|Jisoo|
"So did we get any leads? Are any of the family members doing anything wrong?" I ask Lisa as we walk into my office.
"Actually, Soojoo is the lead investigator. I would talk to her."
I nod. "Where is she?"
Lisa turns me around and I see her looking up at me from her desk. She stands up straight and matches my height perfectly.
Soojoo holds her hand out and smiles. "Nice to meet you. I'm Soojoo Park."
I nod and shake her hand once and pull it away. "Walk with me. Lisa go get the details about the bomb from the bomb squad. I need to speak out them with you."
She nods and goes off while I turn my attention to Soojoo as we walk to my office.
"Did you find anyone suspicious?"
She shakes her head. "The man with the scar on his face, John, didn't marry and his estranged sister and mother are just struggling to make ends meet. The blond dude, Suho, he worked in a factory with large equipment. He was initially arrested for endangerment of employees because he cut one of the equipment wires and nearly killed 20 people."
I nod. "So he's psychotic. What else?"
"He has a wife and a boy. We monitored her and she seems to be a normal person. She seems very timid and afraid of the world. The boy has to be 17 years old. And—"
She stops me with a touch to my elbow. "And get this. He has a sister but there's no record of her anywhere. But he mentions her in his sleep. Several guards keep saying that."
I frown. "Okay. Good to know. I can interrogate the guards—"
"I already did ma'am," she says cheerfully.
I raise an eyebrow. "Since you're new here, you should know that I conduct all interrogations myself or I hand them off to Lisa. I don't trust anybody else. If you do anything I don't tell you to do, then I will have you suspended. Your job was to monitor and investigate details about the people. Not to involve yourself. And I'm not just telling you off for no reason. I have a reason for everything. Understood?"
Soojoo nods very seriously. "Yes ma'am."
I nod and put my hands in my pockets. "What about the woman?"
She nods. "Yes. The woman, her name is Mary, she has a daughter that died. We have a record of her burial site and her mother used to visit it everyday. Her son is enlisted in the military right now but he's a chef."
"Does he have a high ranking position in the military?"
She smiles. "Cross-checking weapons."
I smile with her. "Well done Soojoo. We have a lead. Thank you for your hard work. If you would like, you can the rest of the day off."
She blinks. "Really?"
I nod. "You deserve it."
She leaves with a smile and I get a call.
"Hello?"
//"Jisoo. Did you not save my number?"
I grin. "You didn't save mine the first time. Why should I?"
//"I'll add petty to my list of things I need to know about you. Rice and pettiness. An interesting combination."
I laugh and I see a few heads turn to me. "I had it saved since that morning appointment at the coffee shop. I was just messing with you. Why did you call me?"
//"One of my patients in Jeju isn't feeling well. I have to go immediately. The nurse they have thinks it's cataracts and that's very serious. I'll be back as soon as I can but I have to leave immediately."
I feel a pain in me. "S-sure. I'll be okay. Are you going with someone or are you alone?"
//"I'm going alone. I'll stay at my mom's for a night and come back tomorrow evening."
I swallow. "So....I'm not going to come back to your almonds and honey?"
//"Jisoo. Everything will be fine. Just try to not burn the house down."
"I'm not that bad at cooking."
//"Uh huh. Sure. Have a good day. I'll see you later. I just wanted to tell you so that you wouldn't get worried."
I stand up straighter and rub the back of my neck. "You'll call me when you land?"
She laughs. //"Yes. If you want me to then I will. Bye okay?"
"WAIT!" I shout and now all heads were looking at me. I just say into the phone, "Call me if you need anything. And book the flight on my name."
//"Alright I will. Thank you. Have a good day at work! Bye!"
I smile like a little kid and press a hand to my warm cheek. "Bye Jennie!"
She hangs up and I look at my phone with a smile and her name with a small heart next to it.
Then I remember everyone watching me and I look up. They're all varying between smiling, holding in laughter and amusement.
I clear my throat and bark, "Get back to order or I'm laying off all of you!"
They quickly turn to their work in a mad rush and I see Lisa walk up to me with a file. "You are so whipped," she says.
I grin and grab the file from her. "I don't care. It's my wife."
"Who doesn't even know you like her. Because you can kill people but not tell her how you feel."
"She's rejected me at every chance!" I explain. "I push a little and she somehow reminds me that we're friends. Or roommates!"
She looks pained. "I actually don't know which is worse."
I nod. "And now she's leaving for a 2 days!"
"So you're going to yell at everyone?"
"YES!" I shout.
••••••••••
"So what did you find out about the bomb?" I ask her.
She nods and gestures to the file in my hands.
I laugh awkwardly and clear my throat before opening it.
"Why is everything blank?"
"Because the bomb squad said that there were no remnants of a bomb at all. It's like it vaporized right after. They can tell definitively that it was a bomb done blast but they have no evidence of what it could've been from."
I throw it on my desk. "Shit! I was hoping some analysis would've come!"
She nods with defeat. "Did you get anything from Soojoo at least?"
I nod and place my hands on my hips. "One of the family members in the military works with weapons. I have a hunch that the bomb could be coming from there."
She smiles widely. "Good! Let's go interrogate him!"
I shake my head. "We can but we also need to do another interrogation. At the jail about the guards. It seems like one of the perpetrators is speaking about a sister he doesn't have."
Lisa nods. "That's interesting. And Soojoo told you all of this?"
I nod. "Yeah. She got all the information and told it to me in rapid succession."
Lisa nods and leans forward. "But didn't you tell it to her only a few days ago?"
I go to the door and close it. "What are you implying?"
"Should we do an investigation on Soojoo?" Lisa asks. "Because I don't understand how she got all that information so quickly."
"Lisa I think you need a break. Everyone hired here has had a thorough background check. Otherwise they wouldn't be hired."
"What if it's her first crime?" She asks. "Then it wouldn't be on her record."
I frown. "That's true...." And I look at her.
I sigh. "Lisa. Look....you think everyone is a villain until you get to know them—"
"You used to be the same way too," she grumbles.
"—I think investigating a suspect first and lose how valuable she is to the force could be a big mistake. Yes, I agree with you that she found the information very quickly but I think we should follow the two leads we have first. I don't lose and the only way to not lose the whole game...is to play by the rules."
Lisa nods. "So...." Then she grins. "Who are we going to intimidate first?"
I smile mischievously.
••••••••••
|Jennie|
I land in Jeju nearly 3 weeks after getting married and you know what the first thing my mom says to me?
"Where's Jisoo?" With a wide grin.
I glare at her. "Mom! I'm your daughter! I'm right here! Why would you ask about Jisoo?!"
"Because she's my daughter-in-law and I really liked her company at the reception! She's a fantastic dancer too!"
All I've heard since I've met Jisoo is what a wonderful person she is and why I'm so blind. I like Jisoo. She's nice. She's sweet. She's considerate. She's gloriously polite. She's blindingly beautiful. But I don't have any romantic feelings for her. And we have nothing in common. We talk about random things and I just.....I don't know. Maybe there's something wrong with me but I don't want to force feelings I don't have.
"Why are you here then?" She asks.
"I have to see a patient mo—"
"And you left Jisoo all alone?" She gasps. "Will she survive?"
I narrow my eyes. "Mom. She's an adult. She has a job. Her world doesn't revolve around me."
"Okay so you're going now?"
I nod with a smile. "I'll see you in the evening."
She comes forward and kisses my cheek lightly. "Try not to stress yourself out too much okay?"
I nod. "I promise. I'll go now okay? I'll be back in time for dinner!"
I run out the door.
••••••••••
"I think he does have cataracts," I say sadly.
"What can I do?" He asks.
I sigh. "Right now you're practically blind and you would have to get surgery to fix it."
He nods. "How much would it cost?"
I rub my face. "5 million won per eye."
I'm met with silence before he says quietly, "I don't....I don't have that kind of money."
I nod. "I understand sir. And it's perfectly alright to live as you are now. We can treat it with some eye drops so that it doesn't bother—"
"I'n blind Dr.Kim!" He shouts.
I flinch and the nurse sees and presses a gentle hand to his forearm.
"Sir. I can't do anyth—"
"Well of course you can't! Maybe if you had been doing proper check-ups here every month for your older patients then I wouldn't have to deal with this."
I swallow my guilt down. "Sir. I'm the only optometrist that can travel between Jeju and Seoul because of my loyalty to the place I grew up in. I try my hardest to be available at any notice."
"Why did you leave then if you are so much needed here?"
"Sir. Please try to understand—"
"It's money isn't it? You're greedy and—"
I stand up quickly. "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Right now."
I look at the nurse and she gives me a sympathetic look as she takes him away.
"And sir," I say. "I grew up in a poor town without much money and built myself up so that my parents could live comfortably. Contrary to public opinion, money does buy happiness."
He curses and leaves with the nurse.
I fall into my chair and cover my face in my hands as I try to calm myself down. I've told myself this multiple times and my mom did too:
You did nothing wrong. You're doing more than enough by just being here for them.
The nurse comes back in and sits on the patient chair. "Want to talk?"
I laugh and put my hands in my lap. "No I'm okay."
"Good. Because you are never at fault. You coming here is enough."
I nod. "But how long can I do this? I'm married and my life is in Seoul. But at the same time, I don't want to abandon the people here."
I lean forward. "I've been thinking about a clinic here. Like setting one up and hiring someone to work here and I can check in every year or so."
She smiles. "And who would want to live on Jeju and look at patients all day?"
I smile and think. "I seriously wonder you know Suzy."
She laughs loudly. "I'm going to pursue a higher education any way and I like the idea. But how will you get the money. Your wife?"
I shake my head. "No. I want to do this myself. This is something I want and I want to accomplish it alone. I'll get the money for it soon."
She nods. "Okay. I'll go get some lunch now. You want anything?"
I shake my head. "I'll go myself and buy something."
She smiles and leaves.
My phone rings and I smile at the name.
"Hello?"
//"It's your wife!"
I snort. "Which one?"
//"Jennie! Do you seriously not have it saved still?!"
"Jisoo. I have it saved. You messed with me earlier. Can't I?"
She grumbles something and says, //"I told you to call me when you landed. I was worried."
I sigh. "I'm sorry. I came straight to see the patient and I forgot."
//"It's fine. How was the visit?"
I hesitate for a few seconds to debate whether I should tell her or not. I finally opt out. "It was fine. He has cataracts so he's a bit sad."
She doesn't answer for a few moments. //"Jennie is everything okay?"
How did she know? "I'm fine Jisoo," I say with a smile. "Just tired but I'm okay."
//"Jennie. If anything goes wrong....if you really need someone....I'm here. Always. Okay? You may not trust me enough yet. But I will always help you and support you. Remember that."
I lean back in my chair as I fight tears hearing that. I roll my lips in and feel my eyes become blurry. "J-Jisoo—"
//"I'm coming."
••••••••••
To be continued 😉