"Yes, we're not talking about your disease today. We're just drinking."
"Why?" Soobin looked at Lisa defensively.
"It's because getting drunk helps deal with your worries... Ha, rest assured, I won't take private photos when you're drunk, I am very professional."
"I know," Soobin softly spoke.
"So are we drinking or not? I respect your decisions, and if you trust me, sit down and drink away. If you're worried, I understand, as you're a public figure. If your agent finds out, she'll curse me into oblivion, I suppose." Lisa laughed her heart out. She knew that she might be lectured and reported, but she still wanted to test her luck and go down a riskier path.
After about 5 seconds of silence...
Soobin slowly raised his head, showing her his clear eyes.
"Then... let's drink."
It was true that he had been too depressed lately, his agent was very strict with him and didn't let him drink any alcohol.
It was because she was afraid that he would lose his composure and damage his reputation as an idol. He also knew that what his agent did was for his own benefit.
So, he did not argue over it. Today, Lisa brought over wine and allowed him to drink as much as he wanted to.
He was still young and ready to go...
His innocent hormones were jumping around...
Just like that, the two began drinking while facing each other.
Lisa was a bold girl and had a slight case of alcoholism.
If Jungkook caught her, it was the end for her, but to breakthrough the bottleneck and treat Soobin's illness, she really put herself out there.
She was giving up her life to entertain others...
"This wine is pretty good, where did you get it from?" Soobin held up the orange flavored red wine and asked.
"Uh... from my house," Lisa awkwardly replied; she didn't dare to say that she stole it from her husband.
"Your wine is not bad. My agent forbids me from drinking; I rarely drink cocktails besides when I'm at business functions, where I have to drink with my bosses. Honestly, I'm tired of business dinners, but I can't do anything about it. Don't you think I'm screwed in the head?"
Soobin bitterly smiled...
"If you can't change life, then change yourself first," Lisa calmly said.
"Change myself?" Soobin looked at her with confusion.
"Mhm, your attitude towards life is very important. If you let your heart become narrow, your problems will become bigger. When your heart becomes bigger, your problems will become smaller. In the end, everything will come to pass. In other words, you're a star and a public figure. There'll be people who praise you and those who shun you. Don't take compliments or criticism to heart. They're all illusions, and your personal comfort is what really matters."
"You're right, I just always miss the big picture. I thought that I couldn't change the situation and complained everyday. Look where that got me. Haha... I guess I'm just not suited for the entertainment industry."
"Then leave..."
"Leave? Impossible, I currently have twenty contracts on my back. If I leave, I'll have to jump off a building to pay my debts back."
"So... If you can't do it, don't complain."
Lisa then continued, "Maybe you think that I'm being too harsh, but... I am speaking the truth."
"I know." Soobin nodded.
"I can see that you have an unpleasant past. In fact, we all do. Nobody is as happy as they seem on the outside. There's an internet phrase that I really like."
"What is it?" Lisa's words seemed to pique Soobin's interest.
"Treasure your past, but never look back," Lisa said, word by word.
"Treasure it, haha, what's true is that... that I'll never look back. Yes, I'll never look back onto that time again." Soobin's heart seemed to be moved as he took a huge swig from the bottle.
Lisa raised her own. "Cheers."
At that moment, Lisa's phone rang. It was Jungkook...
"Ahem... shh, I need to take a call. Don't speak a word. I'm dead for sure if my Mr. Jeon finds out that I'm drinking behind his back." After making a shushing gesture at Soobin, Lisa rose and uneasily picked up the phone.
"Hey, kook."
"Doll, what are you doing?" On the other side of the call was Jungkook's warm voice.
"Working," Lisa spoke in a rushed tone, afraid that Jungkook would see a hole in her lies with his terrifying intelligence.
"Work? What work?" Jungkook never asked what Lisa was working on.
Lisa was scared into feeling more and more guilty...
"Uh... just the usual, checking and observing on patients, holding meetings, et cetera."
"Oh, is that really it?" unassured, Jungkook asked.
"Of course... I'm doing good, what's up with you today? You're so untrusting." Lisa was dying of guilt.
"My right eye keeps on twitching, and every time I've had this feeling, you've gotten into trouble," Jungkook said nonchalantly.
Lisa almost dropped her phone out of horror...
"Ahem... so you're suspicious that I'm causing trouble?" Lisa asked on purpose.
"Mhm."
"Eh, you're thinking too much into it. I'm working, how could I cause trouble? You can be a hundred and twenty percent assured."
"Then be careful," still worried, Jungkook instructed.
"Okay." Lisa nodded.
Hanging up, her tense heart finally relaxed. She was really afraid that Jungkook would ask her to turn on the video camera.
If she were to turn on the video, she wouldn't even have time to run outside. Soobin's terrifying agent was guarding the door, and if she saw them drinking, she would probably scold Lisa's head off.
"Phew... that was close," putting her phone into her pocket, Lisa let out a long breath.
"What's wrong?" Soobin looked at her with a lost expression.
"My husband was checking on me. He forbids me from drinking. That was close, he almost found out."
"You're married already?" Soobin was a little surprised, as Lisa looked so young.
"Yeah, I'm married," smiling, Lisa replied.
"You're so young, and you are already married?!" Soobin didn't seem to understand.
"Please, Mr. Big Star, who still cares about their age? The law states that the minimum marriage age for women is twenty, and twenty-two for men. Both my husband and I meet that requirement, so why can't we get married?" Lisa never thought that she got married too early. Perhaps she knew that Jungkook was the love of her life, so she never even considered that question.
However, the fact was, Lisa did get married early...
She was the youngest out of all her classmates because she skipped grades; she was three years younger than them.
However, there were quite a few classmates who were still unmarried. In comparison, she did get married early, since she was only 24 after all.
"No, I just think that it's too early. Some people may be just starting their careers, which may be affected by an early marriage," Soobin slowly said.
Lisa nodded. "You're not wrong, but I think it depends on your profession. People in your field shouldn't get married early, and even if you do, it has to be a hidden marriage, as fans might not be able to take it. As a nurse, why would I need to care? Isn't it normal to get married and have kids? It's an important step in everyone's lives."
"You're right, you do have a big heart. I feel like you're very generous, unlike women who fuss over every little detail. I don't know how you do it, you're so young, so you shouldn't be this calm and experienced, right?" Soobin asked.
"For every minute of unhappiness, I would be losing sixty seconds of happiness, so why would I be stupid like that? People live for themselves! I'll tell you what, my personality is not likable at all, and when I went to school, barely any classmates liked me. Some envied my gift because I could easily beat them on tests without studying, reading, or reviewing. Others couldn't bear with me because they thought I was too arrogant and that I was being too cocky. Little did they know that I wasn't being cocky, they just didn't understand my world. Throughout these years, some people admired me and some people despised me, but it doesn't matter. I'm not money, I can't make it so that everybody likes me. No matter what others say, I am still me. Be it good or bad, people's opinions of me don't affect my life at all. Of course, that's based on the premise that I don't care too much."
Lisa realized this after her mother forgave Jungkook...
She suddenly saw the world in a brighter light after dropping the baggage that she had been carrying for many years. No other problems could make her face bitter and her heart worry.
"You really are different, after I came to South Side for treatment, Director Li always recommended you. At first, my agent didn't agree to you being my assisting doctor because you're not a professional doctor and she was scared that something might go wrong. Now I see why. Director Li has her reason for liking you. You are indeed special."
"Are you complimenting me or complimenting me?" Lisa laughed.
"I'm complimenting you, you're a little older than me so I will just call you noona from now on," Soobin softly said.
To be honest, Lisa was quite shocked when she heard him say this...
It must be noted that patients with depression have high self-defense; they do not make friends easily, much less open their hearts.
Soobin called Lisa his sister; it was obvious that he was starting to let down his defenses around her...
"If you want, that'd be great. I have a younger brother too who is even younger than you, and he's a really good kid. You're kind, and you're so young, I don't want you to be troubled by depression. Rest assured, if you're willing to put your trust in me, I'll do all I can to cure your illness. You called me your sister, so I'm going to be like a sister to you."
After smiling, Lisa raised her wine bottle...
Soobin rarely smiled, but he did and showed his cute canine teeth...
Lisa looked at Soobin's attractive smile and suddenly realized that Soobin should've been a very bright and energetic young man.
It would've been great if he didn't have depression...
"Thanks," Soobin raised his bottle and took a huge swig.
Technically, those who rarely drank should get drunk immediately...
However... both Soobin and Lisa drank two bottles of wine, but he didn't even seem drunk.
So, Lisa silently took out two more bottles. They continued drinking and talking about life...
It was good that she prepared ahead of time and brought ten bottles...
Speaking of which, she was a little distressed. The wine must've been expensive since, after all, it was in Jungkook's private collection...
If he found out that he was missing some bottles, maybe he would go on a rampage... haha.
After the two drank a whole eight bottles of red wine, Soobin started to get tipsy, and his mood began to change...
He looked out the window, and his gaze became melancholic...
Grasping the opportunity, Lisa softly asked, "Soobin, when you were under hypnosis, you always became agitated at the sight of someone, but you won't tell us who or why. Now can you tell me who that person is?"
"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. But I believe that if you say it, it will be very helpful for untying the knot in your heart and your recovery," Lisa added.
He was silent for about ten seconds...
Soobin turned around, looked Lisa in her eyes, and said, "When I was ten, she left me and ran away with another man to pursue what she called happiness. She left me with my drunk of a father, who took out his anger on me because she left. He viciously beat me every day after he got drunk, and later, he chased after me one time, so I ran away. A car appeared and hit him, killing him. I thought it was karma and ended up with my grandparents. They lived in a village and were very old, had bad health, and no source of income. They begged my aunt to take me in, so I spent three years under her roof. I dropped out of school when I was fourteen, and I drifted around and made some crook friends. I lived in internet cafés for a whole year, where my days were filled with disruption and displacement until my agent appeared. She was an elite agent and saw my talent. She took me out of that circle and helped me change my name. She sent me to Korea to train for three years. I debuted when I was eighteen and worked until now... If it weren't for my agent, I would probably be rotting in jail or being a crook somewhere. "
"Your mom, she... how could she be so cold-hearted?" Lisa was getting a little emotional.
"She was never my mother, she's not fit to be... I remembered that when she left, she asked someone to bring me a set of new clothes with a note that asked me to not hate her and that everything she did was for my younger brother. Haha... how funny is that? How could she sacrifice me for a son that she had with someone else? How come nobody cares about the older brother?"
"Then, is she still in contact with you?" Lisa felt sorry for Soobin after hearing about his tragic life.
She sincerely felt like this man had it hard, becoming a popular idol after being a crook, who was close to perishing.
It was a complete do-over...
"Maybe the gods saw my sorrow, so she didn't have a happy time. That man cheated on her and abandoned her. She worked many jobs to keep that waste of a son alive. Haha, she came looking for me a few times and asked me for money. I didn't give her any, and later, she said that she would expose my real identity to the media, expose what I did in my younger years as a crook. She even said that she would go to court to sue me for abandonment, saying that I didn't care for her." After saying that, Soobin bitterly laughed.
"Is she really your mother? How can she do something like that?" Lisa softly said.
"I once doubted that she didn't give birth to me as well. I even did a parental test, but the results were funny. I really am her son... Haha."
"Then, she's too extreme, threatening to expose her biological son. I have absolutely no comment," Lisa exclaimed.
"Do you know what I said to her?" Soobin raised his head and asked her.
"You gave her money? You used it to keep her mouth shut?" Lisa guessed.
"I didn't give her a single cent, I told her to expose anything she wanted to expose. Even if I lost everything, I promised that I would use my money to hire someone to kill that trash son of hers. She was scared after hearing that; she thought I could really do it, and blamed me for not having a shred of humanity. Until now, she didn't expose anything about me, so I guess my threat was extremely effective."
"If she did, would you really do that?" Lisa asked anxiously.
"Noona, what do you think?" Soobin asked her back with a smile on his face.
"I don't think you would've done something like that," Lisa answered in a serious tone.
"Why?"
"It's because... I see the good in you, you were just bluffing."
"Ha... I didn't think that you'd see this side of me so thoroughly since even my biological mother didn't see it. It's true, I was only scaring her; I would never do that. Even if she exposed me, it's just my public image that's destroyed. I have enough money now to go wherever I want to go. It's just that I haven't repaid my agents's kindness yet. I promised her to be an idol for ten years," Soobin softly said.
"So your mother was the one who has been stressing you out?" Lisa asked heartbreakingly.
"Yes."
"I think you can let it go now, she already got what was coming to her after abandoning you. As for you... you've achieved brilliance and glory. It's all in the past now, so you don't have to beat yourself up over it."
"It's not fair, noona, I can't settle with a dark and unbearable past like that. Thinking back on it now, it hurts so much that I want to die. To be frank, I don't want to be a star, I just want to be a normal person. If she didn't abandon me back then, I could have gone to high school and university just like any other kid. I might've graduated uni by now and found a stable job and a girl I liked. Now, I have nothing. Nothing, do you understand? I don't even have the desire to keep living... I don't know if there's anything left for me in this world."
Soobin painfully held his head with his hands, beginning to feel emotional and agitated...
Lisa immediately patted his hand and comforted, "Soobin, if you trust me, listen to me. God kept you alive because he has a plan for you. Even if you don't have anything now, it doesn't mean that it'll be the same in the future. They're just on the way here. I've suffered too, but I got past it. I posted a status like this on my WeChat friend circle once: God closed a door on me once, so I told him to close the window too because I'm turning on the AC"
After Soobin heard that, he immediately laughed...
"Noona, you're so domineering."
"Of course, if you can't control life, it'll control you. Then, you'll be like a trashcan, getting negative emotions thrown at you one after another. Before long, the trash will rot in your stomach, rotting you with it."
"That's right, I feel like I'm starting to grow mold."
"So, you have to open your heart and clear up your emotions."
"I want to, but I don't know how. I even have trouble sleeping now," lowering his eyelashes, Soobin softly said.
"I prepared a sleeping plan for you, here you go. Go home and try it, let's fix your insomnia first before any other treatments."
As she spoke, she pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it over...
Soobin took it and his mood seemed to lighten as he looked at it. The corners of his mouth slightly lifted.
"Noona... why does this plan include watching anime? Why do I have to watch two episodes of Naruto every day, isn't that too childish?" Soobin looked at Lisa with an amused expression.
"Japanese anime is very good, it's not childish like cartoons. The main character has a lot of positive energy. Go watch it first, I promise that you'll love it. When we have time, we'll discuss the plot."
"Mhm, okay, I'll listen to you."
Then, Soobin carefully put the plan into his pocket.
The two had a great time conversing and added each other's WeChat accounts. Lisa suddenly wondered what would happen if his fans knew that she had Soobin's WeChat.
They would probably explode from envy...
"We have two bottles left, should we finish it?" Soobin glanced at the two bottles of red wine.
"Uh... if you want to, I'll entertain you." Lisa was a little dizzy already. It would probably be too much if she kept drinking.
However, it was rare for Soobin to be in the mood to drink, and she didn't want to dampen the fun...
After finishing the last two bottles, Soobin's agent opened the door and saw the two drunkards swaying.
"My god, you let Soobin drink. You're crazy, I'm reporting you!" the agent pointed at Lisa and began yelling at her.
"You can report me any time. This is the phone number of our director." Then, Lisa took out Hospital Director Jung's business card from the pocket of her white lab coat and strode away...
"Who the hell does she think she is..."
Over the years, Soobin's agent had seen all kinds of women in the entertainment circle, but she had never seen such an unimportant person have such an arrogant attitude and be so weird in her actions. But, Soobin seemed to really like her.
"I was the one who asked to drink. Noona is really nice, please don't complain about..." Before Soobin could finish his sentence, he shot over to the bathroom and began puking his brains out.
His agent was so furious that her face went pale...
Lisa, a little drunk, felt like she was walking on clouds...
No one had the guts to drink while they were at work. However, it was for the sake of curing Soobin's disease.
However, it wouldn't be good it others found out. Dizzy, she walked towards Deputy Director's office.
Originally, she was going to ask Deputy Director for the day off, so she could go home, take a nap, and get sober.
When she arrived at the door to his office, she realized that it wasn't all the way closed...
Just as she was about to knock, she heard someone say, "Department Director, please don't do that..."
"I promise I'll treat you well. My brother-in-law is the Hospital Deputy Director. Let me tell you, if you want to become a full-time employee, you'll need my approval. My brother-in-law's not in today, and I can sign in lieu of him, you got it?" Deputy Director's brother-in-law was incredibly arrogant.
"Director, I have a boyfriend. Please don't do that, I rather not become a full-time employee."
Lisa realized that the two people inside the office were definitely up to no good. She was about to leave when she heard a shriek from inside the office...
"Help..." Someone shouted from inside, followed by dead silence.
Out of instinct, Lisa barged in and saw an incredibly disgusting scene.
Department Director had forced a young nurse under his body; one of his hands covered the nurse's mouth while the other was tugging at her skirt.
"Let her go," Lisa said coldly.
Fuck, how could he be raping a young woman in broad daylight? He was way too disgusting.
Lisa had never seen a man as gross as he was. This was the middle of the day, and they were at a hospital, in the hospital deputy director's office.
The man turned around and realized it was Lisa. He growled viciously, "I'm telling you, mind your own business."
"That's not 'business', it's called 'committing a crime', you know?"
"She's lucky that I even laid my eyes on her."
The nurse's eyes were swollen from crying. She looked at Lisa from under his body as if she had just seen her savior.
"Help me..."
"Shut the fuck up, I'm going to have my way with you in a little bit." The man grabbed the nurse's hair and slammed her head onto the desk.
That must've hurt...
His eyes were blood-shot, and he reeked of alcohol...
It was obvious that he had a lot to drink, or else he wouldn't have lost control as he did...
But the thing was, Lisa was a little drunk as well...
So...
When she saw him smash the nurse's head onto the desk, she became so furious that her eyes were almost shooting flames.
She took a few big steps forward and began slapping Department Director's bald spot and face.
The man, who didn't expect Lisa to act so crazy, forgot to resist her hits. Rather, he covered his face with his hands...
Once he came back to his senses, he wanted to raise his hand to hit Lisa, but she was faster and pushed his head onto the desk, not letting go.
Then, she picked up an extremely expensive crystal ashtray that was sitting on desk...
With a loud 'bang', she smashed it onto his head...
Blood immediately began spurting out...
The nurse was so scared that she began shivering all over...
The director shrieked out in pain, causing people to gather outside to see what was happening...
"Call the police, Lisa hit me!" He decided to strike preemptively.
– Twenty minutes later –
After Jungkook's meeting, he had just come out of the conference room when Bambam called...
He had a feeling that nothing good would come from this dude calling him at work.
He was absolutely right...
"Your wife is here again, come bail her out," Bambam said painstakingly.
How many times had Lisa been taken to the police station now? He couldn't even remember...
Jungkook's expression went dark upon hearing that Lisa was at the bureau...