008

The stack of test papers has never been this interesting, Irene thought. Her class just ended and she’s behind her desk, blankly staring at the papers her students just turned in.

The memory of last night just couldn’t leave her mine yet.

She shut closed her eyes, mumbling cries. Her head rested on the stacks of paper, her hair fall over her shoulder.

“What’s even happening to me?”

Don’t take it wrong. She doesn’t want to remember anything last night but most of all she doesn’t want to forget that very night either.

She heaved a sigh. “What are you doing Joohyun?”

Seulgi was so close. Irene sees her leaning in—closer.Their noses touched and it made her heart pound harder; harder enough to make her breath hitch.

Seulgi stopped, with only the tip of their noses touch. She didn’t close her eyes. She wanted to see it herself that it was actually happening. Her eyes travel to the painter’s lips, noticing how pretty it was especially parted with breath that smells like coffee, touched .

She could almost taste them.

Almost.

Honk! honk!

“YAH KANG SEULGI! ARE YOU SLEEPING ON US AGAIN?!”

And just like that both stepped away from each other.

“Sorry—the team—I-I forgot…”

“You know what I also have papers to check so yeah…uhm…”

Everything they said came out so rushed; they didn’t even notice they were back to awkward silence and staring at each other.

Irene’s hands anxiously hold each other near her chest and she feels her heart wilding inside.

Honk! Honk!

“Yeah, bye.”

Irene immediately went to her room, closing the door behind her and took a deep nice breath.

What just happened was something she never thought about.

She gets it. Maybe she is attracted to Seulgi. But she even felt more when things started to go well between them since that night they had in Jeju.

Comfortable silence and small talks should never happen.

But it did.

“I’m screwed.” She tells herself, feeling the heat in her body while her hands find their way to her hair.

“Ugh! Get a grip Joohyun.” She tells herself, arranging the crooked glasses on her bridge.

“Girl you talking to yourself makes me nervous.”

Irene startled, looked up to be welcomed by a disturbed face owned by her very best friend.

“What’s with you? And why are you talking to yourself?” Yongsun ask question after question while stirring her coffee. She still wears that weird look.

“Yongsun-ah…” Irene said so soft with a frown and the teacher immediately responded with widened eyes.

“OH MY GOD, are you pregnant?!” She exaggerated while taking a seat beside Irene, who gave her a look.

“What nonsense are you talking about? It’s not that Yongsun!”

Good thing they were alone in the office or the whole faculty would have something new to gossip about.

“Then what is?!”

Yongsun is still waiting with expectant eyes and Irene almost coward to tell her friend. She looked down, playing with her fingers.

But that still didn’t give the older girl a clue.

She still doesn’t know if she should tell her yet. She was shy because she sees the teasing coming from Yongsun and not to forget, she has a loud mouth.

Irene felt her friend’s hand over hers. She looked at her and there was a warm smile on Yongsun’s face. She must’ve notice how uneasy Irene was.

“You can tell me, Rene.” She said trying to relief the uneasy English teacher.

The said teacher bites her lower lips, as she looked away and lets out the air she was holding since then.

“I…”

She took a deep breath one last time.

“I think I like Seulgi.”

* * *

“Daebak!” Yongusn said in disbelief from what her best friend told her but even still, she was very happy nonetheless.

Irene is finally getting a life! That’s what she thought.

“I don’t know what to do.” Irene answers briefly before turning to the counter and takes their order of two coffees, not forgetting to smile back at the barista.

“Thank you.”

“What do you mean you don’t know what to do? You’re living under the same roof I see no problem Irene.” Yongsun chattered as they walk their way to the back side of the café, at the window seat.

Irene placed the tray on the table and they sat across each other.

“I know.” She sighs. “But that doesn’t mean something’s going on between us.” She says but then the memory of last night suddenly flashed before her eyes.

Liar.

That’s what her inner self says because something’s going on between them especially last night.

But it remains unspoken.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to erase the picture in her head; with Seulgi so close to her—she doesn’t need that right now. She needs to think properly.

She took a sip of her coffee.

But she grunted once again because it only reminded her of Seulgi’s breath last night. And it seems like she has tasted her in ; another reason for Irene to be embarrassed of herself. She never had such thoughts of the girl before.

“Aish!” A sudden outburst came out from her.

“Omo!” Yongsun almost spilled her coffee when her friend placed her cup down, rather so harshly.

“What the heck is wrong with you?!” Yongsun throws her a frightened look.

Irene lets out an exasperated sigh, sounded so defeated. “I think I’m losing my mind, Yongsun-ah.”

“Yeah,” She answered with widened eyes. “I think so too.”

They both turned their heads to the group of students who just entered the shop and Seulgi just have to be one of them.

“Speak of the devil.”

She hears Yongsun say but her attention is focused on Seulgi, together with her friends. They’re still in their soccer uniforms.

She sees Seulgi turned towards her direction but the teacher immediately turned her back, clearly not wanting to be seen.

“Hide! Hurry!” She hissed and Yongsun gave her a weird look.

“What do you expect me to do? Dig a whole and bury myself? Calm down, ok? She didn’t see you.”

A heavy sigh came out from the stressed Irene. Yongsun lost count of it. She’s been so worried about her feelings she didn’t notice how much it affected her nature.

“I can’t believe I’m crushing on her.” Irene scoffed as if it was a big joke. While her friend, softened at how vulnerable Irene could get by a “simple” crush. At least that’s what she wants to tell herself.

“Irene, honey,” Yongsun touched her hand to get her attention. “Like I told you before, Seulgi is a piece of yummy meat that any girls and even boys, I bet, would want to devour.”

Irene frowned and her brows furrowed at her friend’s choice of words.

“And I’m sure you’re not excused. So stop beating yourself up.”

Irene sighed for the nth time. Her lips pursed together, her hands cupping her cup of coffee that is starting to cool down.

“Am I overreacting?”

Yongsun smiled at her. “No honey. You’re just cute. So keep your together, ok?”

“Yongsun!” Irene hissed harshly while giving her friend a look that scolds which earned a good laugh from the latter.

“I’m sorry! I can’t help it. You know my mouth—I don’t have filter.” She snorts.

Irene looked over her shoulder, wanting to check if Seulgi was still there. She is. The tall girl waits by the counter with Wendy, as Irene recognized. But there is another person she knows, getting into the picture.

Yoo Si Ah.

Or Yooa, as everybody in the campus address her. She comes to the taller girl, smiling so sweetly that makes her eye twitch. She cringes at how the doll faced, dance major, acts cutely in front of Seulgi.

She sees Seulgi smiling as they exchange words. There was a sudden annoyance in her. How could Seulgi smile to another girl like nothing happened last night?

Not like something really did happen but—

She doesn’t want to see more of it.

Irene was about to turn her head back to Yongsun when she caught a glimpse of Wendy. The latter seemed to recognize her because she smiled and made that little wave.

Irene smiled back, a shy one rather—waving a little too.

“Aah…Wendy Son,” She hears her friend comments as soon as she turned to face her. “Great kid—and smart too.”

“She is.” Irene hums in agreement.

“And so is your Seulgi.” Yongsun sang in a teasing tone that earned a blush from Irene.

“She’s not mine.”

“That’s not what the marriage contract says.”

“It’s still fake.”

“No. It’s a contract, you see? It’s real but!” She paused, placing both hands parallel. “is within a period of time.”

Irene sighed. There’s clearly no need for Yongsun to explain things. Not even her forced marriage.

“My point is, Seulgi doesn’t see me that way and will never have interest to someone like me.” She mumbles.

She hears a gasp and was again weird out by her friend.

“You seriously told me that right in front of my face? Irene, that’s insulting!”

Yongsun leaned back sideward, hands on her chest, acting like she was hurt.

“Park Bogum would not be head over heels with you for no reason!” She said it a bit louder that made people