Trust Me

Chapter 3

For a stray cat, Kuro was way too friendly.

Ji-ah had to keep him wrapped in her hands so that he wouldn’t go around sniffing at everything in the veterinary clinic.

"Ugh, Kuro, can you stop clawing at my arms? It hurts." She whined at the kitten in her hands.

Fortunately for her, the doctor's door opened, and a nurse called out, "Park Ji-ah!"

"Thank god!" She exclaimed under her breath and walked towards the door. The pretty nurse let her in, and soon Kuro was taken away from the girl and laid on the examination table.

"How long have you had him?" The doctor asked.

"Uh… almost a week now-" Ji-ah began but was suddenly interrupted by someone slamming the door open.

"Doctor!" The intruder exclaimed as he leapt towards the examination table, startling Kuro, who jumped into Ji-ah's arms. She stared in wonder at the man. His hair was a mess, and he was sweating and panting, like he had been running. There was also something unmoving in his arms.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I must ask you to step out-" the doctor said, but the man cut him off by placing whatever it was in his hand onto the table.

Ji-ah gasped when she realised it was a badly injured kitten. The doctor immediately sprang into action, his hands softly prodding the animal.

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure… but I think it was run over by a car. It's going to be okay, right?" He asked hesitantly.

"Well, she might look bad, but there are only two bones broken. We can patch her up." The vet replied before turning to Ji-ah who just stood there silently, "I'm sorry ma'am, but this is an emergency and I'll have to ask you to wait outside a bit longer. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"It's alright!" She assured him and stepped out with Kuro.

The man inside followed her out soon after and sat down on one of the chairs beside her. Ji-ah studied him now that he was closer. His hair was a soft shade of brown, glowing under the light of the bulb; well spaced eyes with long luscious lashes that any girl would kill for.

"Ouch!" He exclaimed all of a sudden and turned to Ji-ah.

Startled Ji-ah almost looked away when she realised that he was looking at her lap rather than her face. She glanced down and gasped when she saw Kuro clawing at the man's arm.

"Kuro!" She pulled his little paw away before looking at the man, "I'm so sorry! He's a little naughty."

"It's okay." He laughed softly and scratched the side of Kuro's ear. The kitten purred happily and leaned towards his touch.

"Aw, he's cute." The man said.

"Yeah." Ji-ah smiled.

Suddenly, the nurse from before came up to her with a smile. "We apologise for earlier, ma'am. If you would follow me, I'll take care of the tests for your kitten."

"Oh, thank you." Ji-ah said and stood up, holding Kuro in her arms.

"Wait, what about the kitten?" The man interjected. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Yes, sir. The surgery is still in process, but she's doing well."

"Oh, okay. Thank you. Where can I pay?"

"Oh! Don't worry about the payment. Our hospital has a policy to provide free health care to strays. The kitten will be placed in our shelter after she's recovered."

His face split into a grateful smile at this. "Thank you so much. I was really worried."

"Oh no, we need more people like you in this world. Most of the time, these animals are just left to die. I'm glad you were compassionate enough to bring her to us." The nurse reassured him and then turned to Ji-ah.

"Shall we go ma'am?"

"Sure," she replied and followed the nurse to another corridor. Ji-ah thought of the man whom she had just met, wondering if she'd see him again.

Ah, shit! I forgot to ask his name. Well, it's not like I'm going to see him again. He looked cute, though.

♧♧♧

He walked to his car, a satisfied smile on his face, and his hands fiddling with the keys in his pocket. As he unlocked the vehicle, he noticed the drops of blood on his wheel plate and groaned in annoyance.

"Fucking hell." He muttered, taking out his handkerchief. The man rubbed vigorously at the red substance and managed to wipe them off.

Once done, he turned to the clinic and chuckled, "you're interesting, Park Ji-ah. I know I'm going to have fun with you."

♧♧♧