For the next few weeks, Jae took really good care of Joong. As he was her first patient, that she was left to take charge of alone. She was extra careful when she went for her rounds and checked on Joong. Well this is also partly because he was her best friend. Jae didn't want his mum to worry about him. She didn't want her and his dad to go through the same pain that she had gone through when she lost her parents. She wanted to protect Joong and nurse him back to the pink of health before he went back to them.
For Joong, it was a heaven-sent gift for him to have his beloved Jae-nuna be his doctor-in-charge. This meant he could see her every day and a few times every day, as she went on her rounds a few times a day to check on all the patients. Moreover, since she was his sole doctor in charge, she would come alone with only a nurse tagging along to assist her. Everything would have been so much more ideal if she would come alone to check on him. He would be able to spend more time alone with her then...
One typical day for Jae... If there were no new casualties being sent in...
Wake up and get herself ready for the day.
Grab a quick breakfast at the food tent.
Go on morning rounds with Dr Jung.
Go check on Joong alone with Nurse Kim before lunch.
Take his temperature, blood pressure, and heart beat.
Ask Joong how he's feeling. Any more pain? Fever, etc?
Change the dressing on Joong's wound.
See if the wound is healing well.
Lunch served to patients.
Leave to lunch at food tent with the rest of the medics.
Patients take nap.
Check supplies with Nurse Kim and Nurse Shim.
Go back to own tent to write report.
Update Dr Jung on patients' situations, etc.
Evening rounds with Dr Jung.
Check on Joong again.
Dinner served to patients.
Leave to have dinner at food tent with the rest of the medics.
Go back to own tent to settle any remaining work.
Get a bath.
Rest for the day.
One day...
Lunch was served extremely early. Or rather Jae was delayed while going on rounds with Dr Jung, as a patient was having a fit due to the wound. Dr Jung left to have his lunch after the rounds and Jae still had to go check on Joong with Nurse Kim.
After going about her daily routine of taking his temperature, etc, she was left with changing the dressing for Joong...
*GRRRRRR*
Jae looked at Nurse Kim who grabbed his stomach embarassedly. Jae tapped his shoulder.
Jae: Gwenchanayo Junsu... You must be hungry... Go ahead and have your lunch first... I'll finish up with Joong here myself...
Nurse Kim: But Jae... Are you sure? I can still endure... *GRRRRRRR*
His stomach growled another time. This time Jae and Joong both smiled.
Jae (amused): Junsu-ya... Go get your lunch first... Your stomach is protesting already!! Go on...
Jae ushered Nurse Kim out of the tent. Joong was overjoyed. He had been waiting for this day since the day he came in.
Jae: Well it's just me then... I hope I can do a good job at dressing your wound... I'm not as good as Nurse Kim... I must let you know first...
Joong: Gwenchana nuna... I know you'll do fine...
Jae stood beside Joong's bed and started taking out the dressing gingerly, not wanting to cause Joong any unnecessary pain. She was paying so much attention the the wound she didn't even realise that Joong had been staring at her the whole time when she was doing it.
Joong's thoughts: Jae-nuna looked so mesmerizing when she's focusing on something. She was so near to me I could smell the faint scent of her freshly shampooed hair. Thankfully she was so focused on changing my wound that she didn't even know that I was staring at her the whole time... Jae-nuna... Just let me savour this moment alone with you... Even though I know I can never hold you in my arms, or kiss you like that time again...
Jae: Yeogi! Done!
Jae finally finished changing Joong's dressing and placed his knee back down onto the bed. Joong quickly averted his eyes from Jae when he heard her, pretending to look at his knee instead.
Jae's wound dressing skills were indeed a tad below par. His knee now looked like it was over-bandaged with too thick a layer of gauze on top of it, making it look swollen like a pig's trotter.
Joong: NUNA!!! Now my knee looks like a pig's!!!
Jae (scratches her head embarassingly): Mianeyo Joongie... I told you I'm not very good at dressing wounds... It'll be just for a day... Nurse Kim will do it properly for you tomorrow... I promise...
Jae looked at Joong pleadingly with a act-cute face. For a moment, there was an awkward silence, as Joong stared at Jae intensely, not speaking, as Joong felt a strong urge to kiss her. Jae also felt there was a strange vibe in Joong's look, but she couldn't quite tell what it was...
Camp Food Server: Lunch's here!!!
The patients' lunches were being served, and it was Joong's turn for his lunch. The food server interupted the awkward silence, and there was time for Jae to excuse herself to leave the tent together with the food server.
Jae: Oh Joongie, since your lunch's here... I might as well be on my way then... I need to go grab mine too and catch up on some work... Enjoy your meal...
Jae started walking out along with the food server.
Joong: Jae-nuna!!!
Jae turned back when she heard Joong call her. She popped her head back into the tent blurly. From Joong's point of view, she looked really cute.
Jae: Ne... What is it, Joongie?
Joong smiled and scratched his head sheepishly.
Joong: Erm... Why don't you lunch with me?
Jae: Wae? Something wrong? You don't like the food?
Joong shook his head.
Joong: Anio... It's just... I stay here alone... There's no one else here...
Jae: Uh huh...
Joong: So... It's... kinda... Lonely to eat alone... everyday... every meal...
Jae: Ah... Mianeyo... I didn't... I...
Joong: It's alright if you don't want to... I know you are busy... It's okay nuna... I understand...
Joong started preparing his food to start eating.
Jae: Anio Joongie... Mianeyo...
Jae's thoughts: He must miss his family... his dad... his mum... and... Yuki... Like how I miss dad and mum... and... Ze...
Jae: I meant I didn't think that you'd be... lonely... here...
Joong looked at Jae. Her eyes looked really sad. It made his heart ache to see her look so sad.
Joong: Gwenchana nuna... If you can't make it I can eat by myself... Go on with your work... You don't have to worry about me...
Jae: Wait for me for a minute... I'll be right back...
Jae rushed out of Joong's tent and rushed to the food tent, grabbed her share of food and dashed back to Joong's tent.
Jae: There... I'll eat lunch and dinner with you everyday from now on... If you want that is...
Joong smiled. Another godsend gift for him. Of course he wanted it!!!
Joong: Kamsahamnida nuna!!! I know you love me the most!!!
Joong reached over and hugged Jae.
Jae: You silly boy... You're my only dongsaeng... Of cos I love you the most...
Joong's thoughts: I'm not a boy anymore... I am a man now... And I know I love you as a woman... Not as a nuna... But... I know you'll never love me like how you love Ze-hyung...
Jae: Come on let's eat... I'm famished...
Jae pulled away from the hug and sat herself on Joong's bed, sharing the table with him to eat her lunch. She scooped some of her food over to his plate, as she could never finish all her food. Even at home. And she would always give Joong some of her food whether they ate together in the past. Eating together like this reminded Jae of the past, when they ate together everyday with their parents.
As she ate, she tried very hard to force her tears back. She was thinking of her parents. She missed them very badly. And this war was taking its toll on her emotionally. She didn't hear any news from Ze. And she didn't know if he was still alive or not.
Joong noticed Jae sniffing slightly and looked at her. Tears were streaming down her face. He reached his hand over and used his thumb to wipe away her tears.
Joong: What's wrong nuna? How come you're crying?
Jae hurriedly turned away from Joong to wipe her tears. She felt his hand on her shoulder, turning her back to face him.
Joong: Nuna... what's wrong?
Jae: Eating like this just reminded me... of... my... parents...
Joong: You miss them badly? Did you write to them?
Joong didn't know that Jae's parents were dead.
Jae (sobbing): Joongie... Even if I wrote to them... They'll never get my letters...
Joong: Wae?
Jae (tears streaming down her face now as she spoke, choking her words slightly): My parents... They... They... died...
Joong: WHAT?!!! HOW COME YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!!!
Jae (tears streaming down face): Mianeyo... I... I...
Joong pulled Jae into his arms and hugged her.
Joong: It's okay nuna... You still have me... I promise I'll be there for you always...
Jae was crying profusely. She grabbed onto Joong's shirt tightly when she bawled. Her tears stained Joong's shoulder and back soaking wet. She never cried so much since the day after her mum died. She told herself that she would not be defeated by this war. She would defeat it by saving as many lives as she could, in replace of her parents' lives which were taken away from her.
Joong's thoughts: Nuna... How come you never told me? I wished you didn't have to go through this alone... I... I should have been there for you... To protect you from this... Mianeyo... It's all my fault...
Joong hugged Jae until her sobbing subsided and she let go of him.
Joong: Feeling better now?
Jae: Ne... Kamsahamnida Joongie... Mianeyo for messing up your clothes... And lunch...
Joong: Gwenchana... You're my only nuna... As your dongsaeng, I'll do anything for you...
Jae smiled and started eating her lunch. Joong followed suit and smiled at her as they ate.
Joong's thoughts: Nuna... I wished that I could take away your pain... Let me be the one to bear it for you... I want you to be happy... Yongwonhi (forever)...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another few weeks passed...
Joong's wound was healing very well under the loving care of Jae. And he was already starting physiotherapy to help him walk normally again.
True to Jae's promise, she had lunch and dinner with Joong every day. She had asked the camp food servers to include her meals in the patients' so that she could eat with Joong when his was served to him.
One day during her rounds...
Nurse Kim: Jae... Since we're like old schoolmates... Can I ask you something?
Jae: Ne Junsu... What is it?
Nurse Kim: You know... Your charge...
Jae: Ne... Joongie... Wae?
Nurse Kim: How are you guys related?
Jae: Oh... He's my god-dongsaeng... Our parents are good friends... So we stayed next door to each other... And we kinda grew up playing together...
Nurse Kim: Oh... I see... So you two are not "together"?
Jae: Huh? "Together"?
Nurse Kim: You know... "Together" like namja chingu (boyfriend) and yeoja chingu (girlfriend)...
Jae: Oh of course not!!! I have a fiancé already!!! And he has a girl friend waiting for him back home...
Nurse Kim: Oh... If you didn't tell me this... I'd think that you two were an item... Cos you kissed him during the operation...
Jae: That's cos we ran out of anaesthetics... And Dr Jung asked me to distract him from the pain...
Nurse Kim: I know... But still... Would you kiss him if he were just any other patient?
Jae kept quiet. She knew her answer was no. She wouldn't have done it if it were any other patient. Cos she would have been so much more professional and level-headed. She would have done something else to distract him, like knock him unconscious or something. But since it was Joong, she couldn't think clear-headedly. And more importantly, she couldn't bear to knock him unconscious herself.
Nurse Kim: And you treat him so differently during your rounds... And the way he looks at you...
Jae: Junsu-ya... Don't spout any more nonsense... He has a girl friend already... And he only treats me like a nuna... Nothing more... We're just very close as we've known each other since young...
Nurse Kim: If you say so... But I still think...
Nurse Shim: Dr Jae!!! There's someone here to see you!!!
Nurse Shim interupted Nurse Kim, and pulled Jae away to the main office tent.
Nurse Kim:... That you two treat each other more than god-siblings...
☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
专属天使の悪戯なKiss m(~_~)m & Tedheads
Other fan fics we've written so far...
Destined 遐想 [Completed]
My Little Princess 나의작은공주 [Sequel to Serendipity 奇缘]
