Irene doesn’t know if she should be relieved or worried because it’s been a week since she last seen that girl and she had begun to miss her rants, wait, miss is not the right word, Irene slaps herself.

It’s just that her job is beginning to turn normal, too normal for her liking because she’s used to listening to Seulgi’s lines of stories whenever she’s treating her. The rest of her patients are just like awkward potatoes.

Because of the uncomfortable work space, Irene had filed a day off, maybe because she’s just exhausted.

But that doesn’t explain why she’s strolling with her umbrella on the pavements now, doesn’t it?

Making sure her front view is obstacle or figure free, Irene closes her eyes and tries to emerge herself with the soft gust over her face. But, it didn’t last long when she hears a loud shout from a direction.

“Pass the ball here!”

Irene opens her eyes to follow the direction and landed on a field with team of players in it. It reminded her of Seulgi.

“focus on the goal!”

This one girl points at a familiar face, funny how she resembles Seulgi a lot. Is Irene really missing her or-

“Kang Seulgi, watch out!!!”

The called girl was thrown off her feet after a ball actually came flying onto her face before Irene could even actualized that she wasn’t imagining things.

“S-seulgi!” Irene shouts when the latter groaned in pain, twisting her body from side to side while cupping her face, but before she could actually dash to her, and so do her team mates and their medic, Seulgi raise a palm making everyone stop.

“S-stop- I’m okay!” having a hard time, Seulgi almost fall back when she was trying to sit herself up, but she did. “There’s n-no need t-to panic”

“Seulgi...” on the other line, Wendy breathes, plastering a worried face. “I honestly think you should go now”she walks to her.

“G-go where? I’m not a baby, Wan-ah. I can take care of myself.” With an annoyed tone, Seulgi stands up but not without her best friend’s help.

“This is the third time, Sseul, you seem like out of it…” Wendy caresses her best friend’s slightly scratched cheek. Usually after taking damages like that, the latter would probably run off to the hospital like how she did for a month ago, that’s what Wendy means.

Seeing how her best friend actually caught it up, Seulgi smile, “it’s okay, its better this way, and my nose is not bleeding” she pats her head before clapping her hand for the rest of her team mates’ attention, “back to it!”

Irene didn’t realize she was staring at her until someone almost bump into her, having her present still unnoticed, she quickly find a spot where she can keep an eye on the bear still keeping her distance. She is, in fact, on her day off, so she’s not in a hurry. But that wasn’t the main reason why she stays.

A jolt of uneasiness can be felt whenever Irene sees Seulgi grimace as if she was holding back the pain attack on her skin from time to time. It bothers Irene a lot.

And it wasn’t the last time she sees Seulgi gets injured in real for the first time as she kept getting hit by the ball on either her legs or sometimes her head, a huge part of Irene wants to run to her and give care to those injuries but remembering the event happened a week ago, her feet choose to root themselves on the ground.

All she can do at the moment is bit her lower lips, hoping that accidents won’t bring serious harms to Seulgi.

Seulgi didn’t intend them, the injuries, no, not this time. Irene can see it in her eyes. As soon as the whistle was blown, Seulgi would dart her eyes on the ball, but it didn’t last for a minute. Because she lost her focus the next 10 seconds, as if she was having a deep thought about something.

She’s the ace of their team, but her name was called the most during that routine.

There’s also one time that Wendy was waving rather desperately trying to get Seulgi’s attention but the latter won’t budge, until she had to actually slap her cheeks lightly.

“Earth to Seulgi! Are you with us???”

“O-oh? Y-yeah! Yes I am”

She lied.

Because the next game on caused Seulgi to stumble backward and hit her back on the goal post. That was the last straw when Irene decided to pull the roots off her feet when Seulgi failed to push herself up and crashed back down to the ground miserably.

“Dr. Bae???” Wendy blinks when Irene suddenly came into the scene as they were trying to wake the unconscious bear up. “W-what are you doing here?”

It’s not like Irene wanted to shrug off the question but her full attention is on the Seulgi, panicked, she quickly lift her head a bit and cups her cheek, “Seulgi, are you okay???”

Seulgi grimaces once again but her eyes unwilling to open, she winces when Irene tries to lift her a bit higher, the pain must be too much. Her hearings became unclear and voices are like thuds to her eardrums.

“Quick!” Irene shots a look on their medics and they panickly carry the first-aid to her, their medics seems new, is this a joke? Irene thought a bit annoyed.

However, before Irene could even take out a cold pack, Seulgi lets out a high-pitched screeched and frantically tries to get out of Irene’s hold, she was probably shocked. “Doc, what are you doing here????” Seulgi looks like she’s about to faint.

“You’re injured” Irene furrows her brows while waving her hand in front of Seulgi signalling her to come back.

“I-I’m fine, really!” Seulgi laughs awkwardly as she stands up to do a few jumps to prove that she is, but ended up miserably as the pain in her knees strikes once more causing her to hiss in pain.

“Come here, I said!” Irene calls out loudly this time as if Seulgi was a stubborn little child, but only to receive a shook from the latter, eyes searching for anything but Irene, “We- we have medics here” she signals them to come closer for her care, “they’re new but I’m sure Yeri and Taeyong can handle me. You can go now…”

“But Seulgi-“

“Just go back okay!”

It was the first time Seulgi had ever raised her voice to the young doctor and it hurts her, at some point. Realizing her mistake by the way Irene was staring at her, she quickly corrects herself.

“I’m sorry, Dr. Bae, but there’s no need for you to help anymore. I’m all good… without… you.” The last word came out like a squeak, but it was audible enough for Irene alone.

---

It was a few days later and the young doctor was still bothered by their last event, she didn’t want to go like Seulgi told her to, but the latter said that she won’t train if Irene was going to stay, she had no choice.

Seulgi gives her the jim-jams.

Somehow.

She knew that the bear’s team is her priority but it gives her the chill that the once oh-so playful and clumsy Seulgi is taking her seriously.

Irene is not used to it.

Maybe she missed her? Or is it more?

Seulgi is just a patient, a patient who intended her injuries just to see the doctor, who’s always packed with stories to tell, pick-up lines to try and small gestures of affection to attempt.

Yeah, how can a single pa