Sun-kissed

Chapter 18

Fiancé.

The word slammed into him, shaking him to the core.  Did he hear correctly? No, there must be some mistake.  They couldn't mean his Amina. Not the same girl that left him breathless. That same girl that made him forget himself.  The same girl that made him feel things he hadn't felt before. Youngbae didn't even have the fight in him to confront the guy when he walked by. Instead, he continued sitting in the waiting room.

Alone.

He felt frozen, numb... empty. No, it had to be her.  The chances of another Amina working at the hospital were slim to none. Flashback memories of the times they shared replayed in his mind.  He searched for clues - signs, of anything that he might have missed along the way. Youngbae could only remember her hesitation in the beginning.  He had mistakenly took it for shyness, but now he knew the truth. She was playing him.  There was no other way to explain it.

He bitterly twisted his lips, angry at himself.  Angry at her.  Something must have caused her to change her mind.  Was it his fame?  Did it get to her head? He remembered her behavior from their date. The apprehension of being seen in public with him. The fact that she didn't introduce him to her "aunt", who in fact was her mother-in-law.  He thought it was all because of an overwhelming concern for his image. But the truth was that she didn't want to be caught.  Damn, she was a good actress.

A deep ache resonated inside his chest. He hadn't felt this vulnerable in a long time.

"Sir," the YG security guard said patiently.  "They're ready for you now."

Youngbae looked up, surprised, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize people were waiting for him. An elderly nurse stood behind the guard, ready to usher him to the exam room. He stood up and followed them, still dazed and upset. He was silently grateful for his sunshades. If someone asked him what was wrong, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control his emotions.

"I'll just wait outside the door," said his guard.

Youngbae nodded absentmindedly. The nurse also left, saying someone would be with him shortly. He watched her shut the door behind her, the door closing with a loud "click". He sat on the hospital bed, the only sound coming from the crackling of the protectant paper crinkling underneath him. 

More silence.  More time to think of what he was going to do when he saw her again. Should he confront her? He wanted to know the truth.  Yet part of him wanted to deny what he just heard.  There was no way that what they shared was pretense. No way. He mentally groaned in agony, squeezing his eyes shut.  Why? Why couldn't she just tell him in the beginning? Before he set his expectations.  Before he foolishly allowed himself to feel anything for her. 

He wanted to give her a chance.  A chance to explain herself, to tell him that none of it was true.  A chance to right everything that was wrong.  But he felt his guard come up.  Already, he emotionally felt himself pulling away from her. He didn't want to feel anything anymore.

A knock sounded at the door.

Amina knocked on the exam door before allowing herself in.  Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation, a smile ready on her face.  She nodded slightly at the guard standing near the door before passing through. Youngbae was seated on the exam table, his sunshades still on, his plain garbs somehow looking low-key yet stylish as well.  Unconsciously, she was aware of him stiffening slightly when she appeared, but she dismissed the thought from her mind.

"Annyeong," she said quietly, bowing slightly, in case anyone walked by.  She gently closed the door behind her and pulled out his file. She smiled shyly at him.  "How are you feeling today?"