The musings of the mind

As Ji predicted, every one of the haenyeos they visited were friends of his family.

One thing he was thankful for though was none of them were like the old snoops who had been mongering people around him for gossip. The elderly ladies were actually more than ecstatic to see him again and had plied him with offers to come and visit their homes where they’ll stuff him with food.

“What a handsome man you have now become” one of the closest ones to him and Seunghyun when they were younger – Rang Se Yon, announced to the rest of the patients in the mini made-up clinic after enfolding him in a hug.

“You have aged beautifully too Mrs. Rang.”

“Ow! You flatter me!” the seventy-five-year old answered after bending to hear him clearly.

Deafness was a common ailment for all of them. Pressure underwater affects the hearing and the more that one submerges without proper diving gear, the more that one becomes prone to this. Ji’s grandmother had suffered with deafness on her right ear even during her younger years.

Before beginning consultation, Dara had informed him that some of the haenyeos still refuse to wear hearing aids as they feel wearing the small things burdensome.

“You might have to talk a little louder with some of them and you have to expect that they’ll be asking for Seunghyun since some of them might not recognize you anymore. They might be hesitant at first to let you have a look but don’t push yourself to much on them ok? The more a person is pushy, the more that they’re actually doubtful” she continued as though afraid that he might not know how to handle them.

He was happy to prove her wrong though as as soon as the first matriarch walked in while they were just setting-up, he was instantly recognized and hugged in welcome.

News had spread around the small village of low stone-walled houses and grass roofs that Hyea’s grandson who had been gone for a long time was now back.

“I’m surprised they didn’t know I had returned already” he had uttered in an unguarded moment to Dara.

“Despite of the tenacity of the people in the central part of this island to gain news of your return and speculate, there are people who have lives of their own they would just like to focus on” she answered – a blow both to those gossip-hungry leeches and to him for thinking he was such a big news.

Ji smiled at her, amused at how she always reacted to him, instead of pissed off. Since his return, she always found ways to let him know that she wasn’t going to tolerate any foolhardiness from him should he suddenly put it in his mind to do it.

Bom had even informed him that Dara recognized and even peddled his talents to other people but was constantly afraid in the inside that he might do something to slip up – not with his job as a resident in the clinic but in other areas that MIGHT affect his work.

Looking at her now he had to give her credit for looking always calm and collected whenever she was around other people. He wasn’t sure yet but it seems that it is only with him that she seems to lose all that control.

Being forced to ride in his bike a while ago had shown him that and he chuckled at how absolutely irritated she was.

“Such a beautiful beautiful woman but much too proud” one of the haenyeos she was checking for blood pressure told her.

“You always say that to me Mrs. Kyo” she answered patiently – looking as though this was a topic many people broach upon her – as she removed the velcro straps on the patient’s arms “You’re blood pressure is as high as the last time we visited you. Have you already stopped eating too much crab?”

“But gejuk does not taste delicious if I do not use crabs.”

“Haven’t we told you before that there are still other dishes you can enjoy? You must eat things moderately or you could suffer a heart attack.”

“But I’ve increased drinking tea” the old lady answered cheekily.

“You have to balance everything my dear lady” Dara responded “Tea can only do so much to help you normalize your blood pressure, isn’t that right Dr. Kwon?”

“Absolutely Nurse Park” he answered as he wrote down a prescription for cough medicine to his current patient who was self-medicating.

He handed the prescription to the son of the old lady and advised him to take charge of all the medicine in the house and not let his mother drink anything she wants because she could only make things worse for herself. He said this with utmost sincerity and authority for he knew the culture of the haenyeos – they were usually the head of their families because they control the income and have such deeply ingrained beliefs in the hierarchy of one’s family that changes like this, though minimal, are sometimes viewed very negatively.

As Mrs. Kyo, assisted by Dara, sat down in front of him next, he noticed that her eyes were glittering with something he recognized – the look of a woman planning something impious.

“Do you have a family doctor?” she asked him as he listened to her heart through the stethoscope.

“None Madame” he answered “Hold your breath for three seconds when you breathe in and then exhale again, ok?”

“So… you’re a bachelor?”

“In every sense of the word Ma’am” he confirmed while checking for any irregularities with her heart beat, smiling at the possible things his answer to this woman could lead to.

“I saw you when you came in and I was surprised to see Nurse Park riding in a motorcycle” Mrs. Kyo related “She doesn’t like doing dangerous things very much.”

Ji laughed at her observation as he now checked her eyes.“She must like you to agree to ride on your bike” the elder woman added.

“Nothing is further from the truth ma’am” he immediately answered. He didn’t want this woman or any other for that matter thinking up things about him and Dara in their heads in spite of his amusement at how they could even think him and her as a pair.

He wasn’t going to be in this island for a long time but he didn’t want to be starting gossips despite pretending not to care about them.He knew he could handle those but women like Dara weren’t exactly the type who liked to be in the limelight.

“Then you must like her if you pushed her to ride in your bike” Mrs. Kyo concluded instead.

He shook his head in a helpless grin “I can sense that you’re a woman who doesn’t give up easily.”

“I was just thinking” the old lady answered evasively “I had ridden a motor bike when I was younger and couldn’t help but think at how dangerous and how intimate it is.”

Surprising images caught Ji off guard and he had to pause before giving an answer. He had to give the old lady credit. She was a woman with wit as subtle and sharp as a double-edged sword. “We work together Mrs. Kyo… what you are thinking is next to impossible” he told her in gentle warning.

He didn’t want the woman even telling Dara about this coz it was absolutely out of this world.

Instead of looking subdued, the old lady seemed happier by his answer “It was just a thought my son... I mean nothing by it” and she smiled knowingly, flustering Ji deep within.

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Porcelain

As they packed up for the day, Ji asked Dara who’s in charge of the clinic whenever she leaves on community services like this.

“It rotates amongst all the nurses” Dara answered while making sure that the whole place was scrubbed clean “I want all of them to get a chance to run the place at least once in a month so they can experience handling people and know what they need to do should I not be available. I commend those who step up to the task and guide those who fail. It’s important for me that they learn more than what they are just taught at school.”

“That’s great” he told her and saw her contort her brow at his unexpected praise.

“Uhmmm… thank you” she answered a little awkwardly.

“Doctor!” a woman called out from the outside.

“We’re still here” Ji answered and opened the door.

“Anyeong Dr. Kwon” the woman – about the same age as Dara maybe – holding a child on her right hand, was carrying a basket on her left.

“Min Ga!” Dara greeted and stopped from what she was doing.

“Oh Nurse Dara! I just came by to bring you some sweet dumplings!”

“That is sweet” Dara answered as Ji just looked on. “My husband just came from Taiwan again and brought these. I reminded him how much you and Dr. Choi enjoyed these the last time you visited mother and so I brought some for you and Dr. Choi and also Dr. Kwon here.”

“Why thank you” Ji responded.

“You are very welcome Doctor” Min Ga answered and extended her right hand “I am sorry I have not properly introduced myself. I am Kyo Min Ga, Mrs. Kyo’s daughter-in-law, and this here is my young boy, Seulwon.”

Ji shook her hand and smiled at the young inquisitive boy “It is great to meet you.”

Min Ga handed him the basket and gave her regards to Seunghyun. “I hope we get to see more of you Doctor. Mother seems to really like you” she commented.

Ji smiled “Tell her that I like her too.”

“We’ll be going now” she informed them and then looked at her son “Come young man, I know you want to kiss Nurse Dara goodbye… go on now.”

The boy smiled at this and immediately looked with stars in his eyes at the Head Nurse. Dara bent down and let herself be kissed on the cheeks. Seulwon was not shy at all and peppered both of her cheeks with kisses.

“He keeps saying he’s going to marry her someday, you know” Min Ga shared with Ji as they watched the two “and he also keeps saying he wants to be a Doctor so he can work at the clinic.”

“That is cute of him” Ji uttered as finally, mother and son waved good bye to them.

“Seunghyun’s house is some way off mine so can you give his share of these dumplings instead?” she asked him as Min Ga and Seulwon disappeared from view.

“No problem” he answered and reached for his backpack and helmet “Do we go now?”

Dara nodded and Ji noticed that Seulwon had left hand marks on her face.“Uhmmm… Nurse Park, I think you got a streak of dirt on your face.”

“Ow!” she exclaimed and immediately wiped at her face with her palm, much like a kid, further smudging the streaks.

Ji curled an eyebrow at this and stopped her. “You only spread the dirt on your face more” he informed her and reached in his pocket for a handkerchief “Let me do it” he ordered and gently wiped at the marks.

Dara looked very surprised at this but he just smiled at her and continued until the smudges of dirt were gone. He pocketed his handkerchief and turned around to head for the bike.Dara had not immediately moved as she had not expected him to be that gentle at all.

“Nurse Park!” he called out as he had already the engine and saw her still standing at the mini-clinic’s entrance as though transfixed.His voice seemed to have woken her from a trance and she immediately walked towards his motorbike. She reached for the other helmet and settled herself behind him.

Making sure she was good to go, Ji felt her hands go around his waist and involuntarily thought of Mrs. Kyo’s words. He looked down to see Dara’s white white hands against his ebony black jacket and remembered how soft her skin had felt and how clear it looked while he wiped away the dirt from her face.

“WARNING! WARNING!” red lights flashed across him.

“Don’t even go there!” he scolded himself in his head and tried to bring his focus back on the motorbike “One week in this island and you’re already turning cuckoo.”