Doctor Demon

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I'm aiming for 5000 privilege unlocks this month so that this book can receive a banner. Please support this book by unlocking as many privilege chapters as possible and support me for spirity!

I'll give 10 chapter mass release on 1st October if we reach 5000 privilege unlocks this month <3

….

Jina stood in front of the mirror, studying herself. Is this too much? She wondered. 

It was Hobin's first day back at work and she was a little giddy. After last night's kiss, she could not stop thinking about him. She was a little sad to have turned down Siwan and was initially scared that she would end up losing a friend. But to her pleasant surprise, Siwan took it very well and even wished her luck on pursuing Hobin.

But the damn Doctor Demon just left the apartment after kissing her! For a flirt, he sure was clueless what to do after kissing someone. Jina slightly pouted but instantly made up her mind. Even though she was going to work, she could definitely look nice, right?

She chose a light colored shirt with dark jeans and opted not to wear a jacket that day. Her hair was brushed and silky. She tied it into a ponytail, letting her bangs loose in front of her forehead and dabbed a little light lipstick on her lips. Spraying a light rose scented perfume, she checked herself out in the mirror. 

Did I go overboard?

Jina shook her head. Almost every woman on the squad wore a little make up and it was not against the rules. What was so wrong in looking nice for once?

She gathered her courage and left her apartment, locking it securely. Jina headed over to Hobin's and knocked on it. There was no answer.

"D-Doctor Ohm!" she called for him, knocking again but there was no reply. Mrs. Ahn, who was passing by, paused.

"He's gone to the hospital," she informed Jina. "Said that he had an emergency and had to leave immediately."

A psychiatrist was having an emergency? Jina wondered. Aloud she said, "Okay. I'll talk to him later."

She bowed and left the building. Jina got into her car and sighed. 

"Is he avoiding me?" she muttered. Shaking off the thought, she started the engine and drove off. 

Half an hour later, she pulled up in front of the station. Jaebum was working on a file when he saw his boss walking in.

"Woah, boss!" he exclaimed when he saw her "You look like a top notch beauty today!?

Jina grinned and said, "Thank you. I thought I'd change my style a little."

Woohee, who was sitting nearby, was also ogling at her supervisor in awe. 

"What's the occasion?" she winked. "A date?"

"Why? Can't I look nice for once?" Jina asked, blushing a little. Woohee peered at her boss, wondering if she was trying to look nice for a certain someone.

"He's not gonna come today," she said. Jina glanced at her in confusion.

"Doctor Ohm. He's not gonna come to the precinct today."

"Oh."

Jina's face fell but she tried not to show it. She was a little hurt to hear that but then reasoned with herself. Hobin was just a consultant not a full time employee with the police force. Obviously, he would spend more time at the hospital and would not come to the station everyday. But she was so used to his presence that not seeing him around was strange.

"The doctor sure has it rough," Jaebum remarked. "Working with the police and at the hospital. I wonder how he gets the time to have a social life. I bet the nurses at the hospital line up to date him all the time!"

"You'd know!" Woohee scoffed. "You also flirt with the lady officers here."

"Hey, a cop needs to date as well," he winked. "By the way, boss. How come you're not dating anyone? I'm sure a lotta rich dudes are dying to date you!"

"Focus on your work!" Jina said sharply. "What are the new cases we have?"

"Nothing much," Woohee sighed. "Just an open and shut case here. The guy killed his neighbor and left behind his bloody ID card! He was caught within minutes of the police's arrival. Chanmi already questioned him and he confessed."

"The city sure has gotten boring," Jaebun remarked. "No new cases for us."

"That's good," Jina said. "The less the crimes, the earlier I can go home."

At that very moment, Chief Taejoon was passing by. He took one glance at Jina and scoffed.

"If you have time to do a makeover, surely you have time to work as well right?" he barked at her. "What's the progress on the new murder cases?"

"Chanmi interrogated the suspect and got the confession," Jina stated in a cool tone. "We also caught the culprit in the Dalton murder-stealing case but seeing his mental condition, we had him transferred to an asylum. His parents also agreed. Anything else?"

She was challenging her 'boss' to poke her more because she had all the answers ready to throw on his face. Taejoon was unabashed and he threw a file in front of her.

"There's a girl missing from H-town!" he snapped. "Look into her file and find her. She's the daughter of a wealthy oil merchant and the Commissioner requested for your team to handle this. Stop wasting your time in useless makeup and get to work!"

Jina did not flinch but Woohee and Jaebum were glaring at him. Taejoon walked away pompously, making Woohee sick.

"He was complimenting the Deputy Commissioner yesterday on her makeup!" she snarled. "And now he's insulting you!"

"So many of the officers wear heavier makeup and even jewelry," Jaebum scowled. "He's a jackass, boss. Ignore him."

"I am ignoring him," Jina said. "Let's look into this missing girl's case and bring her back to her family. By the way, where's Jiwoon?"

"Second boss?" Woohee frowned. "I haven't seen her today. She's never late. I wonder what happened?"

Jina nodded and took out her phone to call Jiwoon. She heard the familiar ringtone and turned around to see Jiwoon hurrying into the precinct. Jina sniffed a hint of Chrysanthemums emitting from her.

"Where were you?" She asked in astonishment.

"I had to stop by somewhere," Jiwoon said. "I'm sorry!"

Woohee leaned to Jina and whispered, "Should we ask her what she was up to?"

Jina shook her head. Her partner was quite reserved and never spoke of her private affairs. Even though the team members were curious, Jina had long learnt not to interfere in Jiwoon's life. After all, the girl had a right to live her life the way she wanted. 

But Jiwoon looked a little sad and lost. Even though she was focused on the files in front of her, Jina could see a hint of grief in her eyes which was troubling her. Woohee muttered something about grabbing a cup of coffee and Jaebum followed her, leaving Jina and Jiwoon alone. 

Jina strode over to Jiwoon's desk.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Jiwoon looked up, unsure of what to say.

"I'm fine," she said with a sad smile. "Just a little...a little tired."

Jina sighed and said, "You know that no matter what happens, we'll have your back, right?"

Jiwoon was surprised and also a little relieved to hear that. She slowly nodded.

"I know," she said. "Thanks, boss."

She flashed Jina a genuine smile and returned to her work. Jina knew that Jiwoon cared about everyone in the team and would go out of her way to help them even if it meant to put her own feelings in the backseat. Sometimes, Jina worried about her but Jiwoon had a quiet strength which she admired a lot.

I just wish I could help her, she thought with a little regret.

….

Siwan was walking towards the columbarium, holding a bunch of flowers. He was wearing a black suit and his hair was neatly brushed back. The columbarium was situated a little outside the Capital, just a two hour drive from the hospital. He went there every year to pay his respects.

A temple priest was passing by and lit up upon seeing Siwan.

"Doctor Kang!" he exclaimed. "You're here!"

Siwan bowed to the priest. "Hello, Priest Jung," he greeted with a smile. "I'm here to pay my respects."

"Yeonjoo is very lucky," the priest sighed. "To have people remember her every year…"

The priest sighed and led him inside the building. Inside it were a series of large shelves divided into small box-like lockers encased by glass. Each lockers held the memorial for deceased people and their urns wrapped in jars. The memorials also had pictures of the dead person along with a few memorabilia from their lifetime.

"Yeonjoo didn't live very long but she would have grown up to be eight years old this year!" Jung lamented. "A young child taken away so soon...Ah, I'm sorry doctor! It must have been hard on you."

"She was my first patient," Siwan said, his voice cracking up. "I couldn't save her."

"It was her time to go," the priest consoled him. "And frankly, it was better. She didn't suffer a lot."

They stopped in front of a locker which was a shrine for a baby girl. The picture of the girl was placed in it. She was smiling widely through the picture, waving her chubby hands. The girl was barely a few weeks old and very jovial. Next to the picture was an urn containing her ashes and to Siwan's surprise, a fresh bunch of blue Chrysanthemums. On the plaque, the girl's name was given 'Yeonjoo' but no surname.

"Who put these here?" he asked.

"Oh, the girl's mother stopped by this morning," the priest informed him. "I performed a small ritual for the peace of the girl's soul…"

Siwan glanced back at the shrine. He could not recall the mother very clearly except for the fact that one side of her face was badly scarred in a fire and by the time she was able to rescue her baby, the child had already died due to the burns.

"I wonder how she's doing now," he said out loud.

The Chrysanthemums in the shrine slightly ruffled in response.