Monday

"Damn, I'm dead tired." Seulgi mutters to herself bitterly as she boards the 6PM bus home. Her mind is already blank so she just plops down on the first vacant seat she laid her eyes on. With all s in the world thrown away, it doesn't take much for Seulgi to doze off right away. 

Beside the sleeping figure in the bus sits a woman, a really pretty one at that, mindlessly playing a game on her smartphone.

Said woman is really passionate about this game. Said woman also hates losing with all her being. Imagine her reaction when she lost the game she's playing for the first time since its existence on her phone.

Yup, she was mad. Wait, scratch that. She was fuming. Why? Well, aside from the obvious fact that she lost in her beloved game, the reason for her losing in the first place wasn't because of her lack of pro gaming skills. It was because of the extremely rude (as this pretty woman would describe her) human being sleeping on her shoulder.

Extremely Rude Human Being has already taken over almost 99.9% of the space in their row on the bus, not allowing for Pretty Woman almost any movement at all.

Pretty Woman decides that she really, really hates Extremely Rude Human Being for ruining her game. But she hates her even more for being so cute even while almost drooling on her shoulder that she can't protest at all.

She does protest, however, when it was almost time for her to get off at her stop. If you would call poking Extremely Rude Human Being's round cheeks and shaking her shoulders gently while softly saying "Hi, please wake up already.", then proceeding to stare at her cute face while giggling to herself protesting. Heck yeah, she protested with all her might.

Internally panicking as the sleeping human still won't budge and she is nearing her stop and worried that Extremely Rude Human Being might have already been dead, she almost decides to miss her stop and wait for the sleeping human to wake up just to make sure she's actually alive.

Fortunately, the sleeping human suddenly comes alive as she releases a breath that she was unconsciously holding for god knows how long. 

Extremely Rude Human Being flutters her eyes open and the first thing she sees is an angel. Guys, she might be dead after all and has already reached heaven. "Hi pretty angel, am I already in heaven?", asked Extremely Rude Human Being.

Pretty Woman, now also known as Pretty Angel, chuckled at Extremely Rude Human Being's silliness before she got up and said, "I don't think that's possible cause you're still alive. We're still in the bus right now and this is already my stop. Good bye." She waves her hand as she bids Extremely Rude Human Being good bye with a smile on her face.

Extremely Rude Human Being a.k.a Kang Seulgi swore to herself that Pretty Angel's smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"Damn it! Why am I such a sleepyhead?" Seulgi hates herself right now. With newfound determination to go on with her life she thinks to herself, I need to know who that girl is. I need it for research. 

 

Tuesday

Seulgi boards the 6PM bus home again today. Was she still dead tired today? Yes. Was she still bitter today? Yes. But has she thrown all her s away today? Nope. Today, all her s are in tact and are aimed towards finding the pretty angel from yesterday, sitting beside her again and maybe even getting her name and hopefully her number too.  

She scans the bus carefully and spots the most beautiful girl she has ever seen, intensely focused on her smartphone, sitting on the third to the last row on the bus. She makes her way to the vacant seat beside the pretty angel and immediately does an internal fist pump as she succeeds in the first part of her mission.

Now for the second part, How to get her name? How can I strike up a conversation with her when she's so focused on her phone? Maybe this is a bad idea after all. Seulgi thinks to her self.

She peeks over to see what the woman is doing on her phone hoping to find a topic to talk about. As she gets a view of the screen of the woman's phone, she sees that the pretty angel is playing a game. A game that she's very familiar with and has played with some of her friends before. Bump Sheep? She's playing Bump Sheep? ALONE? Seulgi thinks to herself. Oh hell no, she can't keep playing this game alone. That's just sad. I clearly need to save her.

"Isn't that game better played by two people? You know, when you actually have an opponent to make things enjoyable?" Seulgi says to the pretty angel. 

"And what do you know about Bump Sheep? I've played this game a million times already and I think I'm enjoying it just fine." Pretty Angel replies back to Seulgi without sparing her a glance.

"Isn't that boring though? Not challenging at all? I've also played that game a million times already and I've never played that game alone since I've tried playing with an opponent. So why don't I just show you what you're missing out on?" Seulgi replies with a smug on her face as Pretty Angel decides to lift her head from her phone and give the annoying person beside her a proper look.

"Hey, you're the person who ruined my game from yesterday! You're Extremely Rude Human Being!" She exclaims loudly.

"Oh I didn't know you also already gave me a nickname, Pretty Angel." Seulgi smiles as Pretty Angel stares at her in shock and blushes at the newfound nickname.

"I'm Kang Seulgi, by the way. Thanks for letting me sleep on your shoulder and I'm really sorry for ruining your game yesterday. Maybe you can forgive me and call me Seulgi now instead of Extremely Rude Human Being?" Seulgi smiles expectantly and holds out her hand for a handshake.

"Bae Irene," says Pretty Angel, now known as Irene, as she accepts the handshake. "And yes you're forgiven, Seulgi." 

"Yes!" Seulgi fist pumps. "So now maybe you can let me show you what I was talking about earlier? Unless you're not up for the challenge, Irene. Which I would totally understand, by the way. I know I can be pretty intimidating." Seulgi says confidently. 

"I still don't believe you but I'm not one to back down from a challenge. I accept your challenge, Kang Seulgi. Don't worry if you lose, that's just how this game works." Irene replies as Seulgi's mouth hangs open. "You might wanna close your mouth first before we start, else you'll be having fly eggs for dinner tonight, Kang Seulgi."

"Oh bring it on, Bae Irene. You better be ready to lose." Seulgi starts to do some stretching and Irene just chuckles and shakes her head at the sight of a grown woman, in a clearly very expensive suit that could definitely pay for her monthly dues, doing some stretching on a bus in preparation for a mobile game.

Obviously, Seulgi loses the first round. And the second. And the third. Fourth. Fifth.

By the time they are about to start the sixth game and Seulgi's frustration hits an all time high, Irene notices that she's already near her stop. "As much as I love winning and kicking your at Bump Sheep, unfortunately, this is my stop. You're right at one thing though, this game is definitely more fun when I'm beating an actual human being at this game. This was fun. Bye, Seulgi." She smiles as she gets up to leave.

"Whatever. Bye, Bae Irene." Seulgi sulks.

", I forgot to ask her phone number! I  can't believe I didn't only get my kicked in Bump Sheep, I also got my kicked in life. Dammit!" Seulgi curses. "Well, there's always tomorrow. And I'm definitely going to win tomorrow..." Seulgi says to herself, motivated. "Oh and getting her phone number."

 

Wednesday

"Yes!" Irene cheers happily. "That's win number 14 for me and still 0 wins for you, Kang Seulgi! Hah! You sure you wanna keep losing to me?" She asks Seulgi teasingly.

"Seriously, woman. Is this all you do? How are you so crazy good at this?" Seulgi asks both in awe and in frustration.

"This is not all I do, of course. I actually have a life, Seulgi." Irene claims. "But I do play this game a whole lot." Irene giggles.

"Why do you even play this game alone? I really can't digest the fact that someone actually enjoys playing this game alone. I don't understand you." Seulgi says to the clearly offended woman.

"Hey! This is a fun game, okay? Plus the sheep characters are really cute." Irene says happily. "Looking at them reminds me of my favorite fabric softener at home. They look really soft." Irene says as she proceeds to bring her on of her sweater sleeves close to her nose and take in, what Seulgi can only assume based on the serene expression on Irene's face, it's calming scent.

Seulgi also thinks that the sheep characters are cute. But she thinks Irene is really cute. Like really, really cute.

She also thinks that she's so lucky to witness that cute grin adorning Irene's face as she cheers loudly whenever she wins another round. She could lose a thousand games to Irene and she'd still be happy.

Alright, maybe she's still a little bitter that she can't win a single game of Bump Sheep against this really, really cute woman. Just a little bit.

"Eh, I guess they're not that bad. And you're not that bad either." Seulgi says as she stares at Irene.

Before Irene could ask what Seulgi meant by that, Seulgi speaks up again. "Oh, we're already at your stop." 

"Oh, yeah. I guess this is goodbye then. Bye, Seulgi." Irene gets up to leave but right before she walks further she turns to Seulgi and says, "You're not so bad yourself." She smiles and hurriedly gets off the bus leaving a blushing Seulgi staring into space.

 

Thursday

That day, Seulgi doesn't get to sit with Irene right away as she boards the bus because she sees someone else occupying the seat beside Irene. A man. A handsome man, perhaps. And that man was talking to Irene. 

Irene does spot her as she gets on the bus and gives her a wave and a smile which she returns unenthusiastically. Irene frowns at that but just shrugs it off and thinks that maybe Seulgi is tired from work and continues to talk to the man beside her.

Seulgi decides to take the seat directly behind Irene. She immediately stares sullenly outside the window and begins a little sulk sesh of her own.

"Could that be her boyfriend?" Seulgi mutters under her breath. With all the time she invests in playing Bump Sheep, she actually has time to get a boyfriend? Psh. Seulgi thinks to herself, annoyed. Nope, she's not jealous. She's just really annoyed by the fact that she might not have a chance with Irene  chance to beat Irene at Bump Sheep today.

She decides that she might as well just sleep instead of thinking of such useless thoughts about Irene and her stupid boyfriend.

Her peaceful slumber gets interrupted after a few minutes as the bus shakes violently as it hits a huge bump on the road. "Dammit!" She curses. "That was actually a really nice dream!" 

"Really? Did you get to finally beat me at Bump Sheep in your dream?" Irene teases Seulgi.

Seulgi notices two things.  Irene is now sitting beside her, not in front of her anymore. And Irene's stupid, stupid boyfriend is now nowhere to be found.

"What the heck, Irene? I'm sure I sat behind you. And where's your boyfriend?" Seulgi says to Irene, still annoyed at the word boyfriend.

"You did. I just moved to sit beside you. And what boyfriend?" Irene asks, confused.

"What do you mean "And what boyfriend?"? You know, that guy you were talking to a while ago?" Seulgi states, clearly nearing her boiling point.

Upon hearing this, Irene starts to cackle uncontrollably. She starts to sputter incoherent strings of consonants in what seems to be an attempt at conversing with Seulgi while trying to settle down her laughter.

Seeing this pushes Seulgi past her boiling point, "What is it, woman?" Seulgi screams loudly in frustration.

"Seulgi, first of all, that was my cousin. We work together and he just happens to have some errands that he needed to do today so he took the bus with me." Irene manages to say as her breathing has finally reached a humanly state again.

"Oh.", was all Seulgi could say as she leaves hanging open and her remaining brain cells finally decides to give up on her.

"Yeah, oh." Irene shakes her head and shuts Seulgi's mouth close. "And second of all, I'm gay." Irene states as a matter of fact.

"Oh.", was all Seulgi could say again but this time with a distiguishably brighter expression and a pleasantly surprised tone lacing her voice.

"Wait a minute, we're you jealous?" Irene squints teasingly at Seulgi as she asks her.

"I w-wasn't. W-why would I be jealous, huh?" Seulgi stutters as she tries to lie her way out of this situation. "I was only bummed that I couldn't get my chance to beat you at Bump Sheep today! You're delusional." 

"Delusional, huh? Whatever you say, Kang Seulgi." Irene rolls her eyes. "Just admit that you like me. That can't be worse than losing to me at Bump Sheep a thousand times." Irene laughs. 

"W-whatever." Seulgi manages to sputter out while trying to prevent herself from turning into a human tomato.

"Can I ask you a question?" Irene suddenly says.

Confused and curious as to what Irene's question may be Seulgi just simply replies with a simple, "Shoot."

"Why do you always look so tired? I mean I know that work is tiring, but you always look really tired. And you fall asleep almost immediately on the bus if you have nothing else to do." Irene observes. 

"You've been observing me, huh? Maybe it's you who likes me after all." Seulgi quips which earns her a slap on the shoulder from a laughing Irene.

"Kidding aside, I guess it's because I tend to go beyond my capabilities?" Seulgi answers which confused Irene making her scrunch her eyebrows together and tilt her head slightly.

Cute. Seulgi thinks. 

"Hmm. How should I explain this?" Seulgi thinks. "Ah! You know when you feel like you're still lacking or not enough but you want to be enough. You want to show everyone that you're enough but you come up short everytime. That's how I feel all the time."

"I see. That is why you push yourself to catch up that expectation which in turn takes a toll on your physical health." Irene analyzes. "I envy you though. You're very passionate at what you're pursuing. I wanna write but I'm stuck at my crappy job which I hate so much. It's just that maybe you need to pace yourself. Once you reach that expectation by overworking yourself, you'd just end up overworking more to maintain that level. Maybe you just need to let things happen naturally instead of rushing to it."

"Wow. You got all that from Bump Sheep? Damn ma, is it that serious?" Seulgi teases, which earns her a punch on her stomach this time. 

"Thanks though." Seulgi tells Irene. "I'll keep that in mind. I love what I do. I hope you do find it in your heart to pursue your passion. It would be such a waste if a beautiful and talented woman like you would only be passionate about Bump Sheep all her life. Imagine growing old and just having single a life achievement of just being the Best Bump Sheep Player in the World? That's sad, Irene." Seulgi pats Irene's back as she shakes her head.

"Hey, that doesn't sound bad at all! I'd rather have a single life achievement of being the Best Bump Sheep Player in the World rather than have many life achievements but be crowned as the Worst Bump Sheep Player in the World. Thank god, you already exist for that title! I'm safe!" Irene teases as she playfully goes into a praying position. 

"That's not true! I've beaten some people at this game before! And I'll beat you too and add you to that list. You'll see, Bae Irene. You'll see." Seulgi threatens.

"I'll be patiently waiting for that day, Kang Seulgi." Irene smiles, a genuine and soft smile that catches Seulgi off guard and has her heart beating loudly in her chest. "But thanks for what you said earlier." Irene bumps Seulgi's shoulder lightly making Seulgi smile as well.

"Alright this is me. Bye, Seulgi." Irene says as she hurriedly pecks Seulgi's cheek and gets up to leave immediately.

Seulgi's mind barely registers what just happened as she mutters a soft bye to the wind while holding her left cheek and grinning widely.

 

Friday

Seulgi boards the bus that day with a wide grin on her face. She immediately takes the seat beside the most beautiful girl on that bus and takes out her phone.

"Alright. So I was up late last night figuring out some strategies. I downloaded the game and just thought we could play on my phone today. I figured that its not fair that we always play on your device. You got home court advantage! That's a huge handicap for me, Irene. So today, we have to play on my phone to even the playing field." Seulgi states in all seriousness, not missing a beat. "What do you think?" 

Irene thinks it's ridiculous and that's exactly what she tells Seulgi. "I think it's ridiculous. But, sure." Irene shrugs. "I'm still gonna win anyway."

And that's exactly what happened. Are we even surprised at this point? Nope.

"What happened to home court advantage?" Irene teases while making quotation marks in the air.

"I- I seriously don't know anymore. I'm at a loss for words." Seulgi says, exasperated and in a state of shock. "I can't believe I sacrificed my sleep for nothing. My co-workers were already calling me a walking zombie in the office!"

"Well, you still got your point across to me in the end. This game is definitely more fun with another human... especially if that human is you cause I get to beat your everytime!" Irene teases.

"I'm going to beat you someday. I'll figure out some new strategies over the weekend! You'll see!" 

Irene just chuckles at Seulgi's childishness which she finds extremely cute, much like every other aspect of Seulgi is to Irene. She absolutely adores the way that the girl's eyebrows would scrunch together when she's desperately trying to beat Irene's in Bump Sheep but ultimately always failing to do so. And maybe this is really why she much prefers playing Bump Sheep now with another human being. A human being named Kang Seulgi, that is.

 She got lost in her thoughts that she doesn't notice Seulgi has been staring at her for quite some time now. 

Suddenly conscious she asks, "What's the matter? Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have dirt on my face or something?" Irene wonders.

Seulgi laughs. "No. It's just.. You look so cute whenever you smile, Irene. I didn't notice that I was staring for too long." Seulgi chuckles shly as she the back of her neck.

Embarrassed at the sudden compliment, Irene tries to retort back with, "W-well, I think you're cute... whenever you lose at Bump Sheep!" Then she proceeded to stick her tongue out at Seulgi in an attempt to .

It didn't work though as Seulgi's brain only seems to register the first part of her reply. "So you also find me cute, Bae Irene?" Seulgi teases, bringing her face closer to Irene.

"W-what?" Irene stutters. "Oh this is my stop already? Damn, time flies! I gotta go. Bye, Seulgi!" Irene zooms out of the bus.

Cute. Really cute. Seulgi thinks. Not only am I gonna win Bump Sheep, I'm also gonna win your heart Bae Irene.

. I forgot to ask for her number again!

 

Saturday 

Over the weekend, Seulgi tried searching for a Bae Irene on all social media platforms, but ultimately failed. She even pulled up some Google searches but all of them lead nowhere. She's beginning to think that maybe Irene is just a figment of her overheated imagination. 

That's totally possible though. Seulgi thinks. I mean, how could such a beautiful human being exist on this planet? What if she's a goddess? Like an actual goddess? Could she actually be one?

Seulgi decides to make a phone call to her personal assistant. "Hey Wannie, can you look up the contact information of a woman named Bae Irene? Oh and could you maybe buy me some mythology books? Or do you happen to have some lying around? I need them for, uh, research."

Wendy arrives at her house in no less than an hour, with some books in hand. 

"Miss Kang, here's a list of the contact information of all the women named Bae Irene in the area within a 15km radius from your office. Also, here are the books that you asked for. Also, your car's repairs are done and has arrived from the shop. Here are the keys. " She informed Seulgi as she hands her the car keys. "With the return of your personal car, your father is expecting you to work until 8PM again starting tomorrow."

"First of all, I told you to just call me Seulgi, Wannie." Seulgi has known the woman for 3 years now but she still can't get the woman to be more comfortable with her. "Second, I know about the 8PM thing. My father just called me five minutes ago which really . But thanks for the reminder, Wannie. And third, woah, that was fast. Where'd you get these books?" Seulgi asked as she examined the books that Wendy just handed her.

"Those are actually mine, Mi-" Seulgi glares at her assistant as if warning her. "S-seulgi." Wendy finishes.

"Good job." Seulgi pats Wendy's head and gives her a proud smile. "Thanks for these, Wannie! If you want to eat some food or you wanna stay over, feel free to do so." Seulgi gestures to the whole of her mansion.

"Thank you for the kind offer but I do have some appointments today. Perhaps next time. Please take care of the books. Those are my favorites. I'll be going now." Wendy says with a slight bow.

"Don't think I can't see what you're trying to do, Wannie. Just. Call. Me. Seulgi. And quit with the bowing." Seulgi commands. "Come on, say it with me. Seul."

"S-seul." 

"Gi." 

"Gi."

"Seulgi." 

"Seulgi." Wendy repeats.

"Great. That's what I would like you to do for the remainder of the weekend. Practice that. I'll be expecting some progress on Monday. Bye, Wannie."

"Bye, Seulgi." Wendy chuckles at Seulgi's silliness and turns to head for the door.

"Take care, Wannie!" Seulgi enthusiastically waves at her dark-haired assistant.

 

Seulgi starts to go through the list of Bae Irenes. There were only 4 on the list so she decides to call them one by one.

 

1. Bae Irene - 309-770-4714

"Hello? Is this Bae Irene?" Seulgi asks.

A voice which seemed to belong to an old woman answered with a simple Yes. What do you need, my dear?

Seulgi concludes that this is definitely not her Bae Irene.

"Oh sorry, I think I got the wrong number. Thank you. Have a nice evening."

1. Bae Irene - 309-770-4714

 

2. Bae Irene - 706-985-2898

The number you have dialled is currently inactive.

2. Bae Irene - 706-985-2898

 

3. Bae Irene - 213-777-3443

"Hello? May I speak to Bae Irene?" Seulgi inquires.

"May I know who is this? My wife is currently not at home right now but I can deliver a message for her." A man answers her call.

"Oh your wife! Uh, actually I think I'm not calling the right number. Sorry about that!"

"Damn. Does Irene have a secret husband?" Seulgi wonders aloud. "Nah, she's gay." Seulgi says confidently.

"Bye, Bae Irene number 3."

3. Bae Irene - 213-777-3443 

 

4. Bae Irene - 571-762-2668

"This is the last one. I'm pretty sure this is her number. It has to be." Seulgi hopes to god that this is Irene's number, else, she'll really start to think that Irene is an actual goddess who comes down everyday to bless the world of the mortals.

"Hello, Miss Bae Irene! You playing Bump Sheep again?" Seulgi teases as soon as the call is answered.

"I'm sorry but who are you and how do you know my name and the fact that I am playing Bump Sheep right now? That's kinda creepy, miss." The Bae Irene on the other line said.

"Your voice kinda sounds different. Are you sick? And I, uh, you don't know me? Do you play Bump Sheep with a lot of other people on the bus as well? I thought you only played that game alone?" Seulgi asked, confused.

"I'm definitely not sick. And I'm pretty sure I've never played Bump Sheep with anyone on any bus or car or whatsoever. Would you mind answering my question, miss? How do you know me?" Fake Bae Irene, as Seulgi now calls her, demands.

"I'm sorry I think I got the wrong Bae Irene. Sorry for bothering you. Have a good evening." Seulgi ends the call with a crestfallen expression.

4. Bae Irene - 571-762-2668

 

"Well that's all of them. That concludes it, I guess she's really a goddess." Seulgi glances at the pile of books Wendy brought to her and considers looking for Irene in there. 

Is she that desperate to find out the truth? Yes. Yes, she is. 

"Alright! Time to dig in! I can't believe a beautiful woman would be the key to mend my broken relationship with books. Ah, the power of love indeed." 

 

After a few hours of reading, she found an Eirene. She was the closest to the name Bae Irene that she could find.

Eirene was the goddess of Peace. Well that can't be right. Seulgi thinks to herself. That cute little bundle of competitiveness ain't no goddess of Peace. She's a goddess but definitely not of peace.

Aside from the fact that the real life Bae Irene is definitely not a peaceful being. She also decides that this goddess doesn't look anything like the Irene, her Irene, that she met on the bus. 

"What the hell am I doing? I'm going crazy! I should've just gotten her number! I'm such a hopeless idiot." Seulgi facepalms.

 

Monday

Anytime now. Irene thinks as she waits for Seulgi to board the bus. The bus already arrived at Seulgi's usual stop and the passengers are boarding the bus one by one.

Irene's eyes are looking for that one passenger to finally come in through the door. She waits with bated breath but the bus doors finally close yet Seulgi hasn't boarded the bus yet.

The bus starts to move forward but is interrupted by a loud, "Wait!" from a woman named Bae Irene. 

Irene stands in shock and realizes what she has done too late. "Excuse me, miss. Are you going to get off at this stop? You are causing a delay." The bus driver reprimands.

"Sorry, sir. I-I just thought this was my stop already. Sorry, please go on." Irene apologizes, internally facepalming.

Weird. What could have happened to Kang Seulgi? Did she not go to work today? Is she sick? Irene thinks to herself. Yeah, that must be it. Oh well, I could always play Bump Sheep alone.

 

Tuesday

Second day in a row. Still no Seulgi.

Irene plays Bump Sheep alone on her phone but finds that she doesn't enjoy defeating this AI opponent any more.

Stupid Kang Seulgi. She ruined this game for me! She better be ready to lose some more when she shows her face again. Irene thinks to herself bitterly as she continues to play Bump Sheep alone to "devise more strategies to defeat Kang Seulgi and make her cry".

 

Wednesday

No Seulgi. Again.

"She's been sick for three days now. I wonder if she's alright." Irene mutters her thoughts under her breath.

She contemplated on asking this girl beside her to play Bump Sheep with her but ultimately decided against it since she has realized that it's no fun if it's not Kang Seulgi that she's defeating.

 

"Mr. Kang, may I come in?" Seulgi asks.

"Of course, darling. And just call me dad. Come on, loosen up."

"Right. So dad, here are the summarized reports from the conference with the Shanghai team. The meeting went well as expected and we're looking at an upward trend in our stocks if everything proceeds as planned." Seulgi reports to her father as she hands him the said documents.

"Perfect. You're doing well, Seulgi. As expected of my daughter." Seulgi's father states proudly.

"Yeah, so about that. Since I'm doing so well lately, how about giving me an early out tomorrow? I was thinking before 6PM?" Seulgi asked with a hopeful expression.

"Why do you need to leave that early again? Are you still taking the bus? I thought your car was fixed?" 

"It's fixed but I was thinking of taking the bus tomorrow instead. You know, to save gas? Plus, I really like looking at the view of the city and enjoying it during night time." Seulgi bulls her way out of that one.

"When did you even start caring about that? And if you still want to take the bus, then take it after 8PM. I only allowed you to get out early the previous week because I know that it usually takes you a long time to get to your place via bus. But now, that is not a problem anymore. So the answer is no." Seulgi's father states firmly.

"But-" 

"No buts, Seul. You, yourself witnessed it at the meeting. Everything is starting to take off at our Shanghai branch. We need to focus now, more than ever. These are the sacrifices you have to make if you want to be CEO someday. I thought you wanted this?" Seulgi's father asks.

"Yes, Dad. Of course, I do want this. I want to be CEO someday. I was just thinking recently that maybe I'm moving too fast? I don't know. Maybe..   Nevermind. You're right, dad. I'll see you later."

"Alright." Seulgi's father gets up, holds both of Seulgi's shoulders and looks her in the eye. "Look, I just want what's best for you. If you tell me that you want this, I'm going to make sure that you're ready for this. But if you tell me that you don't want this, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make you happy. You're my only child, Seulgi. You can tell me anything. Remember that, okay?" 

"Alright, dad. Thank you." Seulgi hugs her father.

 

Saturday

After a whole week without Bump Sheep (and without Seulgi). Irene has had a lot of time to think to herself.

And she has two regrets so far. 

One, she regrets not asking for that stupid Kang Seulgi's number because now she realized that actually she misses the girl and she just missed her chance. Now she could only hope that she'd bump into that stupid, stupid woman again someday much like the sheep in the game that they used to play together.

And two, she regrets not focusing on her passion. Writing. Meeting Kang Seulgi has brought many realizations into Irene's life recently. Now, unlike number one, she can actually do something about this. 

So instead of her usual routine of drowning herself in her favorite sheep game, Irene is now on her laptop looking at job opportunities for writers and drafting her resignation letter from her crappy job. 

She encounters an ad for a position as an Editorial Assistant at KSG Publishing. This piques her interest. Not only does the company have amazing achievements and is experiencing a surge in popularity these days, but is also close to her current company. So she doesn't have to uproot her current life if she lands this job.

She decides to send her resume and a cover letter to [email protected]. 

"I feel great! Even if I might have missed my chance with Seulgi (for now), I won't be wasting any time to miss my chance at my career." Irene cheers.

 

Wednesday

Irene is doing her daily routine of checking her email when she encountered the email that she has been waiting for. She nervously opens the email and reads it with her heart threatening to jump out of her chest.

 

From: KSG Publishing Jobs ([email protected])

To: Bae Joohyun ([email protected])

Ms. Bae,

We have reviewed your resume and read your cover letter. Thank you for your interest in our Editorial Assistant position.

We think that you are capable and qualified enough for the position so we would like to invite you for an interview next Wednesday, 5:00PM at 27th floor, HR Room of the KSG Publishing building. 

Please be in your corporate attire and do not be late. 

Thank you and we're looking forward to meeting you.

Best regards,

KSG Publishing

"Aahhhh!" Irene screams. "I can't believe that they actually replied to me! Oh my gosh! I need to prepare what I'm gonna wear for the interview."

 

A week later..

 

Wednesday

Irene goes to the interview and is so far, killing it. 

"Alright, Miss Bae. One final question. I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times before but why should we hire you?" Park Joy, head of the HR department asks.

"Miss Park, I'm not going to bull my way into this company so I will just be honest. I may not have the best qualifications in my resume, I know that for a fact after seeing the line of the people who came in before me. But I believe in this industry. It may have taken me some time to wake up and realize that, but I am passionate about this. And believe me when I say that I take the things that I am passionate about seriously." Irene starts.

"I am very flexible and always willing to learn anything. I embrace my weaknesses and will accept to be taught. All these combined with my determination to pursue my passion, makes me a strong candidate for this position." She finishes.

"Great answer. Well, that's it for this interview." Park Joy concludes. "I'm not gonna lie. I am very impressed. To be completely honest, I think you're a shoo-in for this position. We'll just be finalizing some details internally and will be sending you an email regarding the job offer. Please anticipate that within 3-4 business days from now." Miss Park holds out her hand for a shake.

"Thank you, Miss Park!" Irene says vibrantly. 

"Please, call me Joy. Our CEO, Kang Seunggi, doesn't like titles. Titles don't earn you respect, your work ethic does. He likes to be called by his first name and expects that all the employees here would maintain that same attitude." Joy smiles at Irene.

"Your CEO sounds like a very impressive man. Well, I know he's already impressive I mean this company is huge. But like he's really, really impressive." Irene does elaborate gestures with her hands.

Joy laughs. "Yeah, he is. And his daughter is very impressive and very attractive too. Too bad, you couldn't meet her. She's usually here everyday because she's in training to be the next CEO, but I guess she must be busy with other things today."

A knock on the door interrupts their conversation. "Hey Joy? The next interviewee is here." The HR assistant, Kim Yerim says.

"Great, kindly bring her in. Thanks, Yeri!"

"You got it." 

"Alright." Joy turns to Irene. "It was nice meeting you again, Irene. Take care and I look forward to seeing you again!"

"Thanks so much for the opportunity, Joy! I do hope to see you again in this building soon."

 

Monday

It is Irene's last day in her current job and she finally receives an email from KSG Publishing regarding the job offer.

 

From: KSG Publishing Jobs ([email protected])

To: Bae Joohyun ([email protected])

Ms. Bae,

We have reviewed your application and have decided to offer you the job of Editorial Assistant at KSG Publishing.

Please review the attached files and affix your signature to formalize our work agreement. If you do have any questions, do not hesitate to email us.

If you do decide to accept our offer, you can start working by next Monday. Our regular office hours are from 9:30AM - 5:30PM.

We are looking forward to working with you!

Best regards,

KSG Publishing

 

Let's just say that Irene didn't think twice about accepting the offer not only because she really likes this job but also because they offered her a crapload of money compared to her current (soon-to-be previous in a few hours) job.

 

A week later..

 

Monday

"Dad? Can I come in?" Seulgi asks.

"Of course, honey. What is it? I don't remember asking for any reports yet." 

"I wanted to talk about something." Seulgi says seriously.

"Go on." Her dad urges her. 

"Well, you see, I was absent from work last Wednesday right? I was actually touring some schools that I previously applied for." Seulgi admits.

"And why would that be necessary?" Seunggi inquires.

"I want to go back to school, dad. I want to get an MBA and I've already been accepted to some schools that I like. Before you say anything, I just wanna explain why I want to do it." Seulgi says.

"I've always been feeling like I'm still lacking. I push myself to keep on working to try and fill the gap, but it hasn't been working well." Seulgi starts.

"I do get the job done but I'm losing my passion for it. And I don't want that. And this is why I want to study again. I want to be able to fill that gap naturally and take my time in understanding everything and appreciating it. I want to start with the basics. So that when the time comes for me to take over, I'd have already proven to myself and to everyone else that I do deserve this position." 

Kang Seunggi was quiet the whole time which made Seulgi extremely nervous. A smile slowly appeared on his face and he got up to hug his daughter.

"Dad? What was the hug for? I kinda need your permission and money to study?" Seulgi jokes but still hugs her father in return.

"I'm just proud of you. I already do believe that you deserve this position even without the MBA. But I am very happy that you found a way for yourself. I will always support you, Seul."

"Great. Thanks, dad. Because here's my resignation letter." Seulgi chuckles. "I can still assist you while I'm studying but I might be too busy so I just wanted to formally resign so if you ever needed it, you could find a suitable replacement for my position."

"That won't be necessary, but thanks." Seulgi's dad says. "Before I approve of your resignation, I'd like for you to work on one final task."

"Sure, dad. Fire away."

"Well, we have a new employee coming in today and Joy is sick. Yeri already has her hands full today so I would like for you to orient her. Here's her resume."

"No problem, dad. Where is she?" Seulgi asks.

"Just proceed to the HR Room. She's currently waiting there. Thanks, Seul." Seunggi replies.

 

Irene is currently inside the HR Room and has been instructed to wait. She got bored so she started playing Bump Sheep again on her phone. It's been a while and she really missed playing her favorite game.

She was too focused that she doesn't hear the knock on the door as another figure walks right in.

"Still playing Bump Sheep I see. You're very consistent." Seulgi says behind Irene.

Irene turns around and she sees, "Seulgi?" She says currently in shock.

"So you're Bae Joohyun, huh? Must be why I couldn't find any information regarding a Bae Irene." Seulgi mutters.

"Where the hell have you been? And what are you doing here?" Irene demands some answers.

"Look, I'm sorry for suddenly disappearing. I promise I can explain if you sit down and listen to me." Seulgi replies while scratching her head.

"Alright. Explain." 

"So my car got fixed. And the only reason I was taking the bus was because it was broken. So when it got fixed, my father demanded that I stay longer hours in the office again since I don't have to take the bus anymore. Hence, my disappearing act. I swear to god I tried to find you but I couldn't since I was looking up information regarding a Bae Irene instead of a Bae Joohyun." Seulgi explains.

"Now for the question "what am I doing here?", my father owns this company and I'm currently the Vice President and CEO in training and was tasked to orient you today. Well, was the Vice President and CEO in training."

"Woah.", was all Irene could say.

"So am I forgiven?" Seulgi asks expectantly.

"I guess. I mean it's not your fault that you were born dumb and forgot to ask for my number." Irene shrugs.

"Hey! Not fair, you could have asked for my number too, you know?" Seulgi retorts.

"Wait, what did you mean by was the Vice President and CEO in training?" Irene remembers.

"I just resigned." Seulgi grins. 

"You just rendered yourself jobless yet you can still smile? You're crazy." 

"Crazy about you? Yes." Seulgi's bold statement causes Irene to blush. "Crazy in general? Maybe a little. But I'm going back to school. I thought about what you said about pacing myself so I applied for some schools and I passed. I'm going get an MBA and work my way up from there. Little by little. Growing steadily." Seulgi smiles.

"Wow. I'm really happy for you, Seulgi. Really." Irene smiles back.

"You don't seem to be doing bad yourself. I see that you're now pursuing your passion." 

"Well, some cute girl I met on the bus a few weeks ago knocked some sense into me. And I'm really thankful for her. I kinda hate her cause she ruined my favorite game. I couldn't enjoy playing Bump Sheep as much as I used to anymore because I missed playing with that stupid girl."

"I missed you too." Seulgi answers with a wide grin.

"And who says that I was referring to you?" At this Seulgi's grin falls apart quickly but Irene is quick to stop her from actually crying. "Just kidding."

"Well, can I please have your number now?" Seulgi asks and walks toward Irene to hand her phone.

"Alright, I guess." Irene says nonchalantly then proceeds to type her phone number. "Now, be sure to save that and contact me, Kang Seulgi. Or you're dead." Irene threatens her.

"You got it."

Ding!

Irene's phone alerts her of an incoming message from an unknown number which seems to be Seulgi's and she opens the message.

Will you let me take you out on a date some time?

Irene types in a reply and waits for Seulgi to read it.

Hmm.. only if you beat me in Bump Sheep :p

"What?" Seulgi shouts and tugs at Irene's hand. "Come on, Irene. That's not fair! You know I'll always lose to you. How about PUBG? I'm really good at that game. I swear it's easy to play and you'll learn it in no ti-" Irene interrupts Seulgi as she holds Seulgi's face between her hands and gives her a short but tender kiss on the lips. Seulgi then wraps her arms around Irene's tiny waist and proceeds to pull her closer, their bodies flush against each other.

Seulgi feels elephants marching inside her stomach even with such a short kiss and she swears she's never been so crazy about anyone else in her life before.

They break the kiss while gasping for air and letting their foreheads rest against each other.  

"So was that a yes?" Seulgi asks Irene.

"What do you think?" Irene rolls her eyes.

"Well, I was just making sure! I thought you wanted to play Bump Sheep first? I can totally train for it if you really want that condition."

"Just shut up and kiss me, Kang Seulgi."

Irene wraps her arms around Seulgi's neck and pulls her in for another round of kissing.

 

Yes. Seulgi got to orient Irene before the day ended.

Yes. They finally got to go out on a real date.

And yes, Seulgi eventually defeated Irene at Bump Sheep once.

But just once.

 

END