“Irene Bae,”

JooHyun can only slowly close her eyes as she’s heard that name at least a good hundred times that day – and no, she’s not exaggerating. The name that that idiot gave her even without JooHyun’s permission and approval,

“Irene Bae,”

Okay, a hundred and one times that day.

“I won’t give up on you.”

There go those words again. Those words that became a mantra for that Idiot Kang to chant every damn day to JooHyun – over and over until JooHyun finally, and with irritation, acknowledges it.

“Irene Bae, I won’t give up on you.”

She hears that Idiot Kang repeat.

Don’t mind her, JooHyun. She tells herself. The idiot will go away eventually.

“Irene Bae, did you hear what I said?”

Oh, God.

When will that idiot ever stop?!

“Did you hear what I sai–”

“Yes!” JooHyun cuts her off – and it took every fibre of JooHyun’s being not to sound as impolite and as rude as possible, “Yes, I heard you crystal clear.

“Now will you please stop following me?” JooHyun can’t help but say it in gritted teeth.

It has become a routine – or a habit, whichever – for Ms. Kang to ‘send Irene Bae off to work’. Which was basically stalking – and mention, ‘nuisance’ – to JooHyun.

“I told you to hop on my bike and I’ll send you off to work.” Says a specific idiot.

See?

And not to mention that Idiot Kang is using a bicycle – a normal, one-seat bicycle – and that JooHyun is wearing formal, corporate attire.

“I’m wearing a skirt.” JooHyun continues to walk, paying no mind to the other girl who’s peddling slowly to catch up with her pace.

And Idiot Kang really might be an idiot, because the jacket wrapped around her waist was not in any way helping the fact that she’s also wearing their school’s skirt.

JooHyun rolls her eyes since she can’t palm her face as of the moment.

“I have a jacket for you to cover your legs.” Idiot Kang idiotically suggests, like JooHyun expected any better.

“Just,” JooHyun finally stops at her tracks to face the taller girl, “Go to your school and stop bothering me.”

But a reply from the other girl comes quicker than JooHyun’s words,

“I need to at least see you get to the station safe.”

This makes JooHyun stop – like full-halt stop – to finally look at the other girl.

And like all the other times, and all the other days before, JooHyun knows she has to get away from the other girl now,

Because JooHyun fears for her dear heart.

Her heart that unreasonably pumps more blood than it should whenever Idiot Kang says stupid things, her heart that irrationally beats faster and louder than normal whenever Idiot Kang gets dangerously near,

Because Idiot Kang’s words never fail in making her heart beat unusually faster without JooHyun’s consent – and she doesn’t know how the other girl does that to her.

So JooHyun dismisses their conversation – and her unknown feelings – with her usual,

“I’ll be fine.”

And JooHyun knows that Idiot Kang would listen to her – like how Idiot Kang had always listened to her,

“Just go to your school,” Because JooHyun had always said the next words – gentle and soft, with Idiot Kang’s name at the tip of her tongue,

The name that never quite sounded right whenever she said it, whenever it rolled off . The name that doesn’t quite leave her mind the day she knew about it,

The name that makes Idiot Kang smile adorably – much to JooHyun’s dismay on how she finds it stunning – because JooHyun is ‘the one who said it’,

“SeulGi.”

---

“Irene Bae!”

JooHyun lets out a loud groan as soon as she’s heard that idiot, again, and she hasn’t even taken ten steps out of their office building yet!

“Let’s go home together!” Idiot Kang says.

“SeulGi,” JooHyun sighs, it has always been like this – everyday – where SeulGi goes to her office after SeulGi’s dismissal and JooHyun’s office hours are over, and asks for them to go home together, “I told you a million times to not go here anymore and to go home straight.”

“But ‘home’ is with you.”

JooHyun would have smacked SeulGi right then, she could have smacked the other girl over and over.

But JooHyun knows that SeulGi is nowhere near teasing her, because SeulGi had always have this innocent tone, and dumb, innocent face whenever SeulGi says things like that.

JooHyun knows SeulGi says it out of the blue, just says it mindlessly, yet so full of truth.

And she can’t help but scrunch her eyebrows because heat is rising to her face once more.

So JooHyun sighs before walking away, “I told you I won’t go home with you.”

And Idiot Kang really is an idiot,

Because she instantly smiles and peddles alongside JooHyun anyway.

---

“Irene Bae.”

“JooHyun.” JooHyun quickly corrects SeulGi.

“JooHyun Bae,”

“Just ‘JooHyun’.” She says it with gritted teeth now.

And JooHyun thinks SeulGi finally gets it because the idiot shuts up for a moment,

Before breaking it yet again – much to JooHyun’s irritation,

“Irene Bae.”

“Goddamnit, SeulGi!” JooHyun widens her eyes and she forces herself not to pull her hair out of her scalp in annoyance, “Just call me ‘JooHyun’ like a normal person does!”

“But you don’t have an English name yet.”

“You don’t have an English name yet!”

“I don’t like one.”

“I don’t like one, either!” JooHyun continues to throw words back at SeulGi.

“But I don’t like to call you like normal people do.” And Idiot Kang continues to throw words back at her.

Because you’re not normal. JooHyun thinks, but does not say.

So she just lets out another sigh, because she knows that their conversation is not going anywhere.

---

“I’m already here in the station, you may go already.” JooHyun doesn’t turn to SeulGi as she says it, impatience still on her mind.

But SeulGi always proves JooHyun wrong because then she hears the ruffling, muffling sound of something behind her.

Then she knows it’s SeulGi going in the bus as well – with the bicycle – because JooHyun also hears its annoying bell.

‘Excuse me’, JooHyun hears repeatedly as she tries to look for a vacant chair with a person already seating on one side so Idiot Kang won’t sit with her.

But the odds are never in JooHyun’s favour because SeulGi starts calling her,

“Irene Bae! Irene Bae! Over here!”

And before JooHyun can even pretend she does not know whoever fool was calling, she finds herself being turned around and being dragged to the seat.

---

“Good morning, Irene Bae!”

Jesus Christ.

JooHyun originally planned to wake up a bit earlier in hopes that she won’t see a certain girl very early in the morning as she doesn’t want the said morning to be ruined.

But here she is now, eyes involuntarily shutting hard as she has heard that annoying voice already. Her mind playing ‘It’s okay, JooHyun’ over and over to calm her senses.

“Hello, Irene Bae. Did you have a good sleep?

JooHyun sighs as SeulGi already found her way to JooHyun’s side, with SeulGi’s bike being peddled a bit faster because JooHyun is walking faster, too.

“Do you want to hop on my bike already? It’s easier than walking with your skirt on.”

JooHyun internally rolls her eyes, she’ll rather tire of walking than ‘hop on’ SeulGi’s bike and end up in a hospital bed because of an accident.

And just like Idiot Kang can read her mind, she hears the idiot say, “It can carry the both of us, don’t worry.”

JooHyun quickly glances at the taller girl before looking back straight, still tightly zipped as she’s afraid curses would be the only ones coming out of it.

Then comes silence.

And Irene would have liked SeulGi more if it stayed like that all throughout their walk but SeulGi is never less than an idiot, because SeulGi mindlessly says once more, and JooHyun knows that a soft smile is plastered on that stupid face of SeulGi’s as the girl says,

“You still look beautiful today, Irene Bae.”

Making Irene practically run to the station already,

Afraid that Idiot Kang will see the blush on her face.

---

“Wow, you look flushed.”

JooHyun swears she’ll slap her best friend one of these days, “Shut up, SeungWan.”

“Let me guess,” SeungWan plays dumb as she rubs her chin as to think – as if she doesn’t know the answer yet, “Idiot Kang?”

“Idiot Kang!!!” JooHyun repeats with clenched teeth, with her bent fingers as she controls herself from punching anyone, “I swear, SeungWan! That idiot doesn’t know how and when to stop!”

JooHyun only hears SeungWan laugh as JooHyun exhales furiously once more.

“Why don’t you give her a chance, JooHyun?” SeungWan jeers, finally earning her a slap on the arm from JooHyun.

“Why don’t you give her a chance yourself?” JooHyun reiterates, with her eyes widening for a better intimidating effect.

“I would if she’s head over heels for me. She seems like a nice girl.” SeungWan shrugs as she continues to press buttons on the copying machine.

“A nice girl?!” JooHyun spits the words, “She’s nowhere near nice! You saw her! She’s annoying!”

“Annoyingly cute?”

“Annoyingly stupid!” JooHyun corrects. Her hands on the air as to surrender, “Ah, SeungWan. I never should’ve helped her get that darned cat out of the tree.” JooHyun scratches her head as she remembers the first time she’s met that Idiot Kang a year back – or was it more? JooHyun doesn’t know because she doesn’t care, “Now she’s all over me!”

“You like it.” SeungWan bumps a shoulder with JooHyun’s as the former walk pass the latter.

“I don’t!” JooHyun defends herself as she follow behind, “You like it!”

“Yeah, I do.” SeungWan confesses, “Seeing the demure JooHyun all worked out about one girl, and a high-schooler, that is.”

JooHyun sighs once more. She’s older than that idiot, and SeungWan has a point. She’s all worked out about simple things like this when she should be the mature one.

But Idiot Kang is really difficult to handle, JooHyun argues. Not when Idiot Kang throws herself to JooHyun every damn day and every damn afternoon.

JooHyun’s thoughts stop running when she hears her friend say,

“Come on, JooHyun. Just give Idiot Kang a chance?”

“And what? Go to jail for dating a minor? You do it, SeungWan.” She scoffs.

“How old is she? 16? See? Two more years and she’ll be an adult. Besides, no one has to know that you’re already 23 and hitting on young girls.” SeungWan laughs but it was not able to last long as JooHyun already smacks her head.

“‘Hit on’,” JooHyun corrects once more, “I’m the victim here.”

“Whatever you say, ‘Irene Bae’.” SeungWan teases as she runs off even before JooHyun’s claws get to her.

“Yah! SeungWan! You better not show yourself to me because you’re dead when I catch you!”

---

“Irene Bae!”

JooHyun nudges SeungWan – hard – to stop the latter from giggling when they see – Surprise! – Idiot Kang waiting already outside their office building, waving like a deranged person, or a mental patient who sees the outside world for the first time after a long time. That kind of crazy.

“Hello, too, Ms. Son.” SeulGi bows to the girl beside JooHyun and JooHyun can’t help but roll her eyes – which became her habit, all thanks to that one idiot – again because she wonders why can’t SeulGi greet her as normal as that?

“Hello, SeulGi.” SeungWan pats SeulGi’s shoulder, “Taking JooHyun home again?”

“Hopefully!” SeulGi beams a smile as she turns to face JooHyun, “Hop on my bike, Irene Bae!”

“No.” JooHyun sternly says, “SeungWan and I are going somewhere. Go home.”

And JooHyun swears to all gods that if killing wasn’t illegal, SeungWan would be long dead,

Because SeungWan just has to – just has to­ – say, with that darned smirk of hers that annoys the hell out of JooHyun,

“Why don’t you tag along, SeulGi?”

---

JooHyun’s grip on a giggling SeungWan keeps on getting tighter and tighter with every second passing that they’re walking.

Because JooHyun also hears the rustling and the weak ringing of someone’s bike behind them, and occasional comments and nudges in between the silence JooHyun prays hard to stay.

“Irene Bae, look at that one.”

“Do you like it, Irene Bae?”

“Are you hungry already, Irene Bae?”

“Irene Bae.”

“Irene Bae.”

“Irene Bae.”

Holy. .

JooHyun doesn’t know if she’s having a nightmare or if there’s already a broken record of that idiot calling her over and over, because she swears she’s going mad.

“You know, she would stop calling you over and over if you notice her.” SeungWan states the obvious, “It’s partly your fault for continuously ignoring her.”

“Why does it always have to be me?!” JooHyun angrily whispers, “Why don’t you entertain her and make her like you and help me get rid of her and we’ll all be happy?”

“Just talk to her.” SeungWan raises her eyebrows, and JooHyun submits.

“Fine.” JooHyun lowly growls.

“Okay, SeulGi.” JooHyun finally turns around, “Let’s play a game.”

“A game?” SeulGi’s face instantly lights up by the mere mention of the word, and JooHyun stops herself from smiling as well because SeulGi is really an idiot for clapping, “I like games!”

JooHyun bites the insides of , because why does SeulGi have to be dumb and cute at the same time?!

“Good.” JooHyun returns the smile as if she’s talking to a toddler, and she hears SeungWan scoff beside her because JooHyun knows that her best friend knows what she’s up to, “The game is called the ‘Silence Game’, okay?”

SeulGi slowly nods as she tries to comprehend what JooHyun just said, her smile never wavering, “Okay.”

“Good girl!” JooHyun exclaims, and SeulGi’s smile grows wider, “Now, the only rule of the game is, well, to keep silent. Do you follow me, SeulGi?”

SeulGi wanders her eyes first as her eyebrows start to meet up in confusion, “You mean, no talking?”

“Yes! Correct! No talking, no nudging, no poking, no ringing of bike bells, no rustling, no noises. Until our little trip to the mall is done. Simple as that, right?! Very good, you understood!” JooHyun taps SeulGi’s shoulder as to imply that she’s proud.

She sees the confusion taking over SeulGi as how the game works, or how it’s even a game, but JooHyun thinks that because she’s the one who said it, Idiot Kang can’t help but slowly nod as the idiot says, “O-Okay.”

“Good!” JooHyun exclaims in relief, but she quickly palms her own forehead because Idiot Kang is really an idiot,

“What do I get if I win?” SeulGi asks, and JooHyun wonders how much stupidity can one person have – because is SeulGi serious? How can one even play this ‘game’?

And JooHyun wonders how much tolerance she has for not punching the living hell out of her best friend because then she hears SeungWan say,

“JooHyun will go out with you for a full week.” SeungWan’s quick to answer for her cunning best friend, with the said cunning best friend quickly snapping her head – almost breaking her neck in the process – as SeungWan finishes the sentence.

“What?! No!” JooHyun protests.

“Deal!” SeulGi quickly says at the same time, with her smile turning to be brighter than the sun with every second.

“You’re really dead.” JooHyun threatens SeungWan as she walks further ahead,

Leaving two idiots smiling to their selves.

---

JooHyun doesn’t feel like going to work today.

For a full week, actually.

Apparently, Idiot Kang knows how to shut up for a long time. Making JooHyun lose her own proposed game.

She even thought of taking a week-leave just to avoid SeulGi but she figures that her idiotic friend might tell idiotic SeulGi where JooHyun lives and that is the last thing JooHyun wants to happen ever.

So she gathers all her strength – and all her patience – to start the longest week of her life.

---

“Good morning, Irene Bae!”

She sees SeulGi already peddling towards her from the same tree that they met a year ago or so, and JooHyun quietly reminds herself that she has no choice but to do this. Well, actually she can still do whatever she wants but she also knows that SeungWan will pester her more if she doesn’t do her consequence.

“Flowers for you.” SeulGi bashfully smiles as she hands JooHyun one rose.

One rose.

And Idiot Kang dare calls it in its plural form.

JooHyun argues with herself if she’ll take it or not. Obviously, she doesn’t want to because she might give the wrong idea that she accepts SeulGi but she doesn’t want to ignore it as well as she doesn’t know what worse things will happen if she doesn’t accept it.

So she – in defeat – accepts the rose.

With Idiot Kang giving off her trademark, bright smile that hides her eyes as she does.

Strangely, making JooHyun’s heart flutter once more.

What’s the harm of taking a flower from SeulGi, anyway.

This will just only go on for a week, right?

What else could go wrong?

---

Everything is wrong.

Everything.

Because when JooHyun thought that she’ll only see Idiot Kang in the morning when she goes to the office and in the afternoon when she’s about to go home, she’s got it wrong.

Because then their building guard calls her during lunch time, telling her that someone is waiting for her outside.

She only looks weirdly at SeungWan, and she sees the same confusion on her best friend’s eyes.

And she wants to replace the confusion on SeungWan’s eyes with sticks until SeungWan’s blind because JooHyun finally sees who it was that called for her.

SeulGi.

Little, dumb SeulGi.

Innocent, cute, dumb SeulGi who is smiling like the idiot she is outside the building, holding lunch boxes in her hands,

“Let’s have lunch, Irene Bae!”

And JooHyun initially thinks that she’ll dread a week of free lunches.

---

“This one’s for you, jerk.”

JooHyun tosses – yes, tosses, not passes – the lunch box at SeungWan’s table.

“Eh? What’s this?”

“Why don’t you guess?” JooHyun narrows her eyes at her friend.

SeungWan shrugs and do what she’s told. JooHyun sees her friend’s eyes light up after opening it and JooHyun can only groan in annoyance once more.

“Aww! SeulGi gave this one?” SeungWan marvels the lunch box in her hands, that’s when JooHyun notices a piece of paper taped onto the bottom of the container.

“Hey, there’s a note at the bottom.” JooHyun points.

SeungWan looks at it, reads it, and smiles, “Aww, she’s so sweet,” Then that’s when the light that was on her eyes changes into a teasing one as she says to JooHyun, “So she brought you lunch.”

JooHyun grunts once more before dismissing what SeungWan just said and asks instead, “What does the note say?”

“Oh, just a little something for me, and not for you.” SeungWan folds the note and puts it aside, out of JooHyun’s reach. SeungWan’s teasing eyes never losing their hold on JooHyun as she slightly smirks.

“Tch. Give me the note.” JooHyun tries to reach for it, but her friend is quicker.

“Nope. It’s for me, nothing that concerns you,” SeungWan continues to grin, “Unless you’re so bothered about Idiot Kang sending me messages?”

“Eww, no!” JooHyun tries not to puke, “Keep it, for all I care! I don’t need to know. No, I don’t want to know.”

She hears SeungWan giggle, and JooHyun tries not to strangle her friend.

“Okay, then.” SeungWan ends their conversation with a shrug before opening the lunch box, “Time to eat!”

JooHyun doesn’t care about the note, she knows it. Though it would also be a lie if she says that she’s not curious.

Yes, she’s only curious. She says to herself that’s it only curiosity that makes her swiftly stand up and go to SeungWan’s side and forcefully take the note off her eating friend’s hands.

“Give me the note!”

“What the–?!” It’s an understatement to say the least that SeungWan’s shocked by JooHyun’s quick actions and she’s not able to process anything that happened.

JooHyun takes a few steps back before unfolding the small note and reading whatever stupid thing Idiot Kang put in there,

And it’s also an understatement to say the least that JooHyun’s shocked – and blushing – by whatever stupid thing Idiot Kang had put in the note,

Ms. Son, this is a thank-you gift,

And JooHyun can’t help but feel her friend’s stupid, happy stares she knows are accompanied with a stupid grin. She can’t also help but feel the stupid, fleeting warm feeling rising to her face as she finishes reading the stupid note from stupid SeulGi,

Thank you for taking good care of Irene Bae.

---

JooHyun’s not able to stare at SeungWan that afternoon,

Because Idiot Kang is already outside their office building holding another rose – and JooHyun assumes – is waiting for her.

She only feels an elbow to her side and that’s the time she finally throws a glare at her grinning friend.

“Hello, Irene Bae. Hello, Ms. Son.” SeulGi bows to SeungWan – and only SeungWan – and JooHyun tries not to jump on the taller girl for the informal treatment on her when she’s basically older.

“Hello, SeulGi!” It was SeungWan who approaches her first and gently squeezes an arm, “Thank you for the lunch! It was so tasty! Did you make it?”

JooHyun sees the idiot excitedly nods, and JooHyun tries not to choke out a laugh because she’s sure Idiot Kang thinks highly of herself now for making a simple lunch of scrambled eggs and rolled rice.

“I’ll be giving you more in the following days!” SeulGi says with the same bright smile, and JooHyun rolls her eyes.

“Thank you so much!” SeungWan says in the same excited tone, “But where were you a while ago? JooHyun only handed it to me,” SeungWan winks, “And the note, of course.”

JooHyun bites her lips because she remembers the note, and because she sees SeulGi look down as the idiot, what JooHyun believes, blushes as well, “I-I had lunch with Irene Bae. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to go up to you and give it to you personally.”

“Oh, that’s okay!” SeungWan says as she turns to JooHyun, and JooHyun widens her eyes to threaten her friend on whatever her friend’s planning to say, “You go spend and enjoy time with her! I don’t mind.”

And JooHyun restrains herself from choking anyone at that point because she hears SeungWan whisper purposely loud to SeulGi and for JooHyun to hear, “JooHyun’s actually excited to see you.”

“I’m not.” JooHyun quickly corrects, “Can we just go already?”

“Oh, Irene Bae!” SeulGi bows to SeungWan first before jogging to JooHyun, the sickening wide smile already on her face, “Let’s go home together!”

JooHyun was about to say ‘no’, because it has always been like that. And JooHyun knows she’s about to say ‘no’, but then she sees SeungWan looking at her with eyes so open as to remind her of the deal, and JooHyun can only sigh in defeat once more as she says in a defeated tone,

“Fine.”

---

“I will not ride on your bike.” JooHyun walks a bit more forward than a sprinting SeulGi who’s trying to catch up to her.

“But it’s easier,”

“I want to take the train today.” JooHyun adjusts her shoulder bag as she continues to walk, she thinks of a plan to lose SeulGi.

“But we’re going home together.”

“Yes!” JooHyun exclaims, “You ride your bicycle, and I’ll be riding the train.”

“But I want to see you home safely!”

And that’s what JooHyun fears. Idiot Kang knowing where she lives.

JooHyun just knows that her days will never be normal anymore if SeulGi ever finds out, and so she does her best not to let SeulGi know.

“I can go home by myself, SeulGi.”

“But we’re going out.”

“For a week.” JooHyun stresses.

“Yes, for a week.”

A long, deadly week.

And just like the heavens are with her, she thinks of an ultimatum to give to Idiot Kang,

“I’m taking the train. It’s either you’re going with me or not.

“It’s your choice, SeulGi.”

JooHyun finishes as she smiles triumphantly to herself.

---

Wrong decision.

A very, very wrong decision that JooHyun made.

Because she finds herself sitting on the train beside Idiot Kang and the idiot’s bike.

JooHyun tries to ignore the blabbering idiot beside her, and she admits it’s going to be one hell of a ride. A very long ride, that is.

SeulGi’s been talking to herself for some minutes now, with JooHyun looking at the other side to show that she’s not interested – at all – and maybe SeulGi will finally notice and would shut up for even a second.

But Idiot Kang is Idiot Kang, and JooHyun thinks the other girl is just too dense because the idiot keeps on talking.

“Hey, Irene Bae. Do you know how much coins I have?”

JooHyun shuts her eyes slowly as she continues to ignore SeulGi.

Just a few more stops and this torture would be all over.

“Hey, Irene Bae, I’m talking to you.”

Patience, JooHyun. Patience.

“Here, take a look, Irene Bae!”

JooHyun feels nudges by her elbow and she finally – and with irritation – turns to SeulGi,

“What?!” She hisses.

“Look at all my coins!” She hears SeulGi state proudly.

JooHyun forces herself to at least look at what the idiot was bragging about and check if there really is something interesting about it.

Disappointment is what she gets, though.

All she saw were, well, coins.

Lots and lots of coins.

JooHyun tries not to cry at the situation she is now.

SeulGi is just plain stupid.

And that stupidity increases by the second because the train just has to abruptly stop for the next station, making JooHyun hold on to anything for support.

And before JooHyun knows it – before anyone else knows it – the fast, continuous and torturous sounds of coins clashing to the cold, metal train floor is all that they hear.

The heartbreaking, loud, clinking of coins meeting the metal floor continues for more seconds, and JooHyun only sees Idiot Kang blankly staring at how the coins drop down, and she can only close her eyes ever so slowly out of embarrassment.

JooHyun hangs her head humiliatingly low as she tries to hide her face – with the sound of coins as the background music.

She never knew she could hang her head that low for a long time.

And she swears she could never hear the sound of coins the same ever again.

---

JooHyun makes herself promise to never take the subway after that.

Not with the coin incident with that Idiot Kang, and smouldering glares from the other passengers. No, JooHyun will never take the subway ever again.

But she still won’t take the bike ride SeulGi is offering her, either. She’d rather die crawling than hop on SeulGi’s bicycle.

“But why won’t you?” SeulGi asks the next day. Another rose handed to JooHyun as the idiot tries to ‘force’ JooHyun on riding the bicycle.

Five more days, JooHyun. Five more freaking days! JooHyun reminds herself.

“It’s dangerous,” JooHyun replies as they walk, “And we’re both wearing skirts.”

“I have a jacket as cover!”

“Yeah, because that makes a very big difference.” JooHyun sarcastically says, but she guesses she shouldn’t speak with any more sarcasm when it’s Idiot Kang she’s talking to, because apparently, Idiot Kang doesn’t know what sarcasm is.

“See?!” SeulGi exclaims as she beams another bright smile, “That’s what I’ve been telling you! Hop on!”

JooHyun curls her fingers in irritation as she screams in disbelief,

“That was sarcasm, SeulGi!”

---

“Aww, another rose?” SeungWan coos as she fiddles with the flower on JooHyun’s desk, “When will I get my own Idiot Kang?”

“She’s all yours to take, please!” JooHyun huffs as she sits on her chair, “Do you know what happened to the subway yesterday? Jesus Christ! It was embarrassing! The most humiliating day of my life! Goddamnit, SeungWan.”

“Oh yeah, what happened to your yesterday?” SeungWan sits properly on her chair as well, “I received your text but I didn’t quite catch the story.”

And JooHyun is left to tell SeungWan the hideous memory of coins knocking over each other and on the floor and JooHyun makes sure she leaves no detail left behind,

“I swear, SeungWan, I swear,” JooHyun points at her friend for emphasis, “I’m losing my mind and this is all your fault.”

“What? How’s it my fault? You’re the one who wanted to play the ‘Silence Game’.”

“That game is used on pre-school kids!!!”

“And you decided to play it with SeulGi,” SeungWan shrugs, “You know how naïve and innocent and child-like she is. She probably doesn’t know that game even exists.”

JooHyun is left there to exasperatedly sigh again, “Ah, SeungWan. Just a few more days and this torture will be over.”

And they are left running around screaming and laughing – mainly on SeungWan’s part – the office once more because SeungWan just has to reply,

“And a few more days for you to give in and for her to win you over.”

---

During lunch time, SeulGi comes over again to deliver another set of lunch boxes to JooHyun and SeungWan.

JooHyun agrees to eat with her once again, because it still is rude if she declines. Not when she knows that SeulGi at least made an effort to make those.

So it was of pure concern when JooHyun says, “You don’t have to bring us lunch for the whole week.”

“But I want to.”

“And I want you to save your energy and your money and focus on your studies.”

JooHyun sees SeulGi open but quickly closes them again as the latter looks down, and JooHyun likes to fool herself that SeulGi listens to her because well, like all the other times, it’s JooHyun who said it and so SeulGi is left to say a defeated,

“… Okay.”

---

But it doesn’t stop Idiot Kang from smiling so widely as the idiot fetches JooHyun from work every afternoon – another rose in hand as SeulGi beams.

JooHyun may have convinced SeulGi to stop going to their office every noon but it seems she’s not able to stop SeulGi from coming over every dismissal time.

“Hello, Irene Bae! And Ms. Son,” SeulGi bows to SeungWan, and only SeungWan again, “Irene Bae, you will go with me on a date today!”

“And where will you be kidnapping me?” JooHyun asks lazily as she pinches her giggling friend by the side.

And SeungWan might just be correct, that Idiot Kang is naïve and innocent and child-like,

Because JooHyun never thought that they’ll have their first date in,

“An ice cream shop!”

---

It should have been romantic, at least.

Cue – should have.

But how can it be when you’re basically surrounded by kids with their mothers, and pre-teens all around the ice cream shop that your supposed to be ‘date’ brought you in to?

JooHyun can only bite a thumb as she tries to calm her nerves.

A corporate lady. An office lady with a supposed to be respectable position. A formal, business lady on her formal, business attire.

With a teenager. A minor, at that.

Inside a children’s ice cream shop.

How romantic.

How romantic, indeed.

“What would you like, Irene Bae?”

To go home.

“Whatever you’ll get is fine.” JooHyun looks outside as she rests her chin on a hand because suddenly, the traffic seems more interesting than maintaining a conversation with Idiot Kang.

“So triple scoops of chocolate?” She hears SeulGi excitedly asks, and it’s only when JooHyun turns around that she confirms that SeulGi did ask it rather excitedly,

Because she sees the twinkle in the younger’s eyes.

And it’s only then that JooHyun quickly nods and turns back to look outside because she’s afraid that she’s turning pink again.

Maybe this date won’t be so bad, after all.

---

JooHyun gets to the bus station – yes, bus station – with SeulGi following suit.

“I’m already here. Go straight home.” JooHyun tells SeulGi before walking towards the bus.

“Irene Bae, wait!”

“What is it?” She turns around to see SeulGi running up to her.

“Can I,” SeulGi bites a lip – and JooHyun suddenly shudders at the sight, “Can I have your number?”

It wasn’t the first time SeulGi asked her, in the span of a year or so of knowing each other, SeulGi asks time to time, so it really isn’t a surprise to JooHyun anymore. With her flatly saying a ‘no’ that ends SeulGi’s pestering.

And JooHyun’s sure she’s about to say the exact, same one-word to SeulGi, but then she remembers their little agreement of going out for a week.

So she bitterly sighs inside her head, as she knows she can’t decline this time.

But she’s also sure that she may not give her mobile phone number.

“Sure, but,” She says too quickly that SeulGi’s not even able to squeal, “I’ll be giving you my landline number. In that case, you won’t bother me too much when you’re at school and I’m at work. Are we clear?”

 And JooHyun’s expecting at least a hint of disappointment in SeulGi’s eyes, but like how JooHyun has learned that naïve, innocent SeulGi is really naïve and innocent,

SeulGi only smiles more brightly as the idiot starts jumping around happily.

Leaving JooHyun to let that small smile finally form on her own lips.

---

Bad idea.

A very, very bad idea. Worst idea ever.

Giving that bumbling Idiot Kang her landline number is the worst idea made by JooHyun.

Because now her phone won’t stop ringing, and she can’t put it on mute!

So JooHyun’s left there to massage her temples as she finally decides to just freaking take the call – for the nth time that night – just to stop the nuisances of ringing that she’s sure her neighbours will sue her for in the following days,

“What is it this time?!” JooHyun says in clenched teeth,

“I forgot to tell you something.” She hears SeulGi say on the other line.

JooHyun doesn’t seem to have the patience anymore as she quickly says the words, “Didn’t we just last talk a minute ago? What could it possibly be that you have to say now?!”

And JooHyun finds herself not able to sputter any more words as her words tangle by when Idiot Kang finally says what Idiot Kang has forgotten to a while ago,

“Sweet dreams, Irene Bae.”

---

“So it’s the last day, huh?” SeungWan asks from the other phone line. JooHyun’s thankful for that and she has never anticipated for a week to end already.

“Finally!” JooHyun throws her hands up in the air, “God, I can’t wait for this day to end. I’ll finally be free!”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be so overly dramatic about it.”

“If you were in my place, you’d do the same.” JooHyun opens her fridge to look for breakfast.

“Will she take you somewhere today? It’s Sunday.”

“Yeah,” JooHyun takes out the milk and pours it in a glass, “I’m actually anticipating where she’ll take me. So far, she’s taken me to places where children would go. My best guess today is the amusement park.”

“Well, I told you SeulGi is still a child at heart,” JooHyun hears SeungWan munching on something as she speaks, “But I have to say that she always do unexpected things, so don’t expect anything less.”

“I know that. I’ve been with her the whole week, remember?” JooHyun shifts the phone to her other ear, “Anyways, I have to meet her in an hour. I should go. I’m hanging up.”

“Ok! Have fun with her!” SeungWan chuckles, “But not ‘too’ much fun, she’s still a minor. Remember that, JooHyun!”

JooHyun suddenly feels the heat running up her face because of her friend’s implications.

The call ends with JooHyun threatening SeungWan to be thankful that JooHyun can’t see her right now or else she’ll have bruises all over her face for implied profanities.

---

“Irene Bae!” SeulGi runs to JooHyun and attempts to hug the older girl but JooHyun was fast enough to push SeulGi away.

“Nope, not a hair strand closer.” JooHyun warns with her two index fingers.

“But… it’s our last date together.” SeulGi’s lower lip protrudes a bit and JooHyun mentally slaps herself for thinking how adorable Idiot Kang looks then.

“We’ll still see each other after this, I’m sure of it.” JooHyun rolls her eyes as she knows that SeulGi will never stop pestering her even after their agreement.

SeulGi instantly smiles at the thought before asking, “Where do you want to go today?”

“Don’t you have anything under your whimsical sleeves?”

“But I’m not wearing sleeves today.”

JooHyun unintentionally closes her eyes – she doesn’t know if she’ll get mad or if she’