IntroducinG,

The charming,

yet Mysterious,

Dr. Jung

Mi Ra flinched. The unusual sting from her left hand had awakened her. “Aahhsskk..”  the peculiar sting could be felt from the veins of the hand, travelling up to her arm.

“Try to not move so much,” a subtle voice greeted her and she immediately opened her eyes to be greeted by the owner of the said voice.

“Sunbae..” she managed to croak. It was Donghae. The male was still wearing the same white coat she last saw him. Fiddling with the syringe in his hand, he just raised a brow to her. Mi Ra tried to search for that familiar smile on his face, but it wasn’t there.

“Your glucose (sugar) level is amazingly low,” he smirked at her. “but I had that fixed, so kopjeong hajima seyo. You were also dehydrated,” yet another smirk was given to her , to which only made her grit her teeth. “you know better to keep yourself hydrated, miss, don’t you?” he flicked her forehead, helping her to sit up straight.

“Oww..” she scowled. “Do you always torture your patients like that?” frowning, she pouted irritatedly to the namja, who was now chuckling at her cute responses.

“Only  to the special ones,” he smiled and pinched her cheeks. “Now..” Donghae pulled a chair nearby and sat comfortably before he began, “why don’t you start by telling me how you know Jung paksa-nim. Hmm?” he folded his arms and sat back in the chair.

Mi Ra felt a corner of her heart swell at the mention of the name Jung. She looked down, her hands were now gripping hard onto the white beiged-coloured blanket.

They were in the doctor’s mess (on-call room); where the new doctors, like her, were supposed to stay in for the first couple of months. Although feeling burdened she had to leave her grandmother and Sehun back at home, Mi Ra felt somewhat relieved that the SNU hospital mess was free from any form of payment, meaning she didn’t have to pay rent. Plus, she could save on the travelling cost. The doctor’s mess was practically in the hospital itself, so no travel cost at all.

A heave of sigh left Mi Ra’s chest.

“Jung—J-J—Jung paksa-nim..” she muttered and looked up to Donghae when she suddenly felt her hands were being touched by him. Donghae extended one hand to her, clasping onto it, making Mi Ra feel surprised at the sudden warmth.

Donghae’s hands were warm and they felt nice. So was the subtle smile nestling on his lips. “It’s Ok.. He told me everything..”

Hearing this, her eyes widen in shock. “He—he told you everything?!”

Donghae squeezed her hands tighter, “It’s Ok.. hey..hey.. it’s Ok..” he placed his other hand on the small of her back and tried to soothe her, detecting the panic reaction she was hurling within. “Don’t—don’t talk about it if you don’t feel like it. Uljima..” he pulled her into a hug, listening to the little sobs escaping from her. “Hey.. it’s me, after all. You know you can trust me, Mi Ra ya..”

“You think I’m dirty, right?” she muffled in his chest. “I’m dirty, sunbae.. I’m dir—“

“Geuman.. geumanhe..” he held her tighter to stop her from talking about unnecessary things. “Sshh.. it wasn’t your fault. Don’t say that. Wasn’t your fault, wasn’t Sehun’s fault. I don’t want to hear that anymore, understand me?”

***

The tray of meal he was holding was getting cold, Kyuhyun knew that. But it wasn’t like he could help it. His feet decided on themselves to not move. He can’t move. Mi Ra was supposed to be eating the meal he brought for her all the way from the cafe, because Kyuhyun was caring towards his beloved just like that.

Yes, countless times he had blamed himself for not making sure she ate well. He should’ve bought her a proper meal earlier. Then none of the s would have happened. He shouldn’t let her walk off with those guys. He should’ve—he shouldn’t have—the constant blaming was chewing inside of him for the rest of the day. It was really hard for him to keep his focus on the briefings and professional talks, when his mind just couldn’t stray from Mi Ra, thinking how was she feeling right after the fainting incident in the waiting room.

But he finally found the time to look for Mi Ra when their schedule for that day was finally over. Not even bothered to change from the shirt and pants he had all day, rushing to the cafe, practically begging the ahjumma there to make some porridge and some jjigae. And there he was, standing in front of the mess, with the tray of food in his hand, unintentionally heard the conversation taking place from outside of Mi Ra’s room.

Dirty? Mi Ra. Dirty? Jung paksa-nim? Sehun? Just then at that moment, Kyuhyun heard Sehun’s little voice echoing in his mind. ‘Omma!! Omma, yun! Yun!’

He remembered Sehun calling Mi Ra omma and he finally felt the reason he chose to believe that day was invalid. Irrelevant. There were other options and conclusions he had considered to reason out why the hell was a three year old calling a 24 year old his mother. But Kyuhyun didn’t want to dwell on that. Not on that day. Because to him, there was no way a lady like her would do such a thing.

Mi Ra was good looking—no, that would be an understatement. She was beautiful, in the most indescribable way a person could imagine. She was, in fact the most beautiful female Kyuhyun had laid eyes on. What more after getting to know her for a while, only to discover her little traits making her look even more beautiful on the inside. To him, it wasn’t the physical attributes he was attracted to anymore. It was beyond that.

Feeling a tug on the tray, which was still in his hands, he shifted his droopy eyes to his side.

“I told you, guraechi? She wasn’t much of an angel,” she offered him a smile, as she took the tray from the numb Kyuhyun.

A sly smile.

****

Right after Sora found Kyuhyun standing in front of Mi Ra’s door, like a frozen ice prince, she thought it would be better if she took him to the rooftop to get some fresh air. He had heard what he needed to hear, Sora thought.

“Why didn’t I—uhhukk--why I didn’t tell you??” Sora asked, choking on the porridge she was eating. The-porridge, the one which was meant for Mi Ra, perhaps surprised at why she was the one being questioned.  Kyuhyun asked her why the hell didn’t she tell him that Mi Ra had a son, that Sehun is her son.

“Why? Would that change your mind about her? Would you stop liking her?”

Kyuhyun thought about what Sora said. Would I? Would I hate her? That’s not normal, is it? I mean—it isn’t normal for me to like a person who already has a son!

Sora stared at the boy who had chosen to keep quiet instead of answering her and she sighed before saying, “Kyuhyunnie.. What I heard that day at Mi Ra’s house was just a little boy calling Mi Ra ‘omma’. I didn’t know--I didn’t know how--I wasn’t sure of anything at that time, ok?” she assured him, as her hand was placed onto her chess to show him that she wasn’t kidding. She didn’t like the look on Kyuhyun’s face. He looked hurt, but Sora wasn’t sure whether it was because of Mi Ra’s secret of having a son, or was it because she failed to inform him that she knew Mi Ra had a son. “All I’m saying is that everybody’s got their own secret, no?” she waved the spoon as she talked, confidently. “I mean—remember our course mate, Ji Hyun?” she paused to see if Kyuhyun reacted to her, but none found.

“Well she just had to work at that nightclub, you see. She didn’t have money. She didn’t get any allowance from her mom and dad. And working at that godforsaken night club was her only choice, Kyuhyunnie. Ji Hyun’s only choice was to become a .” explained Sora. “Maybe, just—maybe, it’s the same thing with Mi Ra. It’s just that--I don’t want you to hate Mi Ra, since you like her so much,” her eyes be rolling.  “That was why I didn’t tell you about her having a child, alright?,” making a sympathetic expression on her face, Sora slowly placed her hand onto Kyuhyuns arms, just right below his broad shoulders.

She rubbed her hands up and down his arms, attempting to ease whatever pain that was stirring in him. Yes, she could see pain in his eyes and she didn’t like that. To her, Kyuhyun is too special, too perfect to be feeling that kind of pain. You’re the cause of this pain, Mi Ra.. she silently cursed.

Kyuhyun was just sitting there, cross-legged on the floor. Nothing seemed to interest him at that moment—not the breathtaking view of Seoul from the SNU hospital, not Sora’s unforgiving-ly tight baby-T-shirt she was clad in, or the smell of her intoxicating perfume she had on. All there was dwelling in him was confusion and shock.  And disappointment.

Honestly, Mi Ra had not confessed to anything nor had she spilled any of her secrets she had been keeping in for so long. But Kyuhyun was sharp. He was the kind who could easily pick up hints and clues to a certain matter.

Hearing Mi Ra and Donghae at first talk about her being ‘dirty’ bewildered him a lot. But then, when Donghae mentioned the names ‘Sehun’ and ‘Dr Jung’, those faint clues began to clarify, putting the pieces of puzzles together, forming a what-seemed-to-him a clear picture, especially when he remembered that Sehun calls her by ‘omma’.

What else could it be? He thought, nonchalantly. Kim Mi Ra is dirty. She has a kid with Jung paksa-nim. Perhaps that’s why she fainted when she saw Jung paksa-nim.  She was too shock and surprised to see him here. Afraid that her secret would be discovered.

Argh! Molla..!! What the fu#k, Kim Mira. What the actual fu#k?!

He got up from the floor and walked to the edge of the rooftop, resting his body against the balcony. He ruffled his hair.

Some how, he felt betrayed. He felt that Mi Ra had betrayed whatever kind of relationship they had. No. They weren’t a couple. Mira had made sure he understood that the other night. But the feeling is still there. And none of them denied it.

Kyuhyun stirred from his daze when he felt warm hands surrounding his waist from the back. “Forget her, Kyuhyunnie..” Sora’s voice muffled against his back. “I’m here. I have always been,” she said and pressed her lips against the skin of Kyuhyun’s neck.

Almost immediately, he turned around to face her. No! I don’t like you that way, Sora, he wanted to shout and clear things up when Sora just hugged his waist from the front, even tighter.

But the rooftop door just had to open, at that moment. And who else just had to come to the rooftop at that specific moment? Well..  if it isn’t Lee Donghae and Kim Mira..