XIV

“We’re dating.”

Irene starts off the conversation, pressing the phone against her ear. There is a brief silence on the phone before Bogum speaks.

“Wait, what?”

Disbelief colours his voice and Irene laughs because she can already imagine Bogum with his eyes wide and jaw dropped like a gaping fish. Bogum lets out a low growl to express his displeasure of Irene chuckling, but it only makes Irene slap a hand over to muffle even more obnoxious laughter. He ends up laughing over the line too and it takes a while for them to recover.

It has been too long since Irene felt this free—this happy.

“Wendy and I. We’re dating,” she tries again, clearing .

“Big fish you caught there,” Bogum comments, obviously still rattled by the news.

Irene frowns, “Wendy’s not a fish.”

“How did you manage to get a hot girl? Rich and sensible too. Wow, if you could pull that off, imagine the girl I could date,” Bogum whistles.

“No girl would want this narcissism."

Bogum scoffs, “You’ll see. So how is Wendy really like?”

“She’s beautiful inside out. She’s protective and caring. She always over-works herself horribly, resulting in her falling sick often.  She treats her employees very well and she never mistreats anyone who doesn’t deserve it. She’s very kind. I like how she’s very clean and smells nice, no matter where she’s been to. She says the cheesiest things sometimes but they’re not without meaning. She’s sincere and she just has so much to give and she never once asks to receive. Wendy is amazing.”

There is a pause again before she hears Bogum’s voice dripping in sarcasm.

“… I didn’t realize I asked for an essay.”

“Oh. Sorry,” Irene apologizes, trailing off in laughter.

“Are you guys hiding it now? Is that why you’re able to date her?”

“Yes,” Irene frowns, suddenly feeling like she’s been splashed awake from her dream with water.

It is a reminder that she has yet to quit her job and find another. The worry remains deep-seated in her mind but Bogum, fortunately, helps her look at the brighter side of things.

“Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy what you can and cherish it, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Princess Bae just listened to me.  Wow. A rarity that happens once in a blue moon.”

Irene scoffs and Bogum laughs out loud. It doesn’t take long before Irene joins in, eyes tearing from laughter.

“Hey, Irene?” Bogum voices and there is something in his voice that makes Irene focus immediately, laughter all gone.

She can sense that this is one of those moments when Bogum is serious and she pays attention, listening to his every word.

“Yes?”

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

The words make her smile and she knows that she is lucky to have someone like Bogum, who is always on her side, always ready to talk, always there for her. An expression of gratitude is on the tip of her tongue but she withholds it, knowing that there are times when such words are not needed in their friendship.

Instead, she laughs softly and slips in an insult altogether.

“I’m glad too, idiot.”

///

Wendy has been discharged from the hospital and the workaholic in her needed to be forced to stay at Irene’s home so that the latter can take care of her.

Irene watches as Wendy plops down on her couch, puppy eyes roaming her apartment as if she hasn’t been in here when she has seen most of her house. Wendy’s eyes are bright with wonder and amazement and Irene cannot help the giggle that sneaks past her lips because the CEO looks nothing like a CEO, looking more like an innocent child who has yet to have seen much of the world. Wendy turns to Irene upon hearing her giggle, raising both eyebrows and blinking wide eyes in surprise.

“Why are you laughing?” Wendy asks.

“Nothing,” Irene dismisses, shaking her head.

“Come on, share the joke,” the CEO whines, wrapping her hands around Irene’s wrist gently and pulling her closer.

Irene ends up wedged between Wendy’s knees, still standing in front of the girl. Wendy looks up at her, slipping her arms around her hip. The girl wears a dopey grin that makes her look ten times younger than she already is and it’s so endearing, Irene can hardly keep the smile off her face.

“You were the joke,” she teases.

“Feisty,” Wendy states, raising an eyebrow and grinning.

The two share a moment of comfortable silence. Irene just relishes in the way Wendy has her arms around her. With brown eyes clear and bright, Wendy tilts her head slightly, observing Irene’s every feature. It has Irene flushing slightly, but she maintains the eye contact anyway. She is aware that they probably look like lovesick fools, but there is only them in the apartment, and Irene can care less about what they look like when Wendy is right in front of her, reachable and lovable.

She rests a hand on Wendy’s shoulder and cups Wendy’s cheek gently with the other. Irene watches with adoration as Wendy sighs contentedly, leaning into her touch. With Wendy like this, all fluffy and all hers, she thinks of how lucky she is to have this girl in her life. Wendy might have complicated her life, but she cannot remember a time when Wendy wasn’t there for her. Wanting Wendy, wishing her to stay, Irene wonders if it’s selfish of her to have such wants.

“Is it selfish of me if I always want to be with you?” Irene blurts.

Wendy blinks but she is quick to recover and reassure Irene before the latter can bite her tongue.

“It’s only selfish if I don’t want to be with you. I always want to be with you, Joohyun,” Wendy says sincerely.

Her words feel like a confession and Irene feels a surge of emotions overwhelm her. It is a wonder how someone, let alone someone like Wendy, can love her. To have Wendy love her this much, Irene can almost feel tears come to her eyes. Her lips part but she cannot find the words to tell Wendy how much she loves her. So she holds her tears back, bends down to press a kiss against Wendy’s lips, hoping that Wendy knows how to read the words on her lips. Wendy only kisses back