-CHAPTER O.N.E-

Irene could never understand that beautiful woman, who was currently standing not far from where she was, engaged in a conversation with her fellow workers.  The smirking look was an indication that they were swooning over something, she had achieved.

Despite of that, she has no rights to be envious, anyway.  They were not a couple, just merely working in the same company and yet it seemed they were inches away from tipping over the iceberg.

It wasn’t like they hated each other neither but instead it was the lingering touches that pressed on her skin when they crossed paths, quite recently, the woman would whisper into her ears when she wasn’t looking or how that knowing smirk could make her heart paced out of control.

The maddening part was her getting so affected by it.

As the newly-hired deputy editor for Seoul Weekly (which was one of most sellable fashion magazines around), Wendy Son was the dream, men and women alike wanted, with her charming, sweet and delightful personality to match with the sun, the woman was hardly seen all by herself and it was through a senior staff that they officially got acquainted but as a full-time Photographer, Irene had heard much of the woman’s reputation.

And to think, they would merely remain solely as colleagues all this while, it was only a week later that she realized something different about the woman or how the way she kept looking at her.

The sultry voice would always make her hairs to stand on ends and on certain days where they were the last to leave the office; the woman would offer her a ride home.

Which apparently was a bad idea; it wasn’t like that Wendy would do anything to her but how she felt suffocated with her around.

Those piercing glances had increased in numbers in the recent weeks; Irene could not comprehend why Wendy was persistent on her?

No, now wasn’t the time to dwell on their situation, Irene heaved a sigh as she got up from her desk and made her way over to the pantry, to have another cup of coffee; Seulgi waved at her as she passed her by, in which she returned with a tiny smile.

Her best friend--colleague was in the midst of preparing her big wedding with Joy, her girlfriend of five years; a rather chirpy personality that caught Seulgi’s entire attention.

Frankly, Irene would choose Joy in a heartbeat too, if the other woman hasn’t got to her first.  But then again, Joy once commented about her being too quiet to anyone’s taste.

It sounded too biased.

And being alone doesn’t exactly mean she would stay single forever.

The pantry was empty as she worked around the coffee machine until a voice echoed behind her “You weren’t intending to have your lunch?” Startled, Irene spilled some drops onto herself.

A dry napkin was quickly passed on to her “Sorry about that.”

“D-Don’t worry about it.” Irene murmured; eyes lowered as she wiped off the stain.

It managed to come off before Irene threw the wet napkin into the trash bin nearby, her nervousness returned in full force and when she looked over, she noticed those big, bright eyes were still affixed on her “You know…”

Irene’s heart raced “Y-Yeah?”

The woman tapped her chin thoughtfully “I noticed you were always on your own, hardly mingling with the rest, you do realized having a good relationship with your fellow colleagues would help a lot in your work, right?”

What was the woman even trying to imply?

“I’m not used to crowds and I’m not sorry if they couldn’t accept to who I am.” Irene pointed out in one breath, she doesn’t care there was a huge distance placed between those people and her, they were neither in the same department nor do they had the same interest with her from the beginning, so it’s understandable they weren’t close.

And why was the woman actually smirking upon her words?

Irene was beginning to think this woman standing in front of her must be a devil in disguise, she has to leave soon or she might say something she shouldn’t.

“S-Sorry, I have to get back to work.” Irene stated in one breath, not even realizing she had finished her coffee in the span of the time they were talking.

Would there be a day, they could talk to their hearts’ content?  Irene highly doubted so.

Refusing to bother had the woman heard her, Irene’s feet moved on its’ own accord.

But it was the firm grasp that took her by surprise.

“Wait.” The soft voice returned and for a second, Irene regretted coming in here at all.

She struggled to pull her hand away but the woman kept her hold.

“E-Editor Son…” Irene stumbled on her own words.

“Our department have a celebration dinner tonight at the BBQ restaurant, not far from the office and each of us were free to bring anyone along, so would it be too much to ask, if you could come?”

Did she hear the woman wrongly? “What…?”

Irene wished she hasn’t caught on the softness in those eyes “Please?  You could ask Director Kang and her girlfriend, if you liked.”

And so she did, she brought the mushy couple along, who was flirting all the way from the office to the restaurant and she was about to die from those sweet-nothings.

But honestly to speak, when they walked through the doors, it wasn’t what she had in mind, considering they often patronized those night