It's been a year since the last update. hehehehehehe...

 

Happy late Wenrene's day... Everyday is Wenrene's day. hehe

 

Not really a Valentines Chapter or anything, just a look at the future college students. I hope you guys do enjoy if you ever stumbled upon this one again.

 

******

 

“So, what did Yerim do this time?”

 

Kwon Yuri stepped inside the principal’s office ready for the kill. She should blame her wife for this. She should have knocked on wood last night, or more of knocked on every wooden surface in their house when Yoona joked that it'd been almost three months since they have been called in by the principal.

 

That very morning, she and her wife got a call asking for an urgent meeting. With the rate that Yerim is going, she might need to carry an emergency piece of wood to counterattack all of Yerim’s effects.

 

Seohyun cleared and went for it, “Well, Yerim is enrolled in our foreign language class, and they took a chapter test last week, her teacher gave me her test paper.”

 

Yuri and Yoona winced as if the huge red F mark on the test paper just er punched them in the face. Yuri took it and with a raised brow read the questions and Yerim’s answers.

 

To both her and her wife’s surprise, Yerim’s paper looked impeccable and well written. Some of the Spanish words even have the right accents on their letters.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m not well versed in Spanish, but from the looks of Yerim’s work, she seems to have gotten the concept of the Spanish language. Like I don’t understand what’s wrong?”

 

“Have you heard Justin Bieber’s song?”

 

“I’m not really a Bieliber but,” Yoona tried to diffuse the situation with a joke when her doe eyes drifted to a word written on Yeri’s test paper. Even with her limited Spanish knowledge, she knows exactly what this word is.

 

Despacito…

 

Yuri unconsciously crumpled the paper, thinking of ways she could raise hell on her own child. But while her blood pressure is skyrocketing, her wife is doing a terrible job of trying to hold in her amusement, Yuri jabs her hard on the rib, hopefully, that will do the trick.

 

“To your daughter’s credit, Ms. Kwon and Ms. Im. She did write the lyrics perfectly.”

 

“I…I don’t know what to say.”

 

Hearing Yuri with that defeated tone in her voice made Yoona look worriedly at her. Her wife who handles criminal cases, battling the most ruthless of lawyers and criminals was at her limits with their daughter.

 

“I want to say that this won’t happen again, and I’m sure it won’t, but knowing Yeri, it’s going to be something worse. But you know what?” Yuri heaves a deep sigh before finally saying it. “If you have to fail her, fail her.”

 

“Wait…” Yoona sits up on her chair, looking at her wife. “What now?”

 

“Me and my wife are done covering up for her. If she has to repeat freshmen year again then so be it. Maybe that’s how she’ll learn.”

 

Seohyun who already had a mental attack plan when Yuri goes in the kill, was left struggling at this change of course. She glances back at Yoona, her bestfriend, her former high school bestfriend and saw the way those doe eyes are just filled with a look that Seohyun hasn’t figured out a word for. Concern? At awe? Surprised? A combination of all?

 

And Yoona… the Im Yoona she knows who doesn’t back out, who tries to swerve people to her direction with her charms, just takes in a deep breath before raising her arms up in surrender.

 

“I ummm…” Yoona scratched her head in both confusion and defeat. “Whatever my wife says.”

 

*

 

If Wendy could describe her mom Tiffany in one word, it would be distracting.

 

After dropping by to congratulate her girlfriend, Wendy went back home and tried arranging more of her papers for admissions. But her mommy Tiffany is making it hard when she’s making a catwalk out of Wendy’s bedroom, wearing different IVY league sweaters.

 

“So, what do you think of this?” Her mom poses in front of her in leggings and a crimson sweater with Harvard emblazoned in front of it.

 

“Harvard?”

 

“Harvard is where Reese Witherspoon went to get her law degree.”

 

Wendy stared at her mom, looking for any signs or hints that her mom is playing with her. But her mom still has that confident Tiffany Hwang smile.

 

“Reese Witherspoon? Mom… that was a movie.”

 

The triumphant smirk on Tiffany’s face dimmed at the revelation, but she’s Tiffany Hwang after all, regaining her composure with an airy laugh.

 

“Oh… I know that.I was just testing your early 2000 romcoms. Well…How about this? You’re a pothead, right?”

 

Wendy made a huge mistake trying to sip on her tea when her mom is talking. She almost choked on her tea after what her mom just blurted out.

 

“Wait what?!” Her mom is clearly up to something tonight if she’s asking questions like this. “A pothead?”

 

“Someone who likes Harry Potter?”

 

“Potterhead. Potterhead, mom.”

 

Wendy wonders where this conversation is going, hopefully not too far off the rails where her mom is going to send her to Hogwarts for uni.

 

“Well then you know Hermione, she went to Brown University.”

 

“Well she did.”

 

This conversation is going on and on and is heading nowhere at all and Tiffany is starting to lose patience. It’s time to go straight for the kill.

 

“Okay, hold on, if you don’t want to go to Harvard, or Stanford or Brown… where are you planning to go for college?”

 

Wendy didn’t know if this is the right time to tell her mom about this, but it’s better that she hears it from her than from someone else. Her mom is not going to like this but she’s her daughter, so she’s going to forgive her, right?”

 

“Mom, hypothetical question… What if… I mean… by what if I mean, it’s not base on any decision or anything, but what if you know, I decided that maybe… I would go to school here?”

 

“Here where?”

 

“Here. In South Korea.”

 

Tiffany produced the biggest, most fakest smile she could muster, before turning to her left then turning to her right.

 

“Wait… this is a prank, right? I’m kinda a big deal so they’re doing some kind of hidden camera, right now, right?”

 

This wasn’t what Wendy was expecting to happen. This is a 100 times worse.

 

“Ummm no?”

 

“So, this hypothetical question is really not that hypothetical?”

 

“No, ummm… I’m just trying to run the idea by you.”

 

“Well, if you’re running this idea then I’m gonna bulldoze it. Squash it to a pulp before you have any idea.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Oh?” Tiffany moves closer to her daughter, gazing at her with such scrutiny like she is one of her trainees in the agency. “So, you were really thinking about this?”

 

“If I’m going to be honest? Yes. I think I would like to stay here for college.”

 

Wendy already anticipated that her mom wouldn’t like it, but she didn’t expect this kind of horror etched on her face. Her mom looks at her as if she just revealed that she got knocked up and don’t know who the baby daddy is or is a meth addict.

 

“Don’t you know how many people would grab the chance to go abroad to study? They just don’t have the means to do it?”

 

“Yes. I ummm know that.”

 

“Then, I don’t understand. You have this chance to study abroad, instead you choose to stay here.”

 

“Mom, it’s not as bad. This schools that I got accepted in got high rankings not only here but internationally.”

 

“Does Yoonyul’s kid have anything to do with this?” Tiffany cut through her daughter’s reasoning.
 

‘You mean Irene?”

 

“Yes her…”

 

Wendy takes a deep breath and prays to God, her mom can’t see through her thoughts, “No. I just think that if I’m going to run a business someday, it’s going to be more to my advantage if I’m around here.”

 

“Yup. It’s her.”

 

“Okay, yes.” Wendy surrendered. “Maybe she has something to do it. But She didn’t force me to do anything. But it’s not just about her, mom. I went to middle school and elementary in a boarding school in Canada and when I went here for high school, everyone already has their group of friends and all that. If Seulgi didn’t say hi first, I have no idea if I’ll ever find any friend. It took me awhile to get used to this, but now I feel like I’m home.”

 

Tiffany’s expression softened at the revelation, and it was giving Wendy hope.

 

“Honey, I understand what you mean but life… life is about making sacrifices.”

 

“But what am I sacrificing for?”

 

“It doesn’t make sense right now, but I promise you it would.”

 

Wendy takes a deep breath, before confessing something to her mom.

 

“Okay.”

 

“Like okay, you’ll go to Harvard?”

 

“No, okay, I understand your point, but I don’t think I could do it.”

 

Tiffany just stood there in the middle of Wendy’s room stunned at her daughter’s revelation.

 

“Okay, we will see about that.”

 

*

 

“Whatever it is, it wasn’t me!”

 

Yeri hasn’t even stepped both feet inside her home when she could already feel the dark aura looming in their living room. Lo and behold, there are her two moms, waiting for her like they’re ready to give her sentencing.

 

Like what did she do this time? She couldn’t even remember.

 

“It wasn’t you? Then can you tell this Lim-Kwon Yerim that she’s in serious trouble.” Her mommy Yuri, like always was the first one to break the tension or her neck. “What were you thinking, Yerim? That I wouldn’t find out about this?” Her mom snapped, just like she’s about to snap her neck.

 

“Well, I know you’re going to find out, I just want you to find out later…”

 

Yeri could have sworn she heard her a low growl. How she’s still alive is a blessing.

 

“Are you going to say something about this?” Her mommy Yuri is egging her mommy Yoona. But Yeri could already tell that her mommy Yoona has no plans of saying anything.

 

“Well ummm…”

 

Yuri didn’t have the patience for her wife’s stammering, she’ll take care of this herself.

“I don’t know why I’m even throwing away my money like this in a private school. I might as well pull you out.”

 

“Are you serious?” Yeri blurted out but instantly regretted it when she saw her mommy Yuri started blowing smoke from her ears and nose.

 

“Look at me! Look at me! Yerim! Does this face look like I’m joking to you?”

 

Yeri’s face looks like she was ready to jump off a cliff to an ocean filled with starved sharks than look at her mother’s face a second longer.

 

“N-n-n-no…”

 

“Damn right no!” Yuri slumps back into her seat, letting out a deep sigh. “Yeri you are not some 12 year old kid anymore, what happens if something happen to me and your mommy Yoong?”

 

Yerim blinked those mischievous doe eyes, while her parents looked at her from the couch.

 

“Like die die?”

 

“Like die die.”

 

“Like for real dead?”

 

“Like for real dead.” Yuri leans in, using her tactic as a prosecutor to intimidate the convict into a confession. “Like how are you going to live?”

 

“I ummm… I will live off my inheritance?”

 

Her mommy Yuri cocked a judgmental brow. “Inheritance?”

 

She and her wife shared a look, before bursting out laughing making their youngest daughter frown.

 

“Inheritance?” It was Yoona’s turn. “You know what you’re going to inherit, the mortgage.”

 

“The-the mortgage?” Yerim looks like she’s about to jump out of her seat. “Like- I have to pay for that?”

 

“Yeah we have like 15 more years to go to pay off our house. But your Irene unnie is probably going to help you pay for it, so maybe you’ll just pay off the cars.”

 

“The cars?!” Their youngest is about to jump off her seat. “I have to pay that too?!”

 

“Yes. You do. I think I have 36 months left in mine.”

 

“36 months?” Yerim calculated 36 months in her head.

 

“How about you, babe?”

 

“Not that long just 22 more months.”

 

“Why are you saying it in months? Why can’t you say it in years?!” Yerim was ready to pull her shoulder length hair out. “That’s a lot of months!”

 

“And the thing is… I pay for my car and your mommy Yuri pays for her. So, that’s a lot of things you need to pay.”

 

“But you guys aren’t dead yet, so you guys can still pay for it.”

 

“Well, that’s it. Me and your mommy Yoona decided that we will let you go do you.”

 

Yeri looks intently at her mom, then to her other whipped mom. This can not be right, after fifteen years of being their daughter. She knows that there is something going on with this.

 

“You go do you? You mean like I go do me?”

 

“Yeah, I told Principal Seo, that if you want to act a fool and you’re going to end up failing classes, then so be it. It’s not my summer that I’m wasting.”

 

“It’s our money but anything for your education.”

 

Summer and classes should never be in one sentence. EVER!

 

“Wait, hold on! I-I-I-I…”

 

“What?”

 

“That’s not fair!”

 

“So is paying for tuition fee while you act like this. So, go on.”

 

She knows it. She should have perfectly known it.

 

“You know what? You really don’t need to go to summer class, you could just repeat your freshmen year.”

 

“Don’t you like that?” Yoona adds “You’ll be the sunbae to these kids.”

 

“What?! I don’t want to repeat freshmen year either!”

 

“Four years!”

 

“Four years what?”

 

“We give you four years to finish high school, you are not a kpop idol and you’re definitely not stupid so you have no excuse whatsoever to repeat. But if you do, just remember we are just going to pay for four years.”

 

“You can’t do that!”

 

“Well, we would just wait and see on your fourth year, sunbaenim.”

 

Yeri breathes out the biggest groan when the doorbell rings before she could jump up to get it, her mommy Yoona already has her hand on the doorknob

 

“CONGRATULATIONS!!!!”

 

Yoona raised a brow in surprise, “Ahhhh thanks, for what?” She steps to the side, letting her daughter’s girlfriend who is holding balloons as huge as her and a cake on one hand inside their home.

 

“Irene texted me an hour ago that she got into Kyunghee!”

 

Yoona’s eyes quickly met her wife’s and she’s pretty sure that the guilt Yuri has matches hers. They were too busy getting on their youngest that they completely forget about their eldest.

 

“Oh wow!”

 

Wendy gives her girlfriend’s parents a back-breaking bow before declaring. “Thank you, Mrs. Im and Mrs. Kwon for making and giving birth to the most perfect human being alive or dead… Well probably not dead, Mother Teresa is pretty legit and Princess Diana too… But all in all Irene is pretty-“

 

“Wen?” Irene was standing by the banister, surprised to see her girlfriend right there.

 

“Hyun! CONGRATULATIONS!”

 

Wendy is about to step inside the home when she forgot she was carrying Wendy sized balloons causing half of it to burst in rapid successions, like someone gunning for them.

 

“Oh no! Oh no! I’m so sorry! Now my letters ain’t complete! Now I don’t know what it’s spelled now… hold on let me-”

 

“Wan… Wan… look…” Wendy looks back at her girlfriend. “It’s okay, thank you for doing this. Really…”

 

“Irene, Congratulations babe. When did you know?” Yuri said, her voice laced with guilt.

 

“Ummm… I just opened my mail today. You two were busy with Yeri so I ummmm I didn’t want to interrupt.”

 

“You should have, unnie! This means more than me getting in trouble.”

 

“Come here!” Yoona calls for their eldest, before throwing her arms lovingly around her. “I want to see this letter.”

 

“Here, I ummm… I got it.” Irene didn’t get a chance to give it when Yoona already took it from her hand.

 

Yuri turns to her wife and for the first time in what felt like forever, she had never seen so much love and pride in those doe eyes as she skims through their daughter’s acceptance letter.

 

“I’m gonna have this framed!” Yoona said in excitement. “But I’m going to take it to work first to show off. I have a college girl going to Kyunghee now.”

 

 

“Mom…” Irene moans embarrassingly but still has that genuine smile as she’s locked in her mommy Yoona’s embrace.

 

Yuri takes a step back and all that high blood pressure she got from Yeri, just magically poof away. Sometimes (most of the times) she couldn’t figure out what the hell she’s doing wrong with Yeri, she loves her little Yoong, give her the toys she likes and of course she disciplines her the best way she could, but Yeri she has to admit is too smart to handle for both her and her wife. She knows how to take detours and leeways and how to rile up the situation. But that one thing that riles Yuri the most is how Yeri doesn’t take her studies seriously, like with grades that gives a scare much worse than a horror movie, which college would take her? Like if she and her wife do leave the Earth, she bet she’ll be tossing in her grave worrying about Yeri.

 

She worries too much about Yeri that she forgets Irene needs her just as bad too. Irene is the one who has every reason to act up, especially since she doesn’t get the attention at home. But here she is, exceeding expectations and making it to a prestigious university. It was a feeling that her heart is just too much for her chest, that is beating so loud, so erratic at the thought of how proud she is of her daughter.

 

“This is all you.”

 

Her eldest daughter and wife turns with a surprised look at her.

 

“Mom?”

 

“You got this and it’s all because of you. You did this, Irene and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

 

She sees the way her daughter beams with pride, and if she has to repeat it again over and over again, then she would.

 

“I’m really, really proud of you, baby.”

 

*

 

“Yah! Who the are-“ Hyoyeon’s tattooed brow jumped up as it finally dawned on her who this criminally gorgeous girl is. “Junie?”

 

Joy groans, she’s about to get into college and that horrible nickname still won’t die.

 

“Aunt Hyo, I already told you, my name is Joy… Joy…”

 

“Pffft… Sure you are. Yoh Sooyoung!!!!!” Hyoyeon called out for her bestfriend. Joy could hear the clink of beer bottles, her mom probably digging through the fridge for her “energy drinks” before slamming the fridge door shut.

 

“What?!” Sooyoung walks into the living room, with two beer bottles in tow.

 

“What happened to Junie, girl? She walks in the house and I was like hudat, hudat, hudat girl?”

 

Being a certified reveluv, Joy had to clutch her heart in pain as her bias group’s new single had just been murdered.

 

“Aunt Hyo, please don’t make me a red velvet anti.”

 

“I know, right?” Sooyoung proudly headlocks her child, who is almost the same height as her. “Junie makes them go oohhh ooh oh- eh- oh- eh- oh.”

 

“That’s it!” Joy said in complete surrender. “Thank you for ruining the best song of 2018 for me.”

 

“But to be serious, it’s quite a feeling, Hyo.”

 

The dreamy tone in her mother’s voice, made Joy forget how much her mom drives her nuts just a few seconds ago.

 

“Junie just stepped out of her room all of a sudden, and I was like… damnnn… I made that?”

 

Of course, Joy’s mom is going to praise herself for all this. Why is Joy even wondering?

 

“I had to give myself a pat on the back.”

 

“I’ll pat your back for you, man.” Hyoyeon offered, giving Sooyoung the pat on the back that she deserves. “Your mom not feeding you enough or something? You got skinny.”

 

“Are you kidding me? She has the fried chicken place on speed dial.” Sooyoung snorts out loud while sipping on her Cass. “She still eats her fried chicken, but all the fat goes to her s now instead of her cheeks.”

 

“Mom, please… stop calling me Junie, it’s Joy… Joy…”

 

“I made you, so I’ll call you whatever I want. You know what I pray to the Lord when I found out that I was pregnant with a girl?”

 

Does Joy really want to know?

 

“Ummm no?”

 

“I said, Lord, please spare my daughter from having a lamppost body like me. May you bless her with a milkshake that can bring boys and girls to the yard.”

 

Joy raises her arms in surrender, even she has no defense against her mom. “I am done.”

 

“Well Soo, Junie here is gonna give Yuri’s girls a run for their money. You don’t look like a chipmunk no more.” Hyoyeon nods proudly.

 

“I know, my duckling looks like a goose now.”

 

“Mom, it’s a swan.”

 

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, child. You’re not at that level yet.” Sooyoung dialed her daughter back down with savagery.

 

Brutal just brutal…

 

“What are you doing standing up? Come sit down, talk with your Auntie Hyo.” Hyoyeon pats the spot in the couch next to her, but Joy played it safe and sat across from her.

 

“You’re going to be in college next semester?”

 

“Ummm yes.”

 

“And what are you majoring in?”

 

“Well, I talk to mom about this, but I’m planning to major in drama.”

 

“Major in drama? Some people go to school for that?” Her aunt Hyo uttered in disbelief. “Like hey… if you don’t want to end up sliding on your face, you better stop sliding those nasty dms in my man’s account.”

 

Joy presses the bridge of her nose, maybe if she does it harder, she could pass out and forget about all this.

 

“No, Aunt Hyo… like drama go into acting.”

 

“You don’t need to major in drama, your life is a drama.”

 

“More of a comedy.”

 

Joy was ready to fight that until she realized who she was born to and she has to admit, that she couldn’t help but agree.

 

*

 

“Jessi, we have an emergency.”

 

Tiffany waltzes in Jessica’s grand office like she owns the place. She did always remind Jessica, what’s mine is mine and what’s yours is also mine.

 

Jessica waves off her production designer, ready to face whatever emergency that her wife thinks she’s having.

 

“Steph, unless someone dies I don’t consider it an emergency.”

 

“Well, my dream died, that counts.”

 

It doesn’t, but knowing her wife, she’s not going to just back away easily.

 

“Okay, what is going on?”

 

“Wendy, our daughter decides to go to college here.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Tiffany’s reaction made Jessica feel like she just admitted to bulldozing a dozen puppies.

 

“Okay?” Tiffany’s voice hitched. “That’s all you’re going to say? Okay?”

 

“Well, going to a top university doesn’t mean , I mean look at Krystal.”

 

“That’s your sister. She’s bound to fail one way or another. But Wendy, Wendy is my own flesh and blood. She came out of me. I don’t understand why she doesn’t have that ambition.”

 

“I think you keep on forgetting that she’s still eighteen. The last thing an 18-year-old wants Steph is to think of running a multi-million dollar company.”

 

“I just…” Tiffany paused and that paused felt more biting than any other seconds in Jessica’s existence. Tiffany lost that bravado she had earlier and it’s now replaced by this sort of vulnerability that has always scared the crap out of Jessica. Maybe because she wasn’t used to this brand of Tiffany. Not the one that craves attention but this one, who look beaten up and lost for some reason.

 

“I guess I’m just scared you know?”

 

“About what?”

 

“That she’s going to turn out well… ordinary. When she could be something more, so much more.”

 

Ordinary… Her wife made it sound like the word ordinary is some kind of slur or a word that tasted too bitter it needed to be spit out.

 

But what usually goes with the word ordinary is the word content, something her and her wife have never known the real meaning of. As executives and president of the company, it was always better to think of the word more. IF you want the company to grow, to reach international circles then you should never be content of where you are.

 

Sacrifices had to be made, missing out on birthdays and anniversaries, on their daughter’s piano recitals and soccer games. The sacrifice to be something great, Wendy always has to take the brunt of it. She wonders if Tiffany ever knew how lucky they are, that their daughter didn’t end up being like a Korean version of a Kardashian.

 

So, could she really blame Wendy if she preferred to be ordinary?

 

“I don’t mind Wendy being ordinary.”

 

“Really?” Tiffany’s face was flushed with disbelief.

 

“Well she’s far from it, she could belt out any song that will get Whitney Houston shaking in her grave, she’s running for valedictorian, she’s captain of the soccer team and above she’s a great kid that had never given us hell. I think we owe it to her.”

 

Tiffany doesn’t look the least bit amused at Jessica’s sincere.

 

“So, you really are serious about this?”

 

“I’m pretty serious. Let her do her.”

 

“I’m going to look like the bad guy here for wanting more for my kid. But you know what? That’s on you, Jessi…” Tiffany raises her arms up in mock surrender. “Don’t come running to me, if things don’t go so smoothly.”

 

Before she could think of a comeback, her wife already swings her Hermes before storming out in those red heeled stilettos. Jessica just smirked as she watches her wife storms out, because knowing Tiffany, the moment Wendy needs help, she’ll come running back to save her little girl, in her Louboutin’s and all.

 

*

 

“So?”

 

“So?”

 

“Actress, huh?”

 

Joy turns away from her phone and looks towards the doorway. Her mom is leaning against the door, arms crossed, gaze kind of obscure.

 

“Well, that’s the plan.”

 

Sooyoung steps closer to her bed, and almost kicked Joy off her own bed as she lays down next to her. Joy turns to her mom, giving her an incredulous look. “Mom… really?”

 

“Did you fall though?”

 

“I didn’t.”

 

“See?” Sooyoung scoots more comfortably on her daughter’s bed. “So, Junie, why do you want to be an actress?”

 

“What?”

 

“Why do you want to be an actress?”

 

“Ummm cause… I just… I actually don’t know what I’m good at.”

 

Sooyoung turns to face her daughter, Joy’s face with a perplexed and frustrated expression.

 

“Everyone seems to know what they’re good at, I don’t. Even Seulgi with that brain of hers, she knows she’s going to take up Fine arts, Wendy is rich as hell and Irene is just… want to take up literature. But me, I don’t know… I mean, I enjoy the acting so maybe…”

 

“Well, I don’t mind you doing it. I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

 

Joy turns her head to face her mom. Her mom has never been the type to hold serious conversations. The last serious conversation that they were supposed to have was about safe , but when her mom had a cucumber for props, Joy knew that this ain’t gonna work, not now or not ever.

 

But she could tell that there is something different about her mom right now. It’s probably the tone in her voice or that somber look that her mom has.

 

“Well, you know what I really wanted to be when I grow up?” Her mom sighs dreamily.

 

“An international soccer player?”

 

“No. That was my way to get the dudes, what I really wanted to be was to become a nurse.”

 

“Wait? You a nurse?!”

 

“What?!” Her mom sounded offended. “I don’t look nursey to you?”

 

“Nope. Not at all.”

 

“Well, I wanted to be one. I thought the uniform is cute, and you know I would get to meet a hot doctor.”

 

“Oh, there’s the mom that I know, with the dark intentions.”

 

“Hush… this is my flashback scene, just listen would you?”

 

Joy snickered before saying, “Fine.”

 

“Well, your grandma thinks I was getting high or something to think that, but I told her no, no I could do it. So she let me, but at the sight of blood, I almost fainted.”

 

Joy should be surprised, but knowing her mom, she’s not surprised at all.

 

“Okay, I really fainted. But long story short, I realized that I don’t know what I wanted to do.”

 

“So, what are you trying to say is?”

 

“You’re still eighteen, you have to get into to know which one you really want to do and hey if it’s acting, then go for it.” Her mom got out of bed, and Joy could hear her mom’s bone crack as she stands up. “Alright, I’m gonna go out with your Aunt Hyo to find someone to sponsor your acting career.”

 

Joy responded with a sigh, “Thanks mom,”

 

“By the way,” Her mom peeked her head back in her room before saying. “Whatever you decide, I’ll back you up… Joy.”

 

*

 

“I would really just like to go somewhere simple, Wan?”

 

Wendy’s brow bobbed up, “Somewhere simple?”

 

“Yeah, I’m just craving some pastries and stuff, nothing too fancy.”

 

“Nothing too fancy, got it. Hold on, let me just make this quick call.”

 

Before Irene could say anything, her girlfriend with those cute legs run as fast as her legs will let her to go. Judging from Wendy’s dramatic expression, Irene could already tell that she’s canceling something.

 

“Got it…” Wendy comes back with a bright smile.

 

“Actually, we could just stay here for a little bit,” They stop in front of a playground, It was one of those chilly days that could make kids end up with the sniffles. It was relatively empty except for a mom and her rambunctious child over by the jungle gym.

 

Irene nudges her to sit next to her by the swings. “That’s completely okay with me.”

 

Wendy in a deep breath before letting out a breath, hopefully she could exhale out conversations and thoughts instead, “Yeah, this one feels good too. So, how does it feel?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“To be now called a future Kyunghee Tiger…”

 

Irene breaks out in a giggle at how cheesy Wendy just makes things sound out to be.

 

“It’s I don’t know… more of relief than anything else.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, it’s like I work so hard through the entrance exams and preparatories but I’m still not so sure, so seeing that acceptance letter, it was like finally… it’s over. I could sleep better now.”

 

Wendy chuckles at Irene’s long winded explanation, but she knows exactly how that feels.

 

“So, how about you? did you tell your mom, you accepted to go to SU?”

 

Wendy avoided Irene’s gaze just like the way she’s trying to avoid delving in that topic.

 

“Ummm yeah I kinda did.”

 

“Wan?”

 

“What?”

 

“You know it’s okay for you to tell me things.”

 

“What do you mean?” Wendy finally meets Irene’s stare, wondering where that statement is coming from. As far as she knows, she is quite open to Irene about things, not all things, but maybe like a good chunk of things. Maybe 94. 7% of things.

 

“I tell you things.”

 

Irene just watched her, giving Wendy that look that had Wendy’s gaze darting everywhere except the girl standing in front of her.

 

“What I mean is…” Irene reaches out for her girl’s hands, gently rubbing circles along those soft palms. “Things don’t always go as plan.”

 

“No… I’m okay, really I am. This day is about you, my Tigress.”

 

How could Wendy make her college mascot sound so ?

 

“Okay, if it’s about me, then I want to know how my girlfriend’s conversation about her mom went?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes Really. So, I guess the conversation didn’t go quite as well, huh?”

 

There was a softness to the usual straight up tone to Irene’s voice and if Wendy hears it correctly, she could hear a good amount of sympathy in it. And if there is one thing, Wendy couldn’t take especially from Irene, it’s sympathy. Sympathy for her always equates to weakness, and that’s the last thing she wants or needs to look weak in front of Irene.

 

“Hmmm… A bit.” Wendy downplayed it a bit. “I don’t know about my mommy Jessica.”

 

“What if she says that she would rather want you to go to the States?”

 

“Well I, I don’t really know. I guess…”

 

“We will make it work.” Irene says in a firm and reassuring tone, Wendy couldn’t help but believe it.

 

“Even if you have to go abroad to study, we are going to make it work. I could learn how to skype and facetime.”

 

“You would?”

 

“I would. Wan?”

 

“What?”

 

“Don’t just show me your good side, I can take your bad side too.”

 

“Wait…” Wendy’s brown eyes shot wide open. “I have a bad side? Like how bad? Like is it really terrible?”

 

“Relax…” Irene jabs her girlfriend on the rib, hoping to get rid of those thoughts. “I told you I could take it, so, Wen it’s okay, really it is.”

 

“I just… I feel like a bad daughter. “Wendy’s voice cracked at the admission. “But the thing is, I don’t want to leave. This is home now, I have you, I have my family around and my friends and just my life. I might live in the dorm, but the thought that home is just a few hours away instead of like a timezone and a plane ride away, that’s comforting, you know? I feel terrible you know? My moms give me this chance but I’m just like… I don’t want to feel alone anymore, Hyun.”

 

Irene knows how much it kills Wendy to open this vulnerable side of her. To say that’s she’s scared, and vulnerable and insecure, and those might sound like negatives enough to bring your perfect image of someone down, but not for Irene. She appreciates that Wendy was willing to unearth this thoughts that kept her awake at night, and now all she wants is to be the one to hold Wendy together when she feels like falling apart.”

 

“I’ll be here. I know that sounds so simple, but I… I’m going to be here for you, Wan. I will-”

 

“No…no… are you kidding me? That’s more than enough!” Wendy looks at their laced fingers, a smile gracing her lips. “You know, I’m kinda scared too… how people always say that high school love don’t really last.”

 

But Irene doesn’t look a bit fazed by the situation, instead she flashes Wendy a smile before promising,

 

“I guess we just have to prove them wrong.”

 

TBC

 

Well, thank you so much for reading. I know my track record for updating is like nonsense and I'm really sorry about that. But I hope you guys still get to enjoy this chapter. NExt chapter will be the last one which will cover their graduation... hopefully the update comes earlier than 2019. hehehe... Thank you for the upvotes and comments and for subscribing, I truly appreciate it.