VII

Irene’s phone rings, and her ringtone wakes her up. She groggily s the bedside table, searching for her phone. When she finally finds it, she presses the phone against her ear and answers, eyes still closed.

“Hello?” Irene croaks, her voice still very hoarse.

“Irene!”

There’s a sickening cheeriness behind that tone and it kind of makes Irene want to punch the person on the other end. She rubs the sleepiness away from her eyes with her free hand, wishing this person had called later.

“May I know who this is?”

“How can you not know me, Irene? I feel a little bit hurt.” Contrary to the spoken words, the person’s voice remains annoyingly cheerful.

“It’s-” Irene glances at the clock, “4.30am so pardon me if I cannot recognize you by your voice.” Irene is thoroughly irritated by this person.

“Oh, dear Irene, who else can it be other than your best friend Bogum?”

The name instantly throws Irene into full consciousness.

“Bogum?”

“Yup, Irene, it’s me.”

“Why did you call?” Irene straightforwardly asks.

“Wow, not even a ‘hi’?”

“It’s 4.30am here, Bogum. Aren’t you in America right now?”

“Yup. I’m flying over to Korea soon, so please make a reservation at the hotel you’re working at for me.”

“Oh, so this is why you called. Using me to make a reservation…” Irene grumbles.

“I’m your best friend, Irene. I’m coming over to visit. Surely making a reservation is easy enough for you.”

“Yes, okay, I get it. Send me your arrival and departure date. And which type of room you want.”

“Thanks, Irene. I knew I could count on you.”

“Now will you please let me sleep? I still have to work later.”

“You got no chill. But thanks anyway. I’ll see you soon, yeah? Bye.”

The call ends and Irene wants to punch something badly. Of all times Bogum had to call her… She lets out a small smile anyway. It has been a while since she last saw Bogum. She misses him, even though she absolutely hates to admit it. Placing her phone on her bedside table, she snuggles beneath her covers, allowing herself to rest for a few more hours.

///

Wendy almost hates the way the stupid Smile, Seungwan bracelet fits so perfectly on her wrist. Almost, because Wendy cannot seem to bring herself to hate the thoughtful gift. The bracelet gleams under the lights and there’s a certain shine that reminds Wendy of a certain girl’s eyes. She groans softly, unhooking the bracelet and putting it back in a box. She places the box in a drawer and slams the drawer shut.

Biting her lip softly, she goes back to her computer, scanning through her presentation slides for any errors. The board meeting is in two days and she needs to make sure her presentation is flawless. Nothing less from the upcoming CEO.

There are too many things swirling in her head. It’s giving her a headache but she knows she cannot rest. Her phone vibrates. There’s an incoming call from Yerim. She answers, eyes still on her computer screen.

“Yerim?”

“Seungwan ah, I’m finally moving out of your hotel and into a proper apartment.”

“That’s good. I’m happy for you.”

“You don’t sound very happy,” Yerim says matter-of-factly.

“I’m sorry, Yerim. It’s just-”

“Don’t worry about it, I understand.”

Wendy sighs. Yerim is too kind.

“When are you moving?” Wendy asks.

“Today! In the afternoon. I’ll call you when I’m gonna leave the hotel.”

“Alright. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah sure.”

Wendy ends the call, placing her phone down. She takes a deep breath, running a hand through her hair.

Today is going to be a long day.

///

Wendy works till late afternoon. She receives a call from Yerim and goes down to the lobby to send her friend off. The second she sees Yerim, she’s suddenly overwhelmed with emotions. Wendy hurries over, engulfing Yerim in a warm hug. Wendy’s not the type to show that much skinship, but this time is an exception. Yerim pats her back softly and Wendy cannot help the tears that come to her eyes.

“I’ll miss you.”

“What are you even talking about? I’ll still be in Seoul. You can come visit me anytime. I’ll text you my address later.”

“Thank you for staying,” by my side.

It seems like Yerim knows because she squeezes Wendy extra tight before they separate.

“Eat on time. Don’t overwork yourself, you slave driver. Sleep early. Drink lots of water. Go easy on the painkillers; they’re not good for health. I’ll buy and send you bottles of vitamins soon. Continue hating coffee because caffeine is bad. No depending on coffee when working late nights. Sleep when you should. Understood?”

Yerim nags and Wendy listens to everything with patience. It’s good to have someone nag once in a while. Wendy knows that Yerim truly loves her – the nagging shows.

“Understood. Give me a call when you reach your apartment, okay?” Wendy asks.

Yerim understands that it’s Wendy language for let me know you’re safe so she agrees without hesitation, nodding her head softly.

They hug one last time before Yerim enters the cab. Yerim waves and the cab drives off, leaving Wendy standing at the entrance of the hotel, eyes never leaving the cab until it disappears out of her sight. She exhales softly, staring at the ground. She cannot help the loneliness that engulfs her immediately. Her eyebrows scrunch up and she blinks a few times. The few drops of tears that manage to escape, Wendy wipes them immediately. She bites her inner lip hard, wanting to distract herself from the sudden flood of emotions. 

Yerim is gone. Nobody is going to take care of her when she’s down with a cold. Nobody is going to smile and tell her it’s okay to take a break. Nobody is going to nag at her anymore.

She’s all alone now.

Her fists clench and she takes a few deep breaths before entering the hotel lobby. She makes eye contact with Irene and she stares at her for a few seconds before looking away. She enters the elevator and makes her way to her hotel suite.

Only then, does Wendy cry.

///

It’s nightfall and Irene’s shift is over. She cannot shake off the uneasiness today. Wendy stared at her earlier and something felt off. Even though Wendy was really far, Irene could see, could feel the sadness in her stare. There was just something about the drooped shoulders and closed off frame that screamed for Irene to look for Wendy. Irene glances at Seulgi, who is currently packing up.

“Seulgi, do you think I should look for Wendy?”

“Miss Son? If you want to…” Seulgi trails off, stuffing her water bottle into her bag.

“She looked sad earlier when her friend left.”

“I’d be sad too if you left. Like I’d be left doing front-desk reception a