Interrogation took a few days to conduct as most of the case’s witnesses were being treated at the hospital. Sehun, who gave his statement first, had a handful of explaining to do— although his legal team showcased their exceptional handling of the situation. They easily had the case in their reach once Haemi and Akira were able to back up the evidence. Ironically, even without the victims’ statement, Ms. Kim would have been charged regardless due to her terrible cover up. Security cameras captured the whole incident as if she didn’t even try to be discreet. However, an unexpected counterargument came into the picture for Ms. Kim’s plea. Even her own daughter had no recollection of the woman’s diagnosis. 

“Bipolar disorder,” Sehun’s lawyer revealed, “They will go for the insanity defense to excuse the charges on her; specifically if her symptoms match the court’s agenda.” 

“The good news is, either outcome WILL land her in a mental institution to undergo treatment. You won’t be seeing her for a while.”

Weighing out his options, the writer figured that they can’t override the court’s order. He decided to let the professionals take over and do what they can to keep that woman away from him. At the end of the day, Sehun had bigger problems to be dealt. 

“Are you busy?” a voice interrupted his lingering thoughts. Looking up to find his manager by the door, Sehun motioned his head for the man to come in. Bohyun neatly placed a disclosed folder on the writer’s desk. 

“These are some of the best people in the field. Let me know if you need anything else, I’m always here.”

Hearing the manager’s reassuring words warmed his heart. Sehun thanked him again as he scanned the information listed. From behavioral to psychodynamic therapy, he was willing to attend every session if there was even a slight chance of recovering. Sensing Bohyun’s presence in the room still, his gaze shifted over once more. With a sheepish smile plastered on his face, the manager let out a deep sigh before asking some routined questions.

“Your book will be released next month. Will you be attending the celebration with our staff?” Bohyun reminded him.

It became some sort of tradition for Sehun to treat out those who worked on his book, the night before its official release. Despite only attending the gathering once when his first book was released, Bohyun still never failed to invite the writer. Taking in the consideration of how things turned out a few weeks prior, one would expect him to reject the offer. Although this book was a bit more special than he originally planned.

“I’ll go,” he replied, taking Bohyun by surprise. He thought Sehun may not be comfortable enough to meet people yet, but it was impossible to read his employer’s mind. 

“Oh and I forgot to show you!” The manager paused to look for his phone. He moved in closer, bringing up the device to show Sehun the latest update.

After the life threatening incident, Akira Hayashi issued an apology for her insensitive article about Sehun’s past. She deemed her source as “unreliable” and “evil”. The article had been taken down since, but that does not mean people’s opinions about Sehun will change anytime soon.

“…And one last memo,” Bohyun continued, “Haemi called this morning. She couldn’t reach you again.”

The man observed his employer’s blank expression upon mentioning her name. Beside the officer who took down his statement, no one really knew what happened in that apartment. Whatever it was, for Sehun to be reaching out to a specialist for help meant it must have had some severity in it. Catching on to his cue, Bohyun quietly excused himself without further comments. 

Reaching for his phone, Sehun decided to switch on the device for the first time in days and as expected, it was bombarded by missed calls from Haemi. As guilty as it made him, he wasn’t ready to face her yet. It was the fear of being perceived differently and the fear of hurting those around him that scared Sehun the most. He wanted to meet the girl again when he is ready to hold her safely, and not with a ticking time bomb somewhere in him. Speaking of the devil, another call from Haemi came through just in time. He could very well just turn off his phone again or let the call die out, but a piece of him couldn’t. 

“I knew it was a bad idea to turn this thing back on,” he sighed. 

Sehun finally cave in as he picked up the call. His lips curved into an instant smile. To hear the excitement in her voice was something that he had missed so dearly.

“Hello? Hello? Sehun?” 

Although the other line stayed quiet for obvious reasons, getting him to pick up the call was far more of an accomplishment already. “I hope you’re doing okay,” she muttered softly.

“I saw you at the station a few days ago, but it was brief since you were leaving. Are you eating well? Congratulations on your book, by the way. I can’t wait to read it!” 

The one sided conversation went on for a good half an hour, but Sehun listened attentively to her little life updates. For now, his heart was content enough with this. As oblivious as this may seem, the writer knew Haemi was smart enough to comprehend their current situation. Likewise, not once did she bring up the incident or demanded for them to meet. He was certain that she knew seeing each other would put him in a difficult spot. It took him long enough to register, but it was the constant reliance and dependence on each other that drove both of them on edge. Although his attacks were always subdued when Haemi was around, each of those episodes were still primarily rooted by every piece of memory they shared together. The girl was his only hope and will always be; but along the way, she became a weakness of his as well. 

“Sehun…” she took a slight pause before continuing, “Take all the time you need. I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep my promise of helping you. I’ll always be sorry. So please get well soon because I miss you so much.”

The month gradually went by, transitioning from an unexpectedly wet spring to the sweltering heat of summer. But of course with such a dramatic change, many are still adjusting accordingly. Haemi held back her laughter as she spotted her colleague arriving back from a dreadful lunch break, who could now be seen struggling to change out of her long coat. Mina draped the bulky clothing piece over her chair, followed by heavy sigh. 

“It’s so freaking hot,” she complained with irritation written all over her face.

“I warned you about the weather last week,” the younger one playfully shrugged her shoulders. 

While her friend continued her rant inaudibly in the background, Haemi couldn’t help but to check the company’s time log— which decreased tremendously since this morning. She figured it was normal for many of her coworkers to call off early near the end of the week, but the time log indicated that less than 50% of the company were present. 

“Ah, no worries. Chief excused us if we wanted to take the day off for Sehun’s celebration. Apparently it’s held at some high end resort, all covered by your ex-husband. The guy is loaded!” Mina whispered the last part, all while nudging her friend’s shoulder ecstatically.

“Are you coming tonight? I know you were adamant about not going a few weeks ago but I still think you should come,” she urged softly. Mina knew of their dilemma, though that didn’t stop her from throwing in a little bit of encouragement. After all, even a fool could tell how badly she missed the writer. 

“I’m okay. It’s too far anyway,” she made up a plausible excuse to escape Mina’s wrath. 

“Suit yourself, dear. I am clocking out early to take husband Kang and baby Luna swimming at a luxury resort. Have fun typing up those drafts…” her friend sang, obviously to tease Haemi until the very end. Though it proved to be inef