“Hello?”

“Joohyun!” Seulgi’s cheerful voice sounds from the other side of the line. “It’s been awhile. How are you?”

“Oh my god! Seulgi! Yeah, it's really been awhile,” Irene chuckles, counting down on her fingers. “Like, a whole six hours since we last saw each other.”

“Listen, it felt like a millennia,” Seulgi playfully defends from her end, and Irene's smile brightens. “In my defense, we had technically not met in person for four whole years since high school graduation.”

“Ah, but that reunion party last night was such a blast,” Irene says, clutching her phone tighter in excitement. “It was so great to see everyone again! In person, I mean. Like, you and I had kept in contact over Facebook sort of, but you know me, and how I never post anything since I'm technologically inept, and you explained last night that you’re so busy with work-- I’m rambling again, aren't I?”

Seulgi laughs, and Irene finds a smile blooming on her face.

“No, keep going!” Seulgi encourages. “I missed hearing you ramble. It's been quite a few years since we’ve really talked… and I've missed my best friend.”

“I’ve missed my best friend too, Seul. By the way, speaking of which, where did you go, Seul? Why’d you suddenly disappear off the grid without saying anything? Last night at the reunion was me catching you up with my life, but what about yours?”

“Oh, I just went to study out of the country,” Seulgi explains. “I wanted to learn business from the best, and I spontaneously enrolled in a program that took my peers and I overseas and all over the world. It was amazing, Irene! I saw so many cool places, and I wish I could’ve shown them all to you.”

“I would’ve loved that, Seul,” Irene gushes. “Maybe one day we’ll be able to see all those places together? Wanna tour me around?”

“I’d love that,” Seulgi says breathlessly, the excitement and joy evident in her tone. “I’d really like that.”

“So what made you call?” Irene asks, curious as to why her friend was calling her in the middle of the work day, as the young CEO sits behind her desk, willing pushing aside her paperwork to converse.

“Ah,” Seulgi laughs lightly. “I was shifting through my apartment yesterday - it's been a pretty long time since I cleaned it out - and I came across a letter I had meant to give to you before I left, but ultimately I chickened out halfway through writing it so it kinda turned into a mess.” she giggles, “But I think I can give it to you now? Can I read it to you?”

“Over the phone?” Irene raises an eyebrow to herself, but leans on her forearm indulgently. “Sure thing, Seul.”

“Great!” Seulgi takes a deep breath, “So here it goes:

Dear Joohyun - yes, I will forever refer to you as Joohyun, and I don't get why no one knows your real name - I can't believe we've made it this far! So many years of friendship, and we're about to enter yet another phase of our lives. You've never looked so beautiful-"

“Seul,” Irene tips her head back in laughter that Seulgi easily joins, “You can't even see me right now!”

“Ah, but when are you not breathtakingly gorgeous?” Seulgi fires back, and Irene forces her laughs to die down to soft giggles. “Anyways - damn it, Hyun! Where was I? Oh, okay - you’ve never looked so beautiful, and I know that you’re going to be amazing. I've always admired your ability to keep your head held high, no matter the situation. You’ve always inspired me in that aspect, Hyun! Well, you’ve inspired me in many different aspects, but you already know that.”

Irene smiles again, but says nothing.

“But-” Seulgi continues, and there’s something about the way she says that single word. But. Irene just can't place her finger on it. Perhaps it's the sharp intake of air that catches her off guard. Or maybe it's the way Seulgi’s voice shakes in a way that if Irene hadn't been Seulgi’s best friend, she would have never noticed. But. Irene hates it. "But unfortunately, I think you’re going to have to carry out this next step alone.”

“Seulgi.” Irene’s tone is sharp. “Seulgi, you’re back in Korea. You’re with me.”

“And I'm glad.” Seulgi’s smile shines through the phone, but Irene feels herself stop breathing. “I’m going to continue now. I'm glad I was able to meet you, Miss Bae Joohyun. I'm glad I was able to love you the way I did, even if I left before I had the chance to say it.”

“Seulgi.”

“I’m sorry I’m telling you this so late, Joohyun. I’m sorry I couldn’t have told you this last night at the reunion - to think I had been planning to do so for four whole years! - or at one of the seven Wonders of the World I just promised to take you to-”

“Kang Seulgi, this doesn't sound like a letter from right out of high school,” Irene tries to joke, but her voice cracks.

“That’s because it's not,” Seulgi admits with a small chuckle. “I’m sorry for lying, Hyun. I just wanted to tell you everything now.”

“Why now?” Irene whispers, her eyes getting blurry. “Why not in person?”

“I love you, Bae Joohyun.”

“You idiot!” Irene screams, gripping her phone desperately as tears start trailing down her cheeks. “I love you too! Now get over here and tell me this in person!”

“I'm sorry.”

“For the letter?”

Irene can basically see the helpless shrug roll off of Seulgi’s shoulders, the other girl’s voice getting soft.

“For everything. For lying about the letter. For leaving without saying anything. For never telling you how strong my feelings are for you. For keeping my job a secret. Just… everything.”

“Don't be,” Irene says urgently. “Please, don't be sorry, Seul. Just come home to me. I just got you back. I love you too, Seul, I-”

“I'm sorry, Joohyun,” Seulgi murmurs. “But I can't… I'm already biding time right now.”

--

“I'm already biding my time right now,” Seulgi says lowly, into her earpiece. “Joohyun, go straight home, okay? Straight home to your father and mother. Do you understand me, Joohyun?”

“Seulgi, where are you?!”

Seulgi shakes her head affectionately as she hears rustling from the other end of the line. Irene must be trying to leave.

"Your time is up, agent,” A gruff voice growls and Seulgi rolls her eyes at the gun pointed squarely at her face. “You've been talking for too long.”

The wind whips around them, and Seulgi sighs, looking over her shoulder at the long drop down. This is what she gets for getting cornered atop a skyscraper. She takes a final look at her pursuer, the man dressed in all black, much like herself, and seemingly not caring for his fallen allies, who Seulgi had shot with her now empty pistol mere minutes ago.

“You promised me I could have one last phone call, so long as I wasn't calling CEO Irene Bae to warn her of your future attempt on her life,” Seulgi says simply, ignoring Irene’s gasp from the earpiece. “And I'm not, I'm calling Joohyun, my childhood friend, who works in that building. I don't want her getting caught in the crossfire.”

“Seulgi,” Irene’s shaky voice comes through the earpiece. “Seulgi, come home!”

“It’s time to hang up, Agent Kang!” The man hisses. “A double agent, a fraud, a murderer-- you are in no position to be refusing demands!”

“I’m a murderer?” Seulgi shouts back over the howling wind. “How many people in power have you murdered, Agent Oh? The people in your government wing are corrupt and you know it! I answer to the president of South Korea only, who gave me strict orders to put a stop to you, from carrying out Senator Park’s plans. And above all, I will protect CEO Bae.”

“Seulgi, please,” Irene begs a final time, and Seulgi can hear the rumble of a car engine getting started in the background. “I’m on my way home now, just please-”

Good.

"I love you, Joohyun. I’ll see you later.”

Seulgi clicks the earpiece off.

--

From the backseat of a car, as her driver speeds her home, Irene screams and clutches her phone to her chest, all air escaping her lungs as she doubles over in agony.

“SEULGI!”

--

“I guess my time is up,” Seulgi chuckles, raising her hands above her head in an act of surrender. The wind blows again, whipping her hair around her, lashing at her face like whips. “Sorry for making you wait so long.”

“You’re a fool,” the man in front of her spits. “A fool for going against Senator Park. A fool for thinking that you could escape me.”

“Perhaps so,” Seulgi muses, before a small smile blooms across her lips, crimson red. Like Irene’s favorite lipstick. Like Seulgi’s lies.

“But I'm not going down alone.”

--

Irene sobs into her father's chest as the news flashes across the television screen.

Two bodies discovered at the bottom of mid-city skyscraper, one male, one female, no identification as of yet...

End.