Chapter Five

I placed the necklace in my hand and twirled it with my fingers as I was waiting for Choa and Way to come. I was sitting at a table near the window overlooking the garden. Right now, it was a few minutes to 2 p.m and lunch hour had already ended so, there weren't many people in the cafeteria. Luckily, the cafeteria was operated for 24 hours which was a convenience for the doctors and hospital staffs, and did I ever mention about the food? They were fantastic! I never knew a hospital cafeteria's food was this delicious.

Anyway, when I saw the two figures walking pass the main cafeteria door, I quickly put my hand up. "Yah, right here." They saw me and walked over. 

"Have you eaten too?" Way asked when she arrived at the table.

"I'll just eat this sandwich." I showed her a packet of egg sandwich. Choa took a seat in front of me.

"Oh, really? Are you two dieting or what? I'm going to get myself a proper lunch, then." Way said and went to the food counter.

Choa shook her head slowly and sighed. "My sister is a pig. Yaah, you should diet too. Try a three-kg diet." She said loudly and sneered. "Anyway, let's talk." She turned to me and smiled.

I returned her smile. "Okay." I took a breath and let it go loudly. "It's 100 percent true. It is between Gummi unnie and Soyul." I nodded, feeling confident with my answer.

Choa narrowed her eyes as she was deep into thinking. As she was contemplating of what to say, Way came with a tray of food and sat next to her sister. "But you said she was in the ER yesterday. So, that must have meant that she was a patient, specifically one of the car victims, right? But both of them looked perfectly fine this morning. There's no way they can heal that fast, right?" Choa finally said.

I shook my head. "No, there were many people in the ER that day, remember? It doesn't mean she is one of the victims. She might coincidentally happen to be in the ER the moment when the car victims were brought in. It makes sense, isn't it?" I pointed my forefinger back and forth at Choa and Way and smirked, hoping that one of them would at least agree with me.

To which, Way nodded as she slurped her fresh orange. "Actually, Ellin was right. Soyul was indeed in the ER yesterday." Choa and I gasped, hearing her answer.

"Really? Soyul? So, that means Soyul is....." Choa trailed off, unable to finish her sentence as she realized what I just told her was true. She looked at me and we were both looked equally shocked, knowing well what the rest of her sentence was.

"No, no." Way cut in, shaking her hands. "Of course, she was with Gummi unnie. Both of them were receiving a personal tour from Dr. Jung around the ER." She continued and took a spoonful bite of her rice.

"Yaah," Choa smacked her sister's hand, "you should say that earlier. You almost make us thinking  that Soyul is Ellin's secret girl." Way just flashed her eye smiles and mouthed, 'Sorry'. "But, how did you know?" Choa continued.

Way swallowed her food. "I texted Soyul just now asking if she happened to be in ER last night and she said 'Yes'." She glared at Choa who was staring at her in disbelief. "What? You can't believe that your sister is smart enough to ask her that? I'm pretty smart, you know. How do you think I passed the med school, huh?" She blinked proudly and shoved another spoon of rice into .

Choa lifted her thumbs at her then faced me. "Anyway, what you're going to do?" 

"I don't know. First, I am going to act normal, just be their friends. And try to control this feeling that keeps acting up when I am around them. Yeah, I'm going to do that." I stared into the air and bit my lower lip. 

Choa shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "To be honest," she started, "Gummi unnie kind of makes me feel the way you always described. She seemed a little bit different like any other average woman. I don't know, maybe that is just my feeling. You, Way?" She turned to Way.

Way didn't look up from her food and answered. "Me? I didn't feel anything. Maybe because I knew her." She paused and took a gulp of her drink, "But, it was your fault actually. Ever since yesterday you kept going over about the 'weird feeling'. Now, you're making my sister to become a weird person too." Way pointed her finger accusingly at me. 

"What? Just eat your food." I shoved away her hand and Choa just shrugged at Way's words. Fifteen minutes later, Way, who just finished eating, had to go to get her report checked by Dr. Kim, leaving me and Choa. We walked from the cafeteria back to our overnight rooms. 

"Ellin-ah," she said.

"Mmm." I looked at her and she looked hesitated.

"You really like her?" She looked at her feet. 

"Yes." I nodded.

"Like, really really like her? Like, more than friends?" She added and her voice sounded different.

"I don't know. Maybe this is one-sided feeling. Hmm, let just say it's a No. I like her just like that. Why?" I replied.

Choa swiftly turned her head to face me and she beamed. "Really? Ah!!" She exclaimed happily and clasped her hands together. "That is good to hear." 

"Yahh, why are you like this? Is there anything you're hiding from me?" I crossed my arms across my chest and tapped my right foot impatiently. She just smiled and side-hugged me.

"Nothing. Let's just go." She said and dragged me with her. Choa could be really weird, at times.

That night, around a quarter before my shift started, I went to the ER alone as Choa and Way promised to just meet there. I was walking leisurely in the hallway with my hands in my front scrubs pockets when I saw a silhouette moving in the room I was walking pass. I stopped and looked through the window. Surely, someone, a man, was moving quietly in the dark.

"Mm? That's weird, why didn't he turn on the light?" I said to myself and walked over to the door. It read 'ER Dispensary' where all the drugs for Emergency Department where being kept. I opened the door and it seemed like my action surprised him. I heard some plastics where being shoved forcefully into a bag dangling from the man's shoulder.

"Excuse me, what are you doing in the dark?" I sensed the man was doing something he didn't want me to know. "What is in that bag?" I yelled.

He grunted. "Shut up! Go away." His deep low voice surprised me back. I was shaken, he wasn't a hospital staff judging from his all black clothes, but whatever he did was wrong and it was up to me to stop him. I braved myself to reach my hand over the light switch but realizing what I was about to do, the man started to run. 

"Wait!" I said, which was a stupid of me to tell the man to stop. He ran towards me and not knowing what to do, I shut my eyes bracing myself for the impact.

"Ugghh." I felt the air was out from my lungs as he pushed me hard with his body and began to fall backwards. Instead of the hard cold floor, a pair of arms caught me.

"Ah, are you okay?" The person asked and it turned out to be Soyul. Instead of answering her, I turned back to see the man running down the empty hallway towards the fire escape.

"Ah, that man!" I yelled and Soyul let me go and ran after the man. 

"Ellin-ah, what happened?" Choa asked and ran to my side with Way. She checked my body for any injury. "I saw he shoved you. You okay?" 

"Soyul-ie." I ignored and ran to the fire escape, where Soyul was huffing heavily with her hands on her hips. "Soyul, are you okay?" my hand reached her arm.

"I'll go and tell the security." Way said, noticing the situation at hand.

"I'll go with you." Choa followed her.

I turned my focus on Soyul and she just nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "I'm fine, but I lost the man." 

"It's okay. I don't think the man succeeded to take much from the dispensary." I assured her. The light in the fire escape wasn't switched on but the light from the hallway was enough for me to see Soyul's face glistened into sweats. Her body waved up and down as she tried to calm down.

I heard someone running and the footsteps were getting louder and nearer. Soon, Gummi unnie appeared from behind me. "Yaah, Soyul-ah. I heard what happen. You two okay?"  She hurried to Soyul's side. 

"Yes, we're both fine. But we lost the man, unnie." Soyul looked somehow disappointed and sounded sad. 

Gummi ran her hand down Soyul's back. "No, it's okay." She coaxed. "Let's go." We walked into the hallway. Way and Choa came running to our side.

"We've already told the security." Way and Choa surrounded me. "What happened, Ellin-ah?" Choa asked in worried. Quickly, I filled in everything I saw just now. 

"That is so dangerous. You shouldn't go in by yourself. What if the man had a knife with him?" Choa scolded. 

"But he was doing something suspicious in there. I couldn't risk the fact that he could be tempering the drugs. That could cost the lives of the patients." I defended myself and Choa cooled down as she saw my points. "You would do that too if you're in my shoes." 

"Let's stop fighting, shall we?" Gummi unnie got in between me and Choa. "Here's the thing. Ellin, could it be that you saw the man's face?" I nodded. "I can draw the composite sketches of the man based on your description and we can give it to the security for further actions."

"Unnie can do so?" I asked in awe and surprise. 

"Yes, I used to go to Art school." She glanced at her watch. "We still have a few minutes till our shift starts so, let's draw now. Soyul-ah, do you mind if you go first with Choa and Way? We'll get this thing done quickly. Please inform Dr. Jung as well." 

Soyul nodded and turned to the twins who looked hesitate to leave me. "It's okay, you girls go first. I'll be there in minutes." I assured them. 

"Really? Okay then, we go first." Choa said and walked away with Soyul.

"Now, come with me." Gummi unnie extended her hand to which I gladly accepted. As we walked, Gummi unnie asked me a few questions. My hear was still racing but I answered everything as I remembered as Gummi unnie walked us to a small empty office room. There was nothing much in the room except for three chairs, a organized desk and a bookshelf. A few photos of flowers and sceneries were hanging on the wall. Gummi held a chair for me to sit.

"Wow," I looked around as Gummi unnie took a seat in front of me, "I never knew this place ever existed in this hospital." 

Gummi unnie smiled. "Dr. Jung showed this room to me and Soyul. Let's just keep it between us, okay?" She threw me her charming smile and amazingly, it soothed me down. I returned her smile. "Now, describe me about the man." She took out a pencil and a paper.