Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst/Drama

Word Count: 12108 Words

Wendy and Irene, Seungwan and Juhyun Sequel

“You’re all grown up now. It’s your first day at your new school so you need to behave yourself, okay?”

“Hyun is very well behaved.”

“I know darling. Have fun with Wannie today.”

As soon as Juhyun heard the doorbell, she hopped down the couch using her tiny legs and ran to the door. At her age, she was shorter than most kids, much to her disappointment. She still couldn’t reach the door knob after tip-toeing.

“Let me help you, darling.”

The adults flashed a sheepish smile to each other when Juhyun ran over to embrace Seungwan into a tight hug. After two years, the kids were still stuck to each other like peanut butter and jelly. It took both sides some time to get used to how clingy their kids were being with each other but they decided that it was worth it as long as they could see the same, innocent and bright smile from their child everyday. Well, everyone thought that way except for Mr Son himself.

“Come on girls. We don’t want to be late on the first day of school!”

The kids said their goodbyes and as usual, their hands were inseparable.

“Ready?”

“Ready.”

Juhyun hopped down one stair, waiting for Seungwan to join her. It was their daily routine. The two would hop down the stairs together as though hopping down the stairs was the most interesting thing to do. It was a cute sight to see nevertheless. Perhaps Juhyun loved the game more than Seungwan because her legs were slightly longer.

She secretly relishes in the fact that there was someone with a smaller frame than her. It also makes cuddling time easier since Juhyun refuses to be the small spoon. To Juhyun, Seungwan was the cutest, smallest and fluffiest ‘hamster’.

“Girls, you can have fun later. Come on.”

Despite Seungwan’s breathlessness after hopping down the last step to her short legs, hearing Juhyun’s laughter was worth the effort. Climbing onto the back seat first, Seungwan extended her hand for Juhyun to take. Naturally, Juhyun accepted the help and plopped herself next to Seungwan.

They would always play another game once they were in the backseat. The two would play rock, paper and scissors. The loser would have to help the other wear and remove her seatbelt for the day. Although the adults couldn’t understand how that was a form of punishment, they let the girls be.

Seungwan was a smart girl since young. The first time they played the game, Seungwan had won, resulting in Juhyun sulking for the rest of the day. Everyone knew how competitive Juhyun was. Seungwan made a mental note to see how she could let Juhyun win from that day onwards. At first, she tried to be slower, giving herself a split second more to see what Juhyun would show but Juhyun thought that Seungwan was attempting to cheat. Obviously, Seungwan had to spend the rest of the day(again) to win Juhyun over but really, Juhyun just needed Seungwan’s permission to touch her . Yes, after two years, Juhyun was still obsessed about Seungwan’s and the adults couldn’t understand why.

After a few more tries, Seungwan realised that Juhyun would always use paper on the first try. Since then, Seungwan would always use rock which also meant that Seungwan lost every single day. Juhyun never did realised what happened and Seungwan was more than happy to help Juhyun with her seatbelt everyday. It was their little thing.

Hyun and Wannie.

They would always come in a pair.

~~~

“Wannieeeeee, what are you doing?”

“Practicing. Daddy says I must be good at this before he’ll let me helping Mummy bake again.”

“What’s this? It’s so…long.”

“It’s called a flute, Hyun. Wanna try?”

“Ewww no! Your saliva is on it!”
 

“…”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

“When Wannie done with this, can we play then?”

“I have to show Daddy my skills first.”

“Then Hyun will wait here. Hyun will always wait for Wannie.”

“Wannie will be fast!”

Mrs Son was walking towards the master bedroom when she noticed the door to Seungwan’s room was wide open. Truth to be told, she loved watching the interactions between Seungwan and Juhyun. Even though Seungwan was only nine, she had a feeling that something more will develop between the two. She really didn’t mind. It would be hard to find someone that would fit Seungwan the way Juhyun did. She couldn’t the same for her husband though. He was strict, sometimes even cold even towards his own children.

Seungwan continued practising diligently while Juhyun sat still on the bed, staring at Seungwan quietly. Juhyun was good for Seungwan.

~~~

“I’m sorry babe. I really can’t make it for dinner.”

“Again? Wendy, that’s…”

“I know, I know. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night, I promise.”

“…”

“She hung up?”

“Yeah…”

“You can’t blame her though. You’ve been sleeping on the staff room couch for the past few days. If I was your girlfriend, I would be angry too.”

“I get that but it’s been 2 years since we got together. Surely she would have gotten used to it by then.”

“It’s not nice to get used to, Wendy. Go home tonight. Hold her, at the very least and please, make it for dinner tomorrow. You don’t want to regret it when Irene leaves you.”

“She won’t-”

“Dude, seriously. Remember the times you used to rush over to the childcare centre just to give her a kiss because you can’t make it for lunch? Irene appreciates every little effort you give. Something that small means a lot to her.”

“I know…It’s just…I’m trying to repay my student loan as soon as possible so I can buy a bigger house. Only then will I propose to her.”

“Irene doesn’t care about such stuffs. Hell, I’m sure she would be contented to get married to you at the hospital too. You really don’t want to lose her. There’s a long line of men and women who would kill to be in your position. Speaking of admirers, you really need to tell that intern of yours to stop hitting on you.”

“She isn’t…”

“Stop acting dumb. She obviously likes you and Irene wouldn’t be happy to hear that.”

“I have no interest in her AT ALL. I only have eyes for Irene.”

“Don’t tell me that. Tell Irene that. And stop taking on more shift work. Go home and spend time with Irene.”

“You seem to know Irene very well even though you’ve only met her a couple of times.”

“She would always contact me to keep an eye out for you. She’s worried about your health. Besides, I can see how much she loves you. Don’t mess things up.”

~~~

“Seungwan! How do you expect yourself to do as well if you don’t practise hard?”

“Wannie has been trying!”

“It’s not enough! It’s more competitive in Korea so you need to stand out!”

“Honey…I think Seungwan needs a break. She’s only 7. Let her have some fun.”

“It’s precisely because she’s 7! She has the potential to go far if she works hard enough.”

“I…I’m sorry Dad. Seungwan will work harder.”

“It’s okay darling. Go on, go and play.”

“What? You’re letting her play?”

“Shhhh, she’s still a little baby. Don’t you think you’re too hard on her?”

“It’s for her own good!”

“Seungwan hasn’t been able to hang out with Juhyun these days. She was so excited to start primary school with Juhyun and now she’s stuck at home all the time, practising! She misses Juhyun. Can’t you see that?”

“Look, it’s tough love. The world isn’t going to go easy on my girl. She needs to toughen up to survive. If Juhyun is stopping her from doing so, I rather not let Juhyun see Seungwan anymore.”

“Seungwan was devastated when we separated her from Juhyun two years ago. At this rate, Seungwan would not be able to hang out with Juhyun at all! They’re going to grow apart!”

Little Seungwan was huddled in the corner of the hallway. She could hear her parents arguing about her again. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want her parents to get angry. If she had to work harder for her parents to not fight, she would do so again and again. Her little fingers scrambled to wipe away the tears. Her father wouldn’t be happy to see her crying.

“Go on, go and play.”

Seungwan knew where she would go. Sure, she had made a lot of new friends, but none really stood out to her. At the end of the day, Seungwan would always go back to Juhyun.

“Seungwan? Baby, I’m sorry about that. Where do you want to go? Mom will bring you there.”

“Auntie Irene.”

“Auntie Irene? She might be busy though…”

“But Wannie wants to go there…Please? Juhyun might be there too.”

Mrs Son struggled to continue staring into Seungwan’s eyes that screamed desperation. Despite her husband’s stubbornness, Mrs Son knew that the only thing, or rather, person that could make Seungwan feel better was Juhyun. Given their circumstances, Mrs Son understood why her daughter wanted to go back to the childcare centre. There were times when Juhyun would stay there after school until her parents came to fetch her.

“If you want to see Auntie Irene, I’ll bring you to Auntie Irene. I just want to see my baby smile again. Can you do that for me?”

~~~

Irene bit her lip as she ended the call with her girlfriend abruptly. At times, she wondered why she even bothered to call. Wendy has broken her promises countless number of times, more so in the past few months. Irene had her fair share as well, but no matter how busy things get, she would make sure that she would be home.

Each night was getting lonelier, the bed was getting colder without Wendy beside her. At this point, Irene didn’t even wish to have a date with Wendy. She just wanted to wake up with Wendy beside her but the latter doesn’t seem to understand that.

“She did it again?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m going to murder the out of her!”

“Sooyoung, it’s fine. It’s…It’s alright.”

“It’s not alright and we can all see it. Irene Unnie, have you even looked at yourself in the mirror lately?”

“I’ll be fine. She’ll make it up to me.”

“When? A day? A month? A year? Unnie, you need to talk to her.”

“And what? Ask her to choose between her patients and me? I can’t ask her to do that!”

“When we rooted for the two of you, we wanted someone capable and independent for you. We’re not going to let this slide easily.”

“Sooyoung, I made a promise the day I agreed to be her girlfriend. I would understand her situation. Her patients need her.”

“Then what about you? Have you ever stopped to think about yourself?”

“I do need her…I…”

“I need her so damn much that it hurts! But I can’t do anything about it! I love her, Sooyoung. It’s either I try to understand her situation or…or I leave her. I can’t do that. I can’t leave her.”

“I’m not asking you to leave her. I’m asking you to sit down and talk to her. Make a compromise. A relationship can only work out if the two of you work together.”

Irene was about to respond when there was a knock on her door. Hastily dabbing the tears that had built up at the corner of her eyes, Irene cleared before asking the person to come in. It was a pleasant surprise when she saw Seulgi walked in, her hand holding onto a tinier hand.

“Seungwan?”

“Auntie Irene!”

The little girl rushed over to hug Irene tightly, the happiness on her face was evident. Judging from the tight grip on her shirt, Irene figured that Seungwan wanted to do this for quite some time. Seeing Seungwan was like seeing her own niece all over again. All of a sudden, Irene wished that they were back in 2010. Back when Seungwan and Juhyun were five. Back when the two were inseparable. Back when everything seemed to be working out between her and Wendy.

“What brings you here?”

Seungwan’s bottom lip trembled before she finally let out her pent-up emotions. By the time she was done explaining everything, her body was already shaking.

“It’s…Wannie’s fault…”

“No, it isn’t.”

Irene ran her hand up and down Seungwan’s head and held the little girl closer to her body. She hasn’t seen Seungwan for some time and when she finally got to do so, it had to be under such circumstances.

“Seungwan ah...You have to know that this isn’t you fault. Adults tend to argue often. Even if it’s about you, it only means that your parents have a conflict in terms of the way they want to raise you. I’m glad that your mom is trying her best to let you have a childhood. You’re only 7 years old. You don’t need to be pressured to this extent. You’re already perfect the way you are.”

Seungwan pulled away from the hug, her nose red from all the crying. As she rubbed her nose cutely, she spoke up again.

“Wannie is good enough?”

“Wannie is good enough. You said that you have learnt how to play the basics for the guitar and the flute, right? I have a guitar here somewhere. Why don’t you show me what you know?”

Later, Seungwan finally flashed the same smile she had two years ago when Irene first met her. However, Irene knew that the smile would have been brighter if Juhyun was here. Unfortunately, Juhyun did not come over today, much to Seungwan’s dismay. At the very least, Irene was glad that she could make Seungwan feel a little better. Being complimented by someone was enough for Seungwan, for now that is. Of course, a compliment from her own father would probably feel much better. As much as Irene felt bad for Seungwan, she knew she had to send Seungwan home soon. She made a mental note to talk to Wendy about this as well. That is, if her girlfriend even had the time to have a decent conversation with her. As a childcare teacher, Irene studied about child development and she knew that Mr Son’s method of bringing up Seungwan may bring about serious consequences.

Seungwan’s visit has briefly allowed Irene to forget about her own troubles at home. But just like every other day, reality will hit her once she opens the door to an empty house.

~~~

Wendy opened the door to face a dark living room, one hand holding onto a bouquet of flowers. She had stopped by the florist on the way home after struggling to recall the last time she ever gave Irene flowers.

Placing her keys onto the table, she realised that the kitchen light was still on. The sight before her was enough to cause her heart to clench in pain. The guilt was overwhelming. Even though Wendy could see the dark circles under Irene’s eyes, she still thought the girl was extremely beautiful. She never stopped loving her girlfriend, so what changed? Her schedules? Her priorities? The obvious tear stains on Irene’s cheeks was yet another blow to her heart.

“Babe?”

Irene was a light sleeper and calling her name would be sufficient to wake her up but not today. Seeing that her girlfriend was still tired, Wendy decided that she would talk to Irene tomorrow evening instead. She would ensure that she would come home on time, to have dinner with her girlfriend. Placing the bouquet onto the table, Wendy started lifting Irene off the chair with her arms holding onto Irene’s thighs securely.

“W-Wendy?”

Irene found herself waking up in any unfamiliar position but she couldn’t deny how nice it felt to be carried by Wendy. She couldn’t remember the last time she sat down and had a proper meal with her girlfriend, much less the last time her girlfriend attempted to carry her.

“You were deep in sleep so…I thought I should carry you to bed instead. You shouldn’t sleep here. Your back and arms would get tired.”

Funny how the two of them have been together for two years but because of the lack of physical contact they had in ages, Irene found herself blushing to the tip of her ears. She snuggled closer, allowing herself to enjoy this moment even though her eyes were struggling to keep open.

“I was waiting for you. You haven’t been home for two days.”

Irene didn’t intend to start whining, but it was natural for her to do so when it comes to Wendy. On any other occasion, Wendy would have cooed and plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead for being so cute but Irene’s words reminded her of their current situation.

“I’m sorry baby. I’ll be home tomorrow evening and we’ll talk, okay? You have work tomorrow. Let me bring you to bed.”

“Noooooo. I wanna stay by your side. You always leave house before I even wake up. I barely get a chance to see you. Besides, you still have dinner to eat. I’ll warm it up for you.”

Wendy slowly put Irene back onto the floor, but her hands went north, resting themselves on Irene’s waist instead. It was times like this that Wendy wished she was slightly taller than Irene. Nevertheless, one hand held onto Irene’s chin tenderly as she continued maintaining eye-contact with her girlfriend. Perhaps one of Irene’s features that Wendy loved most was her eyes. Irene’s gaze alone was mesmerising and it would be hard to look away. Knowing that Irene was getting more confused, Wendy leaned in. It was just a peck, no tongues or anything. Just gentle pressure. Even so, Irene could feel her heart hammering against her chest. If she could, she would choose to stay in this moment forever but it was her that pulled away first. As much as she loved the girl in front of her, they still had important things to talk about.

“Sit down. I’ll prepare the food.”

Even though it was silent between the two for the rest of the time while Wendy ate her dinner, Irene was contented with just being able to spend some time with Wendy. The more bites Wendy took, the more she realised how much she missed homecooked food. Irene’s cooking wasn’t half as good as Gordon Ramsay’s, but Wendy loved eating anything that Irene cooked. It was filled with love and care. Something that Wendy haven’t been showing to her girlfriend lately.

“Should I…take the couch?”

“You’re always welcome home, Wendy. As much as I’m mad and disappointed with you, I love you too much to make you sleep on the couch. Come on…We should get to bed. You need to wake up in a few hours.”

That was one of the many reasons why Wendy fell in love with Irene. Despite everything, Irene would try her best to understand. She would still care. Later, as Wendy pulled Irene closer to her own body, she felt her own tears building up at the corner of her eyes.

Even with Irene so close to her, Wendy felt that they were worlds apart.

That would have to change.

~~~

“Wannie, why aren’t you spending time with me lately?”

“I’m sorry Hyun-ah. Dad wants me to practice.”

“But Wannie doesn’t hang out with Hyun in school either.”

“Hyun-ah, we’re in different classes. It’s hard for us to meet.”

“Wannie seems to like her classmates more than Hyun.”

Seungwan’s eyes widened as she scrambled to explain herself to Juhyun. She didn’t think that Juhyun felt inferior to her other classmates. Perhaps she hasn’t shown Juhyun how much the girl meant to her.

“T-That’s not true! Hyun will always be my favourite! I have choir practice and you have dance practice. We’ll always meet new people but Hyun will forever be my favourite.”

“…”

“Wannie will try to spend more time with Hyun, okay? Mom says you can have a sleepover today.”

“Hyun hasn’t called my own Mommy.”

“Come on. Let’s go use my house phone.”

Taking Seungwan’s hand, Juhyun hopped down the bed and allowed herself to be dragged around. The two little ones were trying to find an available phone when out if the blue, Seungwan pointed upwards.

“It’s too high for us.”

Indeed, the phone was too high for any of them to reach. Seungwan started looking around for available items to help that. She glanced at the chair next to Juhyun and grinned.

“Hyun-ah! Help me push the chair.”

The chair wasn’t all that heavy but both of the girls were so small that they barely had any strength to shift the chair. By the time the chair was pushed to the area Seungwan wanted, both girls were on the ground sweaty and breathless.

“Hyun-ah, you’re taller than me. You should stand on the chair and try to reach for the phone.”

“Teehee. Wannie said I’m taller than her.”

“Only a little!”

Seeing that Seungwan was sulking, Juhyun patted Seungwan’s head lightly.

“But Wannie is small and fluffy and I like it a lot. That way, I can cuddle with Wannie easily.”

The sulk on Seungwan’s face was replaced by a faint pink hue on both cheeks. Trying not to be so obvious, Seungwan diverted Juhyun’s attention by trying to help Juhyun climb onto the chair safely.

“Be careful, Hyun-ah!”

Juhyun stretched out her hand but she was still too short to reach the phone.

“Wannie, help me. Hold my legs and I’ll tip-toe.”

Juhyun helped Seungwan up the chair and waited for Seungwan to hold onto her legs securely. Raising her toes, Juhyun managed to grab hold of the phone safely. After clapping in glee, Seungwan was helping Juhyun down the chair when a loud voice interrupted their little celebration.

“Son Seungwan! What are you doing?”

“Eeep!”

Mrs Son sighed as Juhyun fell on top of Seungwan. It seemed to be their thing. Some way or another, Juhyun would find herself on top of Seungwan. She helped the two girls up and ensured that there were no injuries to attend to.

“You should have called me!”

“I’m sorry, Mom. Dad said that Seungwan needs to be more independent.”

Hearing Seungwan’s explanation, Mrs Son’s anger dispersed immediately. She should have known that it was her husband’s fault.

“Call me next time, okay? You’re still too small to be doing such things. It’s dangerous.”

“Wannie is strong!”

“But you don’t want Juhyun to get hurt, do you?”

That was enough to shut Seungwan up. If there was anything or anyone that mattered the most to Seungwan, it would have to be Juhyun.

“I’m sorry Mom. Wannie will call you next time.”

“Mmm, why did you take the phone anyways?”

“Hyun needs to call her Mommy.”

Smiling at her daughter’s excitement, Mrs Son kissed the top of each girls’ head before placing the chair back to its original position.

“We’ll always welcome Juhyun. I’m sure Juhyun’s Mommy feels the same.”

~~~

“Mommy, can I stay with Seungwan today?”

“But your stuffs are at home. You didn’t bring your PJ over.”

“I can wear Wannie’s.”

“How about your toothbrush? Mommy isn’t free to bring your toothbrush over. The blue bunny keychain Seungwan gave you is here as well.”

“I don’t need the bunny when I can hug Wannie to sleep. Wannie is softer and warmer.”

“Juhyun…”

“Please???? Auntie Irene can bring over Hyun’s toothbrush.”

“Auntie Irene is busy…”

“Hyun hasn’t spent time with Wannie lately. Pleaseeeeee?”

“Sigh. Okay, I’ll call Auntie Irene. Be a good girl, okay?”

Juhyun hung up the phone before flashing a cheeky grin at Seungwan.

“Mommy said yes!!!”

~~~

“Babe?”

“Can we talk on our way to my sister’s house? Juhyun needs her toothbrush.”

“O-Of course. I’ll drive.”

“It’s alright. I’ll drive. You must be tired after such a long day.”

Even after everything, Irene was still putting Wendy before herself. She did keep her promise of coming home earlier. In fact, she came home much earlier than expected, hoping to spend more time with Irene. Unfortunately, Irene had to pass Juhyun her items and head back to the childcare centre. A parent had a last-minute meeting and requested for Irene to take care of his child for a while more. Being the caring person she was, Irene did not hesitant to say yes. To her, as long as she got to talk to Wendy about their current issues, the location did not matter.

“How’s work today?’

Small talk. They used to do this so often especially since the both of them started replying on each other as a form of emotional support.

“Tiring but fulfilling. I…My patients are doing well.”

“That’s good.”

“…”

“I-Irene?”

“Hmm?”

“I stopped accepting more shifts.”

“I thought you wanted to observe your patients more?”

“I lied. My patients are fine. I wanted to repay my student loans as soon as possible so I could buy a bigger apartment for us before I…ask for your hand in marriage.”

Irene stopped the car at the traffic light and turned to face Wendy. Her expression was unreadable but Wendy knew that Irene was disappointed in her. Irene’s stare was so intense, making Wendy struggle to maintain their eye-contact.

The gasp that escaped her lips was inevitable as Irene’s lips crashed onto hers unexpectedly. The juxtaposition of yesterday and today’s kiss clearly reflected the emotions that Irene had been repressing these past few months. The kiss was much rougher, as though Irene was trying to dissipate her anger and disappointment. Even so, Wendy placed both hands on either side of Irene’s cheek, pulling the girl closer to her.

“Umph!”

Wendy placed a finger on her bruised lips. The metallic taste was still on her tongue. Another finger replaced hers, grazing against the broken skin.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s nothing compared to what I have done to you. It’s alright. I very much enjoyed the kiss anyways.”

Irene withdrew her hand, tilting her head back to laugh. She missed this side of Wendy. The flirty, playful side. She missed everything about Wendy in general.

“We’ll talk later.”

Despite her nervousness, Wendy couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She had high hopes everything would go well. Giving up her extra shifts would mean that she could spend more time with Irene. Sure, she would get lesser income but after watching the heart-breaking sight last night, Wendy knew what she had to do. No matter how much her patients means to her, no matter how bad she wants to earn more money to buy a bigger apartment for the both of them, being with Irene was more important.

She gripped the box that was hidden in her pocket.

She was sure of her decision.

~~~

“Auntie Irene!”

“Hello, my little one.”

Wendy couldn’t deny how much she missed seeing the little ones. She could see another little girl poking her head out from behind a wall. Her niece. She has grown up so much. Seungwan didn’t grow that much vertically, but her cheeks had gotten fluffier, making her even more adorable in Wendy’s eyes.

“Seungwan ah!”

It was then Seungwan realised who had called her. She ran as fast as her little legs could go, throwing her small body on top of Wendy’s. She was nuzzling her face into Wendy’s chest like a little puppy. Irene could only coo at such an adorable sight. Whipping out her phone, she started taking pictures. It was then Juhyun decided to join in the fun. She jumped on top of Wendy as well and the two little ones started fooling around with Wendy.

They must have missed Wendy as much as I did

“I miss you two so much!”

“Then why didn’t you visit Seungwan?”

“I…I’ve been busy but I promise, I’ll visit you two more often. How can anyone resist you two?”

Ruffling their hair, Wendy started picking the both of them up. Walking over to the living room, Wendy placed the two kids onto the couch before planting a kiss on each of their head.

“We need to go soon but we’ll come by next weekend, okay?”

“WHAT?? You just reached!”

“I know, but we’ll come back soon. Have Auntie Wendy ever broken a promise she made with you?”

“No…but…Seungwan misses Auntie Wendy!”

The two little ones were hugging Wendy’s thighs tightly in desperation. The sight before her was bringing tears to her eyes. She never knew how important she was to these two young kids.

“Auntie Irene have to go back to the childcare centre. Auntie Wendy misses you too but we’re busy today.”

“Kids! Let Auntie Wendy go! She’s busy.”

Shooting her sister-in-law a grateful smile, Wendy made sure to give the little ones one last hug.

“It’s nice seeing you again, Wendy Unnie.”

“I’ve been busy but…I’ll come over next week and bring these two out. Is that okay?”

“I’m sure Juhyun’s mother would be fine with it but your brother…”

“I’ll talk to him. Seungwan needs to have a childhood.”

“Glad we’re on the same page. Now, run along before these two prevent you guys from leaving again.”

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