Ma Ri's New Job

"Wait... Ma Ri-"

Completely absorbed in my tteokbokki and chicken, I am really not paying attention to what Jeong Hyeok and his men are talking about. Hence, when I hear my name, I lift my head with a blank face. Scanning their expression, they all look expectant and hopeful, as if I am the last piece to a puzzle they are solving.

"Right! Ma Ri-noona!" Ji Sook exclaims.

"Huh? What?" I ask in confusion.

"No."

A firm voice coming from my right where Tae Yoon is sitting riveted their attention. He looks not pleased by the suggestion.

"This is a dangerous operation. We can't just have anyone who knows a little about self-defense and taekwondo. If you can't find a lady police officer for the operation, one of you shall do undercover as a female."

The finality in his voice makes them silent. As for me, I'm in such a good appetite to react negatively to what he had said at that moment. They left before it gets past nine and Tae Yoon and I both go to our rooms immediately. But before I can get inside my room and him to his room, I glance at him irritably.

"Little self-defense? HA!" I say half-scoffing, roll my eyes, and go inside my room before he can say anything. Well, he's lucky I'm not in a bad mood.

"Ahhh... I am so full," I murmur to myself as I plopped down on my bed. This day has been exhausting for me and thankfully that chicken and beer cheered me up a bit. And of course, the tteokbokki. I was craving it for the past few days, it's just that I was so occupied with so many things to think about it.

Turning my body to the right, I am suddenly remembered for my troubles. What should I do now? I cannot just stay here and wait for my documents to arrive so I can get to work. I'm the type of person who cannot bear doing anything. So the next morning, I find myself in front of the entrance of Jeju Hospital again.

Collecting my courage and taking a deep breath, I entered it with a firm gait and swift walk. I'll try my luck again.

"Ms. Yoon."

It is the same calculating tone that I heard just like the last time. The same sophisticated and intimidating aura that greeted me yesterday. It felts as if the temperature drops the longer I stay in front of her desk. Her eyebrow narrows and widens, each twitches a statement.

"I thought I already made it clear to you that you cannot proceed with the final interview without your papers," Ms. Seo Min says to me in a dismissive manner.

Her kind of people makes me question psychology courses. I mean, they studied human behaviors, right? But how come they look more apathetic than someone who graduated with a course that involves a different field. Shouldn't they be the ones who understand people the most?

"Yes, I know, Ms. Seo Min. But I badly need a job now. I can't work anywhere else other than a hospital. If you can accept me as an intern even I'm overqualified, I will accept it. I just need... to work."

I don't care if I look pathetic to her now for asking. Not working will make me more pathetic. I stare at her with a warm expression in my eyes, hoping to melt the icy cold interior that she has. Then her telephone rang. Without lifting her cold eyes away from mine, she reaches for the phone and glances shortly at the caller's number. Maybe finding out that the call comes from another department, she drops the telephone courtesy.

"Hmmm, yes?"

Her brows furrow upon hearing the caller. Oh no, I can't afford her to be in bad mood. Not this time.

"Alright! Alright! But give me time, how can I possibly find a replacement now?"

Too late. She looks irritated.

"I know. But we just have changed our outsourcing so it may take a while... just hire someone?... Okay, whatever."

She puts the receiver down with an annoyed face and passes me a glance. Crawling over files at her table, she begins to speak without lifting her face to me.

"Like what I've said, you-"

"Any job."

She slowly looks up to me and studies me as if I'm going through an MRI scan.

"Any job available," I continue.

After contemplating, she shakes her head and looks back at her files.

"I can do anything. I just need to work in a hospital. I can't imagine myself in any other place than this. Please," I plead when she seems disinterested.

Plopping down her swivel chair, she crosses her arms in front of her and sighs deeply.

"Can you start today?"

* * *

Yes.

I badly want a job.

And whatever that job the hospital needs, I am very willing to accept. So now, adjusting the collar of the uniform given to me, I am ready to embark on my journey as a nurse aid.

A nurse aid. It sounds fancy, right? But instead of thermometers and injections, I am holding a bin to take out the trash. Basically, I am about to become an all-around helper of patients to higher medical staff.

Apparently, one of their nurse aids has been absent without leave for two days now and with the number of patients in the hospital and tasks to do, they badly need a replacement as soon as possible. I will take the Wednesday to Friday duty since the post is a part-timer job. It's better than nothing.

They gave me a very brief orientation about the job: I have to look over the patients, serve and collect food trays and feeds patients requiring help, transport patients using a wheelchair, or assists patients in wheelchairs, transports, turns bedridden patients, reports patient changes, and takes out the trash. Not like I don't know anything about nursing aide's job for I have been a nurse for a long time and I have to say that they are a great help in the hospital.

'Today marks my life as a domestic helper,' I shake my head from the thought.

"Excuse me."

I turn back and see a nurse calling me, I am already wearing the light blue uniform of nursing aides so she may have guessed that I am one.

"Call Doctor Gu Seung Jae of Dental Medicine, a patient is looking for him. Urgent!"

I can't even mutter a reply as she turns her attention away from me to a visitor in front of her. She might have thought that I'm an old staff. Dr. Gu Seung Jae? Dental Medicine? I'm still not familiar with the hospital but I think I've seen the dental medicine offices on the third floor.

Slipping myself from the people in the hallway, I make it to the elevator and out to the floor I am heading at. I study a map hanging in the wall beside the elevator.

"Walk straight right, then turn left... third door from the left side is Dr. Gu Seung Jae's office," I murmur to myself.

I follow the directions and arrive at the Dental Medicine department. I head to the door of his office quickly for I still have some tasks to do aside from calling a doctor. Pffft!

"No..."

A female voice, of around late twenties, coming inside the office stops me from opening the door of his office.

"This will not hurt. Stay still."

A man's voice follows. He sounded like he's around his thirties. What the heck are they doing? This is his office, not a dental lab so there's no way he was performing a dental surgery or something, right?

"Aaaahhhh..."

Moan the lady inside. Gasping from surprise, I put my hand over my mouth, feeling disgusted by what I am hearing.

"Don't move or it'll hurt more."

I take a step back thinking I can just say that I did not see him at the reception when the voice of the lady struck an alarm in my head.

"No! I can't do this! Stay away from me!"

My instinct says there's something wrong and so the warrior inside me flares up. I turn the knob of the door and immediately dash inside. I see a man with his back facing me, hovering over the woman.

I grab his right shoulder using my left hand to turn his face over and raise my right fist in the air...

And a hard blow landed to his left jaw.

"Oppa!" Gasps the woman who immediately looks over the doctor writhing in pain. My eyes shifts to the scaler he is holding.

Shoot! What have I done? Seriously?