Work Text:
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"Yah, Kim Sa Ram. Is it just me or is everybody looking at us funny today?" Dong Kyung asked as she took a bite of her gimbap. She hasn't been to Sa Ram's workplace in a while due to their respective busy schedules, but the meeting with one of her writers has been cancelled, so she’s decided to pay Sa Ram a special visit and bring him some lunch.
“Hmm, are they?” Sa Ram replied with half-full mouth.
“Yeah. Didn’t you notice?
“Not really. I think it’s just in your head.” He said nonchalantly before picking up two pieces of the tteokbokki and shove them in his mouth.
“Really? That’s strange. I can just feel everyone's eyes on me since we sat down.”
Sa Ram took a sip of his iced Americano and offered it to Dong Kyung. She accepted the proffered drink and took a sip herself.
“There! See those two nurses! Did you see them? They were acting all weird and whispery after they look over here!” Dong Kyung squawked excitedly as she watched the said nurses sprinted out of their vicinity and back into the building. The roof garden had been a popular spot for the staff members and the patients to have lunch or take a short break, and the weather today was perfect for the occasion.
“Wait. Does my face look bloated? Yah, you shouldn’t have let me eat those ramyeon last night.” Her fingers immediately came up to pinch the skin on her cheeks and below her chin.
Sa Ram chuckled as Dong Kyung kept eyeing the people around them suspiciously. “I don't know how that's my fault but you look absolutely fine.”
From the corner of her eyes, Dong Kyung noticed the ahjummas who she’d once gossiped with about the ghosts in the hospital. They were looking at her with a Cheshire grin on their faces and Dong Kyung swear she heard them giggle among themselves as they walked pass. “Do the ahjummas still suspect that you’re the ghost doctor or something?”
“Hmm, I don’t think so.”
“Then something fishy is definitely going on."
"You know how they are. Just don’t mind them and they’ll leave you alone." Sa Ram skewered a piece of the fish cake on the fork and fed it to Dong Kyung.
”Omo, you’re being vague again.” She said accusingly while chewing her food and Sa Ram just looked at her amusingly.
Right on cue, Seong Joon seonsaeng-nim appeared in front of them, holding two bottles of drinks in his hands. “Hello pyeonjibja-nim, haven’t seen you around here in a while. Has Chairman Cha been working you to the bone?”
Dong Kyung jumped in her seat, startled, and almost spilled the drink in her hand. “Oh gosh! Jagga-nim! You scared me. How did you appear out of nowhere?”
“Aigoo, look at you being so engrossed in your lunch date, you didn’t even notice me.” Seong Joon seonsaeng-nim teased and sat down on the empty spot next to her. "I guess you miss Sa Ram-sshi that much huh?
“Date? Oh, no, it’s not really—“
“But of course, you two must be absolutely swamped with work nowadays that you hardly see each other much. It's only natural you would want to spend time together at every opportunity.”
Sa Ram watched on quietly, cheeky smirk plastered on his face, utterly enjoying the conversation that was taking place next to him.
“No, really, jagga-nim. It’s not like that. I was in the neighbourhood so I thought I’d drop by.”
Seong Joon seonsaeng-nim paused with contemplation. He looked at Dong Kyung and then made eye contact with Sa Ram then his attention went back to Dong Kyung. His facial expression was unreadable, then he decided to play along. “Oh, of course! I’m sure that’s what it is. But honestly, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I’ve gone through this phase myself not too long ago, so I totally understand. But it all changed after the little one came along.”
“Huh? Wha—“
“Aigoo! Look at the time now! I better get going and leave you two to it. Here pyeonjibja-nim, drink this." Seong Joon seonsaeng-nim took the iced Americano out of Dong Kyung's hand and replaced it with one of the bottles he came with. "You shouldn't be drinking so much caffeine now, it's not good for you. Drink this instead. It's red ginseng." Then he turned and nodded at Sa Ram. “See you back inside, Sa Ram-sshi.”
Sa Ram nodded in acknowledgement before they watched him disappear as well.
“Seriously, what’s going on today? Did some stars aligned somewhere and making everyone a bit crazy? Even jagga-nim is acting weirder than usual.”
"He's probably just concerned about you since you used to be his patient."
"I know, I know. But still."
Taking pity on her, Sa Ram decided that maybe it was best for him to come clean. He didn't mean for it to turn out this way. It wasn't something that needed to be kept from her in the first place. It just happened and he didn’t think it was worth mentioning it after so long.
"Dong Kyung-ah, you know the people in the hospital are very fickle and bored, right?"
"So?"
"Well, bored people loves gossips and tends to hang on to them to keep themselves entertained for as long as they can, right?"
"And?"
“Well, uhm..”
“Look at you, talking in riddles again.” Dong Kyung tsked and inspected the small bottle of herbal drink in her hand.
"Okay, okay. You see, there has been a rumour going around lately.." His sentence trailed off and Dong Kyung became interested immediately. Ears perked up as she leaned in closer, waiting with bated breath for Sa Ram to continue.
“Really? What rumour? Is it about you?”
The look on Dong Kyung’s face almost made him laugh, but he didn’t think it was a good time judging by what he was about to tell her.
"Well, yes and no."
“Ooo, what is it?”
"Dong Kyung-ah, just know that it's nothing I've done to egg them on. It just got out of hand a little and the next thing I know, the whole hospital has heard about it." It was Sa Ram's lame attempt to soften the blow. He gulped nervously as Dong Kyung got increasingly annoyed for the delay. Her lips were pressed into a straight line and eyebrows scrunched.
"There were some speculations circling around the hospital that you have the tendency to bite." Sa Ram blurted.
"Huh? Bite?"
"You know," He cleared his throat. "The bruises on my body.."
Sa Ram can almost see the wheels turning in her brain, and he knew exactly when she had connected the dots, because that was when her cheeks turned pink. If he knew her as well as he think he did, Dong Kyung would freak out at any time now. He was mentally preparing and physically bracing himself for it but shockingly, nothing happened. Dong Kyung was quiet for a bit and after the initial embarassment, she let out a snort.
"Daebak, is that why they're behaving that way?"
Sa Ram was not one to be surprised easily but colour him puzzled, he was not expecting that. “Mm-hmm. And you’re okay with that?”
“Well, honestly, it's a bit embarrasing but I guess it's not that bad."
"Hmm, really?"
"Yeah. Besides, I think it saves me a lot of trouble to keep reminding those desperate women that you're already taken."
Sa Ram couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. It was unlike her to be so open about their sex life but at the same time he was relief that the crisis has been successfully averted.
"But then I thought this is what it's for?" Sa Ram said referring to the silver band on his ring finger that matched the one on hers.
"Oh, trust me, my Sa Ram-ah. Some women wouldn't just stop at that. Especially if they think you're a great catch."
Sa Ram was completely pleased at the indirect compliment. “Wow, who are you and what have you done to my girlfriend? Actually, nevermind that. I think I like you better.”
"You better remember that you're mine, understand? If any of those women start making eyes at you, just walk away."
"How will I treat my patient if— "
"Don't talk to them, don't smile at them, just keep your head down and walk away." Dong Kyung announced with a tinge of threat and Sa Ram could take a hint. His usual go-to phrase was what landed him in the hot soup with her when they first met. Bumping into her, flashing her that little side smirk and throwing her a little flirty remark on how she was entranced by his good look.
Dong Kyung then asked as she was sipping on the herbal drink. "But then, how did the rumour start anyway? I'm sure I've been careful not to do it in areas that your scrub won't hide."
"Oh. Well, I was changing in my office one day after one of my patient threw up on me. Seong Joon-sshi just happened to barge in and saw me without my shirt on." Sa Ram said casually as he recounted the day his colleague saw the lovebites all over his torso, and how hard he tried to surpress his surprise. Luckily, the awkwardness dissolved without a hitch after a few days.
Dong Kyung almost choked when the drink she was sipping went down the wrong pipe. “Wait, what?”
"Hmm, yeah. He was surprisingly quite cool about it."
“Wait. Back pedal a bit. You’re telling me that Seong Joon seonsaeng-nim, my Jung Dang Myeon jagga-nim saw your body covered in bruises that I've put there."
Sa Ram nodded.
“All of it?”
“Hmm, more or less.”
It was one thing for people to assume something and another for someone to actually see the evidence. She recalled all of the side looks and dodgy behaviours she had come across since she'd been here and they suddenly had a very different meaning behind them. Dong Kyung could feel her cheeks heating up at the new found realisation. And the fact that her own jagga-nim had seen them with his very own eyes made it worse. The weird remarks and the herbal drink had made so much sense right now. She wouldn't know what possessed him to tell another soul about what he saw and she didn't want to know. Right now she could ony hope the earth would open up and swallow her whole. That way she could die quicker.
She hastily threw all of the half-eaten food back into their bag, only to meet with the protest from Sa Ram.
“Wait, what are you doing? I’m still eating those.”
Dong Kyung stopped and glared at Sa Ram before she shoved the bags onto his lap. Sa Ram was stunned by the sudden change of mood but he didn't protest further. Dong Kyung turned to grab her bag and gathered all her work stuff.
“Uhm, Dong Kyung-ah? Is everything alright?” He asked gingerly.
"I need to go."
"But you haven't eaten much yet. Sit down and.." Sa Ram's words hung as Dong Kyung looked at him with daggers in her eyes.
"Jagi-ya?"
“I need to go. I need to go now and I need to never ever show my face here again. And also, if Cha Joo Ik is not happy with me reassigning jagga-nim to him, well, he’ll just have to deal with it!”
“Okay? But—”
“Kim Sa Ram-sshi, don't say another word. I love you, but I can't talk to you right now." Slinging her bag over her shoulder and clutching her work folders in her chest, she turned and headed to the exit.
Sa Ram watched as she speed-walked out of there like a bat out of a cave, all the while shielding her face with her folders. He almost felt bad for her but a part of him was delighted to see her react that way. He adored how this woman had survived a terminal illness and still be flustered by the unpredictability of human behaviour.
"I’ll see you back at home, my Dong Kyung-ah.” Sa Ram yelled out to her, unable to stop himself, and watched gleefully when Dong Kyung got even more flustered, and she almost bumped into someone on her way out.
His thoughts suddenly came back to the ring on his finger. He didn’t mind it when Dong Kyung asked him to wear it for the purpose of keeping unwanted attention away. In fact, he took pleasure in her putting a claim on him like this. But if there comes a day when Dong Kyung decides to take their relationship to the next level, he will be ready. That day may or may not come, he's accepted it, but when it does, he will be ready.
Feeling the small black velvet box that he carries all the time in his pocket, he smiled to himself. Yes, he will be.
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