Bring Her Joy (A Marry My Husband Fanfic)

Orchid's Day 7

"Yang Ju Ran ssi? Please have a seat in front of Room 4. The doctor will see you soon."

Ju Ran sat on the edge of her seat in the crowded waiting area, her hands trembling as she clutched the folder containing her post-cancer checkup results. This was her first check-up since she was declared cancer free. For her kind of cancer that required surgery, the return for check-up took a longer time but was not any less scary. Her mind was a tumultuous sea of thoughts, each wave crashing against her intensely.

Like a broken dial, her mind replayed every stressful thing that was going on in her life: a politician's controversial conversation while eating their latest product at U&K Foods which affected the sale of their snacks line, her daughter's insistence on a haircut to look like her favorite idol and her recent fight with Suk Joon. Even now, their words echoing like a relentless drumbeat. Since he drove her home that evening, they had not spoken to each other.

That was three weeks ago.

However, Suk Joon, ever the gentleman, regularly left gifts for her at her door and sent her a rose anonymously to her seat in the office every three days; everyone at the office was excited about new gossip since Jiwon got married. He even visited her daughter and didn't forget her career day in school that she asked him to attend in her stead. The little girl was smitten with him and regularly called him to pick her up after her extra classes and piano lessons. If only her mother could do the same...

The sound of her name being called barely registered in her ears over the noisy meeting of her thoughts. She looked up, startled, as a nurse gestured for her to follow. With a deep breath, she rose, shaking her legs that felt like lead and she walked towards the doctor's office.

Ju Ran stepped into the sterile office, her heart pounding in her chest. Dr. Choi sat behind the desk, her expression unreadable as she reviewed Ju Ran's results. The silence after their exchange of greetings was deafening, each passing second stretching into eternity.

Finally, Dr. Choi looked up, her face softening into a smile. "Yang Ju Ran nim, I'm pleased to tell you that your results are all clear. There's no sign of cancer recurrence. We were worried about some cysts we found but a simple procedure or a round of treatment can take them out..."

Relief flooded through Ju Ran, drowning out the doctor's voice, but it was quickly overshadowed by a flood of emotions. She thought about Suk Joon and the distance that had grown between them because of her obsessive worrying. She thought about her friends, their struggles mirroring her own. She thought about her life, the uncertainty of it all.

I've spent so much time worrying about what could go wrong, I forgot to appreciate what's right in front of me, she thought.

As she left the doctor's office, the weight of the world lifted off her shoulders, replaced by a newfound clarity.

Stepping out of the hospital, the crisp air hitting her face, carrying with it the scent of hope and fear. Clutching the folder containing her post-cancer checkup results, she felt a surge of relief wash over her as she thought the words "no recurrence".

She reached for her phone and dialed her U&K Foods Marketing Team, her voice steady yet trembling.

"I won't be coming in today, at all" she said, her tone final. "I need some time."

With that, she turned and got into her car, driving towards the beach. It had always been her safe haven in times of turmoil. As she walked, her mind wandered to her recent fights with her boyfriend, the tension between them palpable. She thought about her friends, their struggles and worries weighing heavy on her heart.

Reaching the beach, Ju Ran bought herself a cone of her favorite ice cream and found a secluded spot to sit. The cool ocean breeze brushed against her skin, the sound of the waves a soothing melody in the background.