Beautiful Hang-over

“Can you believe it? He rescued the child and I heard he jumped into the water and dived in and out for more than thirty times. That’s amazing!” Xiah Boram, one of the matronly owners of the Island’s biggest restaurant, continued to babble as Dara tightened the bandage on her injured leg “The judge had always been a difficult man and trying to control his son like that… I can understand why the man had become wild during his teen-age years. The poor boy. It’s a good thing that he became a doctor instead of a lawyer as his father wanted… he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did right?”

“Uhmmm… yes Mrs. Xiah” she answered, though she had not been paying attention to the old woman’s words.

Although part of her was delighted and relieved that the Island was now treating Ji as a hero, another part of her felt as though it had been ripped out.

Maybe it was because she was just tired as she had not yet been able to fully rest. But if she was honest with herself, she knew that that wasn’t true. It had nothing to do with lack of sleep and everything to do with that kiss with Ji.

The kiss that had been interrupted.

The kiss that she messed up.

She kept reliving the moment and wishing she’d done things differently. She wished she’d yelled out “Mr. Yuri, it’s Dara! Yes! Head Nurse Sandara Park! And I’m kissing Ji Yong right now so could everybody just go away?” She wished she hadn’t been embarrassed. She wished she’d held on to that moment instead of letting it slip from her fingers… she wished…

Well… she didn’t know what else she wanted to wish for but she was sure she wanted to just stop thinking about it because she was going in circles without reaching anything that would bring back her peace of mind.They had kissed and she admitted it was a moment of weakness that had allowed him to breakthrough her barriers but she was regretting none of that.

What she regretted was not being able to totally push those barriers for after that night… she now understood why a lot of people like breaking the rules, being spontaneous and basking in the sun stark . It was exhilarating to just let go and be the person you’ve always dreamed to be.

“Well?” Xiah Boram asked her “You’ve been staring at my leg for quite a time now? Is there anything wrong with it young lady?”

“No, nothing” Dara said quickly and assisted the old woman to her feet.

“If you’re worried… maybe I could have Dr. Kwon take a look at my leg?”

She smiled and shook her head “You’re leg is healing as expected Mrs. Xiah. You don’t need to worry.”

That was one thing that was making it hard for her to not think about him. Everywhere she went, people were talking about Ji and asking her how the good doctor was faring.

His surgery was full from sun up to sun down and Minji was now finding herself pushing away people and scheduling them to be seen by other doctors.

“When do I need to be back then?”

“You can go back a week from now. Ask Minji to schedule you for one of the doctors.”

“I’ll have her schedule me for Dr. Kwon” Mrs. Xiah’s eyes were sparkling like a young girl’s and Dara couldn’t help but shake her head at her.

She closed the doors of her clinic and breathed a deep sigh.It had almost been a week since that night and from that time up until now, the only thing she had seen of Ji was his back when he was discussing and she had hidden herself behind a gas tank.

That was probably so crazy and unthinkable for Head Nurse Park but she couldn’t face him – not just yet.

She felt that he too was not too eager to see her as he had not searched for her at all.

“Ms. Dara?” Minji’s voice was on the other line when she dialed in the girl’s local.

“I’m not feeling too good” she told her and knew she would have noted surprise in the assistant’s face at her words. She had never – in her whole stay here – said those words that’s why she had been dubbed a “mother hen”.

“Uhmmmm… would you like me to get anything for you Ms. Dara?”

“No Minji. I just want you to inform Lee to take the patients for an hour. I will just take a nap and please make sure no one bothers me, ok?”

“Ok Ms. Dara. I hope you don’t go down with the flu too.”

“I hope so too” she answered and put down the phone.She pulled the curtains around her clinic’s bed and settled down. Just as she had been eluding Ji, sleep had been not kind to her too.

She had been running everyday just to tire herself more to induce sleep. She just got tired but didn’t get to sleep at all. That kiss – that moment with Ji had disrupted her thinking and she knew that maybe for him it was just another tryst and he might not mean for her to think of things like this but she cannot help herself.

It was stupid and absolutely self-indulgent but the truth was that kiss reminded her of how she had always admired him… ever since she was a high-school girl reading “The Count of Monte Cristo” and he had sat in the grass and talked to her without judgment.

“Haisssh” she muttered in frustration and closed her eyes.