Doctor Demon

"Oh," Siwan said. 

He was not sure what to do or say because for some odd reason, his heart was feeling unsettled. Jiwoon smiled at him but her smile did not reach her eyes. That morning, Ilhoon had called her and requested her to accompany him at an event that night. She was about to refuse but Jina had overheard her talking about the Doctor's Association. To her surprise, Jina was also going to attend the party.

"We can go on a double date!" Jina exclaimed. Jiwoon was not so sure about the date part but she thought it might be nice to hangout with friends that night so she agreed to Ilhoon's request. She did not expect Siwan to attend because he was usually on night duty on Fridays but seeing him there surprised her. In fact, she was so fixated on Siwan that she did not realize that Ilhoon was holding her hand.

"Doctor Kang, I really should thank you," Ilhoon was saying. "My mother and father are thrilled that Hana is fine. She's recovering slowly. She misses her father but we try not to let her feel too bad. We're going to enrol her in Dalton Primary School. Jisoo suggested it to us."

Siwan was only nodding but not really listening to what Ilhoon said. His glance fell on how Ilhoon was holding Jiwoon's hand. He felt a surge of uncharacteristic irritation and he looked away. 

"Doctor Kang Siwan?"

Siwan looked around to find a pretty girl in her early thirties with long blonde hair and a bright smile. She was wearing a red cocktail dress which clung to her figure tightly, making her look mature. Her elegant aura was oozing and she looked alluring. Many men in the party were ogling at the blonde beauty.

"Hi, I'm Verona Yeon," she said, reaching out her hand. "Jina told me about you and informed me that we'll be each other's dates for tonight."

"Oh."

So this is my date, Siwan thought. He vaguely recalled the name Verona Yeon as if he knew her but forgot. Then it hit him.

"Oh yes! You were in our school," he realized. "I think you were in Jina's class."

"Yes," Verona replied. I had transferred towards the end of the year at our play school. You were our senior."

Jiwoon watched them, feeling dismayed. The woman was quite a beauty and she felt inadequate in front of her. Siwan was looking so handsome and along with Verona, they looked like a couple out of a fairy tale.

They make a good pair, she thought.

"Verona Yeon?" Ilhoon asked. "Are you the heiress to the Yeon Industries? The youngest entrepreneur of the year and a socialite! I met your father on many occasions."

"Yes, I am," Verona replied with a smile. She shook his hand and then turned to Jiwoon.

"And you are…?" she frowned. 

"I'm Detective Kim Jiwoon," Jiwoon replied and shook her hand.

"Ah yes! Jina told me that you'll be here. She talks about you often. I'm a little jealous to hear my best friend refer to her other best friend!"

She laughed and Jiwoon also awkwardly smiled. Avoiding Siwan's watchful eyes, she was about to move her hand to scratch her arm when she realized that Ilhoon was holding it. Without thinking, she slipped her palm out of his and clasped her hands together defensively. 

"Are you alright?" Ilhoon asked, feeling concerned. 

Thankfully, Jiwoon was spared the answer by Jina and Hobin's arrival.

"Bro!" Hobin called for Siwan. To his surprise, the person standing next to Siwan was not Jiwoon but someone else. 

"Who's that?" he whispered to Jina.

"That's my friend Verona," Jina explained. "I set her up with Siwan for the night!"

Uh oh, Hobin thought. He had hoped that Jina would set his brother up with Jiwoon but it seemed that she had no idea about their innocent flirtations.

My brother will die a virgin at this rate, he grimaced.

Jina pulled him towards the others. "You made it!" she squealed at Siwan. "And you too, Jiwoon! And…"

She pulled Verona into a wide hug. "I missed you so much!" She exclaimed. "Are you going back to the States? Or are you back for good?"

"I'm back for good!" Verona giggled. Jiwoon introduced Jina to Ilhoon. The latter was grateful to Jina for her help in Aina's case.

"It's a shame she was never punished for her crimes," Ilhoon commented. "My brother made a mistake in marrying her but he never got the justice he deserves. Death was too kind to her."

"At least that site won't hurt anyone anymore," Jina said. "But the amount of grief she caused is too great."

"But how can a mere website make people kill themselves?" Ilhoon questioned. "Isn't it strange?"

"AI works in very strange ways nowadays," Hobin lied. "It was modeled after the Blue Whale game. This website used a certain kind of code which played with a person's sight through its light screen. The nerves in the eyes are exposed to that light and trigger the chemicals in our brains. The person seeing that light will be triggered and their chemicals are imbalanced, causing the brain to fall into a depression. Within that moment, the person becomes hypnotized and kills himself. It's not hard to create for a developer like her."

"If only she used it for good things," Jiwoon muttered. She was still bitter over the fact that the woman got an easy death. The demon had nearly killed them and taken Hana away. Whether Aina was in Hell or not, she still went unpunished by the law which was not fair at all.

Before Siwan could say something, Ilhoon put his arm around her shoulders and said, "She's gone and Hana is safe. That's what matters to us."

Jiwoon was taken aback but nodded. Hobin noticed that his brother was frowning a little so he broke the tension.

"I think the Chairman of the Doctor's Association is about to give a speech!" He said. "Let's grab a table."

"We'll be sitting with a few of my business associates," Ilhoon said. "I'm investing in a new health research facility so we'll have a small meeting. Jisoo, shall we?"

He offered her his arm. Jiwoon hesitated but took his arm.

"I'll see you guys later," she told Jina. "Bye."

"Bye!" Jina waved, feeling happy that her friend finally had a date. Hobin pulled her away but Siwan was still staring at Jiwoon's back.

"Let's go," Verona said. 

"Yeah, let's go."

He followed Verona to a table. Hobin and Jina were already seated, talking to themselves while the Chairman of the association was giving a speech. Siwan was not really listening but he kept on glancing at Jiwoon every few seconds. Ilhoon was talking to her and she was smiling at him.

For a moment, Siwan was enchanted by her smile. She had a sweet and genuine warmth which was emitting from her smile. He could not look away from her and wished that she was sitting next to him.

Then he frowned. Why am I thinking like that? He wondered.

"Are you alright?" Verona asked. 

"Yes," he replied, tearing his eyes away from Jiwoon. "I'm great."

"Tell me about your latest works," she said. "I heard you did a very complex surgery recently on Siamese twins! They were conjoined at birth, right?"

"It was a joint surgery and I was with a renowned neurosurgeon. Yes, it was complex but we managed to do it…"

They chatted about their work but Siwan's mind was not into the conversation. He kept on glancing at Jiwoon who was sitting a few seats away. Verona was perfectly nice and was talking about something which Siwan had no idea about. He only kept on nodding his head.

Meanwhile, Hobin was playing with a strand of Jina's hair.

"You better keep your promise after the party," he pouted. "This is so boring!"

"It's a banquet for all renowned doctors," Jina pointed out. "You can make some good contacts here!"

"I'll just end up reading their nasty memories," he scowled. "I'd rather play with you!"

Before Jina could protest, he pecked her on the cheek. She blushed furiously and reproached him.

"People are watching!" She hissed.

"So? We're a couple and they should get used to it."

He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her a little closer, hugging her. Jina stopped protesting but was painfully aware of the eyes on them. Some people were whispering and pointing at their shamelessness which made her feel embarrassed but Hobin did not give a damn. After all, if death could not stop him from loving this woman then how could puny humans deter him?

At the other table, Ilhoon's phone rang up. He answered the call.

"Hello?" He greeted. "Mom?"

Jiwoon watched as the color was sapped from his face.

"I'll be right there!" he said. 

"What happened?" she asked him.

"Nothing," Ilhoon shrugged. "It's Hana. She's crying. I'll go and handle her. Lemme drop you home."

"No!" Jiwoon said. "I'll go home on my own. You should go to Hana."

"But-"

"I'll be fine! My friends are here. They'll drop me off."

Ilhoon was reluctant but he nodded. "Fine," he said. "I'm sorry for leaving you like this."

"I'll be fine. Go home to Hana."

He smiled at her and took off. From afar, Siwan saw that Ilhoon was leaving and Jiwoon was left completely alone.

"I think we should dance-" Verona was saying but Siwan cut her off.

"I'll be back," he said. Before Verona could say anything, Siwan strode over to Jiwoon. She was feeling awkward and like a fish out of water when a hand appeared in front of her. Looking up, she was pleasantly surprised to see Siwan.

"Can I have this dance?" He smiled. 

Without thinking, Jiwoon replied, "Yes!"

She took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. Jina's mouth fell open in shock when she saw her friends going to the dance floor. Beside her, the Doctor Demon was chuckling.

"You knew they had a thing for each other?" she hissed at him.

"Isn't it obvious? Why else do you think he got a house next to hers?"

Jina wanted to facepalm herself. How could she not see it?

But she gazed at Siwan and Jiwoon with a smile. 

"Do those two know about each other's feelings?" she asked warily.

"No, but it's fun to see them like this," Hobin said, his voice hinting at mischief. "I think I'm gonna enjoy seeing my brother fight for a girl."

Jina scowled at him but he was right. Those two needed to figure out their feelings on their own. 

For now, they should have fun.