Chapter 18: The Past

Youngmi was quietly sitting in her office, running over some papers before she went out for lunch. A knock on the door made her look up and tell for the person to come in, her secretary’s head appeared and stated

“Someone’s here to see you Dr. Nam”

“Who?”

She smiled and closed the door leaving Youngmi guessing

‘Maybe it’s Heechul’

As she got up from her chair, hands on her desk, the person entered and for a moment everything went mute as if a single speck of dust could be heard. Standing before her, entering through that door holding a bouquet of white roses was him.

Not Heechul but someone else that she never expected to see ever again in her whole entire life.

“Sangbeom...”

She merely whispered, swallowing hard afterwards; her heart raced at his single smile. He was still as bright as ever, if not then brighter.

“It’s Bum now, remember?”

She pulled herself back to reality as he held out the flowers to her, she blinked a couple of times and chuckled rather nervously as she accepted them and asked him to take a seat.

(A/N: If you don’t know who he is then I hope you’ve heard of Boys Over Flowers because Kim Bum is the guy I’m referring to; mianhe, I had no other options he’s just so damn cute to fit the role!)

“I never thought I’d see you ever again”

She said, he smiled and let out a light laugh

“I thought I’d drop by and see my doctor”

She cleared and set the flowers aside; he spoke quite shortly after she had set his gift aside

“I heard that you’re getting married –to Kim Heechul”

She picked up her pen, fiddled it in her hands. Just to have something keep her sanity on the ground.

“Uhm... yeah; everyone’s been fussing over that”

“He’s from Super Junior right?”

She nodded her head trying to keep eye contact as little as possible, instead of looking directly at his eyes; she’d rather look at his forehead or his brows.

“Yup, he is”

The atmosphere was getting awkward. Kim Bum had nodded his head quietly as he then laughed making Youngmi wonder.

“Is something funny?”

She asked rather confused

“”Mianhe Youngmi-ah, I just –“

He paused. Stirring up in laughter once again

“You just what?”

His laughter lightened until it ended with a smile on his face

“I just never thought you’d fall inlove again more over get married after everything...”

He trailed off; Youngmi fell quiet but forced a smile on her face. After... everything.

She never forgot about everything even though, like every stupid person out there who has fallen out of love, tried to forget everything. Being in the medical field and all, she knew that the only way to forget memories is through acquiring amnesia which requires getting bumped in the head and also in which the easiest way to get it is by risking one’s life.

She thought about so many things that time, taking away her life and everything but then came her Dad’s sickness which totally made her forget about everything.

“But I am and I will be married Bummie”

She smiled cutely; he reached over and pinched her cheeks.

“Aigo ~ your aegyo is still your greatest asset!”

Just as he was taking his time pinching her cheeks with her laughing along with it, the door opened and the devil by the name of Kim Heechul entered the scene. Bum released her cheeks immediately; Heechul’s eyes were going dark, menacing actually but his face was blank as he clutched the door knob tightly. She could tell by the veins almost popping out of his hand.

Youngmi got up quickly from her seat as Kim Bum did so aswell.

“Heechul-oppa, I thought you weren’t –“

“I changed my mind; I thought I’d drop by your office”

His voice was normal but she could feel that it was different, he turned to Bum.

“You have a guest?”

He asked her, she swallowed hard as the tension began to rise in the room

“Oh yeah, I thought you two would meet since you’re in the celebrity world but –this is Kim Bum, Bum, Heechul, my fiancé”

She smiled like there was nothing wrong, Bum smiled and held out his hand to Heechul who glanced down at it judgementally before shaking it.

“Nice to meet you Bum-ssi”

Awkward silence. Heechul spotted the roses on Youngmi’s desk; he could feel himself burning up at the moment.

“Is it your break time already?”

Heechul asked her, she nodded her head sideways. Another hour was ticking before she could get out of the hospital. But she didn’t want to spend that one hour inside the office with these two! They were making things awkward.

“Jagiya ~”

Heechul spoke in a way that was just so sappy that it made her wanna look at him and raise her brow at him. What was he up to?

“Oppa wants to take you out to lunch later”

“Erm... araso, Bum-ie you should join us!”

Heechul bit his tongue all of a sudden trying to keep himself from cursing; Bum smiled

“Nah, I should probably be going anyway”

“Ani ~ I haven’t seen you in a long time, we should catch up... he can join us, right Heechul?”

Heechul forced a smile on his face and released his tongue

“N-neh, you should join us”

-

“Yeoboseyo?”

Leeteuk answered his phone, placing down the magazine in his lap as he sat down in front of the mirror of a salon getting his hair done.

“Hyung, save me”

“Huh? What are you talking about Heechul?”

“I’m gonna strangle this dude if he doesn’t leave the next minute!”

“Aish, tell me what’s going on, I don’t understand you”

“Youngmi’s friend joined us for lunch and I could sense something is up with him! He brought her flowers hyung! Flowers!”

“And so? I bring Youngmi-ah flowers, Siwon does, Kyuhyun, Eunhyuk, Hae and everyone else”

“But this is different! This guy is trying to flirt with my girl and –“

Leeteuk could almost laugh

“Your girl? That’s new”

“AISH! Laugh later!”

Leeteuk puffed out a sigh and thought for a moment; the stylist tilted his head to the side

“Look maybe the guy is just really food friends with Youngmi-ah so don’t panic now okay? You might make a bad move, just smile and go with the flow then you can ask Youngmi later”

“Aigo ~ I wanna insult him so badly!”

“Who is he anyway?”

“Kim Bum! That actor dude you know!”

Leeteuk’s eyes widened for a moment; he has heard of Kim Bum and no doubt he’s from that drama Boys Over Flowers! That was a hit especially in the Philippines.

“Mwo? They know each other?”

“Obviously! I have to go, Youngmi’s gonna think suspiciously of me if I don’t get back to them soon”

The other line went blank leaving Leeteuk staring at his phone.

Meanwhile, Heechul placed his phone back in his pocket and went out of the restroom as if nothing happened and made his was to the two who were laughing merrily while he was gone.

‘Flirt’

He thought quietly, he took his seat once again and continued eating his food on his plate. Youngmi took a sip of her drink and turned to Heechul.

“Chullie-oppa, the coordinator called”

“Really? What’d she say?”

“She said that she found the perfect place for the wedding to be held and speaking of the wedding –“

She turned to Bum; Heechul actually prayed that she wouldn’t do what he thought she would do

“You should come!”

Heechul mentally felt himself screaming and breaking; his grip on the fork tightened. Bum thought for a moment.

“When is it?”

“In May”

Youngmi answered brightly smiling, he smiled back

‘Please say no, please say no, please say a damned no!’

Heechul chanted in his head almost begging.

“I’ll see if I can come but I can’t promise”

He didn’t know if he’d be sighing in relief or not but all he could was hope that he would not go to their wedding at all much more show his face around Youngmi after today.

-

Heechul was quiet throughout the whole drive to the coordinator’s office and Youngmi noticed. They had finished lunch and parted with Bum then they both drove off to see Haera –their coordinator for the wedding and Heechul was just so quiet that it made Youngmi uncomfortable.

‘Is this guy mad?’

She thought to herself, looking out the window.

“Hey Chullie”

She started but never looked at him nor even turned her gaze away from the outside.

“Hm?”

That was all he did, nonchalantly and uninterested.

“Are you mad?”

Heechul breathed out heavily as if releasing steam from his system.

“No...”

He forced out; he was definitely lying. Youngmi couldn’t believe what she just sensed in his voice, he wasn’t just mad and lying... he was jealous!

“I can’t believe this is happening”

She chuckled almost laughing.

“You’re actually jealous!”

Heechul abruptly hit the breaks causing Youngmi to lurch forward, good thing she wore her seatbelts.

“I am not!”

He yelled in defence as he shot her an angry look but Youngmi looked ahead, crossing her arms over her chest as Heechul drove once again.

“Don’t lie, if you wanna know the deal then just say so because I’m not gonna deprive you of your right to know”

He sighed and glanced at her through the rear view mirror

“Fine; who is he?”

“He was my ex-boyfriend”

***

It was way back in college when I was still in medical school and he was already on his way to rising as a star. He lived in the same street as me so we were practically neighbours with each other; my mother always found his aegyo such a blessing for him. When he got into an accident on one of his football games in middle school, my mom was his doctor so my parents and his parents are close.

Highschool came and we both spent everyday together and not a single day apart but it was nothing really, we just liked being around each other then there was college. He confessed to me on graduation day and we were together ever since; but it was difficult, I was off to medical school. We never gave up though; we would call and spend time whenever there was free time plus he proposed to me on our 2^nd anniversary.

***

“So why did you both break up?”

Heechul asked

***

He got discovered as a star then landed his first role until such time we grew apart. Worst part of it was, he called it off through text –I was preparing myself for my final exams during that term and I practically bawled all night and came unprepared the next morning. He said he was already too busy and couldn’t make time for me anymore plus he said that I’ve changed too.

I called him that night and kept asking him not to do it but he still did.

“Things are not working out anymore Youngmi –I have to stay in focus right now and you having to text me all the time are getting in the way. I’m sorry okay? But this is all for the best... and besides; the company doesn’t want me to have a girlfriend... maybe you could find another groom”

I wanted to slap him so hard that time but I couldn’t since it was just the phone.

***

“Actually, I was his doctor when he got into accidents and I still am”

Heechul rolled his eyes

“Transfer him to someone else”

“What?”

She raised a brow, Heechul sighed and spoke

“Get him another doctor, anyone but you”

“It’s not that simple you know...”

She grumbles. Heechul parks up the car and unbuckles his seatbelt, fixing his hair through the rear view mirror and got out as Youngmi followed. He lend out his hand making her look at it in confusion, he groaned before grabbing her hand and pulling her along with him inside the building.

He walked up to the coordinator’s secretary; she glanced up and smiled motioning us to get inside. She mouthed her thank you and he opened the door, dragging her along.

“Ah, the soon to be wedded couple is here!”

The ever so bubbly Haera chimed as they entered the room. They both sat, Heechul’s hand still gripping hers making Haera squeal oh so quietly to herself. Heechul cleared his throat making her turn back to them with full attention.

“Oh right! Uhm... well to start off, I’ve found the perfect spot for the wedding to take place in”

“You have?”

Heechul sounded almost as excited as Youngmi; Haera handed them a folder. Heechul released her hand and reached over, grabbing the file and opening it.

“Mayfield Hotel?”

She spoke, reading the name of the venue. It has photos and telling by the scenery of the golf course, it seemed like an approvable place to hold the wedding at.

“IT’S A FOUR STAR HOTEL?! WHAT THE –“

Heechul shrieked but was cut off short by Youngmi

“This is a great place to hold the wedding at! Book it away Ms. Haera and make sure he additional 450 rooms too”

“ARE YOU CRAZY YOUNGMI?!”

She snapped in his direction, the look on her face screamed ‘ OFF WITH MY WEDDING’ –she was just too much of a spender on this wedding and Heechul was feeling uneasy about it.