Fifth Chapter
Wicked Fate by Kenzo
Shining leather jackets say it all
Ji was now officially staying in Jeju for a week. He had treated a total of 20 patients – all of them tourists – and had set a record of finishing the paper crossword puzzle in an hour.
“I’ve got a problem” he told the young Minji over the phone after seating inside his office for two hours seeing no one.
“What is it Doctor?” the receptionist asked in concern.
“Is the paper you gave me today’s paper?”
He knew without seeing her that she must have raised her eyebrow at that question “Of course Doctor.”
“But this is the crossword puzzle from two days ago” he complained “Do you have the number of the local daily? I’ll ask them –“
“Ms. Dara” Ji heard Minji utter, cutting him off without meaning to, then told him “Will it be ok for you to hold on for a while doctor? I just need to give something to Ms. Dara.”
“By all means” he answered but still listened in.
He could hear Dara’s soft voice quipping orders. He wanted to bet that right after instructing Minji to page the nurses who were going to go off-duty in an hour, she’d ask if it was him that Minji was talking to.
“Is that Dr. Kwon on the phone?” Dara did indeed ask, making him chuckle.
“Yes Ms. Dara” Minji answered.
“What does the good doctor want?” she asked next, her voice still temperate but her tone as sharp as a razor – spelling trouble for Ji should Minji’s answer not be favorable.
“Ow he just asked about the paper today” Minji answered huskily, as though she was the one who had been caught idling away instead of him.
“Has he seen anyone yet?”Ji didn’t hear Minji answer but knew that she must have shook her head.He heard shuffles and movement but didn’t know what was going on.
“Doctor?” Minji’s voice came out, checking whether he had held the line.
“Is she on her way up?” he asked.
“Yes she is” the young girl answered and before Ji could answer, he already heard the knock at his door.
“Thank you kid” he told Minji and put down the phone.Dara opened the door without waiting for him to open it.
Ji had not seen her this morning and was surprised to find her in casual clothes. She was wearing a white dress shirt, tucked in svelte blue jeans, and comfy-looking rubbers. Her hair was still tied back in a pony tail but Ji now saw that the glorious mane she had always tucked in a nursing cap could reach at least three more inches down her shoulder.
“You… look different…” he commented.
“And you look like you’re doing nothing” Dara answered and walked towards his personal mini-closet to take his leather biker jacket and handed it to him “Get up your feet, take your kit and follow me.”
“Huh?”
“Are you deaf now too?” Dara asked impatiently.
Ji exhaled and flashed his you-really-like-me-don’t-you smile at her “I’m not deaf Nurse Park. I heard you.”
“So, what’s with the question?”
“You’re ordering me to follow you where?”
“Seunghyun and I are supposed to visit the *haenyeo but he’s still seeing a lot of patients. The clinic gives a community of them in Udo a free check-up once a month and since you’re the one who’s free, you’re coming with me.”
“Ow” he uttered in understanding and immediately took off his white coat to wear the jacket she’d just handed him.
Ji felt happy at the knowledge that his cousin had continued their family’s tradition of lending a hand to the haenyeo. Their grandmother, the great Kwon Hyea, was one of the best haenyeo’s of her generation in the island and when she had been lucky enough to marry a trader from Seoul, she had never forgotten to lend a hand to her sisters.
However, apprehension at the thought of meeting the haenyeos after such a long long time came to cloud his mind as he followed Dara towards the parking lot.
“We’re taking my car” Dara told him.
“Why don’t I just ride my bike and follow you?” he asked.
“Coz I don’t trust you to follow me” she answered – as fast as a whip.
Ji smirked “Maybe you shouldn’t take me then coz while you’re busy with the elder women, I just might go around and flirt with their granddaughters.”
“I highly doubt they’ll flirt back with you” the Head Nurse answered confidently “You look like one of their uncles already.”
Ji laughed at that throwback. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised at all coz he was sure she was intelligent as hell but that biting wit was constantly surprising him in spite of working with her for a week now. Maybe he couldn’t get over how “stuttery” and “silent” she had been back in high school.
“Are you going to just stand there or do I have to drag you to the car?”His inner rebel streaked out at her judiciousness.
“It’s a great day to feel the wind” he told her and walked away from her car towards his bike “Let’s just meet up in Udo.”
“Doctor!” she protested.Ji didn’t seem to hear her as strapped on his medical backpack and mounted the bike.“Doctor, have I not just told you we are taking my car?”
Dara walked towards him, glaring with fire in her eyes.
“To which I replied that I will be taking my motor bike instead” he challenged.
“You’re really testing me aren’t you?”A small dimple pocked his cheek as he held both palms up and acknowledged the truth with amusement
“Guilty as charged” he told her, without looking as though he felt guilty about it at all, “Now, if you’re really worried that instead of following you, I might stray, why don’t you just ride along the motorbike with me?”
“Do you know how many people riding a motorbike die in a year???” she asked in horror at his suggestion.
“No” he answered nonchalantly and the keys of his motor
“So, are we going or what?” he asked her as he suited up and prepared to put on his helmet.
Torn in indecision and silently cursing the fates for giving her a prick in the neck such as Ji Yong, Dara stood there for a good thirty seconds before answering in irritation “You don’t have an extra helmet!”
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