❝A Glimpse Of Us❞

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December, 2013

8:34 pm

A color of dark had covered the bright sky but like the usual crescent moon, like the usual twinkling stars, the black painted sky was painted just black; without any ounce of any brightness down the world, the world that had engulfed a person in the same amount of gloom; without any ounce of brightness. 

As the only thing being witnessed was the season of winter; the coldness engulfing her without any warmth. 

"I'll be careful next time." 

Inha bid goodnight to the owner of the Café, the place she had started working her part-time for a month now, not because she didn't decide that she'd never but this one decision came to her with a circumstance, a circumstance that involved her family, something she could never turn her back on, not after the typhoon that had fallen over them, on her family. 

Especially her father; the one who has always shown her daughter his brightest smile but the typhoon took it away along with the only thing he had been cherishing all this time. 

His restaurant; his home. Their home. 

Inha still remembers his expression when he had broken the news to her; the home they had been living in, the restaurant that he and her mother had been given their life to had to be closed; closed as in, forever and their expression held a gloom; pain, that was enough to send an unpleasant pierce through her heart but she didn't cry. 

Not in front of them; she couldn't. 

Because she had to be strong for them; she was always good at hiding it, but there was a time she didn't have to because of that certain person who had taught her not to hide it but became that certain someone whom she had to hide it from and it hurt. 

And it still hurts, like right now. 

Inha had bit her quivering lip with her fingertips holding her earlobe as her steps walked down the path in a slow pace; her vision blurry as she was reminded of the things happening in her life at the moment, the life was showing her the cruelty of the world after the moment she had passed one of the hardest one, the hardest one of the broken heart, the hardest one that was showing how the world wasn't like her dreams.

And the hardest that was yet to come. 

Her arms had pulled the thick jacket closer to herself as she remembered the earlier scene of the owner of the Café lecturing about her mistake but was it really her mistake of defending herself from the person who had tried to be the bad one? Was she in the wrong for saving herself from the assault her father and mother had taught her not to run away from? 

The questions popped into her head and the only answer she got was that she had to endure it for the only ones who had taught her to not to turn away from it. 

Her heart pierced with a pain; a pain that she had to bear it, but it was hurting and the more it was hurting, the more she was getting the glimpse of him in her mind leaving her with nothing but more pain in her heart as the unspoken words from her depth never being spoken to him had left a pierce; the kind of pierce that still hurts. 

A pain that she had to pass through because it felt too heavy on her heart. 

At the moment, something cold of a wet drop fell on her head causing her to gasp, another one and her head tilted upwards to see the snowflakes pouring down in the pace of their own bringing a cold along with them but brought so much to remember. 

Snowfall. A walk. And him. 

Her hand had stretched out as her steps stopped to stare at the night sky that flowed the snowflakes behind the blurry vision of her eyes with a breeze of coldness; something she had been displeased with, yet at the moment the displease didn't get to her as if she couldn't afford to feel it yet strangely this dislikable pour seeped a warmth of pleasant. 

But thinking of him brought up an ease yet a pain. 

Her phone pinged, and her hand was quick to rummage through her jacket pocket with a panic of her father's well-being from her mother but the moment she saw the contact name displaying on the screen, her heart skipped a beat. 

Rude brat. 

She didn't like how her heart skipped a beat, because she was still at the phase of passing through her depth of affection for him, the affection she couldn't confess but she also couldn't bring herself to hope for the reciprocation, because she couldn't trust the timing of hers; of theirs. 

And because it was hard for her to bear the pain. 

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the phone against her ear without saying anything like he didn't; as if taking time to listen to the silence their hearts were trying to speak the unspoken yet couldn't. 

"Inha." 

Her heart welled up the moment she heard her name behind his deep voice like usual, unusual was that she was listening to his voice after a while; a while of a month because he had been busy juggling with his life in the other side of the world; a while because Inha had been coping with the life she's been thrown into; a while because the life hasn't been really pleasing to them. 

"Sehun." 

And she would never know how he had felt just like that. 

"It's been a while." 

She heard him and her head bobbed with a nod, her eyes looking up to feel the cold drop of snowflake on her cheekbone as her dry lips parted behind her tightened throat. "Yeah, it's been a while." 

Why was it that they had so much to say yet they weren't? Why was it that there was so much to feel but couldn't express it? 

Why was it that she felt like crying for missing him yet she couldn't tell him? 

And it would be unknown for her to know what his heart laid beneath the emotions he couldn't pour out. 

Inha took a deep breath. "It must be morning there." 

"Yeah, I have to practice early." 

"Is it okay now?" 

She didn't hear anything as a silence erupted for a moment as if there was something he wanted to say, but heard him taking a deep breath. "Much better." 

Inha felt something odd. "You sure?"  

"Yeah, you told me to hold on to it." 

Something still felt odd, something as if he wasn't saying what he wanted to say or for her to know but who would tell her that her oddness for him was always right, her heart still understood his unsaid words. 

Just those words couldn't be understood; just those words. 

"It's snowing here." He said, and she hummed, looking at the pour of snowflakes. "Yeah, it's snowing here." 

A minute of silence followed until he uttered the words he'd been itching to ask. "How are you doing, Inha?" 

The moment Inha heard his words, her already welled up heart welled up even more, enough for her eyes to moisten as just hearing him asking about her well-being was enough for heart to pour out to him like always, but she couldn't, not at the moment, not when she would have to be dependent of her emotions on him, not when she was in the phase of passing through her depth. 

"Better." 

He hummed. "Didn't know you can lie so well." 

Inha swallowed, blinking a couple of times as she frowned. "Did you hear something from Jinsoo?" 

He didn't say anything and Inha sighed, looking down to walk again. "I just couldn't find any moment to tell you." 

"It's alright," He took a pause. "You can talk to me whenever you feel like it, you know it." 

She knew it, she had been doing it, she would always feel at ease but she couldn't bring herself to do it right now; if she did, she would end up crying, the cries of how hard her life is being to her, cries of how she has been missing him, cries of how she'd wished for him to be here but she couldn't. 

Her eyes moistened. "This time I have to get through this on my own." 

She couldn't bring herself to say anything when he's been juggling with his life where he has no one but himself, where he has no one to talk to, where she should be being his all ears but wasn't because of her juggle of life, yet here he was being everything for her left her in a guilt and a pain. 

"Alright," He said, and a silence followed until he had said something that brought a warmth of comfort in her heart. "Things will be better, just hold on to hope." 

Her eyes closed at those words; as if he had uttered just what she wanted to hear with a comforting warmth behind, yet it brought a pain with pierce enough for a lone tear to roll down her cheek. "And don't ever lose it." 

"I won't." 

He uttered back, and Inha could feel him smiling as if he wanted to hear exactly what she had uttered just now but by someone who can make it feel like listening to him, and she did like always.

Yet there was something left unheard, and unspoken.

Something that was never spoken. 

"Have a good day, Oh Sehun." 

He hummed. "Goodnight, Baek Inha." 

Two words of a sentence that should be like a wish for a better night, yet it felt like heavy words of never seeing each other; two sentences of a word that spoke so much of a distance; a distance that spoke so much of a time as if the world didn't want it to happen; two words of a sentence yet it never felt so heavy on the hearts of the two beings reaching out to each other yet couldn't and all that left was a pain. 

A pain that never hurt this much before. 

_____________________________

8:35 pm

"Alright, take care of my Yoo." 

Inha's concerned voice echoed in the lightened up living room of her apartment as her steps crossed her room to the kitchen with the apron wrapped around her along with her hand being covered by the shopper glove while listening to the reply of her another best friend, who also happened to be the fiancé of Yoojung. "Of course, I'd take care of my Yoo without any instructions from the doctor-woman." 

Inha's eyes squinted; the phone being pressed between her shoulder and ear, "You are forgetting that I am her doctor best friend," Her fine hand opened the upper cabinet to get the sesame oil but pouted for finding nothing as she closed it with a sigh, "So keep your mouth shut, Jinsoo." 

He chuckled. "Sorry for turning you down at the last moment, goofball." 

Inha walked out of the kitchen to the small dining table of hers by it. "As if it's your first time." 

"Yah, you're making me feel guilty now." 

She let out a chuckle. "Take care of Yoojung, we'll have the housewarming party some other time." 

He hummed. "Don't burn your 67th dish again." 

Inha gasped. "Don't jinx it, Woo Jinsoo!" 

He laughed. "Already did, goofball, have a good kitchen day." 

The phone was cut off and the next second Inha glared at the screen. "This little ." 

As soon as she placed her phone on the table to look for the sesame oil as it happened to to be the last ingredient for the Chicken Bulgogi (Korean BBQ chicken), that was halfway through being mixed for the housewarming party which was supposed to be happening in a few moments but now was supposed to be postponed because Yoojung had gotten her periods at the last minute and Inha knew how the first few days of it usually passes with an unbearable pain, hence it was decided to put it back for a while as it's just been a week to her move in but the dish couldn't be put back so Inha had to make it, or try not to burn it like her usual self of not being a good buddy to the kitchen. 

A huff left as the bottle of the beautiful sesame oil couldn't be found through her eyes but flinch the next second as a sound of loud thunder echoed throughout the living room causing her to turn around to look at the balcony ahead of her a little bit away from her steps, and found a heavy pour of rain behind the dark painted sky since the balcony of her apartment happened to be at the opposite side of the location that prevented to give her favorite view of city lights. 

One of her dreams couldn't be fulfilled but buying her own place surely did and she was satisfied with it. 

Yet her dream of it would be fulfilled in another way but she was unknown to it. 

Her back leaned back against the table as she stared at the pour behind the sound of rain with the lightning and thunder reminding her that the month of May was ending, and the month of monsoon, June was arriving in a few days. 

However, the moment happening at the moment didn't faze her; the dark painted sky had reminded her of a moment that happened just under it, nine years ago, the moment that hadn't been forgotten yet had been reminded by the only person with whom she had had the moment after that night in their old neighborhood. 

A guilty one. A painful one. 

And that person is living just opposite of her was still being adapting into her mind, his presence in her life again, though being the neighbors didn't give them the advantage of seeing each other everyday because of their own work lives that was different in every way but whenever they saw each other by chance, a small greet was something they couldn't avoid. 

Somewhere, the phase of the wall of awkwardness was breaking but somewhere, the phase of different nervousness was still there; something that had been there since years ago, once was recognized but wasn't enough. 

However, both would be broken but at their own time. 

At that moment, a loud ringtone of her phone had her flinching as she immediately stood straight with her palm against her chest to sigh deeply as she found her mother calling her to press the phone back against her ear. "Yeah, mom." 

"Inha, how's your housewarming party going?" 

"Postponed." Inha pouted, as she stared at the pouring rain again. "Yoojung's not feeling well, and it's suddenly raining so we pushed it back for a while, but how did your day go?" 

"Being a professor and surgeon hardly gives you any time to see how days go." 

"You brought it to yourself." 

"You could have stopped me." 

Inha chuckled to grimace at the sight of her messy glove. "It was your dream so how could we stop you?" 

Ji-Hye hummed with a sigh. "Guess, I brought it to myself." 

"Mom, do you know where dad has put the sesame oil?" 

Inha questioned, about to go back to the kitchen again but another ring of bell erupted loudly flinching her again as she gasped to sigh deeply with a narrowed look toward the front door of her apartment to walk toward it with her father's voice going through her ear the next second. 

"Bubble, how's your cooking going?" 

"Happening for now," 

Inha paused, pressing her phone back against her shoulder and ear to open the door to find the person she had expected to stand there yet it brought something different within her system to stare at him as Sehun was standing there with a confused look on his face along with a casual attire while a box in his hold, as he met Inha's eyes for a moment but before he could have said something, Inha took a few steps back as if inviting him. 

"I can't find sesame oil, dad." 

He heard her speaking and his brows knitted deeply with a confusion to observe her dressed in a shin-length violet flowery dress hidden by the apron while her hair tied in a high ponytail, and his eyes couldn't help but gaze at her immersed self until she met his eyes flinching his system, as if caught doing something inappropriate as he immediately pointed at the box where she gestured to put it on the top of the shoe rack while gesturing inside it and walked away. 

He tilted his head with a pondering frown to do as she gestured, as if it came to him like an always thing before changing his feet into a pair of black slippers to walk inside where his eyes gazed at the living room; the interior was full of white and black curtains either side of the open balcony where the pour of rain was slowly subsiding before his eyes caught something that him chuckle lightly. 

The punching bag at the corner; so like her. 

Her place was clean unlike the messy one he remembered years ago and his eyes observed the view but it wasn't her favorite one as he remembers to recall her words from a week back to agree with it. 

At the moment, a towel was presented in front of him to find Inha signaling towards his soaked shoulders to realize that he had just came back from freeing his schedule to take it from her as he took off his cap to find her placing her phone back to her ear to notice the messy shopper glove that had her hand underneath as he dried himself while watching her still talking with her steps pacing to the kitchen. 

His hands ruffled his damp hair, ending up messing it on his forehead to follow her to find her looking for something as he recalled her saying the sesame oil and before he knew it, he was checking out the cabinets too. 

"I have looked everywhere-" 

Inha's words stopped the moment she found Sehun standing beside her while waving the bottle of the lost sesame oil in front of her as her eyes lit up. "It's here." 

Daewon sighed. "I told you I kept it in the cabinet." 

"Yeah, I just couldn't see it." 

"It happens, sometimes things we're looking for are often in front of us but we're too lost in finding it to see it." 

Inha heard him and hummed as she stared at the man in front of him looking around the kitchen with a curious expression like his usual self as she couldn't help but smile with a shake of her head. "Alright, I'll let you know when the dish is cooked and don't forget to take your medicine, dad." 

He huffed. "Alright, my doctor bubble." 

The moment Inha hung up, she looked at him to find him already looking at her with a soft glint in his eyes as she blinked a couple of times. "What's wrong?" 

"You are really a good daughter." He uttered, softly but it was enough for her to get off guard as a wave of warmth rushed to her to scoff lightly. "Are you under the weather?" 

He frowned. "Why?" 

"Since when do you compliment?" 

"Since when do you cook?" 

Inha gave him a look and he grinned. "A genuine question for someone who has seen you not being a good buddy to the kitchen." 

"Such a thing to remember." She rolled her eyes and he hummed; his eyes softening. "Such things have to be remembered. " 

"By the way, the party is postponed." 

"I know." He nodded. "I got the message." 

"Then what are you doing here?" 

"I just came to drop off your parcel being delivered outside my place." He shrugged. "You let me in."

Her eyes widened. "Right, I ordered a pair of shoes for myself!"

"Did you do it purposely or," His forehead creased in a playful look. "Your age is aging now, Baek Inha?" 

"My age is perfectly aging," She paused with a sarcastic smile. "But your jokes are surely aging, Oh Sehun." 

Yeah, ask Baek Inha for a banter round, she'd never lose; like always. 

He chuckled before pointing at the filled bowl of chicken. "What are you experimenting on?" 

Inha gave him a look to mix the oil. "Chicken Bulgogi." 

"First time?" 

"Yes." 

"Then, I'll take your leave." 

"Jerk." 

Inha blurted out and again he found a taken aback expression on her face, as if regretting it as she met his eyes with a guilt glinted eyes. "Sorry, it was a tongue slip." 

He stared at her for a moment. "You were never sorry before." 

Inha nodded, "I used to be so careless about everything before," She glanced at him to place the chicken in the oven. "But I realized that there are times when you have to be careful because that's how you gotta survive." 

"You're right," He trailed off, as Inha met his eyes to find him standing beside her in a safe distance like always but enough to provide the comfort through his words, like right now. "There are certain things to be careful of to survive in this world but," He paused; his eyes warm and soft. "Like I said before, you don't have to be careful with me, you can be however you want yourself to be, Inha." 

Inha's heart warmed at his words yet she couldn't let herself drown in it again as she gave him a playful look closing the door of the oven. "You might regret it." 

He nodded. "I might sign up for it." 

Her eyes squinted. "Get out of my kitchen." 

He let out a laugh. "Should I?" 

She gestured outside for him while taking off the glove to walk as she took a step ahead. "Might as well get the privilege of being my first guest." 

Both of them walked in the living room to find the pour of heavy rain being stopped behind the smell of soil inside the place that brought a smile on Inha's lips to glance at him to find him looking ahead with a gentle expression to notice the towel still in his hands that left her with a chuckle. 

Sehun glanced at her confusingly. "What?" 

"You seem to like the towel," Inha pointed at it with a playful smile. "You can take it if you want." 

He rolled his eyes; placing it on her head. "No, thanks." 

"Yah, Oh Sehun!" She exclaimed, pulling it down with a glare towards him only to find him laughing softly as she rolled her eyes. "Be glad to be my guest or you'd be thrown out of that balcony by now." 

"Sure, I'm so glad." 

He nodded lazily as Inha scoffed to herself to walk away to place it on its place before walking in the kitchen again leaving him roaming around the place to find the book she bought a week back on the coffee table to stop by the balcony to find no ounce of the lights. 

A few minutes passed but his gaze stayed still like him on the spot. 

"Here." 

He flinched to find Inha standing beside him with a glass of apple juice as he sighed. "Do you have to come with a cat-like presence?" 

Inha's forehead creased. "Should I come with an invitation then?" 

Both of them stared at each other the moment the familiarity hit them and an exchange of their smiles had shown it. 

Their little smiles. 

He extended his hand to take the glass from her hand as that was what she assumed until she found him taking a hold of her other hand towards himself leaving her in a silence of her sudden thudding heart to feel him brushing his thumb over her bandaged forefinger with a soft caress. 

"You're hurt." He spoke, glancing at her to find her already looking at him as their eyes met for a moment before Inha snapped out, blinking as she pulled her hand back gently. "Cooking has its perks." 

He nodded, noticing her the sudden change of expression leaving him in a conflict of his own to take the glass from her as he took a few sips of it while looking down. "I thought you wanted to buy a place with lights." 

Inha sighed. "Told ya, you're going to be surprised." 

He shrugged, his lips curving up; noticing the taken off apron on her that gave him the access to look at her dressed self properly as he breathed out softly. "I really am."

Shut up," She affirmed, unable to notice. "I wasn't lucky enough to buy it." 

"But you bought your own place." 

"Yeah, I did." 

"As that's lucky enough." 

He uttered, softly as their eyes bored into each other for a moment, silently but intently until her phone suddenly rang and with a quick excuse, Inha was quick to answer. "Hey, Si-woo." 

She couldn't notice in her immersed self but a whipped of his head was turned towards her with a sudden but known uneasiness in his system as the next second, Inha turned to him only to meet his eyes but he looked away with a quick swallow while Inha continued to let Si-woo know about the cancelation of the party. 

"Sorry, I just had to let him know." Inha gave him a sheepish look and he shrugged it off. "It's alright." 

"If this party wasn't postponed, you two could have met." She stated, with a mischievous smile and he gave her a look. "What's with the smile?" 

"I just got reminded of how you used to be cranky with him." 

"I was like how I am." 

"Grumpy." 

"Cocky." 

He gave her a look and she gave him a look back; yet again. 

"But," He trailed off as he frowned to sniff. "Don't you think something is burning?" 

Inha blinked a couple of times and a huge gasp left her lips. "No!" 

He flinched as the next thing he found her jogging towards the kitchen as the realization came to him to have his eyes widened as well to follow suit and the sight had him gasp as well to see a wave of smoke coming from the oven to which Inha was about to open with her bare hands but he was quick enough to hold her hand pulling her back. "It's dangerous." 

Inha had a panicking yet saddening look on her face as she wore the glove and opened the door to welcome the smoke in the kitchen as both of them coughed until it was out through the ventilation but the sight of burnt chicken couldn't be, as Inha stared at the sight with a gloomy expression that was being stared by Sehun. 

"You okay?" 

She shook her head. "No, I'm not." 

"It's okay-" 

"It freaking happens every time!" 

He slightly flinched but frowned. "Everytime?" 

"I almost succeeded this time," She voiced out behind the pucker of her lips to huff, "It's because of that punk Jinsoo for jinxing it!" She paused to glare at him. "It's your fault too!" 

"What did I do?" 

"You distracted me with your talk!" 

"I don't have to distract you from talking, that's already your thing." 

"Shut up, Oh Sehun." 

"Fine, Baek Inha." 

"What do I do now?" She sighed, until she felt him cupping his mouth. "Attempt number?" 

She turned to him with a serious expression. "67."