I.  Anywhere But Here

Life wasn’t so bad. At least, for Bae Irene it wasn’t. Most high schoolers would moan and groan about their lives. How unfair their parents were. How useless class was. How mundane their lives were. But Irene found her life to be quite alright. Swell in fact. She lived comfortably, got mostly whatever she begged her parents for, was blessed with amazing genes, one of the top students in her class and one of the most renown girls in school. All that and she had the perfect boyfriend.

Had. Past tense.

Her life used to be alright. Past tense again.

Everything was okay until about three weeks ago when her so-called perfect boyfriend of two years, since the beginning of high school, broke up with her. Over what? He didn’t say. Simply that he didn’t feel the same anymore. That they’ve drifted apart and those two years of feeling are gone. And that flame was extinguished without so much as a proper explanation and a pathetic apology that left Irene falling apart.

I hope we can still be friends.

How did this happen? Especially to her of all people?

She wonders where things went wrong. Was it her fault? Was she not good enough for him anymore? Did he really fall out of love? How cruel would it be if that were true because here she was, feeling the same as she did when they first held hands, when they first kissed, when they held each other--but now it was just her.

Lonely, hurt, and sad.

Alone.

Irene trudges down the hall as she always does, getting a few laps around the school before class started. There wasn’t much else to do anyway. Or rather, there wasn’t anything else she felt like doing. Not when she was still stuck, aching. So she walks and she walks and she walks until the sight before her literally petrifies her and soon, sadness transforms into anger when she puts everything together.

Minho and that new girl, Krystal.

That’s why. He fell for someone else. The way he smiled and held her hand, it was as if Irene were never there to begin with. Was she that easy to let go? Or did he not love her as much as she thought? Why? Endless questions run through her mind as her hand curls into a fist. Tighter and tighter. Her knuckles go white.

Then, their eyes meet and suddenly, there’s this bitter taste at the back of and her body goes cold. She swallows hard, praying that she won’t fall apart at the sound of his voice.

Don’t give him the satisfaction. You’re okay. You’re doing just as fine as he is. Hide the cracks and fake a smile because you're not broken yet.

“Irene,” he says her name as if it were already foreign to his tongue.

She forces the corners of her lips upwards, flashing a smile that could fool anyone. She wasn’t a part of the drama club for nothing.

“Minho. Krystal,” she bows her head slightly towards the latter. “Good morning.”

And despite her stellar performance, the exchange ends on an awkward note as Krystal shyly bows back and Minho rubs the back of his nape while biting the corner of his lip. Irene smirks inwardly. She could read Minho’s body language like a map. He was uncomfortable and she took small pleasure from it. After all, it’s not like he didn’t deserve it. Or was she being too bitter?

No words are exchanged as a blanket of silence covers them. Painful stares go back and forth, no one dares speak. Or perhaps, they had no idea what to say. Good. So, Irene keeps that smile plastered on her face.

Seconds tick by and passing students weave by them. Their standstill ends when Minho finally musters the courage to say more than just her name.

“Listen, Irene, I'm sorry,” Minho apologizes. “You probably guessed it by now but...we're together. I hope you're alright with that. I mean, I don’t expect you to be but--”

“Don't apologize,” Irene quickly cuts him off. She didn’t have to hear the rest. She didn’t want to. “It's completely fine. As long as you're happy.”

She had forced the last sentence out but it passed off genuine enough as the biggest smile emerges on Minho’s face and Irene can feel her insides knotting up. Before she has time to react, he’s scooped her up into one of his big hugs. The one where she’d be fully engulfed in his embrace with her face buried deep within his shoulder. So close, she could breathe him in. So close, her lips nearly grazed the skin of his neck. Why did he have to do that?

“Thanks. I knew you'd be understanding. You always are,” he whispers into her ear and those words have her crumbling.

It wasn’t fair. As long as you’re happy. That was just something people always said. Thank you’s aren’t necessary. She hardly meant what she said. But it apparently meant a lot to him. Why? What did he want, what did he think it was? Her blessing on his new relationship? What garbage. It was unfair. He was so happy. But what about her?

Her jaw clenches as her blood begins to boil. Any longer in his arms and Irene might lose it, so she lightly pushes him away, carefully and gently, as she tries to remain calm.

But she could no longer contain it and in the spur of the moment, seething with anger and frustration, she says whatever she can to get back at him.

“Of course. I mean, it's only fair since I'm with someone else now, too.”

Surprise and utter disbelief slaps him right across the face. It’s wrong but Irene can feel a tinge of satisfaction from his expression.

“W-What? You are?”

A slight crack in his voice. He’s hurt. But he has no right. Not when he already had another piece. Krystal simply watches but she must’ve sensed Minho’s distress as she wraps her arms around his left, pulling him closer to her. Irene doesn’t miss the way he relaxes from her touch. She hates it.

“Yup. Actually, I came over here looking for them.”

“Who is it?”

Crap. She expected him to just accept the answer, move on, and leave her alone out of shock but Minho never did make things easy. Now she had to find someone. Take too long and her bluff would be exposed. But this person, it can’t just be anybody. They had to be spectacular, someone worth everyone’s envy. Someone Minho can’t stand. Someone that will make him regret and want her back, leaving him to grovel at her feet begging to get back together.

Her eyes searched frantically. There had to be someone.

And with the most impeccable timing, the right person comes walking down the hall towards them. One of the biggest heartthrobs of the school. Boys and girls alike fell for her. Talented to the point it’s unfair, star athlete of their track team, and model student. Cocky, arrogant, charismatic, and untouchable.

Kang Seulgi.

“Ah, there she is! Kkangseul!” Irene shouts excitedly and all heads turn to the slightly startled girl at the other end upon hearing a foreign nickname.

“Kang Seulgi?” He practically spits her name out. “Irene, you’ve got to be joking.”

It was an understatement to say Minho detested the girl. Perfect for Irene.

Time to put on a show.

“Nope,” Irene answers sweetly as she struts past everyone and her eyes meet Seulgi’s who’s obviously confused. With her guard down, Irene takes advantage of the situation and hugs Seulgi’s arm, clinging to her like a koala as she leans her head against her shoulder.

Seulgi stiffens, “Irene, what are--”

“You’re late,” she pouted, jutting out her bottom lip and quickly shutting Seulgi up before she could expose her lie. She’ll be damned if she gets caught in her own web. “You weren’t waiting for me at my locker so I walked around looking for you.”

Seulgi stares at her warily but Irene sneakily pinches her, urging her to play along. Surely, she wasn’t stupid enough to miss the hint.

Then, she realizes all eyes were on them. Ooh’s and aah’s echoed in the hall and whispers of gossip quickly went from student to student. If she gets caught--oh, the humiliation would be unbearable. That definitely can’t happen.

Come on, Kang.

But the girl doesn’t speak up like she wants, instead it’s Minho standing just a few inches from Seulgi, well within her personal bubble and with Krystal watching closely from behind.

“You two are dating?” he scoffs. “There’s no way. I know you’d never fall for someone like her, Irene.”

He pokes Seulgi right at the center of her collarbones. The small bit of force causes Seulgi to sway a bit before she swats Minho’s provoking finger away. The entire hall fills with howls at the engagement, encouraging a fight. Irene clings onto Seulgi tighter, afraid that, perhaps, she didn’t think this all the way through.

But Seulgi’s entire demeanor changes and that infamous grin appears on her lips. The one that made girls swoon and guys topple over. The same one, that Irene knew, annoyed Minho to no end. This is what she was hoping for.

“Oh, is that so?” Seulgi says, her voice as smooth as velvet.

And Seulgi does something unexpected as she places her hand on top of Irene’s that laid across her forearm, giving it a firm squeeze. Her touch, soft and warm.

“Sorry, Irene. I forgot to grab something out of my locker. I won’t be late next time.”

Then, Seulgi rubs circles along the back of Irene’s hand, her eyes give a small crescent smile that could fool anyone into thinking her affection was real.    

Against her will, Irene’s cheeks flush pink and she curses herself for reacting so easily. She didn’t particularly like Seulgi nor did she hate her, but the girl could be so irresistibly charming when she wanted to, it was unbelievable. She was able to win almost anyone over, including Irene it seems. A rare, frustrating, and uncanny talent of hers.

The gesture has Minho speechless and burning much to Seulgi’s satisfaction when she turns to face him with a lopsided smirk, taunting him.

Suddenly, Minho moves in closer with a single step, practically towering over Seulgi. But the height difference fails to intimidate the girl in any way as she stares straight back at him, welcoming the advance--encouraging it. The shouting and hollering grows louder.

Irene was starting to feel a little nervous.

Minho opens his mouth, he’s about to go off, Irene can see it. But the warning bell blares and all their spectators stop their cheering as they begin to scramble to class. Only they stayed frozen in place. No one dared to move or even blink.

“Come on, we’re going to be late,” Krystal speaks up for the first time since they introduced themselves and she begins to drag Minho away. But his eyes stay fixated on Seulgi as if they were locked on with no escape. Dark and angry. If looks could kill, that would be the end.

Irene releases a sigh of relief. For a moment, she thought things might have gone out of hand but it turned out much better than she hoped.

Distracted and relishing the moment, Irene hadn’t realized she was being dragged as well. To her surprise, Seulgi ushers her down the opposite end of the hall, turning a sharp left into the nearby bathroom. There, the taller girl quickly detaches herself from Irene and corners her, causing her to nearly stumble backward but luckily, Irene catches the wall behind her.

“What the hell was that?” Seulgi questions, visibly irritated.

“God,” Irene mutters beneath her breath as she regains her balance. “Couldn’t you have been a little more gentle? Or just asked me to let go?”

“No,” Seulgi immediately replies with a deadpan tone. Clearly, she wasn’t the least bit amused.

“Now what was that back there?” She asks again, cornering Irene further, demanding an answer and ridding any means of escape. She’s forced Irene’s entire back against the wall. “Because we suddenly seem to be dating. Though, I don’t recall ever asking you out. Or you asking me. Unless... you’re planning to right now?”

And her last statement is followed by that annoying, arrogant smirk. It causes Irene to scoff.

“Shut up. I just wanted to make my ex-boyfriend jealous. That’s it.”

There’s a brief flash of disappointment in Seulgi’s eyes. But knowing what very little she does of Seulgi, what disappoints her isn’t the fact that Irene sort of rejected her but rather that her reason was typical, ordinary, and the usual. The girl was known for being rather eccentric and liking odd things.

“So he finally broke up with you and got with the new girl, huh?”

Irene’s ears perk up to the strange tone in Seulgi’s voice.

“You say that like it was bound to happen.”

“It was and it did,” Seulgi states, matter-of-factly. “They both have practice after school and they’re always talking to each other. A lot of us have seen how close they’ve been getting over the past few months. It’s not surprising that it happened..”

Was it Irene’s fault then?

She’d been so busy with her rehearsals for the last play the drama club performed, attending the classes at her dance studio, and studying for all her advanced classes as well as trying to maintain her social life--was it too much? Somehow, did she neglect Minho? He had his own agenda with basketball practice and keeping up with his academics even attending tutoring sessions to aid him, but whenever possible they would spend time together.

They always tried.

But who knew in the midst of it all, that Minho was slipping farther and farther away from her. With the way he’d been acting lately, indifferent, seemingly tired and uninterested, it made sense.

Seulgi had a point but that only hurt Irene more. A slight taste of sourness creeps up the back of . Why did this have to happen?

“So it only takes a few months to undo two years, huh? Three weeks and he’s already moved on.” A tiny, bitter laugh escapes her. What a joke. “But I’m still here.”

Seulgi tilts her head to the side, arching a brow, ‘What, you’re not over him yet?”

Irene is unable to tell whether or not the girl is serious--she couldn’t possibly be. This was her two year relationship they were talking about. It wasn’t something you could easily dust under the rug and forget. It shouldn’t be that easy. And Irene nearly gives her a piece of her mind for asking something so ridiculous it was practically offensive. But when gazes back into Seulgi’s eyes, she realizes that the latter was honestly asking.

Irene didn’t get it. How Seulgi was so...detached. In this moment, she envied her. If she could just hit the off switch and separate her emotions or any way of feeling from herself, then she wouldn’t be hurting this much. She wouldn’t be hurting at all.

“No, of course not,” Irene answers, her voice slightly trembling. “Unlike some people, my feelings aren’t so fickle. He was... my first love.”

“Gross,” is all Seulgi says.

Memories begin to flood Irene’s mind. A lot of her firsts were with Minho. Many may say that your ‘first’ of anything isn’t much of a big deal and it may not be but despite that, they were definitely memorable. And nearly everything Irene can recall, her first kiss, her first date, her first time riding a motorcycle, her first time saying ‘I love you’--in all of those memories she could see Minho’s bright smiling face. He was the only thing she could see.

Her bottom lip quivers and Irene tries to bite it back as she slumps onto the floor, her back sliding against the cold wall behind her. But it’s no use and in seconds, she starts to unravel. Tiny sobs force their way out.

“Come on,” Seulgi groans. “Don’t get all mopey on me.”

Irene helplessly shakes her head. All control was out of her hands.

“No,” Irene curls her knees close, burying her face against them. She would cry here alone for as long as she wanted. It didn’t matter anymore. Not to her. Not to Minho. Not to anyone.

There’s a loud sigh from Seulgi before Irene smells the scent of oranges nearing. And at the sound of Seulgi’s voice, she peeks through her hair veiling her face, just above her knees, to see the girl crouching in front of her.

“Okay, listen. It’s his loss so don’t go getting all sad,” Seulgi says. “Honestly, you were way out of his league anyway.”

Irene sniffles. Hearing that made her feel a little better, even if they may have just been empty words of comfort.

“Really?”

“You don’t believe me? You’re freaking Bae Irene,” Seulgi grins from ear to ear as she stresses Irene’s name. “One of the most popular girls in school and literally the most gorgeous person I’ve ever met.”

Irene’s brows knit tightly together as she’s taken aback by the sudden proclamation.

“You’re smart, top ten of the class, best actress of the school’s drama club, and a great dancer,” Seulgi raves on. “And what is he? What’s he got? Just another jock on the basketball team. That’s it. And that girl, Krystal? A subpar cheerleader. But she is kind of cute. I’ll give her that.”

And Seulgi manages to crack a smile on Irene’s face as she giggles over her small cries from before. The heartthrob’s signature grin morphs into a faint upward curve on her lips. More subtle. More sincere. And Irene finds herself staring at the vibrant gleam in her eyes when Seulgi scoots in closer.

“So don’t get too hung up. He may have been your first but he won’t be your last,” Seulgi says, her voice little more than a whisper. “A girl like you can land anyone. All you need is some time and you’ll be over him like that,” she snaps her fingers for emphasis. “So don’t look so miserable or you’ll ruin that pretty face of yours.”

And Seulgi gently combs Irene’s hair back with her fingertips, revealing her damp cheeks and reddened nose. With the pads of her thumbs, she brushes away the remnants of Irene’s tears and stops her crying altogether.

Words of comfort and soft touches that eased her leaves Irene baffled and gaping at the girl before her. The warmth of Seulgi’s hand stops its caresses to cup her cheek, keeping her still, holding her with a grasp filled with such tenderness, it was as if she were afraid Irene might break at the slightest bit of force. It didn’t make sense and it only confused Irene further.

‘What? Something on my face?” Seulgi asks, oblivious to her own actions.

No immediate reply is given and while Seulgi waits patiently, Irene stares harder. She blinks once over. Twice the next time. Then, she squints, trying to comprehend the anomaly in front of her that was able to cease her cries, even if only temporarily.

“Are you really Kang Seulgi?” Irene finally speaks, her voice cracking at the spaces between.

There’s this mysterious glint in the way Seulgi looks at her. She draws her hand back, the fleeting warmth of her palm disappearing from Irene’s cheek, leaving her cold and savoring the lingering touch upon her skin.

“Not what you entirely expected, am I?” Seulgi smirks.

“No.”

One second she was distant. The next minute she was caring and sincere. And in the blink of an eye, she was the cocky and arrogant charmer everyone knew within these halls. It just didn’t fit.

“You’re supposed to be this cocky, overconfident, egotistic charmer who can spin words and weave stories. You play people like fiddles when you want to and tear people down when you don’t like them. A frustrating, eccentric, charismatic, and indifferent individual. That’s who Kang Seulgi is. Not this,” Irene’s eyes scan her up and down. “She’s not someone who would’ve wasted her time drying the tears of a pathetic girl crying over her ex.”

There’s this look of amusement on Seulgi’s face, intrigued by Irene’s claim and wanting to hear more.

“You don’t think so?” the girl asks, hints of curiosity laced in her voice.  

“No, this isn’t any fun for you, right? So you wouldn’t bother wasting your time,” Irene was certain.”It’s the same reason why you went along with my little act back there. Because it was fun for you to see Minho angry like that.”  

And although she’s nearly one-hundred percent positive she’s right, a part of her is wishing that she’s wrong. That Seulgi is not everything she says--not everything that everyone claims her to be. From the way she held Irene and consoled her, the fact that she even stayed in the first place--it was possible. By some off chance, maybe they were all wrong.

But when the girl lets out a hearty laugh, Irene’s hopes are shot down and her accusations confirmed.

“Well, I’m not going to deny that,” Seulgi shrugs her shoulders proudly. “It was fun. And everything you said definitely sounds like me. But....” she pauses, tapping her finger against her chin in thought, “I’m not always like that. This is me too, believe it or not. Plus, I’m not that much of a jerk to leave a crying girl all alone.”

Silence. Irene finds herself more confused than she was before.

“What do you think? Am I playing with you right now?” Seulgi questions with a sly grin.

Irene takes a few seconds to ponder. Honestly, she didn’t know. So she goes with her gut feeling.

“No… I don’t think so.”

At that response, Seulgi suddenly moves closer, pressing her front against Irene’s knees as she leans in. Her bottom lip grazes the skin of Irene’s left ear and she whispers in soft, warm breaths that send shivers rippling down Irene’s spine.  

“Do you want me to play with you? Then you’ll really know--”

“B-Back off, Kang!” Irene shoves her away causing the latter to fall onto her bottom. Irene quickly masks the blush on her face with the back of her hand. Deep breaths, one by one, the heat in her cheeks settles down.

She should have expected that.

Seulgi simply chuckles at what just transpired as she rubs her lower back, “Wow, you’re pretty strong.”

“A-And you’re an idiot,” Irene weakly throws back.

The insult has no effect whatsoever as the heartthrob smiles softly. And when she inches closer again to Irene, the girl gets ready to push her away but stops when Seulgi pats the crown of her head.

“You’re going to be just fine,” she says. Yet, again Irene is speechless and perplexed.

“How do you know?” Irene whispers.

“I just do. Trust me.”

Why was Seulgi like this? And why is it that a part of Irene does believe her enough to take her words into consideration. Her uncanny talent of hers, that was probably why. Seulgi was indeed charismatic beyond belief. She knew what to say, when to say it, and how to say it. She could read a person like a book, flip their pages and expose their passages. Or play them like a guitar, strumming all the right strings to the tune that she wants or for the song that they wished for.

And maybe that’s what Irene needed.

“Help me,” Irene suddenly says.

Seulgi blinks at her, surprised, as she retracts her hand, “With what?”

It was a stupid idea. Perhaps, the most idiotic thing she’s ever thought of but at the same time, she liked it. Why not? There was nothing to lose. She didn’t want to hurt, she wanted to forget about Minho as soon as possible, even if it was through such unconventional means. And what better way than with the help of the most unconventional person.

“Help me move on. Help me get over him,” Irene pleads, taking Seulgi’s hands into her own. “Please. Just, I don’t know--be my fake girlfriend, pretend to go out with me. Please, help me.”

But Seulgi doesn’t even bother entertaining the idea for a second as shakes her head and pries Irene’s hands off of her own. Disappointed, Irene watches as Seulgi gets on her feet, dusting her clothes off. Somewhere, a switch is flipped, and Seulgi is back to being distant.

“Sorry Irene, but no. Go home and rest,” she says as if she were commanding her. “I don’t want anyone to see you’ve been crying.”

“Seulgi, wait--”

The door closes just as fast as it’s opened and Seulgi is gone, leaving Irene alone still sitting on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor.

Go home and rest.

Irene picks herself off the ground and splashes her face with some cold water from the nearby sink.There was no way she was going to give up that easily. She was going to make this plan happen and Kang Seulgi was going to help.

All she needed to do was some negotiating.

--

a/n: hello everyone~ so i’m currently writing the last update for smoke and peppermint--i know right? I’m still not done with it. it’s going to be a long update. but in the middle of writing it i got the idea for this new fic and had to write it before it slipped my mind. so here you go~ like i said in the foreword, i’m not quite certain on how long this one is going to be but it will definitely be longer than any of my past fics. as usual, thank you to everyone who’s read, commented, and/or subscribed. i hope you enjoyed it or it’s at least gain your interest. If not, thanks for checking it out. oh! and lastly, thank you for all the wonderful comments on my fic, carved in porcelain. i absolutely loved reading what everyone had to say and i was very touched. i plan on responding to all of those comments soon~ well, until my next update! take care everyone. please continue to love and support red velvet and wish our yerimie a speedy recovery.