"Because of this incident, I don't have the face to stay here anymore, even if the director allows me to. However, I don't want to be transferred to another hospital, because a good boss like Director Jung is hard to come across. Director Jung is in charge of South Side as well, so I mentioned it to him. He objected at first because he thinks I won't be able to handle the stress there, but after seeing my persistence, he agreed."
"But you don't have to do this to yourself. If you don't want to stay at this location, why don't you ask to be transferred to the West Side Infertility Clinic? I heard that they're hiring as well," Wonyoung suggested.
Lisa shook her hands immediately, "When I worked in the OB/GYN Department, I was tired, but my heart was at ease because we helped newborns come to this world every day. I'd rather die than work at West Side! Seeing couples with reproductive problems being forced to come in and out of the hospital every day will make me depressed. A person's work environment affects their mood. South Side Recuperation Center is filled with patients undergoing rehabilitation therapy, so the work won't be too stressful. Plus, I heard that South Side's salary is the highest of all the hospitals, it's three times more than what I earn here."
Lisa was telling the truth; she hadn't been offered a permanent position yet, so her monthly salary was very less.
On the other hand, nurses at South Side Recuperation Center earned thrice every month. It made sense; people who looked after rich people should be paid more. Otherwise, no one else would want to do it.
"Yeah right, you're not one to care about salary, you're just trying to get me off your case." Wonyoung still didn't understand why Lisa was so set on working at South Side, but she knew that it wasn't for the money.
Lisa smiled but said nothing more. Wonyoung hugged her, "Unnie, I'll miss you so much. We've worked together for so long, and I'm really sad to see you leave."
"If it weren't for South Side's notorious reputation, I would definitely ask you to leave with me."
"Forget it, I'm not going there. I'd rather quit than go work at South Side!" Wonyoung immediately waved her hands.
Lisa joked, "But I heard a lot of young and pretty nurses want to work there, just so they can find a rich boy to marry."
"I'll pass on the rich boys, marrying rich isn't as easy as you think. Most end up becoming the mistresses or play toys of rich men. Men invest their money while women invest their emotions. It's not an equal transaction, I won't do it. It's not worth it."
Lisa happily patted Wonyoung on her shoulder upon hearing this. "You're right, humans shouldn't be so greedy. It's hard to be a wife of a wealthy man – just look at the celebrities on TV. Once they marry rich, some suffer physical abuse but are afraid to complain. They have no choice but to swallow everything. It's better to live happily alone than in suffocation."
"You're right, unnie. I will keep that in mind forever. If you can't stand working there, remember to request to come back, okay? The director is really nice to you."
"Okay." Lisa nodded.
Lisa's transfer to South Side Recuperation Center was later announced by the hospital. At the same time, she was offered a permanent position. Lisa was no longer an intern.
Her colleagues at the OB/GYN department, including the head nurse, and Chief of the laboratory, suggested that they have dinner together as a farewell party to Lisa.
It was hard to turn down their kindness, so Lisa made reservations at a restaurant. The group headed there together after work.
During dinner, she sent a message to Jungkook telling him that she'll be late, but he didn't reply.
Everyone was excited after dinner, so they went out for karaoke. It was 11 PM by the time their party ended.
After Lisa saw everyone off, she held out her hand to wave down a cab.
However, a Maybach took up the lane before her cab could arrive.
"Hm? Cabs these days sure are luxurious," Lisa, drunk, mumbled to herself.
"How much did you drink? I can't believe you can't even recognize my car," Jungkook rolled down the window with a grim expression on his face.
It wasn't until Jungkook got off the car did Lisa recognize who it was. Smiling like an idiot, she exclaimed, "Hey, it's you! Why are you here?"
Jungkook's expression was grim, but he remained silent. He picked Lisa up and dropped her onto the passenger seat. After buckling up her seat belt, the pair drove off.
It was already close to 10 PM when Jungkook finished running errands. He had to drop by his family's mansion.
His father was interested in investing in a 5-billion project, so he asked Jungkook to come over and talk about it.
In the end, he and his father held different opinions and their conversation went stale. Jungkook called Lisa as soon as he left.
At that time, Lisa had gone to the bathroom, so Wonyoung was the one who picked up her phone.
Wonyoung drank a lot as well, so she vaguely blurted out the address of the karaoke place they were at.
That's how Jungkook got there. He waited outside for over an hour before he saw Lisa come out.
She was already swaying as she walked in an S-shaped pattern, but she still had the frame of mind to help others get cabs first.
She didn't think of herself until everyone else left? Who was his wife, Robinhood?
Wasn't she worried that illegitimate cab drivers would kidnap her, take her out to the countryside? Was she really a genius? Did she not know about safety precautions? He couldn't believe that just a while ago, because she expressed her gratitude towards him on TV, he let that pregnant patient's husband off the hook and got the insurance company to retract their lawsuit. He was always thinking of her, but she drank herself into oblivion.
"Have some water," Jungkook handed her a bottle.
Lisa chugged the water but immediately threw up.
All her puke was aimed at the driver's seat and splashed all over Jungkook's pants.
He was wearing Versace's limited-edition pants, not to mention that it was worth a fortune.
The point was, Jungkook was a germaphobe! Was it really okay for her to just throw up all over him?
"Li..Sa…" Jungkook gritted his teeth and growled.
"Here!" Lisa replied as if she was giving her attendance in school.
"Damn it, no more alcohol for you again." Jungkook festered for a while but didn't know what else to say.
Yell at her? He didn't have the heart to. Finally, all he could do was warn her not to drink again. It was a first for him to see someone act like this when they're drunk.
"No, I like alcohol, it tastes good. Mixing red wine with Sprite is better than mixing it with black tea," Lisa fell back in her seat and mumbled.
Jungkook didn't want to argue with her. Stepping on the gas pedal, the car instantly took off and they were home in minutes.
After they got off the car and went upstairs, Jungkook immediately carried Lisa to the second-floor bathroom.
After he filled the tub with lukewarm water, he dropped Lisa right in…
"Have a nice bath." Jungkook was furious.
"I want bubbles, why aren't there any bubbles?" Lisa pouted as she began splashing water everywhere with her hands.
Jungkook patiently pumped some body wash into the bath water, and white bubbles slowly began to form.
Jungkook bent down and tried out the temperature; it was perfect, so he got up to leave.
Lisa suddenly smashed her hands on the water to create a giant water dome, drenching Jungkook entirely.
Seething, Jungkook held down Lisa's arms and warned, "No more moving, take your bath."
"Hey, you have really pretty eyelashes. They're really pretty," Lisa said as she moved closer to Jungkook. Her lips came down onto his eyelashes, nuzzling them.
Jungkook felt his defense come crashing down, slowly but surely…
He really wanted to take her, then and there. However, she was drunk and not clear headed.
He couldn't, he definitely couldn't… His mind thought as his body felt stuck to her, unable to move.
"Let me tell you a Secret, Jungkook. Do you know what I was thinking when I met you for the first time all those years ago?" Lisa hazily leaned her head on Jungkook's shoulder and sniffed around.
Jungkook's heart skipped a beat… He was looking forward to her answer.
Was her answer the same as his? When she first met him, did she know that he would one day become her husband?
"At the time I was thinking, 'how can a man be so devilishly gorgeous? Who in the world will be unfortunate enough to marry him?'" Lisa laughed idiotically after saying this.
She didn't notice how bad Jungkook's expression was… Was it that unfortunate to be his wife?
She thought he looked devilish? The little wicked girl's courage obviously grew with age. Jungkook thought.
If Lisa wasn't drunk, he would seriously consider throwing her out from the 16th floor.
"Ugh…" Unable to control the churning in her stomach, she threw up again. Once again, Jungkook failed to escape from the disaster zone.
However, compared to the first time, he was much calmer the second time around and didn't become furious at all.
He undressed Lisa and threw her clothes into the other bathroom.
First, he helped her shower, and then he took a shower himself. Finally, he dumped all their clothes into the washing machine.
It was hard for him to not jump on her like a beast when she looked so tempting. She was absolutely gorgeous but this was not the right time for sex.
Not now but soon.
*
It was already 2 AM when he finished cleaning up.
Exhausted, Jungkook fell onto the bed. He glanced at Lisa – she was sleeping like a baby.
He sighed; perhaps he owed her from their last lifetime. No matter how furious he became, all his anger seemed to disappear into thin air as soon as he saw her.
- The next morning -
When Lisa woke up, Jungkook had already prepared a western breakfast with sandwiches, eggs, and warm milk.
"Um… last night…?" Lisa opened her mouth awkwardly.
"I picked you up last night. You threw up twice, once in my car and once in the bathroom. I took off your clothes and helped you shower. Oh, and I was the one who washed and dried all the dirty clothes," Jungkook said everything in one breath.
Lisa's face turned crimson by the time he finished…
He helped her shower? Did that mean he saw everything?
(a/n- well, Y-E-S🤷♀️)
"Looks like you … had a lot to do last night." Lisa sat down by the table. She picked up the glass of warm milk and began drinking it slowly.
"Thanks for acknowledging that. Next time, you should drink less."
"I didn't actually drink that much, haha." Lisa chuckled.
If Jungkook found out that she drank three bottles of red wine and two bottles of beer, he would probably kill her.
"I don't need to go to work, it's Sunday so I have the day off. Starting tomorrow, I will be working at the South Side Recuperation Center," Lisa slowly said.
Jungkook wasn't interested in her change of job. He nodded, "South Side is a little far."
"If I take the bus, it's only 45 minutes and 2 transfers away," Lisa thought otherwise.
"So that means you'll be working night shifts again?" Jungkook suddenly remembered this; his face turned grim.
"Um…" Guilty, Lisa didn't dare to say more.
"I don't have a problem with you working night shifts. It's your job, your freedom. I respect you, but you have to respect me as well."
"How would you like me to respect you?" Lisa knew that Jungkook had more to say.
"Take the Sedan then, it'll save you time from commuting to work. If you take the South-Ring Overpass, you'll be there in less than 10 minutes."
"But…" Lisa didn't really want to be known as the high-profile nurse who drove to work.
"It's settled," Jungkook dominatingly announced before Lisa could finish her sentence.
"Let's go out after breakfast."
"To where?" Lisa asked in a daze.
"Bambam said he wanted to take us out to lunch."
"What? But I've already made plans to have lunch with Chaeyoung." Lisa struggled.
"Not a problem, the four of us can eat together," Jungkook suggested.
"Eat…together? Is that a good idea?" Lisa was a little shocked by Jungkook's proposition.
Lisa thought that it would be weird for the four of them to eat together, but since Jungkook persisted, she didn't say more.
Jungkook made reservations at the Phoenix, a restaurant that was known for traditional Korean cuisines.
The restaurant had traditional decorations and mainly served smoked, marinated, and barbeque dishes. Their most famous dish was the House Special Spiced Chicken. Apparently, this dish was first marinated with their secret recipe for 24 hours before it was barbequed using low heat until golden. The meat was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and its aromatic scent could be smelled from miles away. This was a must-order dish at this restaurant.
Jungkook was a man of many connections; the restaurant was usually packed and rarely had open tables available.
However, not only did the four of them get seats, they were also placed in the best private room within the restaurant.
Jungkook and Lisa ordered a dozen specialty dishes after they arrived. Coincidentally, Bambam and Chaeyoung bumped into each other downstairs.
They hadn't seen each other in years. Therefore, it was only natural for them to shoot cynical remarks at each other.
Bambam's black jaguar took up two parking spots, causing Chaeyoung to have nowhere to park her Mazda. Of course she was going to complain about it.
Just as she was about to get off the car to talk to the driver, she saw Bambam.
"Why are you here?" Chaeyoung frowned.
"Hey, Chaeyoung, long time no see." Bambam knew that he was meeting Chaeyoung and Lisa for lunch, so he wasn't surprised at all.
"Move your shitty car. It's taking up two parking spots. Don't be unreasonable." Chaeyoung was running out of her patience.
"I thought you were against Japanese products back in high school, why did you buy a Japanese car?" Bambam rebutted.
Chaeyoung rolled her eyes at him and snapped, "Back in 19th century the Britain invaded South Korea. Britain were the most aggressive and cruel. Why would you buy a Jaguar?"
"Haha, I don't think you understand. Thanks to the financial crisis, Ford sold Jaguar to an Indian company Tata motors in 2008, so it's Indian-owned now, although manufactured in England. Please get your facts together before trying to teach me a lesson."
"An Indian car which is still manufactured in England? Still doesn't make you a patriot," Chaeyoung glared at Bambam as she backed up her car into a parking spot that had just opened up.
They entered the private room one after the other. Lisa smiled, "Did you guys get a chance to catch up? You haven't seen each other in years."
"Of course not, I wasn't close to that egomaniac back then anyway," Chaeyoung immediately declared her stance.
Bambam glanced at her, "It's not like I liked you back then either. You think you're better than everyone because you're a flight attendant, right?"
"Being a flight attendant is better than being a cop, all you people do is take our tax dollars and do nothing."
They seemed like enemies in a spat, and Lisa was getting a headache just listening to them.
It's all because of her stupid husband and his stupid idea; Jungkook seemed to be enjoying himself, playing with his phone as he listened to them bicker.
"Have you ordered?" Bambam asked.
Lisa nodded, and then said to the waiter by the door, "You can serve the dishes now."
"Hey, let's make a deal, I'm buying today. Kook, don't think about grabbing the bill first," Bambam declared.
"Sounds good, I won't fight over the bill with you." Jungkook smiled; he was in a good mood.
As soon as Chaeyoung heard that Bambam was buying, she turned around and asked the waiter, "Excuse me, do you guys have red wine?"
"Yes we do, miss, what would you like?"
"I'd like a bottle of your most expensive wine."
"I'll go get it for you, please wait."
Smiling, Chaeyoung looked down at the menu.
Bambam laughed, "Is one bottle enough? Should we order another one?"
"Do you think I'm afraid of you? Waiter, get me two bottles of that wine." Chaeyoung was unwilling to back down.
"I don't care how many bottles you order, but I hate wasting, so you better drink it all," Bambam snickered.
"Of course I will."
"Chae, will you be able to finish it all?" Lisa secretly tugged at the corner of her friend's shirt.
"So what if I can't, you can, right? You're the heavyweight. I heard that you guys drank a lot last night, how much did you drink? More than five bottles?"
Lisa immediately reached out to cover Chaeyoung's mouth, gesturing for her to stop. She was afraid that someone else at the table might explode.
Then, Jungkook put away his phone and said, enunciating every word, "People who can't handle their booze shouldn't flaunt."
"Ha, you got drunk last night? Did you lose it?" Chaeyoung looked at Lisa with an evil expression on her face.
Before Lisa could answer, Bambam suddenly interjected, "So you guys had fun last night, eh? What position did you guys do it in? Was Jungkook on top or were you?"
Bambam had no filter, literally.