Son Seungwan or more widely known as Wendy, is loved by fans, males and females alike. But Wendy's always been in love with Irene as Seungwan's always been in love with Joohyun. All of Seungwan given to all of Joohyun, onstage or not, wanted or not.

She knows Irene's affection is directed towards a certain bear. Poor Seungwan can only feel jealous and broken by this fact  hiding all the pain behind a mask. A mask she puts up whenever she sees the sweetness that is seulrene. 

Always smiling. Happy, sweet, gentle Seungwan.

Of course just like a typical fool of a lover, she first ignored the obvious moves Joohyun were doing. She thought maybe they're really just that close cause they've known each other the longest, trained together the longest. She tried to make sense of their closeness in whatever way she can with tricking her mind. Lying to her own self about the obvious love brewing between the two. But the lies she tells herself soon had to end. 

It's the evening of Irene's birthday and they were all given the blessing of being able to go home early to get some good rest and alone time after eating dinner.

"Yerim-ah, I don't know whether I'd get rejected or not but tonight I will confess to Joohyun-unnie. I want to tell her how special she is to me. I want her to see me too."

Her face shows how serious she is but Yeri heard the fear and anxiety in her voice.

"Are you sure about this Seungwan-unnie? I know you had a hard time deciding this but maybe you should think about it for a while more. And also you said you think she likes Seulgi-unnie.."

"Yeah but, if not now I don't know when I'd be able to have the courage again."

"But unnie maybe yo--"

"I'm sorry Yerim but I already made up my mind."

Yeri can only sigh in defeat. Sad about the events that are about to unfold that evening.

"Okay unnie, good luck. When you need me, you can come running to our room. I'll talk to Joy about it so she won't be surprised once you come unannounced."

"Thank you Yerimie"

When Wendy was about to knock on Irene's door she heard voices inside, the leader isn't alone in her room.

Why do I have to be so unlucky? 

She opened the door by a few inches to take a peek and sees Seulgi holding Irene's hands. She was about to close the door when she heard Seulgi

"I love you, Joohyun-unnie."

Wendy came to a halt. Her heart starts to beat faster, heavier, tighter. The dread suddenly falling upon her.. she's too late.

She knows Irene has feelings for Seulgi. She sees the way Joohyun keeps her eyes on the bear, always smiling whenever Seulgi does, clinging on to her even when it is known that the bear is not really used to skinships. Wendy knows. Wendy sees. Because Wendy has always been there. Observing, protecting, loving Irene from a distance that's so close yet so far. And here she is. Standing in front of Irene's room, holding her breath, hoping for a miracle, wishing that this was a dream. Somehow she knew this would happen soon which is why she planned to confess but yet again Seulgi beat her to it. 

The perfect Seulgi-- Her best friend, her roommate, her rival. 

Wendy tightens her grip on the doorknob as she hears Irene confess back. She runs away, hand to afraid her sobs would be heard. Unknown to Wendy one of the girls inside the room broke down a few seconds later. That night no one slept in Seulgi and Wendy's room.

×××××××

Suelgi catches Irene just before she falls to the ground. Settling her to the bed, Irene still won't stop crying. Holding tight on Seulgi's shirt, crying her eyes out on the bear's arms. They stay like that for a few minutes with Seulgi's coos to try to calm Irene. Her sobs died down and soon enough she's just.. staring blankly. 

"Unnie, are you feeling better?"

Seeing no response from the latter, Seulgi turned the leader's face carefully to face her.

"Unnie? Joohyun-unnie?"

Finally Joohyun looks at her. She almost gasped at what she saw. Tears b her eyes seeing that her best friend's irises reflected despair, emptiness, hopelessness, pain and sadness.. so much sadness. 

Seulgi didn't know what to do. She doesn't even know why the Joohyun herself told her to pretend to confess. She didn't think of it much and just did it. That is until Irene broke down in loud sobs that Seulgi panicked that maybe there's something more to it.

"Unnie, what happened? What's wrong?"

Joohyun finally answers her after a long silence

"Seungwan was watching us when you confessed."

"WHAT?! Unnie oh no! I must go to Seungwan and apologize and tell her everything."

Just as she's about walk away, Irene grabs her wrist to stop her.

"No. Let her be. It's okay."

Seulgi felt anger and all the questions coming at her. Everyone in the group knows that Seungwan is in love with Joohyun and this situation does nothing but hurt Seungwan, so why is Joohyun stopping her?

"What? No it's not okay. Unnie maybe you don't know but Seungwan is in love with you! I don't want her to think that there's something between us."

Irene had to stop herself from breaking down again, trying to control her tears.

"It has to be this way Seulgi."

Before Seulgi could further argue, she sees Irene's pleading and defeated eyes. Seeing Irene like this pains her but what about Seungwan? She's hurt a lot too.

"Wha-- why? Tell me unnie. Please tell me why."

As Irene prepares herself clearing after getting hoarse from all the crying, Seulgi promptly sits down beside her on the bed.

"Before I tell you everything, I want you to promise that you won't tell anyone about this. Only you, Yerim and I knows about this."

Seulgi swallowed an invisible lump forming in

"O-okay unnie-- but wait Yerim? Yerim knows about this?"

"Yes now will you hear me out?"

"Okay okay."

Irene took a deep breath before continuing, fiddling with her fingers and looking down on them. Crimson starts to fill her cheeks as she speaks.

"Actually I'm.. I'm in love with Seungwan too."

Before Seulgi could shout Irene covered and just nodded.

"Then why? Why did you do it unnie?"

"I did it for Seungwan."

Joohyun starts to sob again but still tried to explain to Seulgi

"Sh-she deserves so much more Seulgi. Someone better, someone safer, someone she can be proud of."

"Oh unnie, but she thinks you are worthy, won't that be enough?"

Irene tries to control her trembling figure as she spills the words from . Every word tasting bitter

"Wendy's parents hate me. They know about Seungwan having feelings for me and... they noticed my feelings for her too."

Seulgi can't help but sympathize with her unnie. This is harder than she thought. 

Controlled sobs fill the empty silence once again as Irene tries to continue.

"They met with me alone. I was happy about it, having dinner with her parents, why wouldn't I be? I told Yerim about the dinner and she wished me luck." She heaves a deafeated sigh. "But I guess luck wasn't on my side that night."

Seulgi's out of words to say, she knows that as much as this pains her, it probably pains Irene tenfold.

"It started well, until they started telling me that they know about our feelings for each other."

Irene's now choking on her tears but she needs to tell someone, silently wishing that it could be of help, that someone would save her from this pain.

"They w-were right Se-eulgi. She's bet-tter off not lo-oving me." Seulgi soothes her as she tries to form her sentences. 

Finally able to calm down a bit, she continues.

"Seungwan will only be in pain if she's with me. She tried to confess tonight but I stopped that from happening."

"What about what Seungwan thinks unnie?"

Irene only sighs.

"She will be bashed if we get found out, she'd drift from her family if she chooses me. I can't let that happen Seulgi. I don't want Wendy to lose everything and everyone important to her. If me being out of the picture is the best solution, then so be it."

Now Seulgi is crying alongside with her unnie. She can't stand seeing her best friends suffer like this but she knows she can't do anything if this is their decision. She has to respect it.

"I love her so much Sseul. I love her so much.. and this"

pointing to her heart

"It hurts so much. It craves and aches for her, it longs for her. But this is the best way for eveybody. I'll always love her and she'll never know."

By now Irene just keeps on crying saying all her regrets and hurt. Seulgi had to hold her and hush her to sleep to stop the girl from crying. The last cries Irene said before falling into slumber is a whisper to the void but also a desperate wish that a certain someone would hear

"You have my heart but you can't know it, I know your heart but I can't have it."

++++++++

Author's Note:

So that's it for my first oneshot. How'd you guys like it? I feel like I dragged the story a lot but thank you for reading this. Let's enjoy more wenrene! I love y'all ❤

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