❝Change But Beautiful❞

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8:02 pm

"If you change your mind, please contact me." 

Yoojung uttered, handing out her card to the teenage grandchild of the man she had come to meet, the man who had aged in his 60s now, the man who had witnessed the accident of her grandma ten years ago outside his convenience store that was outside of their neighborhood along a surveillance recording but was silenced due to the threat of the higher people who had also cleared up the sole evidence. 

She had walked out of house with dejection; her heart sinking at the feeling; a feeling of losing of something she had just started, as her steps paced to the car waiting for her along with her person standing by it; Jinsoo, he had been with her from the moment she had made this decision like her friends, and as soon as she was standing in front of him, her heart welled up beaming through her teary eyes. 

"Is it a no?" He asked, and Yoojung nodded, looking down. "He said he doesn't want to risk his family's life, I did assure him but he's adamant to it," She looked up at him with her blurry vision. "I feel like losing already, Jinsoo." 

"Honey." He uttered softly and immediately pulled her in a hug; Yoojung was quick to embrace him to lean into his warm comfort, as he patted her head. "We'll make it happen, don't lose hope, Yoo." 

Five days. 

Almost a week. 

It's been those days since that night of that unpredictable truth was discovered from the squad's past, and Yoojung was on the work of finding that one evidence to reopen that case, even though her mind kept having thoughts of what ifs; what if of not finding any evidence? What if of the incident being an old one so it wouldn't make any difference? But the moment of her grandma's funeral, her moments with her, and the injustice to her had alerted her, an alarm of keep going, an alarm of not backing down to serve her the justice she deserves, and for how she had come to become a lawyer. 

The next day, Jinsoo found her putting all night to look for the old cases regarding Jong Sae-jin, his politician father who was no more but left his deeds behind, and Ae-cha's case of closing down for not having any evidence regarding the hit-and-run, and at that moment, Minho had helped by looking for the evidence to the police station, which came to them as a surprise since it was cleared off but Minho had a hunch that it wasn't, for the ones trying to find out the truth it was, but for the people keeping it to use against them wasn't. 

That time, Minho had fight through all but the world really works for the ones who prioritize money, and privileges but this time, he knew someone in that place who could help them, the officer who was appointed nine years ago, his friend, the one who had let the squad go through his friendship with him, was now a high ranked cop and he had helped them search the lost, and the apparent evidence of the surveillance footage. 

Jinsoo still remembers the moment of Yoojung crying in his arms after she had watched the footage, and seeing Minho's gloomy expression had given him enough understanding of it, to cry along with her that went same for Sehun and Inha, after the squad had gathered in their hang out place. 

Ae-cha, and Yoojung's old home. 

That evidence was enough for Yoojung to work through it, she had presented it in the court to reopen the case again and thankfully, she had done so, but seeing the footage had evoked a bulb in her head, the place of the accident seemed too familiar; it was nearby their neighborhood, the convenience store. 

That's how she had found herself to talk to the owner of it, and got to know about the old owner being the witness of the accident, as he was the one calling the ambulance that time, but because of the oppression of the higher people to his family, he was silenced; and the footage was taken from him. 

Yoojung had come to request for him to be a witness but he was refusing; refusing to the point of listening to her since his family was still on the stake; he couldn't help. 

And Yoojung just hoped for him to change his mind. 

"Look at me, Yoo." Jinsoo let her lean away for him to cup her face gently as he wiped her tears with a soft look. "We still have solid evidence and we have just started so let's be a little patient." 

"But why would he refuse to help? He knew grandma, and he should know how important it is." Yoojung couldn't help but cry; vent out in anger for not being able to do anything, just like back then, and Jinsoo sighed. "He has a family to protect, that time too, he was threatened, and I think people are like that, when it comes to protecting their loved ones, they won't see how righteous or how wrong things are, they will just protect what they have to and it goes for everyone. "

Yoojung heard him to understand his words because she indeed was in the same situation, as she nodded, yet couldn't help but hope for better. 

"I want to see that Song Gaejin." 

Yoojung gritted out, and Jinsoo couldn't help but snicker at the name that Sehun had come up with; that guy sure knows how to come up with names as the main character of it was Inha; always her. 

"I want to see him before I see him in the trial." 

Jinsoo nodded, as the notice of the reopen case against him was already sent to him this morning; his cowardly self was still in the hospital eating Inha's mind who had been ranting about him nowadays, Sehun joining her, along with them, as he nodded. "Let's go." 

_____________________________________

8:56 pm

Inha bowed down to the patient's guardians standing outside who had bowed her in a gratitude for saving the family of theirs; the patient was brought in an emergency with a surgery needed to be performed, and Inha had to do it even after the fellow doctors asking her to wait for the senior doctor's permission but the patient's condition was too severe to not to operate and hence, she had done it with Si-woo assisting her along with Nurse. Kim. 

Soon enough, she had excused herself to prepare herself for the scolds she was going to get; her steps pacing down the hallway in her scrub while her hair tied in a bun behind her nape with a few strands either side of her temple but damp because of the scrub cap. 

And even if she was on her way to be scolded, she was still glad for making the decision because the patient was saved, and that's all that matters. 

The moment she had got in the elevator, she had leaned against the handrail along with her head with a deep breath while her eyes closed, tired she was; operating for almost the two hours was nothing new but tiredness would still follow afterwards but this tiredness was worth it, and as Inha kept leaning against it, the moment in the elevator with Sehun had flashed in her head. 

Her eyes opened as she stared at her faint reflection to recall the moment of how tired she was that night but he had understood enough for her to be her all ears; how he had took his step towards her to comfort her, to be with her, like he used to do and he did it again without asking anything in return as if he just wanted her to be alright, and indeed, she was; he had made it happen. 

And no matter how much Inha was pushing it away; the feeling of familiar warmth was engulfing her again and she was afraid to lose it again without even having it. 

Approximately, twenty minutes passed, and Inha had walked out of the room of the senior doctor; she knew she was going to get a scolding for acting out on her own but she wasn't guilty for it, though her senior had given her a scolding of something she was already used to, used to as in from the years she had joined this hospital but difference was, back then she would have kept silent with a thought of endurance for her job or thinking that it was for her betterment. 

However, this time she couldn't, because she knew how that patient needed the urgent surgery so she had spoken to her senior for the first time without any guilt and he was surprised, and Inha knew why because lots of people had thought her silence was because of the privileged rumors, her professor mother, and maybe, somewhere, Inha had thought of it too, to be silent for her mother but now she couldn't. 

It was wrong; back then, she couldn't because she had to protect her people, and job but this time, she had a will that she can do both by fighting for it too. 

Taking the instant coffee in the small paper cup, she had stepped into the backyard of the hospital, the place she usually have her alone space time during her duty hours because the way the fresh air touches her skin, it soothes her to calm down her thoughts but that time, she didn't have it, and to her surprise, Sehun was the epitome of her calm. 

Something she didn't see coming but it came like an unknowingly always thing to her. 

Yet, the moment she had walked in to feel the calm, the voice behind her had her groan. "Not right now." 

"Ms. Baek Inha." 

Inha sighed deeply to look at him sharp in the eyes; Song Sae-jin. "It's Dr. Baek." 

Boody Gaejin bastard. 

He whistled, standing in front of her in his hospital attire; his leg healed but still was lazing around here until he looked at her; glaring at her. "What the hell was the notice I got this morning? From your so-called lawyer friend?" 

"Min Yoojung is her name." Inha corrected him, and took a sip of her coffee as her forehead creased. "Why? Have you done so many deeds that you can't remember it now?" 

"Listen you-" 

"Or What?" 

"You're making a mistake." He threatened, his voice like a venom and Inha felt a shudder but stood on her ground, fearlessly. "I did make a mistake of not showing your true self to the people out there who think you're a good man to be respected," She paused, with a scoff. "You're not even close to it." 

"Be glad that I didn't make your heads cancel your license or you'd be unemployed right now." 

Inha let out a humorous chuckle. "You're too cowardly to do it." She stopped to look deadly at him. "I'm not scared of you, and your deed is still saved in my phone so better be careful," She trailed off, her lips graced in a mocking smile. "Or you'll be unemployed for the rest of your life." 

He stepped forward to her. "You're so gone-" 

"Hold your mouth, Song Sae-jin." 

Both of them turned to find Jinsoo standing by the door of the backyard, with a sharp glare towards him at the position of almost attacking Inha before his eyes; Yoojung standing beside him with the same look as him as both of them walked in, until Jinsoo had grabbed Sae-jin's shoulder in a squeeze to make him back away with him standing before Inha who stood still, not surprised by his protective action but their presences. 

"I'd rather be silent if I was given a trial notice." He stated, until his lips curved in a sarcastic smile. "And that's not me." 

Sae-jin nudged his grasp with a scoff. "You stay out of it, Woo Jinsoo, go and handle your business." 

"I'm doing fine," Jinsoo nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I don't do thieving, so you should handle your business since you are in that category." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I know you're not smart but I'm too busy to explain, so use your brain for once." 

The latter scoffed until his eyes stopped at Yoojung standing beside Inha with a sharp gaze; deadly glare towards him that sent chills down his spine as he swallowed. "What was the notice you sent?" 

Yoojung blinked. "I had a doubt of you not remembering it, then let me tell you," She ran her fingers through her hair. "It's the accident you did ten years back, in October, drunk-driving and the hit-and-run case you did to the person," She stopped, clenching her jaw until she felt Inha's hand on her back for the support to say the name. "It was Min Ae-Cha, my grandmother." 

The man standing before them was adapting her words; his confused look was trying to recall one of his deeds he had done years ago to slowly remember the time of his late father becoming the politician a month before October and he remembers having a party with his high school fellows that earned him being drunk, and had him driving down the road in the morning, not being able to drive properly until he had hit someone crossing the road, and the moment he had checked the one unconscious there, he had panicked and ran away. 

His father had helped him out, clearing out the evidence, and closing the case before it could have blown up. 

His heartbeat quickened anxiously. "You… come on, there's no evidence that I did it!" 

"I have enough evidence and on that basis you have got the trial notice." Yoojung stated, and he looked around, panicking. "How….how did you get that?! Listen, whatever happened… Happened when I was a kid, okay? I… I wasn't in my right mind…" He stuttered. "I… I got scared!" 

"First you say that you didn't do it, then you say it was a mistake," Yoojung nodded. "Even if it was a mistake, you should have taken her to hospital, when she was still breathing." She took a step towards him, a wave of rage burning inside her. "You should have admitted your mistake, and apologize to her but you ran away leaving her there, and instead of teaching you a sentence, your father hid your crime from the people!" 

"It was a freaking road, and she was the one crossing my lane and it's been years to that so why are you so adamant to get me behind bars-" 

His words were cut off with a hard slap on his cheek by Yoojung; his face to the other side with a shocked state including Inha and Jinsoo but Yoojung wasn't, she had been wanting to do it the moment she had heard about his deeds but was holding back herself to not to cause trouble in the upcoming trial but this man just crossed his limits now. 

And she couldn't have it. 

"The least you could do is apologize but I don't even expect it from you." She gritted out, stepped back. "I'll just see you at the court." 

Jong Sae-jin looked at her deadly in her eyes until Jinsoo was standing in front of him with the exact same look; the latter's eyes looked at the trio with a nod. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life, and you're going to regret this!" 

The next thing he was already leaving the backyard, as the trio followed his retreating figure to find Si-woo standing by the door as Song Sae-jin walked past him as he walked in to stand by the trio. "That was quite something." 

"Yoojung." 

"I know, Jinsoo." Yoojung nodded, sighing deeply. "That was losing my cool." 

"It was cool." 

"Inha." Jinsoo looked at her and she shrugged. "Just the facts." 

"What was the deed in your phone?" Yoojung asked, looking at Inha with a look; a look of her motherly authorization to spill the beans and Inha blinked a couple of times until Yoojung turned to Si-woo. "You tell me, Si-woo." 

Si-woo couldn't help but tell her everything and Yoojung looked at Inha with her narrowed eyes. "Inha, why didn't you tell me this before?! Do you have any idea what that man can do? He can literally cancel your doctor license because of his high reach through his father! And that's exactly why I had been holding myself back from taking any dangerous step towards him other than law."

Inha sighed. "He can't do anything as long as I have the video, Yoojung." 

"You still should have been careful, goofball." 

"And you are becoming careless like her by hanging out with her!" Yoojung scolded Si-woo as he looked at Jinsoo for a saving but he just shrugged, his woman was always good at this; no risk of interruption, and Inha groaned. "Come on, stop with the lectures, I have already been lectured enough." 

"Who did that?" 

Jinsoo stared at her silently with an observation of her silence. "Is it Sehun?" 

Inha blinked at him and Yoojung stared at Inha while Si-woo looked neutral; as if he had a feeling of it before Inha huffed. "What are we going to about Gaejin?" 

"Alert." Jinsoo stated, looking at Yoojung and Inha. "We need to be careful, and alert now because knowing his predictable self, he'll do anything to stop Yoojung or get something close to her to stop the trial, or ruin the evidence." 

"He's right." Yoojung nodded. "I shouldn't have provoked him but he just happens to be a bastard." 

"Goofball, let me drop you off." Jinsoo said, and Inha shook her head. "I have to check up on the patient I operated on a moment ago plus a round in the ER and it might take some time so go ahead, I'll follow you." 

"You sure?" 

"Yes, lawyer mom."

"Call me when you reach home." 

"Okay, Jinsoo." 

Inha shook her head at her best friend's protectiveness yet blessed to have them as she watched them walking away and along with Si-woo, she had also followed him to check up on the patient. 

Jinsoo and Yoojung were already on the way to their home; they were further from the hospital but concern for Inha didn't leave their system as Jinsoo was driving the car until Yoojung found something odd; odd as in a car tailing them for a while now. 

"Someone has been following us, Jinsoo." 

Jinsoo looked through the side-mirror to groan, and instantly sped up the car a bit as the car followed suit, and he groaned lowly to immediately rounding the corner as he kept going on around the different corners of the area emerging with the other cars; and after a while, they had left the chasing car far behind them as Jinsoo had pulled over by the nearby restaurant. 

He sighed deeply; checking through the rear-view mirror to look at Yoojung. "I think we left them behind." 

Yoojung nodded; her heart calming down. "I know he'd do something like this but it'd be this soon, I didn't know." 

Jinsoo pulled her closer to him. "It's okay, we're safe." 

"But," Yoojung trailed off, her heart sinking in at the thought as she looked at Jinsoo who happened to understand her as both of them mused together. "Inha." 

Jinsoo was quick to dial her number only to groan in frustration. "It's switched off." 

Yoojung checked her phone to find Inha's message of leaving the hospital a few minutes ago. 

Meanwhile, Inha had rounded the corner to give a quick glance at her phone being charged that fell earlier to even turn on, hence, she was trying to turn it on by charging it, until she had drove into the parking lot but something felt odd, odd as if she was being followed, but since there were too many cars behind her so she couldn't tell much until she had got off the car after parking it almost further away from the elevator door. 

The moment she started walking towards it, her phone only to get a message from Yoojung about the happenings to them, and Inha felt some footfalls behind her emerging with hers as her heartbeat quickened, anxiously to immediately paced her steps until her phone rang flinching her to instantly put it against her ear. 

"Doc-lady." 

Inha felt relieved until the footsteps chased her more quickly and in her defense, Inha had her hand in a tight fist with her steps quickening. 

"You there?"

She heard Sehun again, but before she could have answered him, her shoulder was taken in a hold from behind almost turning her around but Inha was fast enough to swung a hard punch to the person with a scream as he fell off and Inha let out a huge gasp of shock; the man was attired in all black with covered face as she took some stumbling steps backwards. 

"Baek Inha!" 

Inha snapped out, gulping to answer him; shaking inside. "I punched him." 

"Who is it?! Are you okay?!" 

She began to run ahead the minute she found the man trying to stand up with a knife in his hand. "He's chasing me!" 

"Where the hell are you?!" 

"I'm in the parking lot-" 

"I'm coming and stay with me." 

Inha couldn't say anything only to run towards the door that seemed to further away from her reach, with a hope of getting safely home, until a sound of screeching car erupted nearby to watch a car coming through until it stopped a bit far from her and the next second, she found Sehun getting out of it. 

He looked around with a panic; breathing heavily until he found her and Inha saw him closing his eyes for a second to look behind her with a surprised glint, as the next minute, he had extended his hand to her, for her. 

"Come here." 

Inha felt relieved to see him but the thought of him getting hurt wasn't something she could risk, as she neared him but without taking his hand as she found a confusion on his face as she almost passed him but her hand was taken in his hold and the next thing she was pulled towards him; her arms around his neck like his around her waist with a safe hold as he leaned against the car. 

Inha's arms tightened, his tight hold around her had her feeling safe, relieved for him to be here as her face buried in his shoulder unknown to her, he had felt exactly the same, holding her shaking figure close to him and safe had him relieved from the moment he had heard her voice; panicking and scared. 

The door of the car opened, making them lean away to find Chang-Ho standing there with a surprised look but Sehun's concern was something else; her, as he had palmed her cheek gently looking at her worryingly. "Are you hurt anywhere?" 

"No, no, I punched him and Yoojung texted me and he was chasing me-" 

Inha's rambling halted when he grabbed her hand to his sight; his brows knitted unpleasantly at her reddish knuckles and his jaw clenched. "You're hurt." 

"Watch out!" 

Both of them heard Chang-Ho's scream, as he watched the man rounding to their side until Sehun had made Inha lean away gently enough to stand in front of him as he almost attacked him with the knife but Sehun was quick to kick his stomach hardly enough for him to stumble back against the thick wall as he unmasked him to find his cheek already swollen until he tried to be more brave to get Sehun but his anger self had him punched twice back; having him unconscious. 

Chang-Ho was already on his side to stop him before the situation get out of hands, while Inha stood there with a shocked face for a moment, getting reminded of the time he almost attacked Mingyu back then in his furious state as that time Inha was the one to stop him, and maybe, this time too, she had to do it as she was by his side; in front of him, holding his hand and the front of his jacket. 

"That's enough, Sehun." 

His arm was lifted up to hit him again, but the moment his enraged eyes met hers; stopping him, as her head shook. "That's enough."

He swallowed, as he looked back and forth between the almost unconscious man, and into Inha's eyes, her hand holding his firmly that he had been holding back, as he sighed, his head tilting down almost brushing her forehead while Inha stared at him behind her concerned eyes until he met her eyes; tired, his hand grasping hers on the front of his jacket but the slight wince from her lips had him look at her knuckles to immediately look at his manager. 

"Hyung, do me a favor and take care of this." 

The latter just nodded, to watch them walking away inside, still adapting to the swift situation that had happened from the moment they had gotten here; Sehun's panicked voice of hurrying home had him do it and the way he had burst out in anger, for her, and unable to be held back but he was, only from her. 

And now he could see why. 

Inha found herself in the elevator, her hand still in his gentle grasp as he stood beside her silently and she glanced at him to find him staring at nothing particular but in a trance of his thoughts; his expression seemed to be in a displease as if the thought in his head had caused it enough for his grip on their hands tightened earning Inha's glance at it with a realization of their hold; still, and warm. 

But her eyes, and heart twitched in a worry to see his knuckles bleeding because of the punches; for her, he had stepped into the danger that could have hurt him, could have indulge him in a trouble, yet he stayed firm on it, and fought for her and it pleased her as well as hurt her. 

But what hurt her more was the silence of his; him not meeting her eyes. 

Reaching the floor, he had led her to where he was going and Inha let him do it wordlessly; as if it came to her like an always thing until he had walked into his apartment, and Inha found her slippers on the doormat on the side beside his ones which he had changed into, and waited for her to do it as he stood still, not moving, not letting go.

Switching on the lights, their steps merged into the living room, until she was seated on the couch of the living room and as Inha had opened to talk, he had walked away to the kitchen, leaving her in a displease pierce of her heart as her lips puckered before her phone rang in her hand, startling her. 

It was Jinsoo. 

She was quick to put it on a speaker on the table as she knew he'd roar like a mudhead. "Yah, Baek Inha! Has your brain literally stopped working?! Why the hell haven't you been answering your damn phone? I just heard from Sehun's manager! Do you know how worried we were?!" 

Inha had her eyes closed; closed as in her ears were ringing at this point, as she sighed to listen to him again. "Have you lost your voice now?" 

"Give me a chance to speak, you airhead!" 

"You better have a good explanation." 

"My phone wasn't working till I charged it and the minute I did, I was already in the parking garage and saw your message but I couldn't reply because that man was already behind me." 

"Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" 

"Wow, finally you realized that." Inha rolled her eyes and Jinsoo scoffed as she continued. "I'm fine, I did punched him and ran for my life because he had a knife and I couldn't risk it but at that moment," She paused, as her eyes glanced at Sehun walking out of the kitchen with a cloth filled with ice as he stood by her with a blank look and Inha stared back at him. "Sehun was there, and he saved me." 

"Is he there?" 

"Yeah." Sehun answered him; his eyes were still on Inha who d