Someone to Love

Fourteen

Lucas
I sat down on the weekly surgeon's meeting wherein we had to talk about certain cases or procedures. This time it's cardio's turn, and we have interns messing up and messing with a heart transplant procedure.
I think those interns are now suspended, which is just right, the patient died, the organ went to medical waste or I think to anatomy class or something, it was too much of a liability. I think their licenses are being revoked too.
Of course, as expected the residents and attendings assigned are being questioned for what happened. Mainly the attending because how the hell did the interns mess up the heart transplant surgery if they aren't even supposed to handle a scalpel?
I've heard that the family is pressing charges against the attending and the hospital, and we are in crisis now.
There are reasons why I don't really trust interns, first, they are overconfident to the point that they are ready to spite the attending's decision. Interjecting is okay, insisting that their way is the good one is not okay. They don't think that there are two sides of the coin. Just because they're called doctor doesn't mean that they're invincible. They have to have enough training to be an attending then they can do what they want.
Second, they're just plain annoying and would get in bed with any attending just to get a spot. I've never done those things to get a spot in the attending's list or even just have sex with anyone.
The board is grilling Dr. Eastwood, she's got it bad. How did the interns got their hands on the organ and how it did-
My phone started to vibrate. Two messages, one a text from Ara saying that we needed to talk. And the second one, an email from my brother, subject: Dad wants to talk to you in Hangul.
My father hasn't talk to me me in years, in fact I didn't even know that he'd one day want to talk to me again. He'd always say to me and Jae Kyung, if your heart tells you to do it, then do it.
I ended up doing it, and he hated me for it.
Many Korean parents love the idea that they'd have a surgeon or a prosecutor for a son or a daughter, but my father would rather have a president of a company as a son rather than having a neurosurgeon as a son.
Aigoo, my father really is something. I know my mother is proud of me, she tells me so, but she can't flaunt it to the world because my father really does not approve of my choice of career. And also the fact that he disowned me basically.
What does Ara want to talk about? We ended the night quite nicely and modest to be honest, last night. We had ice cream, talked and then we went on our separate rooms and slept.
To be honest, I would have kissed her and have her spend the night in my room or I would have spent the night in hers, but then I can't quite gage what her boundaries are and she might not be a fan of having sex on the first date.
But someday, I'd definitely would want to do it with her, it's a miracle that I could even resist staring at her legs.
Good thing a resident needed me and I left the meeting.
I did rounds after that, and then my father called me.
[A/N: Imagine that the whole conversation happened in Korean]
"Dad?" I said
"Lee Kyung."
"How have you been? It's been quite some time when you actually wanted to talk to me." I said as I entered my office, I needed privacy for this.
I don't want anybody hearing me speak Korean, not that I am ashamed of it, in fact I want to speak it all the time, but they'd be too amazed that they'd ask me to translate things to them and I am not much of a people-socializing person. I'm not in the mood for translating this day is amazing in Korean.
Doctors here mostly speak English, duh. Handful are the ones who speak another language, say Spanish plus they had to take that in high school or something and of course, handful are the people that can speak another language fluently.
"I wanted to talk to you about that girl." He said
I frowned.
"What girl?"
"That girlfriend of yours, from Hayden Industries."
"You know that she's from Hayden Industries?"
"It's not that hard not to figure out. There were news articles about your brother's wedding and the name Ara Hayden from Hayden Industries shows up, next to Dr. Seo Lee Kyung from S&C."
"Power of deduction."
"I don't want you going out with her."
I scoffed.
"Dad, you can't tell me who I can or cannot date. Not any more. Not after Ji Hyun. Not ever again."
"Lee Kyung, I don't think she's good for our company-"
"Ha! Dad, I don't know if you remember but you removed my right to call it our company years ago, and you removed all my affiliations from that company already so I don't think my relationship with Ara would complicate anything especially when it comes to S&C."
"She's bad publicity, Lee Kyung. She won't do us any good."
"That's what you think. You hate Hayden Industries so much that you would want me to break up a perfectly happy relationship. No, I'm sticking by Ara because she has been more like family to me than you would ever be. So, good day President Seo and sorry for disturbing you." I said, hanging up.
He's seriously attempting to make me choose between Ara and him? It's an easy choice.
Ever since the trip to Seoul, I felt tired and exhausted whenever I'm not with Ara, in fact I actually felt the need to go home every freaking night. Living with her is one thing, dating her another, but I think I'm looking forward to waking up next to her every morning. Although she's not the most friendly face I have ever seen, she's one of those ladies who have been born with a resting bitch face, and that's one of many things that I like about her, she's not easily swayed and she can't be approached that easily. My old apartment, the one I just used for sleeping and bathing before actually felt like home especially now that Ara is there and that I have something to look forward to going home. It might not be wrapping my arms around her, or sleeping next to her, or sleeping with her, but the fact that she's in my apartment makes her my home.
"You cooked?" I said as I saw that the kitchen was a bit messy but the dining area was nice.
"Uh, hi. You're home early?" She said, glancing at the wall clock.
"Yeah. There was nothing to do in the hospital, and I had a feeling that you'd cook." I said
"Can you freshen up a bit?"
"Why? Do I smell like the hospital?"
"Yeah and microbes."
I nodded.
"Anyway, dinner is not yet ready. You have time." She said
I don't really know why the hell is she cooking and I don't really know what is she cooking.
When I came out of my room, Ara was sitting down on the dining area, drinking red wine and looking so glum and down.
"What's up with you?" I said as I sat down across her.
She poured me wine.
"You talk about your day first."
"I just sat down for a few hours listening to a doctor be grilled for something."
She nodded.
"Well, I just cooked something up, I really do hope that this tastes good because I'm really, really not having a good day-ish."
She served up some salmon, I think with cheese on top or something.
"You're not allergic to fish are you?"
"I don't think red wine is fitting for this meal-"
"It's fitting to my mood and with my news."
"News?" I said
"Let's eat first."
"You're not moving out, are you?"
She shook her head.
"What? No."
"Well, I can't eat knowing that there is something wrong with you."
"Nothing's wrong with me."
"Is it me? Did we end things badly last night?"
She shook her head.
"No! Just eat my salmon first."
I placed some on my plate.
"Then something must have happened within the day."
"Later, we'll talk about it later, just eat the salmon first."
I looked at her.
"Why are you so eager to feed me salmon? Something's in here, isn't it?"
"No. I just feel like I have to feed you first."
"I'm not a kid."
"And I'm not kidding."
She looked at me.
"Can you promise that you won't be mad at me?" She said
"What?"
"Just promise."
"You did not sell the apartment right?"
She shook her head.
"What? No."
"Or the Maserati? Because I'd really want to drive that someday."
"Drive it tomorrow, I don't care."
"Really?"
She shrugged.
"Okay, tell me what happened to you."
"You're really not gonna finish your dinner first?"
"I'll eat whilst you talk."
"Okay."
I started to eat.
"I went to HI today, my dad wanted to talk to me."
"Oh? What about?"
"First, I saw the carpark guard, Roger. And as happy as I am to see him, he was just as happy to see me. It was nice, you know he's Filipino and he's so nice and kind."
"I hear they're very  hospitable."
"Yeah, he supports his family back in the Philippines. He has four kids, and a beautiful wife."
"Really? Four?"
"Yeah, and to be honest, I think he can't really wrap his head around how to support them with the money that he earns from HI, so I gave him a few cash to at least help him out. But don't feel bad or like, that I feel moved by his story or something, HI pays him well, he's guarding the main entrance. And AH's car."
"What? You gave him $2500 too?"
She smiled.
"I have him three. That's about 156,000 Pesos or something."
My eyes popped. That's like my salary for three months work.
I stopped eating.
"You just give out that kind of money? Hell, I think I should just give you a nice sad story and you'd give me double of that."
She rolled her eyes.
"And then I walked in the building. And my dad's floor, his assistant met me. Lily, she was nice, but then I saw her Louboutin's. And I thought to myself, how the hell could she afford those shoes. The money I gave to Roger was like a year's worth of salary for her or something."
"I bet she's in a relationship with someone rich."
"Maybe she has a sugar daddy or something."
"Highly likely. I mean, she's exposed to rich men."
"So, going back to my story, my father handed me back all my accounts and credit cards that I have with him, you know, the one he confiscated."
"Oh, nice. That explains the salmon."
She shook her head.
"He told me that he was having a merger with this logistics company, either a merger or he's buying out the company."
"You guys are broke?"
"No! Well, from what I know, we're not but I know that he's in the process of buying a certain logistics company. But then-" she stopped and looked at me.
"Then what?"
She sighed.
"A representative of that company entered my father's office, I think he's the logistics' company son."
Oh, I think I know where this is going.
I took a sip of wine.
"Turns out, my father didn't arrange the meeting for him to hand me back my money and my birth right or whatever,-"
"He was marrying you out." I intercepted.
She nodded.
"I guess, we had a good run? Best days of my life-"
This is heartbreaking, I mean, I was kinda planning on a future for the both of us, sell this apartment and live in a good suburb, with a good school district. Have two kids things like that.
"Actually, yeah. He was planning on marrying me out to a fucking logistics company. But then I panicked."
"You punched the guy on the face, breaking his nose and thus, ending the deal?"
"No, just don't get mad at me and I swear, you can back out and maybe actually kick me out of the house."
I looked at her, but then she stood up and went to her room and came back with a paper carrier.
"What's this?"
"Open it."
And I did.
A fucking Rolex box.
No, hell!
A fucking Rolex.
I kinda did say that if she gives me a Rolex, I'd know that we are gonna talk about marriage.
"Oh my god, what did you do?" I said as I drank wine.
"I panicked and told my dad that you and I are engaged."
I choked and then some wine escaped my mouth.
I DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN THIS EARLY!
We just got out on a date once.
"Fuck?" I said
She made a weird face that I could not describe.
"I panicked okay? I didn't want to marry some guy for a business deal, plus, if I'd ever get married, I'd like the groom be you-"
"Ara, don't sugar coat the words. Please tell me you didn't give your father a time or something."
She bit her lip.
"Ara! Are you crazy?!" I shouted
"I know you're having a hard time wrapping your head around this but-"
"When?"
"The end of February." She said
"Fuck!"
"I'm just telling you that I messed up our relationship and although it would be a good help if you went on with it but I can't force you to go with it because we are still talking about marriage here. Always know that I'd be 100% glad and willing to pay for the wedding and the divorce. If ever-"
"Ara-"
"I'm asking you to help me save my skin, but I know it is a big step and a huge favor to ask of you, so I'm not taking in whatever you answer now, I'm giving you time. Yes or no, you can keep the watch."
"Ara-"
"Because I get panicky a lot, I also decided to give you space-"
I frowned.
"You're leaving?"
"For the time being, I mean I'm kinda forcing you to marry me until what, my dad retires or something. And you might think of me as a short time thing and not a wife material. So, I'd be staying at-"
"You don't have to go-"
"I do. I'd be staying at the Hilton. Ask the front desk about Ara Hayden's room, tell him your name and he'll deal with you perfectly."
"Ara, you really don't have to go."
"I kinda need my space. I really don't know what I got myself in to."
I nodded.
"For the best of both of us." I said
"For the best."