i - pilot
word count: 2224

   There is no such thing as normal girls. Girls are exuberant, interesting, and beautiful; it never matters what they do. While Cho Yuri was a girl, she was none of those things, in her own opinion. Yuri was the type to smile when her mouth bled internally and more or less laugh with her sedatives, which was often.

Another day after returning from the local clinic, who hated her, Yuri found herself contemplating whether to take another trip to the town hospital. She'd visited so many hospitals and clinics that, in the back of her mind, she was at the point of having visited about six that she rated from best to worst.

Red Cross could do better: so much for trying to save lives but they sure killed hope and feelings, especially when their cafeteria was cold, the front desk people always made patients believe that they were overreacting, and told her to clean up her own blood while she sat in the lobby. The Catholic Hong Hospital was decent, but the entire staff just entirely looked and behaved like creeps. Yongsang Center Hospital was the best, not just because it was so close to her university, but also because they were kind and rolled their eyes behind her back whenever she came in.

Yesterday, Yuri had broken her arm and headed to Anyang Hospital, which was decent, very neutral service; however, this was her usual scene.

It had been another day: one heavily influenced by her undergrad senior friends, Bora and Jojo, one in which they did the most millennial of challenges and crazy stunts. The two dormed together, living on campus, but they also rarely stayed in at night since those were prime hours.

Jojo was the younger out of the two, who had some weird beef with her brother all the time. There was always some form of accusations hanging off her texts, lips, or brother's. Though, Yuri was a little closer to Bora, though, since she never had anything to do, and she could spark conversations, fights, laughter, and God knows everything else.

Some of the most dangerous and foolish stunts weren't new to Yuri; nothing really fazed her, which included injuries, falls, and inadvertent fights that she struck up. However, yesterday was just another night at the skate park, and it was late. Jojo liked to videotape everything and put it on YouTube or somewhere; Yuri didn't care.

It wasn't anything new: just another accident after her ankle had spasmed while grinding on a rail on her skateboard, off the city's grand stair rail. After free falling from the very top, about sixty feet, she met the ground, landing on her arm. Jojo caught the whole thing. She heard that that was of her most popular videos, but what was she to do with all that reception? God, she was so famous now. (No, she wasn't.)

They put her back together in two hours, sending her home with a scold from one of her favorite doctors, Dr. Lay. He'd been putting her fractured bones in casts for the past few years.

Of course, that's all she had come in for, refusing to get help for anything else since blood painting into her mouth from her nostrils was nothing new, neither was a particular green bruise forming across half her forehead. After her friends and her parted ways, she arrived home to her dysfunctional family that was probably ripped straight from a movie archetype. Sort of.

She didn't understand the great fuss, never did.

"It's a simple question. Do you want to sign my cast or not? It's pink this time so any ink could work, you know, besides pink," Yuri repeated nonchalantly, waltzing from the kitchen, throwing some rice in a bowl with poached eggs with one hand, as her parents rode at her heel with scoldings upon scoldings.

"You need to be more careful!" Soobin, her over-the-top mother, smacked her on the back of the head. "Goodness, all these payments stack up, don't you know? They better be teaching you that in your school, or else."

Yuri winced briefly before scowling at her comment. Well, that wouldn't be a problem if her mother, a university director, allowed her to attend that very school, just like her sister. That was besides the point.

"Look at this! Every night a new injury, another trip to the hospital! Jesus, Yuri, you're going to bleed into your rice." Jisoo, her father sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as they tailed her all the way to her room.

"It's fine. I'm fine," she turned upon her heel, looking up with dull eyes. Yuri took one step in, ready to close it, to spare them one last stubborn look. "I wish you'd understand. Now, I'll do my homework. Hope that will make you happy."

Soobin and Jisoo continued their squabbling, muttering disapproving comments before eventually leaving. They could never complain about having to do schoolwork.

Obviously, Yuri was lying. She'd always been a decent student, but lately, the past semesters of university were wearing her so it's either turning everything late, last minute, or opting for not even trying at all.

Every night was like this.

Every morning, however, was not like the one she endured now. Sure, she had felt a little dizzy throughout the entire night, like the glow in the dark stickers of the stars mimicked the actual night sky. Her ears were ringing and she had the urge to just about regurgitate everything she's ever eaten in her life, but that's life.

Her sister had even busted her door down, stealing her charger for the nth time and even told her that she didn't look well, which she always did since she loved dangling her part time modeling career in her face, but she meant it. Half of Yuri's face was a myriad of shades ranging from indigo to green. Her right eye was a partially bloodshot. Also, two thin streams of blood caked her top lip. Not her best look.

All this finally was why she had decided on skipping her first few classes - why not the whole day while we're at it - and took a detour to Yongsang Hospital. She didn't visit this one too often, so she had yet to reach comfortable standards with certain newer staff. (Most treated her like their own troublesome daughters or nieces.)

It was a quiet morning for the hospital as Yuri stumbled in, a little dizzier than usual, and a familiar metallic taste slowly becoming of her mouth. Those huddled around reception with a calming cup of coffee jumped back.

"Hey, um," Yuri bowed her head, laughing halfheartedly into herself, wiggling her fingers from her lily cast. She almost felt bad for the staff because they probably thought she was just jumped. "I'm not a doctor or anything, and um, I know I should be a little more formal about this, but I don't think this is normal. No, not me in a cast, but morelike my nose. I mean, it's been bleeding since last night. Woke up with my pillow soaked in red, so I would like to see a professional, if you have time."

A few of them looked at each other, communicating silently while Yuri stood a bit awkwardly, waiting for assistance. This new shift of staff was not familiar at all with her, which was a bummer.

"I'll go, then —" Yuri was ready to turn on her heel back out. Luckily, a pair of footsteps nearing her resonated in the lobby.

"I can take care of her," she met the owner of the only one who was willing to take her, a cool voice greeting her. He had the same fatigued eyes under silvery locks that were raven the last time she checked. "Right this way, Ms. Cho."

Yuri arched an eyebrow unimpressed and rolled her eyes as she followed behind him as one of the receptionist handed her a bag of ice before they would enter the hallway.

"Glad to see you again," Lee Jihoon commented, faint smile gently touching his clean features. He spared her a quick glance before they met the end of the aisle, taking a swift turn into a room. They could have easily just gone into one of the first rooms, she thought, but brushing it off, took a seat onto the chair. His scrubs today were blue, just about the bluest blue of all: a typical color for nurses and what not: made the color of his eyes look weird, off, bright, dull. She couldn't put her finger on it.

"So, tell me what else is bothering you or what else you are feeling besides the obvious contusions across the surface and your nose." He spoke from the sink since he had headed straight to wash his hands.

Yuri watched the color of his ears blossom into a fine carnation the more he progressed.

"I mean, I broke my arm yesterday. Fell on my face, clearly. I threw up in my mouth on the way to this room. I felt a little dizzy and my nose won't stop bleeding, as you can see. And I have a headache, like the kind old people get when their much younger neighbors are having a party with really loud music. Other than that, I'm pretty good. How about you?"

Jihoon neared her, particularly too close for her, but lucky for her, he gave a nervous smile.

"Is it alright if I...?" Yuri found herself grinning as she waited for him to finish his question, but seeing that his ears were burning up, she nodded. He settled closer to her, just enough that he would touch her knees if he leaned any closer.

"Tell me if it hurts, okay?" Jihoon looked into her eyes, beams of brown holding something soft behind his direct stare.

"With pleasure." She tried, chuckling but of course, he didn't understand that she was joking.

Ready to explain, Yuri was caught off guard by blunt pain ripping through face all the way down to her toes. Just a little kick of agony, like yesterday's. Immediately, Jihoon retracted his fingers from her nose.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quietly. "It feels pretty loose and tender, so I will need to fix that. It would help to lie down and ice it. Also, you will need to plug it up with some gauze." Jihoon then presented a small drawer of bandages and other supplies.

"You have been feeling nauseous, too?" He asked, hands moving across the bindings of her facial tourniquets.

"Just a little," She admitted, eyes roaming outside. "I hear a ringing like noise in my ears but not quite a ringing. I skipped my classes today since I got ready for work but I don't work until next week. Just feel a little off."

Jihoon took to writing down each and every single word, ink fervently burning across the pages. She watched him sketch a few arrows to some words and circles around others, before he clicked his pen twice to meet her eyes.

"You might have a concussion. It is most likely not severe, but it is better to get an MRI just to be safe," her eyes widened at that, hearing real news. "We can fit you in as soon as possible, but you are going to have to go see Ms. Song from upfront to schedule. Please, in the meantime, make sure to rest and ice. Be safe." He took a step back. At this, a brief silence blanketed the room.

"Well, if that's all I need, then I'll be on my way." Yuri smiled, jumping off, and bowing her head to him. However, the nurse actually had something for her that wasn't prescription.

"Wait," he stammered, eyes bouncing off the walls. "I also want you to take this." Jihoon passed a folded sheet of paper to her with his ssuddenly clammy hands.

Yuri didn't unfold it, just keeping a defiant expression with her furrowed eyebrows.

"If this is another prescription of whatever you gave me last time, I don't want to take it. I'm not paying for medicine that's just going to get me high — "

"No, it is my number! It just — if you need me for like any medical emergency or any other need, I thought you should have it...just call me."

Yuri gawked at him in surprise. Rather than an aloof, near ice aura, Jihoon was beaming in color, words not coherent as they usually are, intelligent motored fingers quivering. Did he hit his head?

"Whatever you say, Dr. Jihoon," she exaggerated her tone.

"I am nurse practitioner, for now, actually."

"Nurse Jihoon, then," she emphasized with a small tilt of her head, eyes widening. "I guess I'll call you later. Maybe you can remind me my appointment."

Jihoon chuckled anxiously and nodded, fingers curling along his pen.

Yuri departed with a little twirl of her own fingers, hand hidden from the depths of her hoodie. It was about time he just told her what to do, so she could go, but it would be a lie if she said she wasn't amused by him being all nervous around her.

She subconsciously hoped she wouldn't forget to call him, hoping that their next rendezvous wouldn't possibly give her brain damage.