Seulgi's POV

I'm so thankful that Irene will be sleeping at my apartment. Not because of the reasons to be easily misunderstood, I am more terrified of hearing Wendy's lectures than having to endure Irene Bae Joohyun's presence in the house. 

Wendy can be the scariest person on the plant if she wants to, despite her warm-hearted personality and kindness to others. But her wrath usually targets the single person, me.

I can feel her eyes following my every moment the moment I took a seat besides Irene.  We decided to let Irene choose the movie of the night because it was the right thing to do to have the guest feel welcomed.

Luckily, Wendy and Irene seemed to hit it off as Wendy immediately offered her baked muffins to Irene. 

But Irene just had to go and choose the sequel to 'Before Sunrise'.

Before Sunset 

You don't say 

I hear Wendy's scoff of disbelief as I remind myself to count to three to maintain my heartbeat to keep my expression neutral. 

Wendy also can't stand Romantic Movies, saying that it made her skin crawl. 

"Is that okay?" Irene asked Wendy before the movie started. "I wanted to watch this for a long time but I didn't get the chance."

Of course, Wendy said yes. She had no other choice. 

I snicker as I imagine Wendy's constipated expression throughout the movie.Watching the movie tonight will be my second time. I watched it with Sunmi during one of our escapades from the reality. The movies that I used to hold on pedestal became lost in my head. 

It's just a fantasized version of the romance that will never happen in my life. A two-hour entertainment of what could have been.

But a painful squeeze of reminder paired with a strange fluttering of excitement starts to fill my head and my body becomes warmer.It won't do anything good for me in the future. I adjust my seat a bit to have more conscious thoughts. 

"Have you watched the sequel?", Irene nudges me as the opening scene starts to appear. 

My thoughts went back to our sleepover in high-school where I watched Before Sunrise with her on her single bed at her dorm. 

Our bodies huddled together in her blanket, her head on my shoulder as we made a makeshift tent to feel like we were actually camping instead of her old dorm apartment.

"I have."

"Oh"

Irene doesn't say more and I don't elaborate further. I don't feel the need to. 

"-Did you hate me? You must have hated me?" Celine looked so devastated as the revelation that Jesse was indeed waiting for her at the meeting place all these years ago. 

It feels like a Déjà Vu. 

"Have you hated me all this time?"

"No"

"Yes, you have,but you can't hate me now." Celine looked desperate as she tried to look at Jesse who couldn't look at her straight in the eyes. They walk along the streets, catching up on the lost time and the feelings that come with the revelations. 

"No, I don't hate you. C'on,no big deal. I flew over there. You blew things off, I gave up on love and my life's been a big nose-dive, since then but hey, no big deal."

No big deal alright

I roll my eyes and scoff. 

The guy's marriage was in a dumpster because he's still in the past where he met a girl in Vienna for a day. 

A single day.

"Do you not like the sequel?" I feel Irene leaning closer and whispers in my ear. My eyes go wide and I try not to blush as her breath warming my ear. 

"No, it's fine. This one is more realistic.How about you?"

"The first one does give me more butterflies. But this also hits me in the right places because it's so truthful."

Butterflies

Right places

Truthful

I repeat the words in my head as I nod to her comments. I suppose I had never thought of comparing the two movies' progression.If I saw a cover or a post about that first movie, all I could feel was anger or sadness or things I wish to forget. 

So when Sunmi asked what I wanted to watch, I chose this to get it over with. 

That this was just a movie. 

For a long time as the movie progresses between the conversation of the two, I can feel Irene giving me stolen guesses. 

I pretend I don't notice. 

 

"Baby, you ARE going to miss that plane."

"I know."



I wake my cousin up as Celine's dancing started to fade into darkness.Despite this is my second time watching, the movie gave me something I'm uncomfortable with feeling tonight. 

The piano sounds of Nina Simone's song rings in my ears as Wendy bid Irene good night before I drag her to her bedroom. 

She seriously doesn't have a romantic bone in her body and it needs to be fixed.

"Don't do anything stupid." Wendy warns me again in her quiet voice. I roll my eyes and nod. 

I look at her straight in the eyes before she closes the door. "Trust me."

And she does. 


I go back to the couch where Irene is folding the blanket. I reach over her hand to stop her actions. 

"It's fine, Unnie. You can leave it. I will be sleeping here tonight."

"Oh no. I should be the one who's sleeping here" Irene says genuinely contrite. She bites her lips, her eyebrows squinting together. 

She really feels guilty about it. 

"No, Unnie. I really don't like you sleeping here. My bed is comfy." I slowly tug her wrist to press on my request. 

She looks up to me and our eyes meet, and I can feel our intense silent exchange. But I act like it doesn't matter. 

It can't matter.

She sighs heavily one before dropping the blanket back to the sofa."Okay, I'm really grateful."

I smile at her as she reaches for the helm of Wendy's pajama shirt and play with it. 

"I hope you enjoyed the movie, Unnie."

"It was nice. But it would have been better if I wasn't only the one surprised with the ending."

I feel though as I've been shoved, suddenly feeling alarmed as she looks up at me with those eyes.Thousands of emotions I used to wish to unravel.I slowly straighten up as I look  back at her calmly, amused smile on my lips. 

"Wendy also hasn't seen it, Unnie."

She smiles back but her eyes are not displaying that smile. "Have you seen the final one?"

I shook my head. "You want to watch it with me?"

I do feel like I have to make up for whatever that I didn't do.   

She shakes her head as she contemplates. "Not yet, not now."

She stares at me as she tilts her head slowly to the right, her smile curving on her lips as she take a step closer to me. 

I'm suddenly grateful for the intervening years and the girls I have met.

"But when we're actually ready. You watch it with me. Me only."

I hesitate to accept the deal. "What do you mean?"

She just shrugs as she hums, "We're not ready to see how their love story will progress. When it's time, you must watch it with me. I prefer both of us to be surprised."

"Okay" I drawl as I nod to her explanation. I don't really get what she means but I watched a movie tonight that was emotionally taxing for me. And I'm really ready for another one. 

"Promise?" She takes out her pinky finger and I just intertwine it with mine. At least she seems satisfied. 

"Promise."

 

"Thanks for tonight."

Irene stops in front of my door as she turns around to say good night. I smile back in response as I shrug. 

"It's okay. It's nice that you have seen where I live."

"It does."Irene nods and smiles at me. "But I still feel bad about sleeping on your bed while you sleep outside."

I panic mentally at the thought of the possibility of her offering to share the bed. 

"No, it's fine."I shake my head, "I also slept outside when Jisoo got so drunk and I couldn't move her body properly."

"Oh"she mumbles as he she looks down. I keep on smiling as I nudge her arm to go in and sleep. 

We share a brief good night as I go to the kitchen and grab myself another can of beer.I walk back to my bed of the night as I lay down on the couch where a certain lavender scent linger, covering my senses in a certain warmth I use to remember.

You don't forget things just because you want to. 

You just shove it to the back of your mind until it slaps you in the face.

I turn sideways, facing the glass window as I gaze at the night sky of New York City. If I close my eyes, it will Irene that I can see. Just like a few nights in the year where I can hear her voices in my head. 

But nothing compares to her real voice. 

Her soothing, calm voice with the deep soulful gazes.

A bubble of emotion wedge tightly beneath my ribs, the feel of my heartbeats starting to ache. 

Today was good. 

I will remember. 

I will remember not to fall for your soulful eyes that says a thousand stories.

Your gaze that unravels my being. 

Your touches that burns my skin. 

Your lips that haunt me day and night. 

I have had enough of the dreams of you that will never happen along with those haunting nightmares.

More than enough.





Seulgi opened her eyes and saw the starting dawn of New York City that welcomed another day.

_____

Third Person's POV

"WOW! Ladies and Gentleman, applause to Sunmi-ssi for her famous 24 hours dance!"

Loud TV noises greeted as Joohyun opened the door to her apartment she shared with her friends. 

"You're back! Have you had dinner?"

Joohyun nodded even though she knew her friend Kim Youngsun didn't turn away from the television to look at her.

"We still have some japchae in the fridge!" Youngsun's girlfriend, Moonbyul added as they remained engrossed in the tv show. 

"You said before every song contains a part of you. So what does this new song represents? Happiness?"