Chapter Text
The lacking 5
March 2019
Ahn Jeong won, the paediatric surgeon of Kangwon medical centre was walking towards his room after successfully completing a hectic surgery. It was a warm Saturday afternoon and he was already craving for a good food and company of his best friends. As soon as he opened his cabin room, he witnessed his so called soulmate and bestie Kim Junwan, the assistant professor of cardiology , all dressed up and ready to go.
“o-dee-gayo?” a completely worn out AhnJeongwon asked him.
“Naneun deiteu “ replied Junwan with a smug face.
“You are going all the way to Gangwon???”
“Aaniya, Iksun is coming to Seoul”beamed Junwan
Ahn Jeongwon hated when he saw this look in Junwan. Ever since Junwan started dating Iksun, their daily interactions were reduced. Every weekend Junwan spent time with Iksun and even stayed with her. This made Jeongwon feel lonely in their apartment that they shared for nearly 6 years.
Setting his thoughts aside, Jeongwon deliberately included Ikjun’s name in the conversation to irritate this happy glowing Junwan.
“Does Ikjun know his sister was coming to Seoul? And what if he visits the same restaurant you both are visiting?Then what will you do???”Jeongwon always has his ways to annoy Junwan.
An exasperated Junwan shouted“geumanhayeo,Ikjun is already busy with his research works and so he will be in the hospital along with Songhwa who is also having a night duty today. So there is no chance of us encountering him. Also we have booked a beach side restaurant far far away from the Yuljie medical centre. So stop worrying about us, arraso???”
“Then take me with you” jeongwon’s voice was like a child asking his mom to take him to his favourite zoo.
Already running late for their date, Junwan threw an apple at his soulmate who was the most irritating and annoyed person he had ever seen.
Ahn Jeongwon caught the apple like a pro basball player, saying “ I was just joking. Anyway Iam going to have lunch with Ikjun at Yuljie. So don’t you worry”
“Yaa don’t tell him i have gone for a date. Just tell him, Iam busy in the hospital.Arreso?”
“Your secret is safely locked here bro”, Jeongwon gestured his hand towards his heart
Tired of his antics, Junwan finally bid good bye to Jeongwon closing the door behind him
Junwan cursed the day Jeong Won found out his girlfriend was Iksun. Jeongwon was shocked and worried at the same time when he knew Junwan was dating Ikjun’s sister. He even compelled Junwan to leave her alone as he doesn’t want any issues erupting between his friends. But Junwan promised that it was not like the previous ones and that he was damn serious about her and hence Jeongwon promised to keep their relationship a secret until the couple themselves are ready to reveal.
Jeong Won and Jun wan are like two opposing forces who are put in a room together. Jun Wan is the practical guy when it comes to love but Jeong Won is a dreamer. He believes in things like love at first sight, destiny, fate etc. Jun wan always dates to find out if they are compatible enough to have a future and that’s why his dating life always has an expiration of 3months. Except for Iksun whom he had started dating for about eight months now.
On the other hand, Jeong won is waiting for that one person who can make his heart flutter in just one look. He believes in love at first sight. He thinks , if you are in love, you are in LOVE and you need no other reason to confirm it. But the problem is he had not yet found that kind of love and he still believes in that kind of love.
Slumping into his chair, Jeong won messaged Ikjun for his lunch plans.
“Ikjun-ah, planning to come over Yuljie for lunch. Is my Dad there?After few minutes of waiting, Ikjun replied
“Why don’t you ask your father yourself?”
“Aish, why does he always answer a question with a question” Jeong Won thought out loud while slightly caressing his neck.
“I DONT WANT TO DISTURB HIM”Jeongwon replied in a serious tone.
“Just kidding man, Mr.Ahn ByeongU left to Yangpyeong just few hours ago.” So come fast Prince of Yuljie. Myself and Songhwa will be waiting for you. I will also invite Seok Hyeong too.”
“😡😡🤬🤬”
Ahn Jeong Won hated when his friends called him the “Prince of Yuljie”. A pang of guilt cuts pass through him. His thoughts gets dominated by a certain day , he wished he had not been there. His father is a man of great values and wisdom. He had never compelled his kids to join him in the hospital . That’s why all four of his kids embraced the path to serve the lord. Ahn Jeong won on the other hand was nothing like his siblings. As a child, he never had an inkling towards medicine.He lived his life to the fullest.He loved travelling and always dreamt of pursuing a career in travel and photography.
Ahn Byeong U was okay to accept the fate of his first four kids, but somehow he was disappointed when he came to know that even his youngest son had no desire to follow his steps. Ahn Jeong Won who was empathetic and compassionate with a great intelligence was definitely most suitable to be a doctor but his lack of interest was what Byeong U worried about. So he made a deal with his youngest son to join a medical college for a year and see if he was still not interested in this profession. If he felt his dream is all about travelling and photography, he would willingly allow him to pursue.
Jeong won immediately agreed to the deal as he thought he owned his father at least this much. So with a definite plan to quit the college within a year, he joined the Seoul medical university only to spend the next 18 years in a field he had never dreamed of.
His chain of thoughts were broken by another message beeped from Ikjun.
“Jeong Won-ah, please bring sandwiches for Songhwa from a new cafe called “Buns and breads” which is just 15 mins away from Yuljie.”
Jeong Won always wondered what had kept Ikjun from confessing his feelings to Songhwa all this while. In the beginning of their college life, He always had an intuition that Ikjun loved Songhwa. But he was taken by surprise when Ikjun started going for dates with other girls and also proposing to one of his friend. He had tried to talk to him about this, but then he wondered if Songhwa too likes him or not. She is the one who had mastered in the art of hiding emotions and so he didn’t ponder much as not to create any ripples in their friendship.But on the day of Ikjun’s wedding, a drunken Songhwa blurted to Jeongwon how Ikjun had declined her confession by saying he was already dating someone. For the first time, Jeong won recognised the pain in her eyes that was present all these while but masked under her jabbering and her little laughs. When he tried to console her, she confidently told him that all her feelings have dried up and she wouldn’t do anything stupid to loose their friendship. For her this friendship with the lacking 4 was more precious then any romantic relationship. And so till date, Jeongwon carefully buried this little secret of his friend deep inside his heart.
Jeong Won suddenly put a brake to his thoughts when he noticed the cafe” buns and bread” along the side of the road. He parked the car and went inside the cafe.
The cafe had a warm ambience and the smell of freshly brewed coffee was so welcoming and soothing. Jeong Won went to the counter to place the order. He spot a counter server and immediately looked for his name tag.
“Excuse me Min-Hyun shi, could you take my order please.” Jeong Won’s polite voice showed no traces of fatigue or exhaustion.
The server for a second was both confused and surprised because it was very rare for someone to call his name in the cafe, especially the customers. So when he heard Jeongwon repeat his name again, the server hesitatingly responded.
“I would like to take away four chicken sandwiches with extra cheese.”
“Oh, it would take around 15 minutes. Would you like to order a drink while waiting ,sir”? the server, Min Hyun eagerly asked Jeong Won.
“No, thank you . I will be just waiting here” said Jeongwon scanning a place to sit.
Finally Jeong Won sat in one corner of the cafe. From here, he could get a clear view of the entire cafe. The caffe looked intimate and elegant.He was surprised by the number of people relishing these fast foods at the peak lunch time. He could spot lot of doctors with the white coat and he assumed them to be from Yuljie. He wondered why these doctors had such processed food when healthy meal were served in Yuljie canteen.
Sighing a little, he stretched his neck from left to right when his eyes refused to move on from one particular person who was sitting and scanning a book in the other end of the cafe. He would have ignored her, but the curiosity in those Dow shaped eyes and a faint smile on her lips made him stare at her. Whatever she was reading must be so blissful, that she was unaware of the people sitting around her.
Jeong Won tried to get a peek of the book she was reading or more precisely skimming but was unable to do so because all of a sudden she shifted her interest from the book to the iced latte(s) on the table. What is supposed to be a mundane activity was very much amusing to him because she was drinking two lattes simultaneously from both her hands. He had a smile on his face unconsciously. The moment was interrupted when Min Hyun, the server came up with the ordered sandwiches.
The looks in Jeong Won’s eyes was not new to Min Hyun. He had worked enough in the cafe to know if a person is genuinely interested in the opposite gender or not. And he could definitely tell from the way this tall handsome man with the broad shoulders looked at the girl in the other corner, that he had fell very hard for her.
Handing over the sandwiches to Jeong Won, the server suggested, “ would you like to try our new menu lobster Mac and cheese. It would take only another 10 minutes. “
Jeong Won was caught off guard with this sudden proposal. Already feeling a little embarrassed for his actions, he just nodded a yes not fully comprehending what the server said.
As soon as Min Hyun left, Jeong Won covered his eyes with his hands as though such an act would make him disappear.He should have moved out of the cafe by now, but he was again forced to sit because of the abrupt order that he had given. That’s when he realised what the hell was he thinking when he said “yes “ to the order. He was allergic to all types of shell fish.
To avoid any further blunders, he scrolled his mobile just randomly reading some messages. But little did he know , his eyes had its own mind and hence ended up looking at its favourite sight.
She had finished both the lattes and was munching Chocopies with her cheeks full, which is an understatement. Her eyes were glued to the book and her cheeks busy munching making her look like a cute little bunny. His lips effortlessly widened thinking about the analogy that his mind had created. The whole moment was interrupted when his phone vibrated with Ikjun’s name on the screen.
He took his phone expecting Ikjun’s voice but instead a restless Songhwa shouted, “baegopa…. Ppalliwa”
He knew Songhwa’s tantrums when she was hungry, so he immediately took his bag and the sandwiches and headed half heartedly to the counter to get his other parcel, the so called lobster Mac and cheese.
He paid the bill, collected the items and for the one last time turned to look at her. She was still busy munching her chocopies when suddenly as though his eyes had signalled her, she looked up to meet his eyes. He was sure they had a moment, but all of a sudden he directed his gaze downwards afraid of letting her know how fast his heart was beating.
He immediately collected the parcel and left the place.
Ahn Jeong Won parked the car at his usual VIP parking slot at Yuljie. Every time he enters Yuljie,he feels burdened by the weight of his own emotions.He still wonders when he would be able to walk this premise unencumbered. Not looking into any direction, he straightaway heads towards Songhwa’s room which is in the 4th floor of the hospital.
Songhwa, the Assistant professor of Neurosurgery was preparing hand drip coffee for her best friend Jeongwon. And Ikjun, the famous professor of GS was all over the place mishandling and misplacing Songhwa’s things. For an outsider, these two seem to be like two best friends who are very comfortable with each other but only they knew how difficult it was to bury those feelings deep down so that they never pop up in any situation.
Jeongwon entered Songhwa’s room and placed the eatables on the table along with the Bibimbap that Ikjun had ordered.
Serving coffee to Jeong Won, Songhwa started opening the items that Ahn Jeongwon bought.
Out of the blue Ikjun asked,” Jeong won-ah, Gwenchana. You are not sick right???
Seeing Ikjun’s concern, Jeong Won replied,”Aani, Wae?”
Ikjun answered with a smirk, “ you not only brought sandwiches but also lobster Mac and cheese and that too when you are allergic to it.
Irked by Ikjun’s words, Jeong Won grabbed the box of lobster and warned Ikjun not to touch it.
Ikjun in return took the box of bibimbap that he ordered and asked Jeong won to eat sandwiches instead. Ikjun knows Jeong Won doesn’t prefer junk foods especially for the main meals.
Seeing how these two men were fighting like a six year old kid, Songhwa raised her voice to stop further damage. That’s when Ikjun’s phone rings displaying Seok Hyeong’s number.
Ikjun answer’s asking Seok Hyeong to come to the 4th floor.
It’s been six months since Yang Seok-Hyeong returned from US after completing his fellowship in Obstetrics and gynaecology (OB GYN). No one would have shown great endurance as him in the face of pain with a broken family followed by a failed marriage.He is a very much disinclined to social conversations and spends most of the time watching his favourite videos. The only people he loves spending time with is his four friends.
As he waits for the lift, he feels relieved there is no one near him. He really can’t withstand the crowd especially in a confined space.As the lift approaches, he hears a voice coming from the corridor, “chogiyo, pls wait for me”
Chu Minha, the second year resident of OB GYN was heading towards the lift after a hectic surgery. She was on duty for two straight nights and had no energy left to even walk towards the lift. She hated to miss things in a blink of a second.Like the other day she missed the bus when she was just few steps away from it and had to wait another 15 minutes to catch the next bus. Now seeing a man standing near the lift all ready to enter, she shouted at him to stop the lift indicating with her gestures that she would join. But to her utter shock, the man entered the lift and pressed the button nonchalantly.And so she had to miss the lift again for a matter of few seconds. Exhaustion from the last two days work was taking its toll on her , so instead of waiting for the lift Minha all the way climbed the stairs near the elevator to confront that weird stranger. She finally caught him in the 4th floor all huffing and puffing.
Facing him outside the lift, Minha was shouting at Seok Hyeong while he stood frozen. He couldn’t fathom out the reason behind this uncanny encounter. Thank God for her mobile ringing, he was spared from further embarrassment. He immediately left the spot and opened the door to Songhwa’s room.
As soon as he saw Jeong Won, he spoke in an annoyed voice,” ya, could you tell the HR dept of Yuljie to hire normal staffs. I thought only Ikjun-ah was crazy”
Ikjun threw a pillow on Seok Hyeong’s face earning a stare from Songhwa.
“Why do you always tell me. I am not the incharge of this hospital.”Jeong Won directed his words towards Seok Hyeong who was caressing his cheeks with his hand.
“But you will be by next month” Ikjun smiled at Jeongwon already imagining them working together.
The sudden thought of working in this hospital made Jeong Won uncomfortable.
His father wanted others to accept Jeong Won not because of his rights to the position but for his skills as a doctor.That’s why Jeongwon worked in most interior part of South Korea finally landing in Kangwon medical centre.Now by next month he would be joining Yuljie as the assistant professor of pediatric surgery.The only comfort is he will be working with his best friends.He was happy when Seok Hyeong agreed to join Yuljie. His only condition was to have a band. And for Jun Wan he knew his weakness. His mention of “ Bidulgi” was enough for him to immediately nod a yes.
His thoughts were paused when he had a call from Kangwon hospital. It was an emergency call as one of his patient Min Yeong had started showing severe symptoms. He advised the resident to administer certain medicine before his arrival. He immediately took all his belongings and left. As he rushed through the corridor, he accidentally collided with someone and instantly held the person by the waist to avoid falling on the floor. When he was about to say,”joesonghabnida” his voice got struck in his throat as the person caged in his hand was the Dow eyed bunny girl from the cafe. With her eyes closed and her hands clutching his shirt, he thought he was hallucinating. It was only when she opened her eyes, he came to his senses.
He would have stayed in this position for an eternity but right now his brain cells were alert and was indicating the emergency he need to attend. As the realisation drowned in him, he instantly let go of her and ran towards the elevator. His sudden release made her loose balance and she fell to the floor with a dull thud.
“Dr.Jang Gyeo-Ul , gwenchana?”
Jeong Won could hear faintly someone addressing her name as he was entering the elevator. Even in this chaotic situation , his mind has managed to register her name.
Heo Sun-bin ran towards Gyeo-Ul who was still sitting on the floor with all her sheets and books scattered on the floor. She didn’t hear what Sun-bin was telling as her sharp gaze was fixed on the retreating figure and as he vanished from her sight she muttered under her breath, “ such a jerk”.