Their eyes met for the longest of times, even though they had seen each other recently. He observed her angelic outfit, while she observed his brown tuxedo. His hair was all pulled back and it surprisingly suited him so well. A neutral expression on both the faces, but their eyes were filled with utmost appreciation.
Yeom Tae walked closer to the rest and bowed down slowly.
"We're very pleased to have you." He smiled at Changmin.
"I'm very pleased to see you as well." Changmin smiled back.
They all took their seats and started conversing, chuckling, and gossiping as per usual. Thankfully, Haneul was seated beside a person she could converse comfortably with, Yeom Tae.
"Why did you sound so nervous while asking for the spice level?" Haneul started off. "And how is your health now?" She added. "And did you read the book?"
Yeom Tae carefully listened but only chuckled. She recited her questions as if she might forget if not spoken quickly. Yeom Tae's look today made him look extra arrogant, as if hard to approach, especially with that hair. But Haneul has accepted not to judge a book by its cover as Yeom Tae was the complete opposite of how he looked.
Soft and bubbly, subtle chuckles to every of his sentences proved that very well.
"Which one should I answer first?" Yeom Tae asked in a low tone.
Their conversation was much lower than the middle-aged group seated on their right. Oh, they were very loud. Almost as if chickens at early in the morning. Where their so-called elegance sat on their shoulders for most of the time, they probably forgot to bring her along while talking.
One could've seen the group and sworn that the children weren't theirs. But they were. Realistically, they could imagine themselves being the same if they grew up. So, there weren't many complaints, just low tones and small whispers to stay in their own personality, in their own comfort zone.
"Go in order." Haneul said, despite his strange question.
"Well," Yeom Tae paused, looking up slightly, as if recalling the order.
Haneul was ready to recite it again but she let the man think.
"I wasn't nervous." Yeom Tae said, "I was just not sure if I had asked you this before or not." He added.
"That's it?" Haneul asked, cursing her overthinking brain.
Yeom Tae nodded slowly and pressed his lips together. He always seemed overly excited around her.
"My health is okay now." Yeom Tae said, clenching his teeth together. "I was prescribed more of the same medicine by the GP by the way." He added. "The same as the doctor in the ER had prescribed for me. I'm guessing she is your friend?"
"Y-Yeah." Haneul was suddenly embarrassed, recalling that Haru had called him…
"I mean I could tell when she called me Mr. Bowel Movements." Yeom Tae chuckled.
Right. This was dead embarrassing. Haneul swore to end Haru's career for life.
"Do doctors do this usually?" Yeom Tae looked at her playfully, "Give nicknames as such to their patients?"
"I'm sorry it was offensive." Haneul said, full of embarrassment.
Yeom Tae chuckled, "It isn't. It's funny."
Haneul wanted to believe him so badly but it was clearly offensive.
"Doctors don't do that usually." Haneul decided to come clear. "Only if we happen to have an extra unforgettable moment with a patient."
Yeom Tae raised an eyebrow. "So I had an extra unforgettable moment with your friend?"
Haneul nodded. "Two things." She kept her index and middle finger in the air.
"Two things." He repeated, ready to listen.
"You were dressed formally and my friend, Haru, had seen you before." Haneul said.
"That's one." Yeom Tae nodded.
"Haru is not an ER doctor. She is a neurosurgeon." Haneul said.
Yeom Tae opened his mouth wide, full of surprise, like a child does when he first finds out that humans can't fly like birds.
"Your reaction seems fake." Haneul chuckled slowly.
"No, I'm genuinely surprised." Yeom Tae said, in all his seriousness. "Is it legal?"
"What is?" Haneul asked.
"For a neurosurgeon to prescribe a patient in ER?" Yeom Tae asked.
"Neurosurgeons are licensed practitioners too. They don't go around opening skulls only." Haneul chuckled.
"No but," Yeom Tae chuckled softly. "I thought neurosurgeons can only prescribe for the brain and stuff."
"Brain and spine." Haneul corrected him. "If I happen to be in an ER by chance, with the ER doctor being absent and a patient who needs attention, I will go see the patient. If the patient requires to be seen by a specialist, I will call for the specialist. Otherwise, I can prescribe the patient myself too." She added.
"Oh." Yeom Tae nodded, finally understanding everything. "So I should be grateful to your friend."
"Yes." Haneul chuckled. "You were named after bowel movements because she doesn't get a lot of patients with those complaints."
For some reason, Yeom Tae seemed interested in the topic and Haneul seemed to be enjoying it as she explained. Her ambitions were really above everything after all.
Yeom Tae cleared his throat for the last bit, "For once in forever did she wish for this moment, and it did walk to her." He said slowly.
Haneul gently smiled.
"She often drifted with the winds, often found herself frozen deep to bones, often trembled in this harsh, forsaking, and disastrous breeze, and often found herself piling up the snow into huge spheres, stacking them one on top of the other, a carrot in the middle of the topmost sphere but a frown, oh so terrific." Yeom Tae said as poetically as possible, almost exaggerated, making Haneul chuckle slowly.
"This frown was for her when she longed for those times, those times where she would see the light of her life again, those times where she would live up to the moment, those times where the cozy fire would become an enemy," Yeom Tae continued, "Those times," He paused and pressed his lips.
"Those times that she would always long for." Haneul continued. "Those summer times."