Chapter 19:

 

This update is a birthday + valentine’s day + sorry-for-not-updating triple special.

——

 

The first kiss makes them lose their minds, crazy for more.

 

The second kiss makes them lose their breaths.

 

They finally pull away from the kiss after what seems like forever, both panting heavily while looking into each other’s eyes. 

 

Even for the dance captain who has amazing stamina, her daily intense practices does nothing in helping her to prepare for such intensity. 

 

Because Irene literally makes Seulgi lose her breath. With each movement of Irene’s lips against hers, it ignites a fire deep within her stomach.  

 

She resists the temptation to crash her lips onto Irene’s again, not wanting to play with the fire inside her. Playing with fire is always dangerous.

 

So, Seulgi just wipes away the small drops on sweat that are on Irene’s forehead and ends the kiss with her sweet words. “That was amazing.”

 

For a second kiss, Irene thinks it is better than the first. But objectively, it is still a little sloppy as their lip balm got all over the place. 

 

Despite everything, Irene still cannot help but admit with a small smile, “Yeah. It’s amazing.” It is the best feeling ever to feel Seulgi’s lips completely take over hers. 

 

With the no kissing barrier gone, they suddenly feel a step closer to one another. 

 

“I’m a pretty good kisser, aren’t I?” 

 

“Hmm” 

 

Irene snuggles into Seulgi’s embrace naturally, wrapping her arm around her. It is no longer something she will hesitate doing anymore.

 

She suddenly recalls something and tells Seulgi, “By the way, I still mean it when I wanted to go slow.” 

 

Seulgi leans her head against Irene’s and then kisses her hair. “Okay.” 

 

“Going slow will make sure we don’t miss out things needed for a healthy relationship.” 

 

“But most importantly, can I still kiss you?”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Yay.” Seulgi pecks Irene’s lips. This is all she really cares actually. Then, again. 

 

And again. 

 

It is funny how the flutters come no matter how many kisses Seulgi gives. 

 

“You seem like you are having too much fun.” Irene comments, seeing Seulgi’s bright eyesmile beaming down at her. Her smile never fails to take her breath away. 

 

“Dating you is always fun.” 

 

“Why?”

 

“Because you always keep me on my toes.” 

 

“Do I?”

 

“One moment you stare at my lips and the next, you act all shy when I try to kiss you.” 

 

“I am not shy.” 

 

“Eung?”

 

“Shut up.” 

 

“You’re too cute.” Seulgi ruffles the shorter girl’s hair with a grin, causing the indignant Irene to click her tongue. “Look at you blushing.” 

 

“I am just feeling hot.” 

 

“Yeah, you’re pretty hot.” Seulgi her lips seductively. 

 

Irene pushes the incoming lips away. “And you’re pretty annoying.” 

 

“I think the former adjective suits me better.”

 

“The latter.” 

 

“Why won’t you just admit that you think I’m pretty?” 

 

“Why would I?”

 

“If I’m not pretty then it means you have bad taste in girls.” 

 

Irene scoffs. Her debate mode is . 

 

“Being pretty isn’t everything. Think about it. You may look stunning on the outside, with your nice clothes, make up and everything but it will never be enough to cover up if you have an ugly personality.” 

 

This finally shuts the cocky captain up. 

 

Irene sees the flicker of sadness in Seulgi’s eyes, before she shrugs and then turns her gaze back onto the stars. 

 

She then realises her mistake. “Seulgi-yah, I’m not talking about you.” Irene tugs Seulgi’s arm to get her attention, which she always succeeds because Seulgi will always turn back to look at her. 

 

The captain purses her lips. “I know you didn’t mean it but it does sound like me though. You know how people say I’m obsessed with being popular and live for the drama-“ 

 

Irene frowns upon hearing that. “You aren’t.” 

 

“I am.” Seulgi looks at Irene with an amused expression. 

 

“You make yourself sound like a horrible person.”

 

“Aren’t we all?” Seulgi shrugs it off with a smile. She wraps her arm around Irene to engulf her in a side hug and the latter leans into her embrace. 

 

They watch the stars in comfortable silence. 

 

“Because that’s all people care about.” Seulgi finally sighs, breaking the silence after a few minutes. “Isn’t it funny how we all try to stand out in order to fit in?” 

 

There is no reply.

 

“Hyun?” 

 

Seulgi then realises that her girlfriend fast asleep in her embrace, her arm still draped over Seulgi’s stomach. 

 

She smiles and uses her deft fingers to move the stray strands of hair away from Irene’s face to the back of her ear.

 

It has been a long day for her girlfriend indeed. She could imagine how hard it must have been for Irene not to walk out on her during the tutoring session. It was something that many of her old tutors did. 

 

Why is Irene keeping up with all of her playfulness? 

 

It is something she can never figure out. 

 

“Ah choo!” 

 

Irene suddenly sneezes in her sleep. With her eyes still closed, her hand reaches out to rub her nose. Then, it drops limp the next second. 

 

Is she cold? 

 

Seulgi knits her eyebrows together. She stealthily removes herself from Irene’s arms. Firstly, she helps Irene to zip her hoodie up to the neck.

 

Then, treating Irene’s fragile body like a delicate vase, Seulgi carefully puts her to lay down on the backseat. 

 

“Well, this is another excuse for me to enter your house again.” She chuckles to herself and takes one last look at Irene before climbing to the driver’s seat. 

 

For the past few days, Irene has been really insistent on not letting Seulgi into her house. 

 

I trust you, she reassures Seulgi. The next moment, she still pushes Seulgi away every day when she tries to enter. 

 

And, poor Seulgi tried all the excuses possible to get a ticket into the house. 

 

A quick nap? No. 

 

A movie? No.

 

Ramen? No.

 

Just for a cup of tea? No.

 

Seulgi piggybacks her girlfriend back to her apartment. She unlocks the door using Irene’s key from her wallet. 

 

After tucking her in, Seulgi decides to roam around Irene’s apartment for a short while before she leaves since she has not been here in days. 

 

Seulgi quickly realises her table is slightly messy unlike the last time she has been here. She walks towards there.

 

On the table are a few markers strewn around and a card in the middle. On the card lies a hand-drawn birthday cake in the middle, with a bunny and a bear sitting on the top layer smiling happily together. 

 

It is a card for her birthday next week.  

 

Seulgi feels a wide smile spreading across her face, her heart b in joy knowing that Irene is indeed aware of her birthday. It is not like she has doubted Irene, but the girl has been acting so clueless lately that she is starting to have trickles of doubt. 

 

No wonder Irene has not allowed her to enter her apartment for the past few days. It is because she has been busy preparing for her birthday! 

 

Unable to conceal her excitement, Seulgi decides to give herself a spoiler. She picks up the card opens it carefully to take a peek at the message inside. 

 

Is it a long or short message? 

 

A long confession? 

 

Or just simple words like...’I love you’? 

 

Three words stare back at her. 

 

‘Happy birthday Seulgi.’

 

Her heart fell. That’s it?

 

No hearts?

 

No “xoxo”? 

 

Not even a smiley face? 

 

She turns the card around and meets a blank page to her disappointment. 

 

Seulgi knows she is not supposed to compare but she has already started planning for Irene’s birthday that is a month away. 

 

And she cannot help but feel a little disappointed seeing how little her girlfriend is doing for her in comparison. 

 

Before dating her, Seulgi already knew that Irene is a simple person who prefer simple acts of displaying affection to flamboyant gestures of love unlike herself. 

 

Well, at least she made a card? 

 

She sighs and tries to comfort herself with the fact that at least she will not look as disappointed when she opens the card later this week. 

 

Looking up from the card, her mood lightens  when she notices their couple photo still in the centre of the board. 

 

In the corner under the ‘Important Dates’ segment, her birthday date ‘10 Feb’ is marked with a star unlike other dates. 

 

And the day above it is labelled - Sleepover at Jongin’s...

 

——

 

“Now!” 

 

Irene slams down on the send button. Every millisecond feels like an eternity as she stares down at the loading icon at the top of the screen. 

 

It is a competition as intense as buying concert tickets of popular K-pop groups. Each millisecond is the difference between life and death. 

 

Finally, the message pops up on Jennie’s screen and she immediately stops the stopwatch. 

 

“Received! You sent the message at exactly 11.31pm and 5 milliseconds, which is an improvement from your previous record of 7 milliseconds.” Jennie announces proudly, offering her partner a hi-five. 

 

Irene claps her hands happily after hearing it. She smirks, “I bet no one will be able to beat my record.” 

 

“What’s your record?” Jongin pops in between them and asks Irene. His competitiveness is evident from the fire in his eyes, as this has been a competition that he has won for the past few birthdays. 

 

Every year, the birthday organising committee will have a sleepover at someone’s house to go through their extravagant plans for tomorrow. This year, the dance club has invited the student council to join them in helping to organise Seulgi’s grand birthday celebration. 

 

For the organising committee, one thing all of them look forward to is the first item of the celebration.  

 

It is the race to see who will send the first birthday message to the birthday baby and receive a reply. 

 

The winner will not have to pay for the birthday surprise expenses, which usually adds up to quite a sum. But it is not like the wealthy dance club members cannot afford it either. 

 

It is more of a matter of pride. 

 

A game of who has the fastest reflexes. 

 

“What’s your record, Kim Jongin?” Irene challenges him, a similar fire burning in her eyes. She does not like losing either. 

 

“I don’t know because I don’t bother practicing. Because I know I will always win.” 

 

“Our Joohyun never loses.” Jennie retorts. 

 

“Neither do I.”  

 

“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes in a joking way and pats on both of their shoulders. “Have fun practicing y’all! I’ll go practice the dance routine tomorrow instead.” 

 

He walks off with a spring in his steps which greatly irritates both of the girls. 

 

“Cocky ! Ugh, I can’t stand people like him.” Irene grumbles while looking at his retreating backview. 

 

“Your girlfriend is the same.” 

 

“Yeah.” She smiles thinking about it. 

 

“What’s with the smile?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“C’mon...”

 

“It’s just kinda weirdly heart fluttering to hear that she is mine.” 

 

“Why?”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because Seulgi never really feels like mine.” Irene admits to her good friend sadly, hugging her knees together. 

 

Jennie senses her change of mood and scoots closer to Irene who is stirring on the giant black sofa. “What’s wrong?”

 

Irene shakes her head. 

 

“Hyun...”

 

“Don’t call me that.” She elbows her lightly. 

 

“If you don’t tell me what’s wrong I’ll continue calling you that. Hyun...” Jennie whines lightly and it is already gross enough for Irene to immediately give in. 

 

“Okay enough!”

 

“Tell me.” 

 

“Look around us, Jennie. What do you see?” 

 

There are many people scattered everywhere throughout the giant living room where both of the girls are sitting in. There is Yeri and Sooyoung at the other corner of the sofa laughing with a few of the younger boys, Jackson and a few seniors downing shots at the counter top, Wendy and Bogum baking cupcakes together in the kitchen and so on.  

 

“People?” 

 

“They are all people who are close to Seulgi.” Irene’s downcast expression while replying surprises Jennie. She notices how Irene is fidgeting with her fingers slowly.  

 

“Joohyun why are you being insecure?” Jennie knows that this is something Irene only does when she is insecure