Car rides are always fun.

Irene takes her place in the backseat between Wendy and Seulgi, a situation very much similar to wherever they are, whether it's for schedules or anything in particular. For some reason, Wendy always ends up getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the three of them. In fact, she doesn't know why in the world she chooses to sit with Irene when they basically ignore her for three quarters of the entire duration. Imagine trying to plan so many surprises because Irene wants it and gets ignored by the same person after; no one, only Wendy goes through that. Nevertheless, a part of her is well aware that her surprise can't be taken back anymore, considering she always purchased five tickets to go home. 

“Unnie…” Joy turns around with a pout on her face, beckoning Wendy to come over. She recently started reading again, challenging herself to finish this entire English book within a week of their vacation. “I need help with this. I can’t understand most of this whole paragraph.”

Wendy smiles, extremely proud of her dongsaeng for trying to learn another language in her free time. Although Wendy is extremely fluent and welcome to teaching, Joy chooses to start with reading in order to strengthen her understanding of some words. She knows that the latter is sensitive to the topic of education, especially since Joy is paying for her sisters' education at such a young age. The least Wendy can do is help Joy along with every question she could possibly have. The exploding pride will make its way out there in time to come; she can finally prove to everyone that her members are not just all looks. 

Bending down next to Joy’s chair, Wendy stabilizes herself as the car is moving. She fails to see the glint in Joy’s eyes, squealing when Joy grabs her by the arms and pulls her closer. Wendy blushes after realizing she landed straight upon Joy’s lap.

“Yah! What are you doing?”

Joy wraps her arms around Wendy’s waist, snuggling into the older woman’s shoulder. Ignoring the pushing from Wendy, Joy makes sure to milk this moment for all that it's worth. She bites her lip and looks to her extreme right, spotting Irene with an extremely murderous glare in her eyes. The sight makes her want to burst into laughter and God knows how much strength it takes for her to keep shut. She always wonders why Irene plays this whole jealousy and ignoring game with Wendy when it's obvious their hamster can't deal with it well. It seems pretty clear to Joy that Wendy is getting tired of it. 

“I don’t want to read anymore. I want to cuddle with you, Unnie,” Joy pouts wistfully, looking up at Wendy when she turns around. She pulls on her eyesmile, knowing that although Wendy might want to hit her for it, she won’t because she’s too nice. “Entertain me, please? I will let you sleep on my shoulder.”

Now, Yeri has an eyebrow cocked at whatever’s happening right in front of her as if she doesn’t exist. Like why is her girlfriend trying to cling and hold onto Wendy like a baboon when she’s sitting right beside her? Or why the heck is Wendy blushing – okay, nevermind, she’s always blushing. Her eyes narrow when Joy's hands suddenly go to Wendy's tummy, poking at the newly formed abs that weren't there before. She let her girlfriend be all chummy chummy with Wendy and that's not enough? Park Sooyoung, you're so dead when I find out where we're going for vacation. You're going to be sleeping outside the room. This is happening for sure.

So this is how it’s going to be?

With a clenched fist, Irene tries not to pout when she sees Wendy poking Joy’s cheek like a mischievious child. She wants to be that playful with Wendy too but her body and mind effortlessly malfunction whenever Wendy comes within a single metre of herself. It doesn't help her poor heart that Wendy is always kind-hearted, going out of her own way to help anyone who asks. Sometimes, it makes Irene so worried for her but it also makes her want to hit Wendy with a rock to wake her up. Not everyone is going to be genuine and return the help; not everyone is going to appreciate the help; most of all, not everyone is going to have good intentions when asking for help. 

Until Seulgi taps her on the shoulder in slight curiosity at why the older woman isn't answering her questions, Irene doesn’t break her staring fiesta. 

I want that too… with me.

When the five of them end up alighting at the international instead of domestic airport, the two maknaes are already pestering Wendy to find out where their destination will be – well, she’s the Search King that manages to figure it out all the time. Their manager almost feels bad for both sides; the members who can't curb their curiosity and have no patience to be surprised while Wendy who can't lie to save her life. Watching Wendy sweat and play with her shirt as she figures out how to give the members a satisfactory answer is pretty amusing, but more of a pitiful sight to witness. 

The moment Wendy makes a successful escape to the nearest washroom, their manager finally chuckles to herself. The poor hamster must have been dying to get out of that terrible situation that could possibly ruin everything. 

“I don’t know if Wendy has told any of you yet, but she already paid for everyone’s tickets back to Canada. She planned it on her own right after your comeback, plus the company already said they were giving you a vacation.”

Seulgi tilts her head in confusion, staring at their manager with her wide eyes, “Canada? But Seungwan said she thinks it’s boring to go back home.”

Now this is what confuses the manager too; Wendy clearly said going home for vacation doesn't sound like a fun one. Even when Wendy was making a request for the manager to collect the tickets on her behalf, the young woman taught she was being slick by not revealing a single detail. The manager finds it completely unnecessary for Wendy to try and hide whatever she's feeling, because she figured out the reason for it in less than a week. There are even articles floating around the internet, revealing the one person who seems to be obsessed with going to Wendy's house. 

“Someone’s been wanting to go to her house, no?”

Joy’s lips pull down to a pout, completely fawning over the missing hamster. “Oh my God! Unnie is so sweet! She did all this for me?”

“This is for me, Park Sooyoung.”

Everyone clamps down on their lower lips, hoping their laughter wouldn't leave their mouths right now. This is the best part of the entire hour they've been wondering where the hell the car was leading them to. Their leader doesn't usually claim to be the cause of anything but the posessive tone visible in that one-liner surprises the members; it is, after all, another of the firsts they've heard Irene use that tone.

Just as Joy gets ready to say something to further provoke Irene, she feels a sharp pinch at the side of her stomach. Yelping in pain, she turns to find her girlfriend glaring daggers at her. She chuckles nervously and immediately makes a zipping motion over her lips, hoping it will at least appease her girlfriend until they reach Canada. It would be a terrible waste to be at loggerheads with each other when the flight is enough for them to watch two movies together, and maybe even cuddle till their heart's content. Yeri has been falling asleep way before Joy is even in bed and it ends up with one sleepless chick.

“Are we ready to go?” Wendy asks with an awkward smile, giving away the situation immediately. She is probably unaware of how silly she looks, trying to pretend that she doesn’t know anything about where they’re going. “Manager-unnie, are you going to be coming with us?”

Of course, the original plan formed between Wendy and their manager was that: the manager follows them to Canada and if the members are disappointed, they can choose to stay in a hotel instead of her house. Wendy was so terrified of her members not liking the planned accommodation and itinerary planned for this vacation, so much that she even offered to pay for their manager's air ticket. The lack of confidence in Wendy affected their manager more than she expected it to; their talented hamster doesn't have any faith in her self when it comes to performing, and now even outside of the work? 

Wendy can not go on like this. 

“No, I’m not going. Wendy-ah, can I talk to you before you board?”

“S-Sure…”

Wendy tries her best to not express her panic outright as she walks over to the corner where their manager is waiting for her. She is ready to burst out in flames but the gaze in their manager’s eyes catches her first; there is something serious their manager wants to talk to her about, clearly. Placing a hand on Wendy’s shoulder, the manager makes sure to stare into the young woman’s eyes. She needs to get this message across or else Wendy will never have enough confidence to go ahead with anything in life. This vacation will be Wendy's opportunity will be to build up on her confidence as well. 

“Stop worrying so much, Seungwan. You’re going to be fine; the others are going to enjoy this vacation. They’re going to be entertained with your whole plan for them. You need to have more confidence in yourself, okay? No one is going to be disappointed or irritated, I promise.”

Irene looks at their tiny hamster walking towards them with her head slightly hung; she doesn’t like it when Wendy always looks so depressed after being talked to by their manager. It makes Irene think that it might be regarding the latter’s weight again, which has always been a sore topic between the members. They failed to protect Wendy during their precious summer comeback with 'Red Flavour', which caused many to ask if she was ill or something along those lines. It hurt Irene so much to hear that about one of their healthiest members; being forced to lose weight till she looks ill is heartless. She made a vow that she was never going to let that happen again.

“Come on, guys. We’re going to be late if we don’t start moving.”

With hunched shoulders, Wendy tries to hypnotize herself into having some more faith in herself. She fails to realize the worry present in the members’ eyes, especially when the reason for their talk is unknown. They don't want this to be the start of an unpleasant vacation for Wendy, even if they're going to her hometown. 

This time, Yeri takes the initiative to step forward and lays a hand on Wendy’s shoulder, gently taking the older woman’s hand in hers. She doesn’t question, neither does she pry as they make their way to the plane. While she’s always teasing Wendy or the two of them ruining each other with savagery, Wendy’s care for her does not come up short compared to the rest. It even surpasses the rest, which often surprises Yeri at many a time. Considering that it might come off as rude sometimes, Wendy doesn't take it to heart at all. Yeri was so skeptical at a certain point, wondering if Wendy was truly so kind and warm as she displays herself to be.

It's all genuine; all too real.

“Yerim-ah, go and sit with your girlfriend. I’ll be fine on my own,” Wendy ruffles the maknae’s hair. She’s been used to this setting for quite some time now. It won’t be a big deal if she does it once more. “I know Sooyoung wants to cuddle you to death. Go and sit with her.”

Irene comes up from behind and taps Wendy’s shoulder, “I’ll sit with you, Seungwan.”

Wendy shakes her head with a thoughtful smile, gently pushing Irene to where Seulgi is already seated. She sits alone so often that it's become second nature to her now; it might not feel the same for the other members. Another good thing about this is that her seat is a window seat, the scenery serves as the ultimate comfort for her.

“Unnie, go and sit with Wannie,” Seulgi frowns.

Irene sighs in response; that’s exactly what she wants too but what can she do when Wendy’s seems to be stuck to the single seat? She can’t just grab the younger and force her to move, not when they’re in the business class with other passengers in tow.

Things will be different at Wannie's house... for sure.

When the plane finally stabilizes and they’re allowed to turn on their phones to use the inflight Wi-Fi, Irene doesn’t hesitate to go into her Kakaotalk conversation with Wendy. A frown plasters itself on her face when she notices the date they last texted; over a week ago? Unacceptable. She doesn't remember being this quiet whenever Wendy is not at home with them. In fact, Wendy always texts her to let her know about her whereabouts lest Irene worried about her. There is no reason for Wendy to stop texting her so often; this ironically makes Irene more worried about their relationship... or lack thereof.

“Unnie, text her,” Seulgi mumbles, not even opening her eyes to peek at what the leader is doing. She already knows what Irene is sighing about; it doesn’t take a genius to notice. “You’re going to keep me awake with all that sighing and hesitating. I need my beauty sleep so I can fully enjoy Wannie's house later.”

[Joohyun]

Wannie

What are you doing?

[Wannie]

nothing, unnie

can’t sleep?

[Joohyun]

why didn’t you sit with me? ☹

[Wannie]

I didn’t want Seul to be lonely

she doesn’t like being alone

There is no reply that comes after; Wendy puts down her phone and resumes her movie, 'The Notebook'. Wendy isn't a fan of sappy romance movies but she knows Irene loves this one, and a part of her wants to know why. Screw that; she want to know everything that Irene likes. It's not an obsession but it might make herself more likable when it comes to the leader. For some reason, Irene keeps trying to avoid being with her alone and it's driving her nuts. Why can Irene be comfortable with every other member except her? Or why is Irene always ignoring her when she comes close?

Irene stands behind Wendy’s seat, ready to forcefully talk to her but her eyes spot the familiar movie playing. She is filled with more surprise than any other emotion, fully aware that Wendy really hates romance movies unless they force her to watch it too. Yet here she is, watching Irene's favourite movie alone.

A dejected sigh leaves her lips and she sits back down, debating whether interrupting the movie is a good choice as of now. She likes seeing Wendy so at peace about everything, though the loneliness part bothers her quite a fair bit. There should be no reason for Wendy to feel lonely just because she wants the best for her members. When is Wendy going to realize that she deserves as much love as she gives the people around her? Not that Irene has any right to complain about this; she hasn’t been doing the bare minimum either. For God’s sake, she can’t even stop herself from blushing or laughing at the slightest whenever Wendy wants to talk to her about something.

“No offence, Unnie,” Seulgi interrupts her train of thought, “but you’re useless.”

*

“Seungwannie!”

Wendy doesn’t even get the chance to respond like a normal human being does when she’s grabbed by the neck and held in a headlock by her sister. She yelps out at the weird sensation shooting down her spine; why does her sister love embarrassing her in front of others? This isn't the first or second; it's probably the nth time Wendy is praying for her friends not to record this God-awful moment. The last time Wendy brought her friends over, Seunghee pushed her into their pool when she was wearing a white top and sweatpants. That wasn’t too bad because Wendy was with her friends but this time… it’s her members, and on top of that… one of them is so much more than special.

“Unnie, get off me! Stop it!”

Yeri and Joy watch in glee as they start recording the embarrassing moment on their phones, ignoring Wendy’s cries of literal help and whining. Seulgi, of course, debates whether to actually help her best friend with this predicament.

When Wendy finally frees herself of her sister’s grip, she stomps on her foot, “ugh, I hate you.”

“Love you too, baby!”

The other members follow Wendy around the house like baby chicks following the mother hen, taking in the vast sight of her luxurious house. Wendy had always remained humble about her living establishments back home so they never knew what kind of house it was. The number of rooms aren't too many and the space isn't too big, but the areas where gatherings are held is large enough to contain more than ten people. Along the walls are framed certificates that signify Wendy's achievements in school, from being an athlete to being a A star student. Again, one of the countless things they don't know the actual depth of because Wendy doesn't fancy elaborating on her awards. 

Irene, for one, can't stop the proud smile that covers her face when she sees the achievements belonging to Wendy alone. She always had ultimate faith and confidence in Wendy's abilities; this whole display just proves that sentiment: Wendy is so, so talented and her heart of gold only enhances her beauty.

“Oh my God, Unnie,” Yeri bursts out in admiration, eyes glazing over the many framed achievements. “You were really a God back in your school, huh? No wonder you’re still so popular.”

Wendy rubs the back of her neck bashfully, unaware of an ominous feeling in the atmosphere. She always gets embarrassed easily when it comes to her members. Any kind of comparison make Wendy wonder if it’s worth it in the first place; all four members are engulfed with so much talent and beauty that could make someone faint. It doesn’t feel right to stand beside them confidently. We have the perfect leader; one of beauty and brains; the dancing bear, who can outshine the main vocal anytime; the appealing trot singer who excels as an actress; their maknae who brings so much joy to everyone.

Where does she fit in? 

Amidst all the fawning and fussing over Wendy’s countless achievements and boasting about her talents, Irene notices that something is bothering the hamster. She walks over to where Wendy is standing silently and slides her hand into Wendy's warm one. “Wan? Are you feeling okay?” Irene asks, rubbing her thumb over the back of Wendy’s hand. She knows the latter so well, which is definitely contrary to what Wendy thinks. 

“I’m fine, Unnie.”

The quick escape from her question doesn’t escape Irene’s notice, not to mention how fast Wendy pulled her hand away. There is a different guardedness that Wendy is displaying, and it does hurt. Wendy, who is always transparent with her emotions and answers, never tries to hide her emotions or feelings because she knows she can’t do it well. If Wendy is attempting to put some distance between them, then she won't go very far with this facade. With less than a minute on the clock, Wendy's whole distance thing is crumbling right in front of Irene. Irene already concluded one thing: Wendy is only treating her this way; she must have done something wrong earlier.

When the five are finally done touring the rooms, Wendy has pretty much confirmed that the two maknaes have called dibs on the biggest room, even bigger than hers. She can't stop them though; it's perfectly normal to want to be comfortable with your partner even in someone else's house. The other room can be left for Irene and Seulgi then; it's the most normal arrangement, after all. 

“Seungwan?”

“Umma!”

Mrs Son catches her daughter in her arms, pressing kisses against Wendy’s cheeks. She hasn’t seen her younger princess ever since the concert much earlier this year. The fact that Wendy still makes sure to call back every week is amazing, knowing how busy Wendy can get sometimes. There are tears welling at the corners of her eyes unconsciously. Wendy hasn’t been back home to stay for years now; this vacation is proving wonders for a poor mother’s heart. She doesn't have a single clue when her tears start flowing down her cheeks, because it isn't long before Wendy is following suit. 

Wendy sniffles, arms tightening around her mother’s waist. “I… I miss you so much, Umma… I want to stay here.” Wendy turns into a sobbing mess in her mother’s embrace; the one place where she feels a hundred percent safe and secure.

A mere sentimental moment between mother and daughter is enough to bring all four members watching to tears; they all know the difficulties Wendy face since her family doesn’t live in Korea permanently. Their visits from time to time are too short for Wendy to keep lamenting about her problems. It has come to the point where Wendy hides in her room whenever she feels troubled about something.

“You’re all grown up now, baby,” Mrs Son smiles tearfully, absolutely bustling with pride after taking a good look at her daughter now. From being an top student here to being disliked by certain trainees because of her personality and now, a member of one of the best groups in the country. “Time to stop crying… your members are here with you.”

The other members take their time to greet Mrs Son, getting their hugs from another part of the family. Wendy wipes her tears away with her sleeves, trying not to watch the whole embracing thing. She doesn’t know why tears always prick her eyes whenever her parents are around; it happened during the concert too. Her persona, the ever-so-bright and bubbly outlook Wendy has in comparison to her members become a weak, vulnerable mess when her parents were mentioned. It might be because her parents, who have always been her safe haven, are finally within her reach. That assurance will always mean more to her than anything, even more than getting more screen time.

When she finally comes to the one with an extremely strong scent of fabric softener on her clothes, Mrs Son’s eyes widen; identical to how Wendy’s would in a more comical way. She knows who this one is already. Her daughter never elaborated more about the person she has a crush on, but she did mention the fabric softener part…

“Wan? Is this her?”

Wendy clamps her hand over her mother’s mouth, eyes darting from left to right rapidly. She curses when she notices the suspicion filling Irene’s eyes; well, the conversation only started right after Irene hugged her mother. “Umma, how can you say that when she’s right here? You’re going to expose me before I can even do anything! I’m not even going to tell her! Please don't bring it up while they're here.” Wendy whispers harshly, talking even faster because she's in the midst of panicking. She doesn't want any one of the members to catch what she's saying either. They might not speak the language, but they can understand it fairly well. 

“Fine. I will talk to you about this later.”

Joy shakes her head at the obvious worry Wendy has; the hamster can’t be any more obvious. She doesn’t support the whole ‘I don’t deserve her’ attitude because Wendy truly does deserve the world. If someone like Wendy thinks she can’t keep a person, then there truly isn’t hope for any other human being.

Why should there be regret when it can be marked with love instead? 

“Don’t worry, Auntie. We will take care of her.”

Wendy almost gets a at the perfect English sentence structured by Joy herself; when did this woman have the time to practice and perfect it? She stares at the giant maknae with eyes full of wonder, oblivious to the furious Irene standing behind her.  

Son Seungwan, you’re going to stop making me jealous. By the end of this vacation, you’re not going to be staring at Yeri or Joy anymore… I will murder you myself.

Irene clenches her fists tightly, watching the bottle spin and spin. She wanted to smack Yeri in the mouth when the youngest suggested this method to decide roommates. They could have chosen the much easier, straightforward method with Irene demanding to be paired with Wendy even if it’s in her own room. She’ll be damned if one of the clingy maknaes or even not-so-affectionate Seulgi (who turns into a cuddly, childish baby when she's asleep) get to share the super cozy bed with Wendy. There won’t be any doubt that Wendy will either wake up in their arms or in between their legs like a bolster.

And Wendy can only be between her legs, no one else’s.

Wait…

“Yes! Wannie is mine!” Seulgi leaps off her seat in joy, high-fiving the hamster. She doesn’t fail to notice the usual excitement missing from Wendy’s demeanor though.

Irene pulls Wendy by the end of her shirt just before she can go over to where Seulgi is standing, tugging the latter to sit down beside her again. She doesn’t know what comes over her, but she throws her limbs over Wendy’s slightly smaller frame possessively. The blush on her face can be dealt with later on, but she cannot allow Wendy to room with either of three, who have issues with keeping their hands to themselves.

“NOPE! I want Seungwan and that's that!”

Everyone's rambunctious voices mute themselves at the strict demand that leaves no room for discussion, staring up at Irene in amazement. Their firm, sturdy leader has just cracked under her own pressure and demanded that the whole game be rigged just so she can room with Wendy. Perhaps a bit suspicious, perhaps not since Irene hasn't roomed with Wendy in the longest time. What is more of a surprise is why Wendy doesn't seem to be as happy as she usually would; all of them know how much Irene is treasured and pampered by their tiny hamster. There is no reason why Wendy shouldn't be over the moon about being able to room with Irene... she always wants to be with Irene.

Irene first feels slightly offended by the lack of enthusiasm from what Wendy claims to be: which is an even more hardcore fan of hers as compared to a fan of Joy. Her offense, however, disappears when she sees a tint of pink on Wendy’s cheeks; it isn’t deep or obvious, but it is definitely there.

“Damn,” Seulgi pouts, sighing in mock annoyance. She was truly looking forward to rooming with her best mate instead of the couple but… damn. “I wanted t