“Irene.”

Irene kept her stare at the coffee mug on the table in front of her, her thoughts far, far away, causing her to completely ignore the person in front of her. 

“Irene!” Yeri exasperatedly waves her hands in front of the other girl, causing her to jump.

“Don’t do that! You scared me!” Irene states, a scowl forming on her delicate features. 

“What’s the problem? We’ve been here almost an hour but you’ve done nothing aside from blanking out every 10 minutes. What are you thinking of?” 

“Seulgi."  Irene clenches her hands out of irritation. "She is so frustrating!”

“Seulgi? Why, what did she do? I thought you guys were making progress, going on dates and all.” 

“I don’t think she sees them as dates. I think she just thinks that you know, we’re hanging out like any two friends.” Irene sighs, shoulders deflating. 

Yeri, on the other hand, laughs out loud. “Well, oblivious is her middle name, that’s for sure. Why don’t you just ask her out again?” 

“Yeah, but she thinks I only want to hang out with her as a friend. The first time I asked her out, she brought Joy along because we were going to the mall and Joy needed to get something. She was there during the movie too. The second time, we bumped into some girls from the dance team and she asked them if they wanted to join us. Like, I don’t know what to do anymore. I can only have so much pride to be the one always asking, you know.”

Yeri stays silent for a few seconds, seemingly pondering. “Hmm. Well maybe when you ask her out next time, make sure that everything about the date screams romantic. Take her to a really nice candle lit dinner with sultry music and everything. Then confess to her at the end of the night.”

“Confess?!” Irene raises her voice a bit, surprising people near their table. She bows her head a bit, saying sorry for the sudden outburst. “I can barely look at her, and confessing is so embarrassing. Besides, doesn’t action speak louder than words?”

“True. But Kang Seulgi is Kang Seulgi. Aka super slow and oblivious. She probably has no idea you like her even though everyone practically knows by now.” 

Irene can only merely shake her head. 

Irene met Seulgi through mutual college friends. Irene didn’t like her at first - in that way at least - although slowly, but surely, as they got to know each other through several hang outs and kickbacks along with their friends, Irene eventually found Seulgi’s bright innocence and unmistakeable kindness so endearing that she couldn’t help herself. How unlucky is she, Irene often thinks to herself, that out of all the people in the world that would beg just to go out with her, the one she finds herself attracted to is the only one that can see past through her. Life can really be an sometimes. 

Irene tends to wear her heart on her sleeves, which is why their friends sooner or later began noticing the signs of a growing crush. She was especially attentive to Seulgi, and one day on a trip to the amusement park, Irene’s low-key insistence to sit with Seulgi on almost every ride became suspicious. But no matter what Irene does that screams “I like you” to the other girl, Seulgi just gives her a smile and a cute thank you, staying as oblivious as ever. 

It’s not like Seulgi hasn’t showed signs of affection towards Irene either. Irene notices Seulgi staring at her more often than a regular friend would to another, and definitely more when compared to the other members of their friend group. Seulgi was always sweet to her, and never failed to act with chivalry in mind when it comes to her, seemingly - always opening doors, always offering her a seat first before sitting down herself, and always so considerate whenever they hang out together. But even with all that, Irene still can’t quite get a read on her. Is she nice to me just because she’s nice in general, or is there something more? 

“Wooo! There she is, the princess always late as ever.” Joy exclaims, slightly buzzed. 

“Shut up, stupid.” Irene laughs, one hand to the wall by the door as she takes off her shoes. The girls decided to have a night in and just hung out at Joy’s place. 

She barely just sat down on the couch when someone slumped right next to her and hands her a beer. Irene looks up and catches her breath, something she’s been doing more often in the other’s presence, especially in such close proximity such as this. “I’m so glad you’re finally here. Please help me maintain my sanity.” Seulgi states, in her calm voice, cheeks slightly red from the amount of alcohol she has consumed. Irene just stares, admiring. Seulgi looked so cute with pink cheeks she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from pinching them. “You okay?” 

Irene straightens up, startled. She realized she hasn’t said anything in response. Get your together, Bae Joohyun. But she realizes it’s hard when the object of her affection is sitting a little too closely for her comfort. “It’s okay, I’ll save you from these train wrecks.” Seulgi gives her a smile, her eyes turning into the crescent moons Irene has grown to adore so much. They both laugh as they scanned the room, making fun of the chaos happening outside of their little bubble. Joy was on the floor, splayed out, while Yeri and Wendy had markers in hand, ready to make Joy’s face into their latest artwork. 

“I want ramen.” Wendy states out of the blue. 

“Joy’s out, I just looked.” Yeri replies. 

Seulgi audibly sighs. “You guys are useless. I’ll go to the convenience store since you’re all too drunk.” 

Wendy attacks Seulgi with a barrage of heart fingers. “You’re the best, Seul.” Seulgi just rolls her eyes, laughing while putting her jacket on. Irene suddenly puts her hand on Seulgi’s arm, stopping what she was doing. 

“I want to go too.”

“You sure?” Seulgi asks. “It’s okay, it’s really nearby and you just got here.”

Irene nods. “Of course she wants to go with you, she’d go to hell if it means you’d be there.” Joy quickly sputters out, in her drunken stupor. Irene’s eyes widen, heart beat accelerating rapidly. She’s totally going to kill Joy.

“Hm? What did Joy say?” Turning to Irene, who was still flustered and trying to keep herself together. Irene breathes out a sigh of relief. 

“I don’t know either. Probably just something dumb. Let’s go?” Irene leads the way to the door, Seulgi following right behind.

The two girls were just talking, laughing about random things while on their way back to Joy’s a mere 20 minutes later, hands grasping plastic bags filled with ramen and other snacks. It was a comfortable walk, and silences every now and then were soothing instead of awkward. Over the course of time, Seulgi and Irene’s friendship grew with a pulsing, yet strong constancy that other people would most likely develop over years of friendship and not just within a few months. But atleast even from just a friendship standpoint, Irene was confident that Seulgi and her had some sort of chemistry, a connection that was undeniable. They just got along easily, and were able to understand each other on a deeper level even during the early stages of their friendship.

“Are you free this weekend?” Irene asks, in a quiet voice that is almost a whisper but in the dead of night, just audible enough to decipher. She feels her fight or flight response kick in - heart beating faster, palms starting to get sweaty, adrenaline rushing through her veins - sure, her life technically isn’t in danger, but her heart sure is. 

Irene observes Seulgi’s reaction from the side of her face, the street lamps giving Seulgi’s very fair complexion a nice glow, sending flutters to Irene’s stomach. “I’m free. What’s up, you wanna do something?” 

Irene gulps. “Well, uhm, I was wondering if you would wanna see the city lights exhibit with me. The one by Han River.” Irene’s ears were slowly turning crimson, but she kept her ground, waiting for a response eagerly. 

“Sure, that sounds fun! Have you told the other guys, too?” Seulgi gives her a side glance, a grin on her pretty face. Irene deflates a little bit before inhaling and trying to calm herself before frustration and hesitation takes over. 

“I.. I only have two tickets. One for me and one for… you.” Irene bows her head down, as if the ground suddenly became the most interesting thing in that scenery. Seulgi doesn’t respond right away, and Irene’s internal freak out had her totally stiff and quiet. 

“I guess I’m the winner, huh? This is why you’re my favorite.” Seulgi laughs, then nudges Irene’s side with her elbow. “Thanks for the invite, I think it’s gonna be really beautiful.” Irene sighs in relief, a smile making its way on her delicate features.

“So, why are you here again?” Seulgi quizzically asked Wendy as she saunters into her humble abode, dropping her backpack near the shoe shelf by her door. 

Wendy slightly brushes her shoulder as she walks to the couch a few steps away before collapsing on it with a dramatic sigh. “Relax. I’m just here to bother you and eat your food.” Seulgi can only roll her eyes at the other girl.

“Oh, since you’re here, wanna help me pick an outfit for tonight?” 

“What’s tonight?” Wendy asks, before her face lights up in recognition, before  snapping her fingers and winking at Seulgi. “The big date?”

Seulgi whips her head towards her direction, an incredulous look on her face as if Wendy just told her global warming was indeed some sort of a Chinese hoax. “No, it’s not? Irene just wanted to get dinner and see the light exhibit by the Han river.” Seulgi was about to walk into her room to grab a couple shirts to show Wendy when she feels a soft thud against her back. She turns around, seeing a pillow on the ground below her. 

“Are you dumb?! Do you even hear yourself? She asked you out for dinner! Followed by seeing some romantic light show next to the most romantic, voted #1 date spot in all of South Korea - Han River, and you still think she’s asking you out just as friends?” Wendy rapidly exclaims, exaggerated hand movements accompanying her also very dramatic explanation. 

“So? Friends can do that! And we always hung out with just the two of us, does that mean those are all dates? You need to relax, okay. Irene doesn’t see me like that.” Seulgi answers quite nonchalantly, before disappearing into the safety of her room. 

“Wow, you really are slow.” Wendy just shakes her head out of disbelief. Although she sure did notice the other’s reddening ears. 

Today’s the day. This is the moment. Irene takes a deep breath, finger shaking, placed a mere inch away from the doorbell to Seulgi’s apartment. It’s tonight or never. Don’t chicken out. In a moment’s hesitation, she puts her hand down, yet for the third time and straightens her clothes again, making sure everything looks good to her standards. She runs her hands over her neat white button up and fixes the tuck into her very carefully ironed denim jeans. She inhales again, exhales. Here we go. She closes her eyes and presses the doorbell. 

The door opens, and Irene unconsciously holds her breath. A few milliseconds of silence greets the two, although internally, Irene was secretly admiring Seulgi’s natural charisma, as she made a simple red and green flannel and a light faded denim look like it’s worth being on the cover of a fashion magazine. She smiles at Seulgi. “Hi, are you-“ Her words were stopped in its tracks when she feels Seulgi’s hand scrape the back of her neck. Irene’s breathe hitches, and her eyes widen as they remained focused on Seulgi’s face. Seulgi’s movement made her move forward, and she was so, so close, Irene can smell her perfume at that point where her neck meets her jaw, and Irene just stiffens, afraid and excited at the same time at whatever it is that was happening. 

Then she feels Seulgi’s hands shuffling about her collar, although the slight contact of her skin against Irene’s neck (which is red by now, she’s sure), still unfailingly sent shudders down Irene’s spine. “There you go, all fixed. Sorry, I scared you, huh?” Seulgi looks down a bit, meeting her gaze with a soft smile. “Your collar was a little lopsided. Are you ready?” Exasperated and still in her daze, Irene barely manages to collect herself while internally berating herself for her carelessness, although she doesn’t hate one bit the feeling of Seulgi’s fingers touching her bare skin.

She chuckles, trying to cover up her nervousness and also trying to slow down the beating of her heart. “Thanks!” She quickly turns around, hoping to hide the blush creeping up on her cheeks as she feels herself heating up. She walks quickly in front of Seulgi and towards the exit, leading the way.

“Thank you, I’ll be right back with your orders.” The waiter politely smiles and bows at the two girls before disappearing. The two girls were seated on a small circular table, right across from each other. Soft violin chords and mellow piano played in the background, and on their table was a small flower vase with a single white rose and a couple of candles, providing illumination to the otherwise dimly lit restaurant. Irene notices Seulgi looking around, features unreadable. Irene feels her hands clamming up; Joy told her to book a reservation at a nice romantic restaurant, and now that she’s here, there’s no denying that the ambiance was truly set for couples, as evidenced by the sheer number of couples filled about the room. A slight awkwardness filled the air, and all Irene can think of is smothering Joy to death when whatever this is ends for coming up with such an absurd idea.

“Well, thanks for the heads up. I feel totally underdressed.” Seulgi states, a teasing grin on her face. 

“No, you.. you look totally fine.” Irene gulps subconsciously. She hasn’t been this nervous since that day she had to perform a dance piece in front of the entire school. “Uhm, Joy recommended this place! She said it’s really good.” 

Seulgi nods, although she seemed to be thinking about something as her head slightly tilts to one side. “No way..” she mutters underneath her breath before shaking her head as if to shake off what she was thinking. 

Irene catches on quickly, curiosity heightened. “No way what?” 

Seulgi puts her hands up in front of her, as if to brush the current subject away. “No, nothing… Well, you wanna hear a joke?” 

“Sure?” Irene says, slightly confused at the sudden randomness. 

“Wendy said you were gonna take me out on a date tonight.” Seulgi looks up and meets the other’s eyes with a soft gaze. Irene suddenly straightens up, eyes wide. She guesses Joy won’t be alone in hell anymore because she has to plan Wendy’s murder now, too. Seulgi must have noticed her shocked expression. “I know right? I had the same reaction. How ridiculous is that!” Seulgi sputters, eyes turning into that crescent shape that Irene so loved, but Seulgi’s attitude towards this, and her bliss ignorance of the situation is totally breaking down Irene’s confidence and expectations on what this night could potentially be. “As if you, you- Irene, the Bae Joohyun, would ever go out with someone like me,” Seulgi was unabashedly laughing now, hand to as she tries to stifle her laughter. Irene clenches her fists below the table, above her thighs where they were firmly rested. Too bad Seulgi was so busy laughing at the little “joke”, she can’t see Irene stiffen and her clenched jaws, cheeks flushed red, half from frustration, half from a heartbreak on the brink of happening. 

“It is a date.” 

Seulgi stops laughing. Irene stops breathing. Seulgi looks at her. Irene keeps her eyes on her, making sure to stand her ground. Seulgi squirms a bit; she’s never seen Irene’s eyes so dark before. Seulgi takes a deep breath, effectively calming herself down. She smiles at Irene, who was still internally fuming. Seulgi chuckles, albeit a little nervously. “Oh come on, you’re just pulling my leg now.” 

“It is a date!” Irene exclaims loudly, attracting the stares of nearby patrons. She doesn’t pay them any attention, although Seulgi was visibly surprised at the outburst. “Why can’t it be?” Irene asks, clearly exasperated. She’s done with beating around the bush. She’s on a completely emotional spiral now, logical decisions completely set aside. 

“Because you’re completely out of my league! Do you see yourself? Everyone admires you. You’re easily the most beautiful person I’ve ever met, and.. and you’re kind and genuine and amazing..” Seulgi trails off and catches herself, before looking down. She looks up again a mere second later and looks at Irene straight in the eyes. 

“So?”

“So? That’s why it’s ridiculous that you would ever want to date me! Why would you even want to?” 

“Because!” 

“Because what?” Seulgi looks at her indignantly as Irene fails to respond right away. “See! You can’t even give a reason-“

“Because I like you!” 

Seulgi gasps, mouth opening and closing, like she’s at a loss for words. Irene releases her breath, realizing she’s been holding it for quite some time. The two girls just stare at each other, unblinking, like this was some sort of Western shoot out stand-off, with each party’s guns ready to fire at any given moment. 

“…And here you go, a carbonara for you, and a spaghetti for you. Enjoy!” The waiter delivering their food breaks the trance the two girls caught themselves in after Irene’s very abrupt confession. The two silently thank the waiter’s impeccably timed arrival, as it was able to ease the tension just a tad bit. Both girls seemed to be looking at everywhere and anywhere but at each other. Seulgi coughs. Irene clears . They simultaneously looked up and made eye contact before quickly looking down. 

“Uhm, this looks good.” Seulgi states awkwardly, while Irene just merely nods. They ate in complete silence, aside from the melodic tunes playing in the restaurant. It was supposed to be excellent food, but Irene might as well have burned off all of her taste buds - she tasted nothing, nothing but failure and an impending heartache. This night was such a complete show. The next time they spoke was when it came to paying the bill, where they argued a bit before Seulgi finally decides to run off and give her card personally to the waiter. To her excuse, Irene already got tickets for the show, but Irene isn’t even sure if they should still go. Seulgi still hasn't said anything about her surprise confession, and honestly, she just feels almost physically sick to even go. Nauseous, weak in the knees, and she really just wanted to go home and sleep, where maybe in her dreams will her perfect night actually come true. 

The short walk to the nearby Han river was awkward in every aspect, to say the least. Seulgi tried to initiate conversation about the most random things, only to get weak replies from Irene, who was just too exhausted and drained emotionally to even pretend that she’s okay. After several failed attempts at conversation, Seulgi finally succumbs to the quietness that blankets them uncomfortably, almost suffocatingly. Their usually comfortable silences were no more, and both girls knew something has changed between the two of them. Suddenly, Irene stops walking and faces Seulgi, who surprisingly stops in her tracks as well. 

“Seulgi, it’s okay.. we don’t have to go. We can just go-“ Irene was almost finished with her plea when she feels a sudden warmth encircle her palm. She looks at her hand and sees Seulgi grasping it before entwining them together. She sighs at the feeling, but tries to pull back, due to confusion before looking up at the other girl who firmly keeps her hand in place. Seulgi just looks at her, a blank expression on her face, although her cheeks had a blush of faint pink. The taller girl must have read the confusion on Irene’s face, so she states, a little shakily, “People hold hands on dates.” Irene then feels a slight tug as Seulgi continues walking, and Irene follows suit right after, still confused, but as she looks at her hand and Seulgi’s together, she can’t help but think how perfect it looked. 

“This seems like a good spot.” Seulgi states, before finally letting go of the other’s hand as they sat down on the grass overlooking the Han River adorned with beautiful lights. Irene immediately missed the warmth of Seulgi’s hand. Their walk to the river was quiet, and there was this nervous tension in the air that was never present in the many times prior that they’ve hung out. 

They sit side by side, seemingly just enjoying the view. Irene’s thoughts have gone haywire at the moment, everything that happened not fully dawning on her yet. Does Seulgi like me then? What should I do now? It was night time, and Irene unconsciously shivers as the night time breeze passes them by. 

“Are you cold?” Seulgi asks, eyes filled with concern. Her question slightly startles Irene who was deep into her own thoughts. Both girls didn’t bring jackets, so Irene’s old fantasy (not like she’s thought about it before - she definitely has) of getting to wear something Seulgi owned immediately dissipated. But she didn’t know the girl could offer her warmth in another way she’s never even fathomed before. 

Irene smiles a little, and nods, only meeting Seulgi’s eyes for a brief second. She’s still feeling shy from her brazen confession and it seems like all her pent up courage has been drained when she blurted her feelings to the unsuspecting girl. Seulgi shuffles a little bit, and Irene sees Seulgi create ample space between her legs, before holding Irene’s hand and pulling her up to stand. “You can sit here.” Irene flushes, and feels her neck heat up upon realizing what Seulgi was suggesting. Seulgi freezes and feels Irene’s hesitation, suddenly exclaiming, “Unless you don’t want to! It’s okay! I just thought-“

“No!” Irene gulps. “I mean yeah that’s fine.” Irene slowly moves in front of Seulgi and sits in the space between her legs, her back to Seulgi’s chest. Irene was rigid  and stiff at first, her mind in a haze, she can’t even think clearly with what was happening when all of a sudden she feels Seulgi’s arms wrap around her, and slightly pushes her back, allowing her to fully rest her head right next to Seulgi’s, where her collarbone should be. Irene is so, so thankful she was facing away from Seulgi because she can barely take it, and she’s sure her face was tomato red at the moment. All of a sudden, she’s not even cold anymore, quite the opposite actually, but she doesn’t mind it one bit. She wishes Seulgi doesn’t feel her heartbeat, but as she rests against the other girl’s chest, she can surmise that Seulgi was feeling the same way, her heartbeat going at a fast, strong pace. She can feel Seulgi gulp, and Irene realizes she can smell her scent. Irene closes her eyes in pure bliss, just reveling in the moment. She could never have thought that this night would come to this. 

“Are you okay?” Seulgi asks, carefully. 

“Yes.” 

“Good.” Seulgi breathes slowly, her breath fanning the side of Irene’s face. 

“The lights are really beautiful.” 

“Nowhere near as you though.” Seulgi says, voice barely audible, but Irene hears it clearly given their close proximity. Seulgi begins tracing what seemed like whimsical shapes or letters on Irene’s arm, sending Irene’s stomach into a frenzy. “Do you mean what you said at the restaurant?” Irene feels Seulgi tense up. 

Irene inhales, then looks at Seulgi, meeting her eyes. Seulgi looked so beautiful at that moment, with the moonlight and the colorful lights illuminating her features. “Yes. I... I’ve liked you.. for a while now.” Seulgi smiles at her in a way she hasn’t seen before, and Irene would never want to look away from such a smile ever. 

“You’re like one of those people that’s like only look, but no touch, you know.” Seulgi replies, shakily. Irene looks at her with confusion. “I know it doesn’t come as a surprise to you that I thought you were pretty the first time we met.” She chuckles and continues. “And being the gay that I am, I told myself I won’t let myself like you. Because I know the list of people trying to date you is longer than Wendy’s high note,  but, we kept hanging out and you just seemed even more perfect- I couldn’t find a flaw in you. So I just.. all this time, tried to stop liking you but it is very hard.” 

“Is?”

“What?”

“So you still like me, right?” Irene chuckles softly. 

“Of course I do! Didn’t I just confess to you right now?” 

“I was just teasing.” Irene cheekily pats Seulgi’s reddening cheek. Her hand lingers on Seulgi’s face, and their gazes lock. Irene breaks the eye contact first as her sight travels to the other girl’s lips. She sees Seulgi doing the same and upon meeting each other’s eyes again, as to seek silent approval, Seulgi closes her eyes and softly presses her lips to Irene’s. Irene felt like she was floating, her stomach lurching, as she feels Seulgi’s arms hold her tighter. Seulgi’s lips felt like absolute bliss, and when she feels them move slightly against hers, Irene just felt glad she was sitting because she’s sure her legs would give out under her if she wasn’t. Seulgi pulls back first, and grins as she sees Irene keeping her eyes close, seemingly wanting more. Irene opens her eyes slowly and smiles back at the other girl. 

“You’re not so bad yourself, you know?” Irene says, her thumb slightly caressing the other’s cheek. Seulgi looks at her questioningly. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I know there’s a lot of people trying to get at you, too. So, if you are, you don’t need to feel so insecure.” 

“Okay.” Seulgi kisses Irene’s hand. “I’ll try not to be.”

“So, is this officially our real, first date then?” 

Seulgi laughs softly. “And I expect many, many more.”

“Guys, we have something to tell you.” Seulgi announces in the middle of Wendy’s small, but comfy living room.  Wendy, Joy, and Yeri stop their former activities and watches Seulgi carefully. Irene then gets up from the couch and stands next to Seulgi before holding her hand. 

“We’re dating.” Irene exclaims. 

There was few seconds of silence, Joy, Wendy, and Yeri exchanging glances until Joy suddenly stands up. 

“Hallelujah! I thought I was gonna get white hairs waiting for you two to finally get it on,” she states. 

Wendy rolls her eyes. “Seriously, that took so long! I was so tired of Irene complaining about how slow Seulgi was.” 

“Yeah. Congratulations but we all already knew.” Yeri says. “Now, let’s get drunk!” 

Seulgi and Irene just laughs, before looking at each other. Irene kisses Seulgi softly, she just can’t help it. Seulgi might have been oblivious at first, but she’s surely making up for all of those blunders now, and Irene often thinks to herself, all those failed dates were definitely worth it. 

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Sorry that ending felt so abrupt! I was writing this over a couple days and I just wanted it to end lol. Let me know what you think, and give me suggestions in case I get another craving to write. Thanks to the ugly, one and only @taengaroo (Twitter) for beta lol, and thanks to everyone for reading!