Contemporary

Sometime about a month later after the cabin trip, they started to feel the effects of constant sleep deprivation and inability to focus on their other responsibilities. Eun Soo still had to study and her internship was demanding, but she could no longer crash at the intern room in the hospital, she felt obligated to give her time to Choi Young. A few times only by accident she found him working on his laptop at night, while she was sleeping.

"Choi Young-shi"

"Imja"

Addressing each other at the same time, they laughed nervously.

"You go."

"No, you first."

"We have to find a better way. You are working at night and I have not been focused on my studies or internship for a whole month."

"I agree, we do."

They both fell silent, and one could see their minds working on a solution, only to come up empty.

"I don't know."

"Me neither."

"How about we delegate a few days a week to work and we don't need to see each other and can fully focus on what we are doing."

"And if we can, we can still see each other at night," Choi Young was still hoping to at least be able to sleep next to her.

"If we can, but I might want to stay a few nights at the hospital."

"Sure". His eyes lowered, and voice saddened.

"Don't be upset, we'll be so busy, we won't even notice the difference."

They ate their food in an uncomfortable silence. They did not make any plans after dinner; and usually Choi Young would take her home and kiss her by the door, and then in the living room, and then some more in the bedroom till they both were naked in bed making love till complete exhaustion.

"What about tonight?" he was afraid to hear the answer.

"I'd like for you to stay with me," Eun Soo gave him a smile of love and comfort.

But it left a sad feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if things were turning for the worst and tonight would become the beginning of something they should not be doing.

The air between them seemed awkward and Eun Soo rushed to take a shower, while he sat down with a laptop on her bed, still with a day cover on, not ready for them. He did not feel the excitement or the urge to have her. He felt very lonely and hurt.

Although he was planning on having this conversation himself, he did not think it would turn out this way. They have to schedule days off from each other. What's next? Only weekends together, then a day? He couldn't imagine that only after a month of bliss they would require to make an arrangement. Is dating supposed to be so hard?

He recalled how easy it was to date Mae Ri. Although they were not intimate, like with Imja, they still spent quite a lot of time together. They never had a problem. "SHIT, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?" he hit his forehead with a fist. Why is he thinking about that? How can he compare, anyway? But why does he feel being treated unfairly? Growing more grim and frustrated with each minute, he put laptop away and went to the living room, finding a bottle of liquor, he poured a glass and drank it in one shot.

"Young-ha, do you want to take a shower?"

"I'm not dirty," he responded angrily, already nursing another drink in his hand.

"Is everything all right?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

She appeared in front of his eyes like a mirage, wearing a silk slip, nothing underneath, he could see her breasts, lifting up the smooth surface of the fabric and underneath the short hem the red fluffy curls covering the most delightful triangle between her legs, her thighs so soft, her round knees, even her pretty feet, toenails painted with a dark color of the night.

Has he lost his mind for a minute? What was he thinking? How could he have been upset with her?

"Imja", leaving the glass on the counter he got up and slid his cold from the icy liquor fingers underneath her slip.

She screamed lightly from the cold and shuddered, but did not move, letting him find a sensitive spot to caress.

"Imja," he repeated stronger, now feeling her liquid coating his fingers.

He took her hand and put it where he was needing her touch, hard and ready to be with her.

She moaned, widening her legs and her chest lifting higher with each breath, while he unzipped his pants with a free hand to make it easier for her to get a hold of him.

A loud moan escaped him and his shirt started burning his skin.

"Please, take it off," he asked for help from Eun Soo, who was barely standing, shaking under his fingertips. He tore it open, buttons falling on the floor, and keeping one hand on her, pulled her slip off with the other hand, watching in awe her body moving, guided by him. She was melting in front of his eyes, melting for him, by him, with him. She loved him and was loved by Choi Young; and he was stupid enough to let the fear and insecurity get the upper hand.

No words were said. "I love you", he read in her eyes, giving herself fully to him. "Imja, you are my love, … my life… ", he proclaimed just with his eyes, inserting himself into her depths, asking for forgiveness…

Afterwards, he dressed her naked body, covered with goose bumps in his shirt and lifted her in his arms, carrying her back to bed. Putting her carefully under the covers, he made sure she was comfortable first before he got in.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Eun Soo had no clue what kind of thoughts ran though his mind.

"Just I am."

"I don't like it when you apologize to me, as if you did something wrong. That makes me wonder."

"I thought wrong."

"Oh, well, don't we all sometimes," she said relieved. This time everything was strange and different. The way he responded to her in the living room felt like there was more to it, than just attraction and pure need for closeness. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Our deal brought up a lot of stuff I did not even know about. I want to try to find a happy medium, but the mere thought of not being able to see you daily screwed with my mind."

. . .

In the following days they continued as agreed. Eun Soo appeared relaxed and happy, she was finally able to sit with the book in the hospital library and catch up on the latest research articles. She would take a nap in the intern room after doing surgery and chat up Jang Bin and Deo Gi, drinking coffee together on the patio. There were a couple of times, when she did not go home, which made her feel a little guilty toward her boyfriend; but he needed to deal with it, that was the agreement.

Choi Young acted like everything was cool. He would allow himself to stay an extra hour at work here and there and on the days Eun Soo decided to sleep at the hospital, he would crash on the couch in his office, not wanting to go back to an empty bed. He tried to take advantage of this freedom, although it did not give him much happiness. He wondered how did he ever sleep without her before? How was it ever possible for him to go days without seeing her face? He had never had a strong attachment to anybody like that. Sure, he was close to his friends and family and sure he missed them when they were not around, but this was almost like a sickness that was growing in his soul, a deep seated fear of losing her because he still carried the guilt of abandoning and hurting her in the past. What if the past would make a visit and make him pay for all the times he made Imja cry and for when he broke her heart?

. . .

He woke up cold, realizing that he never even used a warm throw on the couch, and the dream made him shudder. In the dream he saw Eun Soo, an older version of her, with a different hairstyle. She was playing with a young boy. Choi Young was excited to see her, he ran up to her, but stopped when a man approached Eun Soo and gave her a kiss on the cheek, picking up the child. "My son," and he hugged the boy. Eun Soo looked at both of them with love and joined her happy little family in a hug. Choi Young froze, standing on a side, he watched them walk away and cried out, "Imja", but she never turned, as if he never existed or the name he had only for her was not hers at all.

The dream still sent shivers down his spine and left a bitter taste in his mouth. His face was wet. Was he crying?

He went to the bathroom to wash up and grabbing his coat, he went into the parking garage and sat in his car with a motor running, not knowing why or where he was going. A few minutes later he got a text from Eun Soo "Good morning, sweetie, I hope you had a good night sleep. At the hospital, napping. Kisses, yours, ES." He looked longingly at the phone, missing her and wanting to see her face to calm his nerves. He drove out of the garage and stopping by the flower shop picked up a fresh bouquet of chrysanthemums and then quickly at the café to get freshly baked breakfast and coffee.

Eun Soo was surprised when the door to the intern room opened and a familiar tall figure shaped the space of the doorway. Putting down his purchases on the small table in the middle of the room, Choi Young climbed up to her upper bunk where she was sleeping, quietly, not to wake up others, and after taking his coat off, forced his way under the blanket, hugging her.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I missed you. I had a bad dream, I had to see you."

"There is not much space here, we will fall."

He only wrapped around her tightly in response. "I will make sure to fall first, so that you land on me."

"Very funny!"

"Shh, you don't want others waking up," and he closed her mouth with his. Eun Soo did not have time to protest and could only lose herself in his lips, drinking his taste and getting dizzy from the feelings that he poured in her. A hard bump hit her hip and she laughed, pulling herself from the kiss.

"You can't be seriously…"

"I know I can't, but it does not mean that I can stop from wanting you", making her moan at the thought. "When does your shift start?"

"In an hour."

"Should we go somewhere else?"

Eun Soo realized that he made her lose all reason, becoming reckless and crazy, but she did not mind. She missed him as much, she just did not allow herself to dwell on it. "I know a place." And a few minutes later they snuck into a small storage room, where extra beds, cots, blankets, towels and other items for the rooms were kept.

They both rushed to remove clothing that stood between them and with relief they threw themselves into each other, mashing their bodies together, seeking resolution for the time apart.

Making love in a hospital was not something Eun Soo ever imagined herself doing, but her man was relentless and she understood that as long as they were together, he would always find a way to shorten any separation and make their reunions sweet and full of passion.

"Young-ah, I did not know how much I missed you till now."

"It's because I did all the missing for both of us," he chuckled, still placing soft kisses on her breasts; even after they both have been satisfied, he needed her taste.

"I think we'll be fine."

"Uhu," he was too busy biting her stomach, making her squeal.

"Imja," he lifted his head for a moment, looking serious, "I will never let you go, remember that."

. . .

At the same time, on the twelfth floor, above them, Director Gi Cheol held a meeting. Kim Hyun Jin, one of his lackeys was giving him a report, "We have been tracking Mr. Choi's movements for the last month, sir, like you requested. He goes frequently to Ms. Yoo's house in the evening and does not come out till the morning."

Gi Cheol's back tensed and he raised his hand for Hyun Jin to stop.

"Sir?"

"Continue", he said coldly, after taking a deep breath.

"Earlier today he was seen entering the hospital with flowers and coffee and a nurse saw him going into the intern room…"

"That's enough!" Gi Cheol screamed, cringing. "I have been patient, but he stepped onto my territory. I can no longer tolerate this annoyance. Start the operation."