#Promise

...

                          The bright sunshine that was coming through the living room glass wall woke me up. Tae was sprawled on the floor and I was curled up comfortably right beside him. The curtains were left drawn up and all the empty beer cans and wine bottle was laying on the floor beside us. I can't believe that we got drunk with the little amount of alcohol that we had.

                          Tae's phone that was on top of the side table suddenly rang. I caught a glimpse of the screen and Jimin's caller ID came on. It was his tenth unanswered call already. I felt a dull pain on my head as I got up and gently nudged Tae, attempting to wake him up. He just moved slightly and kept on sleeping. I reached for my phone from my pocket and saw that it was already past 9:00 am. I tried waking up Tae once again. This time, reminding him of his early work schedule. The mention of work was enough for him to finally wake up. He looked at me and seemed to be confused at first. He then saw the remnants of our celebration from the night before and gave out a heavy sigh.

                           "You better check your phone. I hope you are not in big trouble yet" I said as I tried to tidy up the mess around us.

                            He reached for his phone and quickly made a phone call.

                            " Sorry for not answering your calls. I woke up feeling sick this morning, but I'll take some medicine now and head out for practice later." he said

                             After telling them not to send their manager to check up on him and assured them that he was okay, he ended the call.

                             Tae insisted that we pass by for some coffee before we both head out to where we should go. He wanted to drive me home but I insisted that I will just take the bus.
                             Both feeling like zombies, we sat down on a corner table at the coffee shop after we got our order of some fresh strong coffee. After a few sips, we unintentionally looked at each other and suddenly just burst out laughing with hysterical tears.

                             " We really suck at getting drunk! We better not do this again." he said.

                             " I don't know about you but I have a horrible headache right now" I replied.

                             " Listen... whatever I said last night... Don't think that I only said it because I was drunk." Tae said as his expression became serious again.

                              " Let's not talk about that right now." I replied as I tried to not make things awkward.

                              " I heard from our manager that our boss asked you to avoid contact with Jimin or any of us until after we finish the tour and until we release the new album. Is that right?" he asked.

                              I nodded to say yes.

                              " Just so you know, we are done with the tour, and we are releasing our album next week. After that, I assume you should already be allowed to contact Jimin. I just hope that you would still remember that I exist even after you reunite with him." he continued.

                              I smiled at him and  awkwardly sipped the rest of my coffee.
                              "Of course I will! Don't be ridiculous!" I replied sheepishly.

                              A few moments later,  a really pretty young lady approached our table so aggressively that startled both Tae and I.
                              She had a really slender and petite  figure that was emphasised more by the tight jeans and cropped top that she was wearing. You could easily tell that she is a celebrity because of the make up that she has on and the accessories that she was wearing.

                               "So, you don't seem to be so busy these days as I thought you were. Seeing you here like this, you do seem to have some  free time." she said with a hint of sarcasm, directing the statement to Tae.

                                " Yumi.... what are you doing here?" Tae asked as he nervously stood up.

                                 The girl then shifted her piercing gaze at me and glared at me from head to foot, almost like mocking me.

                                " Is she the reason why you have been ignoring my calls these days? I was repeatedly calling you last night but you have been rejecting my calls! Why do you always tell me that you are busy with work when you can clearly spare some time to be with unimportant people?  Isn't being with your girlfriend a priority anymore? she hysterically asked him.

                                 I froze on my seat as I listen to her. Am I hearing this right? My friend Tae actually has a girlfriend? He has never mentioned her before so this was all a surprise to me. I looked at her more closely and I would have to admit that she really is very pretty. She may have some bratty  attitude but still undeniably pretty. If its true that Tae is dating her, they do look really good together.

                                 "Please lower your voice. There are other people around here. You, of all people should know not to create a scene here. This is not the place for us to talk about this." Tae told her, trying to calm her down so as not to attract more attention.

                                   She was going to argue some more,  but before she can say anything else, her manager came in and had to literally dragged her out of the coffee shop. She was still glaring at me as she walked out of there with flailing arms trying to get out of her manager's firm grip.

                                   "I'm so sorry you had to see that." Tae said.

                                    "Don't worry about it. It's actually very amusing." I replied

                                    " I can explain all of that, Kate" Tae said

                                     "No explanations needed! I completely understand why you two need to keep your dating life a secret. She's an idol too, right?" I said teasingly.
                                      "Yes, she is from a girl group, but I am not dating her.... anymore." he replied.
                                      "Like I said, you don't have to explain, ok? That is something personal but if you really want to tell me all about her, we'll do that next time we drink!"I said as I laughed. 
                                       "Ok then. Whatever you say." He replied in defeat.

                                      As soon as I got on the bus to go back home, I immediately dozed off like I didn't just finish a whole cup of large coffee.  I got awakened by the subtle buzzing of my phone inside my pocket. I sleepily reached for it and answered.
                                       "Good Morning Nurse Kate! Im calling from the Nursing Administration Office. Would it be possible for you to come by as soon as you can? We just need to discuss some very urgent matter with you"
                                       I felt like a bucket full of ice was poured over me. The memory of how I was fired from my previous job came surging in. I suddenly found it hard to breathe and I couldn't utter a reponse. 
                                       "Am I getting fired?" I asked with trembling voice.
"Oh no! Definitely not. It's actually a job offer, but I can't discuss the details over the phone."
I felt so relieved that the whole bus might have heard my sigh.
" I'm five minutes away from the hospital. I'll drop by your office as soon as I get there." I replied.