❝One Step Closer❞

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1:04 pm

Chaos. 

The standing man taking the attention of almost every person in the place could feel it from the moment the flashlights of the camera had begun to take his shots for the advertisement he had signed up for yet his mind was blank to his surroundings; lost to be said because a certain chaos was happening inside his head. 

He lifted his hand up to his mouth to flash the wristwatch around his wrist; the one that needed to be advertised as he felt the constant flashes of lights on him but in his lost mind, he couldn't make out his professional self out at the moment, something first for him, and everyone around him as no matter what, or how the situation is, he would always give his best in his profession so this was baffling to be crew around him except one person; Kim Chang-Ho. 

"Sehun," 

And after a few seconds of his lost self, he glanced at the photographer confusingly who gave him a soft smile. "Let's take a break, shall we?" 

Sehun could guess the reason behind it, and he felt bad for making him work too hard only because of his own circumstances yet he felt relieved because at the moment, he didn't feel like working as he nodded and walked to his chair as the next minute, he had plopped on it with his eyes closing behind a deep sigh of exhaustion. 

"Are you alright?" 

He heard his manager but didn't utter anything as he looked at him with an expression of something the latter had understood well enough. "No, we haven't got anything yet." 

Sehun's jaw clenched with frustration to ruffle his hair that fell right on his forehead with a mess; like he was, like his heart, and mind had been as his mind couldn't be functioned from the time he has been back from Spain; two days it had been since that moment had happened, the moment that left his heart in a blissful flutter, and a shock of something he had a desire of doing but it came to him from the one who had been showing her actions unconsciously; and he couldn't hold himself back but to reciprocate. 

Not when her eyes were looking at him like that, like an intensity of depth for him. 

He could still feel the sensation of her warmth against him; the emotions he had felt of his rapid heartbeat in a nervous manner, the way her hold was onto him, close and pleasant. 

His heart was in a bliss of emotions. 

But in those two days he had been unable to contact the only person he had been needing to see, and want, all because of the circumstances had followed right after his blissful moments, the one he always overthink of, the one he always deals with frequently yet this time, he was unable to do so; because the circumstance didn't involve him alone but someone who has become too precious in his life, and heart to be act on carelessly. 

Baek Inha. 

Funny that he could act carelessly with his own self but not her; never her. 

Yet, his heart was in a pang of pain for not listening to her voice, let alone look at her for not pulling her into the trouble that has fallen over from the night they were back from Spain, he still remembers the happening of their moment which made them cross that one, and possibly risky step towards each other with her not meeting his eyes after it, that he could understand since he also had to adapt to the happenings that happened. 

However, her actions of avoiding him, and being silent around him to the point of not meeting his eyes was testing his patience but he gave her the space she needed, and the moment he decided to confront her after landing back, he was greeted with something that evoked a fear. 

A fear of not being able to keep her safe. 

"Hey, you good there?" 

He snapped out after a few seconds to look at the photographer and he nodded, as he immediately got in his professionalism; he had to do it. 

In the midst of the chaos happening, the known face of the town had walked in the studio in her costume; Lee Ah-Young, she was shooting for another movie on the set that was just a few walks from this studio and knowing her friend was here, she had come to watch his shoot as the crew had greeted her with some gasps and smiles that she reciprocated until she was seated beside Chang-Ho who was watching Sehun's shoot with a concerned look and his obvious look, along with Sehun's almost lost expression had her confused. 

"What's wrong with him?" 

Chang-Ho sighed. "Everything." 

Ah-Young gave him a look. "Can you elaborate, please?" 

"Sehun and Dr. Baek's pictures were sent to the Ceo together in Spain." 

Ah-Young's heart jumped; her eyes widened. "What?" She blinked a couple of times. "Wasn't he on leave without disclosing any schedules until his time-off, then who in the world would anyone know about it and why, Inha?" 

The latter shrugged. "It was just them in the pictures." 

"No wonder he's lost like that, he must be worried." 

"I'm glad he's not angry like that night." 

"What night?" 

"The night he was back straight to meet the Ceo, in fact, barged into his office like a madman." 

Ah-Young's forehead creased. "He did that?" 

"He did so much more than that."

Now that took Ah-Young's attention more as she knew that Sehun was like a calm sticking bomb unable to tell when he'll explode because he didn't when things were not so great about him, as he had handled his situation rather calmly and smartly but seeing Chang-Ho's expression had her curious. 

The man still remembers the moment he had walked in the building; looking tired as he had arrived directly from the airport, but in rage, even he was left silent for a moment there and before his silence had parted with words, the latter was already striding towards the Ceo's office in a way that Chang-Ho had to jog a little bit as the next thing he was watching Sehun throwing his phone on the table towards the old man sitting on the swivel chair. 

The open screen displayed the pictures that the very old man had sent to him a moment ago after his arrival in Spain; the ones where the two people were having fun on a vacation but to the others, it seemed otherwise to be pried enough. 

And Sehun had had enough of his antics. 

The old man didn't seem to be fazed about it, but Chang-Ho could see the flinch in his eyes at the anger Sehun had showed him for the first time in a while; but being cool about it, he had detailed him about him being unaware of it as well as it was the long termed journalist he had a fiasco with years ago had been challenging him to pull him down by attacking his artists, and Sehun, indeed was the best one in it and seeing him in Spain with a woman was a good chance of bringing him down so he went for it. 

But the latter showed no mercy to his words to warn him; the warning that left the old man in stress as well. 

"Either you deal with your fiasco quickly or I do it my way." 

He saw a fierceness in his eyes; firmed about his every word and it was the same rage he had seen that night of fighting the man while protecting the woman, the same woman he was protecting right now and maybe, it was not just a woman or friend to him, but much more than it; more than he had come to believe. 

The next thing he had found him leaving his office with a nervous old man behind, as he had seen him calling someone.

"Kim Mingyu, do me a favor." 

"And now he's in this state." 

"Man, he really has a temper." 

Ah-Young couldn't help but agree after the explanation of a flashback she heard just now; and she could understand by his perspective of being protective towards his loved ones and Inha was more than it, she resides somewhere where he'd go to every extent of protecting her; and being a public figure, she could sense the concern of him towards Inha. 

"And that's it!"

They heard the photographer wrapping up the shoot with some praises towards Sehun who gave him a polite nod after he handed the watch back to the staff to find himself walking back to his chair to find Ah-Young seated there as she waved at him, making him give her a nod back. 

"So, what did Kim Mingyu say?" 

Sehun heard her and immediately looked at his manager with a frown who instantly excused himself to get him his coffee to feel Ah-Young's curious look toward him. "Come on, what did that journalist friend of yours say?" 

"You know his name." 

"So?" 

"So, what's with the attitude?" 

Ah-Young rolled her eyes. "We're not that close." 

"Yet you made a house in his car with payment grab and called him douchebag." Sehun nodded, and Ah-Young went silent for a moment to scoff. "So, he called me names too, and he needed that, plus we had sorted it out." 

"Just that?" Sehun couldn't help but ask, and she rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're trying to apply here but it's just that, and now tell me, what did you get?" 

Sehun let out a sigh. "That old hag has something to do with that bastard journalist from years ago and Mingyu told me that our articles of almost scandals were written by him but when he didn't get anything from me, he found Inha to target and now he wants to threaten him with those pictures to make him do what he wants," He trailed off, rubbing his face with another deep sigh. "I don't care about me but I can't let Inha go through something she has nothing to do with." 

"You don't have anything to do with this either, Sehun, and it's the company's fault, not yours so if you're trying to find a way out of it, do it for both of you." 

"It's either that old hag finds a way to end this, or I go for a lawsuit against him." He stated, affirmed about his words. "Because I can't risk Inha's life with all of this." 

"Do your friends know about it?" 

He nodded. "Yoojung gave me the suggestion for the lawsuit if things don't go smoothly." 

"And have you talked to Inha?" 

He went silent and Ah-Young gave him a confused look. "She doesn't know? Seriously, why?" 

"We don't want to overstress her about it, even Jinsoo and Yoojung think that." 

"It's about her, she needs to know about it." 

Sehun shook his head. "You don't know her the way I do, Ah-Young," He trailed off, as his hand lifted for the gesture to explain. "She has a knack for over-thinking things even after pretending to be alright with it, she would stress over it overnight." 

Her forehead creased. "Like you?" 

Sehun paused, and pressed his lips to nod. "Yeah, like me." He his lips. "So I want to do this silently and I will tell her when it's sorted out. I know it's not a good way to do it but I can't bring myself to tell her and worry her." 

She couldn't help but smile. "Aren't you so in love with her?" 

He felt his ears warming yet he gave her a look. "Thank you but it wasn't needed right now." 

"I know," She paused, with a sigh. "But you, not talking to her just because you fear it might put her in a worry or any danger is your point, but Inha might think something else."

"Women prefer it when men share their worries and problems with them so they could believe their relationship is based on a sharing and trusting bond, so do think about it." 

He couldn't help but ponder over it; his heart sank in an anxious manner of losing the only thing he had yet to have in his life, the fear of losing her again, the words of his depth not being able to be uttered again. 

He couldn't help but worry, aware yet unaware of that person fighting her own thoughts like his mind had been. 

_____________________________

4:12 pm 

Noise. 

The building of the hospital was filled with the usual, but understandable noises of people in it as that's how this place had been built up for; and among the noise of people filled with hustle and bustle, the particular woman had found her place to calm the chaos of her mind; the thoughts that beamed so many things in it. 

Inha had her paper cup of coffee hold in her hand, while seated on the bench of the backyard like usual for her alone time or her break time from her duty that had followed the next morning after arriving back from Spain the night before two days ago; and those two days were filled with lots of her over thinking and different emotions. 

The emotions that had a mixture of confusion, complaints, fear, and anxiousness. 

The confusion of what outcome is going to follow? The confusion of the silence of his side from the two days after that one moment they had shared, the one which she was afraid of doing something out of her desire but her heart had followed her pace towards him from the moment he had entered back into her life as if it was always for him and indeed, it was, because the past few days, and those beautiful moments with him in that foreign place had her realized how homely he was to her; how her heart still had him in her depth even after years. 

The depth that was lost in her heart was found back by him; as if it was his place to do so.

She could still remember the time she had let go of him and had watched his back retreating with a distance of never coming back; that last phone call of their goodbye, that how hard it was to do it, and watch it with a piercing pain in her heart that it took days, or God knows months to pull herself together but then, he had walked in her life again and stirred that buried depth of hers for him, and her heart couldn't be stopped from loving him again that followed the desire of embracing him that time of dawn. 

His warmth was still being felt through her; how he had held her so close, how she had initiated it and how he had reciprocated it. 

However, the second her senses had rushed back into her head, she couldn't meet his eyes, let alone avoid him because of that one fear of her delusional hope of his reciprocation, nervous for it to the extent of avoiding meeting the squad together in the hangout place by excuse for her two nights of her night duty as she wasn't ready to meet his eyes yet, incase of her high hopes being crushed by her only expectations and half of her heart was already on the verge of having it since she hadn't heard a single thing from him. 

He hadn't been coming back home as she had seen some messages on the group chat where both of them couldn't even converse like usual, their norm of annoying each other, and she was afraid that this action of hers might change it; the one she had always been afraid of doing and she might had done it already. 

And it hurt again with anger too. 

Her eyes glared at her phone screen for not seeing anything from him as her grip tightened on her cup. "How dare he not text or call me?" 

"No," She paused, as realization hit her, making her whine as her head tilted down. "I was the one who did it," She let out a gasp. "I didn't even ask for his consent!" 

"Oh God, has he been right about my wild mind?!" She whisper-yelled, and looked at the phone screen that was displaying her face on the black screen. "I should stop drinking now," She took a pause with a confused frown. "But he kissed me back."

Inha's forefinger traced her lips softly with a trance. "But how was he so experienced?" 

And the moment of that pleasant moment had crossed her mind, sending a heat to her chest to her cheeks, making her eyes close with a groan. "I'm not supposed to be thinking about this!" 

Because her mind was roaring about the outcome; over thinking about his silence, and not hearing anything from him had her think if he was regretting whatever happened, or if there was another reason and like usual he wasn't telling her till she asks but that's what had hurt her again. 

Because things were going in the same circle again that made them unable to take a step forward to each other yet again. 

"What are you doing?"

Inha flinched, and glanced at the voice to find Si-woo standing by her with a confused look and she sighed. "Spending alone time with myself."

"But you can go home though." 

"You sure don't want to see my face anymore now that you have got a girlfriend for yourself." 

Inha stated, with a squinted look toward him only to have her forehead crease in amusement to find him blushing over it as Si-woo took a seat next to her. "Seriously, you're blushing, sunbae." 

It was evident, as the time of his date with Soo-min has been going more than great for him, and Inha had told him before about her being her batchmate from high school that made her guarantee that she was a good person, and would make a good life partner for him where Si-woo couldn't help but agree to it as after a few dates with her had them close enough, given Soo-min's extroverted nature was more of a outspoken but mature person that gave a balance to his personality so things were going good for them. 

"I was talking about your lost self, Dr. Baek." 

Inha frowned, taking a sip of coffee. "It's just night duties that have tired me."

"They do," He trailed off, nodding. "But this time you look more drained than before, that's why I suggested for you to take a leave and meet up with your friends and have a talk with Sehun." 

"What?!" 

Si-woo flinched. "Why are you so worked up?" 

"What do you know?" She asked, with a panicking look and he shrugged. "Aren't you both fighting again so I thought for you two to sort it out." 

Of course; they always fight. 

Inha sighed. "It's different." 

"Whatever the difference is in your fight is, you both should talk it out because stretching and avoiding each other would just make things worse and I don't want to see that old Inha again." 

"Old me?" 

He nodded with a smile. "You had kind of drowned yourself too much in your doctor self than the Inha you have been," He trailed off, sighing. "But I found that smile that you used to have in your teenage days when Sehun was back," He paused, and glanced at Inha to find a surprised look on her face as he chuckled. "He had made your lost self back into your life, the Inha you always had been and I have got used to it so don't change it, and sort out your differences, so you don't lose each other again." 

Inha had heard him all and attentive; his every word had an impact, and she could agree to that point of finding her lost self back, the one where she was confident about herself; her nature, and it was all because Sehun had helped her find it back and Si-woo probably was right about sorting it out. 

As no matter how much she thinks; avoid, at one point, she has to face it all. 

______________________________

8:06 pm

Silence. 

The neighborhood that had an echo of laughter or faint conversations was silent after that circumstance had fallen upon the two beings wanting to reach out to each other yet weren't, and the two close ones of theirs had a concern for them. 

"Like you told me to hire a lawyer for you," Yoojung's voice erupted after hanging up the call to glance at Sehun seated across from her on the dining table. "I have called the one who can help you out, and surely win your case against the journalist but do know that it might involve you and your agency and that journalist's agency as well." 

Sehun nodded; his hand playing with his car keys on the table. "I know and I'm prepared for it, and even if that old hag isn't, I'd have to make him or else this won't end here." 

"But I'm still feeling guilty for not telling Inha about this." 

Both of them glanced at Jinsoo seated on the head-chair as he glanced at them. "I mean, I understand that she over thinks things but it's about her." 

"We're taking care of it so she won't have to worry unnecessarily." Yoojung stated, though she felt guilty for keeping it away from her, as her safety came first in her mind, and Jinsoo nodded. "I guess." 

"He will prepare the papers and will send them tomorrow morning." 

Sehun frowned. "Can't it be quicker like tonight?" 

He wanted this matter to end as soon as possible because he couldn't delay more time for his confrontation with her; his confession and it couldn't happen when this matter hasn't ended yet, as he couldn't look in her eyes because it just makes him say everything without his will. 

She always makes it happen. 

"Aren't you going to hide now?"

He heard Jinsoo and gave him a confused frown. "What?" 

"Inha's coming in a few." 

His eyes rounded. "Wasn't she on her night duty?" 

"Done with it and now she's coming here since she couldn't meet us after the trip." Jinsoo emphasized, his forehead creased as he found Sehun looking away avoiding his eyes as if avoiding the conversation about the trip which he had gotten the whiff of it since besides him and Yoojung, none of the pair had talked about it as his mind was making up stories on his own with a affirmed doubt and his eyes squinted. "Did something happen on the trip?" 

Sehun's actions of playing with the keys halted to glance at his best friend who had his eyes squinted towards him like an investigator as he blinked a couple of times. "I don't get you." 

Yoojung leaned back with her crossed arms to analyze what the males have been trying to do. 

Jinsoo nodded. "Are you avoiding Inha just because of this incident or something has happened between you two on the trip?" 

Yoojung's eyes focused on the topic more and Sehun opened his mouth only to be silenced by Jinsoo again. "Don't give me that bull about nothing happened and this is the only reason," He trailed off, pointing at him. "I'm both of your buddies, and I have been seeing you both avoiding each other from the morning you both were back from that club." 

Ask more for a good buddy and here he is; little prick. 

Sehun avoided his judgy eyes for a moment to sigh deeply knowing he wouldn't let go of it to look at him as he his lips while scratching his nape to look away with a mumble. "We kissed." 

"You both what?!" 

Yoojung shouted, standing up with her almost poking eyeballs out of her eyes towards Sehun who had palmed his face with a flushed, and blushing feeling to peek at her to find her still in a shock as he waved at her. "Sit down, Yoo, don't make me feel awkward." 

"Awkward? You kissed Inha-" 

"She kissed me and I kissed her back." 

He corrected, though he could still feel the giddiness about it and Yoojung plopped down with a shock again, because as far as she knows Inha, she wouldn't have done it in her sane mind as knowing about her feelings for him, and that came with a fear too but now it's been done, what was the outcome of it now? 

"You actually went for it." 

She heard Jinsoo mumbling to find him looking at Sehun with a shocked face but it turned into a proud one as he leaned forward. "I told you to do something and you actually did it, you bastard!" 

Sehun rolled his eyes. "Oh, quit it." 

Jinsoo's forehead creased. "Was it good?" 

Sehun gave him a done look with a blush creeping him through the warmth as he couldn't help but chuckle to look away with a nod to hear his snicker making him smile. 

"Is that a funny situation to you?" Yoojung frowned. "And, you told him to do what?" 

Jinsoo blinked. "I just told him to do something like confessing or kissing like I was so frustrated with their tension and to hurry up because I didn't want him to go through the same thing that happened nine years ago." 

Sehun's heart thud, and Jinsoo halted the moment he realized his words as Yoojung was looking at them blankly. "What are you both talking about?" 

And Yoojung had got to know everything; the conversation of theirs from nine years ago, Sehun's confession to him of him being in love with Inha, and how he still is in love with her and how circumstances had made him say nothing but to be silent about it. Yoojung was in a shock, and blank about this because she was unaware of this fact yet Jinsoo was and how Inha's circumstances had her stay silent too; but only one thing was coming to her mind was that both of them had been going through this pain alone but together. 

"This is so frustrating." 

She mused, and Sehun bit his lip as he ran his fingers through his hair softly to stand up. "I'll be going home, so tell me whenever the call comes, Yoo."

Yoojung could just nod as she had been still processing this new fact to watch him exiting the front door and she immediately looked at Jinsoo. "Why didn't you tell me this?" 

Jinsoo pressed his lips together. "He didn't want me to."

"Why are they both like this?" Yoojung let out a tired sigh as she closed her eyes; remembering the time of Inha's cries in her embrace while letting go of Sehun at the airport as she couldn't help but tear up. "We watched Inha going through the same thing as Sehun, both of them looking after each other but still chose to stay silent when it came to their love? What were they trying to do? And what were we doing for them? I couldn't even stop Inha when she chose to stay silent instead of telling him her feelings!"

"What feelings?" 

Both of them flinched to find Sehun standing on the front door who had come to take his forgotten keys on the table but now was standing numb by the sudden revelation as he took a few steps toward them with an anxious feeling as a shaky breath left his lips. "What feelings, Yoojung?" 

And he had come to know the biggest unknown fact of his life; shattering him right there. 

________________________________

9:04 pm 

Inha's steps forwarded through the neighborhood of theirs; as giving it a thought, she was on her way to face her fear, and confront the person she hadn't been doing since two days, or say from years ago but like she had thought, at one point she has to confront him and knowing about him being here had her nervous, and anxious to meet his eyes again. 

Unaware that the exact person had been walking down the same street to cross the path but the path was the same to end it, or begin from it like theirs; like their beginning but would it end right here? 

They had yet to be known. 

And he was aware of her presence the moment he had looked ahead from his shattered lost self to find her not so far away from him; slowly coming to him unaware of his presence, like she had walked in his life slowly and she was doing it again and after looking at her he had realized how he had passed those two days without seeing her in his sight with a unpleasant sink in his heart. 

He missed her; and he couldn't even tell how much? Because the pain was the same as nine years ago when he had to miss her in every second of his life but couldn't do anything yet these two days had done much worse than it. 

And his steps halted the moment she had lifted her head to look at him; her eyes slightly widening at his presence as she stopped to stare at him like he was staring back at her; the lamppost light was the only light in the street yet they could distinguish every feature of each other. 

Their eyes boring intently but so much behind it; a flashback of so many moments, a pain of unknown but known, a guilt, and regret. 

Inha stood still but he had begun to walk to her like he walked in her life again; his eyes not averting away nor she did until he was standing in front of her to the one whom she had been looking at after two days of disappearance; her fingers fiddled as his eyes continued to look at her silently without looking away but she could see it; there was something glinting behind them. 

Sorrow and hurt and it sent a pierce into her heart. 

A second passed, and Inha felt his hand palming her cheek between her jawline with a gentle hold as his thumb caressed her skin softly that she felt the warmth through it; and soothed her as she leaned into his touch with her eyes staring into his silently with a confusion of his expression changing into a painful one; his eyes moistened and her heartbeat quickened anxiously but who would tell her that her long hidden pain was known by him now? 

How his heart pierced after listening about her pain of letting him go; how he almost cried after knowing her words of depth were left unspoken and how guilty he was feeling for not understanding the only person he had thought he understood the most? How can she be so strong and stand in front of him pretending like she didn't go through all that? 

Does he even deserve her?

"Sehun." 

And his eyes closed with a sigh that left shakily after hearing her voice as the next second, Inha felt him withdrawing his touch leaving her with a void as she swallowed, looking down as tears filled in her eyes where she attempted to walk