The Odd Doctor Out | A Drama | S. 1

3 🩺 No Choice

'Mother, I'm already really busy. I have midterms coming and placements and I -'

'Yunho, are you making excuses with me right now?' Yunho's mother put down the journal article she'd been reading and took her reading glasses off to look at her son, shocked. 'Yunho, I didn't ask for you to perform open heart surgery. All I asked, was that you help out my friend's son with his biology study. Is that really too much to ask?! Do you think that now that you've gotten into med school that you're too good to help others? Do you not respect those learning how to save lives?! Is this really how your father and I raised you to act?!'

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, calming himself down. 'No, mom. That's not what I think. I -'

'Than what is it, Yunho? Do you think you're above helping out a fellow student just because your family are already doctors and we have exposed you all your life, so that you could have it easier now? Is that what this is?'

'No, mother. Of course not! I just—'

'Then why is it so much of a hard task for you to just spend a couple of hours a week by sharing your knowledge and helping another fellow student? Knowledge is to be shared, not hoarded for yourself.'

'I know that mom. I just really-'

'Do you think that this is the way that a future doctor should be behaving? You should be putting the patients first, and to do that, you need to help those around you to help them. That is what we do as health professionals, Yunho.'

He wanted to scream. He felt suffocated and was on the verge of crying. 'I, know, that, mother. Why won't you let me spea-'

'You have disappointed me. I thought your father and I had raised you to be a better person than what I am seeing now. I didn't think that this would be such a big deal, but if it is that much of a hassle, then fine. I was wrong. I thought you were much more compassionate. I was wrong.'

He wiped his eyes as he watched his mother turn her back to him and put on her glasses. She picked up her article and went straight back to reading, out of sight, out of mind.

He wanted to walk straight up, rip the paper from her hands and scream at her to just listen to him. Why did she never, listen to him?! What more did he have to do to get her to finally hear him out?

'I'll do it.'

She turned around and considered her son over the top of her reading glasses. 'I'll text you the boy's details. I'm glad you came to your senses, although I'm disappointed that it wasn't this easy in the first place.'

Can she not see how much she is hurting me? Can't she see that I'm crying? Does she not care what I want to do in life? Does she not see that I desperately just need to talk to her... my mom...? 'Yes, mother. I'm going to bed now.'

'Goodnight darling. Don't forget that you have a very early lecture tomorrow morning.'

Why do you think I'm going to bed now, instead of staying up and studying? God, I'm always fucking studying. I'm so, tired...

'Goodnight, mother.'

~~~