Wicked Fate

TWENTYSECOND CHAPTER

Smoke comes out

Seunghyun looked up from reading a letter from Seoul City General the instant Ji pushed his office door open and sat like a Don Juan in front of his desk.

"You should advise Dara to go home" his cousin uttered without preamble.

"Dara? Why? What's wrong with her?"

"She's going to come down with the flu if she isn't going to go home now and take a rest."

He felt his eyebrow go up "Why don't you tell her then?"

"She won't listen to me. That woman takes stubbornness to a whole other level."

Seunghyun put down his glasses and now totally abandoned the letter he was perusing. "And when has that ever stopped you? From what I know, you've even been able to push her to ride with you on your motorcycle."

Ji reddened at this uncharacteristically but immediately recovered "That's different. I wanted to annoy her. This time, I'm sure she wouldn't agree at all even if it's for her own health unless YOU tell her to go. You're the Director, after all."

Seunghyun shrugged his shoulders and put his glasses back on. "Dara isn't that stubborn when it comes to her own health. If she feels really bad, I'm sure she'll go home on her own. It might not be as worse as you think."

Ji pulled the letter away so he wouldn't be able to resume reading. "Seunghyun, she looks like death walking."

Surprised, he looked back up at Ji. "This bothers you a lot?"

Defensively, his cousin explained "This bothers me because we can't risk having that virus spread amongst the staff as well. You're already having problems and with the number of patients coming in now, I don't reckon you'll like losing any of your people, right?"

Unable to help himself, he stood up from his chair and transferred on the empty one in front of him, directly facing Ji, and placed his hand on his cousin's right shoulder "Did something happen between you and Dara?"

His cousin's eyes almost popped out "What?!?"

"You've been avoiding each other like the plague for a whole week now" Seunghyun answered "Some people might not be aware of it and I wouldn't notice it too, however, Teddy-hyung pointed it out once and it seems true. She always checks up on you like clockwork once every morning, once in the afternoon, and once before we all go at night."

"That's because I didn't have patients visiting my surgery before and she didn't trust that I'd be in my best behavior."

"Which I commend her for" he answered cheekily and found Ji painting a smirk on his face "but it's uncharacteristic of Dara to just stop checking on any of us at all and she did that with you.... So, what happened?"

Ji shifted uncomfortably on his chair and roughly said. "Nothing's going on."

Seunghyun had to force himself not to smile at the sudden discovery of the beginnings of something special within the other man.

He knows this look.

He knows this dilemma.

He snorted instead and saw Ji look like wanting to punch him "You are sure nothing's going on?"

"Do I look unsure?" Ji growled.

"Well then..." Seunghyun didn't prod any further but he finally allowed himself to smile "I'll have her go home under one condition."

"Condition?"

***

Give in

Dara paused from filling up Juson's medical kit as her head throbbed again. She had been fighting it since two hours ago despite knowing that she should be going home because she felt that she might be coming down with the flu. However, there were so many patients coming in and just one more hour of her being here was a big help.

"Ms. Dara?" Minji, coming in from her quick lunch looked her up with concern "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine" she lied through her teeth and then remembered something "And thank you for the glass of water you put near my bed awhile ago."

"Uhmmmm –"

"NursePark! There you are!" Seunghyun said aloud from behind Minji – giving both women a start.

"Oh my! Why are you shouting Seunghyun?" Dara asked, holding a hand close to her heart as she almost toppled over because of surprise.

"I'm sorry" the Director tapped Minji on the back and smiled "It's just I've been looking for you."

"Why?" Dara asked and went back to filling up the medical kit as Minji bowed her leave.

"You are not feeling good" Seunghyun told her matter-of-factly.

Dara frowned and looked back at him "Why do you say so?"

"You look like death warmed up" the Doctor answered "and THAT is why I'm telling you to go home and take the day off or as long as you need until you're ok."

"I'm not sick" Dara told him stubbornly despite the throbbing pain and wanted to ask who would have told him so, the only one who knew was Minji but she wouldn't have told anyone at all and she was sure that Seunghyun wouldn't have found out all that just by looking at her – he wasn't a psychic doctor.

"Yes you are" the Director reiterated and put a hand on her forehead "and you're heating up."

She immediately shook his hand off "Seunghyun!!!"

"You should be going home" he told her, his face full of concern "And I'm telling you this not just as a doctor but also as your friend."

Torn with indecision, she was about to say more when Seunghyun spoke again "And just to make sure that you do go home and rest, I'm calling in reinforcements."

Dara frowned when Seunghyun took a step outside to signal to someone.

"Who in –" she felt her tongue almost roll back her throat when Ji Yong popped up behind Seunghyun, looking a little disheveled, half arrogant, and a whole lot of handsome.

"I'm taking you home" he told her without pause "and if you try to fight me off, I'll carry you all the way home."