The aroma of roasted coffee beans filled the air as Seri stood from her bed and followed the scent towards the kitchen. She opted to at least fix her hair before exiting the room.
There stood Jeong Hyeok, brewing some coffee on two mugs. He was wearing a casual 3/4 sleeved fitted top and had loose cargo pants. You can't see the doctor in him. Not really the Chief-in-Surgery of Cardiothoracic at the moment.
"You're up." His baritone voice accompanied by his calm movements around the kitchen somehow soothed the hammering of Seri's head. She finally sat on one of the stools and studied him. "I made bean sprout soup," he added, tilting his head to the direction of the pot on the left side of the counter while his eyes were still fixed on stirring the coffee.
He nudged the first mug to her, nodding his head as a gesture that she can drink it by now. Seri took the mug and wrapped her palms around it, the heat warming up her cold skin. The taste felt more lively when someone does the coffee for her instead of herself. She lifted her head back to him with parted lips and mouthed a compliment to which made Jeong Hyeok smile in satisfaction.
"I know it's not much but I will make sure that this favor will be returned," he added, now making his steps to the pot and scooped a bowl for her. "It's the best soup for that hangover of yours."
"Thank you for this, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi. But I don't really mind getting something in return. It's really okay. No big deal." Seri reassured him. She sipped the coffee and took a spoon to have a taste from the bowl.
"Well, I'm not. Let me, okay?" Jeong Hyeok insisted as he watched her intently while focusing herself to the food in front of her.
"Fine. If that eases you." Seri hurriedly replied before bringing the spoon to her lips.
The first train from Zurich to Sigriswil were scheduled to leave by nine in the morning. Hundreds of locals flocked the station combined with overlapping announcements from the speakers as Seri and Jeong Hyeok made their way through the crowd.
By the time Jeong Hyeok reached the booth to purchase his ticket, the swiss man in charge blurted out,
"Ticket for two?"
"I'm sorry?" Jeong Hyeok asked with knitted eyebrows as he placed a bill at the counter, the words weren't really reaching his ears under all those public noise.
The man signaled two fingers and pointed his lips to Seri behind him, tapping something on her phone again.
"Oh, I don't think we're..." He stopped and glanced to her. He tries to remember if there was a time they actually agreed to go clearly together. Seri looked up at him, starting to get a little bit bothered and decided to peek at the man in charge behind his shoulders.
"You didn't bought our tickets yet?" she casually asked.
The subtle question was all he needed for a confirmation as Jeong Hyeok turned his attention back to the booth.
"I suppose, yes then. We'll take it." He said, adding a few more bills for a ticket of two.
The growl of the engines and the ring of the bells announced to everyone that the first train is finally leaving. Final calls on the speakers were being done once again.
Seri propped herself to the train's couch as Jeong Hyeok lifted both of their luggage to the top shelf of their first-class room. He then clapped his palms to get rid of the dust particles and returned to his seat facing Seri, the small table separating them in between.
"Try some. This will last us for two hours before we can get there," Seri said as she pushed a chocolate bar to his side. He took a look at the red plastic in front of him and watched her bite her own piece as her eyes marveled themselves at the breathtaking view of the fields and mountains in their window.
Jeong Hyeok suddenly found himself, expecting those eyes to form a smile again. He reached for the chocolate and began tearing its wrapper before taking a bite and watch the view with her.
---
Hands were clutched firmly at the railing of the bed as Ju Meok, dressed in casual attire, accompanied the paramedics in rushing an old man to the ER.
Gwang Beom immediately went to the entrance to approach the emergency as Ju Meok reported the details. "Man in his 40s collapsed suddenly. He had a fever and was sweating. He was my taxi driver"
The ER resident persistently attempted to wake the patient as Nurse Ma clipped the pulse oximeter to its index finger. Receiving no signs of consciousness, Gwang Beom proceeded to check the pupil response by flashing his pen light to the patient's eyes.
"Vitals?"
"Between 40 to 80 and a fever of 39.8" replied the nurse.
"This might be septic shock," Gwang Beom analyzed. Ju Meok chimed in to report something. "I checked his stomach and his muscle guarding is bad" to which the resident proceeded to tap on it, disappointingly confirming Ju Meok's words. "It's peritonitis".
Ju Meok was observing the immediate actions of his former dorm mate from medical school as he requested the nurse for an oxygen mask, setting the IV lines and executing them to a full drop. Gwang Beom was indeed fit for this industry.
Ever since they went to the same university to further study medicine, Gwang Beom and Ju Meok have been racking their brains off and had been living under instant noodles and canned beers. Not until a certain person who once became a spokesperson for their school event, noticed the two and their exceptional performance...as well as their struggles.
"Doctor Ri?" his voice were engulfed in hesitation and panic as Ju Meok finally contacted the person who became their well-respected mentor and eventually became an older brother as the years went on.
"Yes, Ju Meok. Is there a problem? Go on." the deep, calm voice replied on the other line. The fellow managed to report the whole situation in detail. What's bothering Ju Meok is that he might've assisted more in elevating his struggle ever since they were still in that very car. He clearly noticed the symptoms but brushed it off until he eventually collapsed.
"I believe the ER has him under good hands, right? You did nothing wrong. Are you okay though?" Jeong Hyeok started calming the palpitating student. He had done this a hundred times and already lost count.
"Everyone would think of it in the same way but the moment he collapsed, I know very well that you followed the protocol and saved him at the end." Ju Meok was finally starting to catch his breath. He then saw his best friend sliding the probe to the patient's regions as the sonograms are being generated on the machine. "Is it empyema? Then that means..." Ju Meok could hear some of Gwang Beom's words whilst still on the phone with Jeong Hyeok.
"Are you and Gwang Beom doing well? How about that intern you've been talking to lately? What's his name...uh...Eun Dong---
--Ya! Gu Seung Jun! Don't you dare hang up I swea... Hello? Hello!" the phone call immediately ended.
Is Doctor Ri hanging out with a woman... finally? Ju Meok thought after somehow hearing a female's voice. His curiosity was coming out again but disappeared the moment he saw the patient went in cardiac arrest. With widened eyes, he immediately ran towards the bed with Gwang Beom asking him help for the compression while proceeding to request for intubation to Nurse Ma.
Ju Meok positioned himself beside the bed, lifted himself just a little bit above and performed CPR as Gwang Beom inserted the tube through the patient's mouth.
"Checking heart rhythm", Ju Meok announced after doing a number of chest compressions. He placed his fingers to the pulse of the man's neck and sighed in relief before declaring,
"ROSC, he's back".
---
The phone was once again, threw inside the drawers. This time, it was shut down for good, knowing very well how defying that decision was.
Seung Jun organized the papers in his desk as he loosely pulled his tie more, desperately seeking for that relief after having a busy, way busier day than usual. A familiar soft knock reverberated through the room and Seung Jun felt his shoulders finally relax.
"I brought you lunch. My mother made it. She's still thinking you might get poisoned if I did it" Dan said, making a small entrance in her classic designer dress that boasted elegance, all while holding a lunchbox in one hand.
"I told you Dan-ah, that porridge you made for me that one cold night was the best I ever tasted." he reassured, before finally unboxing the meal and giving in to the pain of his stomach he had been suppressing since morning.
"Don't lie. That was salty. I tasted it." Dan retorted. Her eyes beaming with intensity as if telling him that he was clearly caught in an obvious lie.
"Well uhm...oh, my head hurts. Maybe it's because I haven't had breakfast?" Seung Jun replied in exaggerated groan, diverting the topic as he exhaustingly sat in his chair, his hands going back to the papers once more.
"Open" she said, staying in monotonous voice, one hand holding the spoon to his mouth while the other was below his chin in open palms, ready to catch any leftover drop.
Yeah, he wanted that. That was exactly what he wanted. That clingy president smiled wearily under the presence of stress, clearly laid out in his desk, yet to be organized as he brought his mouth to the first serve of food he ever had on that day.
---
After nearly two hours of just sitting, eating and making small talks inside the train, Jeong Hyeok narrowed his eyes as he finally opened up something he had been wanting to tell her.
"Seri-ssi, you've been too focused on this since yesterday. Can you at least, loosen up a bit?"
That got her attention as she put her phone down, still trying to calm herself down after Seung Jun hung up on her just like that. She was silent. That was his cue to continue.
"I know Seung Jun too. And he's very competent, Seri-ssi, you know that well."
"I'm sure he'll call you if something serious will happen."
Instantly, her eyes starten to soften at his remark. Seri took in all his words and began to realize how her calls ever since last night were actually a bother to Seung Jun. She checked her phone log on the screen, and found her eyes reading the same numbers again and again.
20 picked up calls and 40 missed calls.
Wow.
"God you're right. You know, he actually once said to me to consider this as a vacation"
Jeong Hyeok leaned to the table and put his hands together, telling her to go on and continue. Seri felt pressured at his eager attention on her as she added in a stutter, "What do people even do there".
His expression suddenly went remorsed, doubting if she's telling the truth or was just making some vague jokes. She's really missing out on a lot, he though as he asked her again.
"Seri-ssi, apart from stocks and contracts, do you know anything else? "
She was silent as her mind tried so hard in extracting memories.
Let's see, there was Dan and their regular drinks at the bar. Her occasional visit to her movie premieres and photoshoots. Or that one time when Seung Jun gave her his and Dan's ticket to Jeju, just because they couldn't make it to their little date and instead gave it to her.
Of course Seri said yes, then proceeded to leave the ticket under her drawers, rotting in thick dust.
There really wasn't much, to be honest.
After a minute of silence, the chance of her responding getting low, Jeong Hyeok finally sighed.
"You're in Switzerland now, Seri-ssi. Apart from your appointment with Director Ri, I suppose thinking of these four days as your vacation won't make the company go bankrupt."
She's still silent. Two seconds passed, Seri reached for the bottle of orange juice beside Jeong Hyeok's hands on the table and drank it in one go. She forcefully landed the bottle back to the table, enough to make Jeong Hyeok jerk his hands away.
"What have you done, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi?"
Caught off guard by her actions, he managed to calmly ask,
"What do you mean, what have I done?"
Seri finally made it a point to herself that she'll finally give in. One quick break from work won't make her homeless in an instant anyway. She's the chairwoman for the love of God, someone as high as her would also deserve some small distraction.
No, vacation. Seri would have to etch that in her vocabulary starting right now.
"Take responsibility the moment we step out of this train. Show me that vacation you made me convince myself into."
Despite the hint of threat in her voice, Jeong Hyeok can see through Seri that amidst her overpowering concern in taking care of business 24/7, she is finally trying to learn to explore the other side of the world, and not just Seri's Choice.
"Well then, I hate to admit it but don't expect anything fun from me. I'm no jam, Chairwoman Yoon. But I'll try my best."
"I know you will..." she replied. She slowly sipped the orange juice this time before turning back to meet his eyes, "...Doctor Ri."
And right on cue, the train finally made that stopping noise indicating that they have reached their destination. Seri stood up first, feeling a little over-excited and at the same time, curious as to how she would see herself in for the next hours.
Seri tipped her toes in an attempt to hurriedly reach her luggage on the top shelf. Just as her fingers merely brushed the thick fabric and failed to grip on it, she heard a sigh from behind. Before she could turn her head, a pair of arms hovered from behind to pull the luggage, just enough for her to reach.
She eventually turned her head and glanced to Jeong Hyeok in an up-close view, who slightly stepped back at her sudden action, but held his hands firmly at the top, still partially caging her in his arms.
"Do you want to get it yourself?"
Seri found herself holding her breath as she nodded to his question. She heard a faint tug from above before he finally stepped back to watch her retrieve it.
In no time, Seri pulled her luggage and managed to land it to the floor not too loud. "I'm done. You can get yours now," she muttered to the ground as she exited the cabin first.
Jeong Hyeok watched her leave the door like a chicken with a luggage on one hand and consciously cleared his throat the moment she left. He finally took his bag out and checked their seats one last time just in case they left something behind, before closing the door.
Seri gave in to the morning light, feeling the cold breeze of Sigriswil brush the skin of her neck and made the strands of her wavy hair sway in rhythm. She stood for a moment outside the train and let her eyes wander around, from the locals having their brunches outside the cafes, to the clear skies and mountains that peeked from the town's buildings.
Jeong Hyeok finally went out of the train, the duffle bag on his shoulder and caught sight of her standing, taking in the surroundings of Sigriswil, of which he too, somehow felt that welcoming feeling of home.
"It's great, isn't it," he said, as he walked beside her while getting familiar with the places again.
"Yes. It's so different from Zurich." Seri replied in awe before taking a big breath, her hands resting on the handle of the luggage once again.
"Where will you be staying at, Seri-ssi?"
"The Baren. Same hotel where the seminar is happening. I figured there might come a time that I would be interested to know what it's all about since I heard my name was mentioned dearly."
"Well, you won't be getting any of those. You're seeing a castle tonight."
What.
"I thought you clearly said you were 'no jam', Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi? Then why am I getting thrilled at what, a castle?" Seri somehow playfully asked him, the mention of the castle getting her in a sudden pang of excitement.
"Yes, there's actually one here. Just outside the town. I went there when I was a child. It really felt magical, everything here actually, but I don't know if I would get to feel that again now that I am an adult" Jeong Hyeok replied, his eyes occasionally looking up at the clouds and back to the ground, giving in to the nostalgia of the town.
"You know, never in my life I actually felt that. Maybe when I graced the Forbes cover for the first time, years ago. 'That' was magical" He chuckled at her reply, clicking his tongue as he fought the urge to roll his eyes in amusement.
The two walked to a local restaurant and decided to finally have lunch since it was around 11:45 am. While waiting for their food, Seri asked, "Right. What about you, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi? Where will you be staying at?"
"At Solbad. Same hotel with father. Different room."
"Different room? Isn't he your dad?"
"Seri-ssi, do we look like we'd go watch late-night football games and sleep comfortably with each other?"
Seri shrugged. Obviously not. Their father-son relationship were inclined mostly with work. Even when Jeong Hyeok was young, his father would rarely engage in their family matters at the house and yet, he grew up under his influence.
The waitress finally laid two plates of Tartiflette as Seri's attention was brought to the food laid before her. She took small bites of thinly-sliced potatoes with bacon bits and caramelized onion that the unfamiliar Swiss dish has to offer and eventually, gave in to the amazing taste.
Jeong Hyeok stifled a smile as he watched her savour the food, enjoying the dish he picked out from the menu that turned out to be his childhood favorite food, and is still is.
---
A/N
Hellooo! Wie I updated a little bit earlier than usual :)))
Some of the characters in CLOY do be having some scenes here. Dan and Seung Jun's part were so cute and wholesome.
Thanks for the comments you've been leaving! It really puts a smile in my face everytime I'd check the notifications hihi. As usual, please do leave a vote and comment for this. <3333
Take care!