XI.

Wendy’s mouth hung open. Not even a minute to let her speak her mind, retort, ask some questions and hear some explanations in return. But nothing. Nothing but a sullen dial tone that suddenly offended her.

“Wendy?”

“Yes?”

“You’re fired.”

Done. Like a sharp arrow struck straight through her heart. Was Cupid this cruel? It must be a joke, right? This whole thing must be a dream. No… a nightmare. Nightmare. Definitely.

Nightmares started out as wonderful dreams, right? Ms. Bae being so considerate, thoughtful of Wendy. Helping out with the work, inviting her over for dinner, plus the things that had happened in Korea. Then the kiss. A kiss so sweet, so perfect, so right. Wendy had thought Ms. Bae was opening up, was letting Wendy in, but…

“You’re fired.”

Ms. Bae cutting things off. Just like how Joohyun had suddenly left, run away. Not even telling Wendy anything when she thought they had been friends. Two weeks of knowing each other should account for something. Sharing things with each other, sharing laughter and food and cardigans… friends do those things.

Being kissed then being fired. Was that how things turn out nowadays? If a kiss meant costing everything then why even bother? Wait. It wasn’t even Wendy who started the kiss but Ms. Bae. Joohyun had kissed her. No. Not Joohyun but the cold-hearted tyrant of Aeris, Ms. Bae.

Ms. Bae and Joohyun. In this current time, in this dimension, in this world, Ms. Bae and Joohyun were completely different people. Two different existences. Wendy needed reminding of it. Joohyun was gone. The glimpses of Joohyun she had seen when they were in Korea were nothing but Wendy’s own delusions.

The money, the power, Ms. Bae’s faces on magazines, posters, television adverts… they should be signs enough to tell Wendy that Ms. Bae was Ms. Bae. Nothing but her boss who had seemed to bury the past away. Ms. Bae hadn’t even thought of looking for Wendy back then, of contacting her, of letting her know why she had left. Why… her parents… all of a sudden. Joohyun being alone.

“I was there, Joohyun. You had me… Why do you keep pushing me away?”

It hurt. Of course, it hurt. It hurt then. It hurt more so now. Wendy had thought she and Joohyun had something special. A bond that could never be broken. She had always thought that. Even now, being reunited, almost by fate and then spending time with each other, getting closer again… Well, it seemed that it was only Wendy who thought that way.

Funny. Applying for a position she had no clue who she would be working for. Wendy had never been into fashion. She was the type to dress in whatever she felt comfortable in. Hoodies, slacks, converse. No colour coordination needed. The baggier the better. More room to breathe. As long as the things that needed covering were covered up then she was good to go.

Applying for a fashion company? She must be out of her mind.

As a personal assistant. A Harvard graduate. Her mother had scolded her, reminded her that she was worth more than being someone’s lackey.

But the money. Tens of thousands for a year of wage, enough to help pay their family’s debt from a convenience store dream that never flourished. Urgent money that they needed so dearly. Besides finding a job was hard enough. A business degree. Well-paid jobs were hard to find for those.

Wendy had no other choice. It wasn’t like she would even get the job. There were the interviews to be done, the training to be completed. She hoped she would get the job. She hoped hard. A job abroad in London, at the heart of England, in a well-known and respected company. A dream.

So when she had gotten the acceptance letter telling her that the Skype interview had been a success and that they would like to see her immediately for a final interview, she was grateful, relieved, and happy to the point of squeezing Yeri through a very tight hug. Going to London, meeting the company’s hiring manager, receiving positive comments afterwards, and then finally telling her that the job was hers. It felt like a blessing.

The following week, Wendy was told to attend an induction. A training of sort, to get her started, to get her feet on the ground. Know how the company worked, who the bosses were, meeting them finally. She had not looked them up. She had only knew the name of the company and what the company had done. It was quite some luck for her to get the job with so little knowledge about the minds behind it. But she had done. She had gotten it.

Wendy had met Ms. Kang first. Ms. Kang had a smile on when she extended her hand to greet Wendy. The handshake was firm yet feminine. The smile was welcoming, warm and friendly, eyes that smiled as well with . Ms. Kang liked to smile and it made Wendy feel comfortable, her nerves being appeased so easily. She talked to Wendy about the company, pointed to where things were and reassured her that everything would be fine.

Ms Kang led Wendy to the head CEO afterwards, with some kind of warning, “Don’t be too scared. She’s always like this. You’ll get used to her.”

Words that were unsettling to hear but then bosses were meant to be scary anyways. What Wendy hadn’t known was that her boss was her old friend. A bizarre coincidence set up by the heavens above to play with Wendy, surely.

Wendy was surprised but Joohyun—Ms. Bae—was nonchalant, not even meeting her eyes. And when she had gotten a look at Wendy, there was nothing. Not even a slight flinch of a brow but just a blank expression. So cold and uncaring. This wasn’t Joohyun.

Ms. Bae proceeded to give Wendy a list of rules, a copious amount of do’s and don’t’s that Wendy had no time to remember. Ms. Bae talked with no life, no emotions like a programmed robot. It was like watching someone else. Though the face was the same—that breath-taking face that had not changed—the personality was completely different: defiant, emotionless. It made Joohyun be Ms. Bae, the multibillionaire fashion leader.

Wendy groaned and scowled at the thought of it all, frustration and anger fuelled by unanswered questions. Like what the hell? She didn’t even want to call Yeri right now. Wendy was too embarrassed, too ashamed. Boasting about being kissed then five minutes later telling her younger sister that she had been fired? Such a sad scenario. Wendy and Ms. Bae… maybe they were just not meant to be more than friends. No. More than anything.

Wendy found it annoying. Being pushed around like this, somewhat being played around by Ms. Bae. Ms. Bae taking her first kiss. Was Wendy supposed to feel happy about it? Kiss that felt so, so, very right but then not right, as reinforced by Ms. Bae. Keep the distance away. Oh-kay.

Now, having no job after being forced into a sweet, wonderful kiss. The nightmare after the dream. What was Wendy supposed to do? With her life? With her feelings?

* * *

“What are we doing right now, Irene? We look like idiots, really,” Seulgi complained. They were crouching behind a telephone booth, both of them clothed very unusually. A cap to cover their hair, sunglasses on a cloudy day, jeans and hoodies underneath a winter’s coat. Seulgi and Irene had never worn hoodies since they were in university together. Rich, fa