LiveWire
*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*
Choi Young sat across from Eun Soo, the ladies at the laboratory all moving around and throwing knowing glances towards him; the girlfriend couldn't deny she was slightly angry. Jung Woo called that morning, apologizing for waking them up and urged Eun Soo to go to the hospital's laboratory; he needed a complete set of blood tests and an ultrasound done for him to study and have ready for the next day that way they could determine exactly what was ailing Eun Soo. So they got up, dressed and decided to make a day out of it. The doctor had made sure that Eun Soo's tests were done quickly and the ultrasound technician was already waiting for her when she arrived. Choi Young was slightly frustrated because after all there was very little he could do; beyond holding Eun Soo's coat and bag, while she rested on the stretcher, her belly exposed and covered in a transparent liquid, while the woman moved the strange artifact all over her.
"They'll just take some blood, and we'll be done."
"How? Will they cut you open?"
"No, with one of these." She picked a needle, the little butterfly attachment made him lean to look at it closely. "It's needle, they'll touch the inside of my elbow, find the vein, and stick it in, there's a little line here, and that will get the blood into the tube."
Choi Young wasn't impressed, but as he leaned back he sighed. "I guess it's better than cutting a slit in your wrist for some blood."
"Yes, much better."
And elderly woman, wearing a pale green scrub appeared and after asking Eun Soo several question, proceed to use the little butterfly-like item. Choi Young watched as Eun Soo cringed, the item filling the precious liquid, and smiled at him, giving him the thumb up. Choi Young smiled, and turned noticing a young man standing right outside the glass window, he'd been real interested in the procedure and upon realizing Choi Young was staring at him, paled and backed away. Choi Young excused himself and hurried out, giving the nurse attending to Eun Soo the chance to watch his 'nicely snuggled ass'. Eun Soo stared at the woman, amused; instead of jealousy Eun Soo could feel pride bursting inside her, that man was hers and she was the envy of the whole nurse station! It was a title she'd never boasted! "I'm sorry honey, but you have a hot boyfriend."
"I know." Said Eun Soo, winking.
Choi Young hurried down the hallway, after the skinny boy, and called at him to stop. For a second the boy did, turning and smiling at him widely; before hurrying through the gate that lead outside. Choi Young, been meters behind, ran faster and attempted to find him through the morning crowd moving up and down the street. Between the noise of cars, people talking, the music at a nearby café, the honking of trucks and busses… He had to stamp his foot in frustration; it was hellish to track someone here.
Shaking his head, the general returned to the laboratory, finding Eun Soo still sitting on the chair, looking a little pale. She smiled at him, and when he neared her, the nurse sighed. "She got dizzy." Choi Young dropped everything he carried on the seat close by and hurried to touch her forehead.
"I'm fine."
"You keep getting dizzy spells, I told you to eat all your breakfast." He took her head, noticing the little bandage in the inside of her elbow and looked up at her. "Would you rather go home?"
"I'll be fine, all I need is some water." The nurse arrived with another younger girl, who stared numbly at Choi Young, and handed Eun Soo the cup of water. Eun Soo sipped the cup and smiled at Choi Young. "It's just my period, I'll be fine after the checkup tomorrow."
The man obviously didn't believe her.
.
.
This was the most ridiculous thing ever.
There was the mightiest unknown general of the Goryeo period, who helped shift the outcome of this country, standing over a small club, attempting to try and make the perfect shot with the most terrible stance ever in mini golf. Eun Soo would have laughed if she could; but considering this man was totally and completely serious in learning how to get the little ball into the barn, which door kept going up and down… "Ok Choi Young; Just hit the ball."
"But the door keeps coming down…"
"Just hit the damn ball."
"I think I've got it."
"You aren't doing much just watching the door…"
"You are not helping Imja, this sport requires concentration."
"I think you concentrated enough." And he hit the little ball, too hard, and it hit the closing door. He groaned and Eun Soo had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. "I told you, real golf is nothing like this; mini golf is about obstacles. But the field of golf usually has no obstacles."
"Only a sand pit and a lake, of course no obstacles. I rather continue here, Imja."
They had been walking around the city, Eun Soo showing him the different routes of the train and most important streets (especially the ones to get him home quickly in case he ever got lost), when she remembered about the mini golf course. Choi Young was eager to learn, a really good student; while he wasn't learning golf, he was attempting to read the Hangeul on the walls and papers people handed him, or learning about the money system so different to the usual coins and pieces of precious metals… If not he was learning about signs on the street, the meaning of gestures… He seemed to soak in everything, like a sponge, and even the mini golf was sinking in real well. "I mean your stance is perfect you just hesitate too much."
"I'm not hesitating, I just can't… I think that door is cursed."
"It's timed, just count the time it takes to go up and try." Choi Young nodded, and resumed his perfect stance, looked at the door, did as she taught him… and finally the ball slid home. Choi Young almost fell to his knees to thank the Heaven's for his success, it was after all his third attempt.
"High five general!" And without thinking the general answered her request, and watched her do the same move in less than five second.
"Yah…"
.
.
The next day, and very nervously, Eun Soo entered the small office and smiled at Jung Woo, the man stood just as the door opened wider and Choi Young stepped in. Obviously neither man was happy to see the other, but for the woman's sake they were tolerably polite to each other. She sat across the desk; while Choi Young stood by the bookcase, there was no other chair and he wouldn't sit either way… he was too nervous.
The doctor watched him for a second, and then turned to smile at Eun Soo. "How have you been feeling?"
"I have a bit of pain still, it's worse when I sit."
"And when she lies down." Eun Soo scolded at her boyfriend, who didn't mind her much. "She got really bad cramps while driving."
"Eun Soo-ssi, I told you; you aren't supposed to be driving. Choi Young-ssi, make sure to drive her home."
"If only I could."
"I'm sorry?"
"Don't be, it's not your fault."
"Choi Young!"
"What?"
"Enough!" She sighed. "Did you get a chance to see the ultrasound?"
"As a matter of fact I did." He pulled her file, which had a lot of documents in it; that wasn't normal, Eun Soo was sure her file was very thin. "We ran several blood test and I have good and bad news. Which ones will you like first?"
"Bad news." Said Choi Young, making her scold, and walk closer. She nodded at Jung Woo, who again, sighed.
"It's endometriosis. A really bad case, as soon as I saw the images I could identify it, I ran the images with several colleges and they all agree the only way through this is surgery."
"Endometriosis, How? Why?"
"This is the kind of sickness that is not really understood, it's when the tissue of the inside of the uterus grows in other parts it's not supposed to grow," He pulled the sonogram and showed her several marked spots. "As you can see, you have thick tissue growing around the fallopian tubes, and reaching the ovary; if we don't have this surgery soon, it might damage the area."
Choi Young leaned to look at the black and white blur, and shook his head; "How bad is it?"
"I want to intervene quickly; the percentage of you having children will decrees with time…"
"I won't be able to?"
"You will, but it'll be hard." Choi Young looked at the document, unable to move or understand why this was happening. Eun Soo's hand squeezed his forearm, wehre it had fallen as they were suddenly too shocked to think. "It doesn't mean that we can't treat you; we should first make sure you go for surgery, after that I will personally make sure to guide you through the necessary steps. For now, let's concentrate in surgery."
"What are the good news?" She asked, dazed. Jung Woo sighed.
"Your dizzy spells are due to low hemoglobin, I'm sure you can rise the levels quickly and feel better soon. Even though it low, your condition cannot be ignored, so my colleges and I decided we will go in. We'll operate in such a way that well avoid as much bleeding as possible; we also want to avoid blood transfusions."
"Is it anemia?"
"It would seem so, but it's due to nutrition, seeing as how thin you are. I'll give you a supplement to help the hemoglobin raise, I'll schedule surgery and the day before I'll have some blood test done to see how it goes." At this point, Jung Woo turned to Choi Young. "I'm not sure how often you see her, but apparently it's daily."
"We live together." Confirmed Choi Young, swallowing hard. He wasn't supposed to say such a thing, but Jung Woo wasn't as surprised as Choi Young thought he would.
"Then I will trust you to feed her well these few days; lots of spinach, red meat and iron rich foods. I will also like it if you keep track of her med, Eun Soo is known for forgetting taking them."
"I will."
"Eun Soo-ah, I promise to make it better. You'll be swarming your mom's farm with children, I promise."
That wasn't a promise for him to make. Choi Young knew this was probably him trying to comfort the woman, but it wasn't working. Choi Young got Eun Soo to stand, and they walked quietly out of the office. After getting all the documents, and finally settling in a date for surgery, Eun Soo walked slowly beside Choi Young; because she couldn't drive they decided to take the bus, and call it a day. Choi Young had to figure out what the list the doctor had given him, and where to buy such ingredients to cook for her…
As they sat on the bus her head fell against his shoulder, and she hid against him, trembling. Choi Young turned to her, not surprised; she was keeping from crying. Unable to say a word of consolation, Choi Young shifted, his hand leaving hers and his arms wrapping around her, hiding her from the world as she weep silently against his chest. He didn't know when or where they were supposed to stop, but right now it didn't matter; the bus kept moving, stopping and letting people in and out, but the couple in the back seat, continued to hug, lost in the comfort of their touch. Even if Imja could not provide an heir Choi Young would be by her side, he wouldn't probably be a good father either way, he was too strict and too… dry. There was too much fire in him, and that was not good; he might do more harm than good to a child. He was loving with this woman, and could not see himself as a father. Imja was a warm, she could show her love to others, she could care for others with her heart and hands…
It would be a damn loss if she wouldn't be able to give birth, really.
His nose sank against her hair, his lips dropped comforting kisses and he was talking, but Choi Young wasn't sure of what he was saying. Choi Young's teacher had once said that his heart spoke when sadness occurred, yet Choi Young wasn't aware he even did that; it took Imja and her tears, for him to notice this. He swallowed hard, this was why his training as spy had not worked at all.
.
.
Eun Soo talked to her mother about surgery and everything required. It would be a simple procedure and Choi Young would be taking care of her, but Sun Hi wanted to come over to make sure she was well cared for; after all Choi Young was a man and wouldn't know exactly what to do when Eun Soo wanted to go to the bathroom, or her meals, her care… if she only knew he seemed to be the perfect candidate to care for her.
As she listened to her mother's defense on how a 'mother should always care for her child's need no matter how old they were or if they had a polite boyfriend', Eun Soo was slightly surprised when Choi Young walked into the room and placed a cup of steaming tea over her dresser. She looked up at him, smiling, and he leaned to kiss her forehead; the soft cloth of his shirt was soft, brushing against her cheek it smelled like lilacs, probably her detergent; she was surprised by this moment of sweetness and care, he wasn't aware what tea she liked; but he'd watched her morning routine and would have probably pick it up…
"Sweety? Are you there?"
"Yes, mom I'm listening." He caressed her hair, fixing it behind her ear and walked out of the room. Her mother continued to rant on, while Eun Soo picked the perfectly warm-yet-not-hot cup and blew a little at the liquid; the ginger taste was soft, the sweetness perfect. It was at that moment when Eun Soo realized she had a perfect boyfriend. "Oh mom," She said softly, unable to keep quiet about it. "Choi Young is so good to me."
"He is a very polite man, very caring for what I could see."
"He's perfect mom. I'm just so lucky he loves me, and he doesn't even care…" She had to stop to keep from crying, her eyes filling with tears. "He said he loves me, children or not he loves me. And that's why he wants to take care of me."
There was a short silence in the line, of course her mother was probably crying by now, but she was good at keeping her voice steady for her daughter. "Then, maybe he and I can take good care of you."
"Alright, I'll tell him you are coming over then." Eun Soo needed her mother, and playing strong as she has been trying to wasn't making the cut. She sipped the tea, and felt warm; it's been so long since she felt this warm and grateful.
"I will teach him to make you porridge, that rice porridge you so much like."
"That would be great mom."
The sound of something giving out a small cry and then something similar to a crash was heard; it wasn't a real crash, it sounded like a cartoon's crash. There was no music, just the little cry, the crash and then a small giggle of birds. Eun Soo frowned, and turned to see Choi Young sitting on the sofa, the TV was on and she couldn't tell what he was watching, but he'd said he was studying his Hangeul… Her mother continued to talk, while Eun Soo quietly stood and moved towards the living room, right behind Choi Young, who was so engrossed he didn't seem to notice she was there.
Suddenly he lowered the tablet and turned. "Imja, everything alright?"
"Yes," She said, answering both her mother and her boyfriend. "Mom give me a sec. What are you doing?"
Choi Young gave her a quiet stare, and cleared his troath. "Studying."
"Really? What section?"
"Aspirated consonants?"
"You've been on those for two days, let me see." And she attempted to take the tablet, but he pulled it away.
"Imja should be resting." He deadpanned, looking dead serious; yet the glint in his eyes. Eun Soo could recognize that; it was embarrassment, the same he'd show when she found his bottle of aspirin…
"Mom I'll call you back." She said to the phone, and hung up. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing, just studying…" He defended, but his eyes wouldn't met hers; what meant he was lying. Eun Soo nodded.
"Alright, then, I will go to the room and continue my phone calls..." Eun Soo turned, playing innocent and moving calmly to the bedroom, while Choi Young seemed to wati for her to leave; she started to talk to the phone, as if having recall her mother, and for a minute he waited his hand reaching for the remote and changing the channel, then returned his eyes to the screen of the tablet.
Eun Soo ran into the living room, and wrapped quickly around his shoulders, looking over to see the screen.
The room froze; only the sound of the news reporter filling the air.
"You are playing angry birds?" She asked, stunned; he was still frozen under her arms, and the tablet fell to his lap, before he attempted to move.
"I got the highest score."
"Choi Young-ssi! You are supposed to be studying!"
"I already did! That Hangeul thing is too bothersome! Shyo, You, Yu… I got tired of it!" He said, finally standing up and stomping to the other side of the room, angrily staring her way. He wasn't angry at her, just at the lessons, Eun Soo had to admit that although easy at first the language did get complicated only when one had a patient teacher and supporter, could they learn. It happened to Hana at first, it was one of her reasons to always be alone; the poor girl although chatty had no idea on how the language worked. So Eun Soo and her limited Japanese, and English, managed to teach her Korean. "Why do I have to learn it? I think I can read around enough…"
"Choi Young-ssi, I am having surgery in a week." She picked a book from the side of the table, and threw it his way. "Go ahead, pick it up." He did, angry. "Read around, see if you understand."
Choi Young knew he wouldn't be able to. He flipped through the pages with beautiful women, almost naked to his standards, and just dropped the magazine on the loveseat. Eun Soo climbed to the sofa, and sat on its soft cushion, smiling at him. "If something happens during surgery…"
"What could?"
"Anything could! How would you be around alone?"
"I've lived alone most of my life, Imja, I think I can manage."
"Yes, well, you lived in a time where Hanja was common; on this age, Hanja is not as common, and many struggle with it. Hangeul is the rule." She padded the space beside her, and for a moment he was unwilling to join her, but she repeated the motion and he gave up, moving to sit beside her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, feeling the softness of his black shirt with his fingertips, and she kissed his cheek; she just wanted to soften the terrain before diving in. "I won't be long in the hospital, I promise; but I also want you to be independent, to move around as you wish. I won't tie you down, because you didn't tie me down when I was in Goryeo."
"I was protecting you, I wanted you to be happy."
"I know, and I want you to be happy too. If I had stayed with you, I would have learned Hanja…"
"You would?"
"Of course! And you know how complicated Hanja is!" She kissed him again, and smiled. "Can I help you with aspirated consonants?"
"Can we finish this part of the game first?"
"Ommo! I have a player boyfriend!"
"Pla-yer? Is this another crazy partner thing?"
