hello reader! 

so before reading chapter two please know that there is different povs throughout the chapter. 

I will use the same pattern for my future writing.

so if you get confused on what time or who is talking, let me guide you here:

standard - current times

italics - flashback (mostly its gonna be used to refer when the characters were in high school)

bold - characters pov (you will understand after reading this chapter)

This is it. Hope you have a good read 😊

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"Unnie! How have you been?"

Irene laughs at Seulgi’s surprised face

“’I’ve been good, you know, I'm married now”

“Oh that's right! May I see the ring?”

“Yeah sure. Here it is.” Irene extends her hand and shows the jewelry in her finger. It shines so brightly, that it’s almost blinding when reflected by the light of the parlour.

She was asked 8 months ago and still remembers like it was yesterday. At the beginning of the relationship she didn’t have idea that it would bring to her first marriage ever.

Irene still felt it was all too soon, with 26 years old, too young to be married. Although, her family was there to push her, they were also there so support her in the end.

“It’s beautiful unnie. Now tell me, how was the wedding?”

Irene thinks for a good answer, she doesn’t like to be fake, especially with a close friend like Seulgi, she hates it. To express something she doesn’t feel at all, she gives a thought because, throughout those years the brunnette learned the power of faking it and how to put a happy face everyday.

For example, it was needed to meet her spouse’s parents at the time, when there was a technical problem envolving the ceremony, Irene would hide her emotions like a professional actress.

Or when her coworkers asked about their relationship, some of them showed concern because she seemed so “uptight” and reserved. She just shut them up by showing the ring in her finger, that quiets everyone.

Irene would come to hate that word. “Uptight”. She wasn’t like this before the marriage or before meeting Suho.

Irene was free, a long time ago, she was. At least that’s what she felt like.

She knew her parents had so much influence in this relationship. Sometimes, the woman would catch herself thinking and laughing inwardly on how much attention her parents gave, more to her love life than their owns. She has a theory that whatever they did with Suho and her was actually what they wished to happen to them. How they met, the first date, the proposal and the ceremony.

Wait. The ceremony.

Oh yes, she still needs to answers the wedding question.

So, she just says

“Just a normal ceremony, nothing fancy.

“Hmm, I understand” she hums “It’s your style.”

Seulgi, the woman behind the counter, now Seungwan’s coworker and also best friend (and soulmate) was grinning like a idiot.

She first met Irene through Seungwan, the three used to study together for finals, but Seulgi didnt’t like to be in the middle. For awhile, she would gladly left the two alone because she always felt like there was a tension between them.

After Irene left, it was just Seulgi and Seungwan. The brunette was used to watch her two friends fight and late rekindle their friendship, she just wished this time was just another misunderstanding they had.

Until today, if you asked Seulgi what happened, she wouldn’t know what to say, even her the best friend, didn’t have an idea of what exactly happened 5 years ago.

“I am going to guess you are here to meet Seungwan, right unnie?”

Irene hears the name. Seungwan. She misses that sound, the voice too.

But her name was just something she had in her mind. When someone named Seungwan or Seungkwan, or a name that resembles the sound, appears in Irene’s life, she would always remember her.

Her smile, her singing voice, her hands and how they would fit so perfectly together with hers.

“Unnie?”

“Hm? Oh sorry. I was just- uhh. Yes. I am here to see her.” she snaps out of her trance “and hopefully talk to her.”

“Okay. Well, she is waiting for a client. Now I can tell her you are here if you are in a hurry.”

“Oh no! I can wait for her, don’t worry about me.” the older woman exclaims and waves it off “Please, just tell her I’m here and I’d like to have a chat with her.”

Seulgi suspects her actions for a moment. She is a very overprotective friend and knows the damage Irene caused on Seungwan. But she misses them, together, like the old times, and she also misses seeing her best friend happy.

Thinking for a moment if it’s a good idea to let the two alone in a office. She decides

“Ok unnie. She is in there. Now, I will tell her about your visit and if she doesn’t wanna talk then you’ll have to leave. If two you start to have a fight I will get in there and separate both of you and you will leave either way. ” Seulgi says with authority but ends softly saying “You understand that right?”

“Of course, I respect your decision. I mean, it’s the least I can do.”

“Ok. You can sit there” she points to a black leather couch “and wait.”

Two knocks on the door, and it opens.

There, in front of her, it stands her lovely soulmate wearing pajamas with drawings of bears in it.

“Seulgi, I need to talk to you about something.” the blonde enters and passes by her friend

“I hope it’s important.” still holding the door open the brunette yawns “It’s eleven pm, Wendy." she closes the door

“Yes, sorry about that, but this thing, is very important.”

While the pajama girl goes to prepare some tea in the kitchen, Wendy stands in the living room, she gets distracted admiring the pictures of Seulgi and her parents. She wonders how busy her family is and what kind of job takes her family away every time she visits the girl’s house.

“Something or someone?” Seulgi asks loudly from the kitchen

“What?”

“You said, you need to talk about something. Is it something or someone?” she puts the mugs in the sink and pours the tea.

“What do you mean someone?

“Is it about Irene unnie?”

“What? No! I mean-" she sighs "Yes. Everything is weird, it’s been weird actually.

Seulgi brings the mug with the hot liquid and passes to Wendy. They both sit down facing each other, with their teas in hands. Seulgi starts.

“Uh-huh.” she blows the smoke and takes a sip “Ok go on, tell me what it is.”

“Well... We have some moments you know, we tease each other a lot and flirt, and yeah.” she shrugs “I could guess it was just all fun and games but I’m starting to feel like things are getting more serious. I mean, we are taking each other more seriously.” the blonde girl pauses “And she is avoiding me now.” she adds, looking down sadly at her hands holding the porcelain cup.

“Wait wait wait, let’s take things slow here.” she puts the tea in the coffe table between the two of them

“So, first, you guys were flirting, like jokingly right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Ok, and now you feel like it’s not a joke anymore, am I getting right?

“Correct.” the blonde nods slowly

“But you also see that she is not playing and teasing like before?

“Yes, she doesn’t answer me back like months ago, she’d hit or pinch my arm everytime I , but now... she looks at me like, really looks at me and stops anything that she is doing, and just smiles at me, lovingly, like a warm smile, you know?"

Seulgi hums with a confused expression on her face.

The younger girl starts “For an example” she joins her mug to Seulgi’s on the coffee table “a week ago, there was a moment, I remember clearly on what happened that day...”

We were seated at the grass, Joohyun just finished rehearsing her lines with me and we both decided to take a break.

The sky had a orangey color. “This view is so beautiful.” she said, and I looked at her and said it back “Indeed it is.”

She heard that and snorted, then she starts cackling while hitting my arm.

Joohyun has this mannerisms when she feels shy or embarrassed, or when I tell her something funny she playfully hits my arm while laughing, and it’s the most endearing thing. Anyways, back to the story. She said to me:

“You never take a break on being greasy, Seungwan-ah.”

“Never unnie.” I said “Did I ever told you there is a favourite part of you that I really like?” she stops hitting me and pays attention to me.

“Really? What is it?

“Your side profile.”

Now she cackles even more, and blushes too. She tucks her head on her knees. It was getting dark but I still could see how red she was turning.

“I mean, when someone starts falling for you they will say the same things I say to you. And if they don’t, then it’s not meant to be” I said jokingly “Maybe, I am in love with you after all.”

Then, Joohyun turned her head towards me, like very fast, I got so shy because she started to look at me like she never did before, and I started blushing.

So, I decided to ask her

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

I noticed her breathing, Hyun wasn’t nervous, she was when I’d say some greasy joke or when she was preparing for a very important role.

Now, I can say I never saw her so confident when she said those next words to me.

“Your eyes are so bright, the different shades of brown inside them are still visible even in the dark.” she smiles, like I said, a warm smile, that’s what she gave to me that night “I like them.”

“You really have no idea.” she sighed slowly.

I didn't know what happened there, how close she was to me and how tenderly she said those words to me.

“What?” I asked surprisingly

“Nothing. Forget it.” she shakes her head, then gets up, extends her hands and says to me “Come on, it’s getting late.

....”and then we left, she goes to her house and I go to mine. Since then, every conversation we had later is awkward, and now she starts to avoid me and I don’t know what to do."

Silence envelopes the pair, Wendy is tapping her fingers on the mug, while the other girl is in deep reflection.

Seulgi always knows what to say, she is the friend who gives advice for the other friend, it was like therapy Seungwan once said. However, she finds herself with no words. Right now, she has no idea where this goes.

“So, what do you think?”

“Wait.” She makes a stop sign with her hand, breathing in and sorting some response.

She picks the mug from the coffee table and takes another sip. “This is shocking enough to me.” she breathes out.

Ok, she has something already.

“Wendy, I need you to answer this in the most honest way, are you ready?

“Hm, go ahead, you can ask me anything.” the blonde hums and nods

“Are you in love with Irene unnie?”

There it is, the question. Was she waiting for this already? Maybe.

Wendy doesn’t have to think. She knew she liked Irene since the beginning of times, as a friend of course, when she first saw the older girl, she knew. When she looked at her and gave the smile that reaches the eyes, she knew.

And how clingy she was, she loved how Irene was always looking for warm places. Before the avoiding period, the older girl would lock her arms with the blonde and get her chin in her shoulder, sighing happily, she would tell how she smelled so good.

That’s when Wendy had the idea of liking Irene.

But love?

Yes, she can love Irene.

She wanted to give everything to her, it wasn’t just because Wendy was grateful for how welcoming Irene was, or how much she was taught when she got in high school all thanks to the older girl.

She finally saw the girl in a different light; it was like she understood a very difficult movie; she can now read their whole relationship and put the pieces together, understand their advances towards each other, they were maturing and getting more and more serious with each other.

Then, Wendy finally answers.

“Yes. I like her, and I love her.”

If shocked was the word used to describe what Seulgi was before.

Now, she has no clue on what she is feeling.

“Wow.” Seulgi says with a blank expression

“I know.

“Oh God.”

“I know.”

“This is amazing.” she barks a laugh

“Wait what? What is amazing?” the blonde asks apprehensive

“You two are so oblivious. And dumb, so so so dumb.”

“What are you saying Seulgi?”

“You have feeling for her and she has for you, I mean from what you told me, I can sense she has something.” the brunnette pauses in deep thought putting her finger under her chin “She just starts avoiding you out of nowhere, your conversations with her are getting weird, and now this I mean, this is big.”

“I don’t wanna get too confident here. But do you think that, this time, she is running away from me ... maybe she is sorting her feelings out?”

“Makes sense but like you said, let’s not get too confortable here, you haven’t asked her why she is been ignoring you right?

“No.” she shakes her head “I wanted a friend’s perspective on this one, because lately this is getting to me. Every moment I had with her just replays on my mind, and I start to analyse everything, every detail, if I missed something and what was said. It’s so frustrating Seulgi, seriously." Wendy puts her fingers on her temples

“Don’t worry, hey, relax.” she goes to sit beside her friend, hugging her

"What do I do Seulgi-ah?" the blonde asks almost sounding like a whimper, her voice comes muffled for being tucked under her friends shoulder.

"Hey, you're not alone, don't forget that." she retracts to look at her "But right now you will have to confront these issues, I can't do anything except support my best friend, and that's you." she gives a conforting smile "You will have to confront her one way or another."

"You're right. I need to pull my together"

The door of the office opens. And there she was.

Seungwan. Her Seungwan. Stood by the door, not smiling, showing more like a frowned expression, with a dirty inked towel on hands, she looked like she didn’t like what she saw.

“Irene?”

That hurted. The older girl got so used to being called by her real name and nickname, Joohyun or Hyun, hearing her other name coming out of her favourite person’s mouth was weird.

But well, she deserved it.

“Seungwan.” she gives a bow acknowledging her presence.

“You look good unnie.”

“You too.”

You look more than good, Irene thought. She was still busy thinking of something useful to say, getting used to seeing a new version of Seungwan was very unnerving.

“Get in.” she nods her head to the direction of her office

Irene gets up and Seulgi looks up at her, trying to give a look of “don’t hurt her otherwise I will hurt you”. It’s strange how the mood inside the parlour changed, giving how many years they haven’t seen each other or talked, one can presume things could end really badly.

“So, I assume you are here to have a “chat” with me unnie?” Seungwan closes the door behind her and goes to reorganize her tools. While Irene takes a seat on another couch, she explores Seungwan’s working space. Her head goes left then right, looking at the portfolios laid there at the table, she is so proud of Seungwan. In total awe, Irene admired the painting and unfinished sketches, the brunette remembers the youngers's calloused hands. Now, they are inked, her beautiful black tinted fingers.

Irene finally takes a good look at her.

Seungwan’s hair color changed, now she is a brunette with short hair and blonde tips. She also has fringes now and almost hides behind them.

Her twenty something look is just hotter than Irene could imagine, she takes a peek at her abs that are showing thanks to her brown crop top. She also notices her tattoos on both of her arms and starts to wonder, if she’d have the opportunity to touch those drawings that are just laying there peacefully at her biceps.

“You have every right to be upset with me Seungwan.” the older woman says

“I think upset is a very weak word.” she snorts

“Yes. And you must know this is being very difficult for me too.”

“I wasn’t the one who left. You were.” she points

“Yeah. I know that.” the older woman nods sadly looking down

Seungwan starts walking and goes to the bathroom letting the door open. While washing her hands. She asks loudly.

“So, tell me, what you wanna talk about.”

“Well.” she sighs “These past few days, I’ve been noticing that all of my dear friends are not in my life anymore.”

“Bull.” she laughs bitterly when she finishes washing.

“It’s true!” Irene exclaims and Seungwan looks at her urging her to continue on her lie “You know I-” she breathes in and out and huffs

“You are right. I got drunk and nostalgic, that’s it.”

“Now that I can buy it.” she gives a two second cackle and continues turning into a serious look “But please, tell me, why are you here?”

“You want the real deal?”

“Yes.”

“I missed you. I missed you so much Seungwan.” she fidgets her fingers and smiles looking at the younger

The tattooist walks towards Irene and sits down beside her.

“I missed you too. But that doesn’t mean I could’ve just go where you are right now.”

“Yeah, I know that too.” she sighs and looks down at the ground, not having the courage to face the person next to her “It’s just that. The seasons have passed and I tried to hold myself to not run to you.

There is a pause.

“Me too, Irene.” the other brunette says with a smile setting her gaze at her.

The older woman moves her head looking at Seungwan, now more confident than before, she starts to position herself, putting her chin above the palm of her own hand while her arms, on the couch’s backrest, support the weight.

The tattoist copies her position and finally gives the smile that Irene has been waiting for.

“This is dangerous, Irene. I’m still not over you.” Seungwan says shaking her head

“I was afraid of seeing you, but at the same time I never wanted so much to be like this” Irene smiles and puts her hand on the younger girl’s left cheek “with you”

“I guess we like to be in danger.” she sighs with a smirk

“I guess we do.”