Ryan Jae
If it weren't for the inner voice that sounds just like my mother, I would be swearing up a storm in the hospital room as the doctor tells me the worst news I could have in my entire career.
"The tendons are completely torn through. After physical therapy and surgery you'll get up to 75% of the feeling back in your right arm."
For a professional pitcher, it's a career ender. For me, it's a death sentence.
"You're saying..."
"I don't think you'll be able to return to the Eagles this season."
The doctor doesn't add on the even more depressing news that my career was probably over, but the knowledge lingers in the air, simply unspoken.
"When will he have surgery?"
Pan Young was my agent, shared with several other players in the league, and he was calmly asking the questions I couldn't bare to ask myself.
"Within the hour to stop any damage possible."
I close my eyes as I try and process the information, but the blinding fluorescent lights don't help calm me as I struggle to accept the words he's saying.
"Doctors?"
A calm voice joins the fray and I open my eyes to see a nurse wearing a surgical mask entering the room. She's wearing blue scrubs with daisies printed on them and has her dark hair tied back out of her face.
"Nurse Lee, how can we help you?"
"I came to get an update on the patient to inform the other party to help ease their worry—"
"I don't give a damn if their worry is eased at this very moment," I snap. I swear and thrash in the bed, the thin blankets getting knocked to the ground.
My arm spasms in pain and I can feel warmth spreading as I struggle, wanting to escape the hellish existence I found myself in. I know that my arm is probably bleeding again, but I can't find it in myself to care about anything else other than getting out of the hospital.
The nurse's eyes widen and she runs over to the bed, grabbing a towel tossed aside and pressing me into the bed to stop the bleeding. I thrash against her and yell, demanding to be released. Her surprising strength doesn't let up as I try and get away.
"Mr. Ryan!"
"I want out of here! I need to leave," I demand.
Tears well in my eyes and an overwhelming sense like I'm drowning falls over me as I look around the stark hospital room for an escape.
Someone quickly enters the room and yells, "JAE!"
I look over and see Du Jii glaring at me. He stands next to the bed and in a sudden flurry, he tosses his prosthetic onto the bed and I flinch as he continues to stare me down.
I stare at the metal arm in my lap and back at my coach who is glaring at me with such ferocity that it immediately quenches my anger.
"You need to calm down. Now."
"They're beating around the—"
"You'll never be able to play again. That's what you're waiting for them to say, isn't it?" Du Jii's face softens, and he picks up his prosthetic and waves it with his good arm, "I know how it feels, remember? Now settle down and apologize to the beautiful nurse for snapping at her. It's not her fault you're in this spot and for the record it's not yours either."
I nod and sigh, turning over to the nurse who is still holding a towel to my arm socket, spots of red bleeding through showing how much more I had damaged my wound.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you..."
"Nurse Lee," Pan Young reminds me. He nods at Du Jii and they exit the room as the doctors begin to prepare me for surgery, the bleeding not stopping on its own now.
I nod, "I'm normally not—I'm sorry, it's been a rough day for me."
Another nurse enters the room, and her eyebrows raise as she stares at Nurse Lee.
"What are you doing here? I thought I was assigned to Mr. Ryan's surgery?"
"You are, I came to get an update for—"
"Oh! Oh no!" The other nurse gasps in shock, "That was—"
"Yes. I'll be going then. I'll let the other party know what's going on to ease their worry."
Her words are simple, but the coldness displayed in them chills my bones.
She washes her hands free of the blood, my blood, before exiting the room.
"Nurse Park—"
"Nurse Lee must be crushed—" The new nurse whispers to the doctor, staring after her coworker.
The nurse turns back to me and quickly explains that the mask she's putting on my face will administer the anesthesia to prepare me for my surgery. I follow her instructions and begin to breath in, accepting my fate.
"What? Why?" The doctor asks quietly.
"The man who came in the other ambulance. The one who had the heart attack from shock?"
"Yes?"
"That's her father."
Guilt crawls through my spine and guts and I fade into the blackness, wondering if the accident was karma's way of gifting me my injury in advance.
Catherine Lee
It wasn't the right time for me to be out of the house or away from my uncle given what was going on, but after a stern talking to from my father and Lee Soojin's insistence on needing a break from the hospital, here I was sitting in Vivian Jones living room, a fat naked cat on my lap and the unconscious desire to fan girl creeping up every minute as I sip on a glass of wine and try not to stare at my idol like a creep.
"I'm so glad we were able to come together for book club tonight!" Vivian smiles, passing a glass to Xiao Mei Cheng who is pouting at her phone, "Lee Young-min has been so busy that my schedule revolves around his so we can see each other more than once a week!"
She yammers on about her life and I continue to watch her carefully until the mention of Ryan Jae comes up. At the mention of the incident at the stadium, I look over to Lee Soojin who is watching me, an expression of feigned nonchalance written on her face, but only apparent to me that she's struggling to keep her emotions in check.
Vivian's words become static in the background as I grab Lee Soojin's hand and squeeze it ever so slightly in reassurance.
"Catie-Lee?"
"Sorry?" I look up.
"I heard Bu Seok was there for the whole thing. It sounds like he was involved in the treatment of your uncle?" Xiao Mei Cheng says quietly, looking between me and Lee Soojin.
"Oh, that. Yes, he was there."
Xiao Mei Cheng's eyebrows raise ever so slightly and I look over at Yun Goo who is scoffing at my calm comment.
"What?"
"That's all you have to say after he saved your uncle's life?" Yun Goo smirks. She looks over at Lee Soojin, "When are you taking him out to dinner to thank him for his actions?"
Lee Soojin shrugs, "I haven't thought about it to be honest which makes me terrible, but with Abeoji's recovery I've been helping him at the company more than I'd like and then there's merger acquisition going forth—"
"Merger Acquisition?" Vivian asks.
Lee Soojin nods and takes a long sip on her wine, "Lee Industries is absorbing another conglomerate via personal partnership."
"Personal partnership? Sounds like a professional way of saying contract marriage," Xiao Mei Cheng snorts.
"That's cause it is."
"Seriously? Your dad is getting married again?" Yun Goo demands.
I wince, the knowledge of Lee Soojin's impending nuptials nagging at me. Even though she said she was fine with it as she had no desires for another failed marriage based on love, the guilt that she's throwing herself down for the sake of our family's business still pulls on my soul.
"No."
"Who—Lee Soojin! You're getting married? To who?!" Yun Goo gasps.
Lee Soojin flips her long black hair over her shoulder and shrugs, "The son of JXE Industries."
"What's his name? What's he like? Is he handsome? Have you guys kissed yet?"
Vivian's sudden flurry of questions spews from her mouth leaving not only me shocked but everyone else in the room as well.
"I've never met the man; we will probably meet at the wedding I guess."
"Seriously?"
Lee Soojin turns to me, "Cate, have you figured out what you're going to do about Bu Seok meeting your dad and vice versa?"
Everyone's eyes turn to me now and I glare at my cousin, her obvious deflection now wounding me.
I sip on my wine and shrug.
"You met Bu Seok's dad?" Yun Goo says in surprise. "When?"
"The night of Uncle's heart attack; he was the surgeon on the case."
"Lee Young-min mentioned that Bu Seok's dad is one of the best heart surgeons in the country; that's such a coincidence that he was able to help."
My face heats up and I look down at my nearly empty wine glass.
"I heard from the nurse on the case that Dr. Bu cleared his entire schedule at the request of his son to help my dad; it was no coincidence," Lee Soojin responds.
I already knew that information since she told me as soon as she found out, but the implications continue to make me blush.
"Wow...a big ask given that you two are only 'fake dating' I guess," Xiao Mei Cheng coughs.
"Yeah, that won't last," Vivian agrees.
"What? Why not?"
"Obviously he likes her. Otherwise why would he—"
"He does not like me like that," I state, draining the last of my wine and filling it back up to the brim. "Besides, aren't we here to discuss the book?"
"You'll be sorry if you don't take this seriously!"
"I have a feeling I will be or maybe I already am..." my words flash me back to saying goodbye to Bu Seok at the hospital and I drink my wine quickly.
"Du Shin-Il filled me in on an interesting tidbit..." Xiao Mei Cheng's voice is coy and I look over at her. She sends me a crocodile grin and I groan out loud.
"What is it?" Vivian asks.
"Before you asked Bu Seok to be your fake boyfriend; he was planning on asking you to do the same..."
"Really?"
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Xiao Mei Cheng grins, "Lee Young-min mentioned something to Vivian as well..."
Vivian looks over at me guiltily, "It's not that big of a deal—"
"Not that—"
"It's not!"
"Bu Seok was planning to ask you to fake date him in the hope that it'll evolve into real feelings according to our men..."
I can't manage any words in response to that, but I simply blink.
"Wait, what?" Yun Goo answers for me as I stare at them in astonishment. "He really likes Catie Lee? Not just using this as an excuse to avoid his parents too?"
Lee Soojin lets out a cough and stares at me, a small grin on her lips.
"Abeoji and Uncle already approve of him; might as well—"
"They just like him because he saved your dad!"
"That's not true. Uncle liked him before that, he told Abeoji that after your failed fake date. Which thanks for that by the way..." She sends me a mocking glare.
"How did we end up here?" I down the rest of my wine and the girls cackle as they continue to talk about Bu Seok's feelings for me and I try to melt into the couch and disappear.
***
The one nice thing about having grown up and gone to college in America is that when it came to handling my liquor, I had an iron gut. I rarely have hangovers and I very rarely blackout.
Today seemed to be an exception though.
As I open my eyes, I'm pleased to find that I'm in my own bed in my home, but I'm not alone. A shuffle and a mumble alerts me to the presence of someone else in my bed and I look over to see Bu Seok passed out in my bed, shirtless, with a tad bit of drool on the corner of his mouth.
I let out a squeak and quickly cover my mouth. I look down and see that I'm still dressed in yesterday's clothes much to my relief.
Catie-Lee what on earth did you do?!
I sit up in the bed and slowly exit my room, running out of the hallway and down to Lee Soojin's room.
The nice thing about living together I guess it makes it convenient for emergencies like this.
I burst through the door and Lee Soojin looks up at me from her place running on a treadmill.
"Bu Seok is IN MY BED!" I hiss. "What in the world is going on?"
"He's still here?" She slows to a walk and looks at her watch, "I thought he was going to leave after you threw up on him."
"WHAT?!"
"He came back to the Jones' apartment with the guys; you basically latched on like a koala which kind of forced the need for him to bring you home."
"And you let him?"
"You didn't seem to mind his presence last night and besides, I didn't want to deal with your drunk antics."
"Normally I can handle my liquor!"
"Normally you're not two bottles deep in the same amount of hours."
"But—"
"Do I need to go and kick him out for you?"
"No, he's asleep right now. Besides, I don't think he'd appreciate a stranger seeing him shirtless and—"
"He's shirtless and in your bed?"
"According to you I threw up on him so I figured you'd be aware."
"Were you also shirtless?"
I gasp as her joke and storm from her room in embarrassment.
This is pretty much the worst—
"How is my darling daughter this morning?"
I look up in horror to see my father climbing up the staircase leading to Lee Soojin and I's wing of the house.
"Daddy!"
He gives me a tight hug and looks back at his phone, "How are you, my dear? Shall we have breakfast together? I was planning on going to the hospital with Lee Soojin to see your uncle. Care to join us?"
"I-I—"
The door behind my father opens up and reveals a shirtless and sleepy Bu Seok. My eyes widen as we stare at each other and my father begins to turn.
"NO!" I yell.
Abeoji jumps at the sudden rise in my volume and stares at me in surprise.
"Okay?"
"Sorry, I just have to GO BACK to the bookstore and open things up before my part timers arrive," I hiss, trying to subtly hint at Bu Seok to go back into my room.
He gets my (probably not-so) subtle hint and quietly reenters my room.
"Okay, dear, no need to yell."
"I'm just so excited to get back into my weekly routine, you know?"
"I guess so. What I do know is that Bu Seok probably needs a new shirt."
"What?" I cough weakly.
Abeoji turns my head around and I see the large mirror on the wall which shows a clear view of my bedroom door.
"Abeoji, it's not what you think—"
"You came home drunk and latched onto him like a drugged up squirrel and a cracker most likely."
I nod in shame.
"I saw the videos from the CCTV..."
"Videos?"
"It's a good thing Bu Seok seems like a patient man, because anyone else would have left you on the doorstep like a little lost puppy dog," Abeoji claps a hand on my shoulder and excuses himself.
As he leaves I make a couple of additions to my to do list for the day:
1. Die of shame
2. Watch the videos to see what exactly I did
3. Apologize to Bu Seok
4. Get Bu Seok a new and clean shirt before he leaves
Of course, the list isn't in the right order, but it's the order that seems the most important right now.
I groan and go back to my room, ready to face the consequences of my own actions.