❝The Symbol Of Our Bond❞

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11:13 am 

"Inha, go after him and stop the fight till I get brother Minho!" 

That was the last thing Inha had heard and watched Yoojung jogging with her quick pace towards the other side of the hallway where the staff room was situated, while Inha had ran to the opposite side, the side where Sehun had rushed away in a way that she was getting it hard to catch up to him. 

And it was a given situation indeed. 

The words of Jinsoo fighting with Kim Mingyu, the bully of the school and the boy who never fights, heck, Jinsoo never yelled in the school since he wasn't the person to do so from the beginning as he has always been a calm yet laid back person, so the news surely had gotten a lot of students attention as well as interest. 

Enough to rush out towards the place where the snack bar was located. 

The moment Inha had stopped by the destination, the sight surely was astonishing enough for her to gasp loudly with her rounded eyes, her breath still heavy by the nonstop jog of hers but that wasn't the concern at the moment, because the concern was right in front of her. 

Her best friend, Jinsoo. 

He was panting, his overall attire of his always neat uniform was now messed up, his hair disheveled, his necktie loosened over his crumbled collar with the corner of his lips bleeding, a reddish fresh scratch over the skin of his cheekbone yet there was a fierceness in his eyes directed right at the person whom he had fought with, Kim Mingyu. 

The latter was even more messed up, his nose and lips bleeding, a black faint mark appearing over his left eye along with his whole messed up outfit. 

And Inha knew one thing for sure. Jinsoo had won over him. 

The boy has been practicing boxing and martial arts since he was five but never used it for an apparent reason but guess it was and Inha had a proud smirk over her lips because she was damn proud indeed. 

However, her gaze had stopped at Sehun, his lethal gaze, and his clenched jaw was telling her that the boy was also about to throw hands on Mingyu, and she was right the moment she found his fisted hand about to fly over on his already bruised face. 

"Stop right there!" 

And Sehun's hand had stopped in the air, while Inha groaned, because, wrong timing it was since she was looking forward to this moment for hurting her best friend. 

There stood their brother, Minho, his eyes narrowed at the boys for the commotion, something he wasn't surprised to see but seeing his brother involved surely had surprised him along a look of disappointment toward Jinsoo and the latter's head had tilled down with his clenched jaw, he wasn't ashamed of what he had done because the person needed that beating for spouting about his friend but he wasn't proud either by getting caught by his brother and that too, with a disappointed look in his eyes. 

Something he never intended to do but he did it unintentionally yet intentionally. 

"Three of you in the staff room, now." 

His cold yet serious tone was enough to let the students know that the entertainment was over and they were assigned to leave but the three boys surely were going to get a long hearing from him, a warning maybe? But they were. 

Soon enough, Inha and Yoojung found themselves outside the staff room, their backs leaned against the wall with their worried faces since the two of their best friends were getting a lecture inside along with the boy who had been there before but for the former ones was the first and the girls were worried. 

Worried because Minho was angry as a teacher to their students, and worried because he was furious yet disappointed as a brother figure to Jinsoo and Sehun where they could listen to faint voices of his behind the closed door but cold enough to send chills down their spines as both of the girls locked eyes with each other. 

Hoping their friends wouldn't get a big punishment for this. 

"I'm asking for the last time, what was happening there?" 

Minho leaned back against his chair, his elbow rested on the armchair which led him to place his chin through the back of his knuckles, a position which seemed much comfortable but he wasn't, his eyes stared at the three boys standing in front of him with his serious yet almost fire of anger in his eyes. 

"Jinsoo, would you mind enlightening me about why you were bruising Mingyu's face?" 

He questioned, his eyes stopped at his brother's hung low head with his arms behind his back but he raised his face, meeting his eyes with a confident look. "Kim Mingyu approached me and started talking bad about my friends and when I tried to stop him, he attacked me then I couldn't stop." 

Sehun, who was standing beside him had his head whipped toward him with his widened eyes, a wave of warmth had crawled in his heart for Jinsoo's bravery for him but before he could have felt it like a bliss, his bruises over his skin had overtaken a wave of guilt inside as he looked down with a harsh gulp. 

Minho looked between the two of them with an observing glint in his eyes, and shook his head. "But this still isn't the way to stop anyone, Jinsoo." 

"Right? All I said was that they are hanging out with the wrong person, who bullies the other students but I got hit instead."

Kim Mingyu spoke up, and hissed the moment his bleeding lips stung to which Sehun glared at him, his friend was bruised because of him but the fault could be found in the latter too, which he was trying to throw at him and his glare was strong enough, and lethal enough to make Mingyu shudder unconsciously. 

Jinsoo scoffed to himself with a smirk afterwards. "My friend is not a bully and it's not quite a surprise to see the actual bully saying this." 

"Do you have any proof?" 

"Do you want one?" 

The three of them turned to Sehun who has been quiet most of the time but spoke up, and his tone was far from neutral which could be seen by the blazing stare toward Mingyu who had gulped, because the person in front of him knew it. 

And he also knew how to throw those proofs right on his bruised face right now. 

"Yah-" 

"Stop you two." 

Minho had interrupted before they could have extended their arguments even more, and he opened his mouth to say something but a knock on the door had gotten his attention to which it opened revealing a student, looking frightened where he got a glimpse of Inha and Yoojung peeking in but hid the moment they saw him looking at them. 

"May I say something?" 

He asked, his eyes diverting to Sehun who was eyeing him with recognition and confusion as the former was his first meet up with him which had him saving this boy from the very deserving bruised boy where the latter was still unknown with a curiosity of it. 

Jinsoo and Minho were eyeing him blank yet confused but Mingyu wasn't, he was surprised to find him here as he had taken a guess of his sudden presence here and that too, in a moment of the interrogation had his forehead dripping with nervous yet anxious sweats. 

The next second Jinsoo and Sehun had locked each other's eyes, look it was, but that was enough for them to understand, to hide a smirk on their lips as they looked down. 

Oh, Kim Mingyu was so screwed. 

Inha and Yoojung stood still on their spots, still waiting for the two boys who happen to be their friends, idiots they are but they were still their friends so couldn't really walk away from them. 

At the moment, the door opened, revealing their two exact idiotic friends who walked out of the room while Sehun was the one closing the door behind, leaving Kim Mingyu inside since Minho hadn't still given him the permission to leave, not that he was going to without any action after the revelation of his wrong doings by the student inside. 

"What did he say?" 

Yoojung questioned, a worried look plastered on her face and Sehun sighed. "He let us go with a first and last chance of getting a disciplinary action." 

Both of the girls sighed in relief and the last chance given to them would stay with the last and they would make sure of it since the boys weren't really good at it.

Sehun glanced at Jinsoo who was fixing his collar of his white shirt but got a hard punch on his shoulder which had him stumbling backwards a little, and a groan along as he looked at Sehun, surprised. 

"What was that for?!" 

"To get your idiotic mind some senses into it!" 

Sehun's voice raised a little but Yoojung was quick to nudge his back with her hand to stop since they were still standing outside the staff room and Inha was watching the scene with a laid back expression. 

"Then you should aim it towards my head." 

"I really should do it." He gritted his teeth, and Jinsoo rolled his eyes before his forefinger traced the scratch over his cheekbone with a bit of a wince from his mouth as he glanced back at the guy still glaring at him. "What?" 

"Why would you do it?" 

"What?" 

"Fighting." 

"You mean defending." 

Sehun was silent at this time, and he sighed, feeling guilty for the bruises on his face just because he was defending him only and the sight made him displease with it. "You were supposed to ignore it." 

Jinsoo tilted his head, his face hardened. "When it comes to my friends, I don't ignore it, be it their problems or defend them." 

Sehun stared at him for a moment, a pleasant feeling rushed through him at his words, enough for his eyes to soften and Jinsoo noticed it to smile afterwards as he raised his arm a bit for him. 

"Come on, help out your savior." 

Sehun shook his head but complied, and the next second Jinsoo's arm was around his shoulder. "Stubborn bastard." 

Jinsoo let out a dramatic gasp. "You should be thanking me, punk." 

"Thank your flat for being strong not to get bummed there." 

"Why are you all after my flat ?" 

"Because it's flat." 

"It's usable." 

The banter of theirs had continued as they walked in the position of being by each other's side, like they were a minute ago, like they would be even more after that without any doubt, without any change even if it was unchanged in some ways. 

But it would still stay the same. 

Inha and Yoojung had watched them walking away in their own zone of immersion but both of them had a smile of relief, a warm one to be seen as they followed suit. 

"Idiots." 

Yoojung muttered, and Inha chuckled, wounding her arm around her shoulder as they followed them to get immersed in the same way as them. 

Soon enough, the squad of four was gathered in the infirmary to treat the bruises of the bruised boy who had been claiming himself to be a macho man for a while now but his actions of wincing from time to time whenever the doctor had applied the antiseptic was saying much otherwise. 

"Where did you even get these bruises, Jinsoo?" 

The doctor asked, carefully applying the ointment on the scratch over his cheekbone which had Jinsoo till his head to the side for the doctor to get a better access of the apply where he had sat still, not until Yoojung had spoken behind him. 

"He likes to be a macho man." 

"What? I didn't know Jinsoo could fight." 

Jinsoo closed his eyes with a huff. "I suddenly feel insulted." 

He had been taught martial arts and boxing since he was young but never used it, and given his calm personality, he surely had given a vibe of Saint which he really wasn't with a vibe of can't fight when the strength was living in his body literally didn't sit well with him. 

"The scratch isn't deep so it won't leave a scar, right?" 

Inha was standing beside the doctor with her focused eyes on her task which also included her interest toward it and Sehun was alerted as well, where Inha's question surely had jolted him up with a sudden anxiousness. 

The doctor smiled softly at Inha; one of them was her worry for her friend and other was her interest towards the task which showed her only interest in the field of it, something Inha had already discussed about it with her. 

"You're right, it's not deep so it won't leave a scar." 

Jinsoo, Yoojung and Sehun sighed in unison. 

Inha squinted her eyes at him. "Couldn't tell you were that worried." 

Jinsoo rolled his eyes. "I'm good at smiling." 

"And getting defensive too." 

He could feel the strong glare of Yoojung on the back of his head and Sehun couldn't agree more though he was thankful too but furious at the same time to just punch the hell out of Kim Mingyu right now. 

"Okay," Inha sighed, "I'm going to get the snacks you left in the bar." 

The next moment the trio saw her walking out of the room as they got busy in their banter again while Inha had descended the stairs down the first floor towards the hallway but her steps halted by getting a glimpse of the person she really wasn't in the mood to even glance at right now. 

Kim Mingyu was walking towards her direction from the staff room, maybe walking outside to the field and the way his face was fuming with anger had directed one thing: he had definitely got the disciplinary action which were by his own actions. 

Deserved. 

However, his steps halted just a few steps away from Inha, his eyes glaring at her which didn't scare her away as she was standing still, rooted on her spot, undaunted. 

"This is all because of that nosy friend of yours." 

He spat, his eyes still glaring and Inha crossed her arms to her chest, her fingers drumming over her elbow without her realizing but her eyes stared at him with one emotion. 

Bored. 

Her lips parted. "I was right about you getting one more punch." 

Mingyu stared at her incredulously. "Are you trying to get on my bad side?" 

"Have you ever had a good side?" Inha let out a humorous chuckle. "Such a cute delusion." 

"Yah." He stepped forward, his arm raising up to his usual instinct but Inha didn't flinch, and her forehead creased. "Are you going to punch me here? In the hallway? After getting the disciplinary action? If you are so confident then go ahead." 

"Don't test my patience." 

"Try me." 

She tilted her head, a smug smirk on her lips and Mingyu was fuming again but Inha wasn't afraid even an ounce because she was trained by her father with much diligence and determination so she wouldn't back away; she couldn't. 

The next second, she heard some paced up steps behind her with Mingyu's eyes looking behind her but before Inha could have done it, a hand had grabbed her waist in a way she was pulled backwards making her yelp and it happened faster than her own vision could have adapted, so before she knew it, she was standing behind a tall broad-shouldered figure, familiar enough for her to recognize. 

Oh Sehun. 

His hand was holding Mingyu's fisted hand, she couldn't see his expression but easily could imagine the anger on his face because she had felt it during the moment Jinsoo had defended him enough to get bruised for him and he was feeling guilty but furious more at Mingyu and himself for getting Jinsoo involve in the matter. 

"Stay away from her." 

His voice was anything but calm, and Inha's heart thud with a beat of nervousness yet anxiousness of the outcome as she immediately held his shoulder to stop him from speaking more but freaking Mingyu had to in again. 

"Really? I don't think I can after her boldness." 

His head tilted, a glance over Sehun's shoulder directed to Inha with a smirk to which she gave him a hard glare in return which had him chuckle. "See? So bold, so much that I-" 

His words were cut off by Sehun pushing him backwards with a jerk as he stumbled back and he was about to launch on him but Inha was quick to hold his arm as she stood in front of him, her other hand was clutching the lapel of his coat, as she looked at him. "No." 

They were standing close enough that her head was just below his chin and his head tilted down toward her, his eyes still blazing with anger along with his fisted hands by his sides as he was ready to beat the hell out of him for hurting Jinsoo and for spouting nonsense about her. 

Inha bored her eyes into his blazing ones and her head shook with an assertion. "Don't do it." 

His jaw clenched, and a few more seconds or minutes of their bored gaze, he took a deep breath before his shoulders slouched down, and Inha let out a sigh of relief because fight was the last thing she wanted for him since he had just got a warning of disciplinary action where she couldn't care about her since she knew Mingyu did not had guts to even scratch her a nail of her finger because she would have done it for him. 

Sehun locked eyes with Mingyu, his frown deepened along with his lethal glare toward him. "Don't you dare get near her or any of my friends again or this would be the last time I'm letting you off, Kim Mingyu." 

Sehun didn't even wait for his another not so brilliant nonsense as he had slipped his hand into Inha's hand unconsciously who was unable to react at the moment as she was practically dragged away with him from the scene leaving the deserving bruised guy standing there alone, watching the pair's back disappearing to the upstairs side. 

But something hit him somewhere right there? Guilt. 

As soon as they had ascended the half steps of the stairs which had given a pause by a floor, Sehun stopped and immediately brought Inha in front of him where her back had leaned against the wall behind and Sehun towering her figure. 

Their hands still entwined which was yet to be realized but not right now. 

"What do you think you were doing?" 

Sehun voiced out, his tone calm but serious as if he wasn't able to raise his tone in front of her, especially not at her. 

Inha frowned. "What was I doing?" 

"You were literally inviting him to hit you, Baek Inha." He stated, his mind still recalling the moment he had seen Mingyu's hand almost colliding her face which was enough to make him angry but he still couldn't beat the hell out of him because Inha had stopped him. "Why were you even talking to him in the first place? Did he say something to you? Or threaten you?" 

"No, he didn't." Inha huffed. "Not that I would let him." 

"But you were ready to get punched by him." 

"He didn't have enough guts to do it." 

"But you surely had enough to challenge him!" 

Inha narrowed her eyes. "What are you even angry about?!" 

"Why couldn't you just ignore him? You know what kind of guy he is, right? He fought Jinsoo and now he was after you because you couldn't keep your mouth shut in front of him-" 

A hard kick on his shin and a yelp from his lips but both deeds were done by Baek Inha. 

Inha glared with a blazing stare at him for a moment. "Forget it, bastard." 

And she had walked away, her hand from his grasp being detached in a way which left them with a strange kind of displease but were too focused on the moment right now to notice it and maybe it was for another time to notice it and it would. 

Sehun stood there with a shocked state, not because he was surprised by her deeds but the swearing of her directed at him, and the word she'd find it hard to utter had left her lips for him and he knew it. 

He was down for bad. 

She was angry with him. 

He sighed, deeply and ran his fingers through his hair with frustration, angry at himself for getting the anger the best of him when he should be calm, collected right now after the fight drama, after the staff room drama and now the hallway drama. 

But he wasn't able to because watching his friends fighting for him had given him the equal pleasure but it also came with a guilt of getting them involved too, he didn't want it. 

And seeing Inha there being almost getting hit had evoked a wave of rage in him so he couldn't stop but he did only by her. 

But he had hurt her too and he had to make up for it. 

Knowing it was not a easy task had him sigh deeply. 

Like he had expected, he was having a hard time getting her gaze to meet his eyes even for a bit and whenever Inha did, her eyes screamed anger toward him or to be more precise; upset at him. 

It was 4 in the evening and school was almost over and because of the festival's preparation, the last class was not happening today which surely gave an excitement to the students as the free period so they had more time to prepare. 

Yeah, it was another thing that school being over was another kind of excitement. 

Tension. 

There was a keen tension between Inha and Sehun.

Jinsoo and Yoojung could see it and feel it very intensely as well, so both of them had asked Inha about it but she was too upset to even blurt anything so their last option was to ask Sehun and he had elaborated whatever happened there. Both of them had reacted with a sigh, a sigh of dejection, a sigh of an expression saying you have to do a lot to make it up to her, a sigh of you have screwed up and Sehun was familiar with all of it. 

In fact, living in all of it right now. 

And the example was right at the moment, when Inha had packed her bag while getting up from her seat as she had no pending work left to be in school so might as well study a bit in the library while Yoojung was going to help out Jinsoo with the preparation of the festival since both of them were taking a part in it which left Sehun with nothing in his hands. 

But he had one thing which was to make it up to her; to apologize to Inha. 

As so Sehun had also gotten up, fast enough to come in front of her which had Inha to stop with a startle to look into his eyes with a narrowed look, and he blinked, gulped unconsciously afterwards because she was really upset as if not even in the mood for a conversation with him. 

That was proved when she had stepped forward enough for him to take a step back in reflex, and one clutch on the lapel of his coat, she had made him shove aside, her figure still towered by him but her eyes were sharp enough to bore into his, and then she walked away. 

Sehun had left a deep breath which he didn't know he was holding in as he glanced at the door where her figure just walked out to look back at his friends with a sigh which had them mirror his expression too. 

The girl was stubborn, he knew it and he was living it right now but he wouldn't stop because he still remembers how she had apologized to him so he was going to the same since he couldn't afford to make her upset anymore; he couldn't. 

So he was definitely going to deal with this stubborn, daring Baek Inha. 

It was 7 in the evening, the evening which had soon greeted the dusk overtaking the blueish sky but the visage of the school building was still lit up, not because there was any study session but opposite, the theater hall could be seen with the students who were having a practice session of their dance and singing to present in the festival and the music inside had boomed throughout the hallways around but at this moment, teachers couldn't care less about it so the enjoyment of this festival would be an understatement. 

Inha was walking down the outdoor field of the school towards the gate but alone. 

Yoojung and Jinsoo were still in the school which they would leave in a moment or so but Inha was getting impatient by doing nothing but just waiting, so both of her friends had suggested for her to go home where Inha had agreed while her mind was ticking on the other thing. 

She hadn't seen Sehun from the time she had left for the library, he wasn't with Yoojung or Jinsoo nor even in the swimming pool side which was informed by Minho himself so her mind was crossing if she had overreacted by her reaction of anger towards him. 

Sure it was true that she was angry but more than that, she was upset at him. 

He wasn't listening to her; he kept his guilt above everything and whatever happened to Jinsoo or whatever happened with her challenging Mingyu which was wrong in her part, given the character of him but she was Baek Inha for a reason, she wasn't easy to back out from something she had been confronted into and so she being herself had challenged him enough which could have been dangerous. 

If she thinks about it, maybe Sehun was right by getting herself involved with him but she was still upset at him because as a friend, she was just looking out for him but his words had upset her. 

By this time, Inha was already crossing the gate with a quick bow to the guard without any smile this time as her mood was off, too off that she had begun to rant it out loud. 

"He always lectures me about everything! Fine, I did get myself in trouble so what? This is me. I always get in trouble and you're Mr. Righteous so be it! Jerk, I was taking your side as a friend but you'd always be a jerk!" 

She was huffing at this point but her steps didn't halt nor her gaze went to the familiar bike that was parked by a little further away from the gate and a boy was leaning against it, the boy she had been ranting about all this time was right there, listening to her rant with much amusement. 

Sehun had tilted his head down with a chuckle, her rants were too extreme to be called innocent yet it were innocent in her way and the way it was, it didn't hurt him; in fact it did the much opposite of it. 

He was intrigued, and interested to listen to more of it. 

Yeah, only Baek Inha had that power. 

Inha had looked up and halted her steps, her eyes widened momentarily as they found the only person she was thinking about, ranting about and unknowingly looking for before her expression turned neutral; or say poker one before she had walking, almost walking past his leaned figure on his giant like bike which was twice her size. 

A hand of gentle grasp on her wrist and she stopped, it made her steps halted but it was another thing that she couldn't just walk away from him like that, the grasp of his slightly turned her around so she was facing him now. 

His head tilted, his eyes staring at her with a pleading look. "Are you really going to stretch this out?" 

"Is this your way of apologizing?" 

Inha asked, staring back at him and noticing his change of clothes from his uniform to his always casual wear while her wrist was still in his grasp, not even trying to pull it off because that was not the concern at the moment. 

It was never going to be. 

"I have one way but I have to take you with me for it." He stated, his eyes gentle toward her and Inha raised her eyebrows. "Where?" 

"Somewhere we can talk and it's not here."

He looked around at some students walking out of the school as the place indeed wasn't comfortable to have a talk, and Inha stared at him for a moment, not that she didn't trust him because she does; it came to her like an always thing inside her. 

"Fine, but be quick, I have to study too."

"Just how much do you study?" 

"The much you don't." 

Sehun rolled his eyes. "Damn straight." 

Inha hid her smile curling her lips before she was pulled again by him, yeah they were playing a pull and push game today before Sehun had stopped her by the backseat of the bike to place the spare helmet in her hands. 

"Get on." 

"Have you finally lost it, Oh Sehun?" 

Sehun frowned. "What now?" 

"Your mind really doesn't work when it comes to common sense." 

"As in?" 

"As in, I'm wearing a freaking skirt and you want me to get on a bike for what? To be a superwoman on the ride? Boys seriously!" 

"You really do have lots to worry about. Girls seriously!" 

Both of them went silent, only the sharp eyes of their intense locked gaze was speaking between them. 

They wanted to sort this out. 

Both of them wanted to apologize and talk but the banter of theirs didn't make it easier for them to do so which was like a normal thing becoming for them. 

And there goes their talk and apology in the fuel tank of his bike. 

"You've got your coat, tie it around your waist and we're good." 

Sehun pointed at her coat with a knowing look and Inha could see the proud smirk curling his lips which she so wanted to wipe it off at the moment but couldn't since he was right. 

Smart jerk. 

"You know you're not so gentle like your appearance." She taunted, taking off her unif