Seulgi got the shock of her life the moment she stood in front of the audience, the guitar held closely, and her band mates behind her, setting the stage up. Her eyes watered as she spotted the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her whole life, the woman who she had loved and cared before, the woman she wished to spend her life with, the woman who she had let go, the woman who's now in another man's arms, her ex, her Bae Joohyun. 

"Seulgi. Seul." she blinked a few times and turned around to look at her band mate, standing behind the set of drums, Byulyi, gesturing for her to get ready. 

Oh, right. She forced herself to momentarily forget the thought of Joohyun, talking animatedly while being held by a man, probably her current boyfriend. She tried to ignore the stinging pain in her eyes and forced to smile for the audience's satisfaction. She cleared , strummed her guitar, and tried to find the courage to look up and sing her heart out. 

The music played and the moment she sang the first word of the song, Joohyun's eyes snapped to look on the stage where she's at, their eyes locked and memories of the past begin to make itself known.

--

"Come on, Seul. Don't be such a coward. Ask her out." Jennie grumpily stated, crossing her arms and tapping her foot against the ground impatiently. All Seulgi could do was to nervously bite her lower lip and look at the pretty girl who's currently reading a novel, sitting quietly not too far away from where they had been sitting.

"i don't think I can do this." she confessed earning a few groans from her group of friends. 

"Don't tell me you're seriously backing out." Byulyi exclaimed, groaning for the nth time. "We've planned this already, Seul."

"She doesn't even know me." Seulgi reasoned out. She thinks the librarian will soon kick them out if they continue talking loudly inside the quiet library full of nerds who wants nothing but to study and read boring books.

"Seul, that's impossible. You're the School's trouble maker, you painted the school's wall a big '' with your name under it." Sooyoung smirked, "You're so dumb for doing that, by the way."

" off, soo. You're not even helping." Seulgi glared at the taller woman for reminding her the dumbest decision she had done. Sooyoung didn't even flinch, she had been receiving those glares since they were kids and she's not even bothered by it anymore. 

"Just go and talk to her, Seul."

"I'm leaving. I don't want to do this anymore."

"Just ask her out."

"No!"

"What the hell, Seul!! Just do it."

"I won't d--"

"Excuse me, if you're not here to read a book, then please leave. You're disturbing the other students." 

Seulgi gaped, she opened but chose to close it once again when no words came out, how can she say anything when the girl who she had been staring earlier is right in front of her, reprimanding her. 

"B-But I-I.." she tried to save herself and blame her group of friends but they already left, leaving her alone with the girl who turns out to be the librarian's helper. 

"Just keep quiet or I won't have any other choice but to kick you out." Seulgi dumbly nodded, couldn't find the words to say. 

She forgot to ask her name.

--

The second time Seulgi talked to the pretty girl in the library, Seulgi felt she had lost a hundred days of her life because of the embarrassment she had felt.

"Next time, don't sleep in the library." The girl reminded her with a stern voice, eyeing the corner of her lips after she woke the snoring Seulgi in the library. "and kindly wipe the drool on your face."

Seulgi never stepped foot in the library ever again.

--

"I'm betting my whole life, Seulgi will never get the girl's name ever." Sooyoung loudly laughed after hearing Seulgi's misadventures with the pretty girl in the library, Seulgi quietly glared at the rude woman but it just did nothing. Jennie sighed and tapped Seulgi's back to comfort the gloomy bear.

"I'm still wondering why Yerim likes that dickhead." Jennie tried to comfort her friend by insulting Sooyoung which earned her a scowl from the tall woman. "Jisoo will soon see the devil inside you, Jennie." 

"Byulyi said she cant come here tonight because she's at Yongsun's." Jennie said, ignoring Sooyoung's remark. 

Seulgi just chuckled at their banter, slightly jealous at the fact that they have their special someones even though they're a pain in the most of the times. 

Sooyoung have Yerim, Jennie have Jisoo, Byulyi have Yongsun, and Seulgi's left alone to rot. 

--

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Seulgi wanted to melt right then and there, hearing that angelic voice that she can't forget since the moment she heard it before talking to her, asking if the seat beside her is taken. Seulgi wanted to melt. 

"N-No." She answered but it turned out to be an embarrassing screech which made the girl chuckle and sit beside her, placing her books on the table and glancing at Seulgi once in a while. "I'm Irene. Irene Bae."

And Seulgi wanted to jump and burst into a happy song because 1. She just got her name, (which suits her because its a beautiful name like her.), and 2. Sooyoung just lost her life. 

"I'm S-Seulgi. Kang Seulgi." she introduced herself, tainting her cheeks a deep shade of red because of how often she stuttered when talking to Irene. 

"I know."

Seulgi really wants to melt.

--

"Irene? You mean Irene Bae?" Jisoo asked her girlfriend, Jennie, after hearing the story Seulgi just told them. Seulgi, once again, is surrounded by couples which turns out to be her friends, it was like a routine for them to hang out every Saturday night. 

"Yes, that Irene. You know her?"  Seulgi asked the smaller woman seated beside Jennie. 

"She's my cousin." 

"What?" Seulgi felt her jaw dropping, the whole group stopped what they were doing and stared at Jisoo with disbelief painting their eyes. 

"She's my cousin. You should've told me you like her." Jisoo chuckled at their expressions and just hid her face behind Jennie's arm. 

"They look similar too."

And now that Yerim mentioned it, Jisoo do have some resemblance with Irene. Seulgi couldn't point out which part of her face resembles Irene but she's sure they looked similar. Maybe it's in the genes. Jennie just glanced at her giggling girlfriend, sighing after staring at her beloved's face.

"I can't believe we missed that obvious part." 

"We're all dumb."

--

"Hey, rene. This is Jisoo, my girlfriend, and this is Byulyi, Yongsun, Sooyoung, Yerim and that kid over there is Seulgi. I'm sure you already know her." Seulgi wants to wipe that stupid smirk on Jisoo's face but she couldn't, not when Irene looked at her directly in the eye and showed her that toothy smile of hers.

"Yeah. I know her. I caught her sleeping in the library last time." 

Seulgi wanted the ground to eat her whole, knowing that memory very well as that scenario in the library where she had drool all over the corner of . Her face grew deep red in embarrassment, it didn't help the fact that her so-called friends broke out in a thunderous laughter.

"By the way, Seulgi likes you."

Seulgi never hated someone as much as she hates Byulyi this exact same moment. 

She ran out of the room after Byulyi's statement.

--

Seulgi gasped hearing the sound of claps behind her after finishing a song, she turned around, all wide-eyed and mouth opened, feeling insecure after someone hearing her sing when all this time, her companion was always her guitar. 

"You're great." if its even possible, Seulgi's mouth dropped even more and her eyes widing like saucers upon seeing Irene, comfortably leaning against the door frame, eyes full of admiration with a hint of adoration while staring at Seulgi's form.

"I-Irene..."

"What? You're gonna run away again?" Irene chuckled which embarrassed Seulgi even more. 

"Stay there for a while, don't even think about running away again. I'll be back." Seulgi felt like she's been underwater and then pulled out of it to breathe again after Irene walked out of the room. Seulgi stared at the guitar held between her arms, thinking deeply.

"Should I leave?" Seulgi whispered, basically talking to a non-living thing. She sighed, looked back at the opened door and nodded.

"That's it. I'm leaving." 

Seulgi wasn't ready to talk to her yet, not when her heart felt like bursting out of its cage everytime she's near. She still wasn't ready.

So she stood up, grabbed her guitar case and walked out of the room, she didn't dare looking back, afraid of the thought that she might run back inside the room and grab the chance to be alone with Irene.

Though, she missed the chance to see Irene staring at her retreating back disappointingly, a notebook full of songs and its guitar chords held between her fragile hands.

--

It was too late for Seulgi to turn around and hide when she saw Irene sitting with her group of friends, laughing heartily at some corny joke Sooyoung had said. 

She sighed upon hearing Yerim's voice calling out for her which resulted to everyone (including Irene) to look at her and urge her to sit.

"The Flash is here." Byulyi joked, followed by a groan after her girlfriend had stepped on her foot to shut her up and let Seulgi sit quietly. Seulgi quietly thanked Youngsun for that.

"Hey, Seul. You should join the track and field team, since you're already so good at running away." they roared in laughter after hearing Sooyoung's remark.

"Shut it, Soo." Seulgi glared at the taller girl, pursing her lips together in a thin line, trying not to glance at the pair of wide eyes staring at her since the moment she had entered the room. 

"I'll help her." Irene's suggestion halted the group's laughter. She raised a questioning brow and shrugged. "I'll help her join the track and field team."

A smirk ghosted against Irene's pair of thin lips as her eyes locked with Seulgi's monolid ones. The poor girl's ears turned deep red as well as her whole face because of embarrassment, she grabbed her bag and, once again, ran away.

--

"Can you please stop running away?"

"I-Irene." a string of her guitar violently plucked after Seulgi had wrongly strummed her fingers against it, she hissed in pain as the thin string had hit her finger, leaving a tiny but awfully painful wound. "S-."

"Why are you so flustered everytime I'm around? You don't want me as a friend, do you?" Irene said, though her voice might sound scary and intimidating, her face showed concern after seeing the strip of crimson red blood on Seulgi's finger. 

She sat down beside the wincing girl who looked even more uncomfortable having Irene seeing her in a pathetic situation, Seulgi fidgeted which did not go unnoticed by Irene who merely rolled her eyes and just dug for the alcohol from her bag to aid the wounded girl.

"Stop moving, Seul." Irene irritably looked at Seulgi who wouldn't let her hold her hand and just kept on hovering her own hand above Irene's. "Seul, I'll pour this on your eyes if you don't stop." 

A teasing smile pasted itself on Irene's face when Seulgi, all wide-eyed, landed her wounded arm on Irene's waiting one. She chuckled lowly to herself after seeing Seulgi's (adorable) bright red face.

"F-. Stop!" A sharp pain on her finger had made her jump on her seat and wiggle her hand after Irene had poured a big amount of alcohol on her finger, she groaned and hissed in pain while Irene's loud laughter echoed behind her. 

"It's just a small wound, Kang. Stop overreacting." Irene said, still with that pretty smile pasted on her very, very pretty face. 

"You should've poured it on my eyes. ." Seulgi stopped wiggling her hands non-stop when Irene laughed again, her head falling backwards, her hand immediately shooting up to cover , her eyes turning into pretty crescents, Seulgi couldn't help herself but to stare, rather dumbly at the goddess in front of her. 

"Is there something on my face?" Irene covered her face, she had felt conscious after realizing that Seulgi became quiet and just stared blankly at her, she tried to fetch her mirror inside her bag but stopped herself upon seeing Seulgi shaking her head. 

"You... You're just so beautiful, I can't stop myself from staring." 

Irene smiled, her eyes slowly turning crescents though her face had become bright red after Seulgi's innocent confession. She chuckled lowly as she pushed gently a lock of hair behind her reddening ear shyly. 

"You know what, let's date." Irene suggested, her eyes brightly shinning, her smile brightening with hope and pure bliss. Seulgi didn't have the heart to say no. 

It was, and still is, her dream anyway.

--

"Irene?"

"It's Joohyun."

"What?"

"That's my korean name."

"Joohyun. I like it."

"I like you."

"Joohyun?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

--

"You look happier, you do." 

Seulgi smiled, rather fakely, to avoid stirring up unwanted attentions from the audience. It was such a coincidence that the song she currently is singing hits a certain soft spot inside her. 

"Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you,
But ain't nobody love you like I do."

She ecouraged herself not to shed a tear while on the stage. She needed to be professional, she's with her band, she couldn't afford ruining the performance because of a certain girl that goes by the name of Irene, or Joohyun, her Joohyun.

"Promise that I will not take it personal baby,
If you're moving on with someone new."

She found the courage to look up but the moment she did, she felt like she was suffocated. Joohyun was staring at her, her eyes boring holes on her, her face was emotionless, it was like no one mattered, she was just staring at Seulgi,  like Seulgi was the only person that mattered.

And Seulgi felt the butterflies, she felt the giddiness, the bliss and yet, she also felt the feeling of regret creeping in.

If she could go back time, she would never let Joohyun go.

"Cause baby, you look happier,
you do."

--

Months went by but it was not like what they imagined. The group expected that if Seulgi and Irene would get together, it would be raining fluffy cottons and colorful unicorns. 

But no, it was the complete opposite.

They were the complete opposite.

They often fought. They would scream at each other and no one would back down, their pride ate them whole and no one wants to fight against it. They would go on days without talking at each other, as if they don't see each other everyday, as if there wasn't love in the first place. 

The only reason why they would talk again was their mutual friends, Byulyi and the others would corner them both so they would talk and they would be forced to be at each other's arms again.

But just like how fast they made up, they would also be at each other's throat again the very next day to fight over petty things.

"You wouldn't answer your phone!"

"I left it on silent okay?!" Seulgi sighed, annoyed at Joohyun's sudden outburst.

"You should've told me so that I wouldn't g-"

"Irene!" 

Joohyun blinked blankly, Seulgi just screamed at her, it wasn't the first time that Seulgi screamed but it was the first time Seulgi had addressed her as Irene and not as Joohyun since they got together. 

She felt awful and betrayed. She felt like all of her energy got drained. She wanted to cry.

And she did.

"Where did Joohyun go?" she timidly asked Seulgi who was trying to calm herself. Seulgi blinked, she realized she had made a mistake of addressing Joohyun as Irene. It was an awful mistake.

"J-Joohyun. I-I'm sor-"

"don't touch me."

"Jooh-"

"Leave."

"I'm sor-"

"We're both tired Seulgi. Just... Just Leave."

-
That's it. No more communication happened between them. Byulyi and the gang never interfered again, fearing that they would just make it worse. Not even Jisoo tried to talk to Irene about Seulgi.

It was as if, Seulgi and Irene never dated.

They were back at the beginning where Irene never knew Seulgi and Seulgi never knew Irene.

-

"I know I was happier with you."

Seulgi couldn't contain her tears anymore. Slowly, a tear fell and it was followed by another until it was falling nonstop. 

Yes, she was happier with Joohyun, but she never realized it until she had made the mistake of letting Joohyun go. She never tried to call Joohyun after the argument, letting her pride take control. And it was her biggest mistake.

But seeing Joohyun now, she looked more elegant, more gorgeous. She looked prettier.

She looked happier.

Maybe because she had someone new. She had someone to hold on, someone to lean on, and that someone is the reason for Joohyun's happy smiles that Seulgi had seen before, when Seulgi was the reason behind of it.

"Baby you look happier, you do.
I knew one day you'd fall for someone new." 

Despite the tears that kept on blocking her eyes and the constantly tightening of , she couldn't stop singing. Jennie who was playing the keyboard beside her looked at her worriedly, maybe at this point they already noticed Joohyun standing in the crowd, listening to Seulgi's voice.

"But if he breaks your heart like lovers do,
Just know that I'll be waiting here for you."

The last note faded and a round of applause had given to them but all Seulgi did was to hurriedly run away from the crowd, away from her band, and away from Joohyun.

She covered using the back of her hand to not let the embarrassing sobs come out, she ran towards the women's comfort room and locked herself inside a stall. There, she covered her whole face with her hands and sobbed. 

"I still love her. ."

--

"B-Bogum, I-" Joohyun couldn't just stand still after seeing Seulgi break down in front of many people. The moment she saw Seulgi's tears, she wanted to run to the stage and just kiss it away. She wanted to take Seulgi back but she couldn't.

 Not when she's tied in a relationship.

"You know her, don't you?" Bogum, he's kind, caring, a complete gentleman, a guy that every girl wants. He's perfect, there's nothing in him that would make Joohyun hate him, and Joohyun wouldn't want to hate him. He's a keeper.

But he's not the person that Joohyun wants.

Sure, Joohyun loved him but not as much as she loved Seulgi. He was just a distraction, a comfort zone, an assurance that someone still wants her in their life. 

But he's not what Joohyun needs.

"She's someone who you once loved, right?" Bogum asked again, a small smile painted on his lips. Joohyun wanted to get shock but she couldn't because how could she when all she did was to stare at Seulgi who was singing wholeheartedly, she couldn't even spare Bogum a glance once she had heard Seulgi's voice.

She nodded.

"Then, what are you waiting for? Go after her. She still loves you." Bogum encouraged, she wanted to go but it wasn't fair to Bogum if she'll do it. They're in a relationship for a reason.

"But how about you?"

"You love her, Joohyun. And I love you too, but we both know that she's more imporatnt than I am. If you wouldn't run after her right now, I won't let you... go." 

Irene ran, her heels clanking against the tiled floor noisily as she ran towards where Seulgi went. She didn't care about anyone at this moment, all she wanted to achieve was to hold Seulgi in her arms once again.

Though, She missed the chance to see Bogum smiling bitterly while staring at her running form.

"Thank you for the memories, Hyun."

--

"Seulgi!" 

"Joo--Irene?" Irene smiled at hearing Seulgi's voice inside the farthest cubicle. She chuckled lowly after hearing Seulgi's little slip up.

"Where did Joohyun go?"

Seulgi gave no response but the cubicle's door began to slowly open until Seulgi's adorable puffy eyes came into view.

"Are you done running away?" she teasingly asked, "Are you ready to run away with me, Kang?"

"I can't believe that I still ing love you." 

Joohyun sent Seulgi a wink which made the latter laugh heartily, the smaller girl wrapped her arms around Seulgi neck and like an instinct, Seulgi wrapped her arms around Joohyun's petite form.

"And I still ing love you too, Kang."

T H E  E N D

a/n: okay. this is a complete trash.