26 PERSISTENT

"It's nice meeting you again, Ms. Han," Gil Youngjae smiled.

Soojin sat staring at the man while they ate ice cream. While waiting on the bus on the way home, she asked him out to meet. She kept saying to herself it's only curiosity. But her eyes won't stop glancing at his strong jaw and almond eyes gazing at her.

"You knew who I am at the coffee shop. Why didn't you tell me???" She asked.

"You were with someone. I don't want to disturb your date."

"Dohyun is not my boyfriend." She replied.

"That's not what he said," 

Soojin fell silent. He doesn't know how to explain to the man that the psychiatrist only wants to protect her.

"Well, is he your boyfriend or not??? Because I plan to make you my girlfriend and I don't like sharing my woman."

"WHAT???" She blushed.

Soojin feels like she's gone deaf. The man sitting across the table was too aggressive. Too direct. His plans to make her his girlfriend were too assuming.

'Does he think I'm too desperate to have a boyfriend???" Soojin asked herself.

She suddenly regretted losing her ability. If only she can read his mind now, she wouldn't have put up with his charades. She could turn the man down easily and forget his beautiful eyes.

"Well is he???"

"Yes. He is." She replied.

It 5

The frown on the man's face was apparent from the pursing lips. He leaned his head to bow at her and apologize.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your date yesterday. And for trying to pursue you."

She shyly looked away, "It's okay."

The man stood up from his seat and bowed his head again before leaving.

"Please don't entertain other men while you're in a relationship. It gives them false hope. Good night, Ms. Han Soojin"

She gaped from the last words the man left. Her mouth wanted to shout the man's name to bring him back and explain. She shrugged her head and scoffed.

'That man is unbelievable." Soojin sneered.

She left the cafe still feeling pissed. Annoyed that she wasn't able to explain that she didn't want to give him false hope but she was also scared to tell him that she wasn't in a relationship.

The irritating thought kept her all night until morning. She went to the clinic early to avoid her neighbor, Joomi. The woman will ask her about Gil Younjae and she doesn't know if she can tell the woman about what happened.

She shortly remembered Dr. Ma who she hasn't seen since yesterday. If the psychiatrist was avoiding her because of the confession that happened in her house, that would be impossible. She tried to ask a fellow psychologist, Ms. Myo ChungAe before leaving work.

"Dr. Yang called yesterday after you left early. He said Dr. Ma's taxi was robbed and he tried to fight them so they beat him to a pulp." Ms. Myo explained.

"OH NO!!!" 

"I visited him yesterday. Poor man." Ms. Myo felt saddened.

"I'll give him a visit. Thank you ChungAe."

The woman nodded her head and smiled. When she stepped outside the clinic, she saw her car gathering dust. It's been weeks and she hasn't found time or money to get it fixed. She thought of selling it for extra cash but it will take time for her to buy another car. Another loan that will crush her budget down. 

Soojin sighed when she thought of money. It's not like she's broke. Her salary as a psychologist was enough to pay for her house and everyday allowance. The car was a loan that a client gave to her with a discount. It was inappropriate but she couldn't let the chance go by.

The car door was locked when she tried to open it. She smiled and remembered that it was the first time she met Ghost the day her car got busted.

"Don't look for him." 

Detective Sungmin's words rang in her head.

She decided to visit Dr. Ma and hailed a taxi when a car abruptly stopped in front of her. A white Porsche Spyder. Top-down. The driver flashed a mischievous smile leaning through the open car window.

"Ms. Han, can I take you home???"

Her eyes narrowed as she dissected the words and remembered that Youngjae knew where she lived.

"I'm visiting my boyfriend." She yelled.

"Let me take you to the hospital. I want to visit your boyfriend too."

Soojin sneered at the obvious mockery.

"Thank you for the offer but I'm not going to ride on a stranger's car." She declined.

"I'm not a stranger, you already saw me half-naked."

"What???" She exclaimed.

The man shouted boisterously making some passersby stare at them and whisper. The driver chuckled, watching her flushed from embarrassment.

"Come on, Ms. Han. I promise I won't do anything that could make Mr. Ma jealous."

She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply getting into the car. The soft leather cushion felt too comfortable to her buttocks and back. The scent of woody elegant musk smelled manly to her nose. The driver smirked as the engine rev up a loud blasting sound at the road. 

They reached the hospital fast. Soojin asked the desk for Dr. Ma's room.

"Mr. Gil Youngjae, you're back with your girlfriend." The nurse greeted the man

Soojin's eyes rounded when she realized she was the one the nurse referred to as the "girlfriend".

"Yes. We're going to see an Obstetrician." Gil Youngjae replied.

"What???" Her face blushed.

She turned her face to the man amused at her reaction. The nurse giggled, noticing her flushed face and shocked expression.

"I'm not pregnant." She clarified.

The nurse left them shrugging her head as she tried to explain. She veered around and sneered at the man chuckling from his playful tricks. Soojin marched towards the elevator to reach Dr. Ma's room without calling him. She was pissed at Gil Youngjae who kept on making pranks on her but the man quickly followed her to the elevator and laughed at her peevish attitude.

Staring at Dr. Ma made her feel tormented. The psychiatrist looked like a mummy with bandages on his neck, head, and around his swollen cheeks. His one eye closes off from swelling. Soojin wished she could use her ability to find the people who beat Dohyun and make Detective Sungmin catch them before they could victimize another person.

"Ms. Han???" Dr. Yang called.

Soojin turned her head to the elderly doctor standing in the doorway of the room.

"Dr. Yang. How are you???" The woman greeted.

"I'm good. Thank you for visiting Dohyun." Dr. Yang nodded his head.

"Soojin is a very sweet girlfriend. Dr. Ma is a very lucky man." Youngjae added.

Soojin widened her eyes, "I-I… uh… Sorry, Dr. Yang. M-M-My friend likes to joke around."

She stammered flushing her cheeks and forced a faint laugh to hide her embarrassment. Narrowing her sights when she turned to the man beside her and swear between her teeth that she's going to punch him in the face later.

The head of the psychiatric ward turned his eyes to the man beside Soojin and smiled.

"You two look cute together." Dr. Yang commented and left.

The doctor only came to check. He got a patient with him that he needed to take care of and he didn't have much time to entertain Dr. Ma's guests.

Soojin immediately snapped, "Will you please stop with your jokes???"

"So Dr. Ma isn't your boyfriend??? I can ask you out on a date???"