Avalanche

As though a truce had been made, everyone noticed that when Nurse Park came back to work after two days, she and Dr. Kwon had resumed the kind of professional relationship they once had – playing cat and mouse.

“Is she in?” Ji had asked Minji.

“Yes” the receptionist answered then hushed “and she just came from Dr. Dong’s surgery.”

“How did it go?”

“Not good” Minji told him, shaking her head “Sun Mi was in there and Nurse Park asked her very ‘politely’ if she could step out.”

“Sun Mi?” Ji couldn’t believe how Young Bae could have been so bold. Even he would not have done that.

“Well… she did injure herself really and now Dr. Choi’s looking at her but Nurse Park didn’t like it.”

“Make sure you don’t put in any of those pretty ladies in my schedule then. You know the Head Nurse, she doesn’t trust men who aren’t married – makes me think that she might not be able to settle down if she just trusts men who are committed… it could be scandalous right?”

Minji laughed aloud at this but suddenly stopped.

“Dr. Kwon, there’s just no stopping you is there? Why are you gossiping like a high-schooler when there’s a line of patients waiting to be seen outside?!?”

“It wasn’t gossiping… I mean, Minji already knows you hate men so nothing about that is new” Ji answered cheekily.

“I don’t hate men” Dara cleared “What I hate are people who lounge around when they’re supposed to be working.”

“Well, I hate those too” Ji told her “Isn’t that why I went here to ask if there were patients for me, Minji-yah?”

“Y-yes Doctor… you have one coming right now” the young girl answered, looking caught between two humongous rocks.

“You can hold that patient for ten minutes” Dara told Minji – not allowing the Doctor to escape so easily “Dr. Kwon and I have to talk.”

Ji followed the Head Nurse to his office while Minji signaled to him a “head-off” sign.

He smiled at her and mouthed “No way!”

Ji closed the door to his office and saw Dara standing beside his table. “Dr. Kwon, I do hope you understand that I’m not here to police you and everybody else into acting professionally. This is a clinic and you are a Doctor and I would expect nothing more than you fully owning who you are supposed to be.”

“That was small talk” Ji answered.

“Everything to you is small talk” she lurched and sighed, obviously very tired “And the truth is I don’t enjoy doing all of these all the time.”

He felt something squeeze him inside and he noticed that she had not yet fully recovered from that nasty flu she had a few days ago. He wouldn’t wonder too because she had pushed herself to immediately come to work despite not having fully recovered.

And it was a truth too that she wouldn’t have said those words if she wasn’t so tired.

“I’m sorry” he told her and without thinking about it, walked towards her and grabbed her in an embrace.

“Ow – “ Dara exclaimed but he didn’t care.Ji felt that she needed it, felt that this was the best thing to do right now. He didn’t let go of her and finally felt her relax – let go of all the tension that was building up within her from working for a good nine hours now. “I know you’re tired and I’m sorry that we always seem to give you headaches but we all believe that if there is anyone who can really do this, it’s you. You’re the best at this Dara…”

“You’re just saying that” Dara murmured against his shirt but he felt her smile.

“Of course I am” Ji teased and looked down on her “I always make it hard for you coz I know you can handle it.”

“Wow. I am absolutely flattered” Dara answered sarcastically and he laughed aloud.

But as he was doing these things now and since it has been absolutely bothering his mind, making him sleepless, making him try not to get caught up in all of it now but he was about to go crazy already… about to become nuts because he wasn’t one to always fight what he wanted and he wanted this… deep within him… he had wanted this the moment she walked in Seunghyun’s office when he first arrived… when she absent-mindedly tipped her glasses and it made his heart want her… he knew there was one more thing he needed to do now.

“Go out with me” he told her and smiled at how her eyes widened “I want to spend tonight with you.”