“Irene? Irene, I know you’re in there! Open up!”

 

Laughing to herself, Joohyun couldn’t tell who was at the door anymore. In fact, the voice seemed to be getting more and more distant as Joohyun let her head fall onto the sofa she was leaning on. 

 

To say that Joohyun’s house was a mess was an understatement. Empty beer bottles littered the living room, the furniture had been pushed into awkward positions — due to Joohyun’s stumbling — and the air reeked of vomit. The Daegu ulzzang could no longer tell if her shirt was damp from her own vomit, sweat or tears. 

 

Raising the beer bottle in her hand high as though she was clinking bottles with a drinking buddy, Joohyun proceeded to down the next gulp of beer, only to find that the bottle was empty. 

 

“ing -hic- liar!” she growled and flung the bottle to one side. At this point of time, Joohyun couldn’t care about anything she did. Even after downing all these bottles of alcohol, she could still feel the pain of her broken heart coursing through her veins. 

 

Seungwan. Why did you lie to me?

 

“Irene! Irene are you okay!” The muffled voice came again. “I heard something break!” 

 

The pounding on the door resumed. 

 

“Ehhhhhhhh… off -hic- and leave me -hic- the alone!” 

 

“I won’t till you-“

 

“Who the are you!” Joohyun finally lost her temper and slammed the door open. The pounding was causing her ears to ring. Grabbing onto the gate with one hand to steady herself, Irene took another swig of the beer in her other hand. 

 

“You. Get. Out. Of. My. Face” Joohyun could barely string a proper sentence together. Standing up was making her see double and all she could make out of the person standing in front of her was that she had brown hair. 

 

“Irene!” The unknown entity wrapped her hand around the one Joohyun had on the gate to further steady the blonde. “What the heck-?”

 

“Go aw-“ 

 

And it was all too much. The combination of heartbreak and alcohol finally sent Joohyun into the dark abyss of sleep. 

 

———

 

It was three hours later when Joohyun finally awoke. A slew of curse words left as she squeezed her eyes shut to block out the glaring sunlight that was streaming into her room. A hiss left her lips as she held her head, the hangover beginning to hit her at full force. 

 

Her eyes shot open as bile began to rise in . A quick twist to the right in a fraction of a second was all it took before the bile made its way out of and landed on the floor, splattering in all directions. 

 

Joohyun’s arms felt as heavy as lead as she tried to hold the dishevelled mess that was her hair out of her face but her lack of energy made it nothing but a futile attempt. 

 

Until someone’s rough fingers ghosted over hers and bunched her hair up for her.

 

Joohyun could only spot a flash of orange as the person hastily slid a bucket at the spot where she was throwing up. She felt a weight sink onto the mattress near her head as the uninvited guest settled herself there to hold Joohyun’s hair out of her face as the latter vomited. 

 

A groan left the blonde’s lips as she was finally done emptying her stomach. Flipping back, she threw an arm over her eyes to block the light. She couldn’t be bothered with finding out the identity of the guest, all she wanted to do now was get some aspirin. 

 

“What a mess you made huh,” a familiar voice rang through Joohyun’s ears as a damp cloth touched her lips, gently clearing up the remains of the bile. 

 

A huff was given in response. 

 

“Hey, can you sit up?” 

 

“I don’t want to,” Joohyun could barely get the words out before a hacking cough took over. Instantly, warm hands slid under her waist and head and propped her up with ease. Joohyun leant her head against the shoulder of the unknown human being as she rubbed her back to soothe the cough till it subsided. 

 

“Here, I made some hangover soup.”

 

At that sentence, Joohyun finally decided to open her eyes and face the kind samaritan who was taking care of her this early morning. 

 

“Seulgi?” 

 

“Urm hi? Save your questions for later. Drink this first,” the artist instructed as she blew gently on the soup in the spoon before slowly bringing the spoon to Joohyun’s lips. 

 

“Careful, its hot.” 

 

Joohyun let out a contented sigh as the first spoonful of hot soup made its way down . She couldn’t tell whether it was the soup or the sweet actions of the person facing her that was warming her insides. 

 

Regardless, the soup Seulgi had made tasted just nice and Joohyun took several successive slurps, feeling the hangover slowly fade away. 

 

Until Joohyun grabbed Seulgi’s hand, forcing the latter to drop the spoon into the bowl of half-empty soup. 

 

“Oh my god are you ok?” Joohyun gasped as she saw the red gash across Seulgi’s dominant hand. 

 

“Oh this is just a scratch, don’t worry about it,” the artist flashed her an eyesmile in assurance but Joohyun didn’t believe her. 

 

“How did you get this and why did you not treat it properly?” Joohyun chided as she untied the bloodied cloth that was wrapped clumsily around Seulgi’s palm. Her breath hitched as she saw how deep the wound was and she allowed her thumb to ghost over it. 

 

“Uh, I was cleaning up and got cut by one of those beer bottle fragments. I couldn’t find the med kit so I just used a rag that looked like it would be able to cover the wound.”

 

“Stay here.” Was all Joohyun said before she rushed out of the room to grab the med kit. As much as she wanted to stop to admire the cleanliness that was her living room, Seulgi was hurt and Joohyun wanted to make sure that her wound wasn’t going to get infected. 

 

And by the state of the gash, she was pretty sure Seulgi wouldn’t be drawing for a week or two. 

 

A weird feeling arose in Joohyun’s chest as she rummage around for the med kit. It was weird but at the same time familiar. 

 

It was the same feeling she had felt a long time ago when she had first met Seungwan. 

 

Seulgi had basically sacrificed two weeks of doing something she loved for Joohyun’s sake. Even if she was an uninvited guest, she had taken care of Joohyun like how a mother would their child. 

 

And that thought made Joohyun blush. 

 

Rushing back to the room, Joohyun quickly took out some antiseptic, cotton buds and gauze. Gently placing Seulgi’s hand on her lap, she dipped the cotton bud in the antiseptic and took a deep breath. 

 

“This is going to sting.”

 

“I know.”

 

The moment the bud touched Seulgi’s hand, Joohyun felt the artist flinch but that was all Seulgi did as the treatment went on. 

 

“There all done,” Joohyun announced proudly as she secured the end of the gauze. “Now-“

 

Time stood still as Joohyun felt the warmth of a hand touch her cheek. 

 

“Irene, did you know how you broke my heart yesterday when I saw you in that state?” Seulgi whispered as her thumb began to caress Joohyun’s cheek, causing Joohyun to look her in the eye. 

 

And that was when she saw the sorrow painted in the eyes of the artist. 

 

Joohyun’s heart lurched at the sad sight and she let out a shaky breath before avoiding Seulgi’s gaze but that meant paying more attention to the hand cupping her cheek. 

 

“I guess what I want to say is if you ever need someone, you can always call me. I really don't want to see you in that state ever again.” 

 

Before Joohyun could process anything, warm lips touched the side of her head and lingered for a second too long. 

 

“Thank you for this,” Seulgi held her right hand up and grinned while she stood up. Joohyun finally resumed their eye contact as Seulgi continued. “I’ll be taking my leave now; I have something to attend to. I told Bogum you weren't coming in today by the way. And if you were wondering, you left your keys on the cabinet next to the door and that was how I got in. Be more careful next time.

 

“And remember to call me if you need anything.” 

 

“Joohyun.” 

 

“What?”

 

“Call me Joohyun. Not Irene.” 

 

“Joohyun,” Seulgi her lips. “You have a beautiful name.”

 

And with that Seulgi left Joohyun alone at home smiling like a fool to herself. 

 

———

Three days after the incident with Seungwan, Joohyun was back at the bridal boutique. Seulgi had been going back and forth to her house to check on her, something which Joohyun didn't mind because when Seulgi came, she helped her take her mind of Seungwan by either acting as a deranged bear or by just talking to her. 

 

It pained her immensely but while Seulgi wasn’t around, she had started the process of placing photographs of her and Seungwan — or any memorabilia of her ex — into a cardboard box. She had smiled at some pictures and cried while looking at others. Seungwan had left her with many different memories, happy ones, sad ones and funny ones. At this juncture, Joohyun didn’t doubt that the love they had shared was beautiful in itself but she couldn’t stand a relationship built on lies. Seungwan had been keeping a massive lie from her and Joohyun couldn't find it in herself to forgive her.

 

That left Joohyun with a nasty surprise as she stepped into the bridal boutique. 

 

“Hey, are you okay?” Bogum asked as Joohyun entered. 

 

“Yeah, coping just fine I guess,” Joohyun replied with a shrug of her shoulders. 

 

“Seungwan’s been in the employee room for the past three days.” 

 

“Joohyun?” 

 

Just as Bogum finished his sentence, a weak voice called out for the Daegu native. 

 

“Seungwan?” 

 

“Joohyun, please let me explain,” Seungwan started as she stumbled towards her former lover. Joohyun noticed that the past three days must have taken its toll on her and even though their relationship had ended, she still felt her heart ache at the sight of a Seungwan with puffy eyes, dishevelled hair, chapped lips and pale skin. However, she kept a straight face, not wanting to give her position away. 

 

“Let’s take this somewhere else,” Joohyun commanded as she walked past Seungwan, maintaining her distance. She felt Seungwan’s saddened gaze fall on her before she obliged, keeping a safe distance behind Joohyun. 

 

An awkward silence descended on the duo as they trudged towards somewhere more private. 

 

“I’m giving you 5 minutes to explain yourself,” Joohyun tapped her watch as she leant against the shelves of the storeroom. 

 

Seungwan let out a sigh as she sat on the small stool at the other corner of the room, eyes glued to the floor. 

 

“Joohyun, I needed extra cash quickly because my mom was sick and I wasn’t earning enough to pay for her medical bills. I knew dealing drugs was wrong and all but I really needed the cash to save her and this was the fastest way. I chose to wait for you here instead of going to your house because I knew that you coming back to work meant you were over the issue.”

 

“Why didn’t you ask me for help?”

 

“Because I didn’t want to burden you with my problems.” 

 

Joohyun sighed and ran her hand through her hair. 

 

“Seungwan, we were in a relationship together. You could have come to me for help and I would have helped you in anyway I could because I loved you.

 

“Instead you chose to keep this from me and one secret led to more secrets and even more lies. I’m not saying that choosing to save your mother is wrong, it’s just that the way you chose to do it wasn’t right.” 

 

The blonde walked forward and knelt down, taking Sengwan’s hands in her own. The latter was beginning to sob uncontrollably and Joohyun gently rubbed Seungwan’s thumb with her own. 

 

“Seungwan, I loved you, I really did and the past few years I spent with you were magical to me. However, when I think about how much you lied to me and all the secrets your kept from me, I realised that our relationship wouldn't last. We shouldn’t be keeping secrets from each other.

 

“You’re beautiful, kind, talented and loving. I’m sorry I cannot continue on this journey with you but do yourself a favour and find someone to start anew with. Treat her well as you did with me but most of all don’t lie and keep secrets from her.”

 

With that, Joohyun slowly leant in and gave her ex a gentle goodbye kiss on the lips before standing up and walking out of the room, glad that Seungwan had taken the break-up better than she had expected. 

 

“I still love you Hyun. Despite everything I did, my love for you was true how could you just break up with me like that!”

 

Joohyun turned around just as Seungwan pushed her to the floor before landing on top of her. 

 

“Shouldn’t love be about forgiveness? Yes, I made a mistake but I love you Joohyun! After everything I did for you, just one simple mistake and you break up with me. Why can’t you forgive me?! Huh, why?!” 

 

Hands clasped around Joohyun’s throat and air suddenly started to become scarce. Joohyun curled her palms into fists and hit the girl on top of her but the latter was blinded by rage. Despite not eating for the past few days, Seungwan was still as strong as ever and Joohyun was beginning to see specks of black in her vision. 

 

“Seungwan stop!” 

 

Strong arms ripped Seungwan off Joohyun, leaving the blonde gasping for air on the ground. 

 

“Joohyun are you okay!” Rough but familiar hands placed themselves where Seungwan’s ones were before but the touch had no murderous intent. Fingers gently massaged Joohyun’s neck as her breathing began to return to normal. 

 

“Let go of me!” Seungwan was shouting through gritted teeth. However, Bogum was doing a good job holding her back. “And stay the away from her!” 

 

“S-Seulgi,” Joohyun gasped as she started to make out the person in front of her. She grasped onto Seulgi's arm as though it was a lifeline and instantly, Seulgi enveloped her in a tight hug, rubbing her back gently to assure Joohyun that everything was going to be okay. Joohyun took in a deep breath of Seulgi's scent and immediately, that calmed her nerves.  

 

“Stay away from her!” Seungwan screamed again before directing her gaze toward Joohyun. “You’ve ing been cheating on me!” 

 

“You are mistaken. Joohyun and I only met last week,” Seulgi replied in a calm but cold tone as she helped Joohyun sit up. “We are working for the same company. Nothing more.” 

 

“Yea and on what basis should I believe in what you say?” Seungwan sneered but stopped struggling in Bogum's arms.

 

“Because,” the aura around Seulgi began to have a murderous intent of its own as she gently pried Joohyun's hands off her and stood up. “I would never ever date someone whom I’ve just met and I will never allow myself to be a third wheel.

 

“You can doubt my actions and you can doubt the relationship between Joohyun and me but I will never let you doubt my character.”

 

Slowly, Seulgi levelled her gaze with Seungwan’s and narrowed her eyes. 

 

“If you have any pride left in you and any love left for Joohyun in that matter, I suggest you leave now before I get my lawyer to charge you with attempted assault.” 

 

Shaking Bogum off her, Seungwan stormed up to Seulgi before jabbing her left shoulder with her finger. 

 

“Don’t you even dare talk about love when it comes to Joohyun,” Seungwan growled as she returned Seulgi’s stare with equal ferocity. “I hate how you rich faggots think you can get everything with money. Kang Seulgi, you may be rich but you can never love Joohyun like I can. I know who you are and I swear, I will kill you.” 

 

And with that Seungwan brushed past the artist and showed herself out of the boutique, flashing a gaze that sent a shiver down Joohyun’s spine back through the window.

 

That gaze wasn’t Seungwan’s normal, loving gaze. 

 

That gaze was filled with hatred. 

 

That gaze said that Seungwan was going to come back for more. 

 

---

Ohh drama!

Imma apologise to Wenrene shippers and Wendy stans ><

Couldn't be bothered to proofread this so if there are any errors just message me or something...

Hope yall like this.

Not much Seulrene interaction yet I mean they just met right!

Will try to put in more in the next chappie since Joohyun is now single and ready to mingle.

Comments are appreciated :) And thanks to Starzrus for the upvote :)

Of course, I wouldn't continue writing this without the 41 subscribers I have so far so thanks to you guys too :)