In the third floor, west wing of Arts Building’s abandoned music room, a lone girl sits atop a piano, facing the numerous monitors with an unreadable expression. She taps a finger to her chin, shifting her eyes from the monitors to the paper on her hand.

‘The Client shall agree that should the Target already hold someone else dearly or if is already in a relationship with somebody else OR has a different preference before the whole operation started, then the operation will automatically be voided.’

Park Bogum had been quite sure that Irene Bae doesn’t have her eyes on someone, considering the girl’s perfect stoic façade. The information Yeri gathered for them didn’t say anything about any present lovers or love interests either.

But Joy was starting to have other ideas.

She reached down to the piano keys, played a bit of Bach quite perfectly despite her position, and one of the monitors flickered to Irene Bae eating japchae, the feed coming from the special glasses Wendy wore. Joy pressed the F key to fast forward the footage.

“Speaking of boys,” the familiar voice of their Olaf came out of the speakers, “If you don’t mind me asking, sunbae, do you like someone?”

Joy watched closely as Irene Bae looked up, “A boy?”

“Yeah,”

Joy narrowed her eyes at the clenched jaws and flickering gaze before a snort came out followed by a, “No,”

“Hmm,” Joy hummed thoughtfully, tapping her chin.

“Then what’s your ideal type? People always fawn over you but I don’t see you going starry eyed on anyone,”

Irene Bae shot her a look, “Then you’re not seeing me well enough,”

Pause.

Joy got up and walked closer to the monitor, intently staring into Irene Bae’s pixilated eyes. “Interesting… I wonder…” she stepped back, played Girls’ Generation’s latest song and the screens returned to the CCTV.

She tutted upon seeing the two girls still running through the rain and shook her head when they stopped, laughing and hitting and getting hit. When the fight was over and the hug occurred, Joy’s mouth twisted in distaste.

“I hope you idiots get sick,” she grumbled bitterly before pulling the plug off.

Simultaneously, the door opened and Seulgi and Yeri walked in, food in both hands.

“Oh? Why did you turn it off?” Seulgi asked, struggling to lock the door with her elbow.

Joy walked over and did it for her, “I saw cockroaches mating at the station and I just had to turn it off,”

Yeri made a puking sound, “How can you say such disgusting stuff in the holy presence of chicken and pizza?”

“I didn’t know the CCTV could see that much,” Seulgi said.

Joy shrugged, “The CCTV could see much more. What are you doing here, Yerim? I thought you had a date,”

Seulgi looked at the youngest, tilting her head to the side, “You had a date?”

Yeri blushed, “I-I didn’t! I just finished my classes!”

“Uh-huh.” she eyed the girl’s damp hair, “Did you guys have fun playing in the rain?”

Yeri almost dropped the pizza. How can someone’s face turn quickly from flushed to pale? Puny humans are interesting.

“How did you know that? Y-You…You weren’t watching us like a creep, were you?”

 “I wasn’t. I just tried to say this and that. Guess I’m right then,” Joy smirked, “Playing in the rain must be trending nowadays. I call dibs for the drumstick!”

“No! The drumstick is mine!” Yeri shrieked.

“Mine!”

“Um, guys,” Seulgi tried to be the middleman, “There’re actually four drumsticks, since we bought two chickens…”

“THEY’RE ALL MINE!”

***

Wendy didn’t know what came over her.

She wasn’t thinking when she ran out of the HQ, hopped into her car, and drove past the speed limit to Beomgye Station.

It was raining, she reasoned with herself. It was raining so she wanted to fetch Irene Bae when she gets off her train and she wanted to do that because she felt bad for ignoring her texts. Yes, that must be it.

But it was all in vain, since they both ended up getting soaked because of a childish game anyway.

And because they were both drenched to the bones, Wendy found herself sitting in Irene Bae’s bedroom, feeling dry, warm, and fresh after taking a hot shower and changing into clothes the older girl had picked out for her; a pair of shorts and an oversized button-shirt too large that it kept slipping off Wendy’s shoulder.

She was on the phone, searching the web on what to do with drenched car seats when the shower stopped running and the bathroom door opened, Irene Bae stepping out.

Wendy tried her best not to stare but it was hard. A purple towel was draped over the girl’s head, slender fingers pressing to dry the damp locks. A sweater sizes too large hung on her petite frame, stopping a few inches above her knees, exposing milky, slender legs. It occurred to Wendy that the older girl had never worn something revealing, even shorts, at school. And a part of her wondered if the girl’s comfortable closet consisted purely of gigantic clothes.

“Like what you see?”

Wendy jolted out of her daze and saw the smirking face. She huffed, returning to her phone, “You wish,”

Irene Bae’s chuckles were soft but deafening. “You’re really fun to tease,”

“You’re a horrible person,”

The older girl laughed some more, “Maybe,” she said in a sing-song voice.

Wendy ignored her and kept her attention on her phone, afraid to even look at Irene Bae right now, in the state she was in. Hell, looking at the neat version of the girl was already a challenge, how much more the just-got-out-of-shower version? Wendy wasn’t about to let herself be enchanted.

“Do you prefer coffee or tea?”

She didn’t bother looking up from her phone as she answered, “Tea,”

“How about hot chocolate?”

“That’s nice too,”

“With marshmallows?”

“Yep,”

“My hair is on fire,”

“Put it out,”

An audible huff could be heard before she felt the mattress behind her dip and a pair of fuzzy, sweater clad arms wrap around her neck. Lavender and jasmine bombarded her senses full blast. Wendy stiffened, inhaling sharply and forgetting to breathe out.

Yeri had briefed them about how Irene Bae was said to be a person who liked doing skinship but she was rarely touchy with Wendy.

“What are you staring so keenly at that you’re not even sparing me a glance?”

Wendy shivered at the hot breath hitting the shell of her surely reddened ear along with the husky, soft whiny voice that tickled her senses. She muttered some very helpful incoherence such as, “Oh, uh, I…er…”

“I don’t like sharing, Wendy-ssi. I get jealous easily,” Irene Bae told her, voice quiet and dangerously close to her ear, “I take it that you prefer looking at that site rather than at me?”

Without thinking, Wendy blurted out, “Yes,”

The arms around her neck suddenly tightened, threatening to choke her to death. Irene Bae’s voice that followed was dripping of venom, “Sorry?”

“I don’t want to look at you,”

Wendy might as well have signed her death wish, the hold on her neck tightening but she was on the roll, spilling her heart on the sheets before she could even catch herself.

“I don’t want to even glance at you because I’m afraid that when I do, it will be impossible to look away,”

(She was a meticulous person, thinking of her words over and over before saying it aloud. But around Irene Bae, something as simple as thinking was a hard task)

The hold around her neck loosened, “Cringeworthy-Son, is that perhaps your twisted way of telling me that I’m pretty?”

Irene Bae’s voice was filled with so much amusement that it irked Wendy. The thought of the older girl thinking what she had said was just one of her greasy lines made her want to prove something.

And maybe that was what pushed her into turning her head, nose brushing with Irene Bae’s whose face was closer than she thought. The older girl’s eyes widened a fraction and she could feel her gasp silently. In the silence, her stumbling, racing, irregular heartbeats were augmented.

“No. You’re not pretty,”

Irene Bae’s face immediately darkened, lips parting to spit some scathing words perhaps but Wendy beat her to it.

“You’re so much more than that,”

The other girl looked stunned and Wendy could only stare, lost in pools of warm chocolate, enchanted by the flecks of bronze that reminded her of stars. Perhaps it’s true. Humans were made of stardust. At least Irene Bae’s eyes were full of them. They were a pair of tiny galaxies themselves with bronze flecks for stars and pupils for black holes.

Irene Bae’s eyes were magical. Wendy got the feeling that if one stared for too long, they’d find themselves falling for her.

(She pretended not to notice the warm chocolate gaze flicker down to her lips)

(And she pretended not to be aware of doing the same thing)

And all of a sudden, Irene Bae was hastily detaching herself from her, almost tripping over blankets when she hopped off the bed, scrambling toward the door like Wendy was infected with some horrible contagious disease.

“I-I’ll go make hot chocolate,”

Wendy didn’t notice the quake in her voice, too occupied in trying to hide the tremor in hers.

“Y-Yeah, okay,”

The breath she held was released as soon as the doors shut close, body falling limp on the mattress that smelled too much of Irene Bae. She buried her burning face in her palms to stifle a frustrated squeal, feet kicking the air.

What is going on with me?

***

Feelings was a topic Joohyun would rather not discuss nor dwell on. Hers were long locked up behind tall metal barriers secured with nine locks.

However, in a span of a little more than a week, a thief had managed to break in, freeing her emotions, stealing her burden, killing her worries, and destroying her insecurities, causing one heck of a havoc in her system.

(Never did she believe it when someone tells her she’s beautiful. She gets that way too many times.

Until Wendy Son came and did just that in one blow, those sincere eyes making her feel so much more)

Fluttering feelings and noisy thoughts, butterflies and daydream—she knew exactly what those meant but she wasn’t about to acknowledge them just yet.

(It was Wendy Son’s fault. Joohyun did warn her to stay away)

Which was why she had been walking around the campus like a fugitive on the run, never failing to look around every time she turned into a corner just in case she accidentally runs into the younger girl.

Joohyun wasn’t ready to face Wendy Son just yet (at least until they had to perform their project which was due in two more hours), especially with what had happened the previous day. They had drunk their hot chocolate in silence, the younger girl awkwardly announcing her leave as soon as her cup was emptied and her clothes were dry-washed. Joohyun had never felt that awkward in her entire socially-awkward life.

She sneaked her way to her next class, her Wendy-Son-Radar set on high as she passed through the streets of the university. She kept her head down, walking briskly from one tree to another. She thought she was doing really well in hiding, wondering if she should take a spying side-job in the future.

And of course, everything messes up the moment she thought that.

Mentally laughing at her predicament, Joohyun let down her guard for a split-second, walking straight past a corner without checking, and strutted straight into the person she was hiding from and even accidentally scoring a kiss on the cheek thanks to the collision.

(She wasn’t sure if she wanted to thank destiny for that or beat it up first)

Wendy Son recoiled and so did Joohyun, jumping a good meter back, hand shooting up to her lip-balm stained cheek with a stumbling heart. She was briefly reminded of their first official meeting of stained white shirt and spilled coffee.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry—oh? Joohyun-sunbae,”

She could only stare, slowly walking backwards as she contemplated on how to escape this situation and at the same time gaped at Wendy Son who looked particularly prettier than her usual pretty today (if that was even possible) with purple bangs brushed aside, piercing green eyes, curling lips, and beige button-up that ended everything for Joohyun.

With every step back that she took, however, Wendy Son moved forward. How annoying.

“You ready for our music performance later?”

Joohyun still couldn’t find it in her to form a coherent word. It was like every neuron in her brain had decided to take a break in that very moment. All she could do was step back and stare.

The small smile on Wendy Son’s lips turned into a confused one, expressive brows questioning.

“Sunbae?”

Joohyun sneezed.

The younger girl’s face morphed into an expression of absolute concern, the approaching steps coming more eager now.

“Are you sick?”

By some miracle, Joohyun managed to shake her head, steps turning rushed as Wendy Son neared. Alarm bells rang in her head and promptly exploded when the other girl lifted a hand, about to cup Joohyun’s forehead to check her temperature.

“Irene-sunbae!”

Joohyun had never felt so relieved to hear Park Bogum’s voice.

Wendy Son’s hand halted in mid-air and Joohyun immediately spun, spotting Park Bogum a few meters back and basically ran away from the purple-haired girl and towards the guy. She felt bad for not feeling bad about it. She needed the escape.

(Wendy Son didn’t even go after her)

(Scoff.)

“Irene-sunbae, you going to your next class?”

“Huh?” it was taking everything in Joohyun not to look back at Wendy Son as she dragged Park Bogum along the road.

“Are you going to your next class?”

“Yeah,” she replied, “Social science,”

“Great! My next class is in the same building. Let’s walk together,”

We’re already walking together, stupid, Joohyun almost said the thought out loud but managed to stop herself. When she was sure Wendy Son was out of eyeshot, she released her hold on Park Bogum’s arm.

“Sunbae,” Park Bogum spoke up, looking her way, “You have something on your cheek,” he reached out, meaning to wipe it until Joohyun’s hand automatically shot out, swatting it away. He looked at her with wide eyes, an apology sitting at the tip of his tongue when Joohyun beat him to it.

“Sorry,” she said, gingerly wiping her cheek, “Just…don’t,”

Joohyun had wanted to ignore the lip-balm smeared on her skin. Curious, she subtly sniffed on her fingertips. Mmm. Cherry.

As they walked, Joohyun’s mind was in shambles that she desperately tried to organize into neat, purple mind maps. She formulated a plan to avoid Wendy Son because she was already turning creepier and creepier by the second. Seriously, who sniffs other people’s lip-balms?

“Lunch,” Joohyun blurted out, “Can you accompany me for lunch later?”

Park Bogum almost tripped and fell. Joohyun didn’t notice, too caught up in her thoughts.

“Wh-Why?”

“Just because,” she replied, “Are you busy?”

The guy immediately shook his head, fervent, “Oh, no, no. Me? Busy? Oh please, I’m totally vacant anytime you want,”

Joohyun merely nodded at his rambling, checking off lunch in her to-do list in order to avoid Wendy Son at all cost. There was one problem she needed to deal with first though.

Music class was coming too fast for her liking.

***

Feelings was something Wendy was abundant with. She was by nature an expressive person overflowing with sentiment and she never fails to convey.

Except for that, of course.

It scares her the most.

Because most of the time, it never meant good.

(Usually, it entailed being hurt)

So Wendy may be overflowing with feelings but when it comes to that, she just wanted to run away and hide and pretend it never exists because she was a coward that way.

And so she did.

“Sunbae,” she looked at the girl beside her, “You okay?”

Irene Bae could barely even look at her. The older girl had been quite stiff on her seat and Wendy interpreted it as anxiety. She gently held her hand, squeezing reassuringly. Irene Bae jolted at the touch.

“Hey,” she offered a comforting smile, “It’s going to be fine. We’re going to nail this,”

Irene Bae scoffed, “I know that,” she withdrew her hand to tug at her collar. Wendy didn’t put much thought about it and clasped her hands together instead.

“Then why are you so tense?”

“It’s…It’s about another matter altogether,”

“Want to talk about it?” Wendy pressed, “I might be able to help,”

Irene Bae, not surprisingly, shook her head. Wendy sighed and nodded, “Well, if you need to talk to someone, remember that I’ll always listen,” she shot her a sideway smile, “Just call my name and I’ll be there,” she said with a greasy wink.

The older girl scoffed, “You are so cheesy,”

Wendy chuckled, “Yeah, well, about earlier…I’ve been meaning to ask…”

After that weird encounter with Irene Bae, Wendy couldn’t help but wonder if she’s done something wrong. The girl had basically run away from her after all.

She wanted to bring it up when they finally met at music class but Irene Bae didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk about it.

“Look, it’s our turn,” Irene Bae suddenly blurted out, grabbing a pinch of Wendy’s sleeve and dragging her to the stage of the auditorium as the previous performers had left. After checking that their microphones worked, the two then went to their positions.

Standing on stage with blaring lights and people’s eyes watching them, Wendy still couldn’t help but feel jittery. Yes, she was a veteran performer at this rate what with a number of musicals and recitals to give her experience but the butterflies performing give still wasn’t gone, along with it the excitement and thrill. She loved being on stage.

She glanced at her partner and knew that she did too. The determination in her eyes blazed bright and hot, the competitiveness overflowing. Wendy could only smile and shake her head. How typical of Bae Joohyun.

“Okay. Bae Joohyun and Wendy Son?” Professor Jang read from his paper, critical eyes peering through thick glasses, “You brats ready? Mmm, okay. Please start,” he gestured to the sound technician and music poured out of the enormous speakers.

Wendy locked eyes with Irene Bae for a moment, giving a small nod of encouragement before the beat dropped and their bodies moved in sync, becoming one with music.

Dancing was never Wendy’s forte despite having some tiny experience from those musicals she joined back in high school. This was a different type of dance; something she had never done before.

But the choreography was nice so despite having no confidence in dancing, Wendy could trust that it would still look good. The Bae Joohyun herself made the choreography, after all.

At some point, her eyes found Irene Bae’s again and all worries melted upon receiving that encouraging gaze. Dancing may be totally out of her comfort zone but Irene Bae’s gaze felt like comfort itself.

When it was finally time to sing her line, a rush of relief and exhilaration flowed through her. The familiarity of her expertise boosting her confidence as she reached note after note, stomach belting, diaphragm expanding; she was in her element.

She couldn’t help but smile when Irene Bae sang her line, gloating because she had been right; her voice was beautiful and she wasn’t deaf because judging from the awed look the audience was wearing, they heard it too.

Everything went well and Wendy actually enjoyed their stage, the jitters converting into energy bubbling in her chest, eager to be released. Irene Bae seemed to be enjoying it as well, though Wendy couldn’t understand where the impromptu -slapping part came from. It wasn’t in the choreography, the last time she checked.

Their performance soon ended and Wendy grinned wide at the loud applause, holding her last pose while catching her breath, adrenaline slowly running out and tiredness seeping in. Irene Bae wasn’t smiling but she might as well have because her eyes had that smug, satisfied look in them.

As they returned backstage, the older girl turned, meeting her gaze. Wendy beamed.

“I told you, we’d nail it,”

“I told you, I know that,”

Wendy laughed, “Yeah, you did,” she tapped Irene Bae’s shoulder, “Say, should we have a celebratory lunch later? For, you know, the success of our project? I’ll pay,”

The expression Irene Bae gave her was torn, though her answer sounded automatic, rehearsed even.

“I already have plans,”

Wendy’s brows shot up, “What? With who?”

“I’m having lunch with Park Bogum.”

Oh.

She managed to bark out a smooth laugh without broken edges, elbowing the older girl. Their operation was working. Irene Bae was finally paying attention to their client.

What a relief, she thought.

(Though her voice sounded a bit too deadpanned, borderline sarcastic in her head)

“So,” she started, wriggling her brows suggestively, “You and Park Bogum, huh?”

Irene Bae frowned at her, “We’re just friends,”

“Uh-huh? So you have friends now, sunbae? Aww, I’m so proud of you,” she tackled the other girl in a bear hug, the latter yelping and immediately pushing her away.

“I swear to god, Son Seungwan, if you don’t get off me I’ll—” insert every possible threat ever made on mankind. Wendy shivered. Anyone in their right mind would have let go.

But Wendy had stopped thinking and held on tighter, allowing herself to bury her face in Irene Bae’s hair, inhaling lavender and coconut.

“Please let me stay like this for a while,”

Just this once.