When Irene woke up, she didn’t expect to be on a soft cotton mattress, a contrast to the birch wood of the boat’s boarding she last remembers collapsing onto the very moment her body had touched the solid mass. Her eyes squinted against blinding white light peeking from the plain colourless curtains. She was in a hospital suite. 

All she remembers before blacking out from exhaustion was that her designated bodyguard had pushed her and another girl onto a boat. Specifically, onto that Rescue boat she had seen coming for them. The girl who had helped kept her elevated had been pushed onto the deck of the boat first. When she was aided up and reached the deck, she found the said girl on her knees and to no avail coughing out her insides.

For a moment, they had both submerged into the water as the girl had tired out. They had been sinking inevitably deeper and deeper until a new, stronger grip tugged Irene's arm firmly and pulled her body back to surface in one fluid motion. She opened her eyes forcefully, searching in assessment of her situation. She caught sight of a suited figure before they dived back in to retrieve the other. The other who’s legs must have ended up cramping because Irene could somehow make out from the muffled gurgling that seemed like unreaching gasps of air before they ended up slowly descending. When a blonde head popped up along with the suited figure, Irene realised that it was her bodyguard that had come. Her bodyguard who had miraculously popped out from nowhere and just as they were both in trouble, assisted them both in time. He held them up til the boat came moments later and fixed the lifebuoys on the two girls when it was their way from within the rescue boat.

“Where’s that person?” Irene asks before anything else with wide eyes.

“Who?”

“The blonde girl. Who saved me. Where is she?” She repeats herself, reiterating a more refined sentence to her bodyguard.

“Ahh, the good miss. The paramedics attended to her and then her friend brought her home.”

“She hadn’t stopped coughing after we were out of the water... Are you sure she's okay? Is she here?" She worries.

“No, Miss Irene. She refused to. Said she didn’t need to and kept refusing to let us take her to a hospital.”

“Then why am I in a hospital room if she isn't? She swallowed a lot more water than me...” She starts drifting because now she feels rather guilty now.

“Miss Irene, you fainted after returning on land. We were just making sure you are in good health and that there are no issues. We aren't sure about the other miss, but she confirmed that she will be more than alrigt. Her friend had taken to her side too so we left her in familiar care.”

Irene went no further in her inquest, seeing as she could do nothing now for the the kind stranger who helped her. “Have my parents been informed?” She says, switching topics.

“Yes, they sent some flowers over with a handwritten card. They have been placed by your side.” He points over to her notice.

A warm smile forms on her face when she finally realises the bouquet of lilac roses, white eustoma, veronica and scented lavender by her side. She spots the letter and opens it, ‘We were so worried, please do not worry us like this! Stay well, we are sorry we could not visit you personally but our hectic schedule had not allowed us to. Know we love you so much our lovely daughter.’ And then ended with a plentiful of x’s and o’s. Kisses.

“Thank you, Henric-ssi.” Irene softly sighs after reading her parent’s message. It had calmed her heart.

“You are most welcome, Miss Irene.”

Theres a gap of silence that runs through the air. “You know you can call me Juhyun, remember, Henric-ssi?” Irene says out of the corner of her mind..

“I am most grateful to be able to do so, however I have explained that I love referring to you as I do, Miss Irene. Maybe you can grant that name for your future partner.” He jests in attempt to lighten the mood of the hospital room. In effect, it works because Irene chuckles softly.

“That will not be in any due time, Henric-ssi. You're such a tease like Joy and Yeri, aren't you.”

And at the mention of the two, the door opens and in comes the duo. Irene scoffs playfully, “You two are late! I almost died and you aren’t even by my side to see me wake up!”

“Unnie! You look better now. Thank god.” Joy ignores her remark and goes in to hug her first.

“We had to go fill in your forms to explain what happened to you. Shouldn’t you just be glad I can accommodate you in such a nice room!” Yeri explains and cuts towards the other side of Irene to give her a hug too.

“Yerim, your parents own this hospital and your parents love me, so stop being a brat. Rather than the room, I’d prefer if you two just held my hands.” Yeri only forms a pout as her expression softens at Irene's retort. If Henric and Joy wasn’t there she could just about cry.

“How are you feeling now, unnie?” Joy asks nervously, “We’re both sorry that happened. If we just did a double check on that place and it’s ratings on google before you hopped on…”

Irene only shudders in remembrance of her experience. “Hmm, it’s okay, you shouldn’t feel sorry at all. I’m just glad to be in one piece. So cheer up.” She had noticed the gloom in their expressions the moment they stepped in. Even when Yeri was commenting with sass she could tell she was feeling regretful.

“We’re still sorry though. We love you unnie!” They hug her until the heavy feeling in their chests disperses.

“Mm, I get it.” Irene comforts their backs with light pats and she too appreciates the fact that the new morning light is what she wakes up to. She really didn’t think she would survive when the water had first engulfed her. So when the fight-and-flight instinct kicked in, she’s astonished by herself above anything else. Her body’s washed with enough fatigue so she asks them to let her rest afterwards.

After some consideration in the empty white interior hospital room, she decides that she’d rather be at the comfort of her home. She makes sure to notify Yeri that she no longer needs the hospital room, explaining her rest would be better within her own apartment; after all, there were no issues to her health after the checkup and she just has to go back for a second check-up next week. She also has to return to her company tomorrow too but she doesn’t mention that as it would just worry Yeri. Despite knowingly been involved in such a traumatic experience, she only wishes to continue forward. Just because her light almost disappeared, it doesn’t mean the world would dim. The world won't stop functioning without her, it continues and so should she. Irene just doesn’t want to be left behind.

Irene's settled in a blanket and she sits by her laptop table sorting out her emails. She's reformating the new schedule for the meetings she'll be attending for the next so-so months. She's also been reminded about the new employee that would be starting their first day tomorrow in her area of jurisdiction. As the section's leader-in-charge, she has to accommodate the newcomer to their new position within the publishing sector of her family's company. Irene was debating over granting the new employee an easy first day of work by assigning them to printing tasks and organising some of the magazine's copies into chronological order but she remembers that this was the applicant her father had hired. That meant that this employee wasn't just a newbie. She stops in thought before acquiring a better and more brilliant idea. She'll assign Taeyeon-unnie to the newbie. She claps her hand to the idea and becomes excited in thought, wondering how this could groom for a promising, potential sub-lead if put in Taeyeon's capable hands. She can't wait, especially since this was her sector and her sector could benefit in a new way. Her eyes glints in thought of her investment. Because if this new employee really does show just as much of a speck as her father saw in them then in no doubt this could be an interesting term for the company and her competition. Irene trusts her fathers judgement so she was keen to meet the new hire. Irene contemplates with a proud grin because she knows never to ignore her father's good eye for people and potential-employees alike.

She's still answering off the remaining emails concerning magazine layouts for the upcoming months as well as confirming the printing processes for the current months' release. After sending her sub-leader the details on the printing, she moved onto reading articles that needed to be skimmed over and was just about another e-mail of the approved batch to the proofing team to sort when a ring echoes through her apartment flat. Continuously, the tune of her doorbell rings without a gap before the last pressing. She knows of whom this impatience was coming from. The girls just as she had expected were behind her door giving her duck faces. She laughs wholeheartedly after letting them in and seeing in their hands, gifts of an assortment of snacks, fruits, cabbage, a whole chicken (Joy was going to eat), all of which seemed to radiate a sort of peace-offering kind of sentiment. It was all very random to her because they didn't even get anything specific for her and it was as if they went to the supermarket with a trolley and picked out what they were feeling at the time. Another thing was that she doesn’t remember adopting a bunny rabbit. But other than that, they did order some proper hot food in and Irene in effect moves her work aside to attend to tomorrow morning.

"Irene-unnie, we're sorry again." Joy explains after the foods set on the dining table. Yeri also nods along in unison.

"Really, I'm alright now, don't worry. You make it sound like it was your fault, it was nobody's fault." Irene only assures them.

"Yes, unnie." Joy says gently. "We came here thinking you were resting but you aren't, unnie?" Joy ends up humming the next with a joking scowl. "Why are you still so hard headed, unnie!"

"I have some important meetings to attend. I've told you and the doctors told you that my health is absolutely fine. I'm sure I'll manage."

"But unnie, you almost drowned." Yeri says.

"I know, but I feel fine." Irene shrugs.

Joy and Yeri both exchange looks. Then Yeri pulls out her phone and calls up 'Appa Bae', she whines for a good five minutes on the phone while Joy's holding a huge smirk and Irene's mouth this time is gaped in incredulity. After Yeri seems to have finished complaining to Appa Bae about Irene going to work after almost drowning, she turns her device over to Irene and hits the speaker button on.

"Juhyun, honey. You're not allowed to work. Think about your mental health! I don't see a problem if you skip for a week considering everything. It is absolutely understandable so please rest, my dear. I'll contact your sector's second-in-command, Tiffany can handle publishing this months' issue so you can return next week!"

Irene exhales a long breath because she was so sure she would return to work and she was looking forward to it too. But because she knows turning their good will down would be disrespectful and rude, she acknowledges their intentions and concedes. Her dad, as well as Joy and Yeri are happy to hear that she'll rest for a longer period. Yeri ends the call and sticks her tongue out at Irene. Irene throws her an air-punch but Yeri returns double by getting a strangling hook over her shoulder. Irene notes to herself to remember Yeri is not one to mess with, how could it that have slipped her mind, she should be careful, she huffs. But she's glad to have friends as considerate as them though. She remembers when they would protect her all the time despite her being the oldest. She feels grateful being with them.

"Well I'm glad we got that sorted." Yeri only continues. She almost throws another air-punch over but holds it because she doesnt want to be put in a choke-hold again.

Joy's laughing in delight, "It's best to rest unnie! We'll visit often. You can relax for now!"

Irene only nods because she has been feeling overworked she herself admits. She's a bit disappointed that she can't greet the new employee on her first day. Especially when they hardly get new exployees unless it were a blue moon. This was only because their company maintained a trust and loyalty pact with their workers so they rarely fired good employees, thus they weren't in much need to fill anywhere. Plus it took ages for them to pick the best and qualified so that meant each sector hardly had passing applicants joining due to unnescessary forces. She'll have to e-mail Taeyeon about her plans regarding that newbie later though she reminds herself.

The trio continue to talk on and on about the recent events in their lives up til the most recent one. Irene learns of the fact that the one who saved her didn’t exactly know how to swim either. She was amazed. But the words that ran from were, “What the heck! Was that person an idiot?!”

***

“Yah! You idiot! Son Wendy, an idiot! Who would have foreseen this! This! Of all things you do. Right in front of me too! You scared the-” Seulgi repeats again and again like a broken tune to her face.

“Stop it~ I know I did something crazy alright. It’s just... Well, I don’t know. Someone was in need and I just... I don’t know! I tried to help…?” Wendy’s beginning to hear herself now. She gives Seulgi a sheepish grin because she knows she really did do something out of this world.

“Argh! Whatever. But, why didn’t you agree to go to the hospital with them?”

“I didn’t want to trouble them.”

“Trouble them? They troubled you!”

“That’s not true, Seulgi-ah.” 

Seulgi only sighs because it doesn’t seem like Wendy’s listening to her at all. “Anyways, stop putting that front. You don’t look so well, Wendy-ah…” Seulgi says, changing her tone of voice into that of a soft murmur as she observes her best-friend.

“Yeah, just give me a day. I really can’t get sick, I have my first day of work tomorrow…” Wendy takes a glass of water in her hand and chucks it down . But she coughs again then proceeds to cover holding something in before deciding to rush to the toliet after she feels her stomach squirm. Seulgi hears her vomiting.

Seulgi goes into one of Wendy’s cabinets in search of some painkillers for Wendy. When Wendy comes back out while wiping the side of with her sleeve and sees Seulgi looking for painkillers, she sighs. “I don’t need painkillers. You know I don’t like them.” She stands beside Seulgi and opens a different cabinet to pull out some vitamin pills. She takes two in her hand and gulps them dry. From her peripheral she can see Seulgi rubbing the bridge of her nose in distress. She feels slightly guilty for stressing her best friend out so much but her lifestyle was difficult to change and this was how she's always taken care of herself, whether her condition was serious or whether it was as trivial as a headache. Wendy believed that maintaining her body's nutrients was all she would really need. Plus painkillers would eventually stop working if overtake them. She's doing herself a favour, she believes.

"You take nutrient supplements thinking it'll solve the mess your body is beyond. Two minus one is not zero.." Seulgi mutters under her breath.

Seulgi knew otherwise, that Wendy's body may be taking in nutrients but at some point she worries when they'll just turn into something similar to a placebo medicine. A fake resolution. The poor soul doesn't even take normal medicine let alone paracetamol tablets. Seulgi had once wondered if Wendy's blue nutrient pills really do such a dandy job because she always sees the bottle lying around whenever Wendys not feeling well. She once asked Wendy if taking those pills made her feel better but Wendy grunts words laced in lies to tenderly reassure her. Seulgi knows better, but she doesn't know how to break this reliance Wendy has with the blue pills. Especially as it's not so whole roundedly convenient for her wellbeing.

"..You and your blue pills again. Wendy-ah I swear that you're going to choke from those pills rather than on your vomit. But I love you so you can't!" Wendy's bestfriend says in such a dark humour she would have found hilarious if she wasn't trying to produce saliva to lubricate the pills she shoved down . She rolls her eyes at sound of Seulgi huffing around the toliet entrance. She wipes her tongue against her lips in a harsh drag,  was like a drought and it was no smooth passage down her esophagus. felt rough. She wishes she didn't have to be so stubborn, but she is where she is.

"Look, Seul, I'm probably just going to go and sleep, wake up and hope I don't vomit anything else." Wendy says groggily, standing up to grab a blanket. She knows Seulgi has a midnight shift later so she doesn't want to keep the latter for too long.

"Hmm, kay. You have to call me if something happens okay! I called your mom and told her about what happened and she called you a foolish koala; which I agree with, may I add. She's thankful that you're okay! She said that theres this video on youtube she remembers watching about a koala swimming across a river tagged as 'a rare sight', yeah she said that sounded like you. Then she said you were a foolish potato because child, you aren't that koala last we checked..."

"What the.. Seulgi, I'll call my mom later. Thanks for telling her, you're the best!" Wendy manages to say. She was at a little loss of words because her mom and Seulgi always go on about the most unusual things, last time they spoke about how bear cubs are born blind and it takes several weeks before they can start to use their eyes. She doesn't really mind, though she is curious about one other thing, "Do you have the link to that koala video?"

"Er, I think she just searched 'koala swimming' and she saw you. I mean a koala swimming." Seulgi said before giving Wendy a hug, a pat on the , a tap on the head and then just before exiting, "Don't be difficult! Goodluck tomorrow, don't push yourself!" Then she rode off on her motorcycle.

Wendy chuckles over Seulgi's protective nature before setting off to get her things prepared for tomorrow. She was somewhat slow and sluggish and even her head seemed to be pounding but she couldn't tell since it was a rather numb tickle across her forehead. also felt dry and hoarse that even practicing her introductions in front of the mirror presented her with such a poor performance that she began to worry about how tomorrow would go. She went to bed with anxious thoughts. She drifted, awake in the pounding of her mind until the moon slowly tucked her in.

Wendy later awoke with a fever. Her head was burning to her delight. Great, she mutters. She pushes herself up, rising in a daze to her alarm. She drags her limp limbs to the bathroom. She massages her cheeks with a groan and stares at her contrastingly pale coloured reflection. She begins to feel the chills and shivers into her arms. She should have brought her blanket with her. She slumps on the floor of her toilet because her muscles ache. She stays crouched in a foetus position, thinking. Should she go to work or call in sick? Won’t they think she’s unserious though? Won’t they think she’s weak and incapable for not being able to make it to her first day. Her first day of work of all days she couldn’t even make? Wouldn’t they find that strange? Would they fire her because she made a bad first impression or well, no impression at all, because she couldn’t even make her first day at all? Wendy cries out into her knees in frustration.

A/N: Ahh when do wendy and irene meet dhkjsalhfajh

PS: Omg I keep editing around, please bear with me <(_ _)> I can't help it uwu;