Have you ever fallen in love so hard that the person becomes the center of your life? That she becomes the reason of most of the things that you do? That even the most eventful day at work cannot erase that smile on your face and your eagerness to do your tasks? Because I have. And that was the most unforgettable moment of my life. She changed me. My life that used to be just all about survival became a story that was like a fairytale. This is my story. This is how I met HER.

(October 1, 2018)

It’s Friday, five o’clock in the morning. I woke up to prepare for my eight-hour shift at Tongyeong Community Hospital, which is a fifteen-minute drive from my place. I’ve been working there as a nurse since 2014. Because it’s a relatively small hospital (with twenty-five bed capacity), I not only handle patients at the wards but also at the ER and Delivery Room.

Every day, including my day offs, is just an ordinary day for me. After waking up, I prepare my meal, iron my clothes, take a bath and doll myself up. And after a quick relaxation, I leave for work riding my motorcycle. I always arrive thirty minutes before my shift begins. Today we only have eight in-patients, which means less work for me and my workmates.

My co-nurses for today’s 7-3 shift are Lee Sunny, Tiffany Hwang, Choi Sooyoung and Lee So-E. And our nursing attendants are Kim Se-Jun and Kim Han Bin. The doctor on duty is Seo Hyun Jin. She is known not only for her beauty but also for her expertise in Internal Medicine.

After the endorsement, we did our routine nursing rounds. We assessed our patients’ present condition, administered due medications, regulated the intravenous fluids, and checked the patency of nasogastric tubes (NGT) and indwelling urinary catheter of some of them. Afterwards, we returned to the nurses’ station to document everything we did for the patients in their respective charts.

Because I am a clean-freak, once done charting, I went to the emergency room to check if it’s tidy and the emergency supplies are available and properly stacked. I then went to the Labor and Delivery Room to do the same. Satisfied, I returned to the Nurses’ Station and found my co-workers talking to Dr. Seo.

“Good morning doc!” I greeted my favorite doctor. She smiled at me and returned my greeting. “Why does everybody look so excited? What’s going on?”

“Well, I told them we’ll have a new doctor on Monday,” Dr. Seo replied.

“Oh! The replacement for Dr. Kim?”

“Yes.”

Dr. Kim was the hospital’s oldest doctor who died suddenly due to heart attack. While looking for a replacement, our Chief of Hospital – Dr. Son Yejin – shouldered the responsibility of being on duty from Monday, 6 AM to Wednesday, 6 AM. So having this new doctor joining us is a relief for Dr. Son.

“Do you know her name, Dr. Seo?” Tiffany asked. So the new doctor is a female huh? I wonder if she’s as skilled as Doc Hyun Jin.

“Dr. Son said her name is Jessica. Jessica Jung.”

“Jessica?” Sooyoung asked. Dr. Seo nodded. “Sounds American to me. Do you know her Tiff?”

Tiffany, who grew up in California and returned to South Korea when she was fifteen, shook her head no.

“From what I heard, Doctor Jung went to America to study pre-med and medicine. Her parents are Korean but she’s born and raised in London.”

 “Have you met her, doc?” Sunny asked.

Dr. Seo flashed a meaningful smile as she shook her head. “But later we will.”

 “Later?” Tiffany, Sunny and Sooyoung asked at the same time.

 “Yes. I’m tasked to orient her today.”

 “I can’t wait to meet her Dr. Seo,” So-E said. “I hope she’s as nice as you.”

 Dr. Seo smiled at the compliment. Afterwards, she proceed to her rounds to check all eight patients. Me and Sunny went to assist her. In between patients, Sunny kept throwing questions about Dr. Jung. Doc Hyun Jin kept saying she doesn’t know the answers but her smile was odd. It seemed like she knows the new doctor and was just pretending to maintain the surprise factor. Whatever it is, I don’t care. What’s important for me is that they finally found a replacement for Dr. Kim.

“I can’t wait to meet our new doctor,” says Sunny while we’re carrying out the new orders. “She sounds so charismatic to me.”

“Charismatic?” I laughed. “How can you say so when Dr. Seo said so little about her?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like she is. Her name alone speaks volume about her. How about you? Aren’t you excited to meet her?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Don’t bother to ask her, Soonkyu," Tiffany butted in. Soonkyu is Sunny’s real name. We called her Sunny because she’s like the sun who brightens up the room with her presence. “This one here is all about work. New things don’t excite her.”

“That’s right,” Sooyoung added. “Fun is not in her vocabulary.”

They continued poking fun on my boring life until Han Bin and Se-jun came rushing.

“She’s here! The new doctor is here!” Han Bin announced while catching a breath.

“You saw her?” So-E asked.

“Yes. She’s at the parking lot talking to Dr. Seo.”

“Are you sure it’s the new doctor? She could be someone else.”

“Yes, I’m sure it’s her. Dr. Seo, herself, said she’ll go to the parking lot to meet her. She exudes that aura of a professional so I’m pretty sure she’s the new doctor.”

“How does she look?” Sooyoung asked, excited like the others. “Is she pretty? Young? Or as she old as Dr. Hyun Jin?”

“Pretty is an understatement. She’s beautiful,” says Se-jun. He’s known for being honest in giving his opinion so the girls believed him. “She and Dr. Seo have a bit of a resemblance. She’s young, probably as old as you.”

“You mean she looks thirty?”

“Yes.”

They were still discussing about the new doctor when a watcher came to ask for assistance in feeding her husband who has an NGT. As the workaholic, I volunteered to do the job. I not only helped feed the patient. I also assisted in changing his diaper and gown. On my way back to the nurses’ station, I was met by another watcher who also needs help in changing her patient’s diaper. I also educated them regarding diabetic diet and wound care. So when I returned to the station, the introduction of Dr. Jung was already over. My co-workers kept talking about her, gushing on her beauty and charisma.

“So where is she now?” I asked. Dr. Seo is already at the consultation room. Today is also a benign day for the out-patient department. Only twelve patients came for a check-up and there’s also no emergency patient.

“I think Dr. Seo brought her upstairs to meet the other staff,” Tiffany answered. “You should have seen her Yoong. She’s so beautiful.”

“Really?” I asked with little excitement.

“Yes! She’s more beautiful than Dr. Seo and Dr. Son. She’s thirty years old and...” Tiffany’s smile became wider, her cheeks blushing. “She’s single.”

“Oh.”

I smiled at her. Why did she have to mention that the new doctor is single? Is she going to hit on her? Even Sunny and Sooyoung were elated by the fact that the doctor is available for romance.

“Is she really that pretty?” I asked So-E who was alone at the medication corner aspirating a vial of antibiotic.

“Yes,” she replied shyly. “If I am not taken, I’d be swooned by her,” she added, a subtle reminder that she and Se-jun started dating recently.

Since everyone’s talking highly of her, I became curious about the new doctor. I went upstairs to catch a glimpse of her but she’s nowhere to be seen. She’s not at the Administrative Officer’s office, not at the HR department nor the billing section and cashier. So I decided to just go back. But before I reached the stairs, after making a left turn, I met a woman about my age. She’s five feet and four inches tall. Her eyes were dark brown, same color as her hair. She has a fair, flawless skin. And her nose? It’s shaped perfectly just like her pink (kissable) lips. I admit she’s drop-dead gorgeous – a reason for me to keep staring at her. I might have looked stupid while doing it because she smiled. And God knows what a killer her smile was. It made me weak on my knees.

“Hello!” she uttered sweetly in English. “You must be Nurse Yoona. I’m Jessica Jung, the new doctor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Im.”

She extended her hand for a handshake. It was so soft, delicate...Further making me weak.

“H-Hello,” I replied in a stutter. “It’s a pleasure to be working with you, Miss...I mean Doctor Jung.”

The new doctor continued magnetizing me with her smile. Thankfully, Mr. Park – the administrative officer - came and resumed showing her around. if it wasn't for him, I might have fainted in front of the most gorgeous woman I ever met.