“How long has it been since everyone left this place?” Irene turned to Wendy as they were both seated on their dorm’s couch—with Wendy keeping her distance. The dorm has remained untouched ever since the girls chose to go unto separate ways in the industry.

Wendy shrugged her shoulders “I don’t exactly remember... but I was the last one to move out” and silence took over the atmosphere. It was suffocating for Irene—only having the woman you love a few feet away from you but you know that you can’t come any closer. The silence was both suffocating and deafening for Irene

Getting enough of the uneasy feeling, Irene broke the ice “Wendy, I want to know why” Irene finally decided that maybe this is the right time to ask Wendy how or why things turned out this way “Why things ended up like this? How I ended up with Sehun?—god, I got a lot of questions to ask, Wendy”

“I know you do but I don’t really think that now is the time to answer all of those” Wendy stood up “Are you hungry? Because I am—“ Wendy tried to shift the topic

“If now is not the right time to get the answers that I have been looking for... then when?” Irene waited for Wendy’s response but the latter did not even bother to look back “I-If answering all of my questions is too much... then can you atleast tell me why we broke up?”

Wendy let out a sigh— a bit frustrated one “How can I give you the answer to that question when I, myself, don’t even know the reason why you left”

And there it was again... the deafening the silence and the uneasiness it brings to Irene

“I’ll order us something to eat. I’m pretty sure that Seulgi, Sooyoung and Yerim will be arriving soon” Wendy was now the one to break the tension “You’re okay with Pizza?”

“Y-yeah” Irene refuses to believe that Wendy does not know the reason behind their break-up. She could sense that the younger does know but Wendy just doesn’t want to open up about the past—which makes Irene conclude the she had hurt Wendy badly. And the thought of hurting Wendy makes Irene’s heart sink “ahh this is killing me”

       July 2018

                “You!” Joy raised her right hand and slapped the oldest member’s face “You said that you would not hurt Wendy Unnie!”

“Sooyoung” Seulgi squeezed herself in between Joy and Irene. She held Joy’s hand and tried her best to calm down the tall girl, not wanting to cause more trouble “All the fighting is not helping”

Joy wasn’t calming down. Just as she was about to slap Irene again, Seulgi stopped her “Let go of me, Seulgi-unnie!” Joy tried to get away from Seulgi’s tight hold “This needs to learn her lesson! How dare her play and with Seungwan-unnie’s feelings?”

“Let her be, Seulgi”

Seulgi turned to look at their leader “W-what?”

“Go on. Let her go. Let her slap me” Irene and Joy was now engaged in a staring contest. The older kept a cold front—preventing a tear to slip “What? Suddenly you don’t feel like slapping me? Go on, Park Sooyoung. Do it”

“Where is Red Velvet’s leader?” Joy’s voice cracked as she was keeping herself from crying “Where the is our leader huh? Where is our Joohyun Unnie? Where is the woman that promised to do her responsibilities as the eldest and as the leader? Where is the woman that swore she would never hurt Seungwan Unnie?”

“I am here, Sooyoung” Irene answered “I am here”

Joy was about to slap the eldest when Wendy entered the scene “Sooyoung, don’t. Let us not make this situation worse”

“But unnie” Sooyoung turned to Wendy

“I don’t want us fighting anymore. Let Irene be” Wendy’s voice was cold and stern “Whatever is happening between us, whatever happened between her and Sehun---- I don’t want you, Yeri and Seulgi to be involved. This mess is our mess”

“I don’t know what is happening” Seulgi was trying her best to calm down, not wanting to add fuel to the fire “Joohyu