"In-hye, are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine!"
In-hye glared at her husband as she sat with her arms around her belly. His concern was comforting, at least he understood the pain to an extent. He had offered to drive to the pharmacy to get some painkillers for her, but she didn't want to trouble him. She could get through it.
"You don't look fine to me"
Suddenly, In-hye was annoyed. Why was he repeatedly asking whether she was okay? Could he really be that clueless? She was going through a painful period and he was asking stupid questions.
"Of course I don't. And instead of standing there like that, how about you go get me some drugs?" She rudely requested.
"I just asked whether you wanted that, and you said you were fine"
"Well, I'm not. And since you kept asking me, I decided to take the offer. Now go find me something for the pain!" In-hye took her right arm off her belly for a second to throw her flip-flop at him. It hit him at the side of his head when he tried to dodge.
"Alright, alright. I'll just get my card"
"Well, hurry up!"
Do-yun hurried inside their bedroom to grab his credit card from the bedside drawer. He also grabbed a jacket and shrugged it on.
In-hye who was still in the living room, was rolling around on the sofa when Do-yun was stepping out. She impulsively aimed for his head with her other flip-flop and it hit him at the back of the head.
"Hurry up!" She yelled after a groaning Do-yun.
...
Eun-hyeok's car stopped in the parking lot of Seoul National Hospital and he got out of the vehicle almost immediately, walking quickly to the entrance. He had no idea how he was going to find Lisa, but he was willing to comb through the entire hospital to see her.
Obviously, God didn't want him to go through all that stress because as soon as he entered, he spotted her walking towards the entrance beside a doctor in scrubs.
He found her looking bizarre in the oversize coat and her hair was a bit messed up. Her eyes looked swollen and red too like she'd been crying.
"Ji-soo!"
Lisa turned around and saw her older brother, sighing in relief. He walked in long strides to where she was standing and lowered himself to her level. "Did you cry?"
His brows were knotted with worry as he asked this, and then, as if just noticing the man beside her, he stood eye to eye with him. They were the same height, but the furious glare he gave him was enough to intimidate the average person. Alex, however, was not one to be fazed by another.
"What did you do to her?"
Alex stared back at Eun-hyeok, a lethargic look in his eyes. He considered whether to answer the man in front of him. The question was what he did to her, and he clearly didn't do anything to her, so there was no point answering him. But he did anyway.
"Next time, how about you take care of your girlfriend yourself?"
He walked past him, their shoulders bumping against each other on contact.
"Eun-hyeok, actually, he didn't do anything to me... I'm just on my way to the security office to get my phone" Lisa explained when she saw Eun-hyeok staring heatedly at Alex.
His gaze softened when he turned back to Lisa. "What happened to you?"
Lisa looked away from him, remembering how Su-hyeok had very nearly raped her. If it hadn't been for the doctor, he would've had his way with her and she wouldn't have done anything about it. All the same, she didn't want to talk about it.
"Can we not talk about that? I just want to get my phone and leave"
Eun-hyeok looked her over and, aside from the bite mark on her lower lip, she seemed fine. He looked back to find the doctor on the phone with someone. He had his reservations, but he kept silent.
"Ji-eon mentioned you lost your phone, have you found it?"
Sniffling, Lisa nodded. "Something like that. They found the person who took it, and she's waiting in the security office. I just have to go get it"
"That's good"
...
Entering the security office, Lisa was met by a wealthy woman standing next to a younger girl of about her age, with a cross look on her face.
"I don't know why I have to go through all this trouble. Is the phone that expensive? I can buy ten of these for her if she wants. Why do we have to wait until she comes? Where is that wench anyway?"
The woman was definitely offended that she had been kept in the office till Lisa came. The other girl, probably her daughter, was sitting next to where her mother stood, chewing her gum with a snide expression on her face.
"Here she is"
The officer nodded in Lisa's direction, and the lady turned to face her. For a second, the lady seemed shocked as she looked into Lisa's eyes, then at Eun-hyeok, who also had a startled look on his face.
Lisa ignored the look and just walked towards the officer to retrieve her phone. She definitely wasn't interested in what the woman had to say about her. Some people were really shameless. Despite her daughter having stolen her phone and purse she had the nerve to act like she was the bad guy there, calling her a wench.
Lisa pressed the power button on the phone, receiving no response. She pressed it again and again, before the girl spoke up.
"Can't you see it's broken?"
Lisa dropped the phone on the desk, turning to face the loutish teenager. "What now?"
"I don't know. Fix it or something. Or get a new one"
Lisa's blood was pumping as she heard the girl's words. She had broken her phone, and yet she talked with such arrogance. That was the problem with rich kids. They thought the world revolved around them and hardly ever considered their actions.
"I'm really sorry. If you want, I can get you a new phone"
This time, it was the lady who spoke. Her head was bowed low apologetically while she asked for forgiveness for her daughter's mistake.
"Mum, what are you doing?" The girl pulled her mum's arm.
"Will you shut up and apologize to her. Not only did you steal her phone, you broke it, and here you are being unrepentant!" The woman's shrill voice rang in the office. Her daughter appeared confounded, and she gaped at her mother in bewilderment.
"Mum, are you crazy? Apologize for what?" She disputed.
The mother had to hit her hard on her arm before she realized that her mum was being serious. Grudgingly, she bowed albeit with a defiant countenance.
"Sorry" she grumbled insincerely.
"I'll do well to scold Ae-ra. She's a bit spoiled, honestly. But here's my business card. You can contact me if you need to buy a different phone, alright? Any price you want it for, I'll pay"
Lisa stared at the woman who held out a black card with white lines. Lisa collected the business card, suppressing the irritation bubbling within her. Without saying a word, she turned to leave, determined to put this unpleasant encounter behind her. She hoped she would never met such people again, even considering quitting her job at the depressing hospital.
As she approached the exit, Eun-hyeok intercepted her with a calm yet determined expression. Lisa looked expectant as she waited for what he had to say.
"Lisa, wait. Before we go," he said, reaching out to take the business card from her hand. "I already took care of it. I've bought you a new phone."
Her eyes widened with surprise and gratitude. Eun-hyeok handed her a sleek new phone, and a sense of relief washed over her. "How did you know about it?"
Eun-hyeok grinned at her reaction, happy she was smiling. "I called you when my lecture was over, but you didn't answer, so I asked Ji-eon what happened and she told me. So I stopped to buy you a new phone before I got here"
"Thank you," she managed to say, her voice filled with genuine appreciation. Eun-hyeok was really considerate in her opinion.
As Lisa walked towards the exit, ready to leave the security office and the entitled duo behind, she noticed a familiar face near the entrance gate. Making eye contact with the person standing next to Doctor Alex, Lisa couldn't help but feel a connection. A silent understanding passed between them, leaving her intrigued. She was sure she wasn't mistaken, because the other person seemed to also recognise her.
Reaching Eun-hyeok's car, Lisa couldn't shake off the mysterious encounter. As the car pulled away, she couldn't help but wonder about the person she had locked eyes with and the unexpected turn her day had taken.
Eun-hyeok, on the other hand, was relieved he had gotten the card from that woman. He was sure that if Lisa and the woman, Ms. Yvonne, had any further conversation, it would lead to a whole series of events which the Kim family had tried to avoid for years.
He turned to make sure Lisa wasn't watching, then tossed the card out the window into the road. Another car coming behind them crushed the card, and Eun-hyeok felt relaxed. We'll just forget about this, and it will all be over