AAE BURNING LOVE
AUTHOR: MARGIE L (MALAYSIA)
2004-07-01
*****

Jin Sun-mi was dog-tired. Having worked a 12-hour day and not having had sufficient sleep the night before, took its toll on her. She dragged her feet and her tired body up the steps of the luxury apartment block where she has a unit on the 8th floor.

She was looking forward to soaking her weary body in the tub and getting into her comfy four-poster. Pushing the entrance doors open, she noticed a tall man just entering the lift.

Though she tried to run, her heavy legs wouldn't oblige. Waving at the man to catch his attention, she called out to him.

"Sir! Could you please hold the lift for me?"

The man turned in her direction and nodded.

Pushing herself to the limit, she finally managed to dash into the elevator. She panted, "Oh ....... Oh, thank you!" She gave the man a brief smile and glance.

"Is it the 8th floor, Miss?"

"Hmm?" Sun-mi looked at the man questioningly. "How did you know?"

"We have met before."

At Sun-mi's mystified look, the man quickly explained. "What I meant was, my apartment is just opposite yours and I have seen you leaving for work in the mornings. We've even shared the lift a couple of times but you never seem to notice me."

"Is there a reason why I must notice you?"

"No, no - of course not." The man laughed. "It's just that it's advisable for a young woman to be more aware of the surroundings."

She knew he was perfectly right but for some reason, she was annoyed with the stranger. From where did he get the impression he had the right to lecture her?

"Well, thank you very much for your kind advice." Her annoyance was obvious in her cool tone. "I've always been alert of my surroundings wherever I am. Okay?"

The man looked at her flushed face and merely nodded. He did not want to antagonise this 'snappy' young lady any further. But inwardly, he was thinking how adorable she looked with her angry frown and her flushed cheeks.

Suddenly aware of how confined the elevator was and the proximity of the man, Sun-mi turned her back to him. She did not want to encourage the man to start a conversation with her. Not that she was afraid of him; because he hardly looked threatening nor did he look like a henchman of 'Al Capone'. In fact, he has a face that would make women fall at his feet and was garbed in a suit that must have cost two of his limbs at the very least!

Although she wanted nothing more than to prop herself against the cool wall of the lift, good manners forbade her from doing so. Her late mom had always smacked her hand whenever she forgot her manners. 'Ladies never slouch', 'Back straight', 'Legs together'. Sun-mi smiled tenderly when she recalled how her father and herself would tease her mother about acting like a Drill Sargeant.

Still engrossed in her thoughts, she did not notice the man eyeing her appreciatively.

Hyung-chul looked at his lift companion and noticed her smile. He thought he had never seen such a sweet smile. It made all the difference to her pinched yet still lovely face. Since she had made it obvious that she was not interested in making idle conversation, he obliged by remaining silent. But she couldn't stop him from looking.

The lift whirred to a stop on the 8th floor and the doors opened.

"After you, Miss."

"Thank you."

Sun-mi stepped out but her foot caught in the gap of the lift door and she stumbled. She felt a strong arm around her slim waist and her back against a hard chest.

She could feel his warm breadth in her hair as he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Err, I'm fine ... tha...." In the next instant, sharp pain shot through her foot. "Ouch!"

Both looked down at her ankle that was already showing angry signs of a bad sprain. Sun-mi gnawed at her lower lip to prevent herself from crying out again in pain.

Holding Sun-mi by her elbow, the man helped her out of the lift. Limping and grimacing in pain, she tried to shrug off his hand. Even though he was obviously being helpful, he was a stranger.

"I can manage. Thank you."

"Are you sure?"


When she reached her apartment, she felt bad for having been unnecessarily rude. He had been helpful when he held the lift for her.

She turned towards the man who was unlocking the door of his apartment.

"Sir?"

The man turned to face her.

"I've been rude and I apologise." She gave him a tired smile. "It's been a very long day for me and I'm so tired. But that's no excuse." She inclined her head. "I'm sorry."

The man gave her an I-understand smile to show he did not harbour any hard feelings for her lapse in civility.

"I will forgive you only if you tell me your name." He held out his hand. "I'm Yun Hyung-chul."

She placed her soft hand in his. "I'm Jin Sun-mi."

"I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance, Jin Sun-mi. Do you want me to take a look at your ankle?"

"I'm perfectly okay. I'm sure it will be as good as new tomorrow after a good night's rest. Thank you and goodnight, Mr. Yun."


*****

Sun-mi finally managed to get into bed. Propping her ankle on a pillow and putting a cold compress on it to alleviate the swelling, she settled contentedly into the cool sheets. Shutters came down on her heavy lids and soon she was in dreamland.

She dreamt of those days when her mother was alive. Her mother was the disciplinarian to her dad's role as her 'consoler'. She would run to her dad's waiting arms after a stern lecture by her mother. She knew that despite her mother's seemingly stern approach, she lavished her only child with love. Even in sleep, tears flowed down her face when she recalled the last days of her mother's life when she was in the hospital, fighting for her life.

'Sun-mi, wake up!' Was that her mother's voice? Sun-mi held out her hand and cried out 'Umma!'

She now realised that someone was knocking frantically on her door and calling her name. "Miss Jin! Miss Jin!' Thick smoke was billowing into her bedroom and she started coughing.

She immediately sat up and put her feet on the floor. The pain reminded her of her ankle. She opened her bedroom door and found the entire apartment enshrouded with thick black smoke.

"Break down the door!" She heard a familiar voice shouting above the commotion. "She can't walk! She had twisted her ankle."

She hopped quickly to the door and opened it. Yun Hyung-chul and another fireman were just about to break down the door.

"Miss Jin!" The relief on Hyung-chul's face was obvious when he saw Sun-mi was not hurt. "We need to get out of here! The whole building's on fire."

He turned his back to her and told her, "Come on! Get on my back!"

"I can hop down the stairs."

The fireman glared at Sun-mi. "This is no time to argue," he ordered. "We have to get out of here before we become grilled meat!"

Hyung-chul was just as irked with her. "Jin Sun-mi, come on! I don't plan on being grilled!"

Sun-mi felt herself being lifted unceremoniously and dumped on Hyung-chul's back. His hands held her thighs and headed for the emergency exit. She had no choice but to grip his shoulders.

Although the firemen told the tenants not to panic and to be calm, no one heeded their advice.

The heat and thick smoke were becoming unbearable. Sun-mi was almost dislodged from Hyung-chul's back when he lost his footing when someone pushed him. Out of reflex, she placed an arm against the wall and another against his neck. Hyung-chul tightened grip on her thighs and moved more quickly down the stairs.

The situation outside the apartment inferno was just as chaotic. The fire engines, police, reporters and tenants, their families and kin were swarming the place.

A medic came running with a stretcher on seeing Hyung-chul and Sun-mi. Hyung-chul deposited Sun-mi on the stretcher. Coughing badly due to smoke inhalation, she was grateful when the medic placed the oxygen mask on her. Hyung-chul knelt down beside her and waited until her lungs cleared.

He looked at her. She looked back at him. Time stood still. At that instant, a different kind of spark seemed to ignite in them.

Hyung-chul looked at Sun-mi's soot-blackened face and smiled. He wiped the soot from her with the cuff of his once-white shirt and asked, "Okay now?"

When she nodded, he removed her oxygen mask. "What about you? You inhaled smoke too."

He smiled. "Don't worry. I got out of my apartment immediately. I tried so many times to wake you up but there was no response. We were about to break down your door."

Sun-mi explained. "I sleep like the dead when I'm real tired." She continued, "But it was not your banging that woke me up."

"No? You mean there's someone else in your apartment?" He quickly stood up and looked around. "Is your friend safe?"

"No, I stay alone," she assured him. "I mean, I was dreaming of my mother and I seemed to have heard her calling out to me. She died when I was 12 and today's the 12th anniversary of her death. I visited her grave this morning."

Hyung-chul replied. "She must have loved you very much. So it does not seem like a far-fetched notion that perhaps it was really your mother who saved your life."

Sun-mi wanted to reply but the medic had returned with the ambulance to whisk her to hospital.

She looked at Hyung-chul. "Thank you. It's the second time you've come to my rescue."

He waved away her thanks and nodded to the medic. Sun-mi was disappointed that he did not even ask the medic which hospital she would be warded in. She had thought there was some sparks between them. Maybe she was taking too much for granted. For all she knows, she could be even married with children.


*****

"Good morning." The cheery nurse looked up from the medical report she was writing on and greeted Sun-mi.

"Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?" Checking Sun-mi's bandaged ankle, she smiled. "Your ankle's not as swollen as before."

"When can I be discharged?"

"The doctor will be checking on you soon. You can ask him then, okay?"

Sun-mi lay back on the pillows and closed her eyes. She heard the nurse greeting the doctor and his response. Wait a minute. That voice -- she has heard it before.

"How are you feeling this morning, Jin Sun-mi?"

Her eyes flew open. She gasped at the figure in white coat.

"You're a doctor?"

"A doctor, the doctor, 'your doctor'!" Hyung-chul eyed her with amusement.

The nurse's eyes darted from Hyung-chul to Sun-mi -- missing nothing.

"When you introduced yourself, you didn't mention you were a doctor." Was she annoyed at his intentional omission -- she thought to herself.

"You never asked. Anyway, my occupation is irrelevant. Let me take a look at your ankle."

Sun-mi was impressed by his professional and courteous bedside manners. He was also thorough in his examination and concerned with her comfort.

"You're recovering very well. The smoke did not do any harm to your lungs and your ankle's on the mend. You can be discharged within the next 3 days."

He looked at the nurse who was hovering behind him, then turned back to Sun-mi.

"Do you have any close family members in Korea? You'll need a place to stay after your discharge. The apartment building has been sealed to enable the authorities to conduct an investigation into the fire."

Sun-mi was touched by his concern. "Yes. I can stay with my dad. He's holidaying in Japan with my stepmom but will be flying back today."

"Right! It's great that you would have someone to take care of you when you leave hospital."

Hyung-chul looked again at the nurse. He knew this nurse's reputation as the 'undethroned' queen of gossip. She raised her eyebrows at him. To Hyung-chul, her eyebrows seemed to be telling him, "I know what's on your mind, Dr. Yun! Go ahead -- give me a 'scoop'!"

He pretended to look into his pocket. "Oh er, Nurse. I need my other stethoscope -- this one does not seem to be working." He tapped lightly on the stethoscope. "Could you get it from my office? Please?"

The nurse hesitated. Would she be missing something once she leaves the room? However, an order was an order and she had to comply.

Once the nurse left, Hyung-chul handed Sun-mi a piece of paper. "This is my mobile phone number. Call me if you have anything at all to ask." He repeated, "Anything at all."

Sun-mi looked at the paper in his outstretched hand. She dallied. "I do not want to disturb your family -- especially your wife."

"My wife?" He laughed, "You won't be disturbing anyone. Least of all a wife! I'm not married."

He pushed the paper into her hand when the door burst open. The nurse was panting heavily as she handed the stethoscope to Hyung-chul.

"Thank you, Nurse. It looks as if you've just completed the 100-metre dash!" Heading towards the door, he added, "Nurse, please be sure to get the patient's personal contact for reference."

"I will be checking on you again tomorrow, Miss Jin." He winked at Sun-mi and silently mouthed -- "Call me".

~ End of 'Burning Love' ~

*********
Surprise! Surprise! Well ladies. Here's another short story for you. I have decided to put my plans on hold for a year and since I now have time, I have decided to bring out my AAE quill to write for you. I have been trying hard to write other stories but find that I lack the motivation. I now finally concede that I am happiest writing about our favorite couple. I started this story very very late last night and wrapped it up a few minutes ago. I'm never short of ideas when it comes to writing these AAE stories but when I try to write on other stories, my mind is a total blank. Hopefully, this new story will be able to 'jump start' my inspiration to write other stories such as horror which is more my cup of tea. So, ladies, I'd welcome your comments - be they positive or negative ones. Thank you.

Margie

P/s: This is not the Elvis Presley's version of 'Burning Love'.