Chapter 102 - The Letter that Made Her Cry

' This man is crazy, ' was the only thought that Ye Rim had when she was crushed against Dr. Kim's chest, at the door of her building. He just got out of a taxi and literally walked over to her, and suddenly she had her face pressed against the lapel of his coat, smelling his delicious cologne.

She had to admit to herself, however: that the hug was all she needed right now. She felt cozy and comforted, especially when Jun Hyeon rubbed her back. It was as if he had guessed that she needed a hug. Something she doubted, of course. However, I was surprised that he was there, and not with Hae Na Ra.

Her suspicion was that the stubborn, arrogant and competitive Dr. Kim had some plan in mind. This had to do with his injured pride on the issue of handbags, of course. The singer had already suspected it when she received his message to go to the airport to pick him up. 

Right after she figured it out, Jun Hyeon did all that scene to enter her apartment.

But then, now he was looking at her with worried eyes and a sweet expression, and it made her so confused!

Ye Rim threw himself on the sofa, putting the mail aside, with a sigh,

"Oppa, thank you so much for the hug. Apparently, you have more empathy for people than you like to show."

And that handsome man, who was playing being a friend on a whim, continued to stare at her sweetly.

"Well," she reached out to touch the blue envelope, and the thought of the contents bothered her. It was as if it had a snake that could lunge at her hand and bite it. She withdrew her hand with a feeling of disgust, "This is a letter from my mother. Park Nam Joo."

The plastic surgeon raised an eyebrow, puzzled by her reaction, "Well, that means it's not news of death. You owe me a hug. The first was free."

The attempt at humor took a half-smile from Ye Rim, who nodded, "Well, I already said that my parents have been divorced since I was little. So this is no big deal. I haven't really had contact with her in years, I just know that she lives somewhere here in the capital. This is her second letter; I received the first one in the New Year. I have no idea what she might want now, after so much time away."

"Anyway, she's getting in touch. Do you already know the contents of the letter?" Kim Jun Hyeon asked cautiously.

"No," she replied dryly, feeling a little intimidated by the course of the conversation. She stood up, thinking of offering something to drink. But Jun Hyeon's eyes did not leave the pile of correspondence at her side. With another sigh, Ye Rim said,

"Okay, I surrender. I threw the first card away without opening it. But your reproachful expression tells me that you think I'm an idiot for not wanting to open this letter too."

"Does my face say I think you're an idiot? I hope not," was Dr. Kim's reply. At that moment, he looked more like the man she met in his office, when she went to return his shirt. Gentle, serious and mature.

He continued, "Ye Rim, I don't get along with my dad either. But I am grateful that he gave me my life. Since I don't know why you and your mother were estranged for so long, I would be an imbecile to judge the situation. Still, it can be serious, and you should check it."

"Why should I check it? She never cared about me all these years. She ran away from home when I was four years old. With her psychiatrist. With the psychiatrist!"

She was incisive because she knew it would hurt her pride as a doctor. When she was old enough to understand that her mother, considered 'town's madwoman', had fled to the capital with the doctor who was supposed to be treating her ... it devastated her more than imagining that her mother had mental problems. Whether Nam Joo had pretended to be crazy all the time for having a lover who was a psychiatrist,... or freaked out about being married to a poor mechanic,... or for whatever... the revelation hurt a lot.

"So you're not going to open the letter, but are you going to panic every time she writes?" he asked, also incisively, and apparently not buying himself the medical ethics tease.

"I'm not panicking!"

"Well, then, open the damn letter," were his words.

"Don't use reverse psychology on me!" Ye Rim revolted. "I don't want to forgive her. I was abandoned by my mother. She never looked back. Even during the divorce, she didn't want to see me. My father tried hard enough, and he never, ever, said anything against her. In fact, I don't think he ever got married because he had hopes …" she laughed bitterly, which quickly broke into tears. Ye Rim dried them quickly. "Enough. I don't want to talk about it. " 

It was Jun Hyeon's turn to sigh, a little agitated, and get up,

"You don't trust people much, do you, Ye Rim?"

That affirmative question left Ye Rim speechless. She understood what Jun Hyeon meant. Naturally, her instinct was to deny and be angry, but she controlled herself. She was an a.d.u.l.t, wasn't she?

"Well, it's not easy," she admitted.

Unexpectedly, the doctor laughed,

"We are not going to create a tense mood right now! I don't want to see you cry, and I don't have the same gift for speaking the right words at the right times, as you do!"

She laughed too, relieved and surprised by Jun Hyeon's attitude.

"This is a good idea, Oppa. But thanks for the hug, again. Although the place and the moment have certainly created a new rumor in the neighborhood."

"You're welcome. But you can explain that we are friends, just friends," he teased. Ye Rim accepted this as his attempt to raise the mood, and then he announced,

"I brought you something from Switzerland. First I thought about taking your order and bringing chocolates. But then I thought it would create a new problem for me. As your friend, I would have to be shirtless almost all the time while you blow up your dresses around."

"You idiot " she mumbled, but with a smile. He trying to do comedy looked almost like someone else. She even wanted to hug him and act frivolously cute to him. 

Could Dr. Kim please get tired of playing with her soon, so she could not start dreaming about him? ' Aish, it is easier to despise him when his flaws are more evident! '

"Well, I didn't know what to choose, and I brought all the bags I saw in that store," he pointed to the largest branded suitcase, "don't be a proud girl just with me, or I'll start to think that you have bigger plans for me. Now I'm a friend."

Ye Rim narrowed his eyes, ready to say something against Dr. Kim's cheap strategy. He really was resentful! ' What an ego! So resentful of not being idolized by this third-class singer! '

But there he was, removing the purses one by one from their packages… 'OMG! They are so BEAUTIFUL! I want to hug them!' Ye Rim restrained her desire to scream with excitement and run for the bags. When he finished emptying the large suitcase, Ye Rim looked around in amazement. They were a reasonable number, and together, they cost good money.

"You really have a point to prove, don't you, Oppa? To spend so much money on a woman you will never bed."

He stood for a moment, and put his hands behind his back, with a falsely angelic smile, while the tone was acidic,

"Yes Ye Rim, I am this kind of capricious person. It's so nice to be honest with a woman, for a change! As we know that the seduction game is not the point here, I don't even have to continue pretending and sweetening the reasons, do I?"

"Uhn, indeed," nothing like pressing the right buttons, so the doctor revealed his true colors. But while looking at the luxury items, tantalizingly displayed on the furniture in her living room, Ye Rim had a fantastic idea. 

As always, her initial intention was not to accept the extravagant gift, perhaps she would be able to sell those new bags at a good price. Then she would have an amount that would help cover the damage costs on Pearl.

"But tell me the reason for such an … expensive gift, Oppa. If you tell me the truth, I will accept it. But if you try to deceive me, you take it all home and spend it on girls you want to impress, ... or whatever," but whatever Jun Hyeon said, Ye Rim would take the bags as true. But I wouldn't let the doctor think that she owed him anything for that. No way.

"I just wanted you to feel rewarded for listening to my sad drunken phone calls. It must have been tough," he said. 

Ye Rim was shocked that he was lying so blatantly, to keep up appearances. 

They were definitely starting to step back from the "Friendzone Game". As she imagined, Kim Jun Hyeon was beginning to regret becoming so intimate with her.

"Well, oppa. You may not believe it, but it was not a sacrifice. Friends listen to each other."

"You have a lot of theories, but you don't trust me. As I imagined, and I had the test today, you can listen to, but you can't talk," he said quietly, but his gaze was piercing. "So please, consider this gift as a payment."

Ye Rim felt her legs tremble. At that moment, she really wanted those bags, because she knew that with the sale of them, she would probably be able to pay Pearl's band, so that they wouldn't disband while the club was undergoing renovations. After all, they needed income for a few weeks, while they had no gigs. But her pride was exacerbated after his words!

' What to do?!'

"Aish, if you want so badly not to be in debt, I accept it!"

His devastating and victorious smile made her lose her breath, ... for several reasons. Ye Rim felt like she was going to pass out. This man was so disturbing!

"Great! Very well!" Jun Hyeon couldn't stop smiling, looking around for evidence of his victory; in this case, the bags that now officially belonged to Ye Rim. "Tell me: which one is your favorite?"

The singer felt a crazy urge to grab a flower vase and break it on his head. He knew very well that it had been difficult for her to accept that expensive gift, and he was laughing like an idiot! But then a memory came to mind, and she reached for her old purse on the sideboard,

"This is and remains my favorite bag ever. The only man I loved bought it for me on my birthday."

She saw the doctor's smile disappear from his face instantly.