her phone and starts bouncing on the balls of her feet in happiness. She turns to head back to her room with a happy smile on her face. She couldn’t help but feel super happy when she got Jung eun’s number, it’s like she won first place at the lottery. Just then, her best friend appears in front of her and she makes a dash to her best friend. 

“I got her number!” Jinsol giggles out loudly. She’s so happy that she accidentally scared a random patient, who was minding their own business, by suddenly grabbing their hand and starting shaking it. Sooyoung sees that and quickly pulls Jinsol’s hand away from the patient. She apologizes to the patient profusely before dragging a lunatic Jinsol away.

“What is wrong with you?” Sooyoung asks before her face is being squished by Jinsol as she giggles in front of her, “whomf arom youm behavinmg likomf thof!”

“What?”

“Why are you behaving like that?” Sooyoung raises her voice a little when she pulls Jinsol’s hand away from her face, she has never seen Jinsol behaving so giddy after they broke up. 

‘I’m going to ask her out for coffee!” Jinsol beams and this earns her a smack to the back of her head.

“Why did you do that?!” Jinsol pouts as she rubs the back of her head to soothe the pain.

“Isn’t she a married woman! I know you like older women or what you call ‘MILF’ but I didn’t expect you to stoop this low!” Sooyoung scolds, and this earns her a tight slap to the back of her head by Jinsol.

“Are you insane?!” Jinsol gasps out dramatically, “Of course I know she’s married!”

Sooyoung swears that she can hear Jinsol whisper out a soft ‘sadly’ after that sentence.

“But I asked her out for coffee as a friend!” Jinsol explains with a smile on her face, “so there’s no funny business between us!”

“And I’m glad you know how to use the word ‘Milf’!” Jinsol cheers happily while clapping her hands together like a seal.

“You’re unbelievable,” Sooyoung grumbles out as she massages the back of her head, Jinsol’s smack to the back of her head was super hard. 

Jinsol grins and waves her hand goodbye at Sooyoung before heading back to her room. She leaves Sooyoung standing outside alone. Sooyoung shakes her head in a disapproving manner at Jinsol’s behavior. She gives Jinsol’s room one last glance before she shoves her hands into the pockets of her white coat while she goes back to doing her duty as a general surgeon. 

-

A bell rings softly above Jung eun’s head when she pushes the cafe door open. It signals the presence of a new customer entering the cafe. Jung eun walks towards the counter and turns to look at the display shelf, where different flavored muffins and donuts are shown. She feels salivating at the sight of those delicious baked pastries. Jung eun has a sweet tooth, she loves diabetic drinks like her usual gong cha order. Her daughters always get freaked out when they see her walking out with a large cup of bubble tea with a high level of sugar and pearls. 

“Hello!” the cashier chirps when she sees Jung eun, “what can I get for you today?”

“Can I have a mocha frappuccino and a blueberry muffin?” Jung eun asks, and the cashier nods their head.

“Of course! Would you like anything else?” the cashier asks and Jung eun shakes her head.

“Add one Ice Americano too!” a voice speaks from behind Jung eun.

“Jinsol?” Jung eun whispers out and turns back to see the doctor standing right behind her with a grin on her face.

“Hey,” Jinsol greets, “mind helping me to order first?”

“Not at all,” Jung eun whispers out breathlessly when she sees how good Jinsol looks with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She could see Jinsol’s sharp jawline and defined facial features. She gulps down the lump of air stuck in and forces her eyes to look somewhere else.

“I would like one ice americano too,” Jung eun says, telling the cashier to add Jinsol’s drink into her order.

“That would be $11.50, payment by?”

“Card please,” Jung eun says, in her hand is her credit card ready for payment. 

The cashier nods their head and shows Jung eun the credit card reader for her to tap her card. Once the payment goes through, the cashier passes Jung eun a small cafe buzzer that buzzes when her order is ready. Jung eun thanks the cashier and turns to walk away with Jinsol to look for a seat at the cafe. The two of them settle down by the window so they can turn to look outside and admire the scenery. A comfortable silence falls between them as they enjoy each other's presence at the cafe. There are not many people at the cafe too, making the whole environment around them a very peaceful one.

“How is your homework coming along?” Jinsol asks curiously, resting both her arms on the table to lean a little closer to Jung eun.

“It’s going fine,” Jung eun says as she turns to look at Jinsol, “Still penning down my standards and expectations on my kids.”

“You must have a lot huh?” Jinsol says teasingly, “that’s why you couldn’t finish your homework early.”

“I don’t have a lot of standards and expectations on my kids,” Jung eun says seriously, not knowing that Jinsol is teasing her.

“It’s just I’ve been too busy to be thinking about them. Plus, it's not as much as my parents so my kids should be a little more thankful that I’m not like their grandparents.” 

“I’m joking Jung eun,” Jinsol whispers out when she sees Jung eun’s nose flaring a little.

“Oh,” Jung eun mutters and wears an apologetic smile on her face. Jinsol returns the smile with a thin-lipped one and moves away. This time, uncomfortable silence falls between them. Jinsol has no idea how to continue the conversation that she just started. 

It seems that God must have seen how awkward the two are that the buzzer starts buzzing to signal that their order is ready. Jinsol shoots out of her chair, offering to take their order without letting Jung eun have a chance to speak. Jung eun watches Jinsol walk away quickly and she immediately scolds herself for her behavior just now. She couldn’t notice that Jinsol was just teasing her and gave the girl a serious response. She hopes she didn’t make the doctor feel uncomfortable and accidentally pushes her away because of this. 

“Your order is here madame,” Jinsol says with a low voice while placing the tray of food down onto the table in front of Jung eun, “please enjoy~”

“Pfft, what are you doing?!” Jung eun scoffs out and sends a light smack to Jinsol’s shoulders. 

“Serving the queen her afternoon tea,” Jinsol says in french, and that makes Jung eun laugh.

“I’m not a queen!”

“You understand French?” Jinsol gasps and Jung eun nods her head.  

“You’re really of another breed,” Jinsol comments and it makes Jung eun raise an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re like that one family’s perfect daughter that everyone wishes to have or to be,” Jinsol says, and she sees Jung eun’s smile drop from her face.

“But I know you didn’t want that at all,” Jinsol adds on with a soft sigh, “it wasn’t easy to be a picture-perfect person.”

“Must be tough on you,” Jinsol sighs out as she looks at Jung eun, “I couldn’t imagine what you’ve been through Jung eun, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t try to understand. So, please open up to me sooner, okay?”

Jung eun nods her head when she hears what Jinsol said. She looks down at her cup of drink with a small smile on her face, she thinks seeking help isn’t that bad of an idea. It makes her feel a little better and comforted to know that someone wants to understand her and help her. She wasn't used to such a privilege when she was younger. So she doesn’t know how to react or behave at such a thing. 

“You’re not alone anymore Jung eun. You have me right by your side now,” Jinsol reiterates what she said from their session a week ago. Jung eun nods her head and takes a sip of her frappuccino. Jinsol gives Jung eun a small smile before turning to her ice americano and starts drinking it happily.

“So what do you do Jung eun?” Jinsol asks.

“I’m a regional manager at this MNC that I’m working for,” Jung eun shares, and Jinsol’s eyes widen.

“That’s impressive. You must be in charge of the company’s operation in France,” Jinsol says, and Jung eun shakes her head.

“Not for now, just in charge of Korea. I don’t want to leave my kids behind or move my kids to a foreign place far from family,” Jung eun explains as she takes a big bite of her muffin. 

“A family person huh,” Jinsol comments and Jung eun nods her head.

“Don’t