italic text will indicate flashbacks

**

Irene's gaze lingered on Shon Seungwan, It was the first time in five years that she had encountered this girl. Suddenly, the world around her seemed to disappear as she looked intensely at the young woman. Irene acknowledged that time had done a remarkable job on Seungwan.

The petite figure appeared to have gained an inch in height, perhaps due to some weight loss, creating the illusion of increased stature. Irene speculated that Seungwan must be doing some form of regular workouts because Seungwan's body looked lean and somewhat muscular—not excessively, but with a fit and healthy appearance. The once chubby cheeks had slimmed down, and the features of her face had matured, no longer resembling the fluffy hamster-like appearance from years ago.

Seungwan's eyes, those same eyes Irene once knew like the back of her hand, now she wondered internally, “had they always been that shade of brown?” and when did Seungwan cut her hair short? Irene had already noticed this from the photo submitted with the CV, but seeing the real person hit differently.

"Bae… Ms. Bae…" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

She quickly shifted her attention to the source of the sound beside her. "Yes, Sakura?" with a forced smile Irene tried to compose herself, not wanting to show that she had been momentarily lost.

"We've concluded our questions for Ms. Shon. Anything you'd like to add from your end?" Sakura asked.

Irene gazed directly at Seungwan "No, that's enough from my end. I have nothing further to question Ms. Shon," she flashed her professional business smile briefly.

"Okay, Ms. Shon, thank you for your time! We are very pleased to have had you here today. We will inform you of the result within three days via email," Sakura explained, standing up and tidying some documents in front of her.

Seungwan expressed her gratitude while doing her signature 90-degree bow before leaving the room. As their eyes met once again, Seungwan gave a timid smile, acknowledging Irene, and then exited.

Once Sakura left the room, only Seulgi and Irene remained. Irene sensed that Seulgi was itching to ask about the encounter, but before Seulgi could utter a word, Irene spoke up.

"Don't say anything. Don't ask anything. I'm not in the mood." With that, she left Seulgi and headed outside.

The urge to splash her face with cold water overwhelmed Irene as she headed to the restroom. She couldn't let her thoughts wander off. It was five years ago, and if Seungwan could move on, so could she.

(At Restroom)

Uh oh, now she really thought God loved playing tricks on her. After five years without any encounters, but now she could count how many times she had run into Seungwan within hours.

In front of her, the source of the dizziness in her head emerged from one of the toilet cubicles. The younger woman definitely seemed shocked, but as the usual kind-hearted Seungwan she knew, she didn’t show it.

"Hi?" The attempted greeting was awkward. The air felt tense, like a weight hanging between them. Irene felt the need to fill the silence, to smooth over the awkwardness that clung to them like cobwebs.

"Hi, Seungwan. I’m very surprised when I found out…that you applied?" her voice didn’t come out nicely.

She cursed internally, “ why did I sound so weak?” She tried to ease her anxiousness.

"Ah, yeah, I thought you had your own company? But apparently, this is your company? Small world, huh?"

Irene scanned Seungwan’s face, trying to decipher if there was any hint of malice, of bitterness, of anything but the innocent surprise that played there. Finding nothing, she felt a prickle of…was it disappointment? Relief? Confusion?

"Um, yeah, that’s a long story, but this is Seulgi’s company. I’m only the creative director and have invested some money here," she explained, wondering why she was sharing. There wasn’t a need to inform Seungwan about everything.

"Oh, I see. That’s nice that you’re finally able to achieve what you want," Seungwan smiled genuinely, and it stunned Irene. That smile. That goddamn smile still held its power over her, even after five years.

"How’s your life?" Irene gathered the courage to ask Seungwan about her life during the past five years.

"All’s good. I went to UCLA and finished my master's, spent 2 years there building some connections, doing some projects," Wendy replied without offering too much information.

"How about you? I mean, outside of work?" Wendy's eyes conveyed an expectation.

Now the situation was getting weirder. Irene didn’t know how to answer. What kind of answer did Wendy expect? Should she tell Wendy that over the past 5 years, she was haunted by the bad dream of that day? Or should she tell a lie, portraying her life as perfect, happy, and enjoyable?

She chose the latter. Irene didn’t think sharing her true feelings would do any good. "Well, I live well too," she gave a thin smile.

Now she could see a bit of hurt flash in Seungwan’s brown eyes, her brows furrowing slightly. Did Irene see it wrongly? Or did she say something hurtful? Suddenly, the air grew thick again. This time, Irene didn’t know what was wrong. But Seungwan quickly changed her expression with a smile, telling a message of "good for you then."

Seungwan finished washing her hands, the sound echoing in the tense silence. "It was nice meeting you again. Now I need to go. Thanks for the interview,"

As Seungwan turned to leave, a knot of unspoken words twisted in Irene's gut. Before she could overthink it, Irene unconsciously called her, "wait, Seungwan!"

**

"Well, I live well too,"

Seungwan felt a sharp pang in her chest. For years, she had managed to keep these emotions at bay, but the sight of the person in front of her brought back a flood of bad memories and negative emotions. She couldn't believe her ears when Irene claimed to be living well. She pondered how someone could possibly feel fine after causing so much hurt in the past. Perhaps Irene was indeed the same heartless and cruel she was five years ago.

No longer wanting to share the same room and air with the older woman, Seungwan felt a wave of nausea.

She hurriedly washed her hands and stepped out of the restroom, managing to say, "It was nice meeting you again. Now I need to go. Thanks for the interview," suppressing her voice to sound polite as she bowed.

"Wait, Seungwan!"

"Oh no, please don't. God, please don't make me stay here any longer. I really couldn't stand to look at that face," despite the internal screaming and a barrage of curse words in her mind, Seungwan turned back and met Irene’s gaze.

"Yes? Anything I could help?" Seungwan gave a tight-lipped smile.

"Well, I just want to let you know that you're good. The portfolios, your projects in LA, they’re all amazing. To be honest, you’re even overqualified for this position. But I really saw your passion when you explained why you want to apply to this company. I hope whatever happened between us before doesn’t hold you back…” Irene paused for a moment before continuing.

“Um, well, actually I don’t want to spoil it, I mean I shouldn’t, but I think you