Hiding Behind Her Superficiality by Kyla Olson

“One month?” Elspeth asked.
Anya scoffed. “I knew it. You can’t do it at all. One month is a long time. If you can’t make any changes by then, how dare you
claim that you can heal him?!”
“One month is too long. His wound would’ve healed on its own by then. All I need is two weeks,” Elspeth replied. The other
woman was shocked to hear this. “Two weeks? That’s fast. You’re lying, aren’t you? You’re just trying to run away, right?”
“If I wanted to run, I could’ve done it the moment he got injured. Frank saved me, so I’ll make sure he is completely healed.”
Even though Elspeth sounded convincing, Michael immediately protested against her words, “You’re just a young lady. What do
you know about treating others? I know you’re an impressive woman, but you don’t have to take responsibility for everything.
You’re getting too big for your boots.” He clearly didn’t believe Elspeth. “I’ve already contacted another doctor, and the doctor will
come over to treat Frank after we’ve come to an agreement.”
“Who’s the doctor?” she asked.
Michael told her the doctor’s full name in case she didn’t know who he was. “It’s Sonny Schwartz,” he uttered. It was Sonny
again. She gazed at the older man as she replied in a calm tone, “It has been seven years since Sonny emerged from the hills.
He’s not going to come out to save anyone.” Only if I’m the one who asks him, she thought.
“I don’t care how much it costs. I’m going to get the man to come over.” Michael had an abundance of money. He was willing to
spend anything for his precious grandson. Elspeth felt like laughing at his words. “If you don’t believe me, you can always try
calling him. You can ask if he is willing to come over.”
Michael sensed a challenge, and he didn’t want to be shamed in front of others. So, he dialed Sonny’s number and put him on
loudspeaker. “Am I speaking to Mr. Schwartz?” he asked politely once the call connected.
It sounded rather chaotic on the other end of the line. People were arguing with one another. “Hey! You’re not allowed to change
your move in chess. What are you doing, Sonny?!”
Sonny heard the other man on the line, but he had to shout to get his voice across the call. “Yes, this is Sonny speaking. What’s
the matter?”
“I’m Michael Joneson, and I’d like to hire you to treat my grandson. Would you be free to do that?”

Sonny rejected the request without any hesitation. “I don’t have time, and I’m not in the country. I won’t be able to treat your
grandson.”
“Tell me how much you want me to pay. I’ll pay you any amount you want,” Michael uttered.
“This isn’t about money! I don’t need money, and I don’t like money. I’m impressed that you managed to get my phone number.
Anyway, I haven’t left the hills in a long while, and I have no intention of doing so,” Sonny replied.
Sonny made himself clear, and Michael’s face turned sour when he heard the other man’s words. He was about to end the call
when Elspeth edged closer to speak in her clear and crisp voice, “You’re playing chess again, aren’t you, Sonny?” Sonny froze
for a moment before he changed to a playful tone. “Oh, it’s Elspeth! What’s going on? What are you doing there?”
He had sounded stern and icy just moments earlier, but he seemed a lot warmer after hearing Elspeth’s voice. Everyone apart
from Spencer seemed utterly shocked. “It doesn’t matter what I’m doing here, but could you come back to help treat my brother?
They don’t trust my skills,” she uttered with a helpless look on her face while shrugging her shoulders.
“Who’s the one questioning your abilities? You’re my very own mentee, and you’re a smart girl. I’d be honored if you told others
you were my student after you treated them... Wait, your brother? Are you from the Joneson Family?” Sonny knew about the
Jonesons—they were famous in Blaydal.
“I’ll tell you more about this when you’re back. Just let me know if you’ll be able to make it,” Elspeth said. However, Sonny
rejected her again. “No, no. I’m not going back. I feel like I’m just a tool you summon whenever you need me! You can treat
whatever illness your brother has. I trust you. I’m going to end the call now. I need to get back to my chess... Hey! Why did you
move your piece!”
Sonny ended the call hurriedly, and he sounded like he was rushing to get back to playing chess. Michael was completely silent
at that point. He parted his lips to speak, but when he saw the nonchalant look on Elspeth’s face, he couldn’t bring himself to say
much. Meanwhile, Anya, who had intended to strike a bet with Elspeth earlier, looked utterly embarrassed by herself. I can’t
believe she is Sonny’s mentee. Most people never get to meet the legendary doctor in their lives, yet Elspeth simply orders him
around so casually! What other secrets is this woman hiding?
“Well, am I allowed to treat Frank now, Grandfather?” Elspeth asked.
Michael had no choice but to let out a sigh. “The youngsters nowadays are pretty impressive after all... Fine. I’ll trust you with
Frank.” Despite saying that, he couldn’t help but question Elspeth, “How exactly did you meet Sonny? How did you become his
student?”

“I met him while I was studying overseas,” she replied. She had no intention of explaining herself to the man—all she could think
of now was how she should treat Frank. “I think you guys shouldn’t visit Frank for the next few days. Even if you guys show up,
you will have to look at him through the glass window without entering the room. I don’t want anyone to be in contact with him.
His wounds are still fresh, and I’m worried he might get an infection if we’re too careless with him.”
Everyone was aware of the situation, but after what just happened, people seemed to take her words more seriously as they
were all impressed with her. “Where should we go now, then?” Michael asked.
“You guys should head home. You all can come over once I’m done treating him,” Elspeth suggested. He took another glance at
Frank, who was in the ward. Then, he nodded. “Alright. Let’s head home,” he uttered in a rather hesitant tone.
After the Jonesons were sent home, Spencer was the only one who remained. He took a seat beside Elspeth. “Why aren’t you
leaving?” She turned to give him a faint smile.
He froze for a moment when he saw her smile. “Because I want to stay with... Frank.” He nearly told her he wanted to stay with
her, but he held his tongue back and used Frank’s name in the end.
“Alright. It seems like I misunderstood you in the past.” Elspeth’s statement came out of nowhere, and Spencer was confused at
first. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“Frankly speaking, I used to have a rather bad impression of you. I thought you were the type of person who only seemed gentle
and warm on the outside but was secretly mean on the inside. I hadn’t expected you to be so nice to your friends,” she
explained. She realized how Spencer started blushing after hearing her words, and she couldn’t help but giggle at the look on his
face. “I can’t believe you’re such a shy person, too. Are you blushing after hearing my compliment?”
He had no idea why he was blushing, but his face felt hot when he saw the girl smiling. “Stop grinning at me like that. It’s almost
as if you have a crush on me,” Elspeth protested. “Yeah. I do have a crush on you.” The words slipped out of his mouth before he
realized what he was saying.
She had been joking at first, but she turned silent after hearing the man’s response. Spencer then realized that he might have
said the wrong thing, so he quickly clarified, “Why are you keeping quiet? I was just kidding. I’d never like you. I already have a
love interest.”
“That’s good to hear.” She let out a sigh of relief. All of a sudden, she noticed how Frank’s finger was moving a little when she
gazed into the ward. It seemed like he was about to wake up.