Doctor Demon

Chapter 307 – Little Things

Siwan was in his office when there was a knock on his door. He looked up to see Ilhoon and Hana entering his cabin. Ilhoon was smiling while Hana looked a lot more lively than she was a few days ago.

"Hello Doctor!" Hana greeted him. "Thank you for helping me again!"

"Hana," Siwan smiled. "Are you feeling sick anymore?"

The little girl shook her head. "She's eating a lot more now," Ilhoon remarked. "Your treatment is working as well. We have a nurse to take care of her and she goes on her regular walks as well."

"She needs care rather than a nurse," Siwan stated. "A little child just lost her father and her mother is away for a long time. Hana needs to have her grandparents and uncle with her."

He smiled at Hana who smiled back at him. She was shy around the handsome doctor and even had a tiny crush on him. Her cheeks grow red.

"I try to be good," Hana nodded. "I also don't annoy my grandparents."

"That's good to hear!" Siwan said. Ilhoon addressed Hana.

"Hana, can you go and wait for me in the car?" he requested her. "Nanny Jo is outside the room. She will take you back. Uncle wants to talk to the doctor for a minute."

Hana nodded and ran off. Siwan was frowning a little, wondering what was going on. Did Ilhoon want to talk about Hana? Was there something wrong with her which he could not talk about in front of her?

"Is everything alright?" Siwan asked.

"Doctor Kang," Ilhoon began. "I might be out of line here but can I ask you one thing?" 

"Sure."

"Are you close with Jisoo?"

There was an awkward silence between them. Siwan was not sure how to answer that. Was he close to her? He did not know the answer. Did he want to be close to her?

He did not know the answer to that either.

"I'm sorry for probing," Ilhoon quickly said. "It's just that…I lost contact with her after she moved away from our old neighbourhood. And when I met her again, she's no longer Ming Jisoo but Kim Jiwoon. I want to know what happened to her. What made her turn from Jisoo to Jiwoon?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Siwan frowned.

"I want to but I can feel the pain in her voice," Ilhoon sighed. He recalled the day they met again. The soft and shy Jisoo he knew was still there but with a hint of immense grief in her voice. It was as if Jisoo had not just lost her identity but her whole existence to turn herself into Jiwoon. Ilhoon's heart was aching at the thought of losing her again and he was determined to stay in her life, not just as a friend but as something more.

"I know she will tell me but I don't want her to relive the trauma," he said. "I noticed that you are close to her and perhaps, you know what happened to her."

"Why do you want to know about her past?" Siwan asked. "Isn't it better to let it go and embrace an old friend?"

"I want to know her past so that I can make her future better," Ilhoon revealed.

Ilhoon was forward and honest with his thoughts, not mincing his words at all. He was clear about his feelings, something which Siwan would have found admirable.

Yes, Siwan would have found it admirable under ordinary circumstances. 

But now, he could not help disliking them. He did not want Ilhoon to be straightforward and honest. In fact, he wanted Ilhoon far away from Jiwoon. Far far away.

Don't say it, Siwan was inwardly chanting as if it was a prayer. Don't say it out loud.

He clasped his palms together as if trying not to react in a way he did not want to. All he wished was for Ilhoon not to say the next words.

"I love her," Ilhoon revealed. "And I want to marry her."

Something in Siwan was on the verge of breaking out. He wanted to tell Ilhoon to leave but he did not say it. Instead, he leaned forward, unblinking and unflinching as he faced llhoon.

"Whom do you want to marry?" Siwan asked in a clear tone. "Ming Jisoo, the shy and docile girl you fell in love with? Or Kim Jiwoon, the quiet but strong woman who is in love with someone else?"

Ilhoon frowned. "Someone else? Who?"

"Me," Siwan revealed. "Kim Jiwoon is in love with me."

Ilhoon was shocked by the revelation. Jiwoon was in love with this doctor? He was eyeing the handsome doctor with interest now. Then he let out a chuckle.

"Are you implying that I should back out simply because Jiwoon is holding special feelings for you?" he asked. "I don't mind if she is in love with someone else. I'll support her in it. But there is something which did not go amiss by me."

His eyes darkened and he leaned forward, sitting formally as if he was in a business meeting.

"You're talking as if you are already dating her and I know that you're not," Ilhoon stated outright. "Which means that either you're too shy to reveal your feelings or you hold no special feelings for her but when someone else does, you feel threatened. Isn't that a little too much?"

Siwan was a little abashed by his statement. Threatened? Why was he feeling so threatened?

"If you don't love her, then isn't it best for her to move on with someone else?" Ilhoon argued. "I'm her friend and I have known her the longest. Whereas you are a passing fancy to her. Unless you actually like her back and confess to her, I don't think that I'm doing anything wrong in pursuing her."

"You're-"

"Wrong? Then does it mean you love her?"

Siwan's fingers clenched into a fist. He did not want to reveal his true feelings in front of this man. 

"She's a close friend and I'm only cautioning you," Siwan lied. "As for her feelings, I genuinely acknowledge them as a friend-"

He froze midway. His eyes fell on the door where a thin figure stood. 

Jiwoon was expressionless. She arrived at the hospital to check up on the boy from the latest crime scene and decided to stop by at Siwan's cabin. But she overheard their conversation.

"Jiwoon…" Siwan began. Ilhoon also turned around and was surprised.

"I just met the boy from the crime scene," she claimed. "He's still unconscious. Do you know when he'll wake up?"

"I don't know," Siwan said. "Jiwoon, look-"

"I shall get going then," she said with a small smile. She paused before addressing Ilhoon.

"Ilhoon, can you drop me off at the police station? I didn't bring my car today."

Ilhoon nodded. "Sure!" He exclaimed. Turning to Siwan, he added, "We'll be going then."

Siwan did not acknowledge him, his eyes on Jiwoon's pain stricken expression. Her mask had slightly slipped, revealing that she was very much hurt. He helplessly watched her leave, not knowing what to do.

It was as if someone was tearing his heart apart. With every step Jiwoon took with Ilhoon, Siwan was feeling the pain. He did not want to admit to llhoon about his true thoughts regarding Jiwoon. 

He could not admit how he noticed her every move. About how she had a musical laugh which calmed his heart. She also had a habit of running her fingers through her hair whenever she was tense. Siwan did not want to reveal how much he noticed her smallest things. He did not want to admit that every time she was around, he wanted to talk to her and be with her. Minutes, hours, days, nights. An eternity.

"Is this really love?" He wondered sadly.