After talking to the residents and encouraging them, Nindy and her friends headed to their post because there was something they needed to discuss.
“We need to start finding out what virus has infected the residents,” Nindy said immediately.
“Based on what you saw earlier, what were the symptoms like?” Rafael asked.
“I’m not sure either, but from what I saw, the residents infected by this virus had symptoms like headaches and sore throats that quickly developed into internal and external bleeding,” Nindy explained.
“You’d make a great doctor, Nin. Why don’t you become one?” Rafael asked.
“I used to dream of becoming a doctor, but as you all know, I didn’t have any support from my family,” Nindy said with a bitter smile.
“Keep your spirits up. I’m sure you can make your dream come true, Nin,” Rafael said, and the others nodded.
“All right. Tonight, we’ll check on the residents’ condition again. Also, check whether the medications are suitable or not, and report back immediately,” Rafael said.
“Yes, Doctor,” they answered in unison.
They began returning to their respective posts to rest. Today had been exhausting.
“Nin, where do you want to start?” Vero asked.
Nindy let out a long sigh. She was confused too about where to begin.
“I don’t know, Ver. I’m confused about where to start with all of this,” Nindy said dejectedly.
“Why don’t you go back to college here and continue your dream of becoming an internal medicine specialist?” asked Sesil, Nindy’s friend.
“I’ve thought about that too, but I don’t know where I should go to college,” Nindy said.
“Wait, yesterday I saw a brochure online. Apparently, one university is offering a scholarship track for high-achieving students,” Vero said excitedly.
“Seriously? Where? Let me see,” Nindy said, just as excited.
“Hold on, I’ll check first,” Vero said as she checked her social media.
“Here it is. It’s in Korea, Nin,” Vero said.
“Korea?” Nindy echoed.
“Yeah, in Seoul specifically. The university is called Seoul National University,” Vero said.
“It says here that they’re accepting students through the scholarship program for three months, and then they’ll select the recipients,” Vero continued.
“You should try, Nin. You might get lucky,” Sesil said, and Vero nodded.
“Sure. Send me the link. I’m going to apply,” Nindy said eagerly.
It seemed this was the beginning of a new life for her. She would seriously pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. She would fight for her own future.
Nindy had always wanted to attend medical school, but her parents disapproved. They said working as a doctor wouldn’t make her happy because she’d be too busy dealing with patients at the hospital.
“Stay strong. I’ll always support you, and I’m going to apply for this scholarship too so I can keep you company,” Vero said.
Nindy was incredibly grateful to have a friend like Vero, who was always by her side through good times and bad.
“Are your mom and dad really okay with it?” Nindy asked.
“My parents never forbid me from doing anything. What matters most to them is that their child is happy. They just give me support and encouragement,” Vero replied.
“It must be nice to have parents who always support whatever their child chooses,” Nindy said sadly.
“Hey, don’t worry. I’ll always support you, okay? So don’t be sad anymore,” Vero said.
“Yeah, don’t be sad. I’ll support you too. Hopefully, you’ll both be selected to attend a university in Seoul,” Sesil said, encouraging her new friends.
“Thanks, Sil,” Nindy said with a smile.
“Sure. Come on, let’s go to the communal kitchen. I’m hungry,” Sesil said with a giggle.
“Let’s go,” Vero and Nindy answered in unison.
They began walking around, trying to find the communal kitchen. The place was huge, after all.
“Excuse me, sir. Could we ask where the communal kitchen is?” Nindy asked one of the TNI soldiers.
“Oh, it’s up ahead, then turn left, miss,” the man replied warmly.
“Thank you,” Nindy said.
They walked toward the communal kitchen, occasionally observing and glancing around. The condition of the post was truly heartbreaking. Everywhere they looked, tents were filled with residents affected by the disease outbreak.
“Excuse me,” Nindy said politely.
“Yes, miss? What do you need?” a TNI soldier asked.
“Could we borrow the kitchen? We’d like to cook,” Nindy said politely with a smile.
Instead of answering, the man continued staring at Nindy’s adorable face, especially because her eyes disappeared whenever she smiled.
“Go ahead, miss. You really don’t need to cook, though, because there’s already a designated cooking team here,” said one of the other TNI soldiers there.
His friend snapped out of his daze. He felt embarrassed that he’d been caught staring at Nindy’s beautiful face.
“It’s okay. We feel like cooking,” Vero replied.
“All right, go ahead, miss,” the TNI soldier said.
They began looking over the ingredients to see what dishes they could make. There was chicken, meat, eggs, fish, shrimp, and much more.
“How about we make spicy shrimp sauce?” Nindy suggested.
“I’ll make beef soup,” Vero said.
“I think I’ll just make stir-fried mustard greens, hehe,” Sesil giggled.
“Okay, let’s get started so we can finish quickly,” Nindy said.
The three of them busied themselves preparing the ingredients. They sliced chilies, onions, and other ingredients. So engrossed in what they were doing, they didn’t realize that several TNI soldiers assigned to the kitchen were watching them.
“If I had a wife like one of them, I’d never go hungry,” one of the TNI soldiers said.
“Look at them. They’re so focused on cooking. Even the sweat on their foreheads makes them look even more beautiful,” another soldier said admiringly.
“Ahem.” Someone’s throat-clearing startled the soldiers, and they immediately stood up.
“Commander,” they said in unison.
“What are you doing? Is dinner ready yet?” Vito asked.
“Reporting, Commander. The kitchen is currently being used by three female volunteers who are cooking,” one of the TNI soldiers said.
“Cooking?” Vito echoed.
“Yes, Commander. They wanted to cook,” the TNI soldier said.
“Excuse me.” Their attention shifted toward the soft voice greeting them.
Nindy walked over to ask where the plates were because only some of the plates were available.
“Um, excuse me. Could I ask where the rest of the plates are?” Nindy asked.
“They’re on the rack in the back, miss,” the TNI soldier replied.
“Oh, okay. Thank you,” Nindy said as she headed toward the back.
“Wow, why is she so adorable? Look at those chubby cheeks. And with those beads of sweat, she looks even prettier,” the TNI soldier babbled.
The soldiers weren’t the only ones admiring Nindy’s beauty. Vero felt the same way. For some reason, her heart always raced whenever she looked at Nindy.
“This can’t be good for my heart. Ah, why are you so adorable, Nin?” Vero thought.