Irene decided that sooner or later, she had to look for another neighbourhood without a gruelling hike. She hated going home to a climb every time. Sure, the prospect of finally resting after a tiring day was very inviting but the hike that she had to do every day was a pain.

 

She can feel her joints ache as she takes another step on her walk upward the hill.

Her growing age didn’t help the problem— she groaned at that thought.

 

The cold air draped the silent November night. She just came back from drinking with some friends from work. They often do this especially on Friday nights like that one but she never really goes all out because she drives and it’ll be hard to get home alone. Still, the alcohol that she did manage to take was clouding her head ever so lightly. She was teetering and her steps were uneven.

The walk to her boarding house was a treacherous journey. Her neighbourhood was located on a hill. Steep stairs and slopes are part of Irene’s usual journey. It was a pain but the people around the area were typically nice and courteous. She may be welcomed by a brat in the form of her landlord’s daughter at the end of the day, but she legitimately liked the people there.

Streetlights guided the path that she needed to take. It was not surprising that there were no living things in plain sight; it was almost 1:00 am in the morning. She was thankful that it was the weekend because she was pretty sure that she’ll be out cold up until noon. Just the thought of a lazy day made Irene hurry with her walk; she can’t wait to sleep in her new sheets which smelled like the new brand of fabric conditioner that she was eyeing and impulsively bought at the store the other day.

 

But before she could reach the final corner, she was abruptly stopped.

 

“Hey there little kitten” a breath that carried the stench of the dead said. When Irene turned to look, she was cornered by three men who seemed to have come from a drinking session like her.

 

Tch.

How bothersome.

 

The drunken girl stared them down for a moment and then shook her head in condescension. She turned her heels and started to walk away but she was again rudely stopped when one of the guys held her arm. He pulled a bit harshly which made Irene wince and face him.

“Yah! You better answer when we’re talking to you!”

“We just want to ask you to eat and drink m’lady~~ what’s the rush?”

“Then after we can GET SOME”

 

Now in most cases, Irene might’ve been scared senseless or ran away for her dear life. But she was slightly intoxicated so the spirit of alcohol was taking control of her inhibition, giving her some sort of push in the thoughts at the back of her mind.

 

Irene stared at them then clicked her tongue. She raised a finger and wagged it in front of them.

“YAH! Why would I answer you guys?” she pointed her finger at the guys who were now looking a little intimidated, “Are you my teacher for me to answer you?!”

 

Silence.

 

Okay, maybe Irene was a little more intoxicated than we thought...

It was her own fault for relying too much on Joy’s schemes when it comes to drinks. She makes a mental note to reprimand her younger co-worker on Monday.

 

“And you sir!” she prodded her finger at the chest of the second guy, “The only thing that you should be eating and drinking tonight are a bunch of BREATHMINTS and MOUTH WASH because holy cow does your breath stink!!”

The two guys looked at each other rather embarrassingly. One of them sneaked a puff of breath in his hands and sniffed it. His expression tells him that Irene was not lying.

“And as for you!” her voice was loud and slightly slurring at this point. “You’ll be GETTING SOME of these hands when I punch your lights out if you don’t let me go. Mind your own business. Dang!” She raised both of her fists in front of her and even made a jabbing motion. When no one answered, she playfully blew them a kiss as if teasing them more and started to walk again.

 

But they were not that easy to get rid of.

 

One of them held Irene’s shoulders to prevent her from getting away. The guy with the bad breath blocked her way and the other one faced him; the amount of annoyance was painted across his face. He was way taller than Irene so he had to stoop down a little to meet the girl’s gaze. Irene looked at the other way.

Well damn.

“Look” he started. He held Irene’s chin in his gloved hands and turn her face towards him. She tried to resist but the guy holding her shoulders tightened his grip. “We just wanted to treat you to a nice dinner and maybe hang out a little after, is that too much to ask?”

Impatience was nagging Irene’s head.

“Haven’t I been clear that I DON’T WANT TO GO WITH YOU GUYS?!” she shrieked causing the guy to step back a little. She smirked in satisfaction. However, the guy immediately regained his composure. His eyes grew darker.

“Listen you ” it was his turn to wag a finger; Irene got uncomfortable upon hearing the word. “We’re kinda losing patience here with that mouth of yours. Now, you can just come with us politely or we just have to drag you around if we had to.”

As soon as he said that, he brandished a small pocket knife from his jacket. His cronies started snickering and jeering.

 

Well, that may be it for Irene. She had a pretty good run. One of her regrets was probably not trying all of the fabric conditioners in the world. She might as well get stabbed right there on the spot than agree to go with them.

 

It might be the alcohol’s work when she found her left leg kicking the crotch of her taller assailant. The guy lost balance and fell over. Irene thought that that was her chance but it was still three against one and the guy wasted no time on getting up.

 “That’s it. I could still do with some scratches. Shame to do it on your pretty face though..” His eyes glinted maliciously as he raised his hands. Irene closed her eyes and waited for something to connect with her face.

What a crummy day.

 

But it didn’t come.

 

Instead, she heard a shrieking sound followed by a skid then a loud thud. When she opened her eyes, she saw the guy in front of her on the ground kneeling in pain; but he was not alone. Beside him was an upturned bike with its wheels still spinning; a girl whose hair was held in a messy bun was massaging her backside.

“Are you okay ahjussi?” the girl asked. The man’s friends also knelt beside him and helped him on getting up. There was a cut on his right leg and Irene saw the pain in his eyes when he tried putting on some weight on it.

“The hell?! Of course I’m not!”

“I’m sorry ahjussi... My brakes gave in halfway down the cliff” she pointed at the direction where she came from. That wasn’t a rare occurrence in the area. Steep hills and narrow ways comprised their neighbourhood.

“I’m really sorry” the girl said in a panicky voice and bowed some more. One guy pointed at her and flashed that god awful smirk again. They whispered something and nodded amongst themselves. Looks like they found another victim and Irene was too hammered to even warn the girl.

“Why, it’s okay now that I think about it. I just REALLY need to be assisted to the hospital” the guy flashed a cunning smile.

“Of course, of course” the girl replied eagerly.

“Oh, she’s with us” captain bad breath pointed at me as they were standing up. “She’s my girlfriend he-he.”

The girl turned to Irene.

She was probably younger than her; she was wearing some rather plain clothes. Her eyes, which were sort of small and squinty, are behind a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. Under the pale light of the streetlamps outside, her bare faced offered a fresh breather away from the three thugs. Irene was about to say something when the girl’s eyes widened and she gasped in shock. The guys looked at them both.

“U-u-unnie!!!!” the girl said.

What was happening?

“Unnie?” one guy said uncomfortably, “Y-you know this girl?”

The girl who rammed him with a bike nodded furiously then raised a finger to point at Irene who was still standing still on the pavement looking extremely confused.

“S-she’s my unnie! She’s been missing for weeks!!”

Meanwhile, the three guys looked at Irene baffled. Irene just shrugged. They probably figured that it would work for their own schemes so they put on a heroic stance as if they rescued a whole city from a fire. 

“Really? Is there a reward?” the tall guy asked but he quickly added, “Not that we’re curious and all. Just asking he-he.”

The girl nodded her head again.

“Well then” the thugs’ grin widened even more. “Sha-“

At that time, the alcohol was really getting to Irene so she wasn’t really sure if she was imagining things that were currently happening. The thugs were about to say something when the girl put a hand on Irene’s shoulder and started to rub her eyes. All of a sudden, she was whining and bawling her eyes out.

“Unnie!!” she wailed. That kinda woke Irene’s senses and she started to awkwardly pat the girl’s back who continued to sob.

“I-I’m sorry... I r-really don’t know you” she said which made the crying even louder.

“Wait a second-“one guy protested. But before he can say anything else, the crying girl faced them with a tear-stained face.

“Sh-she--“ she stuttered, “She’s an alcoholic... She’s been in and out of rehab for a couple of years now and--“

“Wait what?!” the guys interrupted.

The girl nodded and continued.

“She’s a really violent drunk... The doctors even prescribed her some meds which she refuses to take..” The girl faced her again and her eyes were red from crying. She still doesn’t have any clue on what kind of bizarre setup was happening.

“I still think you have the *hic wrong--“

“Shhhhhhhh” the girl interrupted her and put a finger on her lips. “Of course you can’t remember. You’ve taken too much medicine for your own good... I’m sure you’re in a very great deal of pain right now... I’m sorry for letting you get lost unnie...”

She wiped the tears on her cheeks and faced the drunk men who were now sporting sad looks in their eyes.

“We better get you to the hospital... We’ll come with you” she muttered to the guys who were still touched by Irene’s apparent back story. But it looks like that they were still determined to take the girls out despite of that factor. They offered an arm to the girl who held Irene. Irene wasn’t sure if she was imagining it but she thought she heard the girl clicked her tongue and mumble something under her breath. Before they start to walk, the girl let out a tiny gasp.

“Ahjussi your leg looks pretty nasty” she said, pointing at the cut that her bike left on the guy’s leg; she kneeled in front of it to get a closer look.  All of their eyes looked at the wound. It wasn’t really that big Irene thought. The guy liked the attention that he was getting though.

“Uwa~” the girl said. “Ahjussi it looks really bad...”

“It kinda hurts that bad too..”

“Looks like a bad case of meningococcemia” she mused.

“Yeah and- wait what?!” his faced was suddenly alarmed at the mention of the weird and unfamiliar word.

“Well... It’s a case of excessive bleeding due to infection caused by unclean metal.” She gestured at her bike which upon closer inspection was a little worn out; its chain and spokes are rusty. Their eyes widened. “If not taken care of properly, it may lead to amputation...”

All of them gasped including drunk Irene.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry” she picked up her bike and added, “My trusty bike can zoom you the hospital in a speed of light!”

“Wha-“

“Ahjussi we really do have to hurry.. Your leg is not looking that hot” she patted the seat behind her bike offering the man a ride. He just shook his head.

“I ain’t riding that devil bike! It’s the one that gave me this!”

“But-“

“You two!” he pointed at his friends who were as worried as him. “Take me to the hospital! Hurry!” They obliged and each took one of his arms to help him walk. They completely forgot about Irene and started to walk off.

“But what about the reward? And help on the wound I gave you?” the girl yelled at them. They managed to look and just waved a hand in the air.

“Don’t mind that! We don’t care anymore!” one of them yelled back. “Just don’t report the incident and we’re even! Take care of that drunk unnie of yours!” And they scurried away. They waited until their silhouettes were completely gone when the girl turned to look at Irene. She greeted her with a smile.

“Are you okay?” she asked as soon as the thugs were gone.

Irene stared at her for a moment.

She can see the playful grin on the girl’s face and how she genuinely looks concerned for Irene’s well being.

 

That’s all Irene could remember before she barfed all over the girl.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Irene went to work that Monday with a weird headache that she just can’t sleep off.

Apparently, the girl brought her to her address; how she knew where she lived beats Irene. Yeri, the brat daughter of her landlady, reluctantly aided the girl in bringing Irene inside and was instructed to give her some medicine and a change of clothes. Irene woke up at past three in the afternoon and that’s when her other housemates related what happened. She got lucky that someone saw her they said.

She didn’t see the girl again even on the following day.

 

Actually, she was fuming on what happened that night.

Partially due to the reason that her favorite blazer got severely messed up due to her barf but mainly because of that nosy girl. She remembered everything but she had a hard time processing what happened.

 

Who does she think she is?! Calling me a drunk unnie with a bad case of alcoholism.... And what’s up with the rehab part?! I’ve never been to a rehab! Tch. I didn’t really need her help! I was managing just fine on my own!

 

“What’s with the long face?” Joy asked when she went near Irene’s cubicle. Impulsively, Irene threw the nearest object that she could find at Joy; in that case, it was a box of paper clips. Colorful pieces of metal littered everywhere paired with Irene’s dagger stares.

“Hey! What was that for?!” Joy indignantly asked.

“I almost got mobbed because of your god awful alcohol concoctions last Friday!”

“E-Eh?! You almost got mobbed?! A-are you okay?”

Irene related the story to her. Joy listened intently and even gasped at certain parts. When she finished, almost all of their co-workers were listening. Irene left out most parts that included the girl because she wasn’t really sure if she was even real or not.

“Still unnie” Joy stared at Irene as she finished her story, “It’s still kinda your fault for getting too wild with alcohol.”

“Yeah... Alcohol that YOU mixed yourself!” Irene snapped back. She was about to chuck a stapler at the younger girl’s direction when a hand stopped her from doing so.

“Yah you two! Why is it that when you’re talking, the workplace seem to turn into a boxing ring?” Wendy said while taking the heavy stapler from Irene which gave Joy the opportunity to dash off. Irene gave Wendy a big frown.

“You tolerate her too much!”

“And you let her get to you more often than you think!” Wendy ruffled Irene’s hair. “She’s younger than us you know?”

“Tch.”

Wendy let out a hearty laugh. Her eyes travelled to Irene’s computer which was on some sort of medical website. Upon closer inspection, she saw that her co-worker was looking at a certain illness. Puzzled, she looked at Irene who was still pouting.

“A-a-are you sick?” she asked.

“What? No!”

Wendy heaved a sigh of relief before looking at her friend again inquisitively.

“Wait... Then why are you searching for-“ she looked at the screen and read the word that was flashed, “m-meningococcemia? Is that right? Is anyone sick?”

Irene shook her head and grumbled.

“Nothing...”

“Really? You’re gonna try to hide something from me?”

“Wannie..”

“And here I thought were friends” Wendy stood up and started to walk away but Irene grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

“FINE! Ergh. You guys are so goddamn nosy”

Wendy snickered and let Irene talk some more.

“So basically, you’re saying that you would’ve been mobbed if it weren’t for that girl who tricked them into believing that they have some sort of disease? ”

Irene nodded.

“And this girl did that all to save you and in return you barfed all over her and passed out which led to extra work for her because she was the one who dropped you home..”

“Well I’m not really sure if she really bothered with all that for me... I mean, I think she was going somewhere when she accidentally rammed-“

“Say what now?” Wendy interrupted.

“She rammed one of the guys intimidating me because her brakes gave in halfway down the hill.”

“Dayummmm!”

Irene chuckled.

“She gave one of them a cut on the leg” she turned to her computer again and stared at the open article on a disease; she no doctor but she’s pretty sure that a cut on a leg is not a contributor to having it. She crinkled her nose.

“So you plan on looking for her?” her friend pressed on.

“Hmm... Maybe...”

“You’re going to thank her?”

“No.”

Wendy looked at Irene who was picking up the paper clips that were littered around her area. She placed them in its box and neatly put it away in a corner of her desk. When she finished, she met her co-worker’s gaze.

“She saved you... But you’re not going to thank her?”

“Precisely.”

“I didn’t know that you’re that rude Bae Irene” Wendy raised her eyebrows on her friend. “You do know that you owe her for saving your drunk .”

“But I didn’t need any help!” Irene responded, throwing her arms in the air. “I was doing fine on my own!”

“The way you told us proves to be the opposite”

Irene clicked her tongue.

“Are there any other reasons on why you’re so pent up on this?” Wendy asked cautiously; she can feel that Irene was about to blow up. Irene faced her; her face was as red as a tomato.

“SHE CALLED ME A DRUNK UNNIE WHO’S BEEN TO REHAB IN AND OUT!” the younger girl had to step back a little due to Irene’s loud voice. “The audacity! I’m not a drunkard nor have I been to a rehab of any sort!”

“Geez! Tone down! You have to admit that you usually drink more than you can tak- ”

A fist landed on Wendy’s sorry head.

“Yah! Not you too!”

Their day ended up on Irene being hell bent explaining to Wendy that she’s not a drunkard and chasing Joy all around their workplace because the teasing from her was non-stop. She spent the day defending her actions on what occurred that hazy night lost in alcohol. She wanted to make it clear that she could’ve managed on her own; she wasn’t a drunkard and she’ll repeat that statement a thousand more times just to get it in everyone’s head. She was a woman who can take her alcohol well and can fend for herself. She was a responsible drinker; it was really Joy’s fault for making her drink some foreign (but surprisingly good) drinks. She didn’t need the help of no stranger.

 

But the girl that called her drunk and inevitably did help her invaded her mind more times than she probably wanted to admit and there’s no way that she’ll tell that to her friends.

She just had to avoid getting drunk to prove her point; that’s not too hard.

 

*~*~*~*

 

But Wednesday night came and it didn’t help her case at all.

As she was strolling down the shopping district to buy some snacks for Yeri (as payment for helping her when she’s half passed out), she met an old colleague from college. Turns out, the month old post from their FB group which she blatantly ignored was for a get together that very same night. One chit chat and gossip led to another, next thing she knew, she was lounging in yet another bar with a very intoxicating drink in one hand.

So much for being a responsible drinker.

Her point will be harder to prove now.

Now, she has to yet again attempt to go home without running into some sort of trouble or at least without falling over. Unlike the other time though, she managed to at least know whatever she was drinking. Still, it didn’t prevent Irene for drinking one too much of almost everything. Her head was feeling like it was both in the clouds and as if it had two hydraulic presses were held against her temples. The familiar feeling of puking out was forming at the back of .

Her legs felt heavier as she stared at the walk back home. She was swaying with every step and her vision was a little clouded.

 

It was a flashback of her Friday night.

It was even complete with thugs to interrupt her night.

 

“Hey beautiful, want to come with us and have a good time?”

 

Gaddamnit.

As drunk and tired she was, Irene knew that this was the opportunity that she was waiting for to prove to Wendy and Joy that she can handle herself even when she's alone. She was drunk but she had a point to prove and that basically was enough to make her over-competitive spirit tingling.

She turned with one finger in front of her face. But before she finish whatever she was trying to say, she was faced by a giant. Irene was relatively small (though she rarely admits it) compared to others. But the man that in front of her that night was -at the very least- seven foot tall.

She wished that she was exaggerating. The courage she had earlier seemed to have drained completely out if her system.

The guy smirked.

Tch.

Now she's really done it.

The man started to lean in and Irene could do nothing but grip her hands so hard that her nails dug through her palms.

 

"Pringles-ssi~!!! Pringles-ssi~!!!" a voice called out. Both Irene and her captor looked at the direction where the voice came from.

They were welcomed by the sight of a girl- or rather- the same girl who helped Irene the last time. Instead of relief, Irene puffed her cheeks in protest.

Why the heck is she here?! And why does she always conveniently see me while I'm drunk?!

The girl's gaze suddenly arrived at Irene's current predicament; a look of distraught was on her face. She gloomily walked in their direction.

As she neared Irene, she noticed that the girl's shirt was slightly dirty. She was wearing glasses that were place lopsidedly on the bridge of her nose and her messy bun was- well, messier. In her hand were what appear to be....chains?!

"Good evening....." the sadness in her voice was overwhelming. Even Irene momentarily forgot her baseless irritation with the girl. The guy quickly inched a step away from Irene- his eyes darted to the other girl, scrutinizing her from head to toe. The girl had her head down. Irene felt sorry for her for some reason (she still irked the heck out of her though).

"Uh... What can we do for you? We're kinda in the middle of something here." the guy grunted impatiently- there was a hint of worry in his voice though. The girl rubbed her eyes before meeting his gaze. She appeared to have cried because behind her glasses was a red mess. The urge to hug her and to ask what's wrong was growing stronger (Yah! Get a grip of yourself Irene! She didn't even acknowledge you after calling you a drunkard!!!)

"Wh-what's wrong kid?" the guy shifted uncomfortably.

Huh. De javu.

Irene looked at the girl.

Puppy eyes was an understatement on the look on the girl's face.

She looks more like a bear honestly... Like those stuffed ones... Matched with her cheeks and that nose and-

 

Wait what?!

Irene was really drunk.

 

"Pringles-ssi..." she mumbled.

Irene grabbed the plastic bag that she was holding. Did she somehow sense that Irene was harboring some salt infused snacks?! But how?!

"M-m-my dog..." she continued. "He's been missing since this morning... I've been asking around town the whole day... sniff"

Oh. That explains the chains. Must be her dog's leash.
 

But it seemed like Irene's the only one entranced— uh I mean convinced by the girl.

"What?! You interrupted us because of a stupid dog?!"
 

"I'm sorry ahjussi.."
 

"Darn kid! We haven't seen your darn dog!"

Irene heard a snap in her head.
 

"Yah! That's not very nice! She's just asking a-" but she was stopped by the guy's menacing glare.
 

Silence.

"I-I'm sorry ahjussi" she bowed down. "I'll just leave you and your girlfriend alone..." She can barely make it out but she was sure that the guy's face turned a certain shade of pink.
 

Before leaving, the girl rummaged her pocket and took out her phone. After a few swipes here and there, she nodded and showed a picture to both of them.

On her screen was a humongous looking dog. Irene doesn't know what they're called but she was pretty sure that she usually sees this breed on bomb squads and military operations.

"This is Pringles" the girl related; her eyes indicating yearning for the big dog at the screen of her phone. "He's a 4 year old black Rottweiler. My grandpa from the army used to be his owner before he—“

Irene can't help but feel sorry for the girl.

"Wait a minute... THAT'S YOUR DOG?!" the guy interrupted. The girl just looked at her and nodded.

"Don't worry ahjussi. He's big but he isn't that vicious. Although I vaguely remember grandpa saying that he acts rather violently to people when Pringles senses that they are bad or something... Dunno, probably just some old guys mumbo jumbo." She returned her phone in her pocket. "I asked you guys because he was last seen in this area. I already contacted the local police to help me find him so they're doing rounds all day."

The guys seemed to have whitened out.

"Po-police?"
 

The girl stared at her then nodded.

"My dog is pretty big and I got an earful from the section chief because a dog like that can cause-" the guy didn't even let the girl finished because he dashed off in a speed of light. He almost tripped on one of the downward slopes but he just ran and ran. The two of them watched as he disappeared from view.

After a while, Irene started hiccuping. The girl turned to her and cleared .

"Uhmmm... Are you-"
 

"Your hic dog hic...."

"Pardon?"
 

Irritated, Irene faced her. She just noticed that the girl was slightly taller than her. She jabbed a finger to the girl's chest.

"I'll hic help hic you hic look hic AND THEN-" she slurred and raised her voice, "WE'RE EVEN!"

"Uhh.. Actually I-"

"Nononononono! I will help you hic"

"But I-"

"Nope! I want to hic do it! It'll be hic much easier with hic the two of us hic"

"But you're drunk-"

"I'm" she pushed her finger on the girl's lips to shush her, "NOT drunk okay? Come on!"

The girl had to blink twice. Irene was leaning in a little close to her that she can smell the pungent odor of alcohol. It took her a few seconds before smiling and nodding her head unsurely. Irene gave her a goofy smile that made the girl chuckle.

"But before that Ma'am" the girl startled Irene with her sudden use of honorifics, "Uh.. I just received a text from my younger sister that our dog is seen just near our house. Care to help me look there?"

Irene smirked and gave her a thumb up.

"Where d'ya hic live?"

The girl pointed at the same upward climb that Irene takes every day. She gave her a salute and let the drunk woman drag her by arm as they ascended the slope.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Irene shivered lightly as the wind started to blow once again. They were halfway their hilly neighbourhood and she was slowly coming to her senses; the cold air slightly helped on clearing her mind. She looked at her companion with hazy eyes.

She was surprised when the girl was also looking at her, studying her curiously. When their eyes met, the girl immediately retreated and suddenly became interested with her shoes. The girl didn’t seem to be in a hurried pace because she was matching Irene’s uneven footsteps.

How suspicious.

Wasn’t she supposed to look for her dog or something?

Then Irene stopped in her tracks making the girl do the same.

“Wait a minute.... Aren’t we supposed to be looking for your dog?” she shot the girl a searching look. The girl widened her eyes—she looked flushed. This caused Irene to raise her suspicion. She squinted her eyes at the girl and when she didn’t offer any form of explanation whatsoever, she put her arms in front of her—forming her hands to a karate pose she sees in movies-and glared at the girl. “You’re also one of those hooligans that tried to abduct me, aren’t you?!”

The girl blinked at Irene: half surprised and half amused.

She answers with a grin.

A part of Irene was contented with that smile as answer because that girl’s smile was honestly so pure that you could practically imagine it on some cheesy commercial with rainbows and sunshine. It was enough to make anyone believe that the person in front of her wouldn’t even hurt a fly.

But Irene was drunk so having a normal conversation was basically flushed down a drain.

“Don’t you smile at me!” she waved her karate hands in front of her in the most threatening way a drunk woman can do it. “I can knock you down using a technique that my friend uhhh... Joy-sensei taught me!”

The girl, upon hearing Irene’s drunk rants and threats, immediately raised both of her hands in the air gesturing surrender. Panic was starting to creep to her face.

“I can explain-“

“You better explain fast or I swear I’ll-“, she looked at her hands and remembered the plastic bag containing her snacks for Yeri, “-or I will throw these... uh... N-nails at you!!!!”

“Nails?!”

“Yes!”

Irene expected the girl to start running but she remained glued to where she was standing and bowed down so deep that Irene thought that her forehead reached the pavement. The girl put her hands together and started explaining without looking at Irene.

“I-I just thought that you needed the help! Honest! I-I live near and I just happened to pass you by!” She looked at Irene with eyes that looked like they belonged to a kid confessing to their crimes. “You looked like you were being bothered by that man and I remembered what happened last time-“

She paused and hurriedly looked at Irene again, eyes bulging.

“Sorry about that too!” she wailed. “You were drunk that time and the guys around you that time were pretty intimidating... I was just worried...”

Irene hanged her head to the side. She had a hard time processing whatever the girl in front of her said. She didn’t break her gaze at her.

“You mean to say that-“, she paused for a second and furrowed her eyebrows at the girl, “-you... accidentally rammed your bike at that guy to help me?”

The girl hesitated at first.

“Yeah... Sure...’Accidentally’” she averted her gaze and laughed nervously.

Irene was still not convinced so she pushed the girl a little more.

“Are you some kind of stalker? Do you have some weird with drunk women littered in the streets? How did you know where to spot me? How the heck did you know where I lived?!”

“I’m not a stalker!” the girl hurriedly explained. “I recently moved near your house and I know one of your housemates. She’s the one who helped me get you in-“

“Which housemate?”

“Yeri...”

Irene took out her phone and quickly dialled the number of Yeri-she did that without taking her eyes off the girl. After about three rings, Yeri picked up the phone.

 

[ Unnie? Where are you? Mom’s been pestering me ever since- ]

“Yah!” Irene caught her off.

[ Geez unnie... Don’t shout at this ungodly hour! Also, you reek of alcohol, dang. The smell can reach my nose from here! ]

“HA-HA-HA.  Stop being such a smartass. I thought you said you don’t know the person who took me in last time?”

[ Huh? ]

“You’re really gonna make me say it?”

[ I don’t really know what you’re talking about unnie~ What happened last time?~ ]

Irene rolled her eyes and peeked at the girl. She was embarrassed for some reason and Yeri being stubborn wasn’t helping.

“The one where I had puke all over myself and was passed out” she answered with gritted teeth. “You told me someone took me in and claimed that you didn’t know her- well I’m with her right now and she’s saying that she knows you. Is that true?”

[ Seulgi-unnie? ]

Irene nodded at the direction of the girl. “What’s your name?”

“K-kang Seulgi...”

“I thought you didn’t know her?!”

[ Well I WAS half-asleep by when she dropped you off and I honestly didn’t remember her immediately. But came morning and she went to check on you again and I remembered that she used to be an old playmate of mine before she went to Busan. ]

 

Huh.

She went back to check on me again?

 

[ Unnie? Are you still there? Is Seulgi-unnie with you? Are you getting her drunk?! Don’t do that! Beers are bad for bears! ]

“I’m not drinking at the moment geez!”  

[ Yeah right That’ll be the day. Just hurry back! I can’t keep pretending to do homework to have an excuse to wait for you, you know? ]

“Why don’t you do your homework for real then?” Irene started walking and ‘Seulgi’ hesitated again before deciding to walk with her.

[ Cool kids don’t do homework~ Bye granny! ]

Irene clicked her tongue at the screen. She continued to walk without saying another world to the girl. ‘Seulgi’ didn’t seem to mind though. She just continued walking near Irene-making sure that she’s at least two steps behind. Irene wasn’t really sure if she had to thank the girl or something.

She helped me but that STILL doesn’t explain the ‘drunkard unnie’ part!!!

That thought really made her head hot that she almost didn’t notice that she arrived at her gate already. A hand on her arm shook her back to reality. Seulgi stopped her from passing her boarding house. She immediately removed her hand after rousing Irene’s attention.

Silence.

“W-well.. Good night to you” Seulgi casually said. She was about to walk away when Irene stopped her.

“Look-“ she started. “I’ll tell you what I tell my friends. I don’t need any help whatsoever! I’m a grown woman! I can fend for myself.”

Seulgi pressed her lips together and slowly nodded.

“Okay... I’m sorry. I just wanted to-“

“But-“, Irene interrupted. “Thank you still.” She quickly handed the plastic bag to Seulgi. The girl was forced to take it; a look of surprise on her face (because she thought that a stranger giving her a bag of nails was bizarre).

“No problem...” she replied as she was forced to accept the plastic bag.

Silence again.

“I’m gonna go inside now... Stop stalking me or I’ll call the police on you. And don’t wander around at night, geez. A lot of people may take advantage of you.”

“Shouldn’t you be telling that to yourself?”

“Yah!”

“Sorry.. But please do walk on streets with enough lights..” 

“Fine. Whatever.. I know that...” Irene was about to close the gate when Seulgi spoke up.

“May I know your name?” Irene squinted at her suspiciously so she quickly added, “Not for stalking purposes! Just... as a neighbor that’s all...”

Irene paused for a moment.

Who does this stranger think she is?! Just because she ‘sorta’ saved me (twice) doesn’t give her the right to ask my name! And she called me a drunkard! (still fixated on that part huh?) The nerve!

 

“Joohyun”

Then she closed the gate at the girl’s face.

 

~*~*~*

 

Work suddenly flooded their office. Almost every employee has been forced to volunteer to take up some extra time just to finish all the workload; Irene was one of them.

 She sometimes thinks that their boss has some kind of hidden vendetta against her because she got picked on way more frequently than the others. The only flipside to her having extra work is that she can be the one responsible for picking her workmates to stay behind.

Now Joy and Wendy can suffer with her.

“Unnie!!! Why can’t you just pick Wendy-unnie? She loves work more than I do and she actually enjoys getting things done!”

“I’m not out to make her suffer so why would I do that?”

“Then why is she here?” she pointed a pouted mouth at Wendy who was busy fiddling with papers and typing them in her computer. Irene guffawed with Wendy and they shook their heads in unison.

“She’s volunteered because you never do anything! She has to cover for you lazy !”

They continued to bicker some more while the two continued to work (Joy took a nap and downloaded some dramas). When the clock struck at 10:00 pm, the three of them can’t help but stifle their yawns.

“It’s getting pretty late” Wendy mused. “We’ve been working for quite some time, maybe it’s time for us to head out?”

“Wendy-unnie is right, we should get going-“

“You don’t really have a say in this Joy, you didn’t really do anything. I was talking to the elderly that we’re with.”

“Yah! What do you mean elderly?”

They packed their things and went out while laughing at each other.

“Well, the night is still young” Joy turned to her companions. “Why won’t we make the most of it, whaddya say ladies?”

Irene looked at her for a few moments. Joy’s image to her was always associated with beer and drinking. But right now, when she heard the prospect of going out for a few drinks, a certain someone popped in her head.

She hasn’t heard from Seulgi ever since last week when she slammed her gate at the other girl’s face and gave her name; her real name.

She facepalmed herself and remembered her slip up. Only a few people know about her real name and she rarely used it unless with people she’s close with. Irene held her name in a very high regard. So accidentally saying it to a stranger whom she barely knew surprised her more than she wanted to admit.

“Why are you blushing unnie?” Wendy’s voice snapped out of her trance; Joy started to stare at her too.

“Looks like someone has something that she’s not telling us~~~”

“Wha-ha? N-n-no I’m not!”

“She’s stuttering omo. She never does that!”

Irene held her face with her hands. The two curiously looked at her more.

“Yah!” her voice came out rather high pitched. “I’m just-“

“Just what unnie~~” Joy jeered in a sing songy voice.

“Let’s just drink!”

Upon hearing that, Joy cheered and Wendy just snickered quietly. They started to walk ahead of Irene who was left still feeling some warmness in her cheeks. She walked slowly and her mind seemed to wander off at the idea of drinking with her friends.

Maybe that’s what will lure her out. I always see her when I’m drunk.

She slapped herself lightly and shook her head; her mind still on someone whom she’ll probably never admit on thinking about.

 

~*~*~*

 

They went to a karaoke and actually had a pretty nice time.

One time, they accidentally left their door room ajar so when they sung, it can be heard all throughout the establishment. When they finished their rendition of ‘Love the You Lie’ with Irene and Joy as the rapper and Wendy as the singer, a crowd in front of their door and gave them a round of applause— one of the staffs even gave them free food and a membership card on the house.

They finished karaoke night with extra big smiles that night; Joy even volunteered to pay for their cab because she was such a ‘generous friend who saved money on food because of her musical capabilities’.

Irene was the first one to alight the vehicle. The cab stopped at the nearby corner at the foot of the hill where the street was illuminated by the neon lights of the newly erected convenience store. She bid Wendy goodbye and instructed her to take care of their younger friend who was drooling on the former’s shoulder, mouth wide open and slightly mumbling in her sleep.

Unlike the other nights when she went home drunk, she was more aware of her surroundings that night. She stared at the hilly journey that she had to yet embark on that night. Going home drunk has not been that good to her—drawing example from her experiences in the past nights. She took in a deep breath and checked her watch. 

It was 1:48 am.

She may have been stretching the truth out a little when she said that she was entirely fine.

Those last two encounters really left an effect on her. Sure she had that tough facade going on but she really did get harassed during those last incidents; it happened consecutively and a part of her can’t help but be scared.

“Er.... Jo-Joohyun-ssi?” a voice snapped her back to reality. Irene turned to look at where the voice came from but she already knew who it was.

Like Irene said earlier, very few people know about her name.

Just emerging from the convenience store was Seulgi, holding a paper bag in her arms that was overflowing with snacks. There was a look of surprise on the girl’s face. Irene can’t help but feel relieved surprised to see her there.

Then she remembered where they left off the last time. A memory of her carelessly blurting out her real name to a stranger and slamming a metal gate to that stranger’s face vividly filled her head. She got so nervous to what Seulgi will say that she started hiccupping.

Great.

A look of worry immediately appeared on Seulgi’s face.

“A-are you okay?”

“Ye-*hic-es” Irene managed to say in between her hiccupping. Seulgi rummaged the paper bag in her arms and brought out a bottle of water and offered it to Irene.

Irene still doesn’t trust Seulgi (even though she already practically saved her two times) and a part of her wanted to refuse the bottle of water. But since she’s slightly intoxicated, an effect of being parched left dry as a desert. And her hiccupping in front of someone that she barely knew was kinda embarrassing. She reluctantly took the bottle from Seulgi’s hands and drank it. She downed it in one gulp.

“So” the girl in front of her decided to break the silence, “-had another fine night I see?”

“Huh?” her hiccupping stopped fortunately.

“You uhm... went drinking again?”

Irene’s cheeks suddenly felt warm.

“What’s it to you?” she replied haughtily.

“N-nothing! I just think that it’s nice that you always have the time to hang out with your friends, that’s all.” Seulgi looked down and was fiddling with her feet. Maybe Irene’s reply was a little too harsh for the girl.

“W-well, I better get going... Fancy seeing you here” as Seulgi started walking away, Irene was left with a weird feeling in her stomach. She remembered the times where she was either cornered or taken advantage on by those weird men. She felt suffocated-she wanted to call out to Seulgi who just happened to be there in all moments and who just happened to be there when she’s once again, drunk and alone.

She really wanted to call out to her but she was shy for being rude earlier.

Maybe I’ll just walk home alone. It’s already almost two in the morning; I can just order a cup of ramyun and spend the remainder of the night in the convenience store. Yeah. That sounds like a plan.

She sighed. Irene started to walk towards the convenience store when she heard a little shuffling. She looked behind her back and noticed that Seulgi was glued to her spot; not budging and was scratching her nape. Irene shot her a look of surprise and she sheepishly returned her gaze. Slowly, she walked towards Irene. She was probably nervous because she kept on opening and closing but not really saying anything.

“I thought you were going home?” Irene asked.

Seulgi looked at her searchingly; Irene can’t help but feel a little nervous.

“Uhhhhhhh.. What about you?” Seulgi asked.

“M-me?”

“Yeah.. Aren’t you going home or something?”

For some reason, Irene felt as if she was under the heat for something that she hasn’t done. Heat crept up from her neck to her cheeks.

“I was going to buy something first....”, voice trailed off halfway through her half-baked lie. She really had no idea what to say or what lame excuse to tell the other girl. She ended up giving a half-finished sentence.

“Ahhh.”

Silence again.

Irene was sensing that their conversation was getting a little stale and uncomfortable. She knew that she had to act fast in order to not make things more complicated as they are. She was about to open again when Seulgi met her gaze.

There was something in her eyes that just manage to shut Irene up.

“Mind if I wait for you?”

It was a simple request from the girl in front of her but it made something stir inside of her. Irene’s earlier worries and qualms about the journey back seemingly evaporated. Her tense shoulders relaxed and the tight knot in her stomach loosened.

For the first time in their many encounters, Irene made a gesture that was at last fit for the situation.

She managed to give Seulgi a weak smile and a small reply.

“D-do what you want....”

It was a small act compared to what the other girl has given her but Seulgi didn’t seem to mind.

In fact, she gave her usual smile that brimmed with innocence. Irene can’t help but to be a little more relieved; both in terms of the general atmosphere between them going back to normal and Seulgi not having a grudge against her or something for her rude behaviour in their past encounters.

She excused herself before entering the convenience store. Seulgi gave her a nod and in turn plopped down the stairs in front of the store that gave her the opportunity to put down her paper bag and stretch her arms. Irene glanced at her one last time and smiled to herself.

She kinda acts like a kid.

 

*~*~*~*

 

They walked along each other side by side.

Since they don’t really know one other personally, no one said a word. The only sound came from the distant traffic somewhere and the gentle howling of the wind. Irene glanced at her side and looked at Seulgi whose face was slightly covered by the paper bag that she was holding.

Clearly there was something that can be talked about in order to make the walk a little less awkward.

“Need help with those?” Irene mused. She gave being nice towards the other girl for a change this time.

“Oh nonononono! I can manage. Thanks!” Seulgi peeked a little to the left behind her paper bag in order to give Irene a toothy grin.

Well that’s that. She doesn’t want any help

They continued walking a little more. The overall ambiance was not that awkward but Irene can’t help but be a little conscious of herself. For once, this is the first time that she appeared ‘sober’ in front of Seulgi. This is also the first time where she didn’t let her baseless irritation get to her.

It was the first time where she can actually hold a proper conversation with the other girl.

Irene thought about this as an opportunity.

I’ll show her that I’m not some girl who gets drunk often! Then I’ll get that long overdue apology from her for calling me a drunkard!

 Irene was going to say something when she realized that was dry as a desert. She cleared and she faintly tasted the alcohol still lingering on her tongue.

No good. She couldn’t possibly berate Seulgi in her condition.

She didn’t know how but as if on cue, Seulgi pointed at something at the corner of their next turn. It was a rest stop.

“Look! There’s a vending machine right there!” she said rather enthusiastically. Seulgi ran there as fast as her heavy load let her. She puffed some air and gently set her paper bag on the bench beside the vending machine. Irene followed her.

The other girl was already looking at the drinks available. Irene was about to sit down when Seulgi turned to her with a smile and asked, “Do you want something Joohyun-ssi?”

“I’ll get it myself” Irene replied but Seulgi wasn’t having it.

“Don’t be silly! I insist. You gave me that can of Pringles last time.”

Irene remembered their encounter last time and immediately got flustered.

Why did she bring that up? Is she purposely trying to make me feel bad towards her?!

Irene didn’t realize that she may have battled with her thoughts longer than she intended because the next thing she saw was Seulgi holding a can of grape juice in front of her. The other girl was smiling like always and Irene just found herself taking the drink. That made Seulgi smile wider before sitting down at the bench beside Irene. She kept a good distance between them which made Irene relieved for some reason.

“I’ll pay you back” she said. She wasn’t looking at Seulgi. Instead, she was looking at the view in front of them.

The rest stop was located at one of the points in their neighbourhood where they can see this overlooking view of the city near them. The city lights met the dark horizon and provided a nice view. 

Maybe living at this neighbourhood had its perks after all. 

Irene didn’t feel obligated to talk because Seulgi didn’t nag her to do so. She sneaked a glance and the girl sitting beside her was just admiring the view just like her. Her eyes reflected the twinkling lights below them and Irene considered just watching them there.

“You should drink that” Seulgi said snapping Irene back to reality and making her turn her head so fast that she was sure that she heard a ‘crack’. She winced and just nodded in return. She popped the soda can open and let the drink fizzle.

“Grape juice doesn’t really taste that good when it’s not cold” Seulgi added.

“Then why did you bought it?” Irene just can’t seem to control her voice when she’s with Seulgi because her tone just now was kind of cold. The other girl didn’t seem to be fazed though.

“To be honest, I thought that you were going to drink it immediately because I thought that you were still thirsty.” Seulgi scratched her temple and continued, “I mean, you chugged the water I gave you earlier in like 10 seconds.”

Heat crept up Irene’s face. She was kind of embarrassed.

“And to be honest, I bought it because you’re wearing purple...” she mumbled.

That took Irene by surprise and made her laugh uncontrollably. Seulgi bashfully chuckled with her.

“What’s with that reasoning?” she asked in between her laughs.

“Well you didn’t respond on what you actually liked so I just had to make do with the available information at hand.”

“The color of my shirt is considered as information on my desired drink?”

“Well..” her voice trailed off and she meekly added, “I barely really know you so I had to improvise..”

Irene can’t believe that she was talking with an adult and not a grade-schooler. She looked at Seulgi who was trying hard to defend herself and suddenly remembered her agenda.

“So did you improvise back then when you called me a drunk unnie?”

Seulgi seemingly froze on the spot. It took her a few seconds before looking at Irene again.

“So you remember that huh?”

“Well being called a ‘drunkard-who’s-been-in-and-out-of rehab’ was something that really leaves a mark in your brain.” She saw the panic spreading on Seulgi’s face. “Don’t you think?” she smirked.

“Sorry!” Seulgi hurriedly replied while bowing her head down. This took Irene by surprise. She wanted an apology but the other girl didn’t really need to bow down. She was about to tap Seulgi on the shoulders when she started apologizing again.

“I didn’t mean to offend you or anything! I just kinda sorta panicked and I really didn’t know what to do! Errrrr.... you were drunk at that time and the idea just popped in my head. I thought it was kind of funny..” her voice trailed off for a second and she looked at Irene who was furrowing her eyebrows.

“Funny?” Irene repeated in a slightly irritated voice.

Seulgi whitened out and bowed down again.

“It’s not what you think! I would never take light of that kind of situation!” she said in a hurried tone. She was really fumbling over her words and she started to run her hands in her hair in order to calm herself down. “It’s just that when I saw you get cornered, my mind went off in a haze and I had to make an excuse that doesn’t seem too obvious!”

“So you the excuse that you thought off was to call me a drunkard who’s been in and out of rehab?” Irene pressed on further. The turn of events is starting to amuse her and she found Seulgi’s flustered face payback.

“Like I said, I didn’t want to be obvious and I had to say something that can possibly drive them away! I never really thought that they’d be that persistent so thank God I went with my instinct and rammed my bike-“

“Wait, I thought that was an accident?” Irene interrupted.

Seulgi caught herself and look sideways in order to avoid the suspicious gaze of the girl in front of her.

“That’s what I said...”

“No it’s not.”

“Look-“, Seulgi started, to which Irene halted and listened again. “I really am sorry that I called you a drunkard and claimed to know you. I just did what I thought was needed in order to get you out of that situation. I was just trying to help.” She paused a little realizing that she said a word that Irene ranted on the last time they met with each other.

She looked at Irene who was still mum and hasn’t said a thing back.

“Calling you that out of the blue was really rude and uncalled for. I really am sorry-“

“Thank you.”

“H-huh?”

Irene breathed deeply and looked at Seulgi straight in the eye. 

“Thank you for saving my drunk twice... And I’m sorry.... For you know.... A number of things...”

“P-pardon?”

Irene scratched her head in frustration. She chugged down the remaining contents of her juice can.

“Yah! Are you really going to make me say it again?! Can’t you tell that I’m embarrassed already?!” she half screamed. “I can’t believe that an airhead like you managed to help me during those times.”

Silence.

“Soooooo....” Seulgi was looking at the horizon. “You’re admitting that you needed help during those times?”

“Why you little-“

Irene was about to reach for the other girl when she found her face just a few inches from Seulgi’s. Unlike her, Seulgi wasn’t really fazed by their current position.

“You’re welcome” she said while giving Irene her signature eye smile. She stood up and stretched a little. She gave the night view an approving nod and turned to Irene, offering her hand to help the girl to stand.

Irene took it without saying a word.

“Uwaaaa~ that apology really made you a little less hot-headed huh?” Seulgi teased.

“Don’t make me take it back!” Irene chimed.

That made Seulgi laugh for some reason and Irene couldn’t help but to giggle in a little too. They stood there admiring the view for a couple of minutes more before deciding to go home.

“I’m sorry for keeping you later than you intended” the girl carrying her paper bag said as they began to walk.

“Pshhh. I don’t have work tomorrow so it’s okay.” Irene replied. “Besides, this talk of ours really cleared the air between the two of us.”

“Hmmm. You’re right about that” she smiled.

“It really proved that you’re a bad liar and a lame excuse maker”

“Y-yah! What makes you say that?! And here I thought that you change and held me as some kind of hero for helping you TWICE.”

“A hero wouldn’t use the wrong disease as an alibi!” she triumphantly said just as they reach the front her boarding house. It took a while for Seulgi to get what Irene meant. When she finally did she narrowed her eyes at Irene; her face sporting a shade of red.

“Meningococcemia? Right?”

“I panicked okay?” Seulgi replied while looking down. She didn’t dare meet Irene’s face.

“Yeah right. You’re lucky that none of them knew what you were talking about. Why on earth did you say that of all the available diseases out there?”

Seulgi was still looking down and was playing with her feet when she answered.

“I just blurted out something from a pamphlet that I’ve seen in a clinic somewhere.. It sounded pretty scary..”

Seriously. How on earth did someone like Seulgi save Irene.... Twice....

Irene can’t help but give her a smile.

“Well, it worked. It did scare the heck out of them.”

Seulgi turned to look at her and gave her a sheepish smile.

“It sure did, right?!”

They chuckled a little more.

“Well, I should head in” Irene said, gesturing at the gate behind her. “It was nice talking to you Seulgi. I’m glad that I finally got to thank you properly.”

“Me too.  I’m glad that my image of being a stalker is cleared out.”

“Well, I didn’t say anything about that”

“Yah..”

Irene smiled.

“Good night Seulgi”

“Good night to you too Joohyun-ssi~”

The taller girl bid her one last good night before entering the house literally next door. Irene stood there for a couple minutes more; she was having a hard time biting back the smile that was written all over her face. She was sure that she was forgetting something important.

Huh? I forgot to tell her to call me Irene instead of Joohyun.

She looked at the now closed gate of Seulgi’s home.

It would be too weird to knock just to say something as simple as that in the middle of the night when they literally just bid each other good night.

She sighed and shook her head.

I’ll tell her some other time.

Irene finally entered her boarding house and for some reason, she was feeling chirper and more relaxed than usual. Actually, having Seulgi call her ‘Joohyun’ instead of ‘Irene’ was not bothering her than she makes it out to be.

 

She didn’t admit it but she’s actually glad that someone like the girl next door was calling her by her real name.

 

It made her feel something that she can’t really explain.

 

 

---

A/N:

Was it long? It was, wasn't it?
I'm sorrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy~

Please bear with me some more :D