Four weeks after his hospitalization, Sehun got discharged. His coughs became less frequent, lips a little less papery, and skin a little less pale. “You’re getting better, Hun.” She’d told him.

“Good. I miss that bridge.” He’d whispered. And in the midst of everything she can dissect the longing in his voice. But she gets that it’s not actually the bridge he misses.

So, she packs up blankets and picnic baskets and takes him there, and even if he shouldn’t be outdoors, she helps him remove his last IV for the day before they head off to their destination.

His weak body gets tired soon, she notes, even if it’s just a short distance. But from the smile he throws at her she knows his mind is not.

“Stay here.” She tells him as she gets up.

“Where are you going?” He asks.

“Over there. I shouldn’t pollute your system with this now, should I?” She says as she holds up a pack of cigarettes, and starts walking off.

“I don’t mind.” She hears him say.

“But I do.”

And a few minutes later, she sits back down, reeking of smoke and her old perfume that she never uses anymore.

“Soojung, that was three cigarettes at once. You should stop.”

“I will..” Her tongue peeps out to wet her chapped lips. “Someday.”

She’s waiting but the lack of response catches her off guard, and lifts her gaze to find Sehun staring blankly at her hands. “Hey, are you upset? Fine, I prom-”

“Don’t. It’s fine if you don’t stop. It just feels so surreal. The old you used to tell me everyday that she’d stop smoking someday, and here you are almost three years later, still smoking and telling me the same thing.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Why not?”

“We’re barely even the same person.”

“But you are.”

“She’s her, and I’m me. We’re both different sides of Jung Soojung.”

Sehun laughs. The way he’d just throw his head back without a damn in the world, laughter erupting in his vocal cords, ripping through his shaking chest and flowing like melody into her ears. “Of course.” He breathes. “Of course, you are.”

And his grin is so intoxicating that she automatically starts smiling too.

“Hello, Miss Jung. How was your day?” Sehun asks as he watches her strut out in a dress.

“It was great, Mr. Oh. Where will the destination be tonight?” She closes the gate behind her as she approaches Sehun, who was leaning against his car, dressed in a full black suit.

“It’s a secret.” He opens the door for her. And as he gets in he gives her a once-over. “This is the first time I’ve seen you in a dress in a long time.”

“Hm. Maybe I should get dolled up more often.”

“Or maybe not. Have mercy on me and my heart, or we’ll both collapse.” Her laugh is soft but vibrant. “Like, literally, I’d be so embarassed if you could hear it right now.”