The inevitable day finally came. After the realization hit Irene hard, she avoided Wendy in any possible ways. In return, Jennie confronted her with deadly gaze that could impale anyone. Unfortunately, that person was Irene.

“You’re not going to back out on Lia’s play, aren’t you?” Jennie annoyedly questioned Irene, hand on her hip as she fluttered her eyelids with an eye roll.

“O-of course not,” Irene denied the accusation with a stutter.

Jennie rolled her eyes. “Really now, Irene Bae,” she hissed. “I don’t care if you avoid Wan at all, just get a grip and get your act together during your practice with her.” She tightened her jaw, handing Irene a booklet, eyes shooting lasers. “Lia told me to hand it out to you. It’s the final script, she told me to go through the last act.”

Irene gave Jennie a promise to not bail on acting with Wendy and said her gratitude for handing out the new script.

“I’m not even an errand girl here,” Jennie mumbled with a strong click of her tongue at the end.

“Just show up each practice and don’t show your own emotions while you act. I don’t know what’s up with you acting up like this again, but you better not cause a mess with your previous arrangement,” she expressed continuously, handing out something from her bag to Irene with a faint scowl forming on her face. “Here. Wan told me to give this to you. It’s to help your memory and nerves or something like that.”

There was a tinge of ache on Irene’s heart at Jennie’s kind gesture despite her feisty tone. She tilted her head lightly as she tried holding the mist forming in her eyes. Jennie really loved Wendy with all her heart that she’s even willing to give her something that her lover asked her to do so.

Irene felt her heart breaking apart with how cruel it was to watch Jennie act all right with Wendy’s debauchery of a lifestyle. On how long Jennie put up with Wendy each time she came back to their place with a woman or a man in her room. It must’ve hurt a hundred more times with each person and Irene was just added to that list.

“Stop daydreaming and just get your together,” Jennie crankily spoke, waving the box in front of Irene.

When Irene saw how Jennie was trying her best, she couldn’t help but feel at fault for being one of the reasons for it. She reached for it with a rueful smile. “Thank you, Jennie. I'll do my best to keep my promise and be outstanding on my role to repay for your kindness.”

A quirking eyebrow of Jennie was earned. “You’ve really gone crazy for real now, aren’t you?” she puffed out. “Me? –” she pointed to herself, then pointed to Irene – “Kind to you? Never in my lifetime. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just doing favors for Lia and Wan.”

Without bidding a proper goodbye, Jennie pivoted her body and treaded away from Irene’s view.

Irene stood outside the theater hall, hands clasping together as she breathed heavily. Her heart’s thumping as her hands pushed the wooden door, eyes at once scanning for Amelia and the rest of the cast. Her eyes didn’t scan for too long, a familiar striking blonde girl’s back reeling her from the situation she’s gotten herself into.

There she was — Wendy Son at her glorious moment – standing atop the theater stage as if being there was meant for her. A star for the crowd to applaud her performance, and for her to relish that moment altogether. Alongside Jennie Kim right beside her. The two girls having their on world as they animatedly chatter, probably awaiting for her arrival.

Azure eyes caught her tentative glance. Amelia waved her hand with a bright smile forming on her lips, Wendy trailing her direction with a captivating smile. The blonde girl winking at her playfully as their eyes met, while the girl beside her stays to present herself with a stoic expression upon her presence. Jennie’s arms crossed together, her eyebrows quirking upwards as Irene remained on her spot.

“Irene!” Amelia called out, her hands gesturing to her to come up to the stage. “Come here and let’s start practicing!”

The chatters of the other people on the theater hall seemed to have come to a halt as the president declared her entrance.

Irene treaded with hesitation on each step she took. From her peripheral view, she could feel from distance on how the archer’s eyes were transfixed on her. While Jennie’s eyes flickered for a fraction on the blonde before she went over to Amelia’s side.

As her foot landed onto the stage, gentle touch landed on top of her own. Wendy grasped a hold of her, as if she were going to escape once again, lest she might change her mind. “We’ve been waiting for you,” she whispered. In spite of her voice steaming with excitement even with a hush, she could feel a tinge of chafe on it. Probably with how she’s been acting as of lately.

She couldn’t really blame the girl for how she’s been acting. Even she couldn’t fathom what she’s really feeling as of the moment. Instead, her eyes peered over at their tangled hands, mind still in thought, with her body acting out on its own. Not opting to let go at the warmth from the archer. She merely noticed the length of Wendy’s hand, fingers looping and how it’s calloused, yet tender against her own. She felt her heartbeat hastening its pace, a drumming of rebuttal and a strike of realization on the gesture.

unable to utter a single word, meeting Jennie’s brown orbs like venomous cobra about to hiss at her. With her hands crossed and Amelia right beside her, she transfixed her eyes with their interlacing hands for a second. She opted her usual to raise her brows at what she’s seen. Irene couldn’t tell what it meant, albeit she couldn’t feel comfort as she extricated away from the archer’s hand. Leaning a few inches away, she earned a slight twitch from the swimmer’s lips.

“You made it here,” she remarked.

A small smile making its way onto her lips at Amelia’s grateful countenance right beside her. She grasps a hold of Irene’s hands, face cheery as her hair bounced on the sudden action. She squeezed it out with gratitude on her touch, lips mouthing a thank you before she goes back on her position.

“Well, what are we waiting for,” Amelia starts off, the smile never leaving her lips, “chop, chop, people! Our main characters are here!” With her booming voice, the cast and whole team gathered in circle.

Some people’s eyes hovering tentatively between Irene and Wendy, as if they could feel Irene’s sprouting feelings for the archer. The growing tension between two girls arises as they’ve practiced reading a scene with Irene’s eyes unable to straightly look at the top archer’s own. Numerous eyes noticing the chill of the two women who seemed to have gotten a Cold War out of the blue. Even Wendy’s affable personality was slipping out, as Irene never took the initiative to get amiable with the archer during practice.

It was then on Act three, part two that Irene finally managed to gaze at Wendy, albeit for a different reason. Booming voices had caught her off guard, Jennie coming into aid in a bolt into Wendy’s side.

“This is why I told you not to overwork yourself Wan!” Jennie reprimanded, her tone laced with worry as she dabs her handkerchief to Wendy’s bleeding nose.

The archer still managed to slip on a smile, her left eye peering through Irene’s stricken eyes before she fully faced Jennie. Her hand squeezing Jennie’s shoulder for assurance. “Hey, hey –” she ran her hand on her shoulder – “there’s nothing to worry Jen. I’m fine.”

“You’re fine?! I was just gone for a bit, and I see your nose bleeding. Again.” Amelia spoke with a spike in her voice.

It’s the first time for Irene to behold the sight of Amelia getting furious over Wendy.

“But I really am fine—”

“You don’t look fine! “Amelia and Jennie simultaneously shouted.

As Irene finally looked thoroughly at the archer’s profile, she could see her eye bags that’s masked in veil with a foundation or how her pink lips had paled with a few cracked lips, the lipstick not doing its job completely. Irene has once again hit another realization that Wendy never was the happy-go-lucky type, it was her