I will just keep my earlier rant as it is at the below. Sorry for the long wait, my dear readers.

Thank you so much for the readers who commented beautifully and made my day!!! You gave me the strenght to continue and I will try my best to finish the story. ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

This chapter wasn't really up to my satisfaction but I promise I will do better for the next ones. Work interrupted so it also affected my emotions so it was a bit difficult. ಠ⌣ಠ

Whatever you do, I wish for all the best of luck in your life and goals! 

And yeah, let's keep cheering for (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞ Irene&Seulgi's Monster! 

Now, Enjoy! (づ￣ ³￣)づ

_________

Falling back into routine of hanging out with Irene was easier that Seulgi expected.

In fact, way too easy. 

"Have you tried this Bulgogi?"

"Huh?", Seulgi looked up from her phone and a spoon full of beef and rice was instantly shoved into . And Irene just continued to eat her lunch like nothing happened out of ordinary. 

It became like a regular thing for them. They would meet and have a meal together three times a week at the university. And it was safe. 

Having a meal between classes meaning Seulgi didn't need to be concerned about talking too much. Irene would eventually head for the class so it was within the capacity that she felt confident. 

Now that 's full of beef and rice, she just continued to be confident. Irene had always been caring and affectionate. 

"Is that the ready made one?" Seulgi peeked over at her lunch box, the smell of Korean meal entering her senses. 

"Yeah, Jennie brought a few for me when she visited. And I miss having proper Korean meal." Irene pouted as she looked around the canteen.

"Why not? There's a lot of good Korean restaurants here."

"Hell no. They're so expensive and I can have three meals for their price back in Korea."

"But we're not in Korean right now and you don't have a choice. You should try out a few places, Unnie."

"Well, I don't want to eat alone." Irene shrugged.

"Don't you have friends?"

"We're not that rich like you, Seulgi-ssi."

"Yah! How about Jennie?"

"Jennie does bring us to the BBQ buffet whenever she's in the city. But other than that, the branch also has a budget cap so we stick with instant coffee and a dollar pizza most of the times."

That was expected, especially if the branch is newly opened so the company doesn't usually put more expense to meet the targeted figures. 

"And my roommates don't also want to spend that much on food so we usually just cook in the weekends and prepare for the week."

"You? Where do you usually eat with your 'dinner companions'?"

Seulgi rolled her eyes at Irene's choice of words, "Believe it or not, I usually eat alone. But I eat with my cousin during the weekends. And she makes delicious muffins."

Irene eyes lit up, showing her interest,"Now I want to meet her. Does she have Instagram? Facebook?"

"She does but it's private. And she doesn't even use it that much."

"More than you, I'm sure."

"No, she only use Facebook for Messenger and Instagram just because she logged in accidentally using her Facebook."

"Wow, you both are strange."

Strange, indeed. The girl left her home in her own accord to achieve her goal. 

"I hope to meet her in person."

"You'll be surprised."
 

____

 

When Wendy suddenly popped up besides her, Seulgi was reading Mark Lee's documents that he emailed her stating his wishes if Seulgi wanted to be a part of the business. 

"Need any help?"

Seulgi shook her head as she continued to read, "Maybe you can give Mark Lee a call to tone down his childishness a bit?"

"You know I can't. "Wendy laughed. Mark Lee may seemed as a standoffish but the guy's intelligent and genuine. And she'd love to see how Seulgi will convince Mark that she could only be their sleeping partner in the beginning stages of their business. 

"Cruel." Seulgi pouted as she glared at her cousin through her glasses. 

Wendy snickered as she nudged at Seulgi playfully. She looked down at her phone and it was around 8:30 in the night. 

"You're not going out tonight? "

"No" Seulgi responded, "I'm not in the mood besides I need to finish this and get back to him."Seulgi gestured at the papers. 

Then Seulgi's phone suddenly vibrated and Wendy immediately saw who texted. 

She shouldn't really be surprised. Seulgi had been more active than usual, more attentive of the clothes she wear to school and less going out since the say she met with Irene again. 

Wendy let out a soft sigh of defeat, getting Seulgi's attention. "How's the relationship with your sunbaenim?"

"It's fine. Nothing for you to worry about."Seulgi responded calmly. 

"I hope so. I can't handle my blood pressure well."Wendy scoffed and replied sarcastically.

"I know my limits, Wendy." 

"Don't deny it, Seul. You got it bad." Wendy pointed out, "You haven't slept outside for two weeks straight, have you noticed?"

"Isn't that a good thing?"Seulgi argued weakly, "You have been telling me to stop my habits."

"Oh, I hope for god it does."Wendy snorted, "And I hope you don't jump to another train of bad habits of yearning for impossible."

Seulgi just glared at her and picked her papers and stood up. She then went past her cousin, heading straight to her room, locking her door shut and jumped on her bed. 

Seulgi groaned suddenly feeling pathetic, rubbing her face in exhaustion. 



_______


It’s a Friday night and after a particularly busy week doing her assignments and her work,Seulgi was more than ready to dress up and mingle and have fun.

But she had more pressing matters to do.

A yawning face of Park Sooyoung greeted her as she opened her FaceTime. 

“Can you act as your name in the morning, Park Joy-ssi?” 

“You make me wake up early in the morning to have a video call with you on frigging Saturday morning!”

Seulgi just shrugged and tried to decrease her urge to take a few screen-shots of make-up bare and grumpy face of Park Sooyoung. 

"It's weird you making an appointment to call me."

Seulgi nodded and sighed, "I know. But I needed to make sure you're available."

"Why? Did you get STDs?"

"My god, NO." Suelgi shrieked and horrified," And why would I even get it?!"

"No telling with you and your one night stands. You might have even had threesomes."

"Eww, no. And it's been a while since I even got some."Seulgi scoffed.

“So you’re not going to make out and sleep with strangers tonight?”

Seulgi rolled her eyes as she shook her head at Sooyoung’s teasing question. 

"Why didn't you tell me that you've met with Irene-unnie?" Seulgi went straight to the point, her main agenda of calling Sooyoung. 

Sooyoung's smile disappeared, instead she raised an eyebrow. 

"So you guys have met."

"We are practically studying in the same university! Thanks for the heads up by the way."Seulgi said bitterly.

"I hoped you guys won't even cross paths."

"Well, I have and since when did you meet her?"

"Last year at one of the fashion shows. She was with Jennie."

"You didn't even think to tell me?"

"Let's face it. Would you actually want to know?" Sooyoung pointed out,"Besides, Irene-unnie seemed to be normal. So I think you should move past it."

"I am."

"I hope so, for your sake. How is it, meeting her?"

"We have lunch together at school."

"You're not getting any because of her?"

"It's because I am busy!"

Sooyoung scoffed. "Maybe tell that to your nosy cousin of yours but that doesn't work on me."

"She still hates you by the way. She had to change her number."

"Sorry, not sorry."Sooyoung stuck out her tongue, relishing in her victory. Wendy left a few scathing voice messages before blocking her on Facebook. 

She was like a cute little squirrel.

"I'll tell her you said that."

"She also blocked me on Instagram."

"Oh, I didn't know you guys are mutuals."Seulgi teased and Sooyoung started to blush.

"You're changing the subject. Don't even think of doing anything stupid, Kang Seulgi." Sooyoung squinted her eyebrows.

"Don't even dare to."Seulgi plainly replied. 

"And you need to hear the truth." Sooyoung huffed as she started to sit straighter,"I'm gonna tell you very honestly as your friend."

"Uh...aren't you doing that already?" Seulgi pointed out.

Sooyoung ignored her ans started to speak, "You're sleeping around while you're playing these games with Sunmi-unnie whom you haven't even hanged out with for a year.You really need to find yourself back instead of losing it." Sooyoung had the most serious look on her face and Seulgi knew her friend wasn't joking around. 

But Sooyoung just had to talk in Sooyoung's way, even when she was giving suggestions. Seulgi rolled her eyes mentally.

"You've lost your mojo. Get out and get a real official girlfriend."Sooyoung continued to rant,"Your parents aren't there, your cousin's covering your and you're hot as hell."

"It's been years and she's very beautiful, I get it. But she's just a GIRL and I thought you prefer what's beneath."

Seulgi grew quiet, trying to digest as Sooyoung rambled on. She wasn't wrong. Irene's just a girl. And she's not the only one who's beautiful and Seulgi had seen many girls who could be even considered more beautiful.

Yeah, Irene's just a girl. 

And she's just one of the many. 

_____



"Why are you smiling?"

"Huh?" Irene looked up at her screen and saw her sister's eyes looking at her dubiously. 

"I said I failed my exam and you're smiling like it's Christmas."

"YOU WHAT?!"

"I said I failed my midterms. No biggie because there's supplementaries." Bae Yerim shrugged. 

"Bae Yerim" , Irene scolded, "This is the second time you have to sit for supplementaries in a year! What did mother say?"

"The usual."Yeri shrugged and grinned. "But that's not important. Why were you smiling?"

"Huh?", Irene blinked. 

"I know that you are smiling not because I failed. Found someone?"

"I did not."Irene denied immediately. That was the truth. But why was she blushing?  

"You are blushing and you don't blush." Yeri pointed out, amused. 

"Don't change the subject. We are talking about your fail grade."

"Now you're so obvious. OH! Who is he? Or who is she?"  Yeri snickered.

"BAE YERIM!"


____

 

Seulgi hates and loves her surname, Kang. 

Kang carried the weight of her father's legacy and her grandfather's legacy. Seulgi had been trying her best to get used to the fact that the sound of her last name mostly decided everyone's fist impression of hers. 

And that it can also bring advantages and disadvantages. 

"What do you mean SEVEN MILLION?!"

"Mother, I didn't even know you both were interested in that company! I don't even have any details!"

"You're making a mistake!"

"We Kangs never do things half-assed. I raised and brought you up when we had nothing. How dare you talk back to your parents this way?!" Her father's voice boomed across her phone as he snatched it from her wife to give a piece of his mind to his arrogant daughter who thinks she knows everything. 

"Father, you agreed verbally for seven million and gave a deposit check. What about the agreement and the termination clauses?" It already pissed her off that she had to hear the news of her parents meeting with a foreign company for one of their hotels restructuring. 

And he immediately agreed to seven millions dollar contract when he berated her to decrease the amount of a hundred thousands dollar to twenty-five thousands for the MOU. (MOU= Memorandum of Understanding, it's usually signed before the main agreement)

"I have been teaching you since you were 5, Kang Seulgi. Business is built on trust. I have to give them a chance that they will do their job.", her father's voice already meant his decision is made and she couldn't do anything about it," I have been doing this before I even get married. And your mother didn't call you to hear your lecture."

Seulgi leaned back in her chair and sighed, feeling lost and irritated. In her work, Seulgi always pushed for effectiveness and efficiency. Even with her parents, she argued it head-on to her point, and now arguments were happening more often. 

That was the