“Seulgi, are you really okay with this? I mean we can just use taxi or bus...”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I still don’t get why you don’t have your own driver or car.”

“It’s just because I like seeing how people live their lives everyday. I can see it if I take bus or subway and other public transportation.”

“You get inspiration from them?”

“Yeah. Sometimes it comes so sudden in unexpected times. Just like when I met you.”

The taller girl turned silent. She turned the engine on and left the apartment building with Irene on the passenger seat. At times, Irene would always steal glances and Seulgi wouldn’t realize it. She was kind of nervous but she managed to put on a poker face. “What kind of beauty did you see in me?” asked Seulgi after seven minutes of silence instead of heaven. It was hard to explain since Irene just saw a spark and sudden admiration when they first met eyes with each other.

“Something I’ve been looking for. Sincerity, genuine, and bright.”

Seulgi noticed that Irene was looking at her hands on the steering wheel. Maybe Irene didn’t want to see her in the eyes—or she knew that Seulgi was still avoiding her. The girl processed the sentence only to ask another question, “And what if I turn out to be the opposite?” Her tone showed a little concern. “Will you leave or give up on me?”

This time, Irene gave Seulgi a confused and blue gaze. “Are you...” the question was left hanging and Seulgi couldn’t help but to glance at Irene, asking what was the question going to be. However, Irene refused to answer by shaking her head twice. “I won’t leave.” She wondered why it was as if she was the one who confessed to Seulgi? She didn’t like her that way—or that was what she thought. “I won’t ask you to be a model again if that is not what you want. It’s really okay, Seulgi.” She gave the younger a quick smile before she turned her head to the window.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to stay in the awkward situation any longer. “We’re here,” announced the monolid-eyed girl. After she parked her car, she unbuckled the seatbelt and got out to open Irene’s door. However, Irene already go out by herself and be all thumbs standing next to Seulgi. They walked in together to the mall and started to shop. Irene asked Seulgi to go out and choose their outfit for the party. Seulgi said that she already had a woman suit so she wouldn’t have to shop for another. The latter reasoned that she should also have some accessories. Figuring that Irene was trying, the girl agreed and now there they were.

“What do you think about this blue dress?” asked Irene, showing a blue satin dress with small artificial pearls here and there. “I think this lace at the end of the shoulder part is not really appealing but it’s up to you,” Seulgi responded, touching the dress. Then she noticed that Irene was looking at her with such hope in her eyes. “Y-you will look good in anything.” There, she started to stutter again. Why... why do I stutter again?

The smile Irene gave her caused a small thump and an urge to smile back. Seulgi would’ve blushed anytime, but she maintained to keep herself calm. She couldn’t let it show. She didn’t want to wear her feelings up on her sleeves. Not when she knew that the one she fell in love with wouldn’t love her back. “I’ll go check another dress. Is your suit all black, Seulgi?” Irene was quite busy checking out the dress she found pretty, but still managed to give Seulgi attention. “I want a dress that matches your suit.” She smiled at the thought on how they would look at the party.

“Not all black. Dark blue.”

“Then should I pick a bright one? Like white dress? There is one that I kind of like over here...”

“Sure... I told you. You’d look gorgeous in anything.”

They accidentally met gaze but no one tried to look away. Irene remembered that Seulgi said she would look ‘good’ not ‘gorgeous’. She smiled at the younger who turned out smiling back at her. Just by looking at Seulgi’s smile, Irene felt relieved and happy. “Thank you,” for the smile not the compliment. She let herself drowned a little picking out a dress when she found a black dress with laces around the top part. “I change my mind. I’ll have this one!” Seulgi was looking at another dress when she turned to Irene who has taken her steps hurriedly into the fitting room.

A few moments later she tried to hold herself from jaw-dropping upon seeing Irene in the dress she chose. “How do I look?” asked the shorter girl. How can I not fall when you look like an angel, Irene Bae? Seulgi cleared after she blinked, getting back her focus. “You look really... beautiful.” Irene smiled brightly at the compliment and cheered because she also liked the dress. “I’ll take this one.”

Now it was Seulgi’s turn imagining how they would look like at the party. Everyone must be staring at Irene a lot. She already knew that people admired Irene’s beauty. She didn’t doubt that. What she doubt was that they have ever known that Irene was much more beautiful than how she looked physically. Damn Seulgi, stop stop stop... please? Seulgi was hesitant when Irene took her hand while walking out the store to get some snack. They ended up at an ice cream store and sitting face to face.

“After this, we’ll get your accessories, okay?”

“I actually planned to asked Yeri or Sooyoung.”

“I... I also want to help. I want to buy at least one and you can keep it as a gift from me.”

“A gift? On what occasion?”

“I just want to. You gave me a beautiful gift last time.”

Seulgi raised her eyebrows, not sure what gift Irene was talking about.

“The camping, the short runaway.”

“Oh... that... it was a gift?”

“I think of it as a gift, something really special.”

Seulgi was pleased knowing that she made Irene happy. She tried to shoo away the memory of her confession not long after their trip was over. She tried to not think about Irene’s rejection and just enjoy the time they had today. She was taking things slowly, a little little braver to face the truth that they could only be friends—or her being Irene’s model. Maybe they could just be good friends like Irene suggested. Maybe I could stop falling for her.

Irene scooped her ice cream and ate it happily. She squealed a little when the coldness of gave her a little brain freeze. She coughed and looked a little panic. Nevertheless, she was still very much cute and Seulgi tried so hard not to smile widely seeing how Irene acted like a little kid, overwhelmed with her own meal. Seulgi was the one who was always like that. Then she countered her own guess of stop falling in love with Irene Bae.

Impossible.

“Se-Seulgi.. water...”

“O-oh! Wait!”

She stood up from her chair and took a free cup of water and back to Irene who was pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. “Are you okay?” Seulgi held Irene’s arm as she sat back on her seat. Irene nodded and let her hand go, now holding Seulgi’s hand. “Thank you.” The girl finished the water in one shot. “I ate the ice cream too quickly it made me dizzy.” Seulgi chuckled. “I’ve learnt a lot from past experience. I eat my ice cream slower nowadays.” She brags herself up for being more cautious in eating ice cream. She has been scolded by Yeri and Sooyoung a lot of times for eating—not just ice cream—too fast. She was the oldest among the three of them and yet she was the one who was treated like the little sister.

“Do you want to have dinner tonight? I want to know how good you really are in eating.”

“I’ve shown you last time when we were at Han River! I ate a lot of snacks and I even said that I could still have some more.”

“It was snacks, Seulgi.”

“I also cleaned up the food when we camped. I finished all in the morning, right?”

“Well... yeah, but still. I want to see more. Proving that you are Muncher-Seulgi.”

“Sooyoung calls me that too.”

“I call you that. I will do it more often if you’re really that good on eating.”

“You’re smirking. Are you challenging me right now, Irene Bae?”

“No, Kang Seulgi.

I’m taking you on a third date.”

Both of them thought that they would try to be slower, smoother, and make themselves more comfortable first. Irene couldn’t resist the joy and excitement when she noticed Seulgi’s brightness has come back. Seulgi couldn’t deny that she couldn’t help but fall in more. Now Seulgi has made up her mind. Maybe it would be fine even if they would only be good friends. It would be fine that Irene knew how she felt about her. It would be fine as long as she could make Irene happy and she knew that she would be happy too. Irene herself knew that she had to unwound Seulgi’s feeling. She wanted to make Seulgi happy—not realizing that she actually longed for Seulgi’s smile and warmth which she would only discover when the girl was happy.

“Okay. Let’s go.”