But Beautiful

PART 48

"Good afternoon," Sohee greeted Jungkook when he made his way to her practice area. "How was your weekend?"

Jungkook smiled, bowing his head before he set his tablet on the counter. "It was great, how about yours?"

"Mine was pretty good, too," she replied, cheeks pink. "I've been seeing this... person, on and off, and it's going really well."

"Oh? That's great! How did you meet them?" Jungkook asked as he started helping the woman prep the room for patient check-ups.

"Online, actually. Dating is hard in general, but using dating sites and apps can make things a little easier, especially for doctors. The only people I meet are patients and other doctors, and when I'm off work, I don't want to feel like I'm at a conference, and that's how I'd feel if I dated another doctor," she laughed. "I mean, who knows, it could be something different entirely, but I'd rather date someone outside of my field."

"It makes sense," Jungkook replied with a shrug, smiling still.

"Speaking of doctors dating, have you heard the whispers about Soojung and Dr. Yoo?" she asked, voice lowering.

"I haven't particularly, but I've noticed how she looks at him, talks about him, and addresses him. 'Jinyoung'," he sang, high and light. Sohee giggled, nodding at him.

"It's so obvious she's got feelings for him. I can't get a feel on him, though. Seems the 'married-to-my-work' type."

"What sort of work does the person you're seeing do?" Jungkook asked curiously, leaning against the counter after finishing the preparations.

"She's-" the woman began, cutting herself off. She looked a little nervous, avoiding Jungkook's eyes. "They are actually a dancer," she finished.

Jungkook hummed, looking at the woman with a frown. "Dr. Sohee, are you worried about how I would react to you seeing a female?" he asked, voice quiet and warm.

"I'm not out," she blurted, cheeks burning red. "I've been really good at keeping the pronouns out of the conversation, but I just drop my guard when I'm with you, so it slipped."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Jungkook said with a grin. "I'm not judging you in any way at all, though. I won't tell anyone, either. Out or not, it's a personal choice to divulge that kind of information, anyway, and only you can decide. I support you, though," he added, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And if it helps at all, I'm bisexual and I'm out, but not loud. My parents, friends, supervisors, everyone knows. And I'm in a same-sex relationship, and I've never been more in love or more absolutely certain about my interest in men."

"It feels nice to hear," Sohee began, "that you can be yourself with the people who matter. Me, though, no way. My parents are very traditional, conservative, Catholic Koreans with the highest expectations. They're currently talking with family in Ulsan about arranging 'son bayo' and it's annoying because I'm not interested. They expect me to go to Korea, date this lineup of who they find to be 'suitable men' and find one of them to marry. Then, they want me to move to Korea and start giving them grandchildren. It's just, I don't know. It's scary to think of disappointing my parents, but scarier to think about living a life I don't want to live. I love being in the States, I was raised here. Love my home, my job, my workplace," she listed. "And they expect me to continue being a doctor there while I keep a clean and tidy home, take care of my husband, and pop out babies. It's just not possible!"

Jungkook nodded, opening his arms as the woman's tension seemed to rise, eyes wet but angry. Sliding between them, Sohee allowed Jungkook to give her a hug. "I'm so sorry," he started. "I know it's not the same, but my mom also keeps talking to her friends about setting me up with their children," he mumbled. "Even though she knows I'm in love with someone, she just doesn't care. But for you, this is a lot of pressure. What I hate when it comes to how women are viewed, especially in conservative Korea, is the expectation to take care of your husband as if he's just another one of the babies you're expected to have," he fumed, frowning deeply.

"I know," she nodded, sniffling as she pulled back, accepting a tissue Jungkook offered. "And it's not even like in K-dramas," she laughed. "At least then I might have a chance at meeting some decent man with a sister. Or maybe a celebrity, who can introduce me to a beautiful woman. Have you seen Korean celebrities? Insanity," she continued. "Some of those women are like living art. Too pretty."

"Doctor, you're very pretty, too," Jungkook commented sincerely. "And you never know, maybe you will meet some beautiful woman and you can live your K-drama fantasy."

Sohee started laughing louder, shaking her head. "No thank you, I'll stick to watching them." She sighed wistfully, looking at Jungkook with a smile. "Thanks for talking to me," she said, "my mood has improved a ton. Your boyfriend..." she started, looking ahead of her at the exam area. "Is he Korean?"

"Mhm, he is," Jungkook confirmed. I wonder if she knows, he thought. I wonder if anyone knows. Maybe it's obvious.

"Does his family approve?"

"It's complicated," he answered after a long pause. "In a way, I'd like to think so. In a perfect world."

"If the world was perfect, you might not have ever met," Sohee said, voice quiet.

"That's true. And I'm so thankful we met, despite the circumstances," he said. "If I could meet him still and have it be under different circumstances, I would take it."

"But life events shape us, Jungkook," Sohee started, softly, "so you might still have met him, but who would he be? If you're in love with who you met, the circumstances are partially to thank for that."

"I guess you're right," Jungkook agreed. "It's just so unfortunate we had to meet the way we did, and that he's had to go through what he's gone through."

The woman looked at him, their eyes meeting as she fixed her gaze, unreadable. "So now you two can go through things together, and maybe little by little they can replace the bad things he's gone through. You're a wonderful person, and a caring one, too. You two will go far, and if you work hard, maybe you can go all the way. Happily ever after, and all that."

Jungkook was paged to Dr. Yoo's office then, smiling at her as he grabbed his tablet. "Thank you, Dr. Sohee," he said with a bow. "I hope that's what the future holds."

"I'm glad you had a nice weekend," she repeated. "The two of you deserve to have private time away from here."

Jungkook glanced over his shoulder at her, smiling and bowing as he made his way to his mentor's office. He suddenly stopped, the words she spoke hitting him as they echoed in his head.

So she does know.