A/N: Trigger warning - we know the premise of Thirty, Nine so this will deal with death a little since my thought is to take off the story from where the drama ended. If you're not comfortable, please feel free to discontinue. I will not be dealing too much on it, but I cannot just ignore the entire premise of the drama.
Lastly, as mentioned, this is a continuation from the previous prompt (also on this book) so you may need to read that first. :-)
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Death.
It is never easy to deal with and when it happens to someone close to you, it makes you feel like a part of your heart has been ripped out and it will never be whole again.
"Oh, Chan-young," Cha Mi-jo whispered, staring at the marble tombstone bearing the name of one of her best friends. "I miss you badly."
By all standards, today would have been counted as an average day.
Cha Mi-jo woke up at 4:30am to start her day with a little work out, then prepared the lunch box for her and her son, Hoon. Her little Hoonie stole her heart from the moment they met at the orphanage she grew up in and she knew that she would move mountains to be able to be allowed to adopt him even if she was unmarried.
The next task in her routine would be waking up Hoon and preparing him for school. On some days, it was a struggle when he didn't want to wake up early. But, on an average day like today, there was some struggle but it wasn't too bad.
Hoon's best friend from school picked him up that day and the guardian drove both kids, so Mi-jo was able to head to her dermatology clinic same time as she normally does.
The sun showed itself for a little bit, then disappeared. Again, average for this season.
Mi-jo sorted through her mails, like usual for this hour in the business day, before her first patient came in for treatment. And today, like all the other days for the past three months, she headed to the cemetery before finally making her way home.
"Seon-woo sent over a note saying he received all the items I sent," Mi-jo told her friend's tombstone. "He didn't want to take back the ring but I insisted. It was pointless to hang onto it anyway if we're already broken up."
Thirty-nine.
Sure, marrying wasn't part of her initial plans for this stage in her life. However, Cha Mi-jo didn't expect that she would suffer the loss of her best friend and then a broken engagement.
Cha Mi-jo sighed. Kim Seon-woo was a nice and kind man, who she would never speak ill off. But timing was not their friend. He came along at a time when she was trying to leave Seoul to deal with her anxiety, but then had to stay because of the terrible news of Jung Chan-young's illness.
Kim Seon-woo supported her through the darkest hours, but he and Mi-jo misinterpreted that and their one night as something other than friendship. Grief had a way of warping ones perception and she thought what she had with Seon-woo was love.
While it was warm and felt stable, Cha Mi-jo ignored the voices in her head that whispered, But something is missing.
Eventually, it all caught up with them. Conversations became a chore and there were long silences where words used to be. Mi-jo didn't blame Seon-woo. Chan-young's death and its effect on her was difficult on her and a new romance didn't stand a chance.
When Seon-woo told her that he's decided to go back to the United States to pursue further studies, she didn't protest. They both knew what it meant.
They were done.
"You were right, Chan-young," Mi-jo whispered. "He... he didn't ignite my soul... but with you gone... a part of me died and I'm not sure I'd ever feel happiness again much less sparks this life."
With her other best friend, Joo Hee, focused on her new romance, Mi-jo couldn't help but feel alone.
Hoon will be spending the night at her parents' house so Cha Mi-jo decided to walk around the city for a little bit, eventually stopping by a quaint little coffee shop.
As she sat in the outdoor patio available to customers, she stared at the city she loved but now held felt too vast for her lonely soul. Her musings, though, were interrupted by a rowdy paid of men by the corner table, one man examining the other's face.
"I told you to have that burn checked! It doesn't look good. If that gets infected and affects your brain, huh?!"
The other man, whose back was turned to Mi-jo, snorted. "I don't think burns work that way."
Cha Mi-jo's ears suddenly perked up and she turned to watch the pair more closely. His voice sounded so... familiar, she thought.
"Well, I'm not a doctor which is why I keep asking you to go back to that dermatologist I referred you to before!"
"Leave me alone, Agent Hwang," the man with the familiar voice dismissed.
"When you have that checked, Agent Dae-sik."
Cha Mi-jo gasped and a loud clatter broke the atmosphere as her coffee cup toppled over.
The two agents turned to her spot, both recognizing her — one looked at her, happy to see a familiar face; while the other looked at her tentatively... but with a sense of longing lurking behind his eyes.
"Dr. Cha!" Agent Hwang greeted, approaching her.
"Good evening, Agent Hwang." Turning to the taller, more handsome man, Cha Mi-jo said quietly, "Hello again, Agent Dae-sik."
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Park Dae-sik, the NIS agent who had made her heart flutter and renewed her hope in love, only to suddenly disappear with no word as to where he vanished off to.
Now, here he was again. Would this time be any different or should she just get on her way?
Cha Mi-jo swore off romantic attachments after everything she had been through. But seeing Agent Dae-sik again made her feel things she hadn't felt... since the last time she met him.
