"Joy-ah, you're Seulgi's friend right?"

Joy felt a stab in her chest at the question because she really hoped it wouldn't happen. Now she was regretting bringing Seulgi to the campus library where Irene worked early in the morning. Seulgi was slow and sometimes even awkward, so she wouldn't have noticed that Irene was interested in her (and probably wouldn't even recognize Irene if she saw her one more time) but Joy knew Irene as the back of her hand after two years of talking to her almost daily. She could see the almost tangible connection made between the librarian and Seulgi, it was obvious

A part of her was screaming that she could lie and tell her that Seulgi had only been an occasional partner in her work team but that was an unbelievable lie because Joy and Seulgi were practically glued together and they were always walking over the campus almost all day. Joy could ignore the question, she could do anything except take Irene to her best friend. Joy knew she didn't have to feel bad and much less angry, she was the only one guilty that this happened because she was such a coward to confess to her unnie. The fear of losing their friendship was great and Joy rather have Irene as a friend a thousand times than a complete stranger. Those were the crumbs that made her happy all the time, everything was fine up to this point

Now that Irene showed clear interest in someone else, Joy was almost giving up. She was almost letting go

"Why do you ask, unnie?"

Right now they were at the library reception. Irene was in charge of checking the books for this week and that meant she was behind the counter almost all day. Joy had come to return a couple of books for her last investigation (but, telling the truth, Joy only came to see her unnie) and as soon as they met they began to talk. Irene leaned over the counter and stared at her, Joy took a few small steps back. Being too close to Irene would make her blush and then she would have to give explanations that nobody had asked for. Looking at her eyes was a deadly trap where she would surely be lost. Irene was a goddess and it was so hard to stay away from that beauty

"I want you to hook me up with her, like a blind date"

Another new stab in Joy's chest. She almost felt the tears in her eyes. Her brain, the rational side, told her she had to control herself because Irene was only her friend and nothing else. What would Irene say if Joy made a world-size scandal with unjustified jealousy?

"I don't know, unnie..."

"Oh come on, Joyie~" Irene whined cutely and placed her own face between her hands in an adorable gesture. "I just want to know more about your friend. Help me, please?"

Joy sighed and then grunted, releasing all the emotional tension that built up within her

"Okay. I'll tell her"

Irene let out a little cry of happiness and jumped in her place again and again. She even caught the attention of some other people in the library

"Thanks! You are the best!"

The college girl just smiled slightly and shrugged as she repeated herself that it was better to have Irene as a friend than not have her at all

---

"Eh? A blind date? Why?"

Seulgi was as confused as Joy expected her to be. She knew that her friend wouldn't take the news well no matter how harmless she is on the outside.

Joy and Seulgi lived together since they started college. They managed to rent a small apartment with two bedrooms just twenty minutes away from the campus and it was enough for both of them, although the only thing that of living there was that their neighbors were disgusting and the smell of garbage was the daily issue. Just now, Joy was lying on the bottom of a worn bunk bed while Seulgi read her class notes at the shared desk they managed to get at a garage sale more than two months ago

“Oh come on, unnie. You could relax a little... lately you have a stick up your , you know? ”

Seulgi turned her head to look at her friend with an annoyed face and Joy just gave her a sweet smile that knew would reach the bottom of her unnie heart. Seulgi let out a big sigh and dropped her head with more force than necessary on the desk, her class notes stuck to her forehead and Joy laughed out loud

"I promise she's a pretty girl"

"It's not the girl" Seulgi spoke in a voice muffled by the papers on her face "I don't have time, Joy. The exams are next week and I have to get good grades or then I'll lose the scholarship and now the only people who are going to put a stick up my will be my parents”

Joy made a face. Among her heartbreak and other work she completely forgot that the exams would be next week and that she should also have to study to keep the scholarship. Thanks to that money she could pay a little of the monthly apartment rent and school expenses.

The younger girl sat on the bed and jumped a few times on the mattress

“Come on, unnie! Say yes!"

Seulgi growled

"Okay, then…"

"Well, that was easy" Joy let out a giggle. "You have to go to the cafe near the campus. The girl will wait for you there"

The older one took off the papers from her face and stared at the girl on the bed. She looked so carefree and happy to plan this date that she was almost sure she was enjoying it like never before. Joy really was a cruel soul when she intended

"And who am I supposed to look for?"

"Her name is Irene-"

Before Joy could finish, Seulgi raised a hand and an eyebrow in the direction of the bunk bed. That name sounded familiar because on more than one occasion she heard it although she definitely couldn't put a face on the name. She didn't remember anyone to be called that way until suddenly, she remembered someone

"Isn't she the girl who, literally, makes you wet the bed?"

Suddenly Joy's gaze changed. As if she had felt the penetrating sting of a bee. Her face was happy and she smiled happily but Seulgi began to suspect that something else was happening

"Nah, it's another girl"

“Well, what is she supposed to look like? You have a photo?"

Joy laughed out loud

“Unnie, it's supposed to be a BLIND date! You can't see her”

"Ok, ok. Give me a description then” Seulgi crossed her arms across her chest with a noticeable pout on her face. Joy was sure her unnie was acting like that because she couldn't see a picture of the girl. Even if she gave her a picture of Irene, it wasn't too clear to recognize her

“She has brown hair, near her shoulders. Uhm... she's pretty and has very expressive eyes. She is also short, looks like a gnome just like you"

"Hey! Oh for god sake what I'm doing?... then I'll look for her. Repeat the instructions"

Joy sighed but didn't know what else she should say so she just carefully repeated her words

“Look for her in the cafe near the campus tomorrow at 5. I already told you what she looks like, unnie. You'll recognize her soon, you'll see"

Seulgi grunted again and turned her attention to the notes on the desk as she put on the headphones on her phone so she could concentrate completely on that activity. Joy took out her phone to send a message to her beloved Irene and confirm that the date would be possible. Once again, deep in her heart, she wanted to lie to her and tell her that Seulgi hadn't agreed or something similar but couldn't force herself to lie to Irene

“You'll see each other tomorrow, Irene-unnie. I'll text you the place and time”

As expected, she didn't have an immediate response but Joy still sent the date place and time.

This time, she wish with all her strength that the date will be ruined

---

The next day arrived soon no matter how much Seulgi wished it didn't come. She was nervous, what was she supposed to do and what topic she should talk about? It was normal to be afraid of something she doesn't know but this exceeded her limits.

She chose the clothes she liked best: a white shirt with the drawing of a roaring bear, worn denim pants, black sneakers and a black leather jacket as well as letting her hair drop along her shoulders. She was sure that with those clothes she would feel comfortable and she would also look good for that girl, after all, Joy told her she was pretty and Seulgi was sure she had high expectations of her date

Seulgi chose to walk to the cafe she remembered, after all it wasn't far from there and the weather was quite pleasant this day although there were a couple of dark clouds that indicated a possible rain. However, something that Seulgi wouldn't reflect on her path was that she hadn't obeyed the instructions very closely. Joy had told her that Irene would be in the cafeteria near campus at five o'clock, Seulgi was half an hour late but thought it wouldn't matter much

Upon arriving, she realized that the place was beautiful but very different from what she was used to. It was usual to see the cafeteria full of students working but now it was full of people of all ages talking about one and a thousand meaningless topics. Instead of walls, there were huge windows that had a view to the outside, tables made of wood with a glass-made surface, the smell of coffee was mixed with that of freshly baked bread and a special perfume. Each table in the place was already taken by someone and Seulgi opened her eyes wide to find the girl Joy had told her

Soon, in the corner of the place, she found a girl who had all the characteristics that Joy had told her: Brown hair? Check. Cute? Double check. Shorter than her? You bet on it, the sundress she was wearing reached her knees looking beautiful on her thin body. At least Joy hadn't played a joke, the girl was really cute

And now, how should Seulgi greet her?

With insecure steps and a few glances to her back, Seulgi walked to the girl. Up close she was much more beautiful than expected, her hair was tied in a high ponytail with some strands falling on her forehead, she was using a pair of headphones connected to her phone and writing something in a notebook. Seulgi tried to clear but it didn't work; the noise of the cafeteria didn't help.

In a bold move, she took the chair in front of the girl and sat down

The girl immediately jumped in her own chair, opening her eyes wide as she looked at Seulgi confused and slowly took off one of her headphones. A faint blush had covered her cheeks and Seulgi was now definitely interested in the date because her heart had just made a 360 degrees inside her chest.

"Hi!" Seulgi smiled and raised a hand in the air to greet her "I'm Seulgi. You must be Irene, right?”

The girl was still speechless but was able to retrieve some of her words to answer

“I'm sorry but… you must be confusing me. My name is Wendy, not Irene”

Seulgi gulped loudly and stuck her back to the back of the chair. She was sure that at any moment she was going to faint from the shock and the growing shame that began to grow inside her body. She couldn't be more stupid than this and now Joy would kick her all the way until next Friday

As she looked around, things began to fall in place

"Wait... What cafe is this?"

“The cafe near the center of the city”

Seulgi immediately hit her own forehead with such force that the noise of skin against skin was obvious and quite uncomfortable for those around them. She brought her hands up to her head and shook it from side to side

"Oh god, I'm going to have to buy a clown costume... I just ruined a damn date"

To her fortune, 'Wendy' lost the initial surprise and shyness and was now laughing at Seulgi's situation. Well, that was a great advantage. At least her misery served as entertainment for someone else (and not just anyone but the most beautiful girl Seulgi had seen in recent months)

"I'm so sorry" Seulgi bowed on the table, sticking her forehead to the glass surface and being careful not to throw the girl's notebook on the floor "I'm so sorry for bothering you and making you uncomfortable. I confused you with someone else"

Wendy moved her hand from side to side to show that she was fine

"Don't worry... Seulgi, right?" Seulgi nodded still with her forehead on the table. "Look, those mistakes happen to anyone so don't worry. You took me by surprise"

Seulgi barely raised her head from the table so she could see Wendy still smiling at her and, hiding behind her hands, Seulgi spoke again

“Now that I did an out of myself... Can I buy you something as an apology? I'm really ashamed”

Wendy sighed and nodded a couple of times. She was resigning herself to Seulgi's stubbornness.

“Okay, okay. Apology accepted"

As if she had been given an electric shock, Seulgi ran to the cafeteria counter and ordered an iced coffee for each one of them. Looking at the bright side of things, at least now she had a drink for her way back home... well…she didn't want to come home after this. If it was possible she would sleep under a rock for the rest of her days

Once the coffees were ready, Seulgi returned to the table and handed one of them to Wendy who continued writing in the notebook she was using

"Here you go. I'm so sorry, again”

"Seulgi" Wendy was firm this time "It's okay, got it? Now sit with me and tell me why the hell you confused me with another girl”

Seulgi sat almost immediately in the chair, as if she had received orders from the highest military or police officer. Wendy took a sip at the coffee while Seulgi put a straw and kept sipping on it

"My best friend hooked me in a blind date with a girl named Irene and said she would meet me in the cafeteria near the campus but I forgot the address before leaving home"

Wendy facepalmed, laughing and Seulgi sunk a little in her chair

"You should call Irene"

“I forgot to ask for her number… But I know where to find her! Tomorrow I'll apologize for everything"

Seulgi sipped her coffee hard again and then pointed her index finger at the notebook full of text that she couldn't read even though she narrowed her eyes and tried to decipher something.

"What is that? Homework?"

“Oh no… those are ideas for writing a book. I'm a writer”

Leaning completely on the table, Seulgi looked with curious eyes at Wendy who decided to keep her notebook away from the table when her coffee was about to fall on the paper.

“Writer, huh? That's so cool”

"How about you? What do you do? With the way you dress I would say that you ride the streets on a motorcycle”

Seulgi giggled and shook her head several times as he pulled the straw from her plastic cup and started playing with it.

“I'm studying photography at college. I'm going for my second year”

"Do you think you can show me any of your photographs?"

"Only if you show me something from your book"

Wendy reached a hand towards Seulgi and the girl shook it with a smile from ear to ear

"Done deal"

The afternoon went by for them between meaningless conversations. Seulgi discovered that Wendy was the same age as her and hadn't studied college since the degree was too expensive, so she devoted herself to writing in her spare time and working in a store on the other days of the week. She also learned that at some time Wendy wanted to sing and even perform but in the end she choose to onlywrite. Seulgi listened attentively to her, as much as she was supposed to listen to her teachers in class

The sound of the rain outside the cafeteria made them realize the time and leave the place soon

They were covering from rain under a wooden roof.

“Well, Seulgi. Where are you go now? I can give you a ride... my car isn't brand new but it'll take you home"

Seulgi smiled and shook her head a few times. The rain wasn't so intense now so if she hurried she could get home soon without getting so wet or catching a cold. In addition, she felt ashamed to go with Wendy after the little mess she just did

"I'll be fine. I live less than half an hour from here”

Wendy looked at her with worried eyes

"Are you sure?"

Seulgi nodded firmly and got rid of her leather jacket to put it on Wendy's bare shoulders and cover her a little from the rain and the gentle night breeze. Wendy smiled as soon as she felt hugged by the warmth of the jacket. While she hadn't complained about the cold before, now she liked the warmth

“Be careful on your way back home, ok? See you"

With a movement of her hand, Seulgi said goodbye to Wendy and began to walk home

In the cafe near the campus, Irene left the place without fear of getting wet in the direction of where her car was parked. She didn't even want to think about how horrible it had been today after nothing went as expected. She waited for Seulgi for more than three hours but she never arrived nor did she receive a single call from Joy to warn of a change of plans. Irene spent her time avoiding the curious looks around her that seemed to whisper with pity

Joy... she was furious at her.

Irene knew this was her doing

"Irene-unnie!"

By mere work of fate, Irene heard a distinctive voice calling her from a distance in the middle of the rain, it came from the vicinity of the campus. When she turned around to see, she found Joy almost running up to her with an umbrella that helped her cover the thick drops of water. Joy was smiling from ear to ear and that only made Irene more angry

“Unnie, why are you getting wet? How was the date?”

That was everything the older woman needed to let go of all the frustration she kept inside. Joy wasn't to blame for things not going well but Irene wanted an outing, right now

"You must be really happy. Your plan came just as you expected" Irene didn't raise her voice but her words dripped with venom "Seulgi never came to the cafe"

Joy opened her eyes wide

"But, unnie-"

Irene was quick to interrupt her

“This was what you wanted, right? That Seulgi ended up looking like an idiot so you can have your way with me. Do you think I haven't noticed your little obsession with me? Sorry for this, Joy, but I'll never choose you over Seulgi”

When she told Joy about the blind date, Irene had broken her heart without saying a word. Now she had just stabbed her with the thickest knife right in the center of her soul. Joy felt she couldn't breathe and there were no words strong enough to answer, she didn't know what to do and was paralyzed by fear.

She trembled as she tried to contain her tears

"I'm so sorry"

Joy had no idea why she was apologizing

Or was the apology for herself?

With a couple of insecure steps, she approached Irene and left the handle of the umbrella in the delicate hands of her goddess (because she would never cease to be just that despite how cruel she had been) and moved away a little. The rain immediately erased the tears that had escaped her eyes without consent, Irene was still looking at her with red eyes full of fury

“Be careful on your way back home”

Joy turned around and walked in the direction of her house dragging her feet because now she couldn't move correctly. She tried to control her sobs as much as she could but it was impossible and the tremor in her hands still didn't go away

Suddenly, without knowing how, the lights of her house were visible and she was never more grateful to have managed to arrive to that place. As soon as she opened the door, Seulgi's footsteps echoed around the house to receive her at the front door. Her older friend smelled of fruit shampoo and bath lotion, she had probably just finished taking a bath

“I'm so sorry, Joyie! Is just that I-! Joy? What happened?"

Joy had to lie. She had to hide the pain in her soul as good as possible. After all, Irene was now just an unknown person for her

“Nothing, unnie. It was a long day and to end it all the rain caught me halfway"

"But you carried an umbrella in the morning…"

“I left it somewhere. I'm sorry, unnie. I'm tired… I'll go to sleep”

Seulgi watched as Joy walked directly to the bathroom of the house and locked the door. The older didn't want to meddle more with whatever happened, nor did she want to bother with the history of the blind.

It took Joy more than two hours to get out of the shower

Seulgi didn't go to sleep until she made sure the girl was in bed

---

The next morning, after the only class Seulgi had on the day, she decided to go to the library to apologize to Irene for the nonsense of the blind date.

Now that she put her hamster to work inside her brain, she remembered that Irene was the girl who was normally at the library reception and the girl who (although Joy had lied to her) had her best friend in deep love. She didn't want to ask why the hell Joy had hooked her on a date with Irene…so she would just just apologize

Seulgi entered the library and almost immediately ran into Irene at the counter, she was registering a couple of books on her desk computer. Seulgi tried to put on the kindest face she possessed and approached her

"Hi, Irene" Seulgi made a gesture with her hand

Irene barely jumped when she heard her name but avoided eye contact and kept searching in the books.

“Good morning, Seulgi. You need something?"

Seulgi chose to arm himself with courage and go straight to the point. She leaned on the counter to get Irene's attention

"Hey, about yesterday's date..."

"It's okay" Irene interrupted "Don't worry, it's over"

"I'm so sorry" Seulgi was going to get tired of apologizing in the next few days. She already done it with Wendy now she was with Irene and soon she would have to apologize to Joy too... she had to be careful with what she did “Joy told me I should see you in the campus cafe but I completely forgot and my stupid walked all the way to the downtown cafe”

When Seulgi looked down to hide her shame, Irene's anguished expression was completely lost. The more she heard those words, the worse she felt about what she had done last night

"It was my fault and I'm so sorry I made you wait... I forgot to ask your number to Joy and well..."

Irene wished that Seulgi would no longer say anything

"So... Joy really told you about the date?"

"Of course! But I messed the addresses. I'm so sorry! If you still want the date then we can look for a day"

Irene looked down at the books again and only shook her head without losing the bearing of silence. Her mind was a chaos but she managed to push her thoughts to the bottom of her brain

“I don't have a day off now, Seulgi. Maybe later"

Seulgi answered only with a slight hum. Irene took the silence as a way to continue

"How's Joy?"

"Maybe she has a cold," the younger girl shrugged. "We were supposed to have class today in the morning but she didn't get up on time. She really is an idiot! Last night, in the middle of the rain, she came home all wet because she forgot her umbrella out there. And she loves to call me an idiot…”

Irene felt guilt breathing in her neck

"I hope she gets better"

"Yes... hopefully"

Seulgi didn't make any more conversation and shortly after, she left asking for more apologies. Irene looked at one of the books she needed to register, the last person to take it to her was ‘Park Joy’, the girl whose heart was broken in a very cruel way with wrong words. Irene was speaking her anger instead of her thoughts

What a way to end things

She had judged Joy for something she hadn't done and made fun of her feelings.

It was better to talk to her

---

Joy pulled at her hair in frustration and let out a long growl. She had been reading the same paragraph in a text for more than thirty minutes but couldn't concentrate, in her mind were only the words Irene said

"I'll never choose you over Seulgi"

In her mind she knew that her best friend was not the one to blame. Joy shouldn't empty her anger with Seulgi because this had nothing to do with her, she was just the person Irene had noticed first. After all, Joy had chosen to be Irene's friend and that didn't mean that one day she should give an answer to her feelings... if Joy had never told her how she felt, how on earth did she want Irene to love her back?

She tried to read again. She had to study.

Irene came to her mind again

Tired of getting nothing and tired of not being able to get rid of the librarian, she closed the book violently and threw it to the side of the desk where she was sitting. When it fell it made a dull noise and Joy leaned on the desk to try to calm down

Should she let Irene go? Should she just forget her?

Feelings could be very stupid sometimes

"I'll never choose you over Seulgi"

Joy closed her eyes and hit the desk hard, her hand immediately felt the consequences and turned very red, stabbing with thoughtful burdens of pain. Joy didn't even hear that the door of the room was about to be opened by a couple of keys

"!"

“Joy-ah? What happened?"

Joy immediately turned her head to see Seulgi at the door with a plastic bag in one hand and her backpack hanging from her other shoulder. She looked scared and worried, although the anguish was most noticeable in her dark-colored look. Joy cursed at herself mentally for being so emotional and losing control of things almost instantly. With a long sigh of disappointment, the youngest rose from her seat and picked up the book she had recently thrown

“It's nothing, unnie. Just… school”

Seulgi giggled and dropped her backpack and then closed the door and placed the plastic bag on the desk. One of her hands went to Joy's head and patted her a couple of times before ruffling her hair.

"Do you want me to help you study?"

I would appreciate more if you could help me forget Irene

 "Yeah…sure"

Seulgi took another chair, older and worn, to sit next to Joy and from her backpack took out a notebook to help her friend

There was a brief silence and then Seulgi was the first to speak

"Joyie... why did you put me on a date with Irene-unnie if she is the girl you like so much?"

Joy looked at her desk and shook her head a couple of times. She didn't want to answer the question, nor did she know why the hell she had done that. However, Seulgi was her friend and the closest she had, obviously she couldn't ignore her words as well as hide her true feelings.

"Joyie?"

"I did it because Irene-unnie is not interested in me" Joy spoke in a small voice "Irene-unnie loves you, not me"

"Oh..."

Seulgi sighed for a long time and stared at the notebook she had taken out to use with Joy. Right now she felt uncomfortable doing this to her best friend, she never thought Irene would have a crush with her

"Sorry, Joyie"

“It's okay, unnie. It's my fault, don't you think? I should've been brave and told her how I felt. She just found out and... now I'm here”

Seulgi patted Joy on the back before hugging her tightly. The sound of the doorbell of their house caused them to break away while they both stared into each other's eyes

"Did you ask for any takeout, unnie?"

"No... at least not consciously"

"I'll go take a look"

Joy got up from her chair and walked to the apartment door and then opened it without care. Behind the object was a brown-haired girl tied in a low ponytail, much more shorter than her, she was dressed in a white sweater and denim pants and in her small hands she held two things: Seulgi's leather jacket and a gift box

Joy raised an eyebrow as she looked at that pretty woman

"Can I help you with something?"

“Uhm… is Seulgi at home? You can tell her that Wendy is looking for her”

***

A/N: I'm back! It's been a while but here I am. This was inspired by a prompt given to me by the awesome user named greenbabyjoy and by another awesome user named LadyPisces who joined the conversation and helped me plot a little more of this. If you guys are reading, I hope you like it! Thank you so much, everyone, for reading and leaving a comment. No matter how much I write this story always ends up being my little baby