ChapterOne

Park Soo-Kyung picked at the pins holding her hair in a bun, and gave a soft sigh as her locks tumbled down. That feels so much better!

She massaged her temples as she stared at the pile of paperwork in front of her. How can one person have so many reports to write?

That was the one thing she hated most about her job – the paperwork. She loved being a medical social worker; she had always wanted to help others and putting a smile on their faces was the best reward she could receive. This job was perfect for her. It gave her the opportunity to work with people and she derived great satisfaction from just being a listening ear to her patients.

But this – her gaze swept over the numerous files on her desk again – this, she would gladly give up. She hated that most of her precious time was either spent on writing letters to other government agencies, requesting for financial aid and other help for the patients or filling out yet another report on the patient’s physical and psychological condition for official records.

I could be doing something so much more productive, she sighed. Like talking to the wife of the patient in Ward 12, who had been a nervous wreck when her husband had been brought into the emergency department following a horrific car accident, but was now a talkative woman who loved to regale the staff with anecdotes of her love story.

Nevertheless, she hankered down to the task ahead of her, presuming that the faster she got them done, the earlier she could get out of the office.

She picked up the first file, a brown folder labeled simply “Park Chang Euk”. Who was this? She wrecked her brain, trying to place a face to the name. It usually wasn’t too difficult; she knew most of the patients she’d been assigned to very well.

Ah. A mental image of the patient in question surfaced, and she remembered meeting with him for the first time after his bypass surgery. Park Chang Euk had been weak, but his mind had been clear. She remembered his son, Jung-su, whom she often conversed with, and his wife, who spoke to her only when it was necessary.

Park Chang Euk was a special patient. She’d found out from her colleagues that he was actually a very prominent businessman who headed one of the major conglomerates in Korea.

Chaebol family, went the whispers. With it came the added stress upon his medical team, Soo-Kyung included, because it meant that the hospital’s board of directors was constantly checking on his progress. It didn’t help that some of the senior doctors and members of the board were Park family friends. One wrong move from the junior members of his medical team and their jobs would be in jeopardy. VIP patients were a lot more complicated to deal with, usually because their families were more demanding and many times, there were inquisitive reporters to deal with as well. Somehow, every single movement they made was headline-worthy.

What am I to write in his report? Soo-Kyung recalled Jung-su’s reaction when she had first introduced herself to him, just before his father had been wheeled into surgery. Jung-su and his cousin – wait, what was his name? Oh right, Choi Siwon – had been surprised when she told them she was a medical social worker, immediately jumping to the conclusion that she was there because she thought they needed financial help for the medical bills.

Need financial help, my , she scoffed to herself. The family could afford to finance a hundred hospitals and it probably wouldn’t even put a dent in their bank account.

Since that first meeting, she had made it a point to speak to Jung-su privately, and after some prompting, he had voiced his concerns over his mother’s reaction to his father’s heart attack. The older lady obviously did not take it well, but she had rallied with the support of family and friends. Soo-Kyung tried to reach out to her, but never got a good opportunity – Mrs. Park was almost always accompanied by family or friends who occupied her attention and Soo-Kyung had never managed to say more than two sentences to her.

Soo-Kyung frowned to herself as her thoughts went back to Jung-su’s cousin, Siwon. He had been wearing a black suit that day, the first two buttons of his shirt undone and his hair a little messy, as if he had been running his hand through it in frustration or anxiety.

He had stared at her intently as she spoke to Kang Dae, sending slight shivers down her spine. She wasn’t sure why, but she knew the resultant goose bumps she felt on her arms were not just a result of Siwon’s handsome features. His gaze seemed to bear a path right into her soul, and when she met his eyes, she felt like he was unearthing her deepest and darkest secrets.

Why the hell am I even thinking about him? She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the direction her thoughts had taken.

He was extremely good-looking, she admitted to herself. And he had looked very y in that suit, which had clung to him like a second skin. Wait, what? Did she just use y to describe a patient’s family member?

Not very professional, a small voice in her mind announced.

She wasn’t supposed to have thoughts like these. But you are, came the evil voice again. Part of her professional ethics entailed always behaving appropriately towards her patients and their families. Which meant that the sort of thoughts currently through her mind was not acceptable. Not according to her Social Worker Ethics handbook, anyway. Anything more than professional courtesy and empathy was strictly frowned upon.

Soo-Kyung shook her head again, hoping to wash out her thoughts. Focus, she berated herself. Taking a deep breath, she settled down to read her case notes on Park Chang Euk, determined to place all thoughts of his nephew out of her mind.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Tucking one hand into his pocket, Siwon watched the numbers on the elevator climb slowly. He was back at the hospital again to visit his uncle. He had been worried; Chang Euk was his favorite uncle and they were close. He knew Chang Euk had health problems; when one worked as hard as his uncle did and neglected a lot of things like health in the progress, it was not a big surprise. But it had shocked him to see his uncle hovering on the brink of death after his heart attack. In that moment, he realized that his uncle could be snatched from him anytime, and it had scared him.

The elevator made a ding sound, and came to a halt. The doors opened, and his hand automatically went to the “Door Open” button. A female entered, her head bowed as she looked through the files in her hand. Almost as an afterthought, she suddenly jerked her head up and muttered a thank you.

Siwon jolted out of his reverie just as her eyes widened in surprise. Those familiar gray orbs flickered in recognition, and Soo-Kyung hastily bowed in greeting. “Mr. Choi.”

Siwon didn’t know whether to feel smug or elated that she obviously remembered him. Today, she had swopped her business suit for a cream-colored blouse and black pants. Two tiny diamond studs adorned her ears, and apart from her watch, she wore no other jewelry. No ring on her hand, he realized, and then started. Why was he thinking about that?

He snapped out of his quiet assessment of her to give her a quick bow in return. “Ms. Park. How are you?”

“Fine, thank you,” came the polite reply. “And yourself?”

“Doing well, thank you.”

Realizing they had nothing else to say to each other, both abruptly turned their attention to the numbers on the elevator screen, as if the increasing digits were suddenly the most important thing in the world. The small space was quiet, except for the quiet hum in the background as the elevator continued its upward journey, and the light breathing of its occupants.

“Are you…” Siwon began, only to be cut off by something ringing.

He hadn’t realized it was her phone, until she whipped the device – a Blackberry – free of the holster at her hip in one swift motion and placed it at her ear.

“Yes,” was her monotonous greeting. She sounded bored, and Siwon thought he detected a hint of frustration in her voice.

Siwon raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t seen her look at the caller ID, and that certainly was not a typical acknowledgement one gave a caller.

Her conversation continued, and Siwon unabashedly eavesdropped, trying to determine who was on the line. It was not an easy task, since he couldn’t hear the caller, and all Soo-Kyung seemed to be uttering were single syllables.

“No,” she said. She paused to listen, then “No” again. The caller said something, and she snapped “No!” in a harsher tone before hanging up.

Her face was cloaked in irritation, but when she noticed him looking at her, she quickly smoothed her features into a neutral mien, and gave him a small grin. “I’m sorry, you were saying?”

Siwon opened his mouth to reply, and was again cut off by her ringing phone. This time, the ringtone was different, and she seemed a little flustered as she answered.

“Seung-heon?”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

“Mr. Choi.”

Soo-Kyung heard her voice, but she didn’t remember opening to speak. She felt her body straighten, as if out of a bow. Did I bow to him? She couldn’t remember.

She had been waiting for the elevator, looking over her report on Park Chang Euk before she submitted it, and her thoughts had once again drifted to the patient’s nephew. She wondered if he would come back to visit his uncle; they seemed to be a close knit family, from the way Siwon interacted with Jung-su, and from the obvious concern on his face when he saw his uncle being prepped for surgery.

Siwon was once again staring at her intently, and she felt goosebumps prickle as she met his gaze. She noticed his eyes travel downward, over the length of her body. Whoa… is he checking me out?

When his eyes returned to her face, there was nothing in his countenance to indicate if he found what he saw to his liking, but Soo-Kyung could have sworn she witnessed a flash of surprise in his eyes. What is he surprised about?

Mentally, she ran over her clothes. Cream-colored blouse with black lace ts on the edge, which was a respite from her daily suits, yet formal enough to ensure she still looked professional to meet her patients. And then there were her smartly pressed black pants, paired with her trusty black kitten heels. Nothing out of the ordinary there; her clothes might be slightly boring, fashion-wise, but when you spent hours traipsing across the hospital, comfort trumped style.

Just as she finished with her internal assessment of her attire, the man in front of her bent gracefully, and his voice – oh, that smooth voice with its gravel undertones – reached her ears. “Ms. Park. How are you?”

Her “Fine, thank you” came automatically, and without a second thought she inquired, “And yourself?”

Again, she startled herself with the words coming out of . Her voice seemed unnatural to her, a little bit strained to her ears. What was it about this man that made her feel so uneasy?

“Doing well, thank you” was his polite answer, and she felt a little disappointed. What were you hoping he would say to you?

Belatedly, she realized she was staring again, and hurriedly turned her gaze away, hoping for something neutral and a little less intense to focus her attention on. There – the elevator screen! In contrast to his dark gaze, the flashing green digits were a welcome sight. She could feel the tension roll off both of them, though she didn’t exactly understand how that came about. They barely knew each other.

She concentrated on the numbers, hoping to ease some of the awkwardness she felt just by looking at him. Soo-Kyung silently debated if she should say something to him – he was, after all, a patient’s family member and she was said patient’s social worker. She was mentally going over appropriate topics in her head when he suddenly asked “Are you...” only to halt after the first two words.

It was then she became aware that her phone was ringing. As her mind cleared, she recognized the ringtone; one she’d specifically set for this particular caller.

Letting out an inward sigh, she unholstered the Blackberry and intoned, “Yes.” She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“Ms. Park, this is Hong Joon-seo. We need to meet; I have papers for you to sign.”

Soo-Kyung fought against the urge to hurl her phone against the elevator door. “No.”

“You can’t put this off forever, Ms. Park,” came that annoying voice again. “You know you’ll have to sign the papers, sooner or later.”

“No,” she bit out, wondering how many times she needed to utter that word before the man would understand.

Hong Joon-seo was speaking again, but she tuned him out. This was possibly the fifth or sixth time he’d called her that week, asking her to sign those papers. Your duty, she remembered his first argument. You can’t turn your back on it.

I can and I have, she had retorted, before promptly hanging up on him. He had not relented, and during each subsequent phone call, Hong Joon-seo had become more intent on persuading her to do as he asked.

He was in yet another of his monologues, extolling the benefits of her signing those damned papers, and Soo-Kyung decided she finally had enough of the man. “No,” she snapped again, in a more caustic tone than she intended, and then hung up.

Choi Siwon was still looking intently at her – no, this time he was openly staring, no doubt wondering at her rude tone. She hastily offered a sheepish grin, recalling that he had begun to say something before her phone had rung. “I’m sorry, you were saying?”

He was just about to answer her – and she was eagerly anticipating the question – when the device in her hand started vibrating yet again. Hearing the familiar tone of the emergency call, she answered, already dreading what she would hear. “Seung-heon?”

“Kyung,” Seung-heon sounded like he was running as he spoke. “Code red in one-oh-two!”

.

Soo-Kyung fumbled for her staff card as she heard his message.

“I need you to…” Seung-heon continued, but she cut him off, already knowing what he was going to say. “I’ll be there in two.”

Staff card in her hand, Soo-Kyung placed it near the reader beneath the lift panel, and typed in a quick code. The elevator moved a little faster and then came to a sudden stop. When the doors opened, her staff card was already back in its lanyard holder around her neck, and she took a deep breath as she stepped out.

She forgot all about the man in the elevator with her.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

What the hell was that?

Siwon stared after Soo-Kyung in bewilderment as the elevator doors closed. One moment she had been smiling up at him, waiting for him to finish his question, and the next minute she was functioning like a robot, keying in secret codes into the elevator panel and then getting out without so much as a backward glance at him.

And who the hell was Seung-heon?

Soo-Kyung had seemed to know what the second call was about even before she picked it up. As she lifted her phone to her ear, her other hand had already began to fumble at her lanyard. Siwon remembered she kept her staff card there, and wondered why she was reaching for it.

“I’ll be there in two,” she had told the mysterious Seung-heon, and the card reader on the elevator panel had beeped.

The words emergency flashed on the screen above his head, and Siwon felt the elevator jerk before moving again. Only this time, instead of going up, as it originally had been, it was going down. He barely registered which floor they’d stopped at, only noticing that Soo-Kyung seemed straighten a bit before she stepped out.

It was only after the doors closed behind her and the elevator resumed its upward climb that he realized that she had not bade him farewell.

He spent the rest of the elevator ride wondering why her little oversight bothered him so much.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *