"Annyeonghaseyo, Nari!" came the delightful greeting of her scheduled pick up.

 He hurried into the backseat and buckled in before saying more.

 "Hello, Lee Soobin seonsaengnim," Nari replied happily from the front. "How are you today?"

 "I'm doing well, Nari," Lee Soobin replied.

 She watched as he straightened his jacket and settled his briefcase beside him. He liked having everything in order before she drove, so she patiently waited for his signal that he was ready.

 "Away we go, young dear," he said in his familiar teasing manner.

 "Away we go, young squirrel," she answered in a familiar jest.

 His belly shook at his boisterous laugh, and she pulled away from the curb of his office.

 "Are you going straight home today, Mr. Lee?" she asked.

 He sighed noisily as he looked out the window at the brightness of Spring.

 "No pharmacy today, dear," he replied. "My wife picked up my prescription this morning."

 "You don't seem happy about that, seonsaengnim," she noted with a quick glance behind her. "Is everything okay with you?"

 "Fine, fine," he quickly replied. "She did it so I wouldn't grab snacks while inside!"

 Nari giggled as he chuckled about his wise wife. He was one of her best passengers. He was kind and cordial and always made her laugh.

 "When is your next medical exam?" she asked.

 He smiled at the way she always worried about him.

 "Next week, dear," he replied. "I was going to schedule an appointment with you to bring me, but the time isn't right."

 "Oh?" she wondered. "Do I have an appointment at that time?"

 He nodded. "I looked at your calendar and it seems I just missed booking you by thirty minutes. It's all right. I can find another ride. You always put me at ease on the way. My blood pressure reads a lot lower when I've been taken to my appointment by you."

 She smiled at the revelation as he lightly chuckled.

 "We'll have a look when I get you home, seonsaengnim," she replied. "You know I'm good with juggling schedules."

 She winked in the mirror and he laughed.

 "You're so good with numbers, you should be my accountant!" he teased.

 She laughed. "Seonsaengnim, I'm so bad with math, if I did your books, you'd be arrested for embezzlement!"

 He laughed wholeheartedly and grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator embedded in the center of the backseat. She watched as he drank some to calm the cough brought on by his laugh. His bout with stomach cancer seemed like a thing from the past, but beating it didn't heal the residual damage.

 She thought of a funeral she had attended the week before. It seemed more of her clients were passing on than in previous months. So many were well over middle-age, and their stressful lifestyles in the world of high-stakes business was catching up to them. She had attended three services in the last two months. She was tired of death being part of her routine, but if it must be, she would do as much as she could for those in her care while they still lived.

 As soon as the traffic light turned green, she turned onto his street. She drove slowly past nice homes until she reached his at the end. She pulled up to the door and set the brake before pulling out an electronic tablet from the center console.

 "Let's see what I can do, Mr. Lee," she told him with a smile.

 He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned forward to watch her open her schedule. "What day would you like, sir?"

 "April second, if it's no trouble," he answered anxiously. "Eleven in the morning."

 "Ah, here it is," she replied.

 He watched her look through notes she made about the appointment and then nod her head in thought.

 "Ahh," she said. "Give me a moment, please, seonsaengnim."

 She took her phone from its holder and made a call.

 "Good afternoon, Yeong-su," she said politely. "This is Ahn Nari ... Yes, yes, hello! ... Yes, I'm doing well, and you? ... That's so good to hear. Please give little Hana a hug for me. The reason I called is I wanted to ask if Mr. Bin still needs his appointment for April second. He had tentatively scheduled in hopes he would be able to meet a client ... Oh, he doesn't? ... No, no, it's fine. Would you say it's safe for me to give that appointment to someone else? ... Wonderful! It's much appreciated, Yeong-su! ... Yes ... Yes, you have a wonderful afternoon, as well. Goodbye!"

 "It's all yours, Mr. Lee!" she announced to his relief.

 "This gives me such joy!" he replied excitedly. "I'm in your debt, dear!"

 "It's nothing at all, seonsaengnim" she told him with a smile.

 A movement caught her attention and she looked out the window to see his wife coming out to greet them. She waved at the kindly woman, who waved back. She hurried from the car to help him out and turned to speak with his wife.

 "No snacks, Mrs. Lee," she announced.

 The older woman laughed and nodded her thanks. As soon as Lee Soobin had safely exited the car, she shut the door and waved goodbye to them both. In a moment, she was pulling around the drive to head to her next passenger.