"I can't believe you're letting me drive your car." Joy blinks in disbelief as she looks up at Seulgi from the driver's seat. "This thing is like your metallic offspring. You never let anyone drive it."

The two were once again at the store parking lot, a few minutes before three in the morning. Seulgi stood uneasily outside the rolled-down window of her car, watching gloomily as Joy bounced in her seat from excitement. 

She had a bad feeling about this. 

"Please don't say it out loud." Seulgi huffs in a shaky breath, eyes closed shut because seeing Joy in the driver's seat was giving her trouble breathing. "You're breaking my heart."

Joy scoffs. "Alright, Cecilia, don't be so overdramatic." She rolls her eyes at the girl and adjusts her seat, sneakily trying to hide the chips she plans on eating on her way home. Seulgi hated it when they ate in her car. "You sure you don't want me to pick you up later?"

Seulgi narrows her eyes at the suspicious paper bag at the passenger's seat, but she shrugs it off, shifting her attention back to the younger girl.

"Positive. I'd rather take a cab than make you drive my baby all the way back here." She replies, looking over her shoulder to glance at the raven-haired girl inside the store. 

Irene was watching their interaction from afar, sending a playful wink Seulgi's way before facing Yeri again, listening intently to what seems to be the younger girl's routine complaints. Seulgi couldn't help the smile creeping up her face as she turned around and faced Joy again.

"Go take a nap and worry about that birthday breakfast you're going to make our Wannie later." She adds, ignoring the teasing look on her friend's stupid face. "Try not to burn the building down, alright?" 

"It's nice to know that you have so much faith in me." Joy replies sarcastically. She also glances at the girl behind the register before wiggling her eyebrows at her friend knowingly. "She likes you." 

Seulgi scoffs. There's no way in hell a girl like Irene would be attracted to her. She was far too perfect in Seulgi's eyes, and Seulgi was just plain old Seulgi. 

"Don't be ridiculous." She dismisses. 

"I'm serious."

"You're delusional."

"And you're in denial." Joy chuckles, figuring that convincing the older girl was a battle she quite frankly didn't have the energy to go into at the moment. She adjusts the rearview mirror and turns the key in ignition, eyes lighting up at the sound of the engine coming to life. "I'll be going now."

Seulgi sighs. There's not much she can do now but trust her friend's very questionable driving skills. "Please drive safe, Sooyoung. I don't want to get back and find the police standing outside our apartment building again." 

"That was one time!"

"It still happened." 

"Whatever." Joy rolls her eyes, moving to back the car into the empty road. "I'll be extra careful, Seul. I promise." She grins. "Make sure miss Irene gets home safe, okay?" 

Seulgi nods. "Of course. Text me when you're home." 

Joy signals her a thumbs up in response before turning right onto the road and driving away, leaving Seulgi to stare longingly at the back of her car. She sighs. 

She really had a bad feeling about this. 

After waiting for Joy to disappear into the distance, she hurries back inside the store, mentally cursing herself for forgetting her hoodie in the backseat of the car.

It was freaking cold out. 

She rubs her palms together and gingerly sits by the window, glancing around at the handful of people walking about the place. Her eyes automatically stop on the girl behind the register who was in the middle of a yawn, arms stretched wide as she rubs at her eyes cutely, making Seulgi smile.

Her crush was adorable. 

She was in the middle of her own yawn when a figure approached her table, slipping into the seat across from her without warning. 

"Hi." The young man suddenly greets, grinning at Seulgi from ear-to-ear. "I was walking by on my way home when I noticed you sitting here all alone. Mind if I keep you company?" 

Seulgi furrows her eyebrows at the stranger. He was wearing a shirt with their university's logo printed on it, smelling faintly of cigarettes and some expensive body spray her brother used to bathe in. He also seemed to be in the same age as she was, but didn't look like anyone she knew. So why was he talking to her? 

"Do I know you?" She asks carefully, not wanting to sound rude even though the way the guy approached her irked her a bit. 

The man's smile only grew wider—kind of freaking her out, to be honest. 

Why are men so weird?

"Not yet," He chuckled, making Seulgi cringe at how abnoxious it sounded. Seriously, who was this guy? "But we can always change that. I'm—hey!"

The man's introduction was cut short when a hand looped around Seulgi's arm and pulled her up, making the younger girl blink in surprise. 

"Sorry, mister. I'm gonna have to steal the pretty girl away for a sec." Irene smiles down at the man politely before quickly turning on her heels and whispering in the girl's ear. "You're coming with me." 

Seulgi doesn't protest. Her mind was far too focused on the fact that Irene was holding on to her bare arm, the surface of her skin burning despite the coldness she felt earlier. 

"B-But I wasn't done talking to her!" The stranger whines, getting up to chase after them.

Irene's grip tightened around the younger girl's arm, making Seulgi glimpse at her from the side. The look on Irene's face was a far cry from her usual sunny disposition. It made Seulgi want to hide the stranger and throw him in a cab for his own safety. 

The raven-haired girl turns around and looks at the man seriously, her gaze nailing him to where he stood.

"You are now." She states simply, sending shivers down Seulgi's spine as the older girl pulls her terribly close.

It was starting to get embarrassing how quickly Irene's actions could make her dizzy in the head.

No thoughts. Head empty. Just the girl of her dreams gripping her waist like she never wanted to let go. 

No big deal. 

Seulgi didn't notice that the man had already scurried off until she heard Yeri's laughter in the background. 

"That was gold." The blonde cackles, wiping a tear from her eyes. "Poor guy just wanted to introduce himself, boss. Why'd you have to scare him off like that?" She teases, a knowing smile on her lips. 

Irene scoffs. "Men."

She shakes her head and eyes Seulgi, a sigh escaping her lips when said girl looks back at her, eyebrows scrunched together in concern. They stare at each other for a few seconds before they both burst out laughing, finding the serious look on their faces unusually amusing. 

Yeri could only shake her head at the two, silently observing their interaction.

Something tells her that she'd be seeing a lot of Seulgi in the future. 

"You're something else." Seulgi breathes out after their laughter had died down, an easy smile on her lips as she gazes at Irene softly. How is this girl even real? 

"Right back at you." The raven-haired girl replies as she gently slips her fingers between the younger girl's, trying to see if she'd pull away.

She doesn't. 

And Irene's grin couldn't grow any wider. 

"Yeri, I'm taking my break." She hollers at the blonde by the counter and proceeds to drag Seulgi towards the back of the store, not even bothering to wait for Yeri's reply. 

--

"You haven't slept a wink, have you?" Irene asks from across the room. 

 
They were currently in the employee break room where Seulgi will be spending her remaining hours of waiting.

Irene claims that it'd be best if the brunette were out of plain sight, away from the lingering eyes of the flirty customers that were inevitably going to approach her. She didn't like the idea of warding off every single guy (or girl) that was going to try and test their luck.

The younger girl didn't protest, of course, protective Irene was scary. 

 
Seulgi shakes her head in response as she lets out another yawn. The sleepless nights were starting to take a toll on her. It also didn't help that the girl in front of her looked like an absolute dream. 

Irene chuckles at the sight. "You should take a nap." She says softly, approaching the girl at the table before placing a freshly brewed cup of coffee in front of her and sitting down. 

Seulgi eyes the cup and laughs. "You tell me to take a nap then hand me a cup of coffee. You're pretty confusing, miss Irene." She jokes.

"Because your hands are cold, you goof." Irene rolls her eyes playfully. "My sweater may look good on you but it's a shame that the sleeves are too short to cover your hands." 

Seulgi tilts her head to the side, brushing her fingers through the fabric of the raven-haired girl's sweater that she made her wear. It was soft and warm, making Seulgi feel even more sleepy. 

"That's alright." Seulgi hazily replies. "You can hold my hand instead. Yours are pretty warm anyway." She smiles as she extends her arm across the table. 

Seulgi was impressed with herself. There was no way in hell that she would be saying these things if she were fully awake.

Irene eyes the open palm before glancing back at the younger girl, an easy smile on her lips. 

"You're pretty cute, pretty girl." She mumbles as she slips her fingers in between Seulgi's cold ones, brushing her thumb against them gently. 

The brunette doesn't even attempt to hide her wildly blushing face anymore, so she just stares at their joined hands, basking in the feeling of the newfound warmth in her chest. 

"I like it." She whispers, lowering her head on top of the table as she lets out another yawn. "Pretty girl." 

Irene hums, her eyes never leaving Seulgi's face as she continues to play with their hands. "I like you." 

Seulgi chuckles softly, eyes widening in shock when the raven-haired girl's words finally registered in her brain. 

She what?! 

"You what?" Seulgi asks incredulously, any trace of drowsiness from earlier out the window as she stares at the older girl across the table.

Had she heard it right?

Was she dreaming already? 

What the damn hell? 

Irene's free hand was propped under her chin as she smiled at her. "You heard me." She replies, squeezing the younger girl's hand in her own. "I like you, Seulgi."

Seulgi gaped at her, heart beating wildly against her rib cage. "You're kidding."

Irene shakes her head fondly. "I'm not." She chuckles, inching closer to the doubting brunette. "I could kiss you right now if you want me to prove it?" She offers, causing Seulgi to fall off her chair.

Literally. 

"Why do you keep saying that?" She huffs as she stands back up, the raven-haired girl laughing uncontrollably beside her. 

Her head was in a frenzy. Irene liked her back. This wasn't something that her two poor brain cells could handle on their own. Not to mention that her heart was just as useless to begin with. 

"Because I really do want to kiss you." The girl says in between giggles. "Kind of have been for a while now." She admits meekly. 

Huh? 

"Since when?"

"A few years, maybe."

"What?"

Okay, Seulgi's convinced that she really is dreaming now. There is absolutely no way.

"Yes way." Irene chuckles.

What? Had she said that out loud?

"Yes, you did." Irene shakes her head and grabs Seulgi's hands again. "You're like the prettiest girl I've ever laid eyes on." 

Seulgi's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "I'm guessing you never look at mirrors?" 

"Why would I when I can look at you?" The girl counters smoothly. 

The younger girl crumbles, face falling flat on the wooden surface as she groans. There was only so much that her tiny heart could take, never in her life had she ever anticipated to feel this much. 

"You're adorable." Irene giggles, her own face turning a faint shade of crimson because of their conversation. "Do you always malfunction like this when people tell you they like you?"

"Shut up." Seulgi mumbles childishly. "Don't you have to go back out there and work?" 

Irene shakes her head petulantly as she glances at the wall clock behind her. "Not yet. I still have fifteen minutes to stare at you." 

The brunette clicks her tongue. "Irene, I'm gonna faint." She warns. 

"Don't worry, I know CPR." 

"Oh my god." Seulgi groans. "That's it, I'm leaving."

She hastily moves to stand up until a hand shoots up to encircle her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. 

"No, wait!" A hearty laugh bubbles up the raven-haired girl's throat as she gently pulls Seulgi back down to her seat. "Stay. I'll stop, I promise."

Seulgi narrows her eyes at the girl and gives in. It's not like she had the heart to say no to her in the first place. It was Irene, for crying out loud. 

"Let's talk about something else, please." She pleads as she lowers herself back on the chair. "I don't think my heart can take any more." 

"Ouch. Did I just get rejected?" 

"What? No! Of course not! I would nev—"

Irene's laughter filled the room once again. It was so innocent and so warm, Seulgi couldn't even bring herself to be annoyed.

She watched the girl's eyes disappear into crescents as she threw her head back laughing. It made her mind go into overdrive, Seulgi was a er for pretty smiles, and suddenly Irene's supple lips looked ever so inviting. 

"I'm kidding, pretty girl." She says once her giggles had died down. "But if you ever do reject me, please d—" 

Her words were cut short when Seulgi's lips crashed on hers, soft, gentle, and so so sweet.

Irene's hands immediately shot up to cup the girl's jaw, kissing her back with fervor after having spent years of longing to be in this exact moment with her.

Seulgi kissed like a dream. Her expectations were high but this experience was just through the roof. She wasn't even exaggerating.

The younger girl moved to sit on her lap, snaking her arms around the older girl's shoulders as she buries her hands in her hair. Irene was unreal. Her kisses were waking up something dangerous within Seulgi, and she knew she just had to stop. 

Seulgi reluctantly pulls back, Irene chasing after her bruised lips eagerly in attempts to continue their activities. The younger girl just chuckles as she nuzzles her face in the crook of the older girl's neck, both of them trying to catch their breath.

"I was trying to make a point but I got carried away." Seulgi mumbles shyly after a while. "Sorry about that." 

"I'm not." Irene chuckles as she runs her fingers along the expanse of the girl's back. "You can get carried away with me anytime you want, pretty girl. I won't ever decline. That was hot." 

Seulgi buries her face further into the girl's neck, ears pink from embarrassment after realizing what had just happened. "Oh my god. We just kissed." 

Irene chuckles. "Correction. We made out." 

"Oh my god." Seulgi squirms in the older girl's lap. "Stop talking." 

Irene couldn't help the laughter bubbling up once again. Her crush was such a baby. Was this really the same girl that kissed her a while ago? 

"Go take a nap for me, will you?" Irene cooes in her ear as she wraps the girl up in an embrace. "I'll wake you up when my shift's done." 

Seulgi finally lifts her head to look the girl in the eye, sighing as she dips down to kiss the girl's lips one more time. It was slower this time—gentler, and drove the butterflies in Irene's stomach absolutely crazy.

Seulgi pulls away and rests her forehead against older girl's. "I like you, too."