CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

When I woke up that morning and lazily got ready for breakfast with Wendy, I had no idea the twist that would happen during our meal. I chose a brunch restaurant that served European bread and Korean food. It was the perfect choice based on the restaurant where I met with her. Seulgi probably would eat whatever was before her if she showed up for breakfast with us.

The location was also a determining factor in the choice, located in the neighborhood between Huam-dong and Itaewon-dong. Closer to Wendy's side than mine, but I didn't care. I sent the restaurant's location when I was already on the bus on the way to the place and ended up arriving at the same time as Wendy and her athletic shadow parked the car. Just as the luxurious sedan was back, the hoodie and black cap returned to Wendy's outfit that morning.

I wasn't far off in my clothes, opting to be comfortable in a zip hoodie and a pair of gym pants. My hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and I wore non-prescription glasses that day. The accessory would serve to disguise my swollen face in the morning along with light makeup.

"Wow! How can you look prettier with glasses?” Wendy said as soon as she saw me at the entrance to the restaurant. She even stopped walking to say, “I look like my dad when I try to wear one of these.”

That last comment caught me off guard and I couldn't help but chuckle slightly. I almost offered her the glasses to wear so I could see if she was exaggerating or not. “Good morning to you too, Wendy-ssi,” I said trying to ignore an amazed Wendy still looking at me. “Seulgi-ssi, I hope you enjoyed your break.”

“I had an amazing day,” she replied, giving me a gentle smile without showing her teeth, closed eyes turning into two curved lines. “I’m glad you went fishing in my place.”

I wondered if Kang Seulgi could tell me what else Wendy used to do. For the sake of my life. What if Wendy was someone who enjoyed the adrenaline rush of ziplining or skydiving? What if she wanted to take me to a place like that and I only found out by getting on a plane? That's what happened with fishing, I blinked and was already inside the boat.

“Oh! So, she drags you into this kind of activity too?”

“Yeah. The funny thing is that she says 'Fishing is something I like to do alone', but she's never alone,” Seulgi looked serious for a few seconds, but I soon realized she was making fun of Wendy. “She needs someone there in case she catches the first fish of her life.”

“It makes sense. I still can’t believe she knows how to fish.”

“Y-Yah! I'm right here,” Wendy protested. Her voice got deeper and louder, and her face was turning pink, “At least let me eat before you mock me!”

Unlike Seulgi, I couldn't contain my laughter at Wendy's behavior. It was adorable. I should have said that she was the one who started making fun of herself, right? But she was right, we were spending a lot of time outside the restaurant and I didn't want us to be photographed together again.

On any other occasion, I would have chosen to sit at one of the tables outside on a makeshift sidewalk. The outside area was surrounded by a translucent plastic curtain, making it impossible to get a clear idea of ​​who was sitting there if you look from the outside. Despite that, I still didn't want to take the risk of someone walking by and recognizing Wendy.

The interior of the restaurant was cozy and pleasant, despite the large windows and glass doors. The decor was simple and elegant, with dark wooden tables and black iron chairs. They weren't kidding with the online description about serving European bread, I could count at least twenty types of sweet or savory bread, of all sizes and shapes. Most seemed to be plain, but there were some with fillings and toppings. It looked like fresh bread heaven, with a killer smell.

Seulgi didn't even wait for us to choose a table to grab a tray and get what she wanted to eat. I stopped counting at the fourth different type, a flat rectangular bread with cheese and sliced ​​tomatoes on top. At the counter, she ordered the pork belly soup and hot Choco. I just got the sausage roll, more focused on ordering the kimchi stew, rice bowl, fried egg, and jasmine tea. Wendy chose the cinnamon roll and a slice of apple crumble. She also ordered the kimchi stew and honey, lemon, and ginger tea to drink.

Wendy tried to pay for everything, but I insisted that it should be my turn since I invited her. I even insisted on paying for Seulgi's meal. She could be Wendy's employee; however, Seulgi could be another potential friend to me.

Since we arrived right after the store opened, we could choose anywhere to sit. The only problem was that the tables were only for two people, which led to Seulgi being alone at the next table, almost glued to us. She seemed content with the table space just for her many breakfast items.

“This place looks so cozy,” Wendy seemed pleased with her drink choice after taking a small sip, “Have you been here before?”

"No. I looked online when I woke up, the reviews and photos were good.”

“This morning? I could have sworn you were someone who planned to go out with friends a week in advance,” she said jokingly. At least I hoped it was joking.

She was partially right, somehow. I planned only because my schedule between studying and attending the internship took up almost all of my time. Going out with my friends meant opening my calendar and looking at when I had a free day. It wasn't unusual for me to schedule something more than a month in advance, but that didn't mean I couldn't be spontaneous.

I have been much more spontaneous since that day between Christmas and New Year. At least with my life, because I was rigorously planning every step for the band during our time on the road. Hanging out with Wendy was proof that I could do things without thinking too much about when, where, and why. If I were acting like I normally did, I would never have taken Yerim to meet Wendy at the restaurant. Nor would I have accepted the invitation late at night to go out with the sun rising.

“I kind of am,” I said finally, the shyness in my voice more evident than I would have liked to show.

“So, you weren't planning on asking me out. What made you change your mind?”

I wanted to see you, I almost said. Wendy had said it would be my turn to choose what to do and I wanted to see her. I wanted to see her smile up close, not for once on the phone screen. I wanted to look at the dozens of her facial expressions when she tasted the kimchi stew; from her nose opening and closing to smell the food until her eyebrows disappearing under her bangs after bringing the spoon to . From the sounds she made, I couldn't tell if she was pleased or bothered after swallowing the broth. I wanted to see, hear, and feel that up close.

And I couldn't say any of that to her. It would be another level of awkwardness, “You said it was my turn to choose.”

“Oh! I didn't mean to make you do it so quickly,” Wendy stopped looking at her food and decided to pay attention to me. “Unless… you wanted to see me because you were worried?”

"Worried?" I asked confused, taking a few seconds to understand and ask, “About the photos from yesterday?” Wendy nodded as she drank her tea once more. “Come to think of it, I shouldn’t have asked you out. It’ll be worse if someone sees us together, right?”

“My manager isn't freaking out, so you don't have to worry. Besides, I'm not that famous to be in the news because of photos that show nothing but two friends in an intimate gesture.”

I decided to ignore the comment stuck on the tip of my tongue about her not being that famous. Rock might not be the most listened-to genre in the country, but Wendy was the face of several brands. The guy behind the register certainly recognized who was sitting in front of me.

“Except we weren't friends at the time, neither close friends,” I countered.

Despite opening up to Wendy that day in the park, she was only there because Yerim invited her without a hint of shame. My time alone with Wendy was a consequence of Yeri monopolizing Kang Seulgi as a photographer. The event around the popsicle was a no-brainer. A reflection of how Wendy treated me at the restaurant, giving me bread in my mouth so I wouldn't get the paper dirty.

“The difference in time between that day and the day I asked to be your friend is so small that it technically doesn't even exist. And it would be a lot weirder if they knew we weren't even friends that day, don't you think?”

I shrugged in response.

Wendy had a point. If they had known we weren't still friends that day, the dating rumors might have been worse. For now, only fans were speculating about that, no gossip website bothered to publish those photos.

“I think I liked it, though.” The casualness with which Wendy said that caught me off guard.

It was a comment that could mean anything, especially after a topic as sensitive as a dating rumor. In the few seconds between her saying that, finishing chewing, and speaking again, I thought of several things she might have liked. I wondered if she liked my breakfast invitation or the photos on Twitter. Even if she liked the rumors about our walk in the park being a date.

“Not enough to buy one for myself. Please give me a piece of the red bean popsicle when you buy it again, Joohyun-unnie,” she finished with a mischievous smile.

No, the red bean popsicle didn't cross my mind at the time.

“So, we're that close for you to call me unnie, huh?” I tried to hide the heat rising up my neck.

This wasn't the first time Wen