I GOT A STRANGER

CHAPTER 6 : ICE COLD

A/N : I'm late, as an apology; Double update. 

warning(s) as per usual. it doesnt take a grammar nazi to know how fail my English and grammar are. i've no beta, but if you still reading this, then I thank YOU. :)

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“PAM PA RA PAM PA RA PAM PA RA PAM~!”  (this song^^)

Eyebrows furrows and lips quirking, Jinyoung groans while her hands searching her phone to silent the alarm.

“ah…YUGYEOM!” Jinyoung huffs.

Once she grasps the phone, she noticed the screen flash a 5.30 number. She mentally reminds herself to strangle Yugyeom later for changing her alarm sound to a Pororo song. That boy always finds a way to . Realized she must wake up early to prepare herself and cook, she walks to the bathroom and wash herself.

Once she’s in the kitchen, Jinyoung put her phone on the kitchen counter and start to prepare the ingredients to cook breakfast. Being a lecturer and a student at the same time make she aware of the important of her phone. She has to keep it close all time just in case the college or her advisor sends her important information about her class or her thesis.

Around 6.10 am, her phone vibrates a notification of an incoming message. She raises an eyebrow. Who would text her this early?

From : omma

Jinyoung ah! Wake up already? You have to prepare breakfast okay, don’t forget that. Besides, Mark has to leave early, his shift start at 8am today, his mom told me yesterday. And don’t forget to take a picture of your cooking and send it to me arasso? No cheating!

Wahhh.. this is unbelievable. Whose mom are you? Me or Mark?

Jinyoung huffs loudly. It’s only day one and her mom already on Mark’s side. That is even worse than getting engaged to him in the first place.

Indeed, I only have you Gyeommie. And what…picture proof? Really now?? Looks like her mom didn’t trust her and want to pamper her golden son in law. Jinyoung rolls her eyes.

Wait, son in law? Is that really going to happen?

Jinyoung replied her mom text saying she’s already in the middle of cooking and will send the picture proof later plus lots of angry emoticons at the end of the text.

She continues cooking and it’s not that difficult since her mom and mama Tuan already loaded the fridge with all the necessity they brought yesterday. While putting the plates on the table, she notice lights come up from Mark’s bedroom.

She looked at the clock. Its 6.30am. He must have wake up already.

Finished cooking at around 7am, she took a picture and send it her mother. She intentionally cooks heavy breakfast today well because first, she wants to impress her mother that she’s not that unreliable and secondly, it’s their first breakfast together anyway. And both of them need good energy before going to work.

Jinyoung’s class start at 9am today, so she doesn’t want to be ready to go to work just yet, it’s still early. She will just have breakfast with Mark and wait until he goes to work then only she get herself ready.

Jinyoung sits at the table in the kitchen while waiting for Mark to come out while checking her phone. A text comes in.

From Gyeommie bear : Morning~! How’s Pororo this morning? ㅋㅋ

From Jinyoungie : Shut up! I’ll choke you later I swear~.

From Gyeommie bear : Why?~ it’s cute~! :P

From Jinyoungie : It’s noisy Gyeom, you know I’m a light sleeper, that’s why I don’t put such a loud cheerful song for my alarm. Ufffh >-<

From Gyeommie bear : Well, a cheerful song is what you need to start your day. What are you doing?

From Jinyoungie : Waiting for a prince to come out from his royal bedroom to eat breakfast. Omma force me to cook and send her picture proof. Can you imagine?! >.>

From Gyeommie bear : Really? Omma did? Wow. Haha, prince? What, are you falling for him already?

From Jinyoungie : The only thing that will fall is my punches to your pretty face my dear brother.

From Gyeommie bear : Hahaha…aww, Jinyoungie is angry over Pororo song..haha.

 

Just then, she hears a ‘click’ and a sound of door knob twisted. She types a quick “ttyl” and send to Yugyeom. Jinyoung stands up and start to pour the orange juice into the glass while looking towards Mark bedroom and waiting for him to appear.

Mark is wearing a soft baby blue long sleeved shirt tucked in neatly in a pitch black pleated pants that matches color with his necktie. His backpack is sling over his left shoulder and his doctor coat drape over his left arm.

In terms of look, Jinyoung know he can’t argue more how good Mark physical and outer appearance are.

Their gaze locked.

“Good morning.” Jinyoung greets first.

“..morning.”

“uhm, I’ve made breakfast, so come and have some before you leave to work?” she smile a bit.

Mark look over at the table and saw the food that Jinyoung already cooked.

“uh…I need to be at the hospital early, so….. sorry.” With that, he walks across the living room bypass the kitchen and went outside and closes the door.

Jinyoung watches the closed door for few moments and sit back down slowly. She look at clock, it’s 7.10 am. The distance from their house to the hospital is around 15-20minutes drive. She feel a bit disappointed but since Mark said he need to be early, so she just shrug it off and eat breakfast on her own.

She packs the rest of the food as her lunch pack because she hates wasting food. It’s money and time and there are people on the other side of the world facing starvation issue.

Ah! Forgot to ask him what time he will be back home~. Jinyoung smacks her forehead.

Just then her phone vibrates again. A picture was sent by her mother. It looks like a schedule or a duty roaster. On top of the roaster written a name: DR. MARK YI EN TUAN.

From : omma

Here’s Mark work schedule, Mrs Tuan send it to me since I asked for it. I know you won’t even ask him what time he will be back today. So make sure to keep it in checked so it’s easier for you to know when he will be back and what time you have to cook or don’t if he’s working overnight at the hospital.

It’s not I don’t want to, I totally forgot~ ufhh…omma and her newly beloved son in law.

From : Jinyoung

I’m sorry, but this is mama Tuan right?

Jinyoung joked.

From: omma

Park.jinyoung.I’m.serious.

From : jinyoung

Okay okay… arasso~ –.-

 

Jinyoung huffed again for the hundred times that morning and walks towards her own bedroom to prepare herself to work. If her mother knew Mark didn’t eat his breakfast this morning, she will definitely get an earful of nagging later. Despite Mark has his own reason for it, well she just knew her omma well. So she going to make sure she will dodge well the question about whether mark eat or not from her mother later. Better yet, she’ll just make up stories.

Jinyoung drives to her college and while on her way to her class she check Mark’s schedule again.

So today he’s going to finish early.

She noticed that Mark will finish at 6pm today and her class finish at 5pm. So she has plenty of time to cook dinner later.

She enters her class.

“Good morning all. Please submit your assignments to me before we start today’s class.”

          *

                         *

Jinyoung arrives early at home later that day and she start cooking dinner immediately. At first she doesn’t have any idea what to cook. But earlier that day, thanks to her mother “again” sent her info what is Mark favourite food. Even though Mark like most of western cuisine, he, strangely love to eat ‘jigae’ (soup) too. So Jinyoung already know what she going to cook and wait for Mark to return home later.

It almost 7pm when she hears Mark’s car enters their front yard. She already took bath and wears comfy clothes.

Mark walks towards his room and he almost jumps out of surprised as he heard someone talking to him. He definitely didn’t notice jinyoung is in the kitchen.

“I already cooked dinner, so after you clean up and change, come out and have dinner. I’ll wait.”

Mark look at Jinyoung for a moment.

“..uh..I…already had dinner…..at hospital café..so, good night.” Mark went to his room and closes the door.

Jinyoung frowned. Deeply.

It’s 7pm and he already had dinner?

She tries to shrug it off ‘again’ as she thought it’s partially her fault since she didn’t ask Mark earlier whether he will eat dinner at home or not.

And ‘again’ Jinyoung eat..alone. She cleans up the table (while chanting ‘omma can’t know this and cannot waste food) and keeps all the leftover food in the fridge so she can bring it to the college tomorrow as her lunch.

Mark sits on his bed and sighs. Actually, it’s not he already had dinner, in fact the last meal he had was his lunch earlier. Now that he’s back from exhausting day at the hospital he is definitely hungry. He just doesn’t want to eat with Jinyoung and don’t want to become all too friendly with her.

He checks his backpack and found a small packet of crackers.

Well, crackers it is.

*

          *

The next day comes and Jinyoung prepared breakfast as usual and took a picture as usual too (her mother makes it a daily routine for Jinyoung)

She left a note on the table.

“Hey, my class start early so I have to go first. Enjoy your breakfast.”

Jinyoung found out that Mark start his shift at 10 am today and it ends at 10pm. She made a mental note to text mark later if he’s going to eat dinner at home which means she has to cook it.

Later that afternoon, just before she drives home, she texted Mark asking whether he will eat dinner at home, and he said he’ll not and will just eat at the hospital.

Jinyoung arrived home around 8pm since she got a discussion with her tutor about her thesis paper. But when she was about to enter her room, she catches a glimpse of their dining table in the kitchen.

It’s still full of food. The breakfast she prepared for Mark is left ‘untouched’. And so does her note.

Jinyoung frowned.

She texts Mark.

Jinyoung : Did you eat your breakfast today?

Mark : Yeah, why?

Jinyoung : Where?

Mark : At the hospital café of course.

Jinyoung closes her eyes for a moment and text back.

Jinyoung : But I prepared breakfast, and I left it on the table in the kitchen..

Mark : Oh…I didn’t notice. Sorry.

And it ended like that. Jinyoung is still confused.

Doesn’t Mark even go to the kitchen to like maybe drink a glass of water and what not in the morning? Did he really not notice all this food on the dining table?

She looks at the food. This is such a waste. She started cleaning and throw all the food into the garbage bin while muttering ‘starvation, waste money and food value’.

*

          *

It’s Friday and Jinyoung only has her masters class today. So today jinyoung is a normal student. She took a seat and rests her forehead on her arms.

“Wow, class hasn’t start yet, but someone looks exhausted already.”

Jinyoung lifted up her head and look at the owner of the voice.

“ah….I’m not in the mood Youngjae ah.”

Youngjae, is Jinyoung classmate and he too, taking masters while working at the same time. But Youngjae is self-employed. He owned a café and Jinyoung used to love going there..well before she moved in with Mark of course. Her mother make sure that she doesn’t loiter around and just go straight home after work like a good fiancé she should be.

Youngjae’s café business is actually doing really good, but he just like to study so much, so he decide to further study and take masters. Besides, Youngjae is a man, Jinyoung’s mother will kill her if she still hang around with youngjae a lot after got engaged to Mark.

Youngjae is Jinyoung’s close friend. She still remembers how he talk to her first in class, and is really friendly and a genius too even though he is slightly younger than her. He finished his bachelor degree earlier than most of his batch. Their lecturer always praised him of having creative opinions in class too.  

“Well, you do look exhausted. What happened? Your students giving you a hard time?” he chuckled.

“more like my so called fiancé actually…” Jinyoung whisper but Youngjae caught it.

“Mark?”

Jinyoung breathes out. Just then their professor comes in and starts the class.

“let’s go to your café later after class.”

*

   *

“He what??” Youngjae put two cup of hot latte that he made by himself in front of Jinyoung.

She took a sip and shows thumbs up to Youngjae indicating that his latte is delicious as always. Youngjae smiles.

“yeah..”

“so… for the whole two weeks you’ve been living together he did not eat anything that you cooked? Like at all? None of it?” youngjae raised his eyebrows.

“yup.”

“babe, that’s mean,..hey I don’t want to be a black angel and tells you he’s mean boy whatsoever but hey it’s a waste okay?”

“Well I don’t know about mean, maybe he just don’t like to eat at home. But you have no idea how much food I have to throw away because he doesn’t want to eat it. But I still have to cook every day or else mom will kill me.”

“So your mother doesn’t know?”

“Nope, and I don’t want her to know. Because trust me, at the end of the day she will just blame me~. I’ve been making up stories every time she asked though.” Jinyoung sighs.

“So you start to noticed he doesn’t like to eat at home?”

“I mean, at first I totally understand and I thought he just didn’t noticed or already ate somewhere. But, when every time, he makes all sort of excuses not to eat breakfast with me, or dinner or any food that I left for him, I really started to think the reality you know.”

“Why don’t you cook for me every day instead?” Youngjae wiggles his eyebrows.

“You want to get killed by my mom? Besides, Mark is her golden son in law now. Wait let me rephrase that, Mark is her son now, whereas I’m… an outsider.”

Youngjae sighs. If he can only do something to help jinyoung, but there’s of course, none.

“daw, don’t feel bad jinyoung, you still have your best friend.” Youngjae smile and squeeze her hands.

“of course, thanks.” Jinyoung smile until her eyes form a crinkle at the side. Youngjae finds it really cute.

“so what did he actually said to you to avoid eating your cooking?”

“just simple stuff like; I didn’t notice the food, it’s late I’m sleepy, I already ate outside, I’m late don’t have time to eat. And he repeats it every single time so yeah I start to realize.”

“do you guys even talk at all?”

“nope, when we’re both at home, we barely says anything to each other. Besides, he stays more in the hospital than at house I recalls. And his face is so emotionless that I somehow don’t know what to talk to him about.”

“wow..that is so depressing. Don’t you like….well don’t get me wrong, but do you want to tell your mom to just-“

“I really want to Youngjae, but it’s not as easy as you think it is. My mom….hhhhahh… you don’t have any idea. She’s becoming stern and stricter since I’m engaged and I don’t know why. It’s like she is my mother in law you know.”

Jinyoung chuckled bitterly.

“I’m so sorry.” Youngjae pats her hands.

“it’s okay, I’ll just…..try to live.”

*

          *

Jinyoung walks silently while entering the hospital. Today Mark is going to work overnight which mean his shift will only end tomorrow morning. And her mother been bothering her to cook and send lunch pack for Mark.

Coincidently, she doesn’t have any class today.

She walks towards the front counter.

“Excuse me, but can I know where Dr. Mark’s office is?”

“Last name?”

“oh, uhm Tuan. Dr. Mark Tuan.”

“I see, and who are you?” the nurse fixes her glasses.

Ah, Of course! You must make an appointment to see a doctor. Jinyoung totally forgot to inform Mark she’s coming.

“uhm….I’m his…… fiancé..” she feels her cheeks heated up. It’s the first time she said it with her own mouth to a stranger.

Well, a fiancé that doesn’t feels like a fiancé. She thought

“I’m just going to give him his lunch pack that’s all, it’ll be quick-“

“Oh, it’s okay~! I thought you are a patient haha. It’s on the 4^th floor, turn left after you exit the elevator, his office is at the very end but you’ll see his name plate.” The nurse smile.

“ah, thank you. Is he available right now?” Jinyoung asked, curious.

The nurse takes a look at her computer monitor.

“He should be, he just finished a surgery 20 minutes ago.”

“I see, thank you.” she smiles and walks towards the elevator.

Jinyoung read the name plate at the door one by one to find which one is Mark’s office. Then she sees it.

Dr. Mark Yi En Tuan

Neurosurgeon

 

Jinyoung feels nervous suddenly.

Well, what if Mark hates it that she come here without noticing him? What if he throws away the food she made? It’s her mother bright idea anyways.

She tries to look in between the window blinds at the side of the door. Then she saw his red hair first, his face and he seems….smiling…and laughing?

Okay, this is new.

Jinyoung never thought she would see a smiling Mark let alone a laughing Mark where his white perfect teeth are all shown. For a moment, she forgot that this is the same cold Mark Tuan that she saw at home.

Then she sees another figure. It looks like Mark is talking to someone. Maybe one of the staff at the hospital. But she sees coloured hair too this time. And it’s not red, but blue-ish. She wonders if doctors here all dyed their hair.

Jinyoung knock the door. A soft ‘come in’ is heard and she enter the room.

Mark turns to look at the door while still smiling but the second he saw Jinyoung’s face, the smile disappear ….immediately.

Jinyoung noticed it and try to tell herself that she’s not affected by Mark’s sudden change of facial expression.

“uh..I’m sorry to interrupt and for coming here so sudden, but I just drop by to send you this.”

She put down the large paper bag with food containers on the table.

“oh! You must be Mark’s fiancé right?? Uhm…Jinyoung, right??” the other man with blue-ish hair ask enthusiastically and smiling widely.

“uh yes…I am.” Jinyoung smiles back.

“oh! hi! Hello, I’m Dr Mark’s best friend, Kunpimook Bhuwakul. but friends call me Bambam, so you can call me Bambam too.” Bambam offer his handshake to jinyoung excitedly.

Mark scoffed at Bambam’s remark “Dr Mark”.

“I see, nice to meet you Bambam.” Jinyoung thought Bambam is really a cute person with a cute attitude too. Either he’s really young, or same age with Mark and her but blessed with a younger face.

“so you are a doctor too?”.

“oh no~ I’m a nutritionist here, and my office actually at a different floor, but I always come here to hang out with Mark haha.”

“I see.” Jinyoung chuckles. She feels at ease talking to Bambam even though they just met.

At the side, Mark is still keeping his silent.

Bambam then went over to the table and look inside the paper bag and took out the food container.

“I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you in anyway.” Jinyoung turned to Mark while biting her lips. Since Mark is so silent the moment she walked in until now, she figure out Mark doesn’t like the idea of she suddenly coming to the hospital.

“uh…it’s okay.”

The conversation died after.

“woahh. This is a whole lot of food~! And look delicious too!”

Mark rolls his eyes and Jinyoung smile.

“Can I?” bambam points to a container full of dim sum.

“sure, it’s more than enough for two person.” At least bambam appreciate what she made.

“mmmm~!! Thiissh ishh sho yummy~!! Jjang!” Bambam widens his eyes at jr.

Jinyoung just laughs. “It’s nothing really… wait..you know ‘jjang’?”

“oh yeah that..” Bambam swallows and continue. “I took Korean language back in uni, so yeah, I can speak Korean.” Bambam smile widely.

“but I probably shouldn’t talk to you in Korean here in front of Mark or he will kill me since he will not understand what we talk about later.”

Jinyoung and bambam laughed. Mark just rolls his eyes.

Since Mark doesn’t make any attempts to talk anything more, and Jinyoung doesn’t want to look weird, she excuse herself first.

“well, it’s really nice to meet you bambam, I have to go now. I’m happy you like the food.”

“oh, already?? Well, nice to meet you too pretty Mark’s fiancé, hehe. And really, your cooking is excellent!” bambam shakes hand with her. Mark shot bambam a glare.

“Don’t praise me too much.”

“It’s not praise, it’s a fact.”

“Stop it bambam”. Jinyoung turn to Mark again. “uhm…see you at home tomorrow.”

“…okay.”

Jinyoung exits the room and closes the door.

Bambam turn to look at Mark.

“You bro, really need to do some health check”.

“What?”

“That’s is jinyoung? Jinyoung the fiancé that you want to avoid? That beautiful, sweet and cook super delicious food Jinyoung??

Mark scoffed.

“Then you really need to check yourself, something must be wrong with your brain.”

“There’s not!”

“Then why do you hate her?”

“I don’t hate her.”

“Then?”

“But I don’t love her either. You have to understand the different Bam.”

"Oh I understand that you don’t want to give not her but yourself a ‘chance’.”

“Lets just drop the topic.”

Mark look stressed again so Bambam just follow along.

“Fine. Come let’s eat, I’m hungry~”.

“Okay, lets go to the cafeteria”

“But we got food here??” Bambam tapped the food containers.

“I wanna eat something else, now come on.”

“Urh, you and your weird hard headed attitude. I’m bringing this together!” Bambam said while put all the containers inside the paper bag and carry it with him.

“Suit yourself.”

Once both of them in the café, Bambam sit and start to open the food container and eat while Mark gets himself…..a burger.

Bambam start to stuff all the food inside his mouth saying things like ‘homemade food is still the best kind of food’ and ‘bro you’re a fool’.

“You seriously want to eat a freaking burger with all these foods around?”

“Yeah”. Mark shrug.

“Fine, whatever you said doc” Bambam shakes his head.

After they finish eating, Bambam put back the containers inside the paper bag and give it to Mark, as there’s still food left. Mark shakes his head and asked Bambam to take it with him.

“Just give me back the food container later after you finish it.”

Bambam rolls his eyes but take the paper bag anyway.

Little that they know Jinyoung is at the other side of the café silently watching both of them since the beginning.

She was there since she thought she would have a drink at the café before drive back home. The café is huge and she sit at the very end corner of the café. She didn’t notice them at first, but thanks to Mark striking red hair, she spotted them.

At first she wants to see Mark reactions when eating the food she gave, but now she regrets waiting and watching them.

Jinyoung tries to act like it doesn’t affect her, but when she sighed inside the car later, she knew she felt a thin string of pain inside her chest.

*

          *