At Prime Hospital in the next morning, Lucy came to work as usual. She once thought the three days off were enough for her to rest and play games all night long.
But since Aubrey came to her life, she had a feeling that she always wanted to be near him. Three days weren't enough to get to know him. He was like a mystery, hard to solve and decipher at such a short amount of time.
Lucy walked by the corridor, she spotted her sister around the corner, where less people went there. She then saw a silhouette of a man right before her sister. They were talking, and their distance was quite close.
'Flirting in broad daylight...', Lucy sighed.
She knew her sister was a playful girl. Always thought of men as a joke. Mia was social and she had friends too many to count. But it didn't mean that her private life was bad. She knew how to control herself. But sometimes she did cross the line.
Lucy shook her head. She was worried about Mia. Her sister always dated men and then dumped them not less than a month. Her line of boyfriends was too long. She changed them like she changes clothes.
Lucy was suddenly reminded of her sister's eighteenth birthday. Mia first had an official boyfriend around that time. They were classmates in highschool. She had always have a crush on the guy. And knowing that her feelings were reciprocated, she felt happy beyond word.
But on their first date, she got to know his real intention for engaging in a relationship with her. That too, when she overheard him talking with his 'real' girlfriend on the phone. His words cut deep in Mia's soul.
"I just want to get a taste of what it's like to date a wealthy girl.", the damn guy said.
Mia felt like the world's idiot to have trusted him. She poured her everything out from her heart to the guy. She knew then that she was the only one who was sincere. He wasn't.
From then on, she closed her heart to all men. She didn't believe in 'true love'. One man wouldn't be able to love a single woman all his life. A man was born to be a cheater, she said.
Lucy walked towards them. Mia was happily laughing over something that the man had said. Her smile was enough to make the world stop spinning. She was so pretty. Perhaps cute was more suitable for the term. Since she could melt a man's heart with just a single smile..
".. Mia? What are you doing here?", Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. She looked like a mother who found her daughter hiding in the closet.
Mia turned to his sister. She didn't see her for two days now since she came over last time.
"Oh sis! You come to work!", Mia exclaimed, she paid no heed to Lucy's assertive tone.
"Yes, and stop flirting here. It burns my eyes.", Lucy turned towards the man. She sighed internally. What a stupid looking guy.
'Stop looking at my chest you bastard.' , Lucy gave him a dark look. For which he cowered for a second.
She then walked past them, she didn't have the mood to lecture her sister today. Mia was an adult, she should know when to stop.
'And both mom and dad are too soft when it comes to Mia..', Lucy rolled her eyes in objection.
Since she was a first born, Lucy had to shoulder many responsibilities. She knew her parents were disappointed when she was born not as a boy. They wanted an heir to help manage the hospital. But her parents never said anything about it.
Despite that, they still showered her with love and care. But sometimes she felt suffocated, when all their hopes on her turned to commands or rules which could never be fought against.
Lucy went inside the elevator, heading towards the top floor. She was already on her white coat, looking very charismatic and educated. Many eyes trailed after her when she passed by the hallway. Everyone knew of her, Lucy Kim. An oldest daughter of the vice president and a young head of the department of Psycology.
"Lucy, welcome back!", Leah Kim sounded very happy when she saw her daughter walked towards her.
Lucy raised a brow, why was her mother here? Shouldn't she supposed to be at her own opthalmologic center?
"Why weren't you picking up the phone last night?", Leah questioned her daughter, a smile still graced her face.
"Huh, you called?", Lucy took out her phone and saw some missed calls from the log.
She didn't check her phone at all last night when she came home. She played games until late with Aubrey. It was a great time they shared together. She smiled unknowingly.
Leah saw her daughter's smile. She wondered what could make her queen of a daughter smiled this way. Lucy was known to be a serious type of person. Never the one to play around. Her kind gestures were limited only to those close to her.
"You're happy when you didn't answer my call?", Leah said. Looking sad. She was just testing the water.
"Aww mom.. your trick isn't working. Now let's have lunch together since you're here.", Lucy said, tugging her hand onto her mother's.
Leah laughed. Her daughter was so cute.
"Yes, yes. I have something to tell you over lunch.", she said.
"Hm? But where is dad and aunt Annie?", Lucy asked.
"Your aunt has a lot of work piling up during her trip. Your dad has a surgery.", her mother answered.
"Oh.", was all Lucy said.
•••
At a restaurant near the hospital, the mother and daughter sat across each other. It was lunchtime, many people began to fill in the available spots.
"What?!", Lucy shouted. Some eyes went to her.
She was going to a blind date this Saturday?! It was the day after tomorrow! So this was the purpose of that text her mother sent her.
"I didn't plan on telling you anything, but your dad said it's not good to keep it a secret. He forced me.", Leah smiled. She disregarded her daughter's fuming expression.
"This is not going to work, mom. I won't go.", Lucy crossed her arms.
"See? This is why I didn't want to tell you.", Leah said.
"And what makes you think that by not telling me, I won't mess up the date when I go there only to find an unknown man on my mom's seat?", Lucy didn't want to give up. She would rather die than going to the date.
Leah shook her head. Her face that was cheerful now turned sour and cold. She faced her daughter.
"Lucy, we are doing this for you. You're not getting any younger. You need a husband by your side.", Leah said, her tone serious.
Her mother's words made Lucy frown in denial. What the hell?
"Mom! I will find my husband by myself, I don't need help. Please don't force me.", Lucy said sternly. She was rejecting everything her mother had said.
"No way! You're not going to choose by yourself, your father won't allow it.", Leah said. She was right. Her husband was hard to deal with.
Sam Kim would only acknowledge a doctor to be his son in law. He was quite strict.
'Damn stupid tradition!', Lucy's frown got harder. Her ice-queen face finally made an appearance. She looked cold and hard to approach.
Upon seeing her daughter, Leah's face turned back to its original, gentle and caring persona. She sighed.
"Just do it once, Lucy. If it's working then it's good.", Leah said, trying to convince Lucy.
"If it's not? Dad's going to slap me in the face?", Lucy said coldly.
She remembered being slapped once by her father when she decided not to become a general doctor like her father wished. Its stings lingered for more than two days. But the wound on her heart stayed until today.
Leah's eyes shot up in remorse. She looked away, trying to find an excuse she could use. When it came to educating their daughters, Sam Kim was the lead. His words were absolute. Leah herself could not help her daughter when her husband was involved.
While her mother was basking in guilt, Lucy looked away, not wanting to see straight in her mother's eyes. She knew she would lose when her mother was like this. But she couldn't afford to lose, not anymore.
But Lucy couldn't hang on for long, she surrendered. She loved her mother.
"I'll go.", she said.
Leah faced her, surprised.
"But I won't promise anything. I will just go and show my face there and it will end.", Lucy stood from the chair. She walked away.