Step By Step | Sehun & Irene

1 | Life Forgotten

Ominous clouds loom over Seoul's skyline, each one framed by rays of light. The windows are shut tight and the mint-green curtains are drawn back.
"Look at her." the man named Don says in a timid voice, trying to keep it from breaking.
They stare at a woman laying down on a rigid hospital bed. She was a patient situated in Ddoldam Hospital, ward number forty-three. Her face lost all colour and the harsh hospital lights shone down on her, making her seem even paler than she already was. The woman's skin was cold and white; she looked like a living corpse.

A doctor arrives wearing a pristine coat, stethoscope hanging around the neck. The tiny name tag pinned onto his outfit says Mion, a name that was familiar to both visitors present in the enclosed space.
"I'm sorry we had to meet again like this." he says, taking out a sheet of black and white text. He looks back up at the man.
"Shall we take this outside?"

"My daughter will go. I'll stay here."
Irene sends her father a wary look, eyes narrowed. The doctor smiles at her. He had regular features, his face shape on the smaller side. Mion was an intelligent looking man, no doubt. Pretty, rather than handsome, might fit him best. He spares no time and leads her out, placing his cool hand against her back.

They reach a patented leather sofa.
Her fingers smooth down her denim dress as she takes her seat on the cushion.
"Irene, have you gone back to school yet?" Mion asks, gently setting a set of documents on his lap.
"Um, n-no, I haven't. It re-opens in two days, actually." she replies, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. She wasn't too keen on how intently the doctor was staring at her. He was too close for her liking, she was able to smell the ointment doctors use after treating a patient.

He brings out a ballpoint black pen, and starts pointing at some key features enclosed on the paper in front of him.
"Her condition is weak. We performed a check-up on her in the morning and, well, her eyes were unresponsive to light. Strangely enough, she didn't show any signs of pain or discomfort after one of the nurses gave her a pinch test," he pauses. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but she has been deemed unconscious as of now."
Irene looks back at the sleeping woman. She lay still like firewood. Not an inch of her was in motion apart from her chest. As she breathes, her rounded peaks move up and down like calm waves at sea.

Bittersweet memories come rushing in through her mind, memories of them at the seaside, walking on the shore with homemade dresses that flowed swiftly on a summer's day.
"It's gorgeous, mum. You've worked really hard on this."
The daughter smiles, eying the embroidered spangled fabric on her frock.
"I could've gotten it ready quicker if your father hadn't always been pestering me to come rub his feet!" she chuckles, "Do you think the editors'll like it?"
"Of course they will. I've never seen something like this on the runway, it's stunning!" Irene adds, pulling her mother in tight for a hug.
"Maybe this will rack up a few more bucks for us, eh?"

With thick black hair, deep brown eyes and a short nose, she was a mirror image from her daughter. Irene's mother was diagnosed with a bad case of pneumonia a few months back. She was only in her forties, but for years she's had a cough that never seemed to go away. Numerous tests and scans came home, but they all said the same thing. This woman had a slim chance of living.