Genre: Angst to Fluff

Word Count: 13,870

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“Do you know how breath-taking you are?”

“Juhyun Unnie, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You’re perfect, so perfect that I struggle to find the right words to describe you.”

“We can work things out, Wendy. If you still feel something for me, even if it’s just a little, please, don’t leave me.”

“Will you be by my side forever?”

“Is that even a question? I’ll never leave you, Juhyun Unnie.”

“We’re just hurting each other like that Juhyun Unnie. It’s for the best.”

“I’m afraid that one day, you’ll wake up and realise you deserve someone better than me.”

“Silly Unnie. You’re the best person for me, I promise you.”

“Please don’t make things harder for us Juhyun Unnie. What we shared was special and I’ll always treasure it but our relationship stopped working out a long time ago.”

“Take care of my daughter. She has a fragile heart.”

“I will, Mr Bae. Your daughter is one of a kind.”

“I don’t love you anymore so please, let me go.”

Those words alone were enough to shatter Juhyun’s heart and body completely. Her fingers that were previously grabbing onto Wendy’s wrist loosened immediately. Despite the sharp, intense pain in her heart, she refused to believe those words, not after what they went through together for the past five years. Her mind had other thoughts. She couldn’t bring herself to pull Wendy back into her arms. She could only watch as Wendy stepped out, away from their shared apartment, away from Juhyun. Even after she left, Juhyun was still kneeling down, staring at the invisible imprints left on the doorknob. Wendy’s imprints were all over the apartment, haunting Juhyun to the point that Juhyun wished she never met Wendy. But, how could she? Despite how it ended, the amount of happiness that Wendy brought into Juhyun’s dull life overwrote everything else and Juhyun would willingly give up anything to indulge in that happiness all over again.

“Ms Bae?”

“I’m sorry?”

Even after all these years, those memories would replay in her head. Seulgi, her best friend and co-owner of their dance studio, didn’t understand how Juhyun could not move on from that relationship. Juhyun had countless number of suitors, both guys and girls alike, but Juhyun never dated any of them. It wasn’t like she did not try at all. She did try getting to know them better, but she would often find herself comparing them to Wendy. It wasn’t fair to them so she decided not to try anymore.

“There’s a high school that is putting up a musical and they requested for this dance studio to come up with the choreography.”

“Send me the details and I’ll see what I can do since Seulgi is out of town.”

“Of course, Ms Bae.”

The secretary excused herself, leaving Juhyun in her office alone again. She was getting used to being alone, the quietness was comforting as compared to the complicated and terror-ridden world outside. But, the quietness also fuelled those negative thoughts and memories to come up in her mind again. Sighing, Juhyun opened the file that her secretary just sent to her.

Ms Son

A seventeen-year-old Wendy Son walked into a café, a familiar chime ringing immediately. This was followed by a sweet and tender voice that Wendy grew to love.

“What can I get you today?”

“The usual, Juhyun Unnie.”

As Juhyun turned her back to prepare Wendy’s drink, Wendy stared at Juhyun’s back, admiring the perfect curves of the barista. With her elbows plopped up on the counter, Wendy spoke again.

“You know, it’s funny how you don’t know my name.”

“Should I know your name?”

Wendy could hear the flirty tone in Juhyun’s voice but then again, Juhyun often spoke in that manner with other customers as well. It seemed natural to her. Wendy never did tell Juhyun her name despite her frequent visits. She would just ask Juhyun to write “Wan”, a shortened form of her actual name.

“I’m Wendy, Wendy Son.”

“Well Wendy…”

Wendy had to gulp at how attractive Juhyun’s voice was at that moment and she vowed that she would make Juhyun hers one day.

“It’s time for you to go because I have more customers to serve.”

Flushing in embarrassment, Wendy bowed at the people behind her, apologising for hogging the queue because of a particularly attractive barista. To be honest, many customers came back just to look at Juhyun. Wendy was no exception. She wasn’t a huge fan of coffee, but for some odd reason, as long as Juhyun made it, coffee became such an appealing drink to have.

Shaking her head, Juhyun smacked her face lightly for thinking about her ex again. She knew that her behaviour was pathetic. Longing and yearning for someone who had long moved on. Ever since the breakup, Juhyun kept her tabs on Wendy, hoping that the girl would come back to her. That thought was dashed when she heard that Wendy got a new girlfriend two weeks after their breakup. That was the last she heard of Wendy, and the last time she asked about the girl’s well-being.

“Musical huh? Should be interesting.”

Juhyun sent a quick email to fix an appointment with Ms Son before leaning back onto her chair. Glancing at her phone that was vibrating on the table, Juhyun smiled a little before answering. Seulgi had become such an intrinsic part of Juhyun’s life ever since the break-up. She didn’t just offer encouragement and a listening ear to Juhyun. She offered her shoulder and her hugs as a physical mean of comforting Juhyun whenever the girl needed it.

Juhyun’s breakdown decreased significantly over the years, but there were specific dates that became exceptions and Seulgi knew all of them by heart. Their breakup date, their anniversary and every 15th of each month were the days that Juhyun would excuse herself from work.

“What’s with all the flowers and gifts, Wendy?”

“It’s the 15th! I thought I should be more romantic so look forward to a surprise on every 15th of each month, Juhyun Unnie!”

“You’re already sweet enough for me, Wendy. You don’t need to go through all the trouble. I know how much you love me already.”

“But I want to!”

It was a rare sight to see Wendy stomping her feet on the ground, whining in a childish voice. Unable to resist the sight in front of her, Juhyun leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on Wendy’s lips before holding out her pinky finger.

“Alright, you silly girl. Every 15th will be our special day. Promise?”

“Promise.”

“We have a new project coming up. It’s a school musical.”

“Woah, we never tried that before. It’ll be fun!”

“Mmm, I am setting up an appointment with the teacher on Friday.”

“Isn’t Friday Valentine’s day though? Would she be busy?”

“God, I forgot about the existence of that day ever since We-”

Juhyun cut herself off before she finished her sentence. After all these years, that name alone can still cause a dull ache in Juhyun’s heart.

“You got to start living your own life, Irene Unnie.”

“I stopped living three years ago, Seulgi.”

“I don’t know whether to call you stupid or admire you for being so devoted.”

“Neither. Oh, the teacher replied. Apparently, she’s as single and lonely as me because she doesn’t have plans for Valentine’s Day.”

“Maybe she’s the one for you then.”

“Haha, very funny Seulgi. Anyways, I got to go. Call you back later.”

Dear Ms Bae,

I’m glad that you decided to help out with the school’s musical. It really means a lot. I have heard a lot of good comments about the choreography that you and your partner came up with for other projects. However, Friday is Valentine’s Day. I have no plans on that day but I’m afraid that you might. Let me know soon?

Regards,

Ms Son

Juhyun found it odd that the teacher did not sign off with her own name but she shrugged it off thinking it was a mistake.

Dear Ms Son,

I’m available for the entire day on Friday. I’ll just meet you at your school at 12pm then. I look forward to seeing you.

Regards,

Irene Bae

Irene was a name Juhyun picked up when she started this dance studio with Seulgi. It created an invisible distance between her and the clients. She preferred it that way. That way, no one would know about the scars in her heart and the sorrowful look in her eyes. In front of others, she was Irene Bae, the girl with immense beauty and a huge talent in dancing. In front of others, her piercing gaze and cold aura prevented others from trying to get close to her. It was a façade she built up ever since Wendy shattered her entire being. At least she wouldn’t get hurt ever again.

“Juhyun Unnie, are you free on Valentine’s Day?”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

Wendy’s red face served as her answer. Her fingers were carelessly picking at each other and she could barely maintain any form of eye contact with Juhyun, signs that she was extremely nervous. It was a stark contrast with her usual behaviour. Wendy was confident, loud and extremely cheerful but right now, she was behaving like a shy puppy and Juhyun was enjoying every second of it. Wendy was too cute for her own good.

“Stop teasing meeeee. I promise, you won’t regret it.”

“I won’t regret anything as long as I’m with you, Wendy.”

Juhyun used to be the cheesy one in the relationship but after getting together with Wendy, the confident side of latter surfaced again and Juhyun would be rendered speechless at Wendy’s words. That was a long time ago. Now, Juhyun wouldn’t even be fazed by flowery language used by her suitors. None of those words mean a thing when the person who said them would leave her eventually. Those broken promises served as a reminder for Juhyun to not give her heart away again. She was resigned to the fact that she would be alone for the rest of her life.

Juhyun was well-aware of the stares and mummers around her as she took off her helmet and placed it on her motorbike. She was used to it after all. It felt like back when she was in high school. Back when Wendy was still hers.

The students naturally created a pathway for Juhyun to walk through in the hallway. It was no surprise how stunned they were at Juhyun’s beauty despite her age. She was already 25, but she was blessed with a baby-face that made me look much younger. Another striking aspect was her dyed purple hair. Juhyun adores the colour and decided to dye her hair purple. It gave her a more mature and sophisticated image. Seulgi agreed that Juhyun looked good in it so her purple hair ended up sticking longer than she intended.

“Excuse me, could you show me the directions to the school’s theatre?”

“O-Of course! I’m heading there anyways. I’m Yerim, but I go by Yeri.”

“Thank you Yeri-shi. You can call me Irene. You’re an art student?”

“Nope, I study science but I’m in the drama club. So, Irene Unnie then?”

“I see. I’m at least five years older than you so yes, I’m your Unnie.”

“How old are you really? You could pass off at a twenty-year-old.”

“I’m twenty-five actually but thank you for the compliment.”

“We’re here!”

Juhyun jumped up at Yeri’s sudden loud voice. The girl was probably excited. It was quite refreshing to see such an enthusiastic person after so long.

“Ms Son! Yeri reporting for attendance!”

Juhyun watched as a small figure walked out from behind the curtains to ruffle Yeri’s hair. Despite the dyed blue hair along with the unfamiliar bangs, Juhyun could remember that face anywhere, anytime. She didn’t just meet her ex. She was going to work with her ex. All of a sudden, Juhyun wanted to turn away and reject this project. The dance studio had earned more than enough revenue over the years. She didn’t need this, but for some reason, she wanted to stay as well. She wanted to ask how Wendy was doing all these years. She wanted to know if she had crossed Wendy’s mind even once.

“I’m sorry about Yeri. She can be very hyper at times. It’s nice to finally meet you Ms Bae.”

When Wendy finally turned to look at Juhyun, went agape, her eyes widening in fractions. Wendy didn’t expect to see Juhyun again either. They stood at the same spot, staring at each other before Yeri cleared .

“Irene Unnie! Are you here to help out with the school’s musical?”

It took a lot of willpower for Juhyun to remove her eyes from Wendy’s intense gaze. After all these years, Wendy’s expressive eyes could still do things to Juhyun’s heart.

“Ms Son, I know Irene Unnie is beautiful but you should stop staring before Ms Park comes here and whip your . I don’t want to deal with Ms Park’s raging jealously during rehearsals.”

Despite the sharp stab in her heart after hearing that Wendy had a girlfriend, Juhyun took the first step forward first, pulling out a hand from behind as a form of politeness. What did she expect? Wendy was a beautiful woman.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you too, Ms Son. You can call me Irene”

Juhyun knew why Wendy was blinking her eyes in confusion. She was behaving as though they have not met each other before. She was treating Wendy like an acquaintance.

“L-Likewise. You can call me Seungwan.”

Juhyun’s eyebrow rose unconsciously. Wendy never liked it when anyone called her Korean name. A lot has changed these past 3 years. Turning to look at the taller figure that was approaching them, Juhyun let go of their joined hands before faking another smile.

“You must be Ms Bae. Seungwan mentioned you a couple of times. I’m Park Sooyoung, Seungwan’s girlfriend.”

Juhyun could tell that Sooyoung was asserting her dominance, her hand was wrapped around Wendy’s small waist in a protective manner. She couldn’t blame the girl though. All those years did Wendy well. Juhyun couldn’t understand how Wendy could grow prettier since the last time she saw her. Her heart was aching to reach out, but she knew that she didn’t have the right to. Wendy wasn’t hers anymore, and she wasn’t Wendy’s as well. Wendy didn’t want her.

“Nice to meet you, Sooyoung-ssi.”

Juhyun knew that her voice had cracked a little at the end, but she decided that no one heard it anyways since the couple in front of her was already staring at each other as though they were the only ones in the theatre.

“Don’t mind them, Irene Unnie. They’re always like that. I’ll show you our script. Maybe that’ll give you some ideas.”

Juhyun nodded her head immediately. She wanted to escape from here. She got her answer already. Wendy was happy without her. She tore her eyes away from the couple and allowed Yeri to drag her away. For once, she was thankful to have met such an outgoing and friendly person like Yeri.

“You met Ms Son before, right?”

Juhyun’s grip on the script momentarily tightened. It didn’t go unnoticed by the young girl. On a normal basis, Juhyun would deny everything. She didn’t want to share her personal feelings with others. It felt like she was opening old wounds. Today was different. She couldn’t bottle everything up alone on the inside after witnessing everything. She would breakdown halfway because she knew that today was only the beginning. She would be seeing Wendy with someone else for at least the next few weeks.

“We…dated before.”

Yeri didn’t seemed to be fazed by Juhyun’s answer. She merely nodded her head.

“I could tell. Your eyes were cold when we first met but when you faced Ms Son, your eyes showed so much pain and longing that actually made my heart hurt a little. I could guess that something happened between the two of you.”

“You’re observant.”

“That’s why I dragged you away. You looked like you wanted to disappear.”

“I still do.”

It was silent for a while and although Juhyun was reading the script, Yeri knew that Juhyun’s heart and mind was elsewhere. Who could blame her? She tried so hard to build up her walls and pick up the shattered pieces of her heart only to have those broken again at the mere sight of her ex.

“She used to look at me like that, with so much love I thought I could die just by staring into her eyes.”

“What changed?”

“I don’t know. She wasn’t happy.”

“I’m sorry.”

Juhyun just shot another smile, her eyes void of any emotion but Yeri could tell that it was just a mask. Despite her young age, Yeri had seen a lot and that’s why she could see past Juhyun’s façade easily.

“I-Irene Unnie? Can I have a minute?”

It seemed like the couple finally separated and Wendy was about to go down to the actual reason why Juhyun came here. Juhyun took the scripts with her and placed them on the table. The two were seated on opposite ends, facing each other.

“What kind of feel do you want to achieve with this musical, Seungwan-ssi?”

“We need to talk about us.”

“I asked you a question Seungwan-ssi.”

“And I asked you one as well, Irene Unnie.”

“There’s no us, Seungwan-ssi and drop the Unnie. Now would you answer my question?”

“It’s a forbidden love kind of story so I hope the choreography can express the feeling of longing and sadness. Juhyun Unnie, can we just start over as friends?”

From afar, a group of students were watching the interactions between their teacher and the beautiful lady in front of them. Sooyoung knew who Juhyun was. Wendy had filled her in on the details just now. She was definitely threatened by the presence of Juhyun. From Wendy’s voice, she could tell that Wendy still had some lingering feelings. It didn’t help that Juhyun was extremely beautiful. As Wendy’s girlfriend, she had to be supportive. As such, she only watched from afar with the other students, but all she wanted to do was drag Wendy far away from Juhyun. Park Sooyoung doesn’t like sharing what’s hers. Soon enough, they heard a chair fall onto the ground, the sound echoing loudly in the big theatre. The beautiful lady was now standing up, her eyes blazing with fury.

“Do not call me that ever again! You lost that right three years ago!”

“I-I’m sorry I shouldn’t have. Just…”

Juhyun combed her hair back in frustration. She hasn’t felt that many emotions hit her all at once in a long while. Realising that there was a crowd staring at her, she apologised before taking a step back. She had to set things straight with Wendy if she had to work with the girl. Ignoring the continuous stabs in her heart, Juhyun stared straight into Wendy’s eyes.

“Forget everything that happened between us. It’s the only way this project can work out.”

“But…I…If that’s what you want.”

“That’s the only thing I ask of you, Seungwan-ssi. You owe me that much.”

Wendy knew the meaning by those words. She knew why Juhyun was behaving in that manner. They were in a relationship for five years. She knew Juhyun like the back of her hand. When Juhyun was hurt, she would appear to be extremely angry, but Wendy knew that Juhyun was just feeling very vulnerable inside. Juhyun was the type to get easily hurt and that was why her father made Wendy promise to never hurt his daughter intentionally. Wendy swallowed the saliva that was gathering in . She had broken that promise, and many other promises she made with Juhyun. She was the one who pursued the girl. She was the one who would use cheesy words to express her love and adoration for the latter, but she was also the one who left Juhyun broken-hearted.

Saying that Wendy felt guilty was an understatement. Wendy regretted everything she did on the day of their breakup and she was living in that regret for years. She thought of it as her punishment, but she never expected to see Juhyun again and all of a sudden, all her buried feelings are coming up to the surface. It wouldn’t be all that complicated. She would have pursued Juhyun again and win the girl’s trust back. The only thing holding her back was the fact that she had a girlfriend. A girlfriend that loved her unconditionally, the way Juhyun did years ago.

“I get it Irene-ssi, and…I’m sorry.”

Before Juhyun could even reply, another figure burst through the doors of the school’s theatre. Only an hour has passed, but Juhyun was already mentally and emotionally drained. She was glad to see her best friend standing in the theatre. It was a nice surprise.

“Surprise! My flight landed earlier so I’m here to help!”

Seulgi did not even have to ask what had happened before she came here. She could see it in Juhyun’s eyes. Glaring at Wendy, Seulgi enveloped Juhyun into a tight hug before whispering softly into the older girl’s ears.

“How are you holding up?”

She received a mere shrug, but Seulgi knew Juhyun well enough to know that Juhyun would much rather be as far away from this theatre as possible. Working with an ex isn’t the best thing to do especially when you have not moved on.

“I can handle this project alone. You don’t need to do this.”

“I have to be professional, Seulgi.”

Breaking away from the hug, Juhyun turned to look at Wendy again.

“Let’s get started.”

Seulgi knew that she would not be able to dissuade Juhyun. Juhyun was extremely stubborn. Once she had made a decision, no one would be able to change her mind. Despite her disapproval, she admired Juhyun for her decision. It only showed how mature and professional Juhyun was. Even though Seulgi did not have a good impression of Wendy(mainly due to the fact that Seulgi had seen how broken Juhyun was when Wendy left her), she was evidently impressed with the script that she was currently reading.

“Hi! I’m Yeri, one of the drama students here. Are you Irene Unnie’s girlfriend?”

“W-What? No! We’re best friends. I’m already attached.”

“Figures. Based on your previous interactions, I could guess that you were either dating or best friends.”

“Are you always this direct with strangers?’

“Are you always so boring? Besides, you have not introduced yourself to the students.”

“Right…”

Taking in a deep breath, Seulgi stood in the middle of the theatre. She was never good at public speaking. She left them all to Juhyun. Scratching the back of her neck lightly, Seulgi let out her eye-smile before introducing herself.

“I’m Seulgi, Irene Unnie’s best friend and co-owner of the dance studio.”

Glancing briefly at the tall girl standing next to Wendy, Seulgi could put the pieces together. It was obvious that Wendy had already moved on.

Irene Unnie…

It has been so long since she last seen Juhyun behaved in that manner. Sure, Juhyun had her breakdowns on those special dates, but it would never escalate to such a behaviour. In fact, the last time Seulgi saw Juhyun like that was around three years ago, a few months after Wendy left.

“I hope you’ll enjoy working here Seulgi-ssi.”

“I’m pretty I would Mrs Kim. Dancing is my passion after all. By the way, you mentioned that there was another female teacher here that was around my age?”

“Oh, yes! Her name is Bae Juhyun but she goes by Irene. Beautiful girl with such passion and talent in dancing like you. A pity she constantly rejects her suitors. Poor girl probably had her heartbroken years ago. She doesn’t know that, but at times, her eyes would radiate so much sadness as much as she tried to hide it.”

“She never told you what happened?”

“I never asked. It was not in my position to. If I were to compare you with her, you’re the sun while she’s the moon. She doesn’t have friends here, but she brings in a lot of customers because of her skills and of course, her beauty. She’s very professional though. She’ll kick those students who came to her dance classes out the moment she finds out they were there because they wanted to see her rather than to dance. She takes dancing very seriously. I hope you two would be good friends. She needs one.”

“I’ll try my best. See you later Mrs Kim!”

Seulgi walked past various dance studios before reaching the last one. She could hear the music blasting loudly inside. Seulgi remembered listening to this song before. This rendition sounded much more modern but the vocals were still enough to make the listeners emotional. She decided to walk in and observe the girl from afar.

It was odd how the girl danced with her back facing the mirror which explained why she did not notice Seulgi’s presence. Dancers would usually face the mirrors to monitor themselves. It was then Seulgi realised who the talented and graceful dancer was.

Bae Irene.

Each and every movement were so graceful yet powerful at the same time, leaving Seulgi in awe. Juhyun’s dance moves complimented the song perfectly and the dance itself evoked so much emotions that Seugi started tearing up. Juhyun turned around as part of her dance and realised that she had a visitor. That brief eye-contact was enough for Seulgi to remember Mrs Kim’s words.

“She doesn’t know that, but at times, her eyes would radiate so much sadness as much as she tried to hide it”

It disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

“Sorry for meeting you like this. It’s just…your dance is so…it conveys the emotions of the song perfectly. You’re very talented, Irene-ssi.”

“Thank you, I guess.”

“Kang Seulgi.”

“Bae Juhyun, but I guess you already know that since you called me Irene. You’re the new dance instructor, right?”

“Yeah, I heard you’re around my age?”

“I’m a 91 liner.”

“Ah, so Irene Unnie then. I’m a 94 liner.”

Just for that brief second, Seulgi caught sight of that sadness in Juhyun’s eyes again but as usual, the latter would try to mask it away. Over the years, Seulgi realised that Juhyun was getting better at masking her emotions from others. She learned that Juhyun didn’t like looking so vulnerable in front of others. She never saw Juhyun with such raw emotions bared in front of anyone ever again. Watching her dance for the first time was the one and only time.

She recognised the look in Juhyun’s eyes. Even with her arms crossed and her face looking cold and expressionless, her eyes could not deceive her emotions. Watching Wendy and her girlfriend interacting right in front of Juhyun was too much to handle.

“Wendy-ssi, can I talk to you regarding the script? I’m sure Irene Unnie has some ideas already but I want to discuss some things with you so that I can get some ideas myself. I’m a 94 liner too so no need to call me Unnie.”

“O-Of course, Seulgi-ssi.”

“I’ll continue talking to the students regarding the script first. You go ahead.”

Nodding towards Juhyun’s direction, Seulgi picked up the chair that Juhyun toppled over previously before setting it upright.

“I…I know you’re not too fond of me. I…I’ll make sure I’ll make this as smooth as an experience as I can.”

“I’ll be upfront with you. If I wasn’t Irene Unnie’s best friend, we could have hit it off right away. I’m usually friendly towards everyone and we are the same age after all, but it’s hard. Especially after what you have done to Irene Unnie.”

“I understand, Seulgi-ssi.”

“What I don’t understand is why you’re looking exactly like Irene Unnie right now.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“If I didn’t think you had a slightest feeling left for Irene Unnie, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. I didn’t need to get ideas based on your script. I trust Irene Unnie’s capabilities. She’s far more capable than many think she is. So tell me, why do you have that expression on your face right now even though your girlfriend, that you supposedly love, is only a few feet away from us?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do know that you’re an open book even if you think you’re not? Your girlfriend is well-aware of that as well and that’s why both Irene Unnie and I have been receiving glares from her all this while. You literally put your emotions on a plate for everyone to see. You don’t even try hiding them unlike Irene Unnie and it’s so ing frustrating to see.”

Seulgi didn’t know if she was being too harsh with the girl sitting right in front of her, but she wanted to knock some sense into Wendy. If Wendy still harboured feelings for Juhyun and would be willing to make up for her past mistakes, Seulgi believed that the girl would stand a chance. After all, Juhyun was still madly in love with Wendy.

“Irene Unnie…She never dated anyone ever since you left her you know? When I first met her, she looked so broken but she channelled all her emotions into her dancing. More and more people started getting impressed and that’s how the dance studio grew before Mrs Kim decided it was time for her to retire. I knew that Irene Unnie and I shared the same passion so we bought over the business. In those years, you should know that there were countless number of people who courted Irene Unnie and as much as she tried, she could never get over you so eventually, she stopped trying. She has suffered enough already, so if you still have feelings for her, please don’t let her continue hurting.”

“If I do that, I’ll be hurting Sooyoung.”

“Don’t you think the girl knows what you’re feeling? She’s hurting as well, even if she doesn’t admit it. She doesn’t want to lose you. What you’re doing is a never-ending cycle. If you don’t make a decision, you’re only going to end up hurting both of them and yourself.”

Seeing that Wendy had no reply, Seulgi was prepared to stand up but a hand grabbed her before she could. Wendy’s head was hung low, a single tear streak could be seen sliding down her cheek. She stayed silent for a minute before looking up.

“Give me time to think through everything. I can’t…I can’t process everything in a day.”

“I’m not asking for immediate changes, Wendy. If you decide to choose Irene Unnie, you have to work to gain back her trust again. Before that, please explain to me why you decided to leave. Irene Unnie never understood your departure and neither do I after hearing her story. So do enlighten me because your face screams regret.”

A few weeks before the breakup

“I’m tired of arguing with you!”

“You think I enjoy this? I’m just concern about you!”

“Not if you keep on asking me who I hang out with!”

“I want to get to know your friends too!”

“More like warn them to stay away from me!”

“Can we not argue about this again? Yes, I get jealous only because I don’t want to lose you. I just want to know who you hung out with today.”

“Fine! I hung out with Amber Unnie okay? And stop using your jealous as an excuse for your actions! I’m tired of trying to reassure you that I only have eyes for you!”

“Amber? The one that openly gawks at you all the time? You’re tired? I’m tired of trying to prove to you that Amber just wants to get into your pants!”

“For god’s sake, she doesn’t gawk at me. If you’re talking about gawking, how about we list every single person that openly gawks at you! How do you think that makes me feel?”

“The difference is that I actually tell them repeatedly that I have a ing beautiful girlfriend whom I will not leave for anything or anyone in the world! So how about you? You don’t even tell your friends that we’re together!”

“What difference does that make? I like to keep my relationship with you to myself!”

“It makes a whole lot of difference if I could proudly claim you as mine in front of your friends!”

“For your ego, huh? I’m not some property you can own, Juhyun Unnie!”

“I didn’t say that! I just want to be introduced as your girlfriend. I want to get married to you eventually in front of all your friends. Wouldn’t a heads up like ‘hey this is my girlfriend’ be good?”

“Marriage is still a long way, Juhyun Unnie. We still have time to introduce you.”

“Where did the ‘I want to get married to you, Juhyun Unnie’ go?”

“Look, I don’t want to continue with this alright? I’m going to bed.”

“That’s what you always do and that’s why we’re always arguing about the same thing!”

“We’re always arguing because of you and your insecurities!”

“Wendy-ssi?”

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“For the entire time, I blamed Juhyun Unnie for our breakup. I blamed her for starting unnecessary arguments but really, it was my fault. She had always been patient and loving towards me while I…I was having second thoughts. I loved her so much, but I didn’t know if she