❝Present But Nostalgic❞

April, 2022.

2:01 pm 

The beeping sound echoed throughout the room, the doctors hovered around the stretcher bed either side of it, the hands were busy in their own respective roles of saving the life of the person lying on the bed with the lamp over the patient had given the better access of the lightning to continue with their operation as their focused eyes on their tasks continued until the stitches on the wound had been stitched at last. 

"How's the blood pressure, Nurse. Kim?" 

A gentle yet firm voice asked, her brown eyes looking up from the patient to the nurse standing by the monitor who gave her a nod back. "Blood pressure has gotten normal, Dr. Baek." 

"Better." 

Another feminine voice uttered, and everyone turned to her with a nod back as she gave a last smile to the doctor who was assisting her with a satisfied nod, but the latter could make out the smile on her lips behind the mask as she watched her stepping back. "Then, shift the patient to the room and everyone did a good job today," She paused, locking eyes with her assisting doctor. "You too, Dr. Baek." 

The latter let out a sigh behind her mask, with her eyes turning in a crescent shape as if showing her smile through her eyes. "Likewise, prof. Baek." 

She walked out of the operation room following her behind as both of them were quick to slip out of their operating room attire to walk side by side down the hallway where prof. Baek Ji-Hye tilted her head towards the lady walking beside her with a proud smile. "You have gotten better, Inha." 

Inha, who was just done tying her hair in a bun behind her nape had her head whipped toward her with her lips gracing a soft smile at the compliment from the doctor she admires before shoving her hands in her pocket of her scrubs. "Like you say, practice makes it better, mom." 

"I'm always proud of you." She beamed, patting her forearm with a gentle tap and Inha couldn't be more happier as she nodded. "Me too." 

"And don't mind about whatever people say because you're a really good doctor." 

Inha stared at her for a moment, knowing what she was getting at before nodding with a smile where Ji-Hye got a call to which Inha peeked through only to smile as it was her dad and her mother was quick to answer but before she could have said anything, he had spoke up, more like sang. 

"Honey~" 

Baek Ji-Hye rolled her eyes, not at her husband but at her daughter who had imitated his father at the same time and earned a light smack on her back from her mother with a chuckle as she walked away to her cabin while gesturing Inha to come home soon to which she nodded with a smile until she watched her mother entering into the elevator where Inha let out a sigh, thinking about her words where the words of people around beamed in her mind again. 

The day she had entered this hospital for the job, she had been doing what every usual new doctors would do, making mistakes, then learning from it with nonstop practices even after doing better, she was still scolded and that was because she was new and a junior to her seniors but she was Inha for a reason, she never backed out from her challenges, so she had given them a slap back on their faces by doing her best in her field. 

Because she never stopped holding on to hope. 

However, as the treatment had gotten better, a few days after, some rumors had flew about her being the daughter of the well-known professor and surgeon doctor Baek Ji-Hye which was something she couldn't deny because it was true when it was asked and some people thought that she had gotten in this job because of her mother which was the sole reason for her getting stares, and whispers about her the moment she'd be in their sights along with having no friends in the hospital except one. 

But, Inha was strong enough to past through those words, because she knew how she had ended up where she was right now, her struggles, her crying alone in her room or backyard of the hospital, her practicing alone after her one mistake because that's how she was in love with being a doctor, and her mother and father were the biggest support in her hardest time, along with her friends whom she cherishes a lot. 

And a certain person. 

The people wouldn't know what she had to go through to stand here where she was standing with her head held high with confidence which she remembers hanging down a few years back but it changed, for better and she wasn't even interested in letting them know because those people and their words didn't matter to her even the slightest in her life because her life matters much more than it. 

A soft sigh left her lips as she walked out of the elevator to the cafeteria to find the place filled with the people as usual, before filling her tray with her favorite food as the lady behind the counter gave her a brief smile, and it was a brief one but Inha could make out the respect held behind her eyes for her which was seen only by a few people at the hospital so her heart warmed at the gesture to smile back at her. 

"Where do I sit now?" 

She mumbled, looking around to find an empty table in the middle to walk toward it as she settled down to start her eating session while scrolling through her phone as she texted her friends the timing to meet up with them but got some hilarious replies. 

[Grown up Kids] 

The name of the group chat of theirs was named by one and only matured lady in their group as Inha shook her head reading the male's message. 

Ceo guy - I'm not busy so let's meet up at hyung's Café later! 

Lawyer mom - I'm also not busy so good. 

Doctor woman - considering your professions why are you two not busy? 

Ceo guy - Considering your profession you sure are chatty. 

Inha rolled her eyes before typing back. 

Doctor woman - I always have been a chatty, idiot, I pity my friend for marrying your idiotic !

Ceo guy - FYI, your friend loves me. 

Lawyer mom - I'm also close to smack both of your heads from the phone! 

Inha let out a giggle with a shake of her head before placing the phone back as she began to munch her food, until a figure had hovered over the table. 

"You're really not hard to find, Dr. Baek." 

Inha's ears perked up at the familiar manly voice to look up at the man standing in his scrubs with a gentle smile on his lips as he stared at her where her head tilted. "And being a part of the talks isn't really a hard thing too, Dr. Kang." 

Kang Si-woo. 

Inha's senior; her former guest of her house and her only friend in the hospital who had been with her since the moment she had found herself in the medicine field and even more before that but got close since she also happened to be studying in the same university as him, making him her senior. 

"You know I hardly care about the talks, Inha." He chuckled, pulling the chair across from her as the next minute he began to eat and Inha nodded, smiling back. "I know, Sunbae." 

"How did the surgery go?" He questioned, shoving a spoonful of rice and Inha munched with a slow nod. "It went well, and I assisted prof. Baek since it was an emergency." 

His forehead creased and Inha let out a chuckle. "Okay, don't tease me about it." 

"Come on, you're glowing just by assisting her." 

"Well, I have always admired her so that's a given." She smiled, meeting his soft eyes to which she blinked a couple of times blankly to look around only to groan as she frowned at him. "I seriously hate being stared at like this." 

"You said you're used to it." 

"I'll take it back." She sighed, and Si-woo let out a laugh. "Well, reasons might be different from the way you are thinking." 

Her eyebrows raised. "What reasons?" 

"Come on, you don't know you have got crushes around?" He took a sip of his water with a knowing look and Inha stared at him confused. "Me? Crushes? Not the 'girl who's privileged'?" 

"You might not see it," He trailed off, his eyes turning serious as he stared at her. "But they do have respect for Dr. Baek Inha," He paused, his eyes turning playful. "And there might have been some crushes too but too scared to confess." 

Inha stared at him for a moment at his words, and a sense of respect in his eyes for her which warmed her heart for a moment but realizing his next sentence had her roll her eyes. "Please, if they have then come to me and say it." 

"Oh, would you not scare them away?" 

"If I see some sincerity then no." 

He let out a hum with a nod. "Then you should look around as well," He trailed off as his eyes softened. "You might get some sincerity here." 

At this point, Inha didn't know how to response to his words, it felt like he was talking about himself at the moment and Inha wasn't an oblivious one to not to notice how he's been treating her more warmly than usual since a few months, constantly spending time with her knowing that he is the only friend she's got here, but she was still trying hard not to be obvious about it because it might be just her instinct too as Si-woo still hasn't made it sure about it so she didn't want to get her or his hopes up which would earn both of them a heartache which she does not want it. 

Because she knows that feeling well enough. 

He cleared his throat, snapping her out as she stared at him confused, where he let out a deep down. "Do you have time after clocking out?" 

Inha blinked a couple of times nervously. "Uh," She paused, her lips. "Actually, I'm meeting with my friends later." 

"Oh, then, maybe another time?" 

She gave him a nod. "Sure." 

He smiled, his dimple visible either side of his cheeks as he stood up patting her head, his ever habit of doing it since the university days. "Then, I'll see you later." 

Inha gave him a smile to watch his back walking away with a sigh as she leaned against the chair with a deep thought. 

"Should I give it a try?" 

And the thought was just a thought for a second but that thought would change in a much unexpected way. 

_____________

7:03 pm 

Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel as her favorite song was playing in the car with a decent amount of volume behind her light humming. 

My dear by Chen. 

The singer has been her favorite from the past years; the year when he had released his first album as his voice and the lyrics really touched her heart like right now; how she didn't realize that a soft smile had graced her lips endearingly. 

Soon enough, she had pulled over the car before turning off the music after it was finished but an exasperated sigh left her lips when she found it hard to park the car. 

"Why did the Café have to be on the other side of the road?" 

Inha grumbled, looking at the rear view mirror of her car as she peeked if there were some people behind or not to reverse the car carefully and parked it by the side of the road to step out, as she locked the car while shoving her keys in her purse to properly hung the strap of it by her shoulder and stood by the path to wait for the signal since she had to cross to the other side. 

Tucking the strands of loose hair behind her ear which rested behind her waist in a smooth wave and changed into her casual white button down tucked in her denim jeans with her sneakers, a much simple look but that's how she prefers it. 

She always preferred it. 

As she sighed, waiting with her arms crossed to her chest with her fingers drumming on her forearms, a habit of hers, but sudden whispers had went through her ears yet it wasn't enough for her to give attention to until a name was spoken up. 

"It's Oh Sehun." 

Inha blinked, tilting her head towards the teenage girl standing nearby her with another girl while their heads were tilted upwards toward a certain direction and following their gazes, her eyes had stopped by the billboard where the person himself was being displayed with much charm of his own while the news of his birthday tomorrow was highlighted with a tournament. 

"He's so handsome and so talented!" 

"I hope he wins tomorrow." 

"He will, he's been winning for years so he will for sure." 

Inha heard their words with a blank mind, as her stare was still on him behind the billboard until her lips slowly stretched in a smile. "I'm sure he will." 

A sound beamed loudly to which she turned to see the people crossing the road where giving a last glance at the billboard with a smile, she turned to cross the road with her heart warming up at the flashbacks of the memories which had hit the back of her mind like a nostalgia. 

Soon enough, she had stopped by the Café to smile the second she found her buddies bickering over something as she got the hold of the knob to push it open with a jingling sound erupting above her as she walked through the door where her buddies had snapped theirs heads toward it to wave at her. 

"Yo, goofball." 

Inha rolled her eyes. "I told you not to call me that, Jinsoo." 

Jinsoo was awfully free from his CEO self today, his own fashion brand business which keeps him scheduled till late in the night but somehow he had gotten free, hence, he had arrived an hour ago to help his brother by looking after his Café for a while and the love for the coffee and for his big brother never ends nor does he want it, so here he was. 

"It's a never ending habit of mine," He gave a nonchalant shrug while wiping the cup with the cloth as he stood behind the counter in his apron over his rolled up sleeves white button down. "Since childhood, so it wouldn't change overnight." 

"Or you're just too lazy to call her by her name." 

A feminine voice beamed standing beside him helping him out with an apron and Inha tilted her head, standing by the counter as she stared at her surprised. "Since when have you changed your profession of lawyer to barista, Yoojung?" 

"I'm a part timer today, Inha." 

"Yeah, my soon to be wife is helping out her soon to be husband." Jinsoo grinned, and Inha gave him a boring look. "So corny." 

He imitated her, earning a chuckle from both ladies. 

Min Yoojung, Woo Jinsoo and Baek Inha. 

They have been best buddies since their childhood with a certain person joining in later but was being missed in the trio, however, knowing that things can't be the same as before like it used to be, so they never raise their hopes up to have that person around but deep down three of them miss the time of their four squad to make it like before again. 

However, they weren't the only ones. 

"So, did your client confess anything?" 

Inha took a sip of her Ice-tea as she leaned back against her chair and Yoojung shook her head, shoving a scoop of her muffin in