When Irene woke up, she thought she would be awoken with the sight of a certain mono eyelid girl. But much to her dismay, she woke up to an empty bed. She touched the space where Seulgi previously was. It was cold, Seulgi must have left a while ago. She then looked at the hour and it displayed 9:46 am.

She went back down, somehow hoping Seulgi would be sitting on the couch or in the kitchen, waiting for her. She wished the latter would greet her good morning and ask her if she had slept well, to which Irene would have sincerely replied that she had never slept that well that night.

But the only thing which greeted her was the sound of falling water in the kitchen. She then walked towards the kitchen and saw her mother washing plates in the sink. Still no Seulgi in sight, she was beginning to lose any kind of hope of seeing her on that Sunday morning.

She scoffed internally. Seulgi had come and left her just like that, without any notice. It was bound to happen, Irene told herself, who was she kidding ? The fragile Seulgi of the day before would become Kang Seulgi the spoiled brat once again and they would come back to what they were two days ago : strangers. This word bothered her as she did not want Seulgi and her to be strangers only. 

Somehow, thinking about what they would be the next day made her heart ache and she had an idea as to why it ached. She hoped Seulgi also felt the same as her the night before, when they were talking to each other without any barriers between them. But somehow she did not want to jump into conclusion so soon. After all, they had only talked for the first time yesterday but Irene did not want to think the latter did not feel anything at all towards her. It was crazy how much she wanted Seulgi so much when they had only met the day before.

Her mother seemed to have heard her coming since she turned her head towards her.

"Hello, Joohyun." Her mother greeted her.

She only nodded in return although she felt a great urge to ask where Seulgi was.

"Seulgi left earlier." The woman added.

"Oh, did she ?" She tried to act uninterested as she poured cereals in her bowl although deep inside she was disappointed to hear what her mother had just told her.

Her mother saw through her and she knew her daughter was somehow dejected.

"You're upset she left, aren't you ?" Seeing that Irene was not replying, she added. "I talked to her before she left."

"What ?" Irene's head rose up immediately. "You talked to her ? And you didn't hold her back ? You didn't let her stay ? You know she doesn't have anywhere to go at the moment !" Irene was getting flustered. "And what did she say ? Did she-" Irene was cut off by her mother who sensed her distress.

"Just give her some time, Joohyun." Irene's mother tried to reassure her. "She was the one who wanted to go back so I couldn't hold her back."

"She went back there ?" Irene was surprised.

"Not really, she stopped at a friend's house before but she told me she would try to go back there to make things right. She knew she could not run away undefinitely."

She promised me she would protect you. She seemed so determined when she said it. I hope she'll keep her promise.

They then heard laughings coming from upstairs. It seemed Joy and Yeri were up. When they were finally in the kitchen, they could not stop themselves from looking around.

"Where is Seulgi ?" Yeri asked.

"Yeah, where is she ? She's not in Irene's room !" Joy also asked.

Irene did not say anything and just kept her head down.

"She left earlier." Their mother said.

"What ???" Joy exclaimed.

"She said she would play with us !" Yeri also shouted, disappointed.

"Don't worry, she'll come back." The woman said, trying to comfort them.

Irene scoffed. How can she say that when she clearly knows she won't come back.

Her mother saw it but did not say anything. She did not want to add fuel to the fire.

"Ah, that's right. Seulgi left a note for you before I drove her back." Her mother said once Irene was finished eating.

Irene immediately sat up straight when she heard what her mother said.

"You drove her back ??? Nevermind, where is it ?" She hastily asked.

"She gave it to me and I put it on the sideboard in the living room." Her mother simply said, already expecting the next moves of her daughter.

Irene nearly ran to get it and Irene's mother could not help smiling at her behavior. Irene took the note and carefully unfolded it, her heart wildly beating.

Hi, Irene, Joohyun, 

Irene smiled when she read the first line.

I'm sorry I left just like that without saying good bye in front of you and I know you must be upset about it, or maybe you're not but whatever. Thank you for yesterday, for inviting me here and giving me strength even though we didn't know each other. It's better to say we still don't but I hope in the future we'll get to know each other more. Let's meet again at the playground one of these days, whenever one of us feels down, let's comfort each other, okay ? I'm going back to my parents. I thought about it and decided to just face them, I can't do anything else. It's all thanks to your mother that I don't plan on running anymore now, at least, not without knowing where I'd go after.

If you still accept my presence in your house despite my sudden leave, I hope I'll be able to play with Yeri and Joy.

Take care.

P.S : Thank you, again for trusting me, just like I trusted and still trust you.

Irene smiled as she read it once more and her heart melt again effortlessly. It was funny how she could hear Seulgi's voice reciting those lines in her head. She was glad Seulgi still left a note to her. After all, she did not leave as Irene thought she had. Irene could not help feeling relieved as she knew Seulgi still wanted to meet her. It seemed like she did not want to go back to strangers either. 

It was only during the afternoon that Seulgi and Wendy stopped fooling around and calmed themselves. They were quietly lying on Wendy's bed. Wendy was reading a magazine which was probably about fashion while Seulgi was quietly lying down and seemed deeply thinking. Wendy then closed the magazine and throw it on the ground before rolling on her stomach towards Seulgi, facing her with her head resting on the palm of her hand.

"You didn't tell who that friend was. So, who is it ?" Wendy asked curiously.

"She goes to the same school. She's a senior and her name is Irene... I don't know her entire name... But her Korean name is Joohyun. Do you perhaps happen to know her ?"

"Irene ? Joohyun ?" Wendy seemed to think for a moment but she did not seem to know who she was. "Is she some kind of a foreigner or a transfer student ? I mean the name Irene..."

"No, she's a pure Korean and it didn't seem like she studied overseas... Since she doesn't come from a wealthy family at all, far from it." Seulgi told her and the latter nodded her head.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you but I've never heard of her. She must be the discret type of person." Wendy replied. "Is she that kind to let you sleep at her house when you don't even know each other ?"

"She already knew me. At least, she already knew who I am." Seulgi replied and chuckled. "She wasn't even embarrassed to tell me I was a spoiled brat."

"Aren't you scared she's going to use you ?" Wendy asked, her face and her voice showing concern towards Seulgi.

"How ?" She frowned at her.

"Come on, Seulgi. You've just told me she comes from a broke family, right ?" Wendy explained and Seulgi nodded, trying to understand what Wendy was trying to say to her.

"Do you think she... Wants my money ?" Seulgi asked, feeling unsure but then she quickly shook her head. "No, she's not like that." Seulgi denied the thought of Irene wanting her money. There was no way Irene was someone like that, she was kind with Seulgi because they shared their trouble to each other, not because Irene wanted something from her. The only thing she needed was comfort and Seulgi would not mind giving it to her anytime she would need some.

"How do you know ? You've just met her. What if it's all an act in front of you to gain your pity ?" Wendy asked, suspicious. She was always afraid malicious people would try using Seulgi as the latter was easily influenced. "She let you enter her house and even let you sleep the night. Don't you think it's suspicious ?"

"No. She..." Seulgi was at a loss for words when she recalled Irene's gloomy and tired face. "She was just as lonely as I was, that's why she brought me to her house with her." Seulgi said to Wendy.

Wendy tried to read through Seulgi but somehow she was not sure how decypher the girl this time.

"Just... Just be careful around her, okay ?" Wendy seriously said, worry could be heard in her voice and Seulgi only nodded to tell her not to worry. 

"At least she cared for me, even her mother cared for me. She was the one to drive me here."

"She did ?" Wendy asked, surprised. She really needed to keep an eye on that girl if even her mother was being too kind with her.

"Yeah." Seulgi replied. "Yesterday, only my brother called me. Though it was because our parents asked him to do so."

"Maybe you should call your parents. They may be really worried about you, you know." Wendy tried to reason with her.

"Did they even try to call me ?! Even my own brother was not worried !" Seulgi asked, getting upset.

"I know, Seulgi. I know. Sorry." Wendy said, knowing the subject was quite sensitive for her.

"Is it okay if I take a shower ?" Seulgi stood up and asked.

"Why ? How long has it been since you've taken a shower ?" Wendy asked, teasing her. "Ah... Is that why it's so smelly here ?"

"Yah !" Seulgi yelled as she threw her one of the cushion before, this time, throwing herself at Wendy. They spent at least ten minutes fighting and laughing before Seulgi actually went take a shower.

Once Seulgi entered her house and removed her shoes, she was met by the sight of her father sitting on the couch and reading something on his tablet.

"You're finally here." He calmly stated.

"Obviously, I'm here now." She said, her anger growing in her once again. "Where are Mom and Oppa ?" She asked, looking aroung the living room for one of them but saw nobody else than her father.

"They went out to see your grandmother. Where were you ?" He looked up to meet her eyes, waiting for her answer.

"Somewhere." She simply replied, not wanting him to know about her whereabouts.

"You didn't sleep on the street, did you ?" His tone did not reflect what she would have wanted to hear, like care or worry. On the contrary, it sounded flat, almost uninterested.

"Of course not." Seulgi could not understand why he could not show he actually cared for her. That was, if he even did care about her.

"Good." He nodded his head before resuming his reading on the tablet. "Have you eaten since yesterday ? If you haven't, there are some leftovers in the fridge. Or you can just make something for yourself." He then added once silence had engulfed them.

She scoffed. What was she expecting when she came back ? That they would drastically change their behavior towards her ?

"Don't act like you care." She spat out. "I'm not hungry."

"I do care about you. And you know I'm not the only one. Don't forget that your mother and your brother care for you too."

"Oh, you do." She sarcastically responded. "Well, you should try to listen to me a little more then."

"But we're already listening to you. What's wrong with you today, Seulgi ?" He was beginning to get annoyed by her behavior. 

"Was it too hard to call me ?" Seulgi said, desperation could be heard in her voice but the person sitting a few meters in front of her did not seem to hear it.

"Your brother did but you didn't pick up your phone. Why would we also try when you don't even pick up when it's your own brother who's calling ?"

"What do you want ? Just tell me. Another TV ? Did you break your phone ? Just tell me and I'll give what you need."

"Why can't any of you understand me here ?" Seulgi was getting red in the face. "That's not what I need." She bitterly said.

"Then, tell me. Come on, tell me. You know I'll give you what you want as long as you do as we said."

"Forget it, you don't understand..." She shook her head before going up in her bedroom.

Once she came inside her bedroom, she quickly closed and locked the door. She then let herself fall down on the ground. She thought she would want to cry at the moment but surprisingly she did not want to at the moment. She guessed it was because of the fact that she cried too much the day before. Her father did not seem to have noticed her swollen eyes but she was not surprised by it. To tell the truth, she had expected him not to notice anything at all. 

She stood up and made her way towards her desk. Her sketchpad was still on it and so she decided to draw a little to relax herself. The only she was able to draw a the moment was the face she had spent some time memorizing in the morning. Irene's face, all the delicate features that composed Irene's face. She smiled when she looked down at her drawing and then sighed in satisfaction. Irene's was nearly as beautiful on her drawing as she was in real life. Seulgi checked the hour as she was still drawing on a desk and she then remembered what she wrote in the note for her and decided to go to the playground to see if Irene would there waiting for her.

Irene did not mope as much as she thought she would have done for the rest of day. Somehow Seulgi's note made her happy, happy that Seulgi thought of leaving her a note before leaving although she did not stay. The note was carefully folded back and she put it on her desk, hiding it behind one of her books. Joy and Yeri had tried to read it before but she did not want them to read all of that. She wanted the note to be her secret, their secret, and she wanted to be selfish, to have Seulgi on her own without Yeri and Joy knowing about it.

She had tried to ask her mother about exactly what they talked about in the morning but her mother did not seem to find it important to tell her. She only told her that she had told Seulgi she could stay but the latter chose to go back since she knew she could not run away for too long.

Irene though of going to the playground since she hoped to see Seulgi. No, she did not hope to see the girl, she needed to see her. She thought again of what Seulgi had said the day before in that playground and had written down on the note. Maybe Seulgi would go back to the playground this night. Irene was convinced she would so she decided to also go back there in the evening.

As she was quietly sitting on the swing and waiting for Seulgi to come, she heard footsteps coming behind her. She felt her heart beating wildly in her rib cage as she was excitated to see her again. She did not turn around to see who it was, she felt like she did not need to do so.

"Hi, Irene. Your mother told me you'd be here."