章 19: First Task
“What exactly is he looking for?!”
Two hours have already passed since I was checking the hospital records of the patients admitted in the year 2018. Relieving me from my task a while ago in the admission, Tae Yoon told my supervisor that he’ll need my help with some documents. I found out that he is actually in the hospital for medical research and survey temporarily. But of course, that is all nonsense!
How many records do I still have to look at? I have a rough estimate in my head. I scan the long row of files on the shelves and sigh. The room is stuffy and the file shelving cabinets are aligned so closely that I can even lean my back on the other cabinet behind me. I opt to sit on the floor instead and rest my back against it.
‘Don’t forget the date and time, that’s very important.’
I toss my cell phone aside after reading Tae Yoon’s message. ‘Ah, Is this the undercover work that I will do? My gosh, what was the physical test for?!’ I should be kicking someone’s ass right now or running after key persons, not stuck in these papers.
“Yah! Do you think I’m easy? Once I’m done with this I’ll go twist your arm, land a blow in your back and break your ne-”
“Yes? Are you saying something?”
My hand is still suspended in the air, snapping an invisible figure, when the voice suddenly cracks in, I glance upward and see Tae Yoon standing, one hand in his pocket and the other leaning on the cabinet.
“Ah- my hand... oh, yes!”
I extend my arms in the air as if I am stretching then fold my neck to the left and the right as well.
“The physical tests were indeed very helpful in the task you gave me today. It made my body very energized! Especially in flipping through the records and encoding the information, great!” I mouth sarcastically, which meaning did not escape him. He scoffs and walks toward me.
He takes one file binder from the shelf and slumps next to me.
‘What is he doing?’
I eye him suspiciously, “Don’t you have something to attend to that’s why you asked me to do this stuff?” I muse, feeling uncomfortable to be with him in such a dead place.
“Done,” he replies indifferently, scanning through the file he is holding.
It has been two hours already so I guess that’s true. But the thing is- I want to work alone, it’s better than having him here with me. It feels like being with your supervisor while doing your tasks, considering that he is the captain of the undercover task I am in. Very confining, indeed.
“Did you check the date, especially the month and time?” he asks.
“Yes, Sir!” I reply in a resigned voice. This is what I am talking about- the nagging.
“Did you list it alphabetically?”
“It’s already in alphabetical order, what to-” Feeling his deathly stare at the side of my head, I fall to submission.
“Yes, Sir!”
“Did you include those who are only in the age range?”
“Yes, Sir!”
“You did it on purpose, right?”
“Yes, S-” I stop and lift my face to him when I do not understand what he means, “What?”
He glances at me and says, “Yesterday.”
“Yesterday?”
“The slip and that...”
“That? Slip and what?”
He blinks quickly. Obviously not knowing how to explain what he means, he slowly, in calculating pace, moves his face closer and closer to mine. When he stops, there’s only a palm distance between our faces. Rather than the dim and flickering tube light above us, the rays of sunlight coming from the small window lit directly to his face, making his features softer than it is.
“You did this on purpose, right? To distract me.”
His honey-like voice soft murmur rings inside my ear. There’s a spark in his eyes that tries to connect to mine. And his lips... yes? His lips? What?
‘Hey, Ma Ri! What about his lips?” The logical Ma Ri snaps inside me. Now, who’s distracting who? I yank forward to distance myself from him as I puff air irritably to disguise the strange feeling that warmed my cheeks.
“Just admit that you slacked. And that will go down in history I must say!”
He scoffs and straightens up, ”I’ll acknowledge that you succeeded to bring me down yesterday but no, I wasn’t defeated by you at all.”
“Says a man who’s too prideful to accept his loss.”
“Prideful? Me?”
I scorn, laugh scoff-like shortly and then snigger. Not wanting to continue this kind of conversation, I close the book file I am holding and am about to stand up when his hand suddenly catches my arm, stopping me from getting up.
“Where are you going?”
“Since you are already here, I guess I can do some MORE important things outside. They’ll need me there.”
“No. I told your supervisor that you’ll be doing this the whole afternoon. If you are tired, you can rest. You don’t need to finish everything today.”
“Today. You mean... I will be doing this tomorrow again?”
“This is undercover work.”
I roll my eyes at such a ridiculous remark.
“Make time for it, even an hour would do.”
Left with no energy to complain, I take another file binder from the shelf and widen the distance from him in the process while I sit back. Sitting with him in such an almost airtight place makes me uncomfortable. I am about to resume scanning the records when suddenly someone calls my name.
“Dr. Gu?”
I stood up to show courtesy, I totally forgot about him. The still flushed color near his jaw reminds me of my unfortunate encounter with him. And it feels like I have to be very kind towards him after all that happened.
“Oh, Ma Ri-ssi. You are here,” he says. Sounding so cheerful ever since the first time I met him, he smiles at me and then transfers his gaze to Tae Yoon who also stood up beside me.
“And the new doctor is here too. Hello, Dr. Ri, I am Dr. Gu Seung Jae of Dental Medicine. Nice to meet you again.”
“Again? Have we met before?... Ah! On the first day when Ms. So Min introduced me. I apologize, I’m not good at remembering people.”
“That’s okay but... actually, we also met on the plane bound here to Jeju last week.”
Looking surprised, Tae Yoon raises his hand attempting to recollect Dr. Seung Jae’s face from his mind. But it did not take him a while, he brought down his hand, failing to recognize him.
“I’m sorry for my short memory span, Dr. Gu.”
“Not a problem. I’m just looking for something that’s why I’m here, and-”
He scans the file binders on the floor and smiles at me.
“Maybe I could need a hand too, Ma Ri-ssi.”
What a relief! At least I get to do something that will remove me from staying with Tae Yoon. I hope he’s looking for a recent record, away from here.
“Oh, yes, Dr. Gu. I can help you with that.”
“Seung Jae. Just call me Seung Jae, Ma Ri-ssi.”
I smile, “Seu-”
“Isn’t that too informal? You are still a doctor here so... that will sound a bit off.”
Tae Yoon glances at me after saying that. He twitches his eyebrows, tilting his head a bit. I know he wants me to affirm what he just said.
“Ah, yeah. That’s right. I can’t just call you by your first name, Dr. Gu.”
“Well, I guess. But then I insist you call me by my first name when we are alone then, Ma Ri-ssi. When there’s no one who is so strict in seniority with us,” Dr Gu says, side glancing at Tae Yoon.
Whoa~ Dr. Gu knows how to roast! I see Tae Yoon’s jaw tightens a bit. ‘Ah, good for you!’ I tell myself triumphantly.
“Anyway, how can I help you, Dr. Gu.”
I go to him and we walk to the other part of the library. I did not see what expression Tae Yoon had on his face when we left him, all I know is that he looked genuinely displeased.
* * *
“It’s your welcome party, Ma Ri! So you should be there.”
Soo Hyun is pulling my hand while saying this. So basically, they will party in a noraebang, a videoke room, whenever they have something to celebrate. And like she just said, it is for me. How can I refuse?
“Okay, okay. I’ll come.”
“Yey!” she yells, two other nursing aides cheer up too.
Our supervisor and the others can’t make it, Soo Hyun said, but it looks like a friends night out disguised as a welcome party for me. I sigh softly.
“How about you, Dr. Ri? Do you want to come with us? It’d be yours and Ma Ri’s welcome party.”
I glance at my back and there is Tae Yoon looking so dismal ever since we left the records section room. After giving me a tired look, he declines. Much to my relief, of course, I cross my arm in front of me and look in front of me again.
“Oh well. Maybe next time,” Soo Hyun says to him sadly. But her voice suddenly lit up when she saw someone.
“Dr. Gu! You are here already!”
Dr. Gu Seung Jae? I turn around and behind Tae Yoon, I see Dr. Gu waving. Surprise evident in his face, Tae Yoon turns around to see the person at his back as well. Dr. Gu walks towards us, stopping beside Tae Yoon first, giving a pat on the shoulder before proceeding to us.
“Alright, I’ll just bring my car in front. Wait for me here,” he says to Soo Hyun. He looks at me and gives me a smile before leaving us.
“Oh! What a catch! Not only is he handsome, Dr. Gu is so kind too. He’ll treat us to tonight’s party, can’t you believe that?” Soo Hyun tells me happily.
Eh~ Dr. Gu Seung Jae sponsored my welcome party?
Still astounded by what Soo Hyun said, my senses come back to earth when I hear Tae Yoon clears his throat.
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