A/N: I’m sorry it took a while ^^;

Here is the beginning of Part 2. Please enjoy~

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Everything was going well.

You’re doing great, Jung Wheein.

I was extremely proud of myself tonight as I sat beside this beautiful woman called Irene, chatting and giggling about something silly yet poignant to us. We were currently enjoying after-dinner drinks at the local pub and so far, everything was going smoothly for a first date.

I first met Irene in this very same pub, where I had often frequent to drown my loneliness and sorrow. That night, she had come to pick up a drunk friend of hers. I wasn’t too drunk yet and I was feeling very gentlewomanly, so I helped Irene hauled her friend into her car. Even though there weren’t any words exchanged between us, Irene’s grateful yet shy smile sent butterflies fluttering inside my stomach.

And I hadn’t felt that way since…Byul.

At that moment, when I realized that I was finally able to say her name now (even just thinking of it), I knew that I was slowly getting there – destination: moving on.

I was so happy about this revelation that I didn’t feel the need to go to the pub anymore. I thought that it was time to focus on myself and my present surroundings instead of on past things and people who were not there with me anymore.

Everything went well after that; I hadn’t even touched alcohol for a solid month.

One day, my office arranged for a celebratory party after we were done with our project and, out of pure nostalgia, I suggested the pub.

When I got there, the bartender passed me a crumpled note with a number attached to it – Irene’s number. It was an understatement to say that I was dumbfounded. I remembered thinking that my epiphany came at the most inopportune time; I almost screwed up my chance for a new romance.

I texted Irene and we got to know each other for a few weeks before I braved myself to ask her out. It was nerve-wrecking, to be honest, because this wasn’t just a first date to me – it was also my first official date with a woman.

Ah. Byul was supposed to be my first date, but…

I sighed into my drink, regretting that I had allowed my mind to wander while I was still on my date with Irene. My mood was starting to sour and I just hoped that Irene didn’t notice.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm and I looked over to find Irene giving me a concerned look.

“Wheein-ssi?” she asked softly. “Is everything okay? You don’t look so good…”

I gave her my most charming smile, hoping that it would ease her worry. “Everything is okay. I’m just…wondering if I’m doing well right now.”

Irene frowned. “What do you mean?”

“This date. It’s, um, it’s actually my first date…” I glanced at her nervously, trying to gauge her reaction, “…with a woman.”

“Oh…”

Irene lifted her hand from my arm and I almost panicked, thinking that I had offended her somehow. But then her hand covered mine, her thumb caressing my knuckles gently.

“It’s actually my first too,” she confessed, her voice low and soft as if she was letting me in on a secret, “I mean I have kissed and touched other women before, in the most non-platonic ways of course, but I have never gone on an actual date with any of them.”

Her suggestive words made me blush from the inside out, but my heart went out to her at the same time. I turned my hand over and interlaced our fingers together.

“I’m sorry that they were too blind to see that you’re more than the physical stuff,” I huffed, feeling a little offended on Irene’s behalf, “for the record, you’re a fun date, Irene-ssi.”

Irene chuckled and gave my hand a squeeze, her lips curling into a shy smile. “You’re a fun date too, Wheein-ssi.”

My heart fluttered a little and I shifted my gaze to hide the obvious blush in my cheeks, but I didn’t let go of her hand. We continued to chat as we finished our drinks, feeling more relaxed and comfortable with each other.

I tried not to pay too much attention to it, but we kept holding hands even as we walked home together. It had been a while since I felt another human’s touch like this and I was filled with giddiness and warmth that I wasn’t ready to let go of yet.

“Thank you for tonight, Wheein-ssi,” Irene said when we reached her apartment building, “it was fun. I really enjoyed my time with you.”

I beamed, too giddy to feel shy. “I feel the same way, Irene-ssi.”

She chuckled softly and pecked me on the cheek; right on my dimple. I gaped at her, too startled to form coherent words. She bit her bottom lip and shook her dark curls, the corner of turning up into a shy smile.

“If you keep looking so cute,” she said, giving my hand a squeeze before letting it go, “I might not be able to stop at just your cheek.”

My mouth went dry and my heart thumped a little too hard inside my chest. I was already missing her warmth and I hesitated briefly before I grabbed her hand again, tugging her towards me for a real kiss. She tasted like beer, but her lips were so soft and she smelled so, so good that if I wasn’t already slightly intoxicated, I definitely would be by now.

“I don’t kiss on first dates,” Irene breathed when we finally parted, a shy smile tugging at the corner of her lips, “but I guess I’ll make an exception for you.”

I was tempted to pull her in for another kiss, but she was already moving away from me towards her building. I pouted a little, feeling the loneliness creeping into my heart. But then Irene turned and gave me a flying kiss, which I expertly caught of course, before disappearing into the lobby. I still felt a little lonely as I started my trek home, but I felt a little better knowing that Irene probably felt the same way that I do.

My hand unconsciously went up to my lips and a goofy grin spread across my face as I thought about the kiss. I didn’t know dates could be this fun and heart-fluttering. Why didn’t I do this again?

Oh, right. Byul.

For the second time that night, my happiness was dimmed at the thought of Byul. I tried to not think of her, but there was no beauty here to distract me anymore, so I had nothing but thoughts of Byul – angry, bitter thoughts – as company.

They stayed with me even as I reached the intersection; even as I waited for the light to turn green. Desperate to push the thoughts away, my eyes wandered around until they found the night sky and the stars littering it.

“Byul…”

I caught myself as the name slipped past my lips. Someone once said that vocalizing something will actually summon it. It was true that I hadn’t said Byul’s name out loud in this past year, but that doesn’t mean this one tiny slip would-

I frowned when I felt something vibrating in my pocket.

I recognized it as my phone, but it was past the bedtime of almost everyone I know, so it bewildered me to who it was that could be calling me right now.

Hyejin?

It made sense with our time-zones being different, but Hyejin rarely calls anymore.

Irene?

We just parted, so I doubt that she would be calling me so soon.

I was confused and uncertain and the caller seemed very persistent, judging from the constant vibration. With a heavy sigh, I fished the phone out of my pocket and frowned when I saw an unknown number flashing across the screen.

Suddenly, I felt goosebumps all over my body as a thought struck me.

It couldn’t be Byul…right?

I quickly shook the thought away. I was never a believer of such sayings, so why should I start now?

The phone finally went silent and I was relieved that I never had to find out who the caller was. For all I know, it could be a scammer and I did not want that kind of trouble in my life.

As I thought that, my phone came to life again.

It was that same unknown number and I was slowly getting irritated – the light had just turned green and I barely have 20 seconds until it turns red again. I hurriedly crossed the street as I contemplated whether to ignore the call again or just answer it. Thinking that the caller won’t stop until I did, I tapped the green button and placed the phone to my ear.

“Hello, Jung Wheein. How was the date?”

I was lucky that my feet were safely on the pavement when the light turned red and cars started zooming by. If I had taken the call a moment too soon, I definitely would have been ran over because I was frozen on the spot with my eyes almost popping out of their sockets and my mouth opened a little too wide.

That voice.

I didn’t get many chances to talk with her on the phone, but when I do, her voice was what stand out to me the most. Yes, her stutter was not there anymore, but her voice – deep yet feminine – was unmistakable to me. The voice definitely belonged to none other than her.

“Byul…?”