ChapterThirteen

“Hello?”

The voice was distant, as if she had interrupted its owner in the middle of something. Soo-Kyung bit her lip, wondering if it was a bad time.

“Seung-heon?” She asked tentatively.

There was a slight pause, before he answered: “Yeah Kyung, It’s me.”

Soo-Kyung frowned. Seung-heon sounded distracted. She hoped it wasn’t a patient. Mentally running over a list of patients they had in common, she knew there wasn’t anyone who would cause Seung-heon such anxiety. It was unlike Seung-heon to be so occupied.

“Are you okay?” she asked. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I need the file on Baek An Woo.”

There was no answer, and for a moment, Soo-Kyung thought Seung-heon had hung up on her. Only his breathing assured her that he hadn’t.

“Hello? Seung-heon? Are you there?” Now she was not only worried, she was also curious as to what could have possibly held Seung-heon’s attention. It couldn’t be a relationship problem, could it? As far as she knew, Seung-heon wasn’t dating anyone. Whenever the subject came up, he had always laughed and said he had no time for a woman in his life. Soo-Kyung had been afraid that he would interrogate her about her own lack of a love life, so she had never pried any further.

“I’m sorry, I was distracted. What were you asking me?” Seung-heon’s voice came back on the line, and Soo-Kyung fought the urge to laugh. He sounded like a ditzy blonde who had been caught daydreaming.

“What has you so distracted?” Soo-Kyung pressed. “I’ve been asking for my file for over five minutes now.” She tried hard not to giggle; in fact, less than a minute had passed, but she exaggerated, hoping to guilt-trip Seung-heon into telling her what was bothering him.

“Oh!”

Soo-Kyung really did burst out laughing then. He sounded so apologetic and so guilty that he had forgotten to hand her the file that she felt the need to further. “Yes, ‘oh!’ You were supposed to drop it off half an hour ago.”

She heard Seung-heon laugh nervously, but he remained silent. “Now you’re drifting off again,” she accused him.

“Are you busy? Shall I just come over and pick it up?”

“Aniyo,” came the immediate response this time. “It’s my fault, so I’ll bring it over to you. Give me five minutes.”

“Alright, see you then!” Soo-Kyung hung up, her mind already plotting the various ways she would make Seung-heon talk. She wasn’t a counselor for nothing.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

True to his word, Seung-heon appeared in her office five minutes later with the requested file in hand.

“Dr. Song!” Ye Rin called out, happy to see him. It was an open secret that Ye Rin had a crush on the dashing pediatrician, but Seung-heon had never returned her advances. Ye Rin didn’t seem to mind his rejections, Soo-Kyung thought with a smile, since she already had an endless line of suitors who constantly asked her out.

Seung-heon gave Ye Rin his best doctor smile; it was a professional gesture, the same one he used with all his patients and their families. He hoped it wouldn’t encourage her; Ye Rin had a tendency to talk his ears off if he gave her the chance.

Soo-Kyung saved him this time. “Ah, there’s my knight in shining armor,” she announced, rising from her chair and interrupting whatever Ye Rin had been about to say. “I thought I would have to jump through hoops for this file.”

She walked towards him, her hand outstretched for the file in question. As she moved, a flash of red caught his eye, and Seung-heon moved forward. “What’s that?” he asked, indicating the bouquet of roses which stood on the edge of Soo-Kyung’s desk.

“Ohhhh, those are from Soo-Kyung’s secret admirer,” Ye Rin shared from behind him. “Someone whose name starts with ‘S’.”

Seung-heon whipped his head around, feeling dread pool in the pit of his stomach. His worst fears were coming true.

“Choi – Choi Siwon?” he blurted without thinking.

“Ah-ha!” Ye Rin punched her fist in the air triumphantly. “So apparently there IS something!” She waggled her eyebrows at Soo-Kyung.

“What?” Seung-heon couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Soo-Kyung? And Siwon? Together?

He turned back to look at Soo-Kyung, who was impatiently brushing the fringe from her face. “Ye Rin-sshi, not this again. I told you there’s nothing going on between us.”

“Choi Siwon sent you flowers?” Seung-heon demanded, his tone fierce.

Soo-Kyung gave him an odd look as she replied: “I don’t know. The card was only initialed. I can’t be sure.”

“Why would he send you flowers?” Seung-heon felt anger fill him. “Isn’t he your patient’s family member? Isn’t it unethical?”

“I don’t know!” Soo-Kyung burst out, annoyed by the barrage of questions. She had no idea why Seung-heon was behaving this way. Why was he so certain that the flowers were from Choi Siwon when she wasn’t even sure? And even if they were, why was he getting all hot and bothered over it?

Seung-heon advanced towards her, making her take a step backwards before she caught herself. Why was she feeling so intimidated by him?

Soo-Kyung lifted her chin defiantly. “Why is it any of your business who sends me flowers anyway? And his uncle is no longer my patient, so there’s nothing unethical about it.” She paused mid-tirade, then softened her voice a little. “That is, if the flowers are even from him.”

“Oh yes, they are.”

Three surprised heads flipped in the direction of that statement, mouths hanging open in shock. Lounging casually in the doorway was none other than the chaebol in question, Choi Siwon.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

“Oh yes, they are.”

Siwon drawled the words out, making sure to emphasize each one. He’d arrived at Soo-Kyung’s office just after Seung-heon, but had held back from entering when he heard Soo-Kyung greeting the doctor with such familiarity.

His stomach clenched, and he had been about to walk away, convinced that Soo-Kyung was more than just friends with Seung-heon, but had stopped when he heard Seung-heon inquiring about the flowers.

The flowers that he had sent.

Siwon wanted to hear what Soo-Kyung had to say about the flowers, how she would explain receiving fifty roses from an unknown stranger to her boyfriend. ersely, he had wanted her to brush the flowers off, or make an insensitive comment about them. He would then have been able to walk away and forget about her.

But Seung-heon’s shocked mention of his name surprised him. How did the doctor guess it was him who sent the flowers? Had Soo-Kyung mentioned their encounter?

He heard Ye Rin’s victorious remark, and was puzzled by it. Why did she sound so happy about the possibility of something between him and Soo-Kyung? And more importantly, why was she expressing it so freely in front of Soo-Kyung’s boyfriend?

Soo-Kyung’s next words cut through him. “There’s nothing going on between us,” Siwon heard her say. Although he knew every word was true, it didn’t stop his heart from hurting, there and then. He knew she was making her choice clear.

Again, he had been about to walk away, but Seung-heon’s harsh words stopped him. The other man sounded livid that he had sent Soo-Kyung flowers, and for a moment Siwon was gripped with the fear that Seung-heon would take his anger out on Soo-Kyung. Siwon didn’t know what the doctor was capable of, but he wasn’t about to let Soo-Kyung take all the blame for something that was essentially his doing.

He peered into the room, only to catch sight of Soo-Kyung’s bewildered expression as she explained about the card. Siwon relaxed a little; Soo-Kyung didn’t seem too bothered by Seung-heon’s outburst, if anything, she seemed confused by it.

Siwon saw Seung-heon step towards Soo-Kyung, and he felt a burning rage sweep through him. Soo-Kyung had retreated backwards, a clear sign that she was aware Seung-heon was intimidating her, and there was a sudden flash of fear in her eyes before it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by quiet anger.

“Why is it any of your business who sends me flowers anyway?”

Siwon froze at her words, the meaning behind them dawning clearly on him now. Soo-Kyung wasn’t dating Seung-heon. There wasn’t anything between them any more than what was between him and Soo-Kyung.

A sudden joy overcame him, and he felt dizzy with relief. Soo-Kyung wasn’t any other man’s woman. She could be his, if he seized the chance that fate had presented him with.

Soo-Kyung’s voice had lowered. “His uncle is no longer my patient, so there’s nothing unethical about it,” he heard her say. “That is, if the flowers are even from him.”

Sensing the opportunity, Siwon stepped through the doorway, leaning casually on the doorframe as if he hadn’t been filled with conflicting emotions barely five minutes ago. Three astonished faces had turned to stare at him, but no one dared to speak.

“I wasn’t sure what your favorite flowers were, Soo-Kyung,” he addressed her, ignoring the other two. “But I figured that I couldn’t go wrong with red roses.”

Siwon was dimly aware of Ye Rin breaking into a grin, but Soo-Kyung remained mute. He smiled at her. “Aren’t you going to say anything? Thank me, at least?”

She stared at him for a while, as if unsure what to say. Ye Rin nudged her, and Soo-Kyung immediately offered a slight bow. “Thank you,” she responded coolly.

“Do you like them?” Siwon asked.

Soo-Kyung gave the item in question a cursory glance. “The roses are beautiful.”

Siwon pressed again. “But do you like them?”

She met his gaze again, and Siwon saw the uncertainty flickering in the dark gray orbs. He had to wonder, what was Soo-Kyung so unsure about?

Before she could answer, a male voice spoke up. “Accepting flowers from a patient’s family is unethical.”

Damn. Siwon had forgotten that Seung-heon was still in the room. His dislike for the man increased with every minute, but he forced a jovial smile on his face as he addressed the doctor.

“How is that unethical, doctor? The flowers are an expression of my gratitude for the care Ms. Park showed my uncle during his stay.”

Seung-heon remained tight-lipped, unable to respond. The two men continued glaring at each other, each waiting for the other to back down, but neither was willing to do so.

Sensing a battle of male pride about to take place, Soo-Kyung hurried over to stand between them, forcing both of them to break their gazes and focus on her instead.

She plucked the file out of Seung-heon’s hand. “That’s for me, thank you.” Then she turned to Siwon. “The flowers are lovely, thank you. I accept the gratitude, but I’m afraid Seung-heon is right, that’s all I can accept from you.”

Brushing imaginary lint off her skirt, she was about to walk away when an arm grabbed hers.

“Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *